Our favorite ‘Pablo Torre Finds Out’ episodes of 2025

Pablo Torre said he doesn’t want to be known as the Grim Reaper of investigative sports journalism. However, these days, the host of Pablo Torre Finds Out is the closest thing we have to Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel or Outside the Lines. 

Thanks to his tireless work and great nose for a good story, Awful Announcing has named Torre our Sports Media Person of the Year. He and his team have uncovered some wild stories, broken some of the biggest sports-related news of the year, and entertained audiences along the way. There were so many good episodes of PTFO that it’s hard to remember them all. 

We tried our best and looked back to pick out five of our favorite episodes from 2025. 

Pizzagate: We Investigate the (Real) Government Plot to Stuff You with Cheese

Premiere date: Feb. 4

Not everything journalists pursue has to be serious or sensational. Sometimes reporting can be used for fun stories, particularly those about delicious conspiracy theories. Torre took a deep dive into one of America’s favorite foods: cheese. Cheese is a big deal, and it has sports connections. According to Torre’s research, on Super Bowl Sunday, our nation orders more than 12.5 million pizzas. That’s more than 20 million pounds of cheese. Torre focuses on debunking some myths popularized by viral videos. Did the US government play a role in the creation of stuffed-crust pizza? Torre’s reporting includes a 1995 pizza commercial with a future president.

Share & Jailbait & Tell with Mike Schur and Jessica Smetana

Premiere date: Nov. 21

There has been too much said and written about Olivia Nuzzi, who traded in her credibility for infamy. What’s worse is that she stands to benefit from ethical malpractice because the standards of traditional media no longer apply. She has a book out and has been the subject of profiles and think pieces. Torre, Mike Schur, and Jessica Smetana look into the ridiculousness of it all. Torre also unearths her Myspace page, where the then-16-year-old compares herself to Madonna, Andy Warhol, Freddie Mercury, etc. He also found another artifact from Nuzzi’s past – a pop song she made when she was a teen titled “Jailbait.” It is so cringeworthy and cartoonish.

The Nerd Who Knew Too Much

Premiere date: Aug. 21

Good reporters introduce us to people, perspectives, and places we knew little about previously. While many sports fans are familiar with Bill James, a pioneer for advanced metrics in baseball, few have heard of Martin Manley, the Bill James of basketball. He is a largely forgotten figure who created an efficiency rating, which isolated individual basketball players’ performance. Manley was ahead of his time, given how we discuss basketball today. But what makes this PTFO episode fascinating is the details behind his suicide in 2013, when he killed himself in a way that was as efficient as his analysis.

The Belichick Ring Mystery, Solved: How Pablo’s Investigation Just Got Weirder

Premiere date: May 23

Jordon Hudson is not wrong. Torre probably “needs a hobby.” And the 24-year-old asserts that Torre’s rise in the media is mainly due to his dogged reporting on her professional and personal relationship with the 73-year-old Bill Belichick. However, she helped open the door to all this by intervening in the disastrous CBS interview. Of all the podcasts Torre has done on Jordon and Bill, this one stands out because Torre actually tracked down the New England-area Airbnb where the infamous Ring camera footage of a topless Belichick was filmed. Torre even interviewed the owners, who revealed that Jordon and Bill were only their second guests ever at the residence.

The Silent Superstar and the Rotten Apple Tree

Premiere date: Sept. 4

Similar to the Jordon Hudson-Bill Belichick story, this continuing saga has legs. There are many episodes and likely more to come. But we chose the original one because it is so detailed that it prompted L.A. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer to do a sit-down interview with ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. The circumstantial evidence that Torre assembled makes it almost impossible to believe that Balmer knew nothing. Teams finding ways to circumvent the salary cap is one thing. The level, the amount of money, the star player (Kawhi Leonard), and the people involved take this allegation to a new level. What did Balmer know and when did he know it? Balmer claims to be a victim of fraud. Of course, two things can be true.