
Advertise on podcast: No Brains, No Lightbulbs: A Trivia Podcast
Rating
5from
This podcast has
67 episodes
Language
EnglishPublisher
Trivia MafiaExplicit
Yes
Date created
2025/07/10
Latest episode
2026/10/17
Average duration
59 min.
Release period
7 days
Description
Trivia Mafia co-founders Chuck and Sean have lived and breathed trivia for 18+ years as the leaders of one of the biggest trivia companies in the country. Join them as they hang out with amazing writers/players and personalities from the Trivia Mafia universe and play trivia, ask random questions and generally bring a little bit of the trivia night into your earbuds.
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Podcast episodes
Check latest episodes from No Brains, No Lightbulbs: A Trivia Podcast podcast
In with the Arctic Foxes: Trivia with Sean's Dad
2026/10/17
Michael McPherson is a nationally known economist and a locally known father of Steve and Sean McPherson. He knows an uncomfortable amount about higher education and Sean McPherson. He's written more books than his kids ever will.
Trivia rounds:
(02:56): Battle of the Sexes
(19:57): Like Father, Unlike Son
(26:24): Difficult Questions About the History of Higher Education
(36:20): State a State
(48:35): The World Series
➡️ Answer the Homework Question! ⬅️
👉 No Brains, No Lightbulbs is a trivia podcast produced by the world’s greatest trivia company, Trivia Mafia, in the great state of Minnesota.
📍 Find a Trivia Mafia trivia night near you!
📥 Sign up for “The Morning Rounds,” Trivia Mafia’s amazing daily Trivia trivia newsletter!
🫶 Join our Patreon for exclusive member perks and other goodies!
Whip it Well: Trivia with a Friendly Grammar Nerd
2026/10/10
Mary O'Regan wants to be friends. And she wants you to walk around the lake with your neighbors. But don't worry, she's got advice that'll help you. And she's very well at grammar.
👬 Follow Mary on Insta and improve your friendships!
Trivia rounds:
(00:52): It Happened 30 Years Ago, KQ Edition
(03:18): If They Played in the NFL
(18:02): Copyedit the World
(24:35): Classic Rock Friends
(39:24): Misplaced Foods
➡️ Answer the Homework Question! ⬅️
👉 No Brains, No Lightbulbs is a trivia podcast produced by the world’s greatest trivia company, Trivia Mafia, in the great state of Minnesota.
📍 Find a Trivia Mafia trivia night near you!
📥 Sign up for “The Morning Rounds,” Trivia Mafia’s amazing daily Trivia trivia newsletter!
🫶 Join our Patreon for exclusive member perks and other goodies!
Britpop Blind Spot: Trivia with a Radio Whisperer
2026/10/03
Steve Nelson probably made your favorite radio station or podcast better. He's been a COO at Lemonada Media, and a programming executive at National Public Radio and Minnesota Public Radio. He can juggle.
Trivia rounds:
(03:24): Who You Gonna Call?
(18:02): Get to 2000
(31:31): Call Letters
(47:01): Let Us Get Serious About October 3
➡️ Answer the Homework Question! ⬅️
👉 No Brains, No Lightbulbs is a trivia podcast produced by the world’s greatest trivia company, Trivia Mafia, in the great state of Minnesota.
📍 Find a Trivia Mafia trivia night near you!
📥 Sign up for “The Morning Rounds,” Trivia Mafia’s amazing daily Trivia trivia newsletter!
🫶 Join our Patreon for exclusive member perks and other goodies!
As Immobile as a Restaurant: Trivia with Sean's Brother
2026/09/26
Steve McPherson is almost 50 years old. He wrote the theme song for No Brains, No Lightbulbs. Those are the big headlines but if you want to know what else he's up to, you can find him writing The Glean, an awesome newsletter at MinnPost, and playing in the bands Big Trouble, 120 Minutes, and Catfish Blue. He's a gem. We made Steve ask some trivia questions and we tested his knowledge of people who are as equally ancient as he is.
Trivia rounds:
(02:45): Stupid Answers
(27:20): Trivia in Reverse
(41:54): People as Old as Steve
(55:15): SOS Trivia
➡️ Answer the Homework Question! ⬅️
👉 No Brains, No Lightbulbs is a trivia podcast produced by the world’s greatest trivia company, Trivia Mafia, in the great state of Minnesota.
📍 Find a Trivia Mafia trivia night near you!
📥 Sign up for “The Morning Rounds,” Trivia Mafia’s amazing daily Trivia trivia newsletter!
🫶 Join our Patreon for exclusive member perks and other goodies!
Mentioned in this episode:
Country Cabin Vol 3 Read Down
What Mr. Ouch Means to Me: Trivia with an Artist and Writer
2026/09/19
Andy Sturdevant is an artist and writer whose creative output is every bit as voluminous and titillating as his facial hair. The author or co-author of four non-fiction books, Andy is also the proprietor of Birchwood Palace Industries, an independent publisher of zines, newsletters, found art, and reference chapbooks. We tested his knowledge of 20th-century U.S. politics and Twin Cities dive bars, which tells you something about his range. We also played a couple of fun rounds about movies and women’s suffrage, and learned about the finer points of partying with monks.
Trivia rounds:
(02:38): Let’s “C” a Movie
(19:49): Tic-Tac-Trivia
(26:55): Watering Holes of the Twin Cities
(52:00): Women’s Suffrage
Buy Andy’s latest book, “Keep Clear: Scenes of Injury and Death in International Safety Signage,” right here!
👉 No Brains, No Lightbulbs is a trivia podcast produced by the world’s greatest trivia company, Trivia Mafia, in the great state of Minnesota.
📍 Find a Trivia Mafia trivia night near you!
📥 Sign up for “The Morning Rounds,” Trivia Mafia’s amazing daily Trivia trivia newsletter!
🫶 Join our Patreon for exclusive member perks and other goodies!
Just Don't Call Him a Gym Teacher: Trivia with a Physical Educator
2026/09/12
Today's guest is Will Johnson! But he's cool with you calling him Wilber. Proudly bald, Will is a long-time Trivia Mafia host and player, a kickball team whisperer, and a physical education teacher who's ensuring that, while future generations might be terrible at trivia, at least they'll be good at dodgeball.
Trivia rounds:
(03:35): Thesaurus Abuse: Video Games
(18:50): Jim Class
(26:55): E-M-O Bands
(48:10): Never Forget/Spellcheck
👉 No Brains, No Lightbulbs is a trivia podcast produced by the world’s greatest trivia company, Trivia Mafia, in the great state of Minnesota.
📍 Find a Trivia Mafia trivia night near you!
📥 Sign up for “The Morning Rounds,” Trivia Mafia’s amazing daily Trivia trivia newsletter!
🫶 Join our Patreon for exclusive member perks and other goodies!
Stay Away from My Wife, jeremy messersmith! Trivia with a Singer-Songwriter
2026/09/05
Today's guest is jeremy messersmith, debonair Twin Cities singer-songwriter who may or may not be radioactive. The man can wear a pair glasses, and he knows his Star Wars, his ukulele, and his Bible, which is great because that's what we asked him trivia questions about. He also shared his favorite potato preparations and his dastardly plans to seduce Sean's wife and honestly that all sounds just fine.
Trivia rounds:
(02:11): "C" Food
(19:35): Stop with the "Uke" Already!
(24:30): Biblically Speaking
(31:20): Blurt!
(44:54): The 49 Days of Liz Truss
👉 No Brains, No Lightbulbs is a trivia podcast produced by the world’s greatest trivia company, Trivia Mafia, in the great state of Minnesota.
📍 Find a Trivia Mafia trivia night near you!
📥 Sign up for “The Morning Rounds,” Trivia Mafia’s amazing daily Trivia trivia newsletter!
🫶 Join our Patreon for exclusive member perks and other goodies!
No Notes for Sharks: Trivia with a Music Director
2026/08/29
Today's guest loves long count-offs, pianos over guitars, and basketball. Joshua "Jellyfish" Williams is an awesome musician and bandleader, supporting the likes of Dessa and Lady Midnight. Now watch him squirm as we make him shoot baskets while making him play basketball trivia!
Today’s trivia rounds:
(01:50): Alma Mater Rhyme Time
(14:45): Mystery Round
(22:27): Basketball Trivia
(44:37): Last Name Round Up
👉 No Brains, No Lightbulbs is a trivia podcast produced by the world’s greatest trivia company, Trivia Mafia, in the great state of Minnesota.
📍 Find a Trivia Mafia trivia night near you!
📥 Sign up for “The Morning Rounds,” Trivia Mafia’s amazing daily Trivia trivia newsletter!
🫶 Join our Patreon for exclusive member perks and other goodies!
Mentioned in this episode:
Country Cabin Vol 3 Read Down
Water, Fire, Peanut Butter: Trivia with a Blue-Ribbon State Fair Baker
2026/08/22
Today we invite a titan from the baking world (and one of our favorite former regular players) into the trivia studio. Jen Wittes is the reigning champion in the Minnesota State Fair Brownie Competition, which means she knows exactly how to bribe her trivia hosts. She's also an award-winning columnist, a former postpartum doula, and a former high school classmate of one Pedro Pascal. She calls him Peter.
Trivia rounds:
(03:00): August Occasions
(21:40): Cue the Cast Montage: '80s TV Theme Song Trivia
(30:25): The Academy Awards: Trivia About the Academy Awards
(43:10): Wordfinder: U.S. States Edition
👉 No Brains, No Lightbulbs is a trivia podcast produced by the world’s greatest trivia company, Trivia Mafia, in the great state of Minnesota.
📍 Find a Trivia Mafia trivia night near you!
📥 Sign up for “The Morning Rounds,” Trivia Mafia’s amazing daily Trivia trivia newsletter!
🫶 Join our Patreon for exclusive member perks and other goodies!
Star Wars, the Next Generation: Trivia with a Video Store Impresario
2026/08/15
Today's guest is a filmmaker and master improvisor who has 3,000 DVDs in his basement and kids to feed, so he's doing what any reasonable person would do: He's going to open up a video store! Eric Knobel is the man behind The Video Store Mpls and he's fundraising right now. (Edit: He's already met his goal! Wooo!) Eric knows a lot about movies, and if you know more than he does, you should probably volunteer at his store.
Trivia rounds:
(02:30): Let's Catch Some "Zs"
(27:53): Wow, What a Difference! (Questions about Blockbuster Video)
(35:15): A Movie/TV Show Mashup
(53:55): Which Came First?
👉 No Brains, No Lightbulbs is a trivia podcast produced by the world’s greatest trivia company, Trivia Mafia, in the great state of Minnesota.
📍 Find a Trivia Mafia trivia night near you!
📥 Sign up for “The Morning Rounds,” Trivia Mafia’s amazing daily Trivia trivia newsletter!
🫶 Join our Patreon for exclusive member perks and other goodies!
The F is Coming: Trivia with a Physics Teacher
2026/08/08
Today's guest knows a lot about physics and a little about what topics he doesn't want for trivia. David Cava is a physics teacher, a Trivia Mafia and Initials Game Live host and an awesome human being. He's given an F and he gives an F about the Twins.
Trivia rounds:
(02:33): "F" Words
(16:45): Trivia Baseball
(36:53): Gah Dammit David!
(50:58): Music and Songs
👉 No Brains, No Lightbulbs is a trivia podcast produced by the world’s greatest trivia company, Trivia Mafia, in the great state of Minnesota.
📍 Find a Trivia Mafia trivia night near you!
📥 Sign up for “The Morning Rounds,” Trivia Mafia’s amazing daily Trivia trivia newsletter!
🫶 Join our Patreon for exclusive member perks and other goodies!
Mentioned in this episode:
Country Cabin Vol 3 Read Down
Short Stack Will Prevail: Trivia with the Pure of Heart
2026/08/01
Today's guest loves corn, central air, the TV show "Lost" and asparagus. Yes in that order. Amy Siegel is pure of heart and full of joy and she has a long history with Trivia Mafia. She could also break Chuck and Sean's arms quite easily.
Trivia rounds:
(02:41): Destination Unknown: U.S. state tourism slogans
(17:23): Seg-uels: Movie sequels with Amy Siegel
(25:20): Don't Get Lost: Trivia about the TV series "Lost"!
(46:19): And Everything After: Counting Crows trivia
👉 No Brains, No Lightbulbs is a trivia podcast produced by the world’s greatest trivia company, Trivia Mafia, in the great state of Minnesota.
📍 Find a Trivia Mafia trivia night near you!
📥 Sign up for “The Morning Rounds,” Trivia Mafia’s amazing daily Trivia trivia newsletter!
🫶 Join our Patreon for exclusive member perks and other goodies!
Mentioned in this episode:
Country Cabin Vol 3 Read Down
The Cougar of the Rodent World: Trivia with an Award-Winning 5th Grade Teacher
2026/07/25
Today's guest is an award-winning teacher and a soundtrack savant. Jan Dysart teaches 5th grade, hosts a Trivia Mafia night, and was strong-armed into doing the podcast by her loving husband (who is also a trivia host). Chuck starts off the game in shark-infested trivia waters (02:26). Then we hit "play" on a round about 1980s soundtracks (13:18). Sean checks if Jan is smarter than a fifth-grader, and the answer is a tentative yes (24:03)! He closes the episode by creating some trivial tension with a round dedicated to his brother-in-law (43:49).
👉 No Brains, No Lightbulbs is a trivia podcast produced by the world’s greatest trivia company, Trivia Mafia, in the great state of Minnesota.
📍 Find a Trivia Mafia trivia night near you!
📥 Sign up for “The Morning Rounds,” Trivia Mafia’s amazing daily Trivia trivia newsletter!
🫶 Join our Patreon for exclusive member perks and other goodies!
The Flavor and Fervor of Crust: Trivia with a Hip-Hop Scribe
2026/07/18
Today's guest is a celebrated writer with great takes and even better Beastie-Boy-related stories. Ali Elabbady is a gifted author who covers music, food, and culture in the Twin Cities and beyond. Chuck kicks things off by creating a face-off between two American staples: hot dogs and apples (02:12). The Chuck sets up a sumptuous pop culture feast for Ali to chew on (16:30). Sean checks whether Ali knows his hip-hop "ands" (24:30). Finally, Sean wraps things up with the debut round of CrossTalk™ (36:07).
👉 No Brains, No Lightbulbs is a trivia podcast produced by the world’s greatest trivia company, Trivia Mafia, in the great state of Minnesota.
📍 Find a Trivia Mafia trivia night near you!
📥 Sign up for “The Morning Rounds,” Trivia Mafia’s amazing daily Trivia trivia newsletter!
🫶 Join our Patreon for exclusive member perks and other goodies!
Who's the Hockey People? Trivia with a Sports Bar Owner
2026/07/11
Today's guest runs a Bar of their Own and is certainly in a league of their own. Jillian Hiscock is the founder of A Bar of Their Own, the Midwest's first sports bar to exclusively show women's sports. Hiscock is also a trivia veteran who currently hosts Quizbang from Trivia Mafia at A Bar of Their Own on Thursdays at 7pm. Chuck knocks us out with a soccer inspired round to penalty-kick things off (01:34). After that, Chuck has a round about music and definitely not the WNBA (19:04). Sean steps in with some questions about great women athletes (26:50). We wrap up the episode with an internationally focused round called "From a Different Place" (42:10).
👉 No Brains, No Lightbulbs is a trivia podcast produced by the world’s greatest trivia company, Trivia Mafia, in the great state of Minnesota.
📍 Find a Trivia Mafia trivia night near you!
📥 Sign up for “The Morning Rounds,” Trivia Mafia’s amazing daily Trivia trivia newsletter!
🫶 Join our Patreon for exclusive member perks and other goodies!
Podcast reviews
Read No Brains, No Lightbulbs: A Trivia Podcast podcast reviews
nowlistenherebuddy 2026/10/13
Tough trivia, big laughs
Chuck and Sean are fun to listen to, even if you only get some of the trivia question right. They’re entertaining, smart and down-to-earth. Highly rec...
NotTheLinkedInJeffWeiner 2026/09/05
Come for the trivia, stay for Chuck’s ukulele stylings
As a condition of my recent parole, I am forced to follow anything that Mia is involved with, and this is no exception. What color me surprise when Ch...
Lecollye 2026/05/24
GOAT
Greatest Twin Cities trivia podcast ever made. There is no debate.
amilliontomatoes 2026/05/11
love it when sean talks
not normally a rate-and-reviewer, but happy to make an apple podcast nickname in support of Beth’s work.
Mctrus 2026/04/20
Love it
I love Trivia, and I just love this podcast. I don’t even live anywhere close to Minneapolis, I’ve never played trivia mafia, but listening to these g...
em456219 2026/03/18
Tough and fun
Great questions and fun to follow along trying to answer. Not just giving 5 stars because I got my first homework question either ;). Keep it up boys ...
Boglinz 2026/03/12
Is this podcast for bros?
This is great, like playing trivia with your pals at the bar, but in your ears.
Love that questions are tough but also not too tough!
Erick N. 2026/02/21
It’s cute! It’s fun!
Come onnnnnnnnnnnnn! Listennnnnnn!!! You’ll like it
20SLG 2026/02/08
I love trivia mafia
I love trivia mafia and I love this podcast! Fun and well produced, I look forward to it each week
Worst Lead in Hockey Guy 2025/09/02
Smart!
You are smart if you listen to this.
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