Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! – "HTDE: Curling Stones and Halfpipe Lines"
Date: February 18, 2026
Host: Peter Sagal with producers Ian and Mike
Guests: Nick Monte (Olympic "Chief of Color"), Rich Ruinen (U.S. Curling Team Alternate), Rick English (Kayes of Scotland – curling stone maker)
Overview
This special “How To Do Everything” episode (produced by the Wait Wait team) dives into the unexpected, fascinating behind-the-scenes jobs and quirks at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. Hosts Ian and Mike interview Nick Monte, the man responsible for painting the blue lines on the snow in halfpipe and big air, Rich Ruinen, an American curling alternate making a unique Olympic debut, and Rick English from the Scottish company supplying curling stones for the world. Listeners get a cozy, comedic, and celebratory look at how colorful Olympic moments are literally made.
Main Segments & Key Discussions
1. Painting the Blue Lines: Nick Monte – "Chief of Color"
[00:59–06:26, revisited at 14:27–15:18]
The Job Explained
- Role: Nick’s official title is "Chief of Color" (or "Chief of Dye Crew") for Olympic snow competitions.
- Quote: “It’s chief of color. Chief of dye crew. Chief of color.” – Nick Monte [02:17]
- Work: Sits at the top of the slopes with a spray gun, painting blue guide lines for skiers and snowboarders—often skiing backwards, carrying 20 kilos of gear.
- Unexpected attention: The crowd cheers for him when he appears between runs to repaint chipped or damaged lines.
- Quote: “The crowd loves it. I just hear a little bit. I try to be concentrated on what I do, but I hear a bit, you know, when I finish the line.” – Nick [03:24]
Challenges & Process
- Must navigate quickly to repaint between runs, often waiting off-camera for a pause in action.
- Sometimes gives feedback to course maintenance crews about snow conditions and hazards, e.g., flagging dangerous holes.
- Monitoring quality even after: “When I see videos...I look both the riders and whatever, and then I look. Oh, let’s see how they did the blue lines. Oh, they’re not nice. Okay. I can do better like this.” – Nick [04:22]
Memorable Anecdotes & Humor
- Nick once considered painting a heart or messaging on the snow (like “Snoopy for Snoop Dogg”) but ended up only marking hazards for safety—never to give an athlete an edge.
- Quote: “You know, I was waiting Snoop Dogg to come here and we wanted to ride Snoopy on the snow.” – Nick [06:08, 14:30]
- Hosts riff on what it would be like to be "Chief of Color" for the whole world, not just the Olympics (“I declare the trees green.”) [20:41–21:14]
2. American Curling Dreams: Rich Ruinen’s Olympic Adventure
[06:42–10:34]
Rich’s Long Road to the Olympics
- Background: Two-time U.S. curling national champion (but previously never on an Olympic team). In 2026, finally attending as an alternate at age 54, aiming to become the oldest American Winter Olympian.
- Career detour: Missed Olympics for years while attending law school; now a personal injury lawyer.
- On law and curling: “That’s one of the jokes...the main way I can get in is if someone slips and falls on ice and hurts themselves on my team, then I can get in.” – Rich [08:41]
- Emotion: “It’s been a long, hard road, and just to make it after the heartbreaks and how hard we’ve had to work has been awesome.” [09:22]
Heartwarming & Fun
- Camaraderie with younger teammates; most coaches at the Olympics are old rivals from years past.
- On sweeping at home: “Anytime you had to sweep the garage or something, you’re kind of laughing like, hey, this is, you know, this is how I do it in curling.” – Rich [10:23]
- After hanging up, the show cuts to coverage of Rich making his Olympic debut throw, a long-awaited and emotional moment. [10:48–11:17]
3. The World’s Curling Stones: From Remote Scotland With Love
[16:27–20:26]
Rick English & Kayes of Scotland
- All Olympic curling stones come from Kayes using granite from Ailsa Craig, an uninhabited island off Scotland’s west coast, described as “shaped like a curling stone.”
- Quote: “So all the stones you see at the Olympics comes for one uninhabited island 10 miles off the west coast.” – Rick [16:33]
- Process: The company combines two types of granite from different sides of the island for the perfect stone. Logistics involve ecologists and rat-catching on the island before quarrying.
- “It’s not just as simple as jumping on a boat. Go and get some granite and bring it back.” [18:19]
Fun Facts
- Curling stones recently shipped as far as Canada, Alabama, and even Antarctica, where the buyer reported back “the stones were working.”
- On watching the Olympics: Rick views the curling stones with pride, not criticism: “We’re watching it fully pride...knowing that the stones have been made in a small factory in Scotland and we make it with hand...” [18:50]
- His kids are only interested for “two settings” before going back to PlayStations – a classic parent moment.
Olympic Controversy?
- Responds to lighthearted host queries about “cheating” in a match: Denies any intentional wrongdoing; attributes odd stone movements to muscle memory, not malice.
4. Memorable Quotes & Comedic Highlights
Blue Line Banter (Hosts Mike & Ian)
- “I learned that there is a job called chief of color.” – Ian [20:36]
- “Which I think probably if you were, you know, if you were a kid and somebody said that’s a job, you would imagine that person is in charge of filling the world with color.” – Mike [20:41]
Curling & Life
- “All I got to do is throw one rock, and I will become the oldest U.S. winter Olympian ever.” – Rich [09:04]
- “I declare the trees green... Really, it’s just the one color. He’s the chief of blue.” [20:55–21:05]
Snoop Dogg Joke, Recurring
- “We were waiting for Snoop Dogg to come here and we wanted to write ‘Snoopy’ on the snow...he just came for the halfpipe.” – Nick [14:30, 15:08]
- Hosts reflect on whether to keep or apologize for the dad-joke pun, ultimately defending “taking comedic risks” like Olympic athletes take physical ones. [15:08–15:31]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Intro to Nick Monte & blue line painting: [00:59–06:26]
- Nick's Snoop Dogg/“Snoopy” story (first & callback): [06:08, 14:30–15:18]
- Rich Ruinen (curling alternate): [06:42–10:34]
- Rich makes Olympic debut (clip): [10:48–11:17]
- Rick English (curling stone maker): [16:27–20:26]
- Hosts reflect and joke about ‘Chief of Color’: [20:36–21:14]
- Show close / credits: [21:49–22:05]
Episode Tone & Style
- Warm, bantering, and irreverent—full of dad jokes and playful asides.
- Affectionate for the unsung heroes of the Olympics, with a nod to the “weird jobs” and passions that make international events run.
- Hosts offer inside jokes, callbacks (especially the “Snoop Dogg for Snoopy” one-liner), and honest appreciation for their guests’ quirks and dedication.
Closing Thoughts
This episode celebrates the unusual, unheralded people whose work shapes Olympic spectacle—“the chief of blue,” the nearly forgotten alt-curlers, and the stonemasons whose granite makes gold possible. Listeners come away with a new appreciation for the human stories (and jokes) on the snowy sidelines.