Reading Your Scathing Reviews! with Tori Kelly | 6

Summary

'Tis The Grinch Holiday Podcast: Episode 6 - Reading Your Scathing Reviews! with Tori Kelly

Release Date: December 9, 2024

Wondery's "'Tis The Grinch Holiday Podcast" brings listeners another festive and entertaining episode featuring a special guest, Grammy-winning singer Tori Kelly. Hosted by James Austin Johnson as The Grinch, this episode masterfully blends humor, celebrity interviews, and an ongoing Christmas-themed mystery, all while maintaining the show's signature charm.

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1. Welcoming Tori Kelly

The episode kicks off with The Grinch humorously navigating through a series of fictional paperwork required for his guests ([00:48]). This playful opening sets the tone for the episode, showcasing The Grinch's sarcastic and whimsical nature.

Notable Quote:

• The Grinch: "Before I forget, I have some quick paperwork we need you to fill out for the show." ([00:58])

2. Reading and Reacting to Listener Reviews

Producer Cindy Lou Who introduces a new segment where The Grinch reads and reacts to listener reviews of the podcast. This segment highlights both positive feedback and constructive criticism, adding a layer of interaction with the audience.

Notable Quotes:

• Reviewer: "5 stars. My 9 year old and I have been listening to this podcast together. It's such good family fun." ([06:08])
• Reviewer Evie: "Hi, I'm Evie. I love your podcast. Cut the Grinch. Give me a shout, please, Please with a Z." ([07:16])
• The Grinch: "Why are you pushing Christmas all the time?" ([14:18])

3. In-Depth Interview with Tori Kelly

The heart of the episode is an engaging interview between The Grinch and Tori Kelly, delving into Tori's musical influences, creative process, and personal anecdotes.

Topics Covered:

• Musical Influences and Style:

  • Tori discusses the 90s and early 2000s influences on her latest album, highlighting a nostalgic Y2K aesthetic.

  Quote:

  • Tori Kelly: "Yeah, the 90s played a big part in this latest album. 90s and like early 2000s. That Y2K, that's my era." ([10:32])

• Humorous Banter on Fashion and Pop Culture:

  • The Grinch and Tori engage in light-hearted discussions about fashion trends like bucket hats and pop culture references, including playful jabs at fellow celebrities.

  Quote:

  • The Grinch: "Big jeans, bucket hats." ([10:53])

• Dog Names and Personal Stories:

  • Tori shares the names and personalities of her dogs, Frodo and Dobby, leading to a funny exchange about the appropriateness of their names.

  Quote:

  • The Grinch: "If you're gonna have a dog and you're gonna name it after a Lord of the Rings character, it's gotta be a homebody is all I'm saying." ([17:44])

• Holiday Sentiments:

  • The conversation touches upon Tori's love for Christmas, contrasted with The Grinch's grinchy demeanor, culminating in a humorous bonding moment over shared annoyances like crowded shopping.

  Quote:

  • The Grinch: "But is there anything about Christmas that makes you feel grinchy?" ([14:37])

4. The Ongoing Christmas Mystery: Missing Letters to Santa

Interwoven with the interview is the central mystery of the podcast—the missing letters to Santa. The Grinch embarks on an investigation, suspecting the mischievous Houdini Twins.

Key Events:

• Confrontation with the Houdini Twins:

  • The Grinch tracks down and confronts the Houdini Twins, who deny involvement and present an alibi backed by video evidence of their volunteer work.

  Quote:

  • Houdini Twin: "We were doing volunteer magic shows at the Hooville Correctional Facility." ([23:37])

• Plot Twist:

  • In a surprising turn, The Grinch discovers one of the stolen letters hidden in his cereal box, suggesting his inadvertent connection to the mystery.

  Quote:

  • The Grinch: "It's a letter. And not just any letter. It's one of the stolen letters to Santa." ([25:43])

• Cliffhanger Ending:

  • The episode concludes with The Grinch still under suspicion and the mystery unresolved, setting the stage for future episodes.

5. Humorous and Light-Hearted Moments

Throughout the episode, The Grinch and Tori Kelly engage in witty banter and playful exchanges, keeping the atmosphere light despite the ongoing mystery.

Notable Moments:

• Dog Antics: Max and Gingerbread engaging in amusing behavior, prompting The Grinch's displeasure.
• Shared Frustrations: Both hosts express their dislikes in a humorous manner, strengthening their on-air chemistry.

6. Closing Remarks and Production Credits

The episode wraps up with The Grinch making a light-hearted comment about his laundry and acknowledging the production team, giving listeners a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes efforts.

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Key Takeaways:

• Engaging Content: The episode effectively balances celebrity interviews with ongoing narrative elements, maintaining listener interest.
• Humorous Tone: The Grinch's sarcastic humor and playful interactions with Tori Kelly create an entertaining listening experience.
• Listener Interaction: Reading and reacting to listener reviews fosters a sense of community and engagement.
• Mystery Element: The unresolved Christmas mystery adds suspense and encourages listeners to return for future episodes.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• The Grinch: "Everyone's got an opinion about everything, and they want you to hear it 24 7." ([04:20])
• Tori Kelly: "Yeah, the 90s played a big part in this latest album." ([10:32])
• The Grinch: "What am I supposed to do with that?" ([05:00])
• The Grinch: "Plot twist. You're a vile one, Mr. Grinch." ([25:43])
• Cindy Lou Who: "We'll make this a holiday tradition." ([06:08])

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Conclusion

Episode 6 of "'Tis The Grinch Holiday Podcast" delivers a delightful mix of humor, insightful conversation, and festive mystery. With The Grinch's unique hosting style and Tori Kelly's engaging presence, listeners are treated to an episode that's both entertaining and heartwarming, perfect for the holiday season.

For exclusive content and an ad-free experience, subscribers can join Wondery+ through the Wondery App, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or visit wondery.com/links/the-grinch.

Transcript

[The Grinch]

Wondery subscribers can listen to every episode of Tis the Grinch holiday podcast ad free. Join Wondery to get exclusive Christmas mystery bonus content. Start your free trial in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Hey, yo, it's the Grinch here. When the holidays come around, out comes my frown. Am I rhyming again? I think I am. All right, here we go. In for four, hold for seven, and then let it out for eight. There we go. Back on track. We have another fantastic episode for you today, but first, I'm just gonna pop in on today's guest. Hey. Hello, Tori. Welcome to the show. Thanks for being here.

[Tori Kelly]

Hey, thanks for having me.

[The Grinch]

Before I forget, I have some quick paperwork we need you to fill out for the show. It's nothing crazy, just like, a couple standard release forms and waivers. Cool.

[Tori Kelly]

Mm. Okay. Yeah, sure.

[The Grinch]

Okay, here we go. This first one, this is a standard Showbiz 6040 form, which acknowledges that no matter how funny the guest, aka you, are today, 60% of the laughs should come directly from jokes and comments made by me, the Grinch. And just initial down here.

[Tori Kelly]

Oh, okay. Got it. Yeah. Yeah. So don't be funny. Yeah.

[The Grinch]

Oh, we need a pen. Yeah, don't be funny. I don't have a pen. So just. Yeah, use your pinky nail and just kind of give me a little TK and I'll have that filled in later by an intern. Here's your bat related injury liability release waiver. We are recording in a cave, after all, and there are occasionally some flybys from bats. Guano's not really a big problem, but the possibility of bites is there? So just sign here.

[Tori Kelly]

All right.

[The Grinch]

And here. And here. Again, all just standard industry stuff here. Okay. This one needs no explanation. It's just a form acknowledging that you'll take my dog Max for a walk thrice daily on the day of recording.

[Tori Kelly]

Okay. Yeah, I mean, I love dogs. I love Max, so.

[The Grinch]

Oh, that one's easy.

[Tori Kelly]

I guess that'll work.

[The Grinch]

Yeah, I was worried about that one. I heard you were a cat person. Now, this is your standard issue friendship agreement form. By signing, you agree that appearing on my podcast means you and I are now close personal friends, and you promise to hang out with me at least once a month by penalty of law.

[Tori Kelly]

Oh, law. Okay. Yeah. I mean, sure, I'd love to be best buds, but, you know.

[The Grinch]

Oh, yeah, I don't have to, like, force it, but here, really press that pinky nail in here. I'll give some resistance on the back there. Yeah. And again, I'll have somebody else. Okay, sign it for you. And that's legal. And this last one is just an easy, quick one. By signing this, you promise to disavow all holidays, especially Christmas. And you promise to never celebrate Christmas ever again.

[Tori Kelly]

Oh, no, I don't know if I could sign that one, Mr. Grinch.

[The Grinch]

All right, well, you can't blame a guy for trying.

[Announcer]

From Wondry and Dr. Seuss, coming to you from Mount Crumpton Studios, the region's most condemned recording space, per the Whoville Board of Health. Tis the Grinch holiday podcast. This week's special guest, she has the voice of an angel, and she's the voice of Mina in Sing, recording sensation Tori Kelly. And as always, the preposterously positive and positively precocious kid producer, Cindy Lou who.

[Cindy Lou Who]

Hello, everyone.

[Announcer]

Also, fleas stay away from him because they're afraid of his owner. It's Max the dog. Now, here he is. Unless he decides to not show up today, which he has threatened to do many times before. It's the Grinch.

[The Grinch]

Okay, all right. Hello, Grinch here. Guess you all had a meeting without me where you decided. Hey, let's make the intro announcer copy even longer. Get that guy some oxygen. Wowee. Okay, kiddos and parental overlords, we've got a good show today. And as always, I'll start it off ranting and raving about something that drives me nuts.

[Announcer]

Hold on to your seats. Keep on your pants. The Grinch is going on one of his rants.

[The Grinch]

You know, there are lots of things I don't like about living during this time. There's this era, this epoch. What are some other words for time period? Sound off in the comments. The one thing I can't stand about the times we're in, everyone's got an opinion about everything, and they want you to hear it 24 7. Seriously, go on to TikTok Hootube. Turn on the TV. What do you see? People talking to camera, Sharing their take, their hot take, their cold take, their lukewarm take. You know what happens when you listen to too many takes? You get taken. Write that one down, Cindy. That'd be great on a muscle tee. You'd wear that, right, Cind?

[Cindy Lou Who]

Oh, we're talking merch apparel. How about a colored polo with a tastefully embroidered show logo on the upper left?

[The Grinch]

What do you know about fashion embroidered polos? What are we playing, mini golf?

[Cindy Lou Who]

You don't even wear clothes.

[The Grinch]

She has a point. Anyway, back to being a Tyrantosaurus. Everyone's got their tweets Retweets whatever you're supposed to say now that it's X. Now their stories. Reels and grams and tics and tocs. Why does everyone think their opinion matters so much? Have people lost their minds? And then the comments are even more bizarre. It's just 17 consecutive rows of poop emojis with one random winky face hidden in row 11. Like what am I supposed to do with that? And how about a hoogle review of a restaurant? Or a who elp review? Nutjobs galore. Hey, thanks for taking your 6200 word review of Cantina Blanca on East Maple, but I think you could have left out the three paragraph side tangent on your love for pine nuts. Okay, Margie eats 88.

[Cindy Lou Who]

But some online comments can be informative and quite complimentary. Like the reviews we get for this podcast.

[The Grinch]

We get reviews on this thing?

[Cindy Lou Who]

Roll the intro music. Oh, I'm the one who hits the button self. Roll the music. Welcome to my new segment under review where we read reviews of this podcast and Mr. Grinch reacts to them well.

[The Grinch]

Look at you flexing your producer muscles. Wow, talk about mixing things up. Okay, you want me to read these? Here. All right, let's getting better with each episode. 5 stars. My 9 year old and I have been listening to this podcast together. It's such good family fun. Three or four episodes in, Grinch is hitting his stride, both in grinchiness and witty banter. We hope there will be future seasons so we can make this a holiday tradition. Three or four episodes in. What's wrong with the first few? Some of my best work. Way to be backhanded. But you know, it's nice that you're all while enjoying it with your families, cozy around the fire, eating your little Christmas cookies. Wait, what am I saying? Stop that. Stop that hard. Stop that. Okay, secondly.

[Cindy Lou Who]

Ooh, I count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 smiley faces. Five stars from Plashy Cat. Hi, I'm Evie. I love your podcast. Cut the Grinch. Give me a shout, please, Please with a Z. Question mark.

[The Grinch]

Aw, hi, Evie. Of course I could give you a shout. Just let me get a bit off the mic. Hold on. How is that? Evie? I hope you like the shout and keep listening. That was sweet from Evie. No, no, none of that.

[Cindy Lou Who]

I'll read the next one. Mr. Grinch in the holiday spirit. Oh, five stars. KD867 says okay. It's early in the season, but this podcast grew my heart even in November. Really fun take on Grinch. I guess having a family debate about bedtimes. Laughing, crying, emoji. See, you're not the only one whose heart is growing.

[The Grinch]

Okay, in the holiday spirit, thanks for the five stars. But I don't appreciate your little quip about my very serious and not at all exaggerated heart condition. And what do you mean really fun take on the Grinch? What do people mean by that really fun take? This isn't a take, honey. This isn't some artistic choice I'm making to act this way. This isn't Chalamet in Wonka. I'm not putting my spin on a piece of beloved IP. This is 100% grade A Grinch you're getting here, K. My true authentic self. Okay? And lastly, here's one from someone whose username is quote, a random series of letters and numbers. Title. Not the best three out of five stars. I don't like the interviews and think you should do a segment where you answer questions from listeners. And there we go. A critic. Let's call it there, Cindy.

[Cindy Lou Who]

Okay?

[The Grinch]

I'm too fragile to read my own reviews. It's too toxic. Whose idea? Watch this. Oh, yeah, that's right. It was Cindy's. It was Cindy's idea. Always trying to undermine me, aren't you?

[Cindy Lou Who]

I just thought it.

[The Grinch]

That's it. Our feud is officially reignited.

[Tori Kelly]

Okay.

[The Grinch]

You're a monster, Mr. Grinch. Your heart's an empty hole. Your brain is full of spiders. You got garlic in your soul, Mr. Grinch. I wouldn't touch you with a 39 and a half foot pole. My guest tonight is a Grammy winning singer, songwriter, actress, and the voice of Mina in the Sig movies. Her new album, Tori is out now. Please welcome the lovely and talented Tori Kelly. Hi.

[Tori Kelly]

Hi.

[The Grinch]

What's up, tk? I just want to say thank you so much for taking time out of your Purple Skies World tour to stop and chat with old Grinchy. Your latest single, it's a real bop. Can I just say it?

[Tori Kelly]

Thank you. I appreciate that.

[The Grinch]

Yeah, it's giving me real sort of 90s new jack, swing kind of vibes. You know, Motown. Philly's back again. I'm always saying it. Was that your inspo.

[Tori Kelly]

Yeah. The 90s played a big part in this latest album. 90s and like early 2000s. That Y2K, that's my era.

[The Grinch]

Big jeans, bucket hats.

[Tori Kelly]

Yes, exactly.

[The Grinch]

Tamagotchis. I'm like an 1890s kid. I'm old. That's a joke about my age. But I mean, you're playing all the instruments. Okay, Prince, keys, drums, bass. You're Like a real Charlie puth. I never know how to say it. Is it puth? Puth.

[Tori Kelly]

I'm pretty sure it's puth, though.

[The Grinch]

I was having a real problem with some puth, and I had to go to my general practitioner to deal with it. Hey, speaking of touring, the first time I went to Madison Square Garden, I was kind of disappointed that there's not a lot of garden going on. I'm walking around, I'm like, where are the flowers? Where are the benches?

[Tori Kelly]

That's a good point.

[The Grinch]

It's just a bunch of, like, Wetzel pretzels wrappers flapping around in the hot subway air, right?

[Tori Kelly]

Yeah, you bring up a good point. I'm gonna definitely look at it differently now.

[The Grinch]

You're gonna write a letter to Mayor Eric Adams and complain. Now, Ed Sheeran, he seems like a nice bloke, but what's he really like? I mean, come on. Is this guy. He's gotta be. He's just gotta be the worst, right?

[Tori Kelly]

Yeah, it's just all fake, but it's totally a facade. Yeah, he's just the worst. No, Ed. The nicest human. Good old Ed.

[The Grinch]

I mean, yeah, he is one of the biggest stars in the world. And it's hard to remember that because he's kind of dressed like he's loading in the gear, you know, and he's about to go on a coffee run. I mean, he's always got, like, a little flannel on, some Rick and Morty pajama pants. Like, he doesn't really look like he's about to, you know, rock out on the stage at msg.

[Tori Kelly]

That's his thing, you know? That's why people love him. I think he's just a normal dude. A super talented normal dude.

[The Grinch]

See, I'm a normal dude. Why am I not headlining msg?

[Tori Kelly]

I feel like you should come for his spot. Maybe you should start some beef.

[The Grinch]

I'm gonna light him up. I love starting beef up with people. I love creating beef where there was no beef before.

[Tori Kelly]

You're the king of beef.

[The Grinch]

I would say I'm the king of beef. Well, I'm the king of roast beast, and I do like roast beast a lot. Do you do any impressions of other singers?

[Tori Kelly]

Well, during my shows, no. Cause I feel like that would be.

[The Grinch]

Confusing, but that might be weird.

[Tori Kelly]

Yeah, Yeah, I. I have dabbled.

[The Grinch]

Oh, really?

[Tori Kelly]

I have a couple.

[The Grinch]

Oh, yeah. Well, who's your favorite to do?

[Tori Kelly]

I mean, the go to, I feel like, is Britney. She would be like.

[The Grinch]

There we go. Let's go. That's wonderful. I love that so much. Oh, my gosh. Brittany.

[Tori Kelly]

Brittany.

[The Grinch]

You know, Megan Fox has a fear of flying, and she listens to Britney on the plane. That's a fun fact.

[Tori Kelly]

Fun fact. I did not know that.

[The Grinch]

Yeah, yeah, because nothing bad can happen when you're listening to Britney babe.

[Tori Kelly]

This is true.

[The Grinch]

Let's see who I got. I got some Willie Nelson right here. Pancho was a refugee. You know, he's kind of. He's got this way that he changes notes. I love how Willy's voice.

[Tori Kelly]

You nailed the lyrics there, too. That was great.

[The Grinch]

Oh, thank you. You know, I'm feeling a little insecure today, and I just needed the love right there.

[Tori Kelly]

Aw.

[The Grinch]

Yeah.

[Tori Kelly]

I feel like you need a hug.

[The Grinch]

I'm not a hugger.

[Tori Kelly]

Okay. Okay.

[The Grinch]

Speaking of blood, fe, I've put aside mine with you for the purposes of this interview. Even though your album A Tori Kelly Christmas, you know, that felt like a personal attack. All right. I mean, how could you do that to me? What's the deal? Why are you pushing Christmas all the time? I mean, you gotta cool it with this stuff. People need to know that Christmas is very dangerous.

[Tori Kelly]

I mean, is it, though? Is it dangerous coming on the Grinchy.

[The Grinch]

Show asking if Christmas is dick?

[Tori Kelly]

Christmas is amazing. And I'm also, you know, I'm a December baby. So. So December in general is lots of celebration, lots of joy. I do love Christmas music. I had a great time making my Christmas album.

[The Grinch]

All right, fine. I get it. You love Christmas. Nobody's perfect. But is there anything about Christmas that makes you feel grinchy?

[Tori Kelly]

I mean, I guess, like shopping. I'm a big online shopper. Cause I'm not trying to be in the crowd. That makes me a little Grinchy.

[The Grinch]

Yeah, no lines, no crowds.

[Tori Kelly]

Yeah, exactly.

[The Grinch]

Nobody walking up to you while you're pawing a cashmere sweater and going, anything I can explain to you? I've heard of cashmere before, honey.

[Tori Kelly]

Right, right, right. Like, just let me shop, you know?

[The Grinch]

Yeah. Oh, my. Tori Kelly hates shopping. Oh, my gosh. We have something to counter. I'm having a heartache.

[Tori Kelly]

We're bonding. Are you okay? Should we get.

[The Grinch]

My heart's expanding and I don't have the room in my chest cavity for. Just slap me on the back there. Just real quick, hard slap.

[Tori Kelly]

Okay. Yeah.

[The Grinch]

Oh, yeah. Pretend I'm an acoustic guitar and you're like, in an August Rush type slappy thing going on. One more time.

[Tori Kelly]

Yeah. Okay, here we go.

[The Grinch]

That did it.

[Tori Kelly]

Is that better?

[The Grinch]

Thank you, Tori. Yeah, that's better.

[Tori Kelly]

Yeah. Of course we bonded over our hatred for something.

[The Grinch]

Our hatred for the crowds, of the traffic and all that.

[Tori Kelly]

Hate is a strong word for me.

[The Grinch]

But, you know, whatever. I'll say hatred. You can say dislike. Extreme displeasure.

[Tori Kelly]

Annoyance.

[The Grinch]

Annoyance.

[Tori Kelly]

Yes.

[The Grinch]

Okay. Ah. I knew I'd like you. Cause I like the music, you know. You see the hair and everything? Oh, that looks like a nice girl. And then we talk and it's like, hello. She's cool. Did we just become BFFs?

[Tori Kelly]

I think so. I think we did.

[The Grinch]

Now, last question. I saw in your husband, Andres Insta, a family photo of the both of you with your two dogs. And you're all wearing Christmas pajamas. Anyway, Max really took a liking to that photo.

[Houdini Twin 1]

Down, boy.

[The Grinch]

Down. Can we set up a play date sometime with these dogs here?

[Tori Kelly]

I would love that. I think my dogs would really love Max. And they would all be besties.

[The Grinch]

I hear they have interesting names.

[Tori Kelly]

They do. Yeah. So the oldest one, his name is Frodo, if you don't know. Based off of Lord of the Rings franchise. And then the littler one, his name is Dobby.

[The Grinch]

Okay.

[Tori Kelly]

Based on good old Harry Potter.

[The Grinch]

Harry Potter, Yeah, I know Dobby. Yeah, I see him a lot, actually. We get people, like, pair us up. I think we have the same booking agent or something. But I just feel like I'm always running into this guy at, like, crossing paths. Yeah, the TED Conference and stuff. We did a boat show a couple months ago in Cleveland. I mean, he's cool. He's just, like, always talking about barbecue. Like, we gotta try the barbecue. And I'm like, buddy, we're in Iowa. I don't know what you're thinking. Yeah, you're gonna be eaten in Council Bluffs. All right. But Dobby. Yeah, that's a cool guy.

[Tori Kelly]

Yeah, he's pretty chill.

[The Grinch]

Yeah, those are interesting dog names, Dobby. You know this guy, he loves socks.

[Tori Kelly]

Yeah, yeah.

[The Grinch]

He's real proud of holding that sock. I get it, Dobbs. But Frodo, you know, Frodo's gotta be the outside dog. Cause Frodo leaves.

[Tori Kelly]

Yeah.

[The Grinch]

Frodo takes an item and leaves for a long time to go take it to Mount Doom.

[Tori Kelly]

Exactly. Yeah. He's very adventurous.

[The Grinch]

He wanted to stay in the Shire.

[Tori Kelly]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[The Grinch]

But then he had to leave. Cause Gandalf was like.

[Tori Kelly]

He knows his purpose. Yeah.

[The Grinch]

So if you're gonna have a dog and you're gonna name it after a Lord of the Rings character, it's gotta be a homebody is all I'm saying. You know, Mm.

[Tori Kelly]

Oh, you're hating on my dog name. Oh, I see. I mean, I thought we were gonna be besties. I don't know. Now once you talk about my dog, you know, it's just like, ah, that's tough. Yeah.

[The Grinch]

Yeah, I'm just pointing out logical fallacies, you know, that's.

[Tori Kelly]

It's okay. It's okay. Agree to disagree.

[The Grinch]

Everybody had agreed to disagree. And, you know, we can put aside our beef for one day and let these dogs, you know, just go to town on some begging strips. Tori. Kelly, what an extreme pleasure. What an incredible journey this interview has turned out to be.

[Tori Kelly]

I loved every minute. Thank you for having me.

[The Grinch]

You are an American treasure. Okay, Tori, thanks so much for coming up here to Mount Crumpet. You have a going.

[Tori Kelly]

Thank you for having me. Hope to see you again soon, Mr. Grinch.

[The Grinch]

Yeah, well, that conversation was more fun than I expected. And I always expect my conversations to go very poorly. So I guess the moral of the story is give it up for low expectations. All right, with that chore of an interview out of the way, now it's time to get into the good stuff. This is a prepaid call from the Whoville Penitentiary from Wondery and my beautiful but twisted mind. This is cereal spelled with a C. But I won't be having cereal at the top of today's investigative jaunt because this mystery just got too hot to handle. And yes, I watch that show on Netflix. And yes, the Grinch loves trashy reality tv. So remember those troublemaking pranksters, the Houdini twins? They threw me off their scent by having me tail the mailman. But all sides point to a pair of pranksters being at the helm of this Christmas catastrophe. That's right, Max. Their address was mysteriously placed on my desk. Which means it's time to hop back into my green jalopy and meet this diabolical duo where they feel safest. Their home. All right, we made it. And no wonder it was so hard to find. It's painted the exact same color as the sky. Wow, do I wish this was House Hunters instead of a podcast so you guys could see this place. It's 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. It's, like, 430 stories tall. What? Max, a clue. Wait, there's something in the window. Max. It's the Houdini's German shepherd, Gingerbread. Cute dog. Max, do you have an Itty Bitty Wade? Little Crushy Max and Gingerbread sitting in a tree. K I s S I N. Oh, don't be so sensitive, Max. Okay, here's our plan. Once we get in, you distract Gingerbread. You're welcome. And I find the twins and get that confession Houdini. Twitch, Open up. Hello? Anybody home? Hmm. We've got to find a way in. They've got a chimney. So maybe I can shimmy up all 430 stories and enter their castle Santa style. I have always wondered how the who does he do that? Don't be ridiculous. I seriously doubt they left it online. It's unlike. Okay, it's unlocked. No one locks their doors these days. Really sad how people just trust each other.

[Announcer]

Jeez.

[The Grinch]

Ever heard of WD40? These floors are as creaky as my dang joints. Ah, Gingerbread. Nice Gingerbread. Good Gingerbread. Oh, she went straight to Max. Oh, and now they're snipping each other's back. All right, go, Max. This is. This is kind of gross. This is disgusting. Max, stop it. This is a true crime podcast, not a rom com. We're on a mission, Houdini. Twig. Come out, come out, wherever you are. What's that? Sounds like it's coming from this massive wooden box at the end of the hall. Okay. Okay. So impatient.

[Cindy Lou Who]

Oh.

[Houdini Twin 1]

Omg. Thank you, Grinch. What are you doing here?

[The Grinch]

There you are. Hiding from me? In here, are you?

[Cindy Lou Who]

We're free.

[Houdini Twin 1]

Thank you, Grinch. Wow. We've been working on a trick where we disappear, but we haven't quite mastered it. We'd been stuck in this chest for 12 hours.

[The Grinch]

Oh, okay. Well, you'll be stuck in a different kind of chest for a lifetime called prison once I'm through with you two.

[Houdini Twin 1]

What? No way.

[The Grinch]

Yes way. The jig is up. Time to admit the truth. You're the who's who have been stealing the letters to Santa. Your motive is as clear as day two. Siblings obsessed with my past work, the Princes of Prank. What bigger prank is there than to steal Christmas from out of Whoville?

[Houdini Twin 1]

I mean. I mean, that would be a pretty epic prank, but we didn't do it.

[The Grinch]

Oh, really? Then what's your alibi? I just learned that word. Where were you the night the letters were stolen?

[Houdini Twin 1]

We can't give you that.

[The Grinch]

Perfect. Without a credible alibi, no one's gonna believe you. Max, call the cops. Or better yet, I'll make a citizen's arrest.

[Cindy Lou Who]

Oh, Grinch.

[Houdini Twin 1]

Sis, I think we should. We can't tell him.

[Cindy Lou Who]

It would ruin us.

[Houdini Twin 1]

We have no choice, Grinch. We haven't been stealing the letters to Santa. It's impossible. Because the night they were stolen, we were. We were no, don't. We were doing volunteer magic shows at the Hooville Correctional Facility.

[The Grinch]

Whew.

[Houdini Twin 1]

That felt good to get on my chest.

[The Grinch]

Volunteering? Yeah, right. Everyone knows you're troublemakers.

[Houdini Twin 1]

We can prove it. This is a timestamp video of us caroling and doing magic tricks. And I've got dozens of these videos. Our mom always comes to watch and records us. We didn't want to admit it because we have a bad reputation to uphold. Like you said, we're troublemakers. If people knew we were doing charity shows, it would ruin our whole thing. Promise you won't release this audio.

[The Grinch]

Oh, no, I'm definitely keeping this in the pot. What a revelation. I feel like the TMZ guy right now. What's his name? Harvey something. I feel like Harvey something. But listen, I'm just as peeved as you are about this information coming out. Now I'm back to being suspect number one. Max, let's get back to Mount Crumpet. If I'm going to prison tonight, I at least want to be handcuffed with a belly full of fruit toots. I know I shouldn't be eating this late, but all this detectiving deserves a little late night snack, okay? Hmm. Fruit tooth. Excuse me. Deliciously stinky. What just fell out of my cereal box? You know, the lack of quality control in these mass produced sugar treats is getting out of hand. Wait a second. It's a letter. And not just any letter. It's one of the stolen letters to Santa. Plot twist. You're a vile one, Mr. Grinch.

[Announcer]

You have termites in your smile.

[The Grinch]

You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile, Mr. Green. Given the choice between the two of you, I'd take the seasick crocodile if you like. Tis the Grinch Holiday Podcast. You can listen ad free and unlock even more Christmas mystery bonus content by listening on wplus. Join Wondery plus in the Wondery app, Spotify, or on Apple Podcasts. Prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short [e-mail] survey.

[Cindy Lou Who]

Tis the Grinch holiday Podcast is a production of Wondery and Dr. Seuss Enterprises, starring James Austin Johnson as the Grinch, with Anjulikunupadane as Cindy Lou who and Anthony Atamanick as the announcer. Featuring voice acting by Jamie Cooper and Biko Ortiz. Ancillary voices generated using 11 labs. This episode was written by Dan Cronin and Joe Redlingschafer. Our sound designer is Jamie Cooper, with additional sound design by Kelly Kramerek. Music supervision by Scott Velasquez for Frizz on Sync. Senior producers are Adam Azeroff and Jennifer Klein Walker. Our coordinating producers are Sierra Franco and Mariah Gossett. Sarah Mathis is our managing producer and Kelly Plews is our senior managing producer. Audio assembly by Daniel Gonzalez. Carlos Hernandez is our audio engineer and Adrian Tapia is our studio manager. Additional engineering by Anika Haywood. Executive produced by Susan Brandt for Dr. Seuss Enterprises. Executive producers are Lauren D, Dave Easton, Andrew Goldstein and Marshall Louie for Wondry.

[The Grinch]

Laundry.