PG’s Playhouse: Puzzles, games, trivia, & general nerdery

47: The Antikythera Mechanism (ft. David's Dad, Marc Spira)

In the early 1900s, a crew of sponge divers off the coast of Greece stumbled onto a 2,000-year-old shipwreck and the world's first known analog computer. Talk about buried treasure... this ancient technological marvel sat abandoned and undisturbed in a warehouse for years before someone noticed the strange assortment of gears and discs. It wasn't until as recently as 2010 that modern imaging allowed us to discover the purpose of this mechanism. It mapped the solar system, tracking things like eclipses and movement of the planets. It could even indicate the four-year cycle of the ancient Olympic Games. For a special Father's Day episode, we're digging into the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient Greek device so far ahead of its time that nobody believed the ancient world could have built it. Joining us is a very special guest: Marc Spira, financial services professional, lifelong diver, and most importantly, David's dad. Today's game is Buried Treasure, where two clues lead to the same word, except one of them is hiding an extra letter. Fish it out, bank it, and find out what's buried once all the letters surface.   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

46: The Petticoat Affair (ft. Marriage Therapy Radio's Zach Brittle)

Today's episode dives into the surprisingly juicy political scandal known as the Petticoat Affair. Also known as the Eaton Affair, it revolved around a young, pretty girl, her handsome second husband, and very proper, but gossipy wives. The Petticoat Affair managed to destabilized an entire presidency. Marriage Therapy Radio and relationship therapist Zach Brittle joins us to talk about this incident that ended up dismantling Andrew Jackson's Presidential Cabinet. Zach also shares what he took away from his recent interview with David and Lisa on Marriage Therapy Radio. He also reveals the wildest story he's ever heard from a real couple on his podcast. Spoiler: it involves an affair. Two affairs, actually. This story had me clutching my proverbial pearls! Today's game is Off the Cuff, where the players must figure out the Gen Z slang involving items of clothing. No cap. Check out Zach Brittle's Website [https://zachbrittle.com/] for more info on his podcast [https://marriagetherapyradio.com/] and his work. I recommend starting with David and Lisa's episode, Ep 409 – No One Wins Alone: Lessons in Partnership from Escape Room Experts David and Lisa Spira. [https://marriagetherapyradio.com/2026/01/27/ep-409-no-one-wins-alone-lessons-in-partnership-from-escape-room-experts-david-and-lisa-spira/]   Full Show Notes [https://roomescapeartist.com/2026/06/11/pgs-playhouse-46-the-petticoat-affair-ft-marriage-therapy-radio/] Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

45: Gadsby (ft. Hatch Escapes)

Tommy Wallach, David Spira, and the novel, Gadsby can come to the party, but Terry Pettigrew-Rolapp and Peih-Gee Law aren't invited. What's the rule of the party? It's no E's, please! Tommy and Terry are the co-founders of Hatch Escapes [https://hatchescapes.com/] in Los Angeles, California. They are creators of the iconic Lab Rat [https://roomescapeartist.com/2018/09/14/hatch-escapes-lab-rat-review/] escape room and their incredible new game The Ladder. [https://roomescapeartist.com/2024/06/26/hatch-escapes-ladder-review/] They also happen to be theater people and musical writers. They've got some big thoughts on writing and what qualifies as story, so we though they'd love hearing about today's topic. Today's segment is about the 1939 novel Gadsby, by Ernest Vincent Wright, which was written entirely without the use of the letter E. David takes us on a tour of the lipogram, which is deliberately constrained writing that avoids specific letters. The game is called Easy E, where players must take a word and add an E to make a new word.   Full Show Notes [https://roomescapeartist.com/2026/05/28/pgs-playhouse-e45-gadsby-ft-hatch-escape/]   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

44: Belgian Waffles (ft. David's Mom, Joan Spira)

A vendor shows up to the 1964 World's Fair in Flushing Meadows, Queens and starts handing out light, fluffy, deep-pocketed waffles topped with whipped cream and strawberries. Breakfast is forever changed for millions of Americans. One of them was a little girl who took the bus there every weekend with her mom and twin sister. That little girl grew up to be David Spira's mom — and she's joining us today. In honor of Mother's Day, Joan Spira joins us on PG's Playhouse to play games, share stories, and maybe troll David just a little bit. We learn about how one notorious New York City parks commissioner accidentally introduced the US to foods like falafel, kimchi, hummus, and the Belgian waffle — all because France and Italy refused to show up. Joan also shares some great stories about David growing up and some sage advice for mothers everywhere. Today's game is called Tasting Bee, and it's all about foods from around the world that have a country or place baked right into the name. Happy Mother's Day to moms everywhere — especially the ones raising little kids who use the word ostentatious at age two.   Full Show Notes [https://roomescapeartist.com/2026/05/14/pgs-playhouse-e44-mothers-day-ft-joan-spira/]   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner

43: Funeral Strippers (ft. Hello Puzzlers AJ Jacobs)

Answer our 2026 Audience Census! [https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/REACensus2026]   Funerals are usually pretty somber affairs, right? Everyone wears black and gathers to respectfully mourn the dearly departed. Well, in parts of rural China and Taiwan, they've decided to put the fun in "fun"erals. More people attending a funeral procession usually means more honor to the deceased. Well, some enterprising relatives decided to up the ante by not only hosting a party with a live band, but they also invited dancers! This spectacle guaranteed a large crowd for their lost family member, which apparently appeased the spirits. Author and podcaster A.J. Jacobs joins us to chat about this little known funeral practice. Today's game is called Going Topless, where each answer is a word that becomes another word when you remove the first letter. If you enjoy PG's Playhouse, we highly recommend A.J.'s podcast Hello Puzzlers [https://www.hellopuzzlers.com/], which contains bite-sized puzzle snacks, perfect for listening on the go. Learn more about A.J. Jacobs at his website [https://ajjacobs.com/].   Full Show Notes [https://roomescapeartist.com/2026/04/30/pgs-playhouse-e43-funeral-strippers-ft-a-j-jacobs/]   Production Credits Hosted by Peih-Gee Law & David Spira Puzzles by Peih-Gee Law Produced by Theresa Piazza Supported by Lisa Spira Edited by Peih-Gee Law Music by Matt Farthing Logo by Theresa Wagner