“Have we started?” Fill Me In launched in March 2008 when crossword novices Brian Cimmet and Ryan Hecht foolishly determined that two inept solvers babbling at each other about puzzles would somehow be content worthy of anyone’s time. Still foolish, still babbling, perhaps slightly less inept than before, Fill Me In has somehow amassed hundreds of episodes (the First Run, Episodes 1-136, ran from 2008-2010; the Reboot, Episodes 138-now, re-launched in 2018, almost exactly 10 years after the initial debut).
Mainstay segments are Viewer Mail (in which fan correspondence is read aloud and discussed) and The Thunder Round (in which recent crosswords, typically from the New York Times, are picked apart and reviewed). Other components may include contest puzzles, tournament recaps, interviews, and the most recent mini gameshow phenomenon, Kealoa.
Folks who are new to the show often ask, “Where should I begin?” The answer is … wherever. Or the most recent one. Or the beginning. It’s up to you. Some elements of Fill Me In lore can be found on our Fandom Wiki. Questions about who we are and what we do can be sent to us by email, or by visiting our social media. Thanks for listening!
Oh yeah — we have t-shirts!
Fill Me In is a crossword podcast, or at least, that’s what it pretends to be. Most of the time, it’s about other things (including, but not limited to: soup, Thor, Rosana Ñler, sandwiches, Stephen Sondheim, Viewer Mail, vuvuzelas, inappropriate glorification of the E Division, and more), but occasionally, we also talk about crosswords.
This week, Ryan is off doing Ryan things, so Shannon Rapp (aka Norah Sharpe, an expert in sconces; the name is fake but the puzzles are real) steps in for discussions of crosswords, sandwiches, and thunder gods — yup, even without Ryan, the topics still don’t really change.
Stuff to click:
- Daily Crossword Links
- Shannon on BlueSky
- Gioia’s Deli
- Big Top Deli
- The American Crossword Puzzle Tournament
If you get bored (how could you?!), write something for the Fill Me In wiki. And if you’re feeling philanthropic, donate to our Patreon.
Do you enjoy our show? Actually, it doesn’t matter! Please consider leaving us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. This will help new listeners find our show, and you’ll be inducted into the Quintuple Decker Turkey Club.
Drop us a note or a DM or a postcard or a phone call — we’d love to hear from you.
Helpful links:
- Apple Podcasts link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fill-me-in/id1364379980
- Amazon/Audible link: https://www.amazon.com/item_name/dp/B08JJRM927
- RSS feed: http://bemoresmarter.libsyn.com/rss
- Contact us: Email (fmi@bemoresmarter.com) / Facebook / Instagram / Bluesky
