I could only get through the first 25 minutes, and then when the host interviews her mom about the HQ host, I had to tap out. Seems like the Ringer must have an episode or time quota to fill it with so many bland personal stories.

What a riveting podcast!

The bulk of the season is good, but there’s some over-reliance on personal anecdotes and “humor” in the beginning and the end. The part where the host laughs at the employees for wanting compensation for their time directly after the episode where she details that an ex-employee has an apartment so small they have to unplug his fridge to interview him is particularly egregious.

Was a good listen until the last episode made me rethink her whole take on it. Bashing people that just lost their job for wanting some of the revenue you are making off of their story. Getting on a high horse about this being a “journalistic endeavor”. Last I looked, this wasnt a non-profit effort. If she was willing to bash people for that, what else did she skew perspective on?

For Scott it must’ve been really frustrating, as essentially the star of a new hit show, to come to the realization that it will never stay that way because he bad bosses.

What a nostalgic podcast for something that JUST happened! Not to mention a crazy story - thank you for bringing this back and telling the story so well.

If you are a Zoomer who likes to assign trauma and intense faux dramatics to events, this is for you. The host is insufferable. I’m sure she’s a great friend, daughter, whatever. As a host, she is a try-hard. Tremendous production quality but a total waste of time.

I, like many others, tuned-in to play HQ Trivia for months...and then, I stopped all of a sudden. I never could put my finger on the reason, but listening to Alyssa brought it all back to me. I remembered hearing rumbles of the craziness behind-the-scenes, and then Colin’s death cemented it for me. Give this podcast a listen for a true “behind the curtain” experience of what really happened to this tech-media start-up.

Alyssa does a great job telling the story behind HQ! I played HQ while in labor with my now toddler, talk about addicted! Long live Quiz Daddy!

No unnecessary commentary and real journalism. Great job, Alyssa! Please keep this kind of reporting alive.

A lot of repeated sound bites instead of explaining and diving into different things. Wanted to know more about Rus. Named an episode ‘coins’ but never explained how they worked in the app. It was a podcast that kept telling me the story was interesting but never really delivered.

What a great binge podcast , well researched and well produced . Good work everyone involved !

Two of my favs. Don’t expect full muckraking but for investigation on a trivia app? It’s perfect

First of all, Alyssa is fantastic in this. Does a great job of balancing everything without being overbearing or relying on explaining everything, as can be the case with this format. She really shines here and it is great to see. HQ is something I started playing early so it was awesome to see the deep dive into the history of the game. Really love this type of content from The Ringer.

Interesting topic but felt like a college project. Interviewing your mom? Over use of personal anecdotes. Lazy.

Holy Crap. I didn’t expect the final product when I first got started but Alyssa took listeners through the intrigue, drama and the rise/fall of HQ. it was a great long-form piece - Well done and worth a listen! 👏👏 Overall, this is a hidden gem!

Good listen, but didn’t like the host laughing at HQ employees for wanting compensation for participating in this podcast... which immediately is followed by an ad.

One the best podcasts from the ringer hope to hear more stories like this from Alyssa. Good reporting.

Super good! She did amazing

I really enjoyed listening to the podcast. Alyssa did a great job crafting the story together while also delving deep into all the different personalities and culture at HQ. Scott was one of the main reasons I loved to play the game and once he left, so did I.

As a daily player of HQ, I was excited to dive into this behind the scenes look at the company's rise and fall and rebirth. It was great to hear Scott Rogowsky's side of events. The story is solid but not partiuclarly engaging, twisty or luid. A tech company gets popular, expands too quickly, loses money, then folds. The somewhat eccentric founder declined to be interviewed, depriving the show of a great character/villain. Alyssa did great research on this and is a good host, but her delivery often sounds like she's reciting off a script (and I'm unclear what the personal anecdotes and asides add to the podcast). Overall, this was a good listen but nothing spectacular.

I started this not knowing what to think. The Scott interview on episode 8 is cringeworthy and amazing!! This story just twists and turns in so many different directions. Great Job!

Never played or knew of HQ but really enjoyed it. Good stuff.

Boom/Bust tells an unseemingly interesting story of HQ Trivia. I had no idea of all of these things going on behind the curtain at HQ. Top notch production value and precision reporting. Great podcast! Would love more seasons focusing on the rise and fall of other companies!

As someone who’s played HQ everyday since November 2017, this is extremely well researched. I’ve always supported HQ in everything they’ve done, so I appreciate that. Most criticism of HQ boils down to “Rus bad, Scott good” and I don’t think that. This does a great job of being fair to everyone. I’ve been a beta tester for HQ for both HQ Words, and for all new shows since November 2019. This is filled with stuff I never knew, and it makes me value HQ, and it’s vision more everyday.

I never thought a tech story could be this interesting please have Alyssa do more series after this one is over on the boom bust feed

I was a loyal player for a long time but had stopped playing. This is a really interesting story and explains a lot. Great job on this podcast.

Very well done. Thank you.

A good listen for an interesting story.

Seems exaggerated for HQs return. Makes it seem more sensational and dramatic than it was irl

I was excited for this podcast because I played HQ, but this podcast falls short. The episodes feel disjointed, and it is hard to follow along.

Disappointing effort from the ringer. Disjointed story telling. Too much different between shows in successive weeks. Should have been released as a binge-able set versus drip by drip. Also the story is not very interesting. Sorry Alyssa and team.

Guys, great job. Hope this gets its proper due

Mostly rehashes the big news stories you already read. The analysis doesn't add much. Interesting idea though.

I am always fascinated by why things fail. Not that I enjoy it, I just wonder how huge, well funded, seemingly great ideas go bad. Quibi I’m looking at you... Great reporting. First class. I remember wondering how HQ made money early. My parents played first lol. I wondered why there were not ads. They would have worked. Especially having Scott read them...can’t wait to hear the rest of the story!

I used to play HQ and eventually got bored. I’m not bored of this podcast though, its great! Never knew about all the craziness behind the scenes. Great investigative work and interviews with former employees and people involved in the game.

I rarely comment on podcasts but this one is great. Host Alyssa Bereznak is talented and thoughtful and she’s put together a hugely compelling piece. I wasn’t even a fan of HQ and I’m loving this. To The Ringer: give her a raise and let’s get more of these!

Well done!!! This is a good one.

Great sound design, well written.

Interesting story but I can’t help it, I do not like the host’s voice at all.

Such a cool reminder of a memory I forgot I had. So cool to hear what happened.

If you’re a HQ fan, you’ll enjoy it. I can definitely do without the host’s personal anecdotes. As a Palo Alto native, nothing makes me cringe more than those who worship Silicon Valley and think we’re also special for simply existing in the same geographical area

Interesting, short, with lots of spicey sound bites. Couldn’t ask for anything more

Excellent, professional production quality. More interesting than the actual game.

Need some easy listening during the end of the world? BOOM....here you go

Very well done, you all. I think Amanda Dobbins was found her calling, behind the microphone. Produced very well, great story and fantastic host. Definitely a must listen!

This is so well done and you can tell this is a very great narrative pod. It’s awesome to see the behind the scenes of HQ and this is pretty much an audio documentary about one of the greatest apps ever. Alyssa and Co. you guys did a phenomenal job. I normally only listen to joe Rogan and sports pod but I’m 100% a fan of this!

Leave it to what started as a sports site to do some of the best pop culture (and generally not sports-centric) content—and, here, legit journalism. Another fantastic Ringer podcast for all lovers of trivia and tech and, above all else, those nostalgic for pre-pre-quarantine life.

I worked for rus, Colin and nick while they made the app that would become hq and everything on this pod about the environment there is spot on. Amazing listen.

That passed editorial? You talking to your own mom in episode one?