Podcast Summary: Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

Episode: HTDE: Forks and Ice Masters
Date: February 11, 2026
Host: Peter Sagal
Produced by: Ian, Mike, and NPR team

Overview

In this edition of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!'s “How to Do Everything,” hosts Ian and Mike explore unique expertise and hilarious quirks—starting with the unglamorous yet crucial craft of Olympic ice-making, delve into a strange translation bug that put “forks” in place of “yes” on surveys, and finally, riff on the unexpected connections and confusions that arise when people share the same name. The episode blends fascinating expert insights, an internet humor mystery, and real-life anecdotes, all wrapped in the show’s trademark wit and warmth.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Olympic Ice Master: Don Moffat

(00:44 – 06:25)

• Don’s Role and Passion: Don Moffat is the chief ice maker for hockey at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, responsible for building and maintaining rinks.
  • Don Moffat: "It's just a kind of a passion for the sport of hockey... I want to create the best surface I can for the best athletes in the world..." (01:15)
• Venue Challenges: This year’s temporary rink is inside a concert hall, which means creating insulation to protect the floor and unique acoustic properties.
  • Don: "On top of that insulation is our refrigeration piping." (02:13)
• How the Ice Sounds: The rink’s structure makes the ice sound hollow, which confuses players initially.
  • Don: "Players start to say that it feels hollow, but then they're like, no, no, it feels good, but it just sounds weird." (03:01)
• Ownership and Obsession: Don is highly protective, ensuring only approved personnel and activities touch his ice before the games.
  • Don: "I'm very protective... I have to approve and make sure that I know they're going on and give them directions." (03:45)
• Watching the Game vs. Watching the Ice: While others watch the action, Don obsesses over ice quality, monitoring skate sounds and using infrared thermometers.
  • Don: "I'm listening to the sound of the skates. I'm watching the skate marks. I'm feeling the snow..." (04:34)
• Ice Critic in Everyday Life: Don evaluates even the ice in his drinks, looking for clarity and proper filtration.
  • Don: "Oh yeah. I want to see... if it's nice and crystal clear. If it's cloudy, then I know the water is not quite the best, or it was made at the wrong temperature." (05:36)

Memorable Moment:

• Running Joke: Don as an “Ice Master” with implied superpowers:
  • Mike: "We don't know that Don doesn't shoot ice out of his hands to make the hockey rink." (20:32)
  • Ian: "The idea that you could make a hockey rink in an old Italian concert hall is implausible without superpowers." (20:44)

2. The “Forks” Survey Glitch

(06:31 – 11:14)

• The Bug: Online surveys (including Pew Research) mysteriously replaced “yes” with “forks” in answer options.
  • Anna Brown (Pew): "...a yes, no question... would say forks, no instead of yes or no. And people were understandably, a little confused..." (06:55)
• Tracing the Problem: It stemmed from Google Chrome’s translation settings misinterpreting “yes” as “forks” when translating from Spanish to English, thanks to faulty Google Translate logic.
  • Anna: "If you went to Google Translate... type in Spanish but you wrote yes in English... it would translate yes to forks." (08:04)
• Minimal Real-World Impact: Pew checked data and found few affected, with most respondents still understanding the intended meaning.
  • Anna: "...every single person who pointed out clearly understood that it was a yes-no question." (09:41)

Memorable Quotes:

• Ian: "This is the funniest Pew Research survey I've ever read." (10:27)
• Anna: "I would not say survey methodology is known for its humor necessarily. So I was very popular at the annual conference that year." (10:34)
• Running Gag: The hosts decide to use “forks” instead of “yes” for the rest of the episode.
  • Mike: "Do you think this is a good idea to do this?"
  • Ian: "Forks!" (11:14)

3. Name Twins and Shared Identity

(14:23 – 20:01)

• Valerie’s Question: Listener Valerie shares the instant connection she feels on meeting someone with the same name.
  • Valerie: "When I do [meet another Valerie], it's like meeting an old friend you haven't seen in a decade..." (14:23)
• A Real-Life Name Pair: Mike’s parents, both named Sean Chillag, share stories about meeting, confusion, and lasting togetherness.
  • Mike's Mom (Sean): "One time, a person thought I didn't know any personal pronouns because I was talking about Sean, but she thought I was talking about myself." (19:19)
• Not About the Name: They agree their relationship’s longevity wasn’t really because of their shared name.
  • Mike's Dad (Sean): “That’s why we met, but we just liked each other.” (19:04)

Memorable / Funny Quotes:

• Mike: "Other than sex, there wasn't anything to do in Logan." (18:19)
• Sean (Mom): "I hope you're gonna edit that." (18:25)
• Mike: "We're gonna try and edit it out of my brain." (18:27)

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• Don Moffat: "It's my child. I'm very protective of it..." (03:47)
• Don Moffat: "I'm listening to the sound of the skates. I'm watching the skate marks. I'm feeling the snow..." (04:34)
• Anna Brown: "If you went to Google Translate... it would translate yes to forks." (08:04)
• Anna Brown: "It's definitely the funniest thing that's ever happened to me." (10:34)
• Hosts’ Inside Joke:
  • Mike: "If you ask me, Ian, would you like me to stop talking about that? My answer will be Forks." (20:59)

Episode Structure & Timestamps

• 00:44 – Don Moffat: Olympic Ice Master interview
• 06:31 – “Forks” survey glitch explained by Pew’s Anna Brown
• 14:23 – Name-doppelganger connection: Valerie’s story
• 15:43 – Interview with Mike’s parents, the double-Seans
• 20:01–20:59 – Hosts recap learnings and laugh about “Ice Master” powers and shared names
• (Remaining time) – Credits and outro (excluded from summary)

Tone & Style

The episode is lighthearted, playful, and curious—true to Wait Wait... Don’t Tell Me!’s classic combination of factual storytelling and improvisational comedy. The hosts sustain running jokes (“forks” for “yes,” Don’s superheroic status as Ice Master) while drawing out engaging human stories from guests.

For Listeners Who Missed It

This episode offers a quirky deep dive into unusual expertise (Olympic ice making), a hilarious tech mishap (the “forks” translation bug), and endearing stories of identity and connection (meeting someone with the same name). Along the way, you’ll hear from actual experts, enjoy classic Wait Wait banter, and pick up odd facts and feel-good moments—whether you’re a hockey fan, a survey junkie, or just someone who always wonders what it would be like if your name was someone else’s, too.