Episodes

Thursday Dec 12, 2019
Episode 14: Star Wars Controversy, Prodigy, Best Bar Fights!
Thursday Dec 12, 2019
Thursday Dec 12, 2019
Welcome to Episode 14!
In this episode:
Sean drones on and on about Destiny 2 and how happily overwhelmed and lost he is in the game!
We're getting geared up for Rise of Skywalker by re-watching all of the movies leading up to the culmination of this decades old space opera! Sean and Connor dive briefly into a slight controversy.... is it best to watch the movies in CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER... or ORDER OF RELEASE? Sean, being the older and wiser one... and the one that is right... is adamant that the movies can only be watched in the correct and proper way... chronologically according to the story. Connor, for some weird, bizarre, Millennial reason thinks it is best to watch in order of release. How can you even think about watching this great space opera story out of sequence?! Yet Connor does his best to make that argument. #smh Where do you fall on the controversy?
Our Geek Question of the Day for this episode is: What is your favorite movie bar fight and what made it so special? We explore The Kingsman... Kingsman: The Golden Circle... John Wick... Roadhouse... with an honorable mention for Daredevil! What is your favorite and why? (source:geekquestioner.com; also on twitter @geekquestioner)
Finally, for our Roll for Credits segment, we dive into a 2017 indie film on Amazon Prime called Prodigy, starring Savannah Liles as a 9-year old dangerous genius with supernatural abilities, and Richard Neil as the psychologist who tries to figure her out. Though short and clearly low budget (wait til you read the credits! LOL) we both quite enjoyed it (misdiagnosis notwithstanding...LOL). Go check it out yourself, then come listen to our thoughts on the movie!
And as always, several chickens were chased, though none were harmed in this episode.
Thanks for listening, and hit us up on twitter for your thoughts on the episode! You can find us all over the place. We know all the Twitters! Gene Pool Variety Hour on Twitter at @GPVarietyHour...
Sean:
- Headgamer on XBox Live
- @headgamer on Twitter
- @headamer on Mixer
- @head_gamer on Twitch
Connor:
- QuillMiester on Xbox Live
- @QuillMiester on Twitter
- @QuillMiester on Mixer
- @QuillMiester on Twitch
Until next time... Stay nerdy my friends!

Monday Nov 25, 2019
Monday Nov 25, 2019
Welcome to Episode 13, a very special Thanksgiving episode!
In this episode:
Happy Geeksgiving! What nerdy, geeky stuff are YOU thankful for this season! Sean & Connor dive into some of their favorite things!
Next, we kick off a new segment... one that is probably gonna stick: Your Geek Question of the Day! Connor has always wanted to do this, but we finally found a good source for debate.... geekquestioner.com (also on twitter @geekquestioner)! So here's your question: Take a movie and replace a word in the title of the movie with the word "Turkey". What is the title and plot of the movie? What would you come up with? Listen to our Thanksgiving-themed takes on The Birdcage and X-Men: First Class!
Finally, for our Rolling the Credits segment, we explore and review the Netflix original, I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore, starring Melanie Lynskey and Elijah Wood! What happens when a depressed woman who always feel run over by society and an angry, introverted ninja wannabe try to take things and their lives back into their own hands! In summary, we loved it! Dive in to see why!
And as always, several chickens were chased, though none were harmed in this episode.
As always, thanks for listening, and hit us up on twitter for your thoughts on the episode! You can find us all over the place. We know all the Twitters! Gene Pool Variety Hour on Twitter at @GPVarietyHour...
Sean:
- Headgamer on XBox Live
- @headgamer on Twitter
- @headamer on Mixer
- @head_gamer on Twitch
Connor:
- QuillMiester on Xbox Live
- @QuillMiester on Twitter
- @QuillMiester on Mixer
- @QuillMiester on Twitch
Until next time... Stay nerdy my friends!

Wednesday Nov 13, 2019
Wednesday Nov 13, 2019
Welcome to Episode 12 (yes, we went back to the old way of naming - we don't need no stinkin' seasons!) of the Gene Pool Variety Hour! We appreciate you jumping in with us!
In this episode, we get back to gaming. Sean is in his happy place after taking a month hiatus from gaming. Diving back into Borderlands 3, and delving into Destiny 2 after years of clean Destiny-free living. It's crack, and I have mixed feelings toward my friends/drug dealers who talked me back into it!
Next, we explore Blizzard's recent new game announcements - Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4! Needless to say, we're excited about both. Sean is particularly happy for the PvE focus on OW2. Finally, he and his old-gamer friends can play without being schooled by them young whippersnappers!
We end the night on our review of Antonio Bandera's 2014 Automata. What happens in a dystopian world where humans are on the decline, and robots were created to help humanity but start to rise up for themselves? Um, haven't we heard that storyline tons of times before? Yeah, well, we visit that trope again here. Join in to hear what we think of this thing. Let's just say we have seen this trope visited in other movies, and done much better too. Oh, and Sean goes off on plastic surgery during this segment as well. ;-)
And yes, several chickens were chased. No animals were harmed in this episode, however.
Oh! And we have a new podcast logo design. Awesome work by Milton Camargo over at Fiverr.com! See his page here, and if you use him for any work, tell him the Gene Pool sent ya!
As always, thanks for listening, and hit us up on twitter for your thoughts on the episode! You can find us all over the place. We know all the Twitters! Gene Pool Variety Hour on Twitter at @GPVarietyHour...
Sean:
- Headgamer on XBox Live
- @headgamer on Twitter
- @headamer on Mixer
- @head_gamer on Twitch
Connor:
- QuillMiester on Xbox Live
- @QuillMiester on Twitter
- @QuillMiester on Mixer
- @QuillMiester on Twitch
Until next time... Stay nerdy my friends!

Tuesday Oct 29, 2019
Gene Pool Variety Hour, Episode 11: Joan of Arc Hates Puppies!
Tuesday Oct 29, 2019
Tuesday Oct 29, 2019
Welcome to Episode 4 of the second season on the Gene Pool Variety Hour! We appreciate you jumping in with us!
In this episode, Sean gets up on his high horse and gives the low down on Joaquin Phoenix's Joker. Yeah, I know it's late, but at least this is a review from a psychologist's point of view! Connor decides to mix it up and pushes us into Superfight for not one, but two epic battles! Attila the Hun, Lizzy Borden, and George S. Patton oh my! And we learn the Joan of Arc apparently hates puppies! Finally, we review - as best we can - the 1989 movie The Return of the Swamp Thing! Apparently Zac Snyder doesn't own the market on bad DC comics adaptation movies! And Heather Locklear, bad actress. Who knew?!
There are also discussions of buying cars, Sportsball, Winona Ryder, and Deadpool's baby legs. And several other chickens.
As always, thanks for listening, and hit us up on twitter for your thoughts on the episodes or winners of the Superfight battles! And if you want to fight us on Swamp Thing.... bring it!
You can find us all over the place. We know all the Twitters! Gene Pool Variety Hour on Twitter at @GPVarietyHour...
Sean:
- Headgamer on XBox Live
- @headgamer on Twitter
- @headamer on Mixer
- @head_gamer on Twitch
Connor:
- QuillMiester on Xbox Live
- @QuillMiester on Twitter
- @QuillMiester on Mixer
- @QuillMiester on Twitch

Monday Oct 14, 2019
Gene Pool Variety Hour, Episode 10: Super Fightey Edition!
Monday Oct 14, 2019
Monday Oct 14, 2019
Welcome to Episode 3 of our second season on the Gene Pool Variety Hour! Thanks for taking the plunge!
In this episode, Connor drones on and on...um, I mean gives a very detailed synopsis... of the Anime movie Bleach The Movie: Fade to Black! Flying swords, demon caterpillar babies, and giant sperm snakes oh my! When he stops to take a breath, I jump in to give my two cents' worth on my opinion of the movie... from a completely uninformed, non-anime-fan point of view! Needless to say... I don't get it.
In a discussion about my developing patchy beard and the John Wick sized chicken we chased, Connor posed a potentially life altering question: Who would win in a fight - Chuck Norris or Keanu Reeves? Original internet badass vs. the new kid on the block internet badass? Oh, and discussions about the use of physics to analyze Monty Python and the Holy Grail fall in here somewhere as well!
We continue to bloody up the battle arena with a rousing round of Superfight! In this round, All the attendees of Burning man, armed with scissor hands and acid blood ... um, yeah... take on Keyser Soze armed with a barbed wire net and endless tear gas from his butt! Points are made, rationales are discussed, rebuttals are given! Ultimately the winner will be up to you! Winner will continue to battle on the next episode!
I'm sure there were other chickens we chased, but I can't remember them all. Thanks for listening and let us know your thoughts on who wins!
You can find us all over the place. We know all the Twitters! Gene Pool Variety Hour on Twitter at @GPVarietyHour...
Sean:
- Headgamer on XBox Live
- @headgamer on Twitter
- @headamer on Mixer
- @head_gamer on Twitch
Connor:
- QuillMiester on Xbox Live
- @QuillMiester on Twitter
- @QuillMiester on Mixer
- @QuillMiester on Twitch

Monday Sep 30, 2019
Gene Pool Variety Hour, Episode 09: A Very Trepidatious Episode!
Monday Sep 30, 2019
Monday Sep 30, 2019
Thanks for diving into the pool with us! Welcome to episode 2 of our second season!
In this episode, we get a little semi-serious about Connor's trip to Ohio to see his girlfriend and her family, and talk about some of the struggles in relationships for people on the autism spectrum. Then, we wax poetic about the next game in one of our favorite game series, Borderlands 3! Connor is decidedly more fanboyish than I am here. Finally, for our Rolling for Credits segment, we dive into Guy Ritchie's 1998 cult classic, Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels! This movie has no redeeming qualities - nothing but British-style streams of cursing, criminals, potheads, weed, illegal card games, cheating, stolen goods, multiple competing gangs, and a deskful of, um, adult toys... and we mean that in the best possible way! So jump in, you wankers, and listen up!
Thanks for joining us at the Pool! And remember, no running and no swimming for 30 minutes after eating!

Monday Sep 16, 2019
Monday Sep 16, 2019
We're baaaack!
Gotta say that it was so fun to get back to the podcast! It has been almost two years. There have been a lot of reasons why it has been that long, so we spent time in the beginning just explaining our absence. We're going to try to clean the podcast episodes up a bit - straining against our combined ADHD to put a little structure on the episodes - and chat about that as well.
DragonCon 2019 had to be part of the discussion, since we have only recently returned from our Geek Mecca... Also, I spent most of my time in the Digital Media Track this year and it was there I got encouragement to pick the podcast back up! Thanks everyone!
So our "anchor" segment each week is going to be something called "Rolling for Credits" where we basically just roll for initiative suckas! Er, I mean we use our trusty dragon dice to find a random movie to watch and review.
This week, the movie is Radius, a 2017 movie currently streaming on Amazon Prime. I loved it! Connor thought it was just okay. He's just wrong. Anyway, there are some minor spoilers, but we made sure to ruin the HUGE TWIST that would otherwise ruin the ending of the movie for ya. I highly encourage you go check it out!
Since we're rusty and just getting our feet wet, this made for a pretty short episode for us. Also, I pretty much forgot how to structure my episode building in Audacity, so there's no intro in this episode LOL. It'll get better. I hope.
Wanted to throw our links to a couple of podcasts we mentioned in the episode and people that have been really encouraging of our efforts. So here ya go!
Stephen and Smashie @ Horseshoes and Hand Grenades
Dennis, Philip, Austin, Tristan, and Jon @ Botched Podcast
We've just started diving into Borderlands 3 and will be streaming this for the foreseeable future. Look for a full review next episode!
You can find us all over the place. We know all the Twitters! Gene Pool Variety Hour on Twitter at @GPVarietyHour...
Sean:
- Headgamer on XBox Live
- @headgamer on Twitter
- @headamer on Mixer
- @head_gamer on Twitch
Connor:
- QuillMiester on Xbox Live
- @QuillMiester on Twitter
- @QuillMiester on Mixer
- @QuillMiester on Twitch

Monday Mar 05, 2018
Gene Pool Variety Hour, Episode 07: Dracula is a Wimp!
Monday Mar 05, 2018
Monday Mar 05, 2018
Welcome to Episode 07, full of alliteration and stuff! We got Demons, Dragons, and Dracula! We got alchemists and arguments! We got #BOTWON and banality!
Some of the highlights...
- Connor goes off on his latest obsessions, his collaborative writing exercise with one of his friends and his foray into writing and running his own D&D campaign.
- Sean's hashtags of the week are #work and #notime. He did get some quality time in Overwatch with his #drunkwatch crew, and continues to bang through Borderlands, but is woefully behind on all his superhero shows!
- Jumping into the Best of the Worst on Netflix, we discuss and review 2016's 13 Demons. If you can imagine a horrible mashup of Jumanji, Dungeons and Dragons, Se7en, and throw in a little Dazed and Confused, this is your movie! Really interesting concept.... really poorly executed. Don't say you have not been warned!
- D20 Multiverse Mayhem! Dracula, the King of Vampires versus the Full Metal Alchemist! You'll be surprised how it turns out!
- And as always, chickens will be chased. It's what we do!
- And BTW, make sure you stay til the end of the podcast.... ;-)
For more about Kicks the Goblin (mentioned yet again in this episode), catch more of him at on Botched: A D&D Podcast!
Follow us on social media!
- GPVH on twitter: @GPVarietyHour
- GPVH on Youtube: The Gene Pool Variety Hour
- GPVH on Mixer: @headgamer on Mixer
- Sean on twitter: @headgamer
- Connor on G+: +C-BOMB The Goofball of the Pool
Thanks to PodBean for hosting services, and Free Play Music for the theme music!

Thursday Feb 01, 2018
Thursday Feb 01, 2018
Hey, we made it to episode 06!
Mic issues are slowly improving as we figure out what the heck we are doing (apologies in advance for the first 9 minutes or so...it gets better after that)! Join us as we talk some of our current TV obsessions, bad movies on Netflix, and cinematic childhood trauma!
Some of the highlights...
- Sean spends some time talking about his favorite Romanian communist propaganda buddy cop TV show... "You don't learn to be a good communist by going to meetings... you learn it on the streets.... you learn it with your fists!"
- Sharks and Big Wheels and hobbits, oh my! What movies traumatized you as a kid... join in the conversation about the things that scared us in the night... all the way to adulthood.... Kermit the Frog gets an honorable mention as well!
- What do you get when you combine cowboys, dinosaurs, methane, and a drunk Eric Roberts? Well, Cowboys vs. Dinosaurs, of course! Join in on the next segment of the Best of the Worst on Netflix.
- Are you ready for some more D20 Multiverse Mayhem.... NEXT TIME? Connor decides to tease the listeners with our character selection for the next round. Stay tuned!
- Kicks the Goblin kicks ass! Best NPC ever! #botched
- Chickens will be chased. We don't remember where we end up.
Catch some of our favorite podcasts mentioned in the episode:
GPVH on twitter: @GPVarietyHour
Sean on twitter: @headgamer
Connor on G+: +C-BOMB The Goofball of the Pool
GPVH on Youtube: The Gene Pool Variety Hour
GPVH on Mixer: @headgamer on Mixer
Thanks to PodBean for hosting services, and Free Play Music for the theme music!

Tuesday Jan 09, 2018
Gene Pool Variety Hour, Episode 05
Tuesday Jan 09, 2018
Tuesday Jan 09, 2018
Welcome to the first episode of 2018!
Connor got his own mic for Christmas so no more uncomfortably sharing a mic with my son! In this episode, we talk the Christmas holiday, play some Superfight!, and review Chappie as part of the next installment of the Best of the Worst on Netflix!
Join us as we talk flaming Willie Wonka's, kung fu dragons, floating sumo wrestlers, and Dominatrix Chuck Norris!
Connect with us on twitter (@GPVarietyHour, @headgamer) or G+ (C-Bomb The Goofball of the Pool), and don't forget to subscribe to the podcast!