Gold Star Classroom

Gold Star Classroom is surely the Eighth Wonder of the Podcast World, but do you know the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, but do you?  And do these students?  Which one of the Seven Wonders still stands today? Did people really used to sign their name “XX”?  What the heck does that mean anyway?  And, is it ironic that a room full of comics don’t know what irony actually is?  It won’t be ironic when one of them wins the coveted classroom prize, the Golden Banana, or will it???

Some people think TV dumbs people down, but in this class we will use TV to smart people up. Do you know when the first color Television show was broadcast? These students also learn how grimy their homes are, and which surfaces in your house have the most germs. Its not disgusting if it is true! When all the questions have been asked, and all of the silences have been filled, which student will receive the coveted classroom prize, the Golden Banana???

This class explores one of the most important inventions of all time:  TOILET PAPER.  Also, what is the oldest country in the world???  While students struggle with topics such as these, another mystery is tackled when one student asks Gold Star Classroom’s host Dr. Jerry Jaffe if he really is a “Dr” and what his PhD is actually in.  The mystery is revealed on this episode!!!  Will this student’s clever table-turning be clever enough to earn him the Golden Banana???

How many zeros are in a trillion, how many cells do you have??  And how many cells does the world’s largest person have???  And, WOW, how much of YOUR body is made up of bacteria???  This is a germ of a good idea, let it multiply and grow, like a pleasant itch you have to scratch.  And—what could Dr. Meredith possibly say that would earn him a bonus 5 points??  And will that be enough to garner hi the coveted golden banana??  Welcome to episode 1.9! 

Today’s class is confronted by one of the weirdest urban legends in the world (do electric fans kill people?) and one of the weirdest hypothesis in science (what do you know about the aquatic ape theory??).  If you know movies, you might do better than these students, as they tackle some of the worst horror films of all time.  Is there any creature if made giant that is LESS scary??  Questions about giant monsters, maybe, but the grades in this class are REALLY frightening, because of how tiny they are!  Who will earn the coveted golden banana?

This year at the 2013 Cleveland Comedy Festival we were able to record a special episode featuring several of the participating comics.  We had such a blast we wanted to get it out as a special episode, so here it is, our way of ringing in the New Year with you.

What was the name of the famous freighter that sank on Lake Erie in 1975, and what was the name of the famous song about the famous freighter that sank on Lake Erie? Or, do you know which country is the current reigning gold medalist of Rugby?  Don’t worry, they didn’t know either!!  And we try to figure out what trivia actually is…Nonetheless, one of them will receive the coveted class room prize, the Golden Banana, if only by default! 

Zebras and stripes.

Our quest to combine edutaining trivia and facts with comedy and wit continues stronger than ever!  In this installment our students confront a movie myth—is it bad to have sex before a sporting event??  And, if you worry about your weight, where is the best place on earth to weigh yourself?

After 20 years of teaching, I’ve never seen a class without a head before, but in this class the students try to figure out what you can do without one.  We find out how many ways these students know how to say “I love you.”  And, although our students are not expected to say the pledge, they are expected to know the history of the US flag.  Is there anything these four guys get right??  One of them will be awarded the coveted classroom prize, The Golden Banana! 

Episode 3 features a wild brand of weird questions and weirder students.  What do you know about the Moon?  Or Theia?  Other topics that befuddle the assembled students are:  What two famous roles did Sean Connery turn down?  Is anything else in this crazy world real, anyway?  Who will win the coveted Golden Banana classroom prize--and which student gets the world's first DD?