Do you want to know what it's like to host one of the most popular live trivia shows of all time? Join me as I sit down with the hilariously talented Sarah Pribis, former host of HQ Trivia. We journey through the unpredictable whirlwind of her career, from crafting her unique material to her inspiring journey of sobriety and how it paved the way for her memorable appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show.
Buckle up for a laughter-filled ride as Sarah recounts her time hosting a bowling show for Bowlero and making the internet laugh with her TikToks and social media posts. We explore the pressures of being funny and Sarah's journey of self-discovery amidst the pandemic. But the fun doesn't stop there, we also challenge her to a game of trivia!
We wrap up with our heartfelt thanks for the outpouring of love from listeners like you. Tune in for an unforgettable chat with the remarkable Sarah Pribis. You won't want to miss it!
Do you want to know what it's like to host one of the most popular live trivia shows of all time? Join me as I sit down with the hilariously talented Sarah Pribis, former host of HQ Trivia. We journey through the unpredictable whirlwind of her career, from crafting her unique material to her inspiring journey of sobriety and how it paved the way for her memorable appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show.
Buckle up for a laughter-filled ride as Sarah recounts her time hosting a bowling show for Bowlero and making the internet laugh with her TikToks and social media posts. We explore the pressures of being funny and Sarah's journey of self-discovery amidst the pandemic. But the fun doesn't stop there, we also challenge her to a game of trivia!
We wrap up with our heartfelt thanks for the outpouring of love from listeners like you. Tune in for an unforgettable chat with the remarkable Sarah Pribis. You won't want to miss it!
Hello everyone and welcome to the Bad Chest podcast. I am your host, the current reigning defending undisputed third worst chess player on kick KD215. When we all first started talking about this podcast, I said my goal was to have the opportunity to talk to people across all forms of entertainment and sports that I admired or enjoyed working with. Well, the first time I saw today's guest, she was on my phone screen getting absolutely shredded by thousands of internet trolls while trying to host a trivia show. She professionally ignored the haters and I felt that her presence, cadence and delivery were just brilliant. I quickly found her on social media and have followed her career ever since. A few years ago, she started to share a journey of sobriety and, growing up in an environment where I was surrounded by people battling that addiction, I gained even more respect for this woman. If you don't follow her socials, you're missing out on some of the funniest media insider antics around. If you are unfamiliar with the gorgeous and talented Sarah Pribis, check this out.
Speaker 2:I'm your host, sarah Pribis, and I'm here at the New York Film Festival. That's a great question, shiza. I've never even asked that one. I'm so happy to have you here. This is unreal, honestly. Thank you so much. Well, here's the thing. We celebrate Cat Week every year, so we thought maybe you would be our spokesperson for Cat Week. I have a cat. What's your cat's name? Her name is Sophia. She's like the love of my life, of course she is. All cats should be. Yeah, okay, good, so you'll come back Monday and you'll be our spokesperson for Cat Week? Yes, absolutely. Three, three, two, one, come on, come on, woo. It's time to trivia. I'm your host, sarah Pribis, and I'm so excited to be here on this evening edition of HQ. Let's do it. Q1. Which of these is usually worn on a finger Ring? Are you sure, are we sure about this? I'm sure.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, if you like it, then you better put a ring on it. A ring.
Speaker 2:That's right. What food have you come home and found he's gotten into? He's definitely gotten into the treat jar and he's paid for it. Today we have a very special prime day deal on one of the latest power drinks that can help jumpstart your day, and that is Bulletproof Coffee. Now, everyone's been raving about Bulletproof Coffee and its ability to half your mind and your body. We've got three contestants ready to compete against each other in two rounds of bowling challenges. Are you guys ready to bowl? Yes, yes, we are. And Facebook, are you ready to win some money? Let's do it. She's going to go for it. How did it feel to be on stage again? It's good. It's always good to be back in my element, man.
Speaker 2:You recently found out that you had like all of these DMs and then got, because I've been trying to get in touch with you to do this for a while now. So wait, I want to dive into this a little more. Like this is two years worth of messages like who was in there? Like what were they asking for? Nicki Minaj, I was so inspired by your story that I actually went into my folder and I had no messages from Viola Davis or Nicki Minaj. I just had a bunch of creepy dudes asking to see my feet. We're celebrating Transformation Tuesday. I have a really amazing job.
Speaker 1:Let's welcome to the Bad Chest podcast, the girl with the shiniest heiny in the industry, miss HQ trivia herself, sarah Priebus. Sarah, how are you tonight? Thanks for joining us. Oh, sarah can hear. Uh, oh, uh, oh, this is unfortunate. Sarah, can you hear me now? Yes, oh, my goodness. Look guys, this, we do this live. So we tried to. I tested and kind of rehearsed this before. I don't think I messed up my settings. Anyway, hi, welcome to the show.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for having me. It's probably best that I couldn't hear my own hosting reel. I don't need that, so this this worked out perfectly.
Speaker 1:Do you? Do you struggle going back and watching yourself or listening to yourself? Because I hate listening to myself.
Speaker 2:Not anymore, but it definitely took a long time to get over it. But I think you know, given the nature of having to do so many self tapes post pandemic and that's sort of like the audition process you just have to watch yourself on tape so much all the time that you really do get. You get used to it, I got used to it.
Speaker 1:So, so let's I think we have to dive right into HQ trivia. You know, for a couple of years there was one of the biggest apps on the planet. What was it like to be a part of that?
Speaker 2:It was a lot of fun. I mean, I don't think anybody knew what it was going to be, right? You know, when I applied to do the show, it was still nothing, it was still in beta and you know, it just by chance happened to blow up into this entity and so I was sort of like on this roller coaster ride and you kind of just didn't know what to expect. It was a lot of new experiences for me, because I hadn't ever been at something that was, you know, as well known as that, I suppose. And then also I was writing a lot of my material and, like the improvisational nature of it as well, it just, you know, was completely something that I had not done before. So while I was learning, while I was like getting to do something that was super fun, you know it was yeah, I don't know, it's just like a mixed bag of experiences, I think.
Speaker 1:You hosted the show quite often, but many people tend to focus or only remember on Scott Rigausky. What. Why do you think that is? Because, in my opinion, you were the better host. Nothing against.
Speaker 2:I mean, I think that he was the face of HQ trivia. You know, I think he was the first host and I was hired sort of as like an alternate slash when they decided to do more and more games because at first it was like one day game and then basically they were doing two games a day. And you know, they essentially were like well, we need a second host, you can't be doing 14 games a week, that would be crazy. So when I came in, you know, I was hired like as the second person. So I think the internet had become accustomed to having a certain personality. So you know, some people were like oh great, a new personality, this is really exciting. And some people were like we want Scott. So I think it was again sort of a mixed bag there.
Speaker 2:And yeah, I mean, in looking back, I think it really depends on when people played. Certainly like in the height of HQ trivia I was there. I hosted the first million player game, which I think actually was in that real right like I'm, like we got. So you know, I definitely was there as it was growing and at its height, but if anybody came in sort of rated after that or even maybe, I guess before I was hosting so many games like that would be an easy way to be like I'm not sure who that was. Like, it's very easy. I mean, scott is a very memorable person. How could you not remember him, you know?
Speaker 2:I'm not memorable, but you know what I mean sure so.
Speaker 1:So when you hosted, obviously, the chat, as you pointed, they were not always happy. Could you see the chat? What were your internal reactions to some of the stuff written and why wasn't there better moderation of that chat?
Speaker 2:I cannot answer all of those questions because I simply do not know why there was a better moderation. I mean there were people moderating and definitely people got kicked out. I think it was. You know I've had to wage your guess. It'd be that there were so many comments, particularly like as it got popular, coming in at once. I mean I could, I'd never read them while I was hosting, like it just would have been impossible, let me the way you see them when you're playing, right, they're just like streaming in so you can barely read them as a viewer, so as a host, like it just would have been impossible to do that and try to host a live game at the same time.
Speaker 2:So you know if the live reactions that we were giving were primarily to number of people that got things correctly, you know.
Speaker 2:You know if there were birthdays that were like pre submitted, we kind of knew those things, but I didn't really see any of the negative comments or any of the comments I should say, until after the games and like I would go back and watch some of my performances because people would repost them to YouTube, just kind of be like okay, well, can I do better here?
Speaker 2:Like did that joke land the way that I wanted it to and if people left the comment chat part of the game on, then I could see that in the screen recording on YouTube. And yeah, it was, it was. It took a lot of getting like. I don't think I ever got used to it while I was hosting at HQ, like it's only since that I have become much more comfortable about like being a person on the internet and like not really caring what people say. But I think during HQ I had a really hard time seeing negativity and not taking it personally, even though now it's so interesting because I realize it's so much more reflection of the person writing the comment than actually of the person they're making the comment about.
Speaker 1:Sure, and I mean as a streamer, I stream. Obviously we're streaming this right now. There are always going to be trolls and you don't know what's going on in their lives. I try to. I don't. I don't always immediately go to the ban of people, you know I. Sometimes, you know, you block them for a little bit or you time them out, because sometimes people are frustrated with whatever their own lives and they just want to get something out. Then there is just some people that are just, you know, mean for the sake of being mean, just because it makes them feel good, whatever. But you know, the internet is just man. They love to tear people down, but you don't really see them build people up much as much as they love to tear people down.
Speaker 2:I will. I will say that was also my impression for a long time and I think that's because of HQ, sadly. But with TikTok now I have actually found I found a very supportive community and I'm really really grateful for that, because my perspective of things has shifted. I will also say that I would go back and look at some of the people who were leaving comments. Actually that was pretty impossible. What I'll say is I would, sometimes I would receive actual like DMs and stuff from people that were like really terrible, like people telling me to I'm laughing, but because now it's funny, but at the time it wasn't.
Speaker 2:Like people are being like you should kill yourself or you know, just mean things. And so when I would actually click on who that person was, a lot of times they were, they were young boys and you know when I relate that like they'd be like my grandmother, things die and it's like these are kids, a, they just don't know any better and be they probably idolized Scott Rogalski, and they did. They saw me as Scott's like competition in some way, I suppose. And so, like you know, they're just going to bat for their boy, which again, like now I it's so silly because I'm like all these are kids. Like am I gonna waste energy on kids? No, like you know it's, it's so funny.
Speaker 1:So I, moving on from HQ for Ben I'm sure we'll come back to it later Feel like I can't interview you without discussing the butt brush, the old shiny, heiny, I mean, that really made its rounds not just on the internet but all over television. When you, when you did that and I've heard you give interviews about this, I mean notably the Allen one Did you, did you expect it to get the exposure that it got?
Speaker 2:And oh no, no no, no, quite the opposite. I don't think I would have agreed to it if I thought that it was going to get exposure. You know what I mean. Like I, in fact, I mean to offer some context around it. Essentially, for anyone unfamiliar with the story, I had self submitted myself for an infomercial for a cleaning product on a casting website and it was spelled the product was spelled incorrectly and so you know, I didn't think anything of it, just I thought it was a cleaning product. And I get to set because they just literally cast me off of you know my, my photos and video submissions, and I get to set and find out that it's actually the my Shiny Heiny, which is a butt brush, and they spelled it the shini heiny. And I did like I just didn't put it together that to like I'm a selling nerd, so like that just didn't occur to me that it was something else.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I have it. I'm just going to put it up for a second quietly in the background while you're talking about it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so you can see it's a butt brush. I got there, they told me what it was and I tried to get out of it because I was like I'm not advertising this product. I was like I didn't know what it was and essentially they talked me into it. They were it was a very sweet older couple who has been shooting infomercials for years. Anytime I tell this story there's somebody who inevitably like knows this team. And they talked me into it.
Speaker 1:Can I interrupt one second? Your facial expressions through the whole thing are. We know what you're feeling without even having to listen to it.
Speaker 2:I mean it's so silly because, listen, this is a real product and that's the thing. Right, this is a real product for people who have limited mobility, so it's actually a very useful product. I am not probably the demographic that should have been advertising something like this. Yes, and then there's the handy dandy finger brush.
Speaker 1:Were you the finger model.
Speaker 2:No, that was the other blonde that you see there.
Speaker 1:But yeah.
Speaker 2:So I ended up doing it and I was again. It was more of a situation where I was like no one's going to find out about this. It's like a little infomercial, like whatever that's going to air like once on, like the late night television. And lo and behold, you know, eight months later or something, ellen DeGeneres saw the infomercial and not only saw the infomercial but decided to make it a core part of her show for several days and ultimately it turned into this whole week where she was showing it, she was doing bits about it, and then I ended up making my own appearance on the show, being interviewed as Miss Shiny Hiney.
Speaker 2:So, like, truly the last thing. I don't think you, I don't think you can ever predict that something is going to happen like that. But another, really frankly, like good example of things that have happened in my life, that like again, hq, it's like I self submitted on this, like little thing that I paid like $150 a show and it was just like a little trivia thing. It's like, oh, that sounds fun. And this was like, oh, I've never done an infomercial before, this sounds fun, and like they had just turned into these crazy stories and crazy opportunities. And you know. It's like you never know where something leads.
Speaker 1:So, thinking back and you know, watching your hosting reel, I didn't even know you did some of the stuff that were in that reel. Do you have a favorite? Is there something that you look back on and say I mean, hq was probably the one that gave you the, you know, your initial most exposure. Shiny Hiney got young Ellen, which has to be a great experience. But you know, for you personally outside of you know the recognition, what did you really like doing the best in the hosting world?
Speaker 2:Um, I don't know, I mean, it's all so fun. I love hosting because it really is just like you get to be you, and so for me that's. I think that's that's a really fun. I just think it's really fun. There's like no pressure I think, at least to me to like become another character, although I guess in acting right, you like bring yourself to the character as well or at least I do but like there's no like, you're literally just you, like you don't like, and there's something like very freeing about that, because like your personality is what actually makes you that like the thing that people want to watch, and so it's and it's a really cool way of storytelling. So I've always really liked hosting. So, whether it's like you know, I did the red carpet stuff like where I interviewed, you know, actors and directors and like that's so fancy and fun, but like that's really cool because it's like you're meeting people who you vitalize and like look up to and I was like, oh my gosh, you're the reason that I became an actor, you know. So stuff like that is really cool. But then you know things like the Ellen show, like again, it's just such an unimaginable opportunity and one that I really do associate you know, you briefly mentioned this in my intro, but like with sobriety, because I was only 60 days sober when that happened and you know, a core part of that story for me, the way that I remember it, is like it was like the. It was like my first major sign that I was like making the right choice by getting sober. And something really significant happened, like in that process, where someone from that show basically like came into my dressing room and told a little bit of their getting sober story and like basically was like, keep doing what you're doing, you're on the right path. And it just was like so tied to the start of something like beautiful in my life. So I think it's not actually, you know, being on that show necessarily that was like the experience at however cool that was, it was, but like it was more so it signified, I think, me just starting a new chapter. So I think that that was really impactful for me. You know HQ, of course, like.
Speaker 2:Similarly, I think HQ is a tricky thing because while it was really fun, I will also say it was very stressful, just because there I put so much pressure on myself to like I never felt job security there and I always felt like replaceable, I suppose, and so I didn't. I I didn't have as much fun at least for a little while as I think I could have like, and by the end of me doing HQ I definitely had more fun. I care less, like it didn't feel like I had something to lose. But you know, like for a long time with HQ I think like I was just like, oh my gosh, if I, if I say the wrong thing or I write the wrong joke or whatever, like I could lose this job and it felt like I wasn't fully me, which is the thing that I like love about hosting. So it took a little while to get there, but on the flip side of it, like I again I learned so much at HQ, like it was such a growing experience for me.
Speaker 2:And the other things that I'm really thankful for are I had two long term jobs hosting that you know nobody probably ever would know, but they sustained me. Like those were jobs that like sustain me for a year or two years with regular hosting contracts, and like they were so fun because I got to write and produce and like do my own thing. So one was for this now defunct company called Little Things and it was like a. Now there's been iterations of this type of show, but at the time it was like a good news show. So I got to like just share viral clips from the internet that were like like cute things happening and whatever, and like it just was such a feel good, like being able to look for fun clips from the internet that like made people happy and then like talk about them and like I got to bring in guests and stuff. Like that was super fun and again like my full time job for a year, which is great and had benefits. What in this industry never like that was crazy.
Speaker 2:And then I had another job that like basically rescued me from the pandemic, which I am so grateful for, and that was for the T pain clip at the end was from that, you know, and that was basically I got to host it.
Speaker 2:Actually there was trivia and that as well.
Speaker 2:So it was like they hired me because of HQ trivia and, you know, I basically like started producing the show during the pandemic from from my couch back here and then I moved over zoom and on their little, on this little app, and then it turned into this thing where I got to move to Connecticut for like four months, which I thought was going to be like I.
Speaker 2:Again I just was like do I really want to move to Connecticut? But I kept my apartment and I just like. It was like kind of like have been in summer camp for like four months working with like people that ended up becoming some of my best friends and like producing a show, we ended up going to LA and doing this things, these things with celebrities, and again it just was like. It was a job that I had for two years that got me out of the pandemic and that got me out of hospital. That was the job that, ultimately, I never went back to hospitality after that because I was always a bartender or a server when I was working and that was the first job that gave me enough stability where I could save enough money that I felt comfortable and not having a side job. So for that, like, I am super grateful.
Speaker 1:And I feel like that's the story of so many talent. I was a waitress, no bartender, but also doing all this on the side.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:So you know, you brought up your sobriety and I grew up in the television industry. I got my first job when I was 14 years old. It's one of the only jobs I ever had was working in television and I can remember a time when substances of all sorts were used so commonly in the open. I worked at Sony Music Studios in New York and I remember there was an audio console that had some little say sticky faders and we were cleaning it out and I watched a grown man cry because he thought we were vacuuming cocaine out of the console.
Speaker 1:And I was like I'm not drugs and alcohol were always so prevalent. You know, in that period it's gotten. The industry has gotten significantly better I mean hands down better than what it used to be. But do you feel any stigma about being sober in this industry?
Speaker 2:No, I don't. I mean I think maybe in the beginning I did just because, I mean, for a couple reasons. I think there's been a lot of celebrity figures, you know, going being public about being sober, which has helped. I just think the sober, curious and sober lifestyle has become a bit more trendy, even, which, like some people might be, like I've heard people be like, oh well, that's like that doesn't really like.
Speaker 2:Sober, curious isn't like really dealing with, like people who like have addiction and substance issues, but like I'm like I don't care everyone. Anything that can help remove the stigma around being sober, like I'm for if somebody wants to do it for to be cool, than so be it. Like who cares. But yeah, I think there's a lot more, you know, talk and conversation and culture and openness around this type of stuff. So that's been really helpful. And I think also, again, when I got sober, it was more in my head than anyone else saying anything to me. You know, like I think I just felt excuse me, hold on, I think it just felt uncomfortable to me because I wasn't used to it yet. So, you know, I thought people were judging me. I felt really uncomfortable being in social gatherings not. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:Sorry, I felt.
Speaker 2:I have a tiggle. I felt really uncomfortable being in social gatherings Just because, like I'll call it, for many people, right, it's a lubricant, social lubricant, right. So it helps you like not think about what you're talking about, or it just makes you feel more comfortable. So I think at first that's going to be hard for anybody being in social gatherings, having a network, you know, being at parties or events or whatever where there's alcohol. So that automatically is a challenge. So I've just gotten like, the more time you have sober, you just feel more at ease in those situations. So I think it's a. It's that plus you know, more conversation and more you know, like I guess I want to call it like media coverage, but yeah, just more openness about it.
Speaker 1:I've never drank there. As I said in the open, there was so much addiction in my family that I think I decided really young that I just didn't like alcohol and then, as I got older, I wanted to stay away from it because I just felt in my gut that I would have those same issues and so if I never touched it I would never know what I was missing. And when I was younger I definitely feel as if people didn't invite me places because I didn't drink like and, and I think maybe they felt that it was because I was judging them for drinking. I think the most commonly heard thing that and I still hear it to this day when I tell people I don't drink or you know, when people invite me out to drink and you know I don't get alcohol, they'll always say oh wow, that's so good for you, that's great that you don't drink, or whatever Everybody did you get that reaction to? People say, oh my God, that's so great that you don't drink.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for sure. I think anytime somebody has a problem with it, I mean it can go go two ways right. Like I think when people have issue where they like get weird about it, it's only because they question their own relationship with alcohol. Like that's a huge factor for sure that I've seen Like people get defensive or weird about it or they're like you can't just like you know. So I think that's certainly a thing. But I also do think that some people are genuinely curious by people who choose not to drink because it's just so integrated in our society and in everything. So it's still we're still definitely like in the minority.
Speaker 2:Like to go out with people that are all drinking and not drink. Like yeah, it's, it's also just I don't know. Like I mean it's gotten easier for me, but in the beginning it definitely was hard. And I definitely do think people like, yeah, I'm sure I'm not invited to certain things, or not so much anymore because, honestly, like the people that I choose to spend my time with, like they're all good friends at this point. So, like I don't, I don't waste my time with like people who would choose to not invite me to things because I'm not drinking and it makes them uncomfortable. Like if you don't, I, then if you don't want me there, then it's probably better than I'm not there, because I'm probably not going to enjoy myself anyway, to be honest with you. So like it's best for both of us. But yeah, no, I mean I do. Yeah, I think some people can get a bit weird about it, but I don't know, I think it's. It's definitely in my experience, I mean, and like you said, I think it's gotten a lot better.
Speaker 1:You know we're going to bounce around a little bit and go go back to the, to the Ellen topic. Like, you hosted Cat Week on Ellen and you were very excited about this because you said you had a cat and the cat was your cat, was the love of your life. How I need to ask how is your cat?
Speaker 2:She's sleeping next to me right now. I would pick her up and actually show her to you, because she's so cute I feel bad she's. She's fast asleep. She's still the love of my life. Her name is Sophia. She's a Siberian gorgeous girl. She's older now, she's like 13, but like you wouldn't know it, she's very young at heart. She still has her kitten face and yeah, I know I'm, I'm a, I love she is. She's such a good girl and like truly the best.
Speaker 1:I had to bring up the cat because it looks like we had some cat fans that came into the chat from oh my God, yes, I love cat, I love all, I mean I love all animals Like I.
Speaker 2:I'm just partial to owning cats because they're easier to take care of and literally that's it I love animals too.
Speaker 1:We were talking, we were talking about before the show I I started a farm, right, I mean, I've cows and goats and, by the way, so Sophie Donets in the chat says that your cat's name is perfect. It's absolutely perfect.
Speaker 2:Oh, and I hope we still perfect P? U R R she, she didn't, she didn't, she didn't do the pun. No, I was thinking that same thing too. She missed the opportunity, that's okay she is perfect and her name is perfect. Yes.
Speaker 1:And she I think she's disappointed in herself for missing that pun. Oh, I'm sorry. So you know the other. I need to. I watched your your reel a whole bunch because I made a promo going into this week and I took clips out of it. You know to make that promo and one of the things that I saw in your reel that I never saw or heard of at all was was that bowling show? What was the bowling? I mean you, the excitement in your eyes while hosting bowling, was you like? I feel like if you hosted all bowling on television, it'd be the number one thing on.
Speaker 2:Oh, that was really fun. So, bolero, I think I have locations like all around the United States.
Speaker 1:Sure, and you're the biggest bowling brand out there now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so they approached me I guess it, I think it was during HQ to do this show and, yeah, they were just trying to like make bowling hip again Nice of both. And so it was like less of a like straight bowling show and more of a. Yeah, there was like money involved and then people from like so it aired on Facebook, which is funny, because now I feel like I don't know it's Facebook even relevant, I don't know. Anyway, but it did air. It aired on Facebook and it was live and people could like again, like compete in these, like challenges from home and win money, like that on, and then we would give them bowling challenges like they'd have to wear like beer goggles and bowl or granny style bowl or just like. It was like ridiculous. And then we had to be like good at following, which I think was really fun. Yeah, it was super cute. We did like. It was like a six part series. We did three in New Brunswick, new Jersey.
Speaker 1:That's one of their locations.
Speaker 2:I was so random. And then we did three in Los Angeles. So I had to go to LA and do three there and I had like a co-host on each coast for each. And yeah, I don't know if they wanted to go to series, I'm not, I'm aware if it was just like promo for them, but it was, it was super, it was super fun and yeah, I wish, I wish I kept going. I would totally do that.
Speaker 1:So you fun fact my brother's from New Brunswick, new Jersey not that it's important to you, but one of the things before the show started, sarah and I connected just to test everything out. Clearly it didn't make a difference. We still I still botched it totally in my bed but I pointed out that it seems like a lot of her shows were things that would have existed in one of my studios and I never had the opportunity to work with her. I posted on my personal Instagram just my friends and family and co-workers that I was doing this podcast tonight with you and since I have posted that I am not kidding I now have 17 different messages from people who make up artists, camera people, a couple producers like oh my God, I love her, how late and she is so great. So I just wanted you to know it.
Speaker 1:And I asked a couple of the people early on before when the run up screen was on oh my God, you know her, do you have any tidbits or any pointers for what I can ask her? And every one of them is like no, I saw her on HQ, but her social media is just makes me fall out of my chair. I think if you're in the industry, your TikToks and your sarcasm through some of these things. It's just hysterical. I don't think there's. I laugh harder at anybody's stuff than some of the things you put on social media.
Speaker 2:Oh, thank you. I don't even know if I would describe it. It's funny because you know, I originally started on social doing sketch comedy. So like pre HQ I was making sketches on Instagram. Pre TikTok too, I was working with friends that were actors and camera ops and stuff and we were just like shooting our own stuff and yeah, it was all just like comedy.
Speaker 2:And then when the pandemic and I did that all through HQ, it was a lot of work and then through each sorry, and then the pandemic happened and obviously, like we couldn't collaborate with people in the same way because we were all scared that we just didn't know right, we just like isolated and also just like it was a time that I didn't really feel funny because there was so much happening in the world, so like my ideas like bank was dry, so like I took a bit of a break and I had some sort of like frustrations with the industry and stuff during the pandemic as things shifted and I was like I'm just going to talk about this because this feels relevant to me. I was also relapsing at the time, not funny, but I don't know why, I'm laughing.
Speaker 2:So it just was like a time I feel like it was like another. It was like a time of rebirth for me. So I was like because I just didn't feel. I was like there's a lot of pressure to turn up as this, like comedian. I think HQ put it in my head that I had to be funny all the time and I just didn't feel like I could be funny all the time because I wasn't feeling funny all the time and like the world wasn't funny Most of the time during that time.
Speaker 2:So anyway, I started making videos about acting stuff, because that's what I was dealing with, and some about sobriety too, like said and yeah, it was. So they took off and I don't know it's been great because I feel like I could talk about any of that stuff forever and like yeah, sometimes it's funny and sometimes not, and sometimes, like it allows me, I guess, to show up really authentically, whichever way I'm feeling. So, like, if I want to be funny or something's funny to me, or I need to make a comment on something in the industry, like I can. But you know, if I had a hard day or I'm dealing with something a bit difficult, like I can also show up in that way, and it doesn't have to like involve the pressure that like it needs to make someone laugh.
Speaker 1:And I want to just put out there so I'm not misleading everybody. You are correct, not everything you do online is meant to be humorous, but just the stuff that you do put that is humorous. I think sometimes it just hits people in the industry in a way where you're just like yeah, oh, yeah, I get that 100%.
Speaker 2:I think it's like, it's really interesting because there's a relatability rate. So for anyone in the industry, you're like, oh my gosh, been there, or like God having to me. So that's really, that's really nice. And then there's also people who I think, like I have like a 5050 audience. The other 50% really is like they don't know anybody, I guess, who's putting out that type of content that really like shows what it looks like to be like a working actor and host on a regular basis, who's not like famous you know what I mean Like just showing the ins and outs of like the daily grind. So it's really a nice window for people who just like want to see what that looks like. So, yeah, it's. It's funny because anyone in the industry is like, yeah, they're like oh yes, yes that. And then anyone else is like, oh well, that's interesting.
Speaker 1:Well, I want to take this opportunity. I want to open up some questions to to the chat. We do a thing on this show that I've explained to you in the in our little test where, when, when, when, a when a viewer asks a question, we we roll this, this D 20, on the screen and it's a knowledge check. It's an old Dungeons and Dragons style knowledge check where we're going to check your not your own knowledge of yourself and it's can she answer the question or can she not answer the question? And somebody has been messaging me nonstop since they saw this and they had a question and I, you know, I don't even I've been debating whether I was going to ask the question or not, but it is on your resume, so I figure I'm going to put it out there. Listen to your resume that you are a FICOR SAG and they, they, they asked if some of the stuff that you were doing for stage led you to go FICOR so that way you could take, you know, non-union theater stuff. I'm guessing this person is an actor, actress of some sort and they, they wanted to know if you felt that there was a sting on you in the industry for going FICOR. I mean FICOR. By the way, for those who don't know, sag after is there's there's really too big acting unit. Sag after an equity equity really deals with stage stuff. Sag after obviously, film, television, commercials, new media, which is most of the stuff online, you know, streaming stuff.
Speaker 1:Whatever FICOR is financial. It's SAG after it's financial core. You pay dues to SAG to allow the legal. Then you get to be held under the SAG contract with the rules, but you are not a full member of SAG. You don't get the opportunity to vote. Whatever it now is, sag hates FICOR. They try to dissuade people from doing it, but I personally have known a lot of people that have gone FICOR in recent years because of the number of independent projects out there that have not been able to afford the union or whatever, and their careers have been great. I'm curious you know to answer this viewers question what your experience are, but you don't have to answer just yet. We're going to roll the die and see if you, if you, actually know the answer to this question or if you just have to make something up.
Speaker 2:So it could send you the uncomfortableness.
Speaker 1:Oh, it's a 10. I'm so sorry, but you don't know the answer to your own quest to this question. You're going to have to lie about being FICOR.
Speaker 2:Well, the funny thing is I actually I don't even know what FICOR is, so I'm so glad you explained it to me, because I've never even heard of it. So it's very difficult for me to answer a question about something I don't even understand. How's that for an answer?
Speaker 1:No, that's great 10 out of 10.
Speaker 2:No, but in all fairness I was going to say there's plenty of information about this on my channel. So if anybody is curious. Go to a deep dive.
Speaker 1:Well, believe it or not, I think your TikTok was the first place I learned about it and then I looked it up because I had never heard, I'm pretty sure, and that's why I was like you know, and I'm just going to ask the question anyway, because you seem pretty open about it and you know the people in the chat. Are there any questions? You know, I don't know if you can keep hearing the vibrations of my phone, but every time it has vibrated so far it has been somebody saying, wow, I love her. Like just people. Oh, my God, I love her. I watch her TikToks and play the game. That's a makeup artist that I know. So, like everyone of these people are like just just, you are very well loved in this industry, apparently.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's that makes me feel good. Thank you for. Thank you for sharing the comments.
Speaker 1:It's more. Usually we get, we get questions, but I'm getting, I really I you are. You are the third guest on my show. This is this is only the third episode and I've had great guests before you and but the love that people seem to have for you, like seriously, nobody, like my nobody has caused my phone to blow up like this like you have, which is amazing. It's great.
Speaker 1:As I said, I was so excited to get you on in the first place, but if, if, if chat's not going to ask any questions, I'm going to, we're going to go into the next thing, which you are, the queen of, trivia, and we can't, I can't, have you on without playing trivia, you know, and so we. I had one of the mods randomly picked somebody in the chat. It's, it's pawn X, pawn is is the winner of this. He is going to win a really nice prize if you can answer some simple trivia questions. Okay, and and I'm going to be honest, usually, usually, we don't have this multiple choice, but in honor of HQ trivia, we're going multiple choice with our questions.
Speaker 2:Yes, we are, yes, we are.
Speaker 1:And, and I make these myself, so, um, adding multiple choices, was it added a whole level, as I was trying to think of? You know, there's always that one choice that you know is is wrong, and then there's always, like the two, where it could be one or the other. But here we go. This is all general knowledge. This is. This is not any particular category at all. It's kind of a. Some of the questions are a little tricky and Sarah previously just so everybody knows, sarah previously stated she is not an expert at trivia.
Speaker 2:I am an expert at asking trivia questions, but I am not an expert in answering them. But you know what we're going to give it our best pawn this one's for you.
Speaker 1:Okay, On a dartboard. What number is directly opposite? Number one. And the answers are number two, number 20, number 19 or number six.
Speaker 2:We're going to go.
Speaker 1:The number. Two or two the number 20, the number two. I'm so sorry. It's the number 19. I didn't know that either. By the way, I didn't know that either, but I've included, by the way, the picture of the dartboard on the screen, so we can in fact see that? That it is. How many colors are there in a rainbow? One infinite, two, five, three, nine, four, seven.
Speaker 2:Oh no, because I want to say it's Roy G Bibb, but maybe it's infinite. This might be a trick question. Okay, if it's Roy G Bibb, that's seven. So it's either seven or infinite. Okay, I'm going to go. I'm going to go seven.
Speaker 1:It is seven red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, Roy G Bibb. What is Sinophobia? The fear of One, the fear of dogs. Two, the fear of clowns. Three, the fear of heights. Four, fear of the dark.
Speaker 2:Okay, I'm going to eliminate fear of height. I'm going to eliminate the fear of dog, I don't know fear of the dark.
Speaker 1:Why did you eliminate fear of dogs?
Speaker 2:I don't know it is fear of dogs.
Speaker 1:The flag oh, I just gave the answer. The flag of the European Union has how many stars on it? One, 11, two, 12, three, 13, four, 14.
Speaker 2:14.
Speaker 1:Two, that's 12.
Speaker 2:Okay, I can't count that fast.
Speaker 1:What is the world's most expensive spice by weight? One oregano two saffron. Saffron. Saffron is correct.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:What was the original name of the search engine Google? One back rub, two backlinks, three excite four alphabet.
Speaker 2:Hmm, I'm between excites and alphabets. That's hard.
Speaker 1:Why, why? Why those two? Why between all of those two? I don't know.
Speaker 2:I just go with my gut. You're like it's not right. No, I'm just asking.
Speaker 1:I don't, I have no idea.
Speaker 2:Um, no, gosh, let's go, uh go, excite for fun.
Speaker 1:Excite was actually a competitor. It was one of the first science search engines. Alphabet is what Google is called today.
Speaker 2:The answer was back rub.
Speaker 1:Yes, I didn't know it either.
Speaker 2:That's crazy.
Speaker 1:Fun question what is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow? One 24 miles per hour, two 20 miles per hour, three 27 miles per hour, four 15 miles per hour. And we are talking about the European variety, not the African swallow.
Speaker 2:No, I am so glad that you asked this because I had this conversation with a friend this morning. Um, and it's 100% 27 miles an hour.
Speaker 1:Science disagrees with you. They say the Earth's speed philosophy is on lane and swallows roughly 20.1 miles per hour. You know what's funny In research-.
Speaker 2:Well, my friend really misled me. I blame them.
Speaker 1:What's funny? When researching this, I saw two answers online. I saw 24 miles per hour, which was the answer I was going to put initially. Then I always verify the answers to make it fair. I always make sure I double check my work. There was a really big study where they talked about flaps per minute and they broke down the whole science. They did come to 20.1 miles per hour. How many notes are there on a standard grand piano? One, 98, two, 78, 396, 488.
Speaker 2:88.
Speaker 1:It is 88. That is it.
Speaker 2:See, some of the questions are easy the things I know, I know, but the things I don't know, I really don't know.
Speaker 1:What does the term GPU stand for? A graphics processing unit. Two, general processing unit. Three, grand processing unit. Four, gigabit processing unit.
Speaker 2:Oh my God, I don't even know what a GPU is, or that would help. A general processing unit.
Speaker 1:It's actually one graphics processing unit. It's the most integral part of a modern day computer. Wow, so the likeness of which president is featured on the rare $2 bill of US currency? One Jackson, two Adams, three Polk, four Jefferson.
Speaker 2:Okay Gosh, I can't even tell you the last time I saw one of these Probably bartending People love to give these to bartenders and they think they're giving you something lucky, but in reality I'm like no, a higher tip would have been nice, jefferson.
Speaker 1:You're correct, it's Jefferson. I want you to know that you chat has claimed that you broke the internet not knowing what a GPU was. You have saddened the chat.
Speaker 2:Oh, I'm sorry guys, I let you down. It's okay, Listen a lot of the things that I use every day. I don't ask questions about how they work, I just take them for granted, and that's, I guess, shame on me.
Speaker 1:We have a second chance contest Now. In the past, historically, the other guests have done much better on the second chance trivia than the first trivia. Okay, once we have my trivia, we then jump over to Dorky, geeky, nerdy and pull out one of their trivias and you said you didn't have a fandom. You kind of had Harry Potter, but you didn't think you were going to be able to answer questions on that. So I scanned all of their trivias and I said I felt like this one of somebody who didn't really have a nerd fandom is the one that you most likely might be able to answer some of the questions on. Okay, mathematician Charles Ludwig Dodson is better known by which pseudonym, used to write two books about a curious girl named Alice.
Speaker 2:Um, I guess are we talking about Alice in Wonderland, and if so, I literally have no answer.
Speaker 1:We were Lewis Carroll.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, I should have known that.
Speaker 1:See, they are easier. Question which lead character is best known as a person who taught himself to talk to animals?
Speaker 2:Which lead character is best known as a person, lead character of what Books?
Speaker 1:This is all like child literature.
Speaker 2:But there's a very there's movies.
Speaker 1:There's movies of this as well. This will be a character that you'll kick yourself, I believe. Who taught?
Speaker 2:himself to talk to the animals. I don't know, but I have one right here. Who's final way? Who's final way, dr Doolittle?
Speaker 1:Which child detective is rarely used. First name is Leroy this. This is a deep one no idea.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a deep one.
Speaker 1:Encyclopedia Brown. I used to read those books growing up, which detective series focuses on brothers Frank and Joe.
Speaker 2:I don't know. I'm sorry Little.
Speaker 1:Hardy Boy, that's fine.
Speaker 2:Are you kidding this?
Speaker 1:is fine. Who is curious? George's human companion. I don't know I can give you a hint, do you know curious?
Speaker 2:George.
Speaker 1:You ever seen the curious George book?
Speaker 2:The monkey yeah.
Speaker 1:Yes, he doesn't have a name. He is merely named by a descriptor of him.
Speaker 2:The man.
Speaker 1:Yellow.
Speaker 2:What's he wearing? I don't remember what he's wearing, pat, yes, the man in the yellow hat, oh okay, I don't know.
Speaker 1:Which series pioneering turning books into games and using the second person perspective when writing?
Speaker 2:Pioneering, turning books into games. Would it be like? Choose your own adventure?
Speaker 1:Choose your own adventure.
Speaker 2:Finally, jesus, you know I was a book nerd. This is embarrassing for me, like my mother would have that money that I would have gotten if I write.
Speaker 1:Which author? Author wrote about a boy named Charlie visiting chocolate factories and writing glass elevators to space.
Speaker 2:Oh my God, oh, I don't know the name of the author. This is so humiliating. I have no way, I don't know.
Speaker 1:By the way, this is the third week in a row we have a Willy Wonka question in trivia. It's Roll and Tall.
Speaker 2:Roll and Tall, I mean like the witches, matilda James and the Giant Pete, like I could name all of them, but I'm like, oh my God, I don't know. Yeah, I read like all the goosebumps and the boxcar children and Harry Potter Like I. This is. I should have done better on this.
Speaker 1:Which Belgian book series became a long running cartoon about blue people who were only three apples tall.
Speaker 2:The Smurfs.
Speaker 1:Absolutely the Smurfs. Ok, ok, listen, don't you. You can't get this wrong.
Speaker 2:OK, this is a give me which series? Wait, it's literally a series Potter. Ok.
Speaker 1:Which series does Daniel Handler write under the pseudonym Lemony Snicket?
Speaker 2:Give me a hint.
Speaker 1:I think it's also a show streaming on Netflix. If I recall, it's very popular on show on Netflix.
Speaker 2:A series of unfortunate events. Wait, sorry, a series of unfortunate events. Yeah, that's sick See unfortunately, pawn Pawn.
Speaker 1:I'm sorry, unfortunately not your night. Pawn Expawn.
Speaker 2:No, so far from it. I'm so sorry. Listen, at least I didn't say I am the queen of trivia. I know my place is asking the question.
Speaker 1:But you could. You can write trivia too. You said you can hire to host trivia nights.
Speaker 2:I can. I can write the trivia. I can write the trivia jokes. I can research the trivia.
Speaker 1:I cannot answer the trivia you know let's I'm we're going to go meta for a second here. One of my goals for this podcast, as I, as I grow it right, I mean this is obviously this is the beginnings, this is just starting. One of the things that I would like to do in the future, as this expands and as I bring more people into it, is I want to do what nobody else is doing in the podcast world and I want to turn this into more of a live variety Like I want to set, like I want a real set. Nobody does that in this genre. You know people shooting for the green screens or people have their their rooms that look like talk radio studios. I want, like, a variety set and I want to have, you know, the game show section with the host and the. You know the, the crazy sidekicks and the like. Just think back to old school variety television. I want to bring that to to the live streaming world.
Speaker 1:I feel we were talking before about Chris Gether and I'm always reminded of the Chris Gether show and I don't know if you ever watched it. You know it started on local access and it eventually went to, you know, cable television for for many years and it was kind of it was basically a real life Wayne's world, I feel like. Had that show come in a time when, rather than being on public access, he started on a streaming platform, it probably would be the biggest thing on the internet today and that's kind of the goal. But when that happens and we need a game show host, we are reaching back out to Miss Sarah Pribis and making you the official, the official trivia host of this time I was wondering about the questions when were you.
Speaker 2:Good.
Speaker 1:When you write the questions, since, since I've been writing these tributes, what? Where do you get your material for the questions that you write? Where do you go to?
Speaker 2:I Google. I just Google stuff Like it depends, Like I'm, I'll think of it. If sometimes it's under like a certain topic, like yeah, I'll go to Google. I had to do one, actually like weirdly enough, for a food brand recently, like they wanted to do some TikToks with food trivia and stuff and actually specifically like nostalgic snacks from like the 80s and 90s and stuff. So I hit the internet and, yeah, I just go down like a whole of like what's interesting to me. You know, like I'm like, oh, what is it?
Speaker 2:And then you, of course, you have to be able to verify it. I think that's the hardest part, because I just remember when I was hosting HQ when I was hosting HQ, like people would try to poke holes in every single thing, like they. So I think the hardest part about writing trivia is making sure there's multiple, multiple sources that can back up what you're saying is true. So, yeah, when I think that was like always my biggest thing. So like not only just like niche enough for you. If you found something niche enough, which is always really cool, you had to make sure that you could verify it.
Speaker 1:And I brought that up in the own trivia game. You know I found multiple answers to the online. That was more of the fun question. You know, the old Monty Python and the Holy Grail question. I just try to try to keep things fun. Listen, I promise you we would keep it to an hour. We have. We have approached that hour, so I hope you enjoyed coming on. We had fun. We had to avoid talking about your acting stuff which, by the way, guys, she doesn't just host, she is a full fledged actress in tons of things and we can't talk about any of them because of this.
Speaker 2:It's OK. Hopefully we're about to end it, because we're going, we have a meeting on Monday, we like, but you know, sagini, amptp, they have a meeting on Monday. Obviously, the writer's strike has ended, so I think we're moving in the direction that we need to be, and you know, yeah, we're. It's all been worth it, though, because we're fighting for really important things, so you know and look when the strike is over, hopefully, hopefully.
Speaker 1:You had enough fun where you'd be, like I'm going to come back, I'm going to study, I'm going to give you a category next time, and I'm going to study, I'm going to know what I'm going to do.
Speaker 2:I'm going to pretend like I wrote the question so that I could be like, well, I write, look at all the answers and be fully prepared to destroy that.
Speaker 1:Maybe in the future too, we can have you come in to ask the trivia questions and some future ones as we get some, some other guests. I think that would be fun too. You know, I really you were one of the and I've said this so many times you are one of the people I've always wanted to work with, and it's never happened with other people's work. Maybe I just have to make it happen myself and say you know it's screw it, sarah, please start trivia portion going forward.
Speaker 2:I'm in.
Speaker 1:So really thank you so much for coming on and to everybody watching. If you missed it, if you're coming in late, if you missed any part of the stream, it is available as a VOD. I believe the moment we end the video is available on YouTube later tonight. The audio version is available tomorrow. Wherever you get your podcasts, next week we're going to have Mr Beast, but we had to reschedule him to make room for another great guest.
Speaker 2:Again.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, you know, we just can never seem to fit Mr Beast in. It's just we were going to have him this week but then you said you could do this week and so we had to push him off. It's just unfortunate for him. But you know, stay tuned to the socials for that announcement. And really, Sarah, thank you again so much for coming on. It just meant the world to me so.
Speaker 2:Oh, thanks so much for having me. It was a lot of fun.
Speaker 1:And I hope I wasn't that nervous, because I was very nervous going into this interview You're, you're the first guest. I don't know, I don't have any relationship with you, and so it's like, wow, this is, can I do, did I do as as the best coach in the business? How did I do you?
Speaker 2:were great. You did fantastic.
Speaker 1:Thank you, thank you so much. Everybody, thank you for watching and you know like, share, subscribe, follow all that good stuff. Thank you so much.