PODCAST · society
Why Oh Why
by Andrea Silenzi
Named a best new podcast of 2016 by The New York Times, NPR, Huffington Post and iTunes. Andrea Silenzi speaks with friends, experts, and guys in bars about where love, dating and sex meets technology. The show tells the stories about relationships often blurring the lines between memoir, documentary, and fiction.
Episodes
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Loose Ends
We have news. Starting in 2018, we're taking a break from making Why Oh Why. While we can't predict the future, let's call it a break not a breakup. For this special episode, we'll hear from a wide range of past guests including David #1, Randy, Bumble Mike, and Mona Chalabi. Then, does your host...
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Just Another Sad Love Song
This summer, Schuyler shared a playlist of songs that have helped her cope with depression and anxiety. It moved a lot of people in her life to reach out, including Tom. For all the feels, check out the playlists discussed in this week's episode: 1. Eardrummings Vol. 19 by Schuyler. "Here's a...
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Casual
After you've developed an allergy to casual sex, is there a cure? We talk with comedy writer and performer Matteson Perry about keeping things casual. He's the author of "Available: A Memoir of Heartbreak, Hookups, Love and Brunch." Plus, Dr. Chris Donaghue explains the value of a strong sexual...
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Stage a Fight with Esther Perel
Esther Perel has ideas for how to humor yourself on your first dates using a bit of role play. She's the host of the Audible original podcast "Where Should We Begin." You can hear Season 1 of the show on Apple Podcasts, and Season 2 is now available on Audible. She's also the author of "The State...
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Find Your Single Ladies (Live in Chicago)
Live from Chicago Theater Works, our show begins with the love story. Hear how a first date turned into a meaningful relationship for six single women. This story came to us after Lisette's brilliant Twitter thread went viral. Plus, we help an American Ninja Warrior find love the old fashioned…
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End of the World Sex
On election night last November, the world shifted beneath our feet... but what was going on our bedrooms? Nona Willis Aronowitz is a features editor at Splinter and writes a newsletter called "Fucking Through the Apocalypse." She joins us to discuss sex, politics and woke misogynists in the…
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Dating While Brian
Brian has Muscular Dystrophy and gets around in a wheelchair, but that doesn't mean he won't make out with your girlfriend when you're not looking. On today's show, Brian tells his friend Luke what it's like for him to date with a disability. This episode came to us as a suggestion from Luke...
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Ghosting Stories
Ghosting has been called the millennial way of breaking up, but that doesn't make the phenomenon any less haunting for its victims. Just in time for Halloween, we present a collection of ghosting stories from listeners across the country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...
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Stop Dating Older Guys
The age gap between men and women in heterosexual dating has become a fact of life in the 21st century. The Guardian’s Mona Chalabi suggests it’s time for that to change. Read her op-ed "I Want My 2.3 Bonus Years" in the New York Times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Birth Control by Stapler
The arm implant, known as Nexplanon, is a birth control option that's slightly more effective than the IUD, and less painful to insert. Why aren't we all using it? Why Oh Why's Lindsey Kratochwill investigates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The Perfect Storm
While Hurricane Irma sped towards Miami, Emily decided to ask a guy from Bumble if he wanted to evacuate with her as a 3rd date. Her family has a home in the woods of North Carolina, and they'd be out of town that weekend. Here's what happened after he said yes. Learn more about your ad choices....
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Puppies or Ice Cream?
Helen Zaltzman has a way with words, which is why we're putting her to work solving one of the trickiest parts of online dating—composing your opening messages. Some lines can break the ice, while others just throw more ice into the void. We'll suggest a few ideas that just might work for you....
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Leagues Over the Sea
This week, with Bumble Mike in tow, we set sail on a singles mixer, organized by The League. Is finding a date while stuck on a boat easier than swiping through the apps? And more importantly, who's your favorite yacht rock artist? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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My Friend the Human Shield
In this episode, we talk to a human shield and a human billboard. First, Al Letson was just trying to cover a demonstration—an anti-hate rally in Berkeley. When he saw a group of balaclava-clad men descend on an apparent right-wing agitator, he jumped into the fray, using his body to defend the…
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A Man and a Woman Walk into a Bar
Today on the show, we’re finally tackling THE QUESTION we're asked the most frequently as a podcast about dating: "Who should pay for the drink on a first date?" Join us for a Tour De Advice for straight daters, starting with Sarah Bennett, the co-author of F*ck Love, who suggest dating like a...
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One Short Episode
When determining your criteria for a date, how much should height matter? We'll talk to one woman who has always known exactly what she's looking for in a partner. Anna Goldfarb is a journalist and author of the book "Clearly I Didn't Think This Through." She has also written about her…
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Can You Fall in Love with Anyone?
If you can fall in love with anyone, how do you choose well? Mandy Len Catron offers an answer. She's the author of the book How to Fall in Love with Anyone. She also wrote the Modern Love essay "To Fall in Love with Anyone, Do This" for The New York Times, which was one of the top 5 stories the...
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Game of Groans
Many fans of the HBO show Game of Thrones use photos of themselves sitting proudly atop an Iron Throne replica for their online dating profile pictures. But what's the symbolic meaning of the sword chair? We sent a correspondent to the heart of it: a Game of Thrones-themed pop-up bar in DC, and...
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Live at Bonobos - Making Out in LA
What's the biggest difference between dating in LA and dating in NYC? Our running theory: there's more making out, usually in or near cars. We'll offer advice for Angelenos with help from TV kissing expert, Erica Rose. Then, Hrishikesh Hirway (Song Exploder, West Wing Weekly) and Lindsey…
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Dressing Room Confessionals
This summer, we went on the road to tape live shows at Bonobos Guideshops in NYC, Chicago, and LA. And in true Why Oh Why fashion, we asked our audience to tell us their deepest secrets in makeshift confessional booths set up inside the dressing rooms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...
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Live at Bonobos - Branching Out in Chicago
Sometimes in order to find love, you have to figure out what you love to do. We begin by exploring our Chicago roots, and a story of how Andrea's mom answered the question, "What do you like to do for fun?" Then comedians and co-hosts of the Ajumma Podcast, Peter Kim (Second City, Seeso's Shrink)...
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Like a Virgin
Are millennials spending too much time behind their screens and not enough time in the back seats of cars? Recent studies show that the generational cohorts born in the 1980's and 1990's are starting their sex lives later than Gen X'ers did. Twice as late. We'll talk with a lovely member of the...
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Data-ing
The persona we create online or on apps isn't very representative of what's going in our lives. So we brought in Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, author of "Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are" to tell us more about what everyone's hiding, and…
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Live at Bonobos - The Rules for Dating in NYC
We begin with a story: The tale of your host's earliest ancestor’s dating life, and the love life of a more recent relative, Grandma Phyllis. Then comedian and writer Naomi Ekperigin (Broad City, Difficult People) and her “Jew Boo” writer and performer Andy Beckerman help an audience member find...
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Why So Forlorn, OK Cupid?
Does OK Cupid's app icon tell a larger narrative of chaos and distress? Let's use the logo design of popular dating apps to explore the state of the companies and the substance of their products. In doing so, we're joined by Jessica Helfand and Michael Bierut. They're the cofounders of Design...
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Deep in the Woods
Over at Why Oh Why HQ, we're planning quite the event for our first live show with Bonobos. And it got us thinking about the joy of crafting a live show and the fun of experimenting with the medium. Today, we'll listen back to one of this podcast's first live radio experiments starring our...
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Don't Listen If You're My Ex-Boyfriend
How do you even begin to deal with heart break? Your host weighs the advice. We'll speak with Olga Pronin, the marketing manager at Wham-O. Dr. Fred Nour is a neuroscientist and wrote the book True Love. Gretchen Rubin hosts the Happier podcast with her sister, Elizabeth Craft. Baldwin Way is an...
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Hotter on Bumble, Part 2
If our potential matches on Bumble feel hotter than other apps, who's making that decision? What does this mean for us normals? Reynald Adolphe caught our eye with his blog post: "Is Bumble's Algorithm Filtering Ugly People?" He is a software engineer and teaches other people how to be engineers,...
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Hotter on Bumble, Part 1
Bumble is held up as Silicon Valley's gift to single women. Finally, a dating app made with us in mind. But after you download the app and start swiping, does it live up to the reputation? In this episode, you heard clips from all our focus group episodes (#1, #13, #26), and our episode about The...
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Muscle Thrasher
In June 2013, your host and friends independently piloted a podcast idea called "Like Like." The concept involved setting up blind dates and recording them with wireless microphones. While we never completed a full episode of the show (it turns out blind dates are full of awkward small talk)…
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Aspiring Dads Focus Group
In which six single guys split between D.C. and Brooklyn studios share their plans for the future—down to the baby names. For listeners who aren't accustomed to hearing straight men talk about these things, queue the softcore porno music. Plus, we're joined by this show's editor, and host of The...
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Your Best Foot
What do you do when you meet someone who doesn't meet your most essential criteria? Why Oh Why explores how turning thirty can change your dating life for the better. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Tips from a Gentleman
Jim's a 40-something guy who lives in Florida and exclusively dates strippers. What can he teach your host about improving her dating life in NYC? Tell Us: What do you make of Jim? Is he a real world Richard Gere seeking his own stripper with a heart of gold, or is there something darker at play?...
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As Seen on TV
In a time when dating feels so broken, could The Bachelor be a reasonable last resort? What does a reality show get right? To discuss this week's episode and this month's #trypod campaign, head to facebook.com/whyohwhyradio or tweet with #whyohwhy. You can find Andrea on Twitter as…
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Going There
Today's episode is basically StoryCorps, but between total strangers in the back of a bar with the potential of sex later. Have you ever had a meaningful interaction with a stranger? To discuss this week's episode, head to facebook.com/whyohwhyradio or tweet with #whyohwhy. You can find Andrea on...
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One Date at a Time
Think about it: The de facto first date invitation tends to be "let's get a drink." What's a single person to do when they don't imbibe? Did you hear we have a weekly newsletter? You can sign up on our website: whyohwhypodcast.com, and every week we send 10 new subscribers our latest Why Oh Why...
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Do I Hate Men?
Before listening to this week's show, we recommend starting out with our "Dudes in Bars" episode from last week. For this week's show, we go back to the day of the Women's March, back to our army of lady interviewers and the dudes they talked to in bars around the country. And we ask men whether…
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Dudes in Bars on January 21, 2017
How do we date men in a time when our rights are under attack? We sent 10 ladies into bars across the country on the day of the historic Women's March. To discuss this week's episode, head to facebook.com/whyohwhyradio or tweet with #whyohwhy. You can find Andrea on Twitter as @andreasilenzi. Did...
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What Ifs and Butts
Is Uber the new Tinder? A lesson in how to shoot your shot when life sends you a cute driver. You can find Kelli on Twitter @KelliAmirah, and see her GIF-filled story here. Then, for the bottom half of our episode, a user's guide to your butt with Dr. Patricia Raymond, who performs musical…
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Alone Forever
What's going on with you romantically? Nothing? Our guest Aimée Lutkin says that's okay. You can read her Jezebel piece here, follow her on Twitter @alutkin, and read more about her #onTinderatTinder project here. To discuss this week's episode, head to facebook.com/whyohwhyradio or tweet with...
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Hacking the Uterus 2.0
The inexpensive reproductive healthcare coverage offered by the Affordable Care Act may soon be a distant memory. On today's show, we speak with a woman fresh off her own IUD insertion procedure to see how she's adjusting. Then, we revisit a classic episode from Why Oh Why's years as a baby...
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Single Straight Lady Focus Group
For the first episode of this season, we welcomed 10 dudes into the studio to shout about their dating lives. This week, our latest focus group invites 14 single ladies in New York and D.C. to chat about the many thrills and face palms that come with dating men. Is finding a partner essential to...
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Oblique Strategies
Single? Chances are, someone who is decidedly not single has given you advice lately. This week, Andrea asks economist and journalist Tim Harford to vet the various dating advice she's heard from friends and fellow podcasters. Tim has a new book out called "Messy" about the value of bringing...
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Listen to Your Heart
When your host became newly single, she was shocked to discover that Tinder had made a drastic change as well. Like when silent films turned into talkies, though way less culturally significant, there is now a distinct sound when two people match on Tinder. Here to explain the art of sonic…
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Separation of Church and Date
We ask a group of Christian ministers about what it's like to date when your other big relationship in life is with God. Our panel includes Amy Norton, a recent graduate from Harvard Divinity School, Cara Rockhill, an ordained Transitional Deacon in the Episcopal Church, and Nick Chiurazzi, a...
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Just My Swipe
This week, we're heading into the past, to a simpler time. When Why Oh Why re-launched in the fall, we celebrated with our own special live show at the Kraine Theater in New York City. Andrea helped her friend Joanna find love the old-fashioned way: with a game show. Our staff swiped through…
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How Will I Know
This week on Why Oh Why, a look back at the role this show has played in your host's personal life. Travel through the past three years as Andrea talks to her editor, Hillary Frank, about what’s going on in her relationship. Hillary Frank is the host and creator of the podcast The Longest…
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Dating with the Stars
This week on Why Oh Why, we attempt to plant one lucky listener inside a private dating app for celebrities, Founded by a PR executive in 2015, Raya targets "users in creative industries," which is a coded way of saying, "famous people." Plus, two anonymous Raya members teach us what it's like to...
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A Celebration of Awkwardness
At the end of Episode #3, a surprise ending left us all cringing from head to toe. As an antidote, this week we welcome David back into the studio to share his side of the story. Plus, we head back to Bushwick to get a drink with that sexy Irish guy. You won't believe his trick for mellowing out…
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Hillary Clinton Sex Dream
This week, a love story that takes place in the mind of a mathematician-turned-artist. Sarah Sole began her unique obsession with Hillary Clinton in 2007, after a vivid sexual dream. It was the beginning of an imaginary, sexual relationship that played out through Sarah's art. Her portraits bring...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Named a best new podcast of 2016 by The New York Times, NPR, Huffington Post and iTunes. Andrea Silenzi speaks with friends, experts, and guys in bars about where love, dating and sex meets technology. The show tells the stories about relationships often blurring the lines between memoir, documentary, and fiction.
HOSTED BY
Andrea Silenzi
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Why Oh Why have?
Why Oh Why currently has 52 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Why Oh Why about?
Named a best new podcast of 2016 by The New York Times, NPR, Huffington Post and iTunes. Andrea Silenzi speaks with friends, experts, and guys in bars about where love, dating and sex meets technology. The show tells the stories about relationships often blurring the lines between memoir,...
How often does Why Oh Why release new episodes?
Why Oh Why has 52 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Why Oh Why?
You can listen to Why Oh Why on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Why Oh Why?
Why Oh Why is created and hosted by Andrea Silenzi.
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