Love learning interesting facts about random things because why not? Better than listening to the same songs I’ve heard over and over again!

Glad to see the past few recent episodes have guests again! It reminds me of the older episodes that had a guest host every week!

Thank you for this pod!!!! Always an educational and very fun to listen to!!! Please don’t stop :)

They lost me when they started laughing at and mocking a terrified child who called 911 because of school stress. They do not look up everything they talk about. If you want to know how good a science show is, select an episode about something you know the science on. Do they say out of pocket nonsense on that topic? If so, then they do so on all topics, you just don’t know enough to detect it. When I picked an episode where I have a degree in the field, I was astonished at the lack of knowledge displayed. I also really have a hard time with Katie’s “like” habit. All fine in regular conversations, but very hard to listen to on a podcast. A person on TikTok made a video about another thing that this show inexpertly talked about having done no research on it, and there has been no follow up from the hosts. There are more honest, well-researched, well spoken shows to learn from.

Great show, learn and laugh.

I love learning with Alex and Katie!

So sweet and fascinating — every week, it’s a “play asap” podcast for me, when a new episode pops into my queue! I’m not the type of person who really cares about the minutiae of inane topics (for its own sake), so I thought I’d lose interest quickly in the show. But it’s just like having a couple of quirky cousins tell you excitedly about something they find cool, and the hosts’ energy and willingness to be silly, coupled with the show’s format (breaking it up into approachable chunks), is a dopamine hit for me every single week. And I’m shocked by the tidbits I remember sometimes months later! Love!

I always learn something super cool, plus Alex and Katie are so fun together. It’s great.

A great look at the history of things you've probably never though about before. Even the topics I think will be boring are always interesting and well presented. The only knock against it is that the hosts are way better presenters than they are comedians. I get the instinct to keep a possibly boring topic light, and I know the "smart person and funny person" dynamic can work. It just doesn't work here.

Great show Alex is the best sometimes I have to do my own research for some numbers though some of their sources aren’t always 100% accurate

I love learning and I love comedy! This show is the perfect combo of both! Alex is also clearly just a gentle soul and I love listening to him talk about, well, everything! I love annoying my loved ones with random facts I learned from this podcast!

Discovered this pod through Katie’s other pod Creature Feature. She’s so bubbly, charming, smart and funny. Alex seems great too though I’ve only listened to a couple episodes so far. But I love any curiosity-based infotainment kind of pod like this.

Fun show with a great dynamic between the regular hosts. Definitely worth adding to your rotation. I am not the biggest fan of episodes when “special guests” make an appearance. Adding a third adds nothing more than 10 minutes of obligatory laughter between the hosts as they trade marginally humorous quips.

I love this podcast! The hosts are just lovely to listen to. They are very silly and funny. They make learning about random topics both entertaining and fun. Give it a listen!

New to the show, really enjoy the topics and facts. Katie says the word “interesting” often.

It’s rare to find either and truly a delight to find both in one podcast. The hosts charm and friendship shines thru. Neither are professional comedians so they don’t get bogged down in riffs and bits. But they’re still funny! Alex’s research includes citations and comes from good sources. Katie always has insightful and educated questions - in addition to the levity which she brings. My fave thing about the podcast is the takeaways - I love the way they organize the episode but the BEST thing abt the takeaways is when Alex repeats them at the end so you remember some fun facts. It feels like this podcast actually prioritizes MY learning rather than just the hosts trying to seem smart. Check it out!

This pod is a great balance of informing and silly. I look forward each week to listening while I’m working.

It’s no secret, this podcast is incredibly fascinating

The peculiar wonder of this show is that you’ll see a new episode on your feed and think, “That topic doesn’t interest me at all. Can’t wait for them to change my mind!” It’s a light, fun show with good research and enjoyable hosts and when you put all that together, you find yourself somehow incredibly fascinated by asphalt and WD-40.

Really used to be able to listen to these all day but the loss of guests has left it feeling flat. It’s just another podcast now. This isn’t a commentary on either host…maybe more on Akex even if the guests were bringing so much to the show, because otherwise little trivia bits, some of which you already know, are not enough to fill out the hour. And with rotating guests, if someone’s style if comedy just isn’t for you, it’s fine; you move on to the next episode and get a break. Find myself falling further behind; the cutesy bland vibe isn’t for me. I agree it’s a good fit for Max Fun which seems to focus on being interesting despite occasionally being funny, but definitely more “fun” than “funny” and I’m not having the fun anymore. If you enjoy trivia discussed with light-hearted, level 2/10 “ah so wacky” but really just a little twee kind of vibes then this is for you. (I don’t want to dis Max Fun, as their great Judge does this style so artfully I really do laugh a lot. But it’s a style that’s attempted without frequent success and people are generally so polite and kind they support). It seems like it is what it is, forever. I wish them luck in having found a way to make a living in a tough field, but I have to determine my listening hours carefully as I have over 400 shows I follow and some fall off when they change over time.

I love this podcast. It’s stress free, and fun to listen to and learn. I’m so glad Katie became the cohost! Unlike some other reviews, I like their chemistry and conversations and goofiness at times.

SIF being in my pod catcher on Monday mornings, really starts my week off on a good foot. I always look forward to listening to it. Alex and Katie bring the facts and laughs.

I as enjoying it until I heard a political reference(Wyoming republicans). Not part of the topic and I don’t want to hear it

"Secretly Incredibly Fascinating" is a podcast that's become an absolute favorite of mine, thanks to the joyful and fascination-inducing approach of Alex Schmidt. What sets this podcast apart is his ability to find wonder and unique angles on the everyday. It’s like a shortcut to seeing the world around you with new eyes. The way Alex and co-host Katie Goldin infuse each episode with fantastic banter and, when relevant, Katie’s in-depth animal knowledge, is a winning combination. I became a super fan after listening to episode 150, which I think about too much I think. (Just listen. It’s great.) Also, the intros to the stats and numbers section have quickly become one of my favorite parts of my entire week. This podcast has a unique talent for making you appreciate the world's intricacies, and I can't recommend it enough for anyone seeking to find delight in the seemingly mundane.

Alex and Katie have a very unique way of showcasing the absolute wonders of stuff we consider mundane. Their positivity is refreshing and I always come away from an episode with new knowledge and a desire to go learn more. Thank you both for the amazing work. I’m always excited to see a new episode pop up in my feed!

I can’t get enough of this pod! Alex and Katie are a great pair! I love this podcast and look forward to it each week.

Love the podcast! Alex and Katie have a great rapport that makes me feel like I’m driving with two friends in the car.

Good fit for MaxFun, but I preferred when there were always different cohosts. I like Katie, don’t get me wrong, but my level of tolerance for binging has greatly lowered. I used to be able to binge all day long. Now after 2 episodes, I get bored and have to leave and come back later. I liked it much better when there were other folks cohosting, it was more interesting. I agree with others that there seems to be too much forced laughter anymore. I’ve learned a lot but certainly not as good as it used to be, sadly. Love most of MaxFun’s podcasts.

I’ve been a long time fan of Alex Schmidt back to his cracked days and love the personal spin he puts in this podcast of his. Always interesting and always full of laughs!

I was really excited for this podcast but after listening to one episode, I don’t know if I’ll try another. It’s “joke” after joke and comments whose only purpose must be to fill time because they were either not funny, didn’t make sense, or didn’t contribute anything to the conversation. I so badly just wanted Alex to get to the point but it kept being diluted by Katie’s commentary. I would have enjoyed the podcast exponentially more without it. I’ll try the episodes with guests because the reviews highlight those as positive.

I love Alex and Katie and want to support their individual podcast endeavors but… I’m not gonna lie guys, there isn’t a lot of chemistry with you as a duo, to me at least. I had a much better time listening with a revolving door of Cracked-adjacent guests, including the occasional Katie! But since the network switch and making Katie a full time cohost, the pacing has just been off and it feels like there’s been a lot of forced laughter in response to meh jokes for the sake of filling time. Maybe I’m wrong and you guys are actually having a great time, but as a listener, I haven’t felt drawn into the show for quite some time now.

Love the show! I’m a new listener and I’ve plowed through the back catalog in the past month or so. Super interesting topics, thoughtfully researched with a well executed format. The hosts, Alex & Katie, are incredibly funny and relatable, and their banter puts the show in a league of its own when it comes to historical/informational podcasting. You can imagine how an episode only about Asphalt might sound like it could be boring, but the way the show is formatted and the unscripted banter between the hosts make the whole show incredibly engaging, interesting, and fun to listen to. Highly recommend!

So many stupid unfunny jokes it’s hard to get through. Katie especially. They talk so slowly and with so much less substance than other podcasts I love. I wish they were more insightful like the folks on You’re Wrong About. It listens like the Simple English Wikipedia page for each topic, sprinkled with bad jokes. Skip it.

Just ew

I guess I will try more episodes but it will be tough. Cheesy laffing and joking.

This podcast is a great way to learn about mundane topics while being super entertained. Alex and Katie have great chemistry as hosts. They also really know what they’re talking about, and I am constantly amazed at the depth and breadth of their knowledge. These are two people I will listen to tell me about anything. Definitely recommend for anyone.

Ugh I hate it when people who are good at homework but lack charisma are rewarded. This show is what happens when kinda smart amateurs do a podcast; The general idea is pretty good but the execution is just awful (awfully boring). Too much stupid banter and personal exposition from the hosts 🤢, not enough about the show’s theme. It’s more like listening to college DJs chatting than it is a professional podcast. Listener be warned, it’s really boring, irrevocably drab. For real.

i love the show, its interesting and it makes my monday's better, yet i feel when guests are on katie is incredibly quiet, and doesn't jump in often. don't get me wrong i love listening to the guests but i feel their outshining katie.

Love this podcast! I really appreciate how well its researched. And Katie’s episodes were always my favorite, so I’m thrilled she’s a permanent co-host!

I love this podcast. It’s just plain fun to listen to, and I love learning about things that I didn’t know I wanted to learn about, but it’s not just a list of facts out nonstop information, it’s also one of those podcasts that makes you feel like you’re just hanging out with some fun people. Since joining Max Fun, I’ve missed the revolving cast of guests. I love still love Katie, on this podcast and on Creature Feature, but it feels like the show is now missing a bit of the previous biodiversity so to speak.

This show is so useful especially for trivia and for background noise when writing my novel :) 10/10 can’t wait till Monday

I’ve been listening and I have been a Patreon subscriber. I tell all my friends (and anyone else who stops long enough for me to get the words out) about the show. And I really like Katie Golden…but the show has lost a little flavor. The guests added so much more texture to the show. I love when Jason Pargin, Miles Gray, Jack O’Brien, and so many others are on the show. The variety was part of the appeal. I really hope that even with Katie they will consider a third seat guest to provide greater depth to the show. 😢

laughing cuz you’re not funny…thanks… i wanted to love this show but, sadly, nope…no…nah…

This show is wonderful and amazing and the information that Alex shares is so entertaining. Love it. One of the highlights of my week.

The guests seem to take every conceivable chance to remind us that Trump is bad. We know. Who are you trying to inform or convert? I liked this podcast because I could turn my brain of to the political divide we find ourselves in, but I keep getting reminded. Like the subtle "they're the bad ones" mentioned in the glitter episode. Please just make regular jokes, like evergreen ones or nonpolitical ones. Don't slap me across the face with some political or societal message you think I'm too stupid to get...

Alex does a weekly deep dive into the history, culture, and expanded world of the things that we take for granted every day that are actually very interesting. For example, did you know that the Maori were the first to come to Antartica, or that no one hung out on the beach until the 1800s? There’s whole worlds to explore in everything, and Alex uncovers them all with him and his comedy guests in Secretly Incredibly Fascinating.

Alex is a wonderful host and the guests are fantastic. The podcast is such a quick and delightful listen each week. You never exit an episode having had a bad time or having learned less.

I wish their opinions and jokes were secretly incredibly fascinating….

Alex is a delight, and turning this on always turns my day around for the better :) Thanks to Alex and everyone who’s worked so hard on this <3

these people are very annoying especially the woman