873- Story Smash The Storytelling Game Show Live 2-14-2026 at The Lyric/Hyperion

·1 hr 13 min·5 clips

A linguist shares how Denzel Washington hired her to teach him Russian, then said he hated his own voice.

The episode opens with host Christine Blackburn explaining the rules of Story Smash, a live storytelling game show where contestants spin a wheel to determine their topic and tell true stories within timed limits. Judges Danny Zucker, Abby Schachner, and Michael Jamin are introduced, each with backgrounds in comedy writing and television. The first round involves one-minute stories: Bob Siegel tells a touching story about his mother's bypass surgery and her concern for his brother, while Kat Tiazda shares an anecdote about being hired to train Denzel Washington in Russian for a movie, only for him to dismiss her quickly. Jason Washington humorously insists on his origin from Kansas City, Missouri, not Kansas, and Idali describes transitioning to online school pre-COVID. In the second round, two-minute stories are told: Idali discusses a therapy school interview, Kat Tiazda recounts a trip to Russia where her mother was nearly scammed, Bob Siegel narrates a tense drive with NBC executive Reuben Frank that led to a job offer, and Jason Washington reflects on a job interview where he was stereotyped. The third round features three-minute stories from finalists Kat Tiazda, who reveals a childhood experience with cognac given by a ski coach, and Jason Washington, who details a night in a Los Angeles drunk tank. Throughout, the judges provide humorous and heartfelt feedback, often sharing their own related stories. The episode concludes with Kat Tiazda declared the winner, receiving homemade chocolate chip cookies and a Story Smash hat.

As heard by us

A live story game where a paper umbrella becomes the night's hardest prompt.

Story Splash turns a live storytelling game show into a test of nerve, with a wheel deciding what each contestant has to take on. Creator and host Christine Platt lays out a room built for audience energy, from shouted suggestions to a free space that lets a player pick any…

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Why you'd press play

You get a live storytelling game show where the wheel, guest judges, and audience topic shouts keep the next story just a little unpredictable.

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