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Half as Interesting

Half as Interesting is an entertaining, fact-based, educational series covering diverse topics of general interest presented in a somewhat humorous, quirky style. Topics range from curious to weird and are rarely important to know unless you're looking for some lunch room or coffee break conversation starters.

Adam Chase

Writer · Known for Half as Interesting

Adam Chase is a writer and producer based in New York City. He has worked at Wendover Productions since 2019 on shows including Jet Lag: The Game and Half as Interesting.

Sam Denby

Cast · Known for Half as Interesting

Sam Denby is an American YouTuber based in Colorado. He is known for creating educational entertainment on his channels Wendover Productions and Half as Interesting, as well as reality content on the channel Jet Lag: The Game.

Amy Muller

Writer · Known for Half as Interesting

Amy J. Muller is a Brooklyn-based comedy writer, producer, speechwriter, and stand-up comedian known for her work on Half As Interesting and Jet Lag: The Game. She has contributed writing, challenges, game design, and appearances across multiple seasons, including Season 11: Tag Across Europe (3), Season 13: Schengen Showdown, Season 13.5: Hide + Seek NYC, and Season 18: Stateside Scramble. Outside of Jet Lag, she also shares baking recipes and performs stand-up comedy. Biography Provided By Jet Lag Wiki Fandom

John Mitchum

John Newman Mitchum was the September child of a Norwegian mother and an Irish/Blackfoot father whom he never knew, as he was killed in a tragic train yard accident in 1919. His two-years-older brother Robert filled the role as best as he could, while their older sister Annette studied the lively arts and eventually joined a traveling vaudeville team. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the young family moved to Rising Sun, Delaware, where farm life didn't agree with the young boys. Scarce opportunities took them to New York City, where the streets of Hell's kitchen taught the brothers to fight, a skill they developed so well they earned the moniker 'them ornery Mitchum boys'. Eventually, when the Great Depression deepened, the family was forced to separate with the intention of meeting up with sister Annette, who had married a sailor and moved to California, changing her name to Julie. The teenage boys set out with little more than clean handkerchiefs to find their way across the country by the only means they could: hitchhiking and riding the rails. Their somewhat aimless journey took them to places they had never been; where their Eastern accents were not welcome, so they quickly learned that accurately mimicking the local dialect would keep them out of trouble--some of the time! While brother Robert fairly quickly discovered his place in Hollywood legend, John sought his destiny on the high seas, professionally boxing, or conducting a choir. When the opportunity for acting came along John found his perfect niche as a character actor, mostly playing heavies since he was an imposing figure of a man. John's roles had him playing alongside a wide range of celebrities, from Humphrey Bogart in "Knock On Any Door" (1949) to Gladys Knight in "Pipe Dreams" (1976), Clint Eastwood of "Dirty Harry" (1971) to John Wayne in "Chisum" (1970), appearing in 58 films overall. It was during production of "Chisum" that John Wayne offered his voice for an anthology of John's poetry that seeks to uplift US culture, "America, Why I Love Her", a recording for which Mitchum was nominated for a Grammy in 1973. John was a consummate storyteller (as was his brother Robert), and with his fascination with US history in particular he was ever-ready to regale anyone with a thoughtful, interesting, and insightful anecdote, especially if a guitar was available. It was the wedding of music and history that brought him to create the recording "Our Land, Our Heritage" with Dan Blocker; big "Hoss" from "Bonanza", in 1964. Mitchum had some recurring roles throughout his television career; such as "Pickalong" from "Riverboat", or "Hoffenmueller" from "F-Troop", over 150 appearances in all during the span of a half-century career. The brothers Mitchum legacy has been well-preserved in his often hilarious autobiography, "Them Ornery Mitchum Boys", published in 1989. The subjects range from brother Robert escaping a Georgia chain-gang to his "poontang" interview; from John surviving an attacking whale on a three-masted schooner to his adventures riding the rails, developing a great love and respect for the people of the United States.

Rosemary Clooney

Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song "Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me", "Mambo Italiano", "Tenderly", "Half as Much", "Hey There" and "This Ole House". She also had success as a jazz vocalist. Clooney continued recording until her death in 2002.

Patricia Owens

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Patricia Owens (17 January 1925, Golden, British Columbia - 31 August 2000, Lancaster, California) was a Canadian-born American actress, working in Hollywood. She appeared in about 40 films and 10 TV episodes in a career lasting from 1943 to 1968. Canadian-born actress Patricia Owens moved to England with her parents in 1933, and ten years later, at age 18, she made her motion-picture debut in Val Guest's musical comedy Miss London Ltd. The following year, she had a small role in Harold French's social satire English Without Tears. Her career continued in this manner for the next few years, Owens getting ever-larger roles in generally better movies (though not always—the same year in which she worked in the Launder-Gilliat production of The Happiest Days of Your Life, one of the funniest movies ever made in England, she also appeared in the abysmal Old Mother Riley, Headmistress). Her career took a giant step upward when she was seen by a 20th Century Fox executive while performing in a theatrical production of Sabrina Fair and was offered a screen test. The result was a contract with the studio and a move to Hollywood. Her first American film was Island in the Sun (1957) for Fox, and then Owens was loaned out to Warner Bros. to play opposite Marlon Brando in the drama Sayonara (1957), one of the most critically acclaimed movies of the year. Owens spent the rest of 1957 working mostly on loan-out, but it was a 1958 Fox production that secured her place in motion picture history—as Helene Delambre, the wife of scientist Andre Delambre in The Fly (1958), co-starring with David Hedison and Vincent Price. Owens carried much of the film's story and drama, which were told in flashback from her character's point-of-view. The Fly was one of the most successful science fiction movies of the decade; the image of Owens unmasking her stricken husband and screaming at what she sees—and the shot of her horrified visage seen in a "fly's eye" view—became one of the defining moments in the genre. Unfortunately for Owens, she never got another movie half as good as The Fly, from Fox or anyone else, and in 1961 was reduced to working in the threadbare, backlot POW/jungle chase drama Seven Women from Hell. Owens made occasional television appearances, on series such as Perry Mason and Burke's Law, but these were relatively infrequent. Owens also starred in one of the 17 episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents directed by Hitchcock himself, "The Crystal Trench" (1959). By 1965, she was working in Black Spurs, one of producer A.C. Lyles' B-Westerns, renowned for their use of aging genre stars, and Owens retired from movies after portraying Richard Egan's love interest in the low-budget espionage thriller The Destructors (1968). Her last professional appearance was in a 1968 episode of Lassie. She was the third wife of screenwriter and producer Sy Bartlett. Description above from the Wikipedia article Patricia Owens (actress), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

Guillermo Díaz

Cast · Known for Scandal, Weeds, Law & Order: Organized Crime

Guillermo Díaz is an American actor. He has starred in movies such as Half Baked (1998), 200 Cigarettes (1999) and Stonewall (1995). Díaz has had several TV guest appearances on such shows as Chappelle's Show, Law & Order, Weeds and ER. In 2006, he joined the cast of a series of improv-based commercials for Sierra Mist titled Mist Takes. A Spanish version of the advertisements began airing and the bilingual Díaz also starred in those with other Latino comedians. Description above from the Wikipedia article Guillermo Díaz (actor), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Mary Higgins

Mary Higgins is an actor, writer and stage performer predominantly working as half of the group "Hotter Project" alongside Ell Potter.

Dan Navarro

Cast · Known for INVINCIBLE, The Book of Life

Dan Navarro (born Daniel Anthony Navarro, September 14, 1952) is an American vocalist, guitarist and voice actor best known as half of the duo Lowen & Navarro. For more than 20 years, Dan Navarro has written, recorded and toured to a fiercely loyal, energetic national audience. Starting his career as a songwriter, his songs have been covered by Pat Benatar (The Top Five "We Belong"), the Bangles, Dave Edmunds, The Tempataions, Dionne Warwick and a host of others. He has a parallel career as a voice actor and singer, in films like Pirates of the Caribbean 5, The Book Of Life, Rio (on the Oscar-nominated “Real In Rio”), Happy Feet, The Lorax, Ice Age (2 & 3) ; TV series Turbo Fast, Prison Break, Family Guy and American Dad; records with Neil Young, Andrea Bocelli, Luis Miguel, Jose Feliciano, Janiva Magness, and Jon Anderson of Yes; hit video games Fallout 4 and Uncharted 4, and hundreds of TV ads for Subaru, Shakey’s, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Honda, Nationwide and more.

Tom Smothers

Thomas Bolyn Smothers III (February 2, 1937 - December 26, 2023) was an American comedian, composer and musician, best known as half of the musical comedy duo the Smothers Brothers, alongside his younger brother Dick Smothers.

Maisy Stella

Cast · Known for The End of Oak Street, Nashville

Maisy Stella (born December 13, 2003) is a Canadian singer and actress. Her accolades include a Critics' Choice Movie Award and an Independent Spirit Award. Stella started her career in 2009 and gained early attention as half of the country music cover band Lennon & Maisy, alongside her elder sister Lennon. From 2012 to 2018, they starred together as sisters on the musical television series Nashville, for which they also contributed to the soundtrack discography. In 2017, Stella released her debut solo song, "Riding Free", for the soundtrack of the animated series Spirit Riding Free. In 2024, she returned to acting and received greater recognition for her leading role in Megan Park's coming-of-age film My Old Ass (2024), for which she won the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer. She has since acted in Maude Apatow's comedy drama Poetic License (2025). Description above from the Wikipedia article Maisy Stella, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Paul Simon

Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor. He reached fame and commercial success as half of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, formed in 1956 with Art Garfunkel.

Essence Atkins

Essence Uhura Atkins (born February 7, 1972) is an American actress. She is best known for the roles of Dee Dee Thorne on the UPN sitcom Half & Half and as Yvette Henderson on the The WB sitcom Smart Guy. She is currently starring in the TV series Are We There Yet? as Suzanne Kingston-Persons. Description above from the Wikipedia article Essence Atkins, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

Shiloh Mount

Shiloh Mount, better known by his ring name Truth Magnum, is an AEW and ROH professional wrestler best known as half of the retro‑gimmick tag team The Outrunners, alongside Turbo Floyd, which debuted in April 2021 and channels 1980s throwback aesthetics. A seasoned veteran of the independent scene since his 2008 debut, he’s held multiple OVW Television, Anarchy, and Southern Tag Team titles.

John Oates

John William Oates (born April 7, 1948) is an American musician, best known as half of the rock and soul duo Hall & Oates along with Daryl Hall. He has played rock, R&B, and soul music, serving as a guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Although Oates's main role in the duo is being the guitarist, he also co-wrote many of the top 10 songs that they recorded, including: "Sara Smile" (referring to Hall's then-girlfriend, Sara Allen), "She's Gone", and "Out of Touch", as well as "You Make My Dreams", "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)", "Maneater", and "Adult Education". He also sang lead vocals on several more singles in the Hot 100, such as "How Does It Feel to Be Back", "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" (a remake of the 1965 song performed by the Righteous Brothers), and "Possession Obsession". In 1986, Oates contributed the song "(She's the) Shape of Things to Come" on the soundtrack to the 1986 film About Last Night. He also co-wrote and sang backup on the song "Electric Blue", recorded by the Australian band Icehouse, which was a Billboard top 10 hit. Oates was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004, and in 2014 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a member of Hall & Oates. His memoir, Change of Seasons, was published in 2017. Description above from the Wikipedia article John Oates, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Tony Gardner

Tony Gardner (born 10 January 1964) is an English actor and doctor. He sits on the national governing body of the actors' trade union Equity. He attended St Augustine's Catholic College in Trowbridge. Gardner qualified as a physician at Guy's Hospital in 1987, then as a general practitioner in 1993. He combined medicine and comedy during the 1990s as half of the award-winning comedy duo Struck Off and Die with Phil Hammond. Gardner eventually left medicine to become an actor, starring in a number of TV commercials, including that for the Renault Mégane. He reached prominence playing Brian Johnson in CITV's My Parents Are Aliens (episodes of which he also wrote) and Michael, the café owner in Jack Dee's BBC sitcom Lead Balloon. In 2009–10 he starred in three plays directed by Sir Peter Hall. In 2011 he played Professor Tony Shales in the Channel 4 series Fresh Meat. Between 2012 and 2020, he played John in five series of the critically acclaimed romantic drama series Last Tango in Halifax. The programme attracted impressive ratings for BBC One, with the third series posting an average of 7.8 million viewers. Between 2013 and 2015, he appeared as Lieutenant Colonel Phillip Smith in three series of the wartime comedy Bluestone 42, about a British bomb disposal detachment in Afghanistan during Operation Herrick. He appeared as Dan Miller MP in the BBC political comedy The Thick of It. He was a main character of the music video "Giant Peach" by Wolf Alice. He appeared in a variety of roles in Tracey Ullman's Show from 2016. He also appeared in an episode of the Netflix show, Lovesick, portraying Dylan’s father at surprise wedding anniversary party. In January 2021, Gardner appeared in S11E1 of Not Going Out as a neighbour to Lee and Lucy. He then appeared again in S12E4 in 2022.

John Cassavetes

John Nicholas Cassavetes (December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. First known as an actor on television and in film, Cassavetes also became a pioneer of American independent cinema, writing and directing movies financed in part with income from his acting work. AllMovie called him "an iconoclastic maverick," while The New Yorker suggested that he "may be the most influential American director of the last half century." As an actor, Cassavetes starred in notable Hollywood films throughout the 1950s and 1960s, including Edge of the City (1957), The Dirty Dozen (1967), and Rosemary's Baby (1968). He began his directing career with the 1959 independent feature Shadows and followed with independent productions such as Faces (1968), Husbands (1970), A Woman Under the Influence (1974), Opening Night (1977), and Love Streams (1984), in addition to intermittent studio work. Cassavetes' films employed an actor-centered approach which privileged character examination over traditional Hollywood storytelling or stylized production values. His films became associated with an improvisational, cinéma vérité aesthetic. He collaborated frequently with a rotating group of friends, crew members, and actors, including his wife Gena Rowlands, Peter Falk, Ben Gazzara, and Seymour Cassel. For his role in The Dirty Dozen, Cassavetes received a Best Supporting Actor nomination. As a filmmaker, he was nominated for Best Original Screenplay for Faces (1968) and Best Director for A Woman Under the Influence (1974).

Courtney Thorne-Smith

Cast · Known for Melrose Place, Ally McBeal, Two and a Half Men

Courtney Thorne-Smith (born November 8, 1967, height 5' 6" (1,68 m)) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Alison Parker on Melrose Place, Georgia Thomas on Ally McBeal, and Cheryl Mabel in According to Jim, as well as her recurring role in Two and a Half Men as Lyndsey McElroy. She was born in San Francisco, California, and grew up in Menlo Park, a suburb south of San Francisco. Her father, Walter Smith, was a computer market researcher and her mother Lora was a therapist. They divorced when Courtney was seven years old and she lived with both parents at different stages. She has an older sister, Jennifer, who is an advertising executive. She attended Menlo-Atherton High School, in Atherton, California, and graduated from Tamalpais High School, in Mill Valley, California, in 1985. She also performed with the Ensemble Theater Company in Mill Valley while attending high school. Description above from the Wikipedia article Courtney Thorne-Smith, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.​

Penn Jillette

Cast · Known for Toy Story, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe

Penn Jillette is an American magician, juggler, comedian, musician, inventor, actor, and best-selling author known for his work with fellow magician Teller as half of the team Penn & Teller.

John Layfield

John Charles Layfield is an American retired professional wrestler and current wrestling commentator/host for WWE, where he performs under the ring name John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL). Outside of his WWE work, Layfield is a financial analyst for Fox News. Within WWE, he was previously known by the ring name Bradshaw, and prior to that, the variations Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw and Blackjack Bradshaw (as half of The New Blackjacks with Blackjack Windham). As JBL, Layfield was WWE Champion for 280 days. Layfield's main gimmick as JBL—a wealthy, gladhanding, big-mouthed, fiery-tempered businessman—was based on Layfield's real-life accomplishments as a stock market investor. Layfield is a guest panelist on Fox News Channel's The Cost of Freedom, has appeared on CNBC, and has written a best-selling book on financial planning called Have More Money Now. Layfield also hosts a weekend talk radio program, syndicated nationally by Talk Radio Network, in which he discusses his conservative political views. Layfield is also employed by Northeast Securities as its Senior Vice President. In WWE, Layfield won 24 total championships including one reign as WWE Champion, one reign as United States Champion, one reign as European Champion, seventeen reigns as Hardcore Champion, one reign as Intercontinental Champion, and three reigns as World Tag Team Champion with Faarooq as part of the Acolytes Protection Agency (APA). He is also recognized as the twentieth Triple Crown Champion, and the Sports Illustrated has said that Layfield "has been accused for years of being a locker room bully", while Deadspin wrote that "backstage tales of Layfield's hazing and bullying have long been legend among hardcore wrestling fans."[136] Dayton Daily News described that "YouTube has dozens of interviews where former [WWE] performers discuss harassment, bullying and taking real blows from Layfield while wrestling him in supposedly choreographed matches." Le Journal de Montréal listed Mark Henry, Matt Hardy, René Duprée, Daivari, and Ivory, among others, as wrestlers who in interviews described Layfield as a bully.In 2010, The Miz referenced Layfield in an onscreen promo about hazing he faced in the locker room early in his career. Layfield admitted to hazing Miz and said that he did not regret doing so. In April 2017, WWE commentator Mauro Ranallo took an absence from WWE, which Dave Meltzer reported had been triggered by hostilities with Layfield. The allegations coincided with the release of former WWE ring announcer Justin Roberts' autobiography, in which he alleged that Layfield encouraged Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury to steal his passport. Angered WWE fans subsequently called on WWE to fire Layfield. On April 22, Newsweek reported that Ranallo and WWE "mutually agreed to part ways", and Ranallo released a statement in which he said his departure had "nothing to do with JBL" after liking tweets that implied JBL was the main reason. Layfield released a statement of his own, stating: "Admittedly, I took part in locker room pranks that existed within the industry years ago. WWE addressed my behavior and I responded accordingly, yet my past is being brought up because of recent unfounded rumors. I apologize if anything I said playing ‘the bad guy’ on a TV show was misconstrued.

Zack Stentz

Writer · Known for Andromeda, Thor

Zackary Lowell Stentz is an American writer and producer of film and television, journalist, novelist, and teacher, best known for his work on Marvel properties with former writing partner Ashley Edward Miller. Stentz graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in journalism. As a journalist, he wrote and edited for publications such as The Economist, Esquire, Sports Illustrated, and Entertainment Weekly. In addition, he was an environmental activist for Earth First! in the early 1990s. After graduating from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in Journalism, he worked for Metro Silicon Valley, writing about television, books, and popular culture, as well as the Sonoma County Independent (now the North Bay Bohemian). In 1997, publisher Dan Pulcrano tapped Stentz to oversee Metro's rebranding and launch of its San Francisco monthly, The Metropolitan. After turning to screenwriting full-time, from 2000 to 2015 he worked with writing partner Ashley Edward Miller, beginning with Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda. As a team, they co-wrote the films X-Men: First Class, the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Thor, and Agent Cody Banks. He and Miller did some of the initial work on the project that became Top Gun: Maverick, a sequel to the 1986 Tom Cruise film Top Gun, released in 2022. As writer and producer, he worked on the Netflix science fiction adventure film Rim of the World (2019), directed by McG. He has written and produced multiple television programs, including Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, The CW's The Flash, Fox's Fringe, and Fox's Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. He also created and developed a forthcoming animated show based on a popular franchise for DreamWorks, Universal, and Netflix. He has several projects in development, including television programs for Skydance Television, Warner Bros., and HBO, as well as the DC superhero film Booster Gold at Warner Bros. and a remake of Big Trouble in Little China at Fox. Additionally, he co-wrote the acclaimed young adult novel Colin Fischer and is currently writing an adventure/thriller entitled Nevermore. He also teaches screenwriting in the United States and in China. He was a guest of the Wutianming Foundation in Tianjin and of Wanda Studios in Beijing, where he taught young Chinese screenwriters the tricks and techniques of writing American action movies. A native of Fort Bragg, California, Stentz was born to a father of German and Irish descent and a mother of Lebanese descent and has described himself as half-Lebanese. His daughter is autistic, and Stentz himself has been described as exhibiting symptoms of the condition. Description above from the Wikipedia article Zack Stentz, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Jonty Stephens

Cast · Known for Minder

Jonty Stephens stands as one half of comedy duo Morecambe and Wise, with Jonty as Eric alongside partner in crime Ian Ashpitel. Jonty has since been in Doctors and Holby City with vocal credits including The Canterville Ghost and The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky.

Michael Davis

Michael Davis was an American professional wrestler best known as one half of the tag team Rock 'n' Roll RPMs with Tommy Lane which lasted several years. The RPM's were one of the most well-known heel tag teams throughout the southern United States in promotions such as World Class Championship Wrestling and the Continental Wrestling Association based out of Memphis. Mike Davis was also a member of Kevin Sullivan's faction known as The Army of Darkness. Mike Davis got his start in Eddie Graham's Championship Wrestling from Florida (CWF) promotion. He was a member of Kevin Sullivan's faction known as the Army of Darkness.[1] In 1984 he lost the NWA Junior Heavyweight Title to Denny Brown. Davis started the Rock 'n' Roll RPMs tag team with Tommy Lane in Memphis where they wrestled in the mid 80's before moving to the World Class promotion, which at the time was still affiliated with the NWA.[1] They were known for their bright colored tights and hanging bandanas. The Rock 'n' Roll RPMs were glorified for their finishing move "The Spandex Splits". The move was later outlawed due to extensive neck injuries. They had feuds with several teams, including another "Rock 'n' Roll" tag team known as the Rock 'n' Roll Express. The RPMs feuded with The Fantastics over the WCWA Tag Team Championship, however they were unable to win the championship. The RPMs also competed in the CWA in Memphis, where they won two AWA Southern Tag Team titles. Teaming with Cactus Jack, the Rock-n-Roll RPMs lost a match against Hector, Chavo, and Mando Guerrero at the only AWA pay-per-view SuperClash III. After the demise of World Class, Davis and Lane moved on to World Championship Wrestling, where they were used as jobbers. Davis later entered the Global Wrestling Federation, where in 1992, he claimed to have returned to Earth with a "Moon Rock" after he made a bungee jump following a "Bungee" match between Chaz Taylor and Steven Dane outside the Dallas Sportatorium. Mike Davis formed another tag team with his brother Tom Davis known as "The Dirty Davis Brothers". In 1995, Davis returned to WCW to work once again as a 'jobber to the stars', featuring on the WCW Saturday Night program. Davis died on December 25, 2001 from a massive heart attack in Granbury, Texas, at the age of 45. He was the third World Class wrestler to die in six months (following the deaths of Terry Gordy and Chris Adams in July and October respectively).