A short podcast about everyday risks from germs

ChatGPT image description: A restaurant worker in a black uniform and gloves leans over a large roast beef sub sandwich in a commercial kitchen. She is visibly spitting onto the sandwich, creating an intentionally unsanitary scene. Food-preparation ingredients and an employee handwashing sign are visible in the background.

953. Herpes Spit Sandwich

July 13, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating a sandwich contaminated with spit from someone with oral herpes.

Dr. Don - risky ☣️
Professor Ben - risky ☣️

ChatGPT image description: An open takeout container of chicken tikka masala and rice sits beside a crowded hot tub. The curry appears diluted and splashed, with water droplets covering the container and table. Several children are visible in the background, suggesting the meal has been contaminated by hot-tub splash water.

950. Takeout Chicken Tikka Masala Splashed With Hot Tub Water

July 06, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating chicken tikka masala splashed with hot tub water.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: A person stands at the entrance to a berry-picking field holding a basket, facing a prominent warning sign that reads, “Norovirus is spiking in this area.” The sunny farm setting and cheerful berry-picking signage contrast with the health warning, creating a clear food-safety dilemma.

947. Pick Your Own Berries During a Norovirus Spike in June 2026

June 29, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating pick your own berries in an area during a norovirus spike in June 2026.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: Two restaurant employees stand in front of a commercial grill, looking embarrassed and slightly frazzled. Their uniforms are dusty and rumpled, hair is messy, and both wear uneasy expressions. Smoke rises from the grill behind them, suggesting a hectic kitchen mishap or an especially challenging shift.

943. Eating Food Cooked on a Restaurant Grill That Employees Have Used for Sex

June 19, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of eating food from a grill that had been previously used for sex.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

Don't Get The Grilled Cheese

ChatGPT image description: A bright pink bag of Nerds Gummy Clusters sits on a bathroom counter beside a sink, toothbrush, toiletries, and a lavender candle. The oddly placed candy contrasts with the clean, everyday bathroom setting, creating a humorous and slightly unsettling scene.

936. Keeping Candy in the Bathroom

June 03, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of keeping candy in the bathroom.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

Actual image from the TV show

935. Licking Someone Else's Ear Wax Off Your Finger

June 01, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of licking someone else's ear wax off your finger

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

The actual guy fom the facebook video

934. Racing a Bike Through Belgian Toothpaste

May 29, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from racing a bike through belgian toothpaste (i.e., mud).

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

Jenny Tian describing her prize task

928. Keeping Your Shampoo Bottle on the Floor of the Shower

May 15, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from keeping your shampoo bottle on the floor of the shower.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: A man stands at a stove in a warm kitchen, eating chicken wings while tending a simmering pot. As he finishes each wing, he drops the bones directly into the boiling stock, blending casual eating with cooking in an unusual, slightly unsanitary preparation method.

927. Making Stock With Chewed or Licked Chicken Bones (Normal Style)

May 13, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating stock made from chewed or licked chicken bones, where are the chicken has been eaten "normal style".

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

Making stock with “chewed” chicken bones? : r/Cooking

ChatGPT image description: A man cooks in a warm, modern kitchen while wearing earbuds, pausing thoughtfully with sauce-covered hands. A woman asks him a question nearby. A thought bubble shows his dilemma: touch his phone to pause a podcast or keep cooking. Fresh ingredients and a simmering pot surround him.

926. Touching Your Phone in the Middle of Prepping Dinner

May 11, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from touching your phone in the middle of prepping dinner.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: A conflicted man stands beside a trash can in a dim movie theater hallway, hesitating over a large tub of leftover popcorn resting on top. His hand hovers uncertainly as other patrons walk away. A nearby sign urges proper trash disposal, underscoring the awkward, tempting situation.

925. Eating Someone Else's Leftover Popcorn at the Movies

May 08, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating someone else's leftover popcorn at the movies.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: A nervous man in a liquor store awkwardly hides a wine bottle in his pants while glancing sideways. Shelves of alcohol line the aisle. A security mirror reflects him from above, and bright store lighting emphasizes the tense yet slightly comical moment of attempted theft.

924. Drinking a Bottle of Wine That Has Been Stuffed in a Thief’s Trousers

May 06, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from drinking a bottle of wine that has been stuffed in a thief’s trousers.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: A clear plastic bag of frozen tilapia fillets floats in murky, dirty dishwater inside a cluttered sink. Greasy utensils, food residue, and bubbles surround it. In the background, a box of storage bags sits on the counter, emphasizing unsafe thawing conditions and cross-contamination risk.

922. Thawing Frozen Fish in a Plastic Bag in a Flithy Sink

May 01, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks thawing frozen fish in a plastic bag in a fithy sink.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

Image description: actual image from the TikTok video

920. Eating Easter Eggs Dyed in the Toilet Bowl

April 27, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from eating Easter eggs dyed in the toilet bowl

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: A bunch of purple grapes sits in the child seat of a grocery cart. In the background, a toddler with a visibly soiled diaper looks back with a guilty expression. The blurred store aisle contrasts with the sharply focused cart, highlighting a humorous but unsanitary situation.

918. Naked Fruit on the Seat of a Grocery Cart

April 22, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from placing a fresh fruit on the seat of a grocery cart without a bag.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: A sushi kitchen handwashing sink is shown as someone rinses their hands under running water. Nearby, an open box of disposable gloves sits too close, becoming visibly wet from splashing water. The scene highlights a cross-contamination risk, with food prep areas blurred in the background.

915. Letting Patrons Use the Handwash Sink in a Sushi Restaurant Kitchen

April 15, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks associated with letting patrons use the handwash sink in a sushi restaurant kitchen.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: A stainless steel toaster sits on a countertop with faint streaks and small droplets of raw chicken juice on its surface and slot edges. In the blurred background, a bowl of raw chicken rests at a distance. The image highlights subtle cross-contamination risk from minimal splashing.

914. Using Toaster After Splashing Raw Chicken Juice Inside if You Are Immunocompromised

April 13, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from using toaster after splashing raw chicken juice inside if you are immunocompromised.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

Image from the video discussed

913. Using the Top Paper Plate

April 10, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from using the top paper plate in a package of plates.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

Don’s actual cover

912. Only Rinsing a Plastic Microwave Food Cover

April 08, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks of using a plastic microwave food cover that you only rinse and do not wash.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼

ChatGPT image description: A relaxed, scruffy man with long hair and a bathrobe stands by an open refrigerator, holding a stick of butter smeared with dark residue from a dirty pan. He casually returns the contaminated butter to the fridge, while the greasy pan sits below, highlighting a clear food safety concern.

908. Using Butter Rubbed on a Dirty Pan

March 30, 2026 by Don Schaffner

Dr. Don and Professor Ben talk about the risks from using butter that was rubbed on a dirty pan.

Dr. Don - not risky 👍🏼
Professor Ben - not risky 👍🏼