Fill Me In

This week, Ryan and Brian get Viewer Mail from Alex Verdugo, a Little Known Fact from Matthew Gritzmacher, and launch the Official Ryan's Middle Name Bracket. There's also a new Contest of Now, avail…

This week, Ryan and Brian encounter a spicy meatball, try (and fail) to understand how multiverses work, and envision a Punnett square combining baseball and government.

If you get bored (how could …

This week, Ryan and Brian argue about what is and is not meat, try to remember movies they may have never seen, and learn exactly what's exciting enough for Brian's personal Mount Rushmore. There's a…

This week, Ryan and Brian enjoy frothy beverages whilst podding, examine the peculiar lyrics of "Pippin," and try out a not-particularly-thrilling variation on Kealoa. Solve our current contest puzzl…

This week, Ryan and Brian bring two new challenges to the table, one you should try and one you should not. They are a new Contest of Now (at bemoresmarter.com/contest) and the notion of mixing beer …

It's the return of many things: crosswords in real life, the ground level club of indeterminate length, references to Episode #442, the long lost FMI musical, and best of all, cohost Ryan Zwickel Hec…

Ryan is away this week so once again, Brian is joined by The Great and Powerful Barnacle, Ben Zimmer! Topics include baseball nightmares, rhyming word etymology, #rip Googlewhacks, and a brand new Co…

Front runners are beginning to emerge in the "pick Ryan's middle name" game, but is the voting secure? This week, Ryan and Brian yak about Bangor, the rising number of Raising Cane's, and whether or …

Season Ten! Sounds exciting, no? Well, if you know the show then you know exactly how exciting it is. This week's topics: Wilbur, chicken, more chicken, Kealoa, Greek phrases, middle names, a conte…

PLOT TWIST! If you know, you know. And if you don't — give it a listen. Season 9 wraps with one of the most delightful surprises in the history of FMI, and we're not even talking about a brand new co…

This week, Ryan and Brian aren't the only ones apparently ramping up to Lollapuzzoola – buy your puzzles now at bemoresmarter.com. Also, Ryan wants YOU to choose his new middle name AND what to get t…

This week, Ryan and Brian get big news from Brooke Husic and Sid Sivakumar about Lollapuzzoola, which happens in less than two weeks (August 24, 2024). Learn who's writing the puzzles, and sign up no…

This week, Ryan and Brian learn more than they even knew existed about Ample Hills Creamery, the interrobang, and the Willow Lane parking lot in Bethesda, Maryland. How will you find out when their p…

This week, Ryan and Brian examine both intended and unintended puns, induct several new members into the BFVWE club, and suffer through enough Kealoa to shoo away our loyal audience. (We're sorry.)

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This week, Ryan and Brian learn more (but perhaps not enough) about Russian geography, more (and definitely more than needed) about diuresis, and find vast disappointment in this week's NYT puzzles. …

This week, Ryan and Brian debate the merits of Cheez-It varieties, find certain canned foods disgusting, and and return to Kealoa with some random rivers. Also, breaking news: the theme for this year…

This week, Ryan's show lasts about three and-a-half minutes longer than Brian's thanks to the boonies of Maine and its relative lack of internet signal. Still, there's some discourse on shorts and tr…

This week, Ryan and Brian confuse umlauts and diaereses, liquids and solids, good pencils and bad pencils, and "Fill Me In" and "White Christmas." Watch Ryan solve his 1000th NYTXW in a row on Wednes…

This week, Ryan and Brian recap Westwords (spoiler-free!), continue The Stopwatch Saga, learn more about minor league baseball alternate names, and struggle to understand the timelines of presidentia…

This week, Ryan and Brian learn about international cuisine, discover more music involving cheese, and celebrate the reunion of a man and his stopwatch. Phew, that's a lot to get through in 90 minute…