Jordan Peele (Get Out, Nope, Wendell & Wild) is an actor, comedian, and filmmaker. Jordan joins the Armchair Expert to discuss why he loves the horror and comedy genres, why doing films that have meaning is so important to him, and how he approaches character development in his stories. Jordan and Dax talk about the similarities between Punk’d and Mad TV, what growing up with single mothers was like, and how vital interpersonal skills are in the filmmaking process. Jordan explains what he is afraid of, how ego affects the creative process, and why actor performances are essential to make a great film.

Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us about the craziest thing they've witnessed on Black Friday.

Mark Rober is an engineer and inventor. Mark joins the Armchair Expert to discuss how he became one of the biggest YouTubers in the world, how he got a job with NASA, and how he has learned to reframe failures into successes. Mark and Dax talk about the experience of being recognized in public, what they love most about primates, and why science was a more appealing subject matter in school. Mark explains his glitter bomb video, what he thinks about ASMR, and why he resisted doing a television show for so long.

Liz and Monica are “feeling superior to men today" in episode 7 (of 10) of Race to 35. The two talk about their fears of being needy and question what it would look like to build a non-traditional family. They chat with a choice mom, Dana, who has a two year old son via IUI and donor. She talks the women through the process of picking a donor and the highs and lows of having a child without a partner.

In this week’s Flightless Bird, David Farrier sets out to find the perfect turkey and in doing so discovers what Thanksgiving is all about. Somehow, Farrier gets acclaimed celebrity chef Michael Voltaggio to cook him, Dax, Monica, and Rob a full Thanksgiving meal - which involves a lot of turkey, sides, stuffing and pies. Voltaggio and Farrier discuss turkey jacuzzis and where Michael can be found most Thanksgivings. Puzzled by the origins of Thanksgiving, David talks to Crystal EchoHawk, founder & Executive Director of illuminative.org - to find out the real origins of Thanksgiving and how to best spend the Holiday - including just checking an app like Native Land to clock the history of the land we live on. Kristen and Dax smell the turkey in the air and decide to show up for a tasty Voltaggio meal - and the whole Flightless Bird team gives thanks.

Jerry Seinfeld (Seinfeld, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, 23 Hours to Kill) is a stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. Jerry joins the Armchair Expert to discuss how much he dislikes vacations, why you shouldn’t worship your children, and his ability to read people quickly. Dax and Jerry talk about how the algorithm isn’t good for the art form of comedy, where their attraction to cars comes from, and the nice ways to scratch your face. Jerry explains how everyone is in the perfect car for them even if they borrowed it, how art is the disguising of art, and why everything in life needs to be edited.

Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us about the craziest thing that happened at Thanksgiving dinner.

Yuval Noah Harari (Sapiens, Unstoppable Us) is a historian, philosopher and best-selling author. Yuval joins the Armchair Expert to discuss how people create fantasies in their minds about the real world, why he wanted to write a children’s book, and how humans are capable of building large collaborative communities. Yuval and Dax talk about how the invention of fire advanced human civilizations, how humans evolved to the top of the food chain, and why people lose their faith in the systems that run their lives. Yuval explains why he doesn’t like to hear his own voice, what the concept of social scores based on technology tracking is, and how the stories of religion can change over time.

Monica and Liz's trays finally arrive in Episode 6 (out of 10) of Race to 35. In this episode, the two women start a new shot and Monica lies to Liz about how much it hurts. Additionally, Liz is put on a blood thinner because she tested positive for a genetic blood mutation. The two talk to singer/songwriter Christina Perri about her struggle with fertility and her experience enduring multiple miscarriages. Christina learns vital information about her body and the simple solution that could have prevented her miscarriages. She bravely shares this information with Monica, Liz, and the listeners in hopes of preventing the same outcome for others.

In this week’s Flightless Bird, David Farrier sets out to understand the American airport and what makes it tick. Why are the top seven busiest airports in the world all based in America, and what does that mean for the traveler? David sets off for the world’s third business airport, Denver, to dig into the various conspiracy theories surrounding the airport. Why does it greet passengers with a giant terrifying mustang with glowing red eyes and did it really kill the artist who made it? David descends into the huge underground network of tunnels under the airport to find out what’s really going on there and tries to find answers to the strange, apocalyptic artwork on display at the terminals.

John Stamos (Full House, Big Shot, ER) is an actor and musician. John joins the Armchair Expert to discuss his DM to Dax about loving the podcast, his fear of putting himself out there and giving 100%, and the time someone tried to set him up with Kristen. John and Dax talk about their shared love of Howard Stern, what the term “epcotting” means, and his experience on daytime soap operas. John explains how he wanted to get famous so he could have bodyguards beat up his high school bully, the hyper-nostalgia of Full House, and John brings Monica a surprise.

Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us about the worst place they've been stuck.

Layne Norton, Ph. D. (BioLayne) is a scientist, professional bodybuilder, and physique coach. Layne joins the Armchair Expert to discuss how he approaches teaching people about exercise, his thoughts on the artificial sweetener debate, and his views on the use of steroids in bodybuilding competitions. Layne and Dax talk about how diet culture can shape people’s identities, how eating disorders can be treated as addictions, and how important the power of habit-forming can be to one’s health. Layne explains why tracking what you eat is beneficial, why having accountability with empathy is crucial in weight loss, and how detrimental stress can be to the human body.

Liz and Monica decide they can't get canceled in ep 5 (of 10) of Race to 35. They revisit a final destination moment from last night's shots and Liz declares she finally feels like a person after hearing words of encouragement from an Uber mom. Monica receives some encouraging news about her follicles and they lament about the stingy medication implementation. Then they get science-y with professor at Stanford, podcaster and friend of the pod - Andrew Huberman. Huberman talks about how to maximize egg and sperm health, he walks through the purpose of each relevant hormone, and they receive a call from a very special megalith.

In this week’s Flightless Bird, David sets out to understand American Network News, and the country’s obsession with rolling 24/7 news coverage. Why does the Fox News Channel averaged more total viewers than CNN and MSNBC combined and how is American TV news faring in the wake of Twitter and TikTok? David talks to Stacy Scholder, a professor at the University of Southern California who teaches TV journalism. What is she teaching the next generation of TV journalists and what was it like covering OJ Simpson’s escape on the LA freeway? He also meets Victor Vlam, a 38-year-old man in the Netherlands who has the biggest collection of news theme songs on the planet. Why does he have 876 hours, 2 minutes and 52 seconds of news music? Victor explains the importance of news theme music and what it says about the news you’re about to hear. What’s the best news theme song and the worst?

Constance Wu (Making a Scene, Crazy Rich Asians, Fresh Off the Boat) is an actress. Constance joins the Armchair Expert to discuss why she decided to write a book, the importance of having empathy and curiosity toward someone else's experience, and how she discovered her love for acting. Constance and Dax talk about her experiences working in television versus film, what they think being pessimistic means, and how Asian women are often treated on a production set. Constance explains her relationship with going to therapy, what being pregnant during the pandemic was like, and why she started running marathons.

Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us about their worst dating experience from a dating app.

Will Bunch (After the Ivory Tower Falls) is an author and journalist. Will joins the Armchair Expert to discuss why he wanted to research the college story in America, why people are so politically divided over the subject of higher education, and why it’s so expensive to go to American universities. Will and Dax talk about why it could be argued that college degrees are more about status than knowledge, how the debt relief program could shape the future of many people, and how it’s possible for vocational schools to make a comeback. Will explains why some states stopped wanting to fund their public universities, how college is mostly about learning to think critically, and the concept of a credential society.

Liz and Monica don't know what's real in episode 4 (of 10) of Race to 35. Monica receives unfortunate news from her doctor, we learn about Liz's synchronized swimming history and they remind each other they can do hard things. The remainder of the episode focuses on fertility fraud. They speak with Eve Wiley, advocate for regulation and legislation in the fertility industry, who tells a harrowing personal experience in uncovering her genetic truth. We also speak to Bee, a young woman who discovers she has many "diblings" (donor siblings) across the US and how she has learned to embrace the positive.

In this week’s Flightless Bird, David Farrier sets out to understand why Americans say “math”, while New Zealand - and most of the rest of the world - says “maths”. He speaks to Dean Koorey about the mysteries of language, before stumbling into the depths of math/maths and the perils of the metric system. How many ounces in a pound? How many pounds are in a stone? And why is America stuck using the imperial system when the rest of the planet loves the sensible metric system? Farrier is shocked to find that NASA once lost a space probe thanks to a metric conversion disaster, and meets with aerospace engineer Omar Abed to get to the bottom of the mess.

Gwen Stefani is a singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. Gwen joins the Armchair Expert to discuss how she got started singing and writing songs, why she started a beauty line of makeup, and where she got her sense of style from. Gwen and Dax talk about their experiences with dyslexia, what growing up in 80’s culture was like, and the differences between taxis and Ubers. Gwen explains how she was introduced to Japanese culture, how she got the offer to be on The Voice, and how spirituality has played a large role in her career.

David Farrier exposes Monica and Dax to a new conspiracy theory each month. Today’s episode: Satanic Panic

Dax and Monica talk to Armcherries! In today's episode, Armcherries tell us about their spookiest encounter with a ghost.

Felix Gillette is the enterprise editor for Bloomberg News & John Koblin is a media reporter for The New York Times. Felix and John join the Armchair Expert to discuss how HBO became one of the premiere television networks in America, how their original shows changed the landscape of television, and why they wanted to write a book about it - It's Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and the Future of HBO. Felix, John, Dax, and Monica talk about which HBO shows are their all-time favorites, how streaming services have changed how networks produce content, and what impact HBO has had on American pop culture. Felix and John explain where the HBO tagline came from, how they developed such a great documentary division, and how they think the recent Discovery HBO merger will change the platform.

Monica and Liz are owning their dumbness in episode 3 (of 10) of Race to 35. They discuss last night's shots which were an utter disaster involving Monica giving Liz a proper stabbing. They talk to Emily Oster, American author and professor of economics at Brown, who talks about how to apply the principles of economics to fertility and pregnancy. She applies cost/benefit, optimizing the margin and opportunity cost to their egg freezing journey. They also speak to a friend of the pod, actress January Jones, who discusses her personal experience with egg freezing and solo parenting.