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Announcer
This message comes from stars. The global phenomenon Outlander returns for its final farewell. Claire and Jamie's story comes to an unforgettable end. Don't miss the final season of Outlander, Friday, March 6th, only on Starz.
Bill Curtis
From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, wait, don't tell me, the NPR News quiz. I'm the man with a voice so smooth you could go curling on it, Bill Curtis. And here's your host at the Indiana University Auditorium in Bloomington, Indiana, Peter Sagoff.
Peter Sagal
Thank you, Bill. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. It is great to be here at Indiana University iu, which thanks to their incredible football team, they just learned a little known secret. When you win the national college football championship, the coach gets a new record setting high salary and the rest of you get us. So later on, speaking of athletics, we're going to be talking to a proud Hoosier alum and multiple Olympic medalist swimmer Lily King. But first, it's your turn to compete. Give us a call at 1-888-WAIT-WAIT. That's 1-888-924-8924. Let's welcome our first listener contestant.
Bill Curtis
Hi.
Josh Gondelman
You're on.
Peter Sagal
Wait, wait, don't tell me.
Bill Curtis
Hi, I'm Bradley Petrick. I'm from Chicago, Illinois.
Peter Sagal
Hey, how are things back in Chicago?
Bill Curtis
Still very cold.
Peter Sagal
I'm kind of glad to hear that because we're not there. What do you do in our hometown?
Bill Curtis
So for my day job, I'm an enterprise consultant. But for my second gig, I run a local cat rescue here.
Peter Sagal
Really?
Bill Curtis
Yes.
Peter Sagal
When you say here, do you mean your house?
Bill Curtis
No, no, no. I mean at our adoption center.
Peter Sagal
Okay. All right. All right. Well, that's very good work. I'm glad you do it. Welcome to the show. Bradley, let me introduce you to our panel. First, a stand up comedian performing at the Commonwealth Comedy Club outside Cincinnati on April 10th and 11th. And at the DC Improv on the 12th, it's Josh Gondelman.
Bill Curtis
Hello.
Alonzo Bowden
Thank you for rescuing all those cats.
Bill Curtis
Thank you.
Peter Sagal
Next, she's a contributor to CBS Sunday morning. It's Faith Salig.
Faith Salie
Hi, Bradley.
Peter Sagal
Hello. And a comedian who'll be at the Laugh Factory in Las Vegas, Horseshoe Casino, March 19th through the 15th. And at Hilarity's Comedy Club in Cleveland March 20th and 21st, it's Alonzo Bowden.
Josh Gondelman
Hello, Bradley.
Peter Sagal
Welcome to the show. Bradley, you're gonna play who's Bill this time? That, of course, is the game where Bill Curtis reads you three quotations from the week's news. If you can correctly identify or Explain just two of them. Two out of three. You'll win our prize. Any voice from our show you might choose for your voicemail. Are you ready to go?
Bill Curtis
Let's do it.
Peter Sagal
Let's do it. Your first quote is from the President of the United States.
Bill Curtis
We are the hottest country.
Peter Sagal
That was just some of the good news the president shared during what big speech this week?
Bill Curtis
Oh, that would be the State of the Union.
Announcer
It would be.
Peter Sagal
Yes, the State of the Union. Tuesday's speech was the longest State of the Union in history, in part because he kept bringing out these special guests. For example, Trump invited the US Men's hockey team into the House chamber, which was nice. A lot of them hadn't been there since January 6th. That's true.
Alonzo Bowden
When he said we are the. I will agree. When he said we are the hottest country in the world, he was just referring to the fact that we've stopped doing anything to protect the climate. So we are. Yeah. So we are getting there.
Josh Gondelman
I honestly didn't watch that. There is no reason for me to watch an old man rambling for like two hours, just making it up as he goes. Yeah.
Peter Sagal
On the other hand. On the other hand, I mean, think about it. You know, in the world we live in now, there's so few things worth watching live. Right. Other than sports, of course, because you've everything else, everything that happens has been pre planned. Not with him. He could have done anything. Right.
Alonzo Bowden
That's true. And he doesn't. Even when he talks, he's not even connected to reality. Right. He's just describing a fantasy that's going on in his head. He might as well be given a State of Narnia address.
Peter Sagal
One of the things he did is he handed out prizes, medals to his various guests. He gave out the Congressional Medal of Honor, he gave out legions of merit awards, Medals of Freedom, Purple Heart awards, and he gave RFK Jr the purple face award.
Josh Gondelman
I think this is the first time that the fact checkers said, well, it'll be easier to just try to find something true.
Peter Sagal
Yeah, just list that.
Josh Gondelman
Than count all the lie. We'll just. We'll put two. There were two things that were true. We'll go with those.
Peter Sagal
All right, Bradley, here is your next quote.
Bill Curtis
The tribe has spoken.
Peter Sagal
That's the catchphrase from a reality show that amazingly celebrated its 50th season this week. What show?
Bill Curtis
That would be Survivor.
Peter Sagal
Yes, Survivor. It is amazing that they have reached 50, 50 seasons of Survivor. I thought they all starved to death on that island long ago, but it's not surprising the show has been so successful. Where else can you get to watch a 35 year old orthodontist poop in the ocean?
Faith Salie
Wait, so do we know that math? How many years has it been on? Are there like 10 seasons?
Peter Sagal
I think it started in like 2002 around there.
Faith Salie
Oh, my God.
Peter Sagal
It's been on for a long time.
Faith Salie
Faith can somewhat geolog.
Josh Gondelman
I still have a big problem believing. It's tough to survive when the camera crew is eating somewhere.
Peter Sagal
Yeah, I was wondering about that myself.
Josh Gondelman
The sound guy. The sound guy's having lunch. You can't. Okay, I didn't catch anything today. Mind if I stopped by for a BLT off the truck?
Peter Sagal
On the very first episode broadcast this last week, and this is true. A contestant tore his ACL and had to drop out. It's like, yeah, this show really is 50.
Josh Gondelman
I wonder who comes up with like, they're running out of places and things to do with them. You know, different islands and different challenges and this and that. And I've heard stories and I just wish they would do it and just do like hood Survivor. Just some rich white people drop them in the hood with nothing and let's just see what happens.
Bill Curtis
Yeah,
Alonzo Bowden
I think that's a great idea. I think they should switch the Survivor contestants and the Love island contestants one year.
Peter Sagal
What would happen?
Alonzo Bowden
I think the people that thought they were gonna spend a period of time eating bugs would have a wonderful time making out. And then the hottest 24 year olds on earth will die within hours.
Peter Sagal
All right, your last quote is some reactions to the debut of a redesign of a popular line of dol.
Bill Curtis
Wow, they are kind of skinny. They're definitely missing the historic appeal.
Peter Sagal
So what doll's got a controversial makeover for their 40th anniversary this year?
Bill Curtis
I'm not sure.
Peter Sagal
Yeah. Not a big consumer of dolls, I take it.
Bill Curtis
No, I am not.
Peter Sagal
Well, I'll give you a hint. These things go great if you want to have, like, marriages with your American Boy dolls.
Bill Curtis
Oh, American girl dolls.
Peter Sagal
American Girl dolls. Yes. For generations of children, the super wholesome American Girl dolls each represent a character from a real period in America's history. Answered the question, what if a book were a doll but the new modern era dolls, American girl dolls are smaller, skinnier, and to quote the New York Times, too yassified. But if you hate the new look, don't worry, Cabbage Patch Kids are just as chubbed out as ever.
Faith Salie
They're 40 now.
Peter Sagal
They're 40.
Faith Salie
The dolls are 40.
Peter Sagal
Survivors 50.
Faith Salie
Did they. Did they create a new doll named Perry. Perry. Perry. Menopause.
Peter Sagal
Peri. Menopause.
Josh Gondelman
Yeah.
Faith Salie
The girls are just. They're into wall Pilates. They have those glassy doll eyes because they're so scrolling.
Peter Sagal
Yeah. No, actually, it's funny because the new dolls, the idea is like, these are these characters from periods in history. If they live today, this is how they dress and look, which I guess is nice. It would be maybe better if they showed the line of dolls, like, what the characters were like at 40. Right. Oh, look, Caroline has 12 children, and Kirsten died three years ago of the Spanish flu.
Josh Gondelman
Isn't it?
Peter Sagal
It was tough times.
Josh Gondelman
But what I don't understand, by making them smaller and thinner, isn't there a whole movement to make, like, women look like real women, as opposed to that
Faith Salie
impression of that was before GLP1 inhibitors?
Alonzo Bowden
Alonzo, these are Ozempican girl dolls.
Peter Sagal
Standards have changed. Standards have changed. Right. So, for example, in the new dolls, all the skirts are shorter. Kirsten now has cool hip boots, and Rebecca now has Mar a Lago face. Bill, how did Bradley do in our quiz?
Bill Curtis
The cats will be proud. Bradley, you got them. All right.
Peter Sagal
Congratulations.
Bill Curtis
Thank you.
Audience Member/Caller
Perfect.
Peter Sagal
Take care, Bradley. We'll see you back home.
Bill Curtis
Thank you.
Peter Sagal
Bye.
Josh Gondelman
Bye.
Audience Member/Caller
Have a great one.
Peter Sagal
Right now, panel that it's time for you to answer some questions about this week's news. Alonzo, wearable technology is everywhere. It can track pretty much every health metric imaginable. Well, there's a new wearable gadget that can measure how many times you do. What?
Josh Gondelman
Wow. We're not going to narrow that down at all. Just going to say how many times you can do. Now, you got to give me something.
Peter Sagal
I will. It can detect them even when they're silent, but deadly.
Faith Salie
Oh, my gosh.
Josh Gondelman
How many times you pass gas?
Peter Sagal
Exactly.
Bill Curtis
Technically.
Josh Gondelman
Is there anyone?
Faith Salie
That's a very classy way to answer that, Alonzo.
Josh Gondelman
Well, we're at a university.
Alonzo Bowden
I would have just said, you're farting, kid. Exactly.
Faith Salie
Let her rip.
Josh Gondelman
What my question is, is there anyone who doesn't know? Are people just letting it go and not realizing, like, oh, wait, that was mine. Wait a minute. I gotta add that one to the list.
Audience Member/Caller
Oh, shoot.
Alonzo Bowden
It's almost midnight. I gotta get my farts in today.
Josh Gondelman
What number you shooting?
Peter Sagal
Well, here's the thing. Apparently, it will answer a lot of question about digestive health, and most importantly, answer the question about who dealt it. And it is being called, of course, the Fitbit for farts, because the Fart Watch smartwatch didn't do well in the focus group.
Josh Gondelman
You're in the elevator.
Bill Curtis
Yeah.
Josh Gondelman
You ruin the elevator.
Alonzo Bowden
Right.
Josh Gondelman
And then you're like, sorry, I'm trying to keep my numbers up.
Peter Sagal
Exactly. Coming up, move over, Rick Steves. Our panelists are the travel gurus in this Week's Bluff the Listener game. Call 1-888-wait-WAIT to play. We'll be back in a minute with more of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me from npr. And just a reminder that we exist on two different planes of reality. We're flesh and blood humans in a theater in Chicago, but we're also digital entities who can automatically be transmitted to your phone as a weekly podcast. Don't forget to tap follow so you get every new episode automatically.
Announcer
This message comes from Ameriprise Financial Chief market strategist Anthony Saglambeni shares how Ameriprise Financial advisors help clients reach their goals through personalized advice.
Peter Sagal
It starts by just asking questions, learning
Alonzo Bowden
their financial well being, their dreams, and then you can take that and start
Peter Sagal
applying it to creating an investment portfolio
Alonzo Bowden
that's designed to meet those goals.
Announcer
For more information and important disclosures, visit ameriprise.com Advice securities offered by Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC, Member FINRA and SIPC. This message comes from Olli, offering gummies for occasional sleeplessness, expertly formulated with melatonin, L theanine and botanical extracts. Go to olly.com these statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. This message comes from stars. The series that became a phenomenon comes to its epic conclusion in the highly anticipated final season of Outlander. Claire and Jamie thought they left the war behind, but peace proves elusive at home. Family secrets and news from the future threaten to tear the Frasiers apart, forcing them to answer the question, what are they willing to sacrifice to stay together? Don't miss the final season of Outlander, Friday, March 6th, only on Starz.
Bill Curtis
From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, Don't TELL me, the NPR News quiz. I'm Bill Curtis. We are playing this week with Faith Celie, Josh Gondelman and Alonzo Bowden. And here again is your host at the IU Auditorium in Bloomington, Indiana, Peter Sagal.
Peter Sagal
Thank you so much. And thank you, everybody. Right now it is time for the Wait, wait, don't tell me bluff the listener game. Call 1-88-8- wait wait to play our game on the air. Hi, you're on wait, wait, don't tell me hi, this is Tim Josephs. I'm calling from Greensboro, North Carolina. Greensboro, North Carolina. What do you do there? I spend time with my twin nine year old boys. A lot of parks, a lot of, you know, a lot of kid related activities. Mostly, I bet. By the way, you have nine year old boys. We have news about a new medical device they're just going to love. Well, Tim, it's really nice to have you in the show. You're going to play our game in which you must try to tell truth from fiction. Bill, what is Tim's topic?
Bill Curtis
A new travel hack.
Peter Sagal
Everybody loves travel hacks. Can't sleep in hotels. Just bring your own pillow. Are you flying Spirit Airlines? Don't fly Spirit Airlines. This week we heard about a new travel hack to make being on the road a little easier. Our panelists are going to tell you about it. Pick the one who's telling the truth and you'll win the weight waiter of your choice on your voicemail. You ready to go? I am ready. All right. First, let's hear from Alonzo Bowden.
Josh Gondelman
Marcus Anderson loves to travel but hates to pay for it. So he's mastered the crying hack. Marcus, a freelance videographer, does over 200 nights a year at hotels and said he got tired of being nickel and dimed with room charger. One recent work trip, he filmed an acting class. As they learned to cry on cue, Marcus decided to try it. Turns out he has a gift. Now whenever he interacts with hotel staff on business trips, he is actively sobbing. I've had charges removed. I've been given upgrades. Once I got a free room. When my card was declined, I just told him I maxed out my card on my travel for the kids game and the kids lost. He almost got caught once. Just as he was getting his sports tears ready, the desk manager at a Boise Holiday Inn asked how his kid's piano career was going. When Marcus remembered he'd used the piano story there before. How'd he get through it all? By crying, of course.
Peter Sagal
A frequent traveler who's discovered that simply by crying at the right time in front of the right people gets him all kinds of perks. Your next travel tip comes from Faith Saley.
Faith Salie
Ever find yourself on the road without enough clean underwear? Well, fitness influencer Tara Woodcox has a hack for that. So don't get your knickers in a twist. Actually do wad up your panties, she says, and shove them into the hotel room coffee maker. You close it, you press brew and it puts scorching hot water through it. Woodcocks explains. On TikTok, you got yourself a cleaner pair of underwear to wear. You always thought hotel room coffee tasted generally like crap, but now you can really detect the flavor of thong. She then suggests drying them with the blow dryer so you're not walking around with fresh brewed drip. Woodcox's followers can hardly wait for more hacks like perhaps how to use the coffee creamer as a leave in conditioner and if you're really lazy, the ice bucket as a chamber pot.
Peter Sagal
Run out of underwear on the road? Just clean your old pair in the coffee pot. What else are you gonna use it for? Your last road remedy comes from Josh
Alonzo Bowden
Gondelman Pet stores across the United States have reported shortages of Siamese fighting fish after a viral TikTok blew the lid off a decades old long haul trucker practice. Truck drivers don't want you to know this, but when they have to stay up all night, they keep a little fish tank in their cab and let the fish bite their fingers to keep them awake, said Dr. Point's the rewards God, an adult man who calls himself that travel influencer. And he was right about the truckers wanting to keep their secret because now all the fish are being snapped up by college students trying to pull all nighters during finals. Young adults are calling the trend finger baiting, either despite or because of how gross it sounds. I can't find any dang fish anymore, lamented Clem Swenson, a career long hauler. I've had to resort to biting my own hand or slathering my fingers in barbecue sauce and enticing a stray dog to do it. On a brighter note, the paucity of betta fish has caused Swenson to bond more closely with the one he already has. He even gave his aquatic companion a radio call sign of his very own, Vince Gills.
Peter Sagal
All right, so this week we learned about a travel hack being offered by someone who assures us it works. Is it from Alonzo Boden or Frequent Traveler who says if you can learn to cry on cue, there's no end to the upgrades you can get from Faith Saley? If you run out of underwear, just use your hotel coffee pot to clean it? Or from Josh Gondelman, the secret that truckers have known for years? You want to stay awake, put your hand in a bowl with a betta fish. Which of these is the real travel hack we learned about this week? Sadly, I think I have to go with the grossest one with the coffee. So your choice is Faith's story? Well, to Bring you the correct answer. We spoke to an expert in this particular field.
Alonzo Bowden
You would be better served washing underwear
Peter Sagal
in the sink with shampoo if you
Bill Curtis
were in a hotel than you are just putting it in the Keurig.
Peter Sagal
That was Patrick Richardson, AKA the laundry guy, a preeminent laundry influencer, talking about what you can do that's better than putting your underwear in the coffee maker. Congratulations. You were right. It was, in fact, Faith's story. You've won a point for her.
Faith Salie
Thanks.
Peter Sagal
Which she always appreciates. And you've won our game. Thank you so much for playing. Thank you. Take care.
Bill Curtis
It's time for coffee. It's time for tea.
Peter Sagal
And now the game where we ask people who have won everything to try winning one more game. We call it not my job. After dominating national collegiate competition as a swimmer here at Indiana, Lilly King went on to win multiple medals at three different Olympics, including two golds and setting one Olympic record in the breaststroke along the way. She. She probably would have. She probably would have won gold at last week's Olympics, too, if they'd only let you swim down the bobsled track. We are delighted she is with us now. Lilly King, welcome to. Wait, Wait, don't tell me.
Faith Salie
Thanks for having me.
Peter Sagal
It's great to have you here. Now, I know now that you still live near here, here in Bloomington. Right. Where you, of course, you went to college after growing up not far from here. And I was going to ask if you're still recognized some years after graduation when you walk around campus, but based on the reaction you got, I'm guessing yes.
Faith Salie
Yeah, I mean, every once in a while, I kind of live a little away from campus now, so I think everybody in my neighborhood kind of recognizes me, which is weird when you're trying to take the garbage out with your robe on. But, yeah, every once in a while you get a hay here or there. And that's how my life is now.
Peter Sagal
You also still train here at the pool?
Faith Salie
I have to say I retired in August.
Peter Sagal
Retired from competitive swimming.
Faith Salie
All done. But, yes, I did train there all through my career and, yeah, about 10 years in that pool.
Peter Sagal
Wow. Did you enjoy after you graduated coming back here and getting in the pool with all these younger swimmers and just continuing to kick their ass?
Faith Salie
Yes, always.
Peter Sagal
Always.
Alonzo Bowden
Yes.
Peter Sagal
Because you really. You're not that old, but you don't have to be old to really enjoy beating younger people.
Faith Salie
Oh, for sure. It doesn't get old ever.
Peter Sagal
When you were growing up, you had an came from athletic family. Your father's a Track coach. Right. How did you know, A, that swimming was your sport, and B, that you were particularly good at it?
Faith Salie
Well, I was really bad at everything else, so that was a good giveaway at the beginning.
Alonzo Bowden
Wait, maybe I'm an Olympic swimmer.
Faith Salie
Hey, you never know.
Bill Curtis
Yeah.
Faith Salie
Yeah, but I.
Peter Sagal
Have you tried Olympic swimming, Josh? You never know.
Alonzo Bowden
It's the last one I've been waiting to attempt.
Faith Salie
Gymnastics career didn't really take off.
Alonzo Bowden
It did not pan out.
Faith Salie
You know, I was about this size of 14, so it didn't work for me either, so it's okay.
Peter Sagal
I love this story. I understand that your husband, who was a fellow member of the IU swim team, proposed to you after you had just won a meet or an event.
Faith Salie
Yes. So I got proposed to at Olympic trials. And the security at Olympic trials is, like, really tight. Like, you know, trying to get up on the pool deck. There's guys with, like, army guys with machine guns, like, ready to. It's wild. Yeah. But, guys, this is a swim meet. It's not that deep.
Peter Sagal
You're all wearing bathing suits. Where do they expect you to be hiding a weapon?
Faith Salie
Exactly. So I walk down the stairs and I'm gasping for. You know, I just finished a race. I'm exhausted. And I saw he was on deck and he was not supposed to be on deck. And I was like, how'd you get down here? Like, they're gonna take you out? Like, what are you doing?
Alonzo Bowden
He had murdered 11 security guards, pretty much.
Faith Salie
Well, I'm pretty sure he used to be in the CIA, but we don't have to talk about that. Okay, so. Yeah. So then he proposed right then and there.
Peter Sagal
Really? Did he do the classic thing, get down on one knee?
Faith Salie
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Like, you had a swim cap on when he proposed to you. So this is funny. So I didn't, because one of my best friends who I trained with here, Annie Laser, she's Olympic bronze medalist from Tokyo Games, and she was. She was a coach. So she told me. She's like, hey, just take your. Take your cap off after your race. And I was like, we're very honest with each other, sometimes to the point where it's not so nice. I was like, if you just tell me I look awful in my cap, like, just tell the truth. And she's like, no, just. You gotta trust me. Just take your cap off.
Audience Member/Caller
So funny.
Faith Salie
So I got a good friend. It is. So I get out after my race, I take my cap off, and I'm looking in the stands for her. And I couldn't see her. And I was like, what the hell? I took it off for nothing. I know. I'm like, rolling my eyes.
Peter Sagal
Did you then hear her voice yelling, you also. Also might want to put on some makeup?
Faith Salie
Yeah. No, it was too late. It was too late.
Alonzo Bowden
Why did you tell me to do my nails for the Olympic trials?
Faith Salie
Exactly.
Peter Sagal
And there your husband was, and he got down on one knee and he proposed right there in the deck.
Faith Salie
There you go.
Peter Sagal
Right?
Faith Salie
Yeah.
Peter Sagal
And do you think he would have proposed if you had lost?
Faith Salie
So I was very confident that that wasn't going to happen for myself. He seems. Or the losing.
Josh Gondelman
Right.
Faith Salie
Oh, but he was like, well, if you got third, I thought it'd make you happy. I was like, that was a very kind thought, but I don't. I would have said yes, obviously. I don't think I would have been super happy at the moment when it happened.
Peter Sagal
So you're saying, and I've met enough really high elite athletes knowing that they all expect to win. You all expect to win every time. Which is part of the secret. And so I imagine that if you hadn't won that day and made the Olympic team, you would have said yes to his proposal. But it might have been more like a. Okay, fine.
Faith Salie
Maybe. Maybe it was, you know, separation of church and state there. So, Lily, if you. If you expect to win, which is part of what makes you a champion, do you get nervous? Did I know you're retired? Did you get nervous? Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Especially like Olympic trials when you go in and the whole. The whole point of the meet is you gotta. You gotta be top two. So there's usually, you know, 100 to 150 people in your event, and only two make the Olympic team. So pretty much. Especially if you're expecting to make it going into that final, you just got to think, don't mess up.
Josh Gondelman
Do competitors talk? Do you talk to. Like you said, It's 150 people, and I'm guessing the top group you expect to win. Do you guys, like, talk smack to each other before you jump in the pool?
Faith Salie
I do. They didn't like it that much.
Peter Sagal
Okay, hold on. We had read that one of your secrets is you, like, you psych out your opponents. You played some mind games.
Alonzo Bowden
Looking pretty dry today.
Faith Salie
Yeah.
Peter Sagal
And I'm like, okay, fine, Trash talk. I get it. It's some of the greatest athletes do it. But how do you trash talk someone when you're both underwater?
Faith Salie
Yeah. You know, in one Olympic final, I did make eye contact with another girl off of A turn. So that was, I think, as close as we get in the water. That was pretty crazy. You'd be an American girl doll. Thank you.
Peter Sagal
That's right.
Faith Salie
I'll take it.
Josh Gondelman
So in the swimming world. Sorry, Peter, but in the swimming world, you're, like, out of control, like you're talking smack on the block. Are they happy you retired?
Faith Salie
She's like, yeah, they should be. I was off the rails there for a couple years.
Peter Sagal
She was the Dennis Rodman of international.
Faith Salie
I take that as a great compliment.
Bill Curtis
You should.
Peter Sagal
Well, Lily King, we are delighted to talk to you, but we've asked you here to play a game.
Bill Curtis
We're calling Lily King, Meet these Lil Kings.
Peter Sagal
That's right. We're going to ask you three questions about short kings.
Faith Salie
All right?
Peter Sagal
Two or three questions, right, about men of less than average height, and you'll win our prize for one of our listeners, the voice of anyone they might choose for their voicemail. Bill, who is Lily King playing for?
Bill Curtis
Olivia Trevino and Leo Burton of Bloomington, Indiana. I'm guessing they're fans.
Peter Sagal
Are you ready to do this?
Faith Salie
I'm ready.
Peter Sagal
Okay, here we go. Here's your first question. For centuries, psychologists have talked about the Napoleonic complex or the idea that short men can be more aggressive or ambitious than taller men. But a 2007 English scientific study disproved it. How did they do that? Was it, A, by hitting short men with sticks and seeing if they got angrier than tall men? B, by asking short men how much they might enjoy conquering Europe? Or C, simply by asking a bunch of short men if they were compensating for something? And they all said, no,
Faith Salie
I'm gonna
Peter Sagal
go C. You're gonna go C. Your choice is C. They just asked them and they all yelled, no. No. It was actually a, no. It was. What they did, and this is true, is they would wrap men of various heights on the knuckles with sticks, and they noted that shorter men would react with less anger than taller men.
Faith Salie
Interesting, huh?
Peter Sagal
Yeah. All right, you have two more chances. You get these right, you win. Here we go. It might surprise you, who is a short king or was, as in which of these examples? A, Neil Armstrong, the astronaut who meant to say, that's one step for a small man. B, Joseph Stalin, who was so short, Harry Truman used to call him Lil Squirt. Or C, Dwayne the Rock Johnson, who originally wrestled under the nickname the Pebble.
Faith Salie
All right, it's not the Pebble. I know that I'm hearing B. B sounds good.
Peter Sagal
Yes, it's B, you guys gotta, like,
Faith Salie
give me some ymca. It all sounds the same.
Peter Sagal
I was asking though, did you rely on the audience at your swim meet? It's like, how should. What stroke? What should I do?
Alonzo Bowden
Oh, fast, Fast. Okay.
Faith Salie
Everybody wants to throw up a little bit.
Peter Sagal
I'd be like, yeah, yeah, he's calling little squirt, you know. All right, last question. If you get this one right, you win. Alan Ladd, a star from the golden age of Hollywood, was only 5 foot 6. And to make up for that, the producers of his movies would do what? A, dig holes for his taller co stars to stand in, B, put one foot high lifts into all his shoes, or C, make sure that every other actor in the Entire movie was 5 foot 2 or shorter.
Faith Salie
They're all saying A.
Peter Sagal
They're all saying A. I feel like
Faith Salie
I'm like really using my phone. A friend you are. Okay, I'll go A.
Peter Sagal
It was a.
Faith Salie
Yes, a hole. The lifted shoes makes way more so
Peter Sagal
if he was talking to, say, a taller woman, they would dig a hole and the woman would stand in the hole and appear shorter. And you're maybe saying, well, wait a minute. Great. Okay, a hole. What if the actor had to move during the shot? Easy answer. They'd dig a ditch. Bill, how did Lily King do in our quiz?
Bill Curtis
Six time Olympic medalist wins the big one. Two out of three on weight. Wait, dunk. Tell me.
Faith Salie
With a lot of help.
Peter Sagal
A lot of help. All right. Lilly King is a six time Olympic medalist and a legend of Hoosier athletics. Lilly King, thank you so much for joining us on Wait Wait, don't tell me. Thank you, Lily King, everybody. In just a minute, we finally take pickleball down in our listener limber challenge game. Call 1-888-WAIT-WAIT to join us on the air. We'll be back in a minute with more of Wait Wait, don't tell me from. Support comes from our 2026 lead sponsor, wait, Wait, Don't Tell me. Viking, committed to exploring the world in comfort. Journey through the heart of Europe on an elegant Viking longship with thoughtful service, destination focused dining and cultural enrichment on board and onshore. And every Viking voyage is all inclusive with no children and no casinos.
Audience Member/Caller
Discover more@viking.com support for this podcast and the following message come from sponsor Mint Mobile. Got a big spending hangover after the holidays this January. Quit overspending on wireless with a limited time offer for 50% off unlimited premium wireless@mintmobile.com wait. Upfront payment of $45 for 3 months, $90 for 6 months or $180 for 12 months. Taxes and fees extra initial plan term only above 50gb. Network may slow when busy. Availability, speed and cover. See mintmobile.com.
Bill Curtis
From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, wait, don't tell me. The NPR News quiz. I'm Bill Curtis. We are playing this week with Josh Gondelman, Faith Sale, and Alonzo Bowden. And here again is your host at the IU Auditorium in Bloomington, Indiana, Peters Dago.
Peter Sagal
Thank you so much, everybody. Thank you. Coming up, to celebrate the 50th season of Survivor, we're going to play the 50,000th season of the Listener Limerick Challenge. If you'd like to come help celebrate, give us a call at 1-888-WAIT-WAIT. That's 1-888-924-8924. But right now, panel, it's time to introduce a new game that we call
Bill Curtis
cleaning out the cabinets.
Peter Sagal
While President Trump got the attention this week, his cabinet has been busy making news, too. In fact, there's so much of it that we have to go through it all rapid fire. True, false style. You ready to go? Oh, boy. Okay, we'll start with Josh. Josh, true or false? On a recent flight on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's luxury jet, her closest aide, Corey Lewandowski, demanded the pilot turn around and go back because Noem had forgotten her phone.
Alonzo Bowden
False. It was like a blanket.
Peter Sagal
Yes, she had forgotten her favorite blanket, Alonzo Church. Or false? When the pilot wouldn't turn around, Lewandowski fired him in the middle of the flight.
Josh Gondelman
True.
Peter Sagal
Right. Faith, True or false? The pilot then pointed out that if he was fired, there'd be nobody to fly the plane, so Lewandowski had to unfire him.
Faith Salie
True.
Peter Sagal
Right, Josh? True or false? More recent reports say it wasn't a blanket at all. It was gnomes mystery bag with something in it so embarrassing they had to come up with the blanket story.
Alonzo Bowden
Instead, I'm just gonna vote with my heart and say I hope it's true.
Peter Sagal
It is true.
Bill Curtis
Wow.
Peter Sagal
Alonzo, True or false? Labor Secretary Lori Chavez deraymer is under investigation for taking luxury vacations at government expense, drinking during work hours, taking her staff to strip clubs, and having an affair with a member of her security team.
Josh Gondelman
Absolutely true.
Peter Sagal
It is true. Faith, True or false? Because of this, her husband, Shonda Remmer, has started spending every day at the Labor Department just to keep an eye on her. False. Right. It is false. He has been permanently banned from the department for sexually harassing female employees there. And that is our cabinet Cleanout. We'll do it again as soon as the cabinet gets filled up again. All right, panel, some more questions for you about the rest of the week's news. Faith, there's a new exciting bedtime trend. Taking what with you to bed?
Faith Salie
Oh, isn't it kind of everything?
Peter Sagal
Yes, it's everything. That's the answer. It's called bedtime stacking. And it works like this. You don't want to get out of bed, so you bring all your lotions, your lip masks, your journals, your books, your drinks and snacks, and stack them all around you in the bed and you can stay there. Now, you don't have to bring your mice. They'll show up by themselves within a few hours.
Josh Gondelman
That sounds like not stacking, just your first apartment in New York City.
Faith Salie
It also kind of sounds like depression
Peter Sagal
a little bit because, like, you just
Faith Salie
don't want to get out of bed.
Peter Sagal
Exactly. But all this stuff, I'm just old school. When I'm in bed, I just want a book. Good. Lighting my fingers in a tub of hummus. You know,
Faith Salie
I don't know if I wanted to know that.
Josh Gondelman
I don't know who does these studies.
Peter Sagal
This is like. This is a thing that somebody put themselves on. So when I go to bed, I like to. I like to do bedtime stack. I like to put everything in my beds. I never have to go to bed. I have access to all my things. And it went viral. And now it's a trend and people are doing it.
Faith Salie
You know, it occurs to me some people just shouldn't have influence.
Peter Sagal
Yeah, exactly.
Alonzo Bowden
Yeah.
Faith Salie
Like, you don't need to do that.
Peter Sagal
Right.
Faith Salie
Just. Cause you saw somebody do it and tell you about it.
Peter Sagal
Yeah, we should be able to like, take that away from.
Alonzo Bowden
We should get. There should be people that are outfluencers.
Josh Gondelman
Yes.
Alonzo Bowden
That see that trend taking off and they go, stop it. Stop it.
Josh Gondelman
Yeah. That's called your mom. Mom just walks in the room. What the hell are you doing? And just smacks you. Put that stuff away.
Faith Salie
Get your fingers out of the hummus, Peter.
Peter Sagal
Coming up. It's lightning. Fill in the blank. But first, it's the game where you have to listen for the rhyme. If you'd like to play on air, call or leave a message at 1-888-WAIT, that's 1-888-924-89-24. You can see us most weeks back at the Studebaker Theater in downtown Chicago or home. Or you can catch us on the road. We'll be in Savannah, Georgia, on March 26 and in San Diego on April 30. For tickets and information to all of our live events, just go to nprpresents.org hi, Jerome. Wait, wait, don't tell me.
Faith Salie
Hi, Peter. This is Katie from Burnsville, Minnesota.
Peter Sagal
Oh, Burnsville. I actually know it out there near the Twin Cities. What do you do there?
Faith Salie
I am the administrative manager and graduate program coordinator for the Department of Pharmaceutics at the University of Minnesota.
Peter Sagal
And you have a business card the size of a 9 by 11 sheet of paper, right about.
Audience Member/Caller
Yeah.
Peter Sagal
I love the Golden Gophers. They're a fine place. Well, welcome to the show, Katie. Bill Curtis is going to read you three news related limericks with the last word or phrase missing from each. If you can fill in that last word or phrase correctly and two of the limericks will be a winner. Ready to play?
Faith Salie
I'm ready.
Bill Curtis
Here's your first limerick at cross country. My teeth I am gritting and the sweaters I make are well fitting. After stitches and purls through the slopes I will hurl. My powers to ski come from knitting. Right.
Peter Sagal
After winning a silver medal at the recent Winter Olympics, cross country skier Ben Ogden credited his success to his hobby of knitting, saying it helped him relax. Isn't it sweet? He needed something to take his mind off the stress of skiing, but he still wanted to be holding little poles.
Faith Salie
I see like a season two of heated rivalry with this as a subplot. There's something very. Why are you looking at me like that? Is it because you're straight? No, there's something very sexy about a, a hot athlete knitting.
Peter Sagal
So that. But that's the thing. Like a heat of rivalry about this guy is like, oh, I like to knit. And the other guy's like, oh, I like to knit too. And they sit there and they knit for six episodes.
Josh Gondelman
No, it's the, it's the knitting guy versus the crocheting guy that's a rivalry. The, obviously the crocheting guy.
Faith Salie
Needles clacking. And it's, it's also just the expansiveness of their, of their personality.
Alonzo Bowden
That's the sound of romance. Clacking, clacking.
Peter Sagal
All right, here is your next limerick.
Bill Curtis
At this age, heavy stones. We're not hurling, but on ice. We will set them a twirling in the house. We score points with our old creaking joints. After pickleball, we'll take up curling.
Peter Sagal
Curling, yes. According to Bloomberg News, curling clubs are trying to leverage the excitement of the Olympics to make their sport the new pickleball Just like pickleball. It's easy to learn and fun to play. And of course, there's nothing seniors like better than walking on ice.
Alonzo Bowden
They call it the devil shuffleboard.
Peter Sagal
Yes, imagine shuffleboard. But you can break your hip at any time. All right, here is your last limerick.
Bill Curtis
We've all heard this warning before. G. There aren't enough bees. We need more G. So I'm bringing my queens to some real swinging scenes for my bees. I'm hungry. And.
Faith Salie
Yep, you know, you're really pushing this Minnesota nice right now. Orgy.
Peter Sagal
Yes, orgy.
Alonzo Bowden
Or as they call it in Minnesota, a potluck. We know what you're doing.
Peter Sagal
Yeah, that's right.
Josh Gondelman
Okay.
Peter Sagal
A bee orgy in Belgium. I'm jealous. I can't even score an invite to a sea orgy. So the b. Org is exactly what it sounds like. Thousands of beekeepers bringing an endangered species of bee to Belgium just so their bees can get freaky with each other. And that will save the species from extinction. It's all fun and games for the queen bees, right? That's what it's about. Once they've mated, they go home and establish their own colonies. But when a male bee mates, his penis falls off and he dies. As it should be. Am I right, ladies? Belle, how did Katie do on our quiz?
Bill Curtis
Three in a row. Katie's great. You won.
Peter Sagal
Well done, Katie. Thank you. Congratulations.
Faith Salie
Thank you so much.
Peter Sagal
Thank you for playing. Take care.
Announcer
You too.
Bill Curtis
Honey, honey, honeybee, Honey, honey, honeybee Be my bee, my honeybee Love is what
Peter Sagal
you bring me Even sugar's not as sweet as my honeybee.
Audience Member/Caller
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Peter Sagal
Now I'm afraid it is time for our final game. Lightning. Fill in the blank. Each of our players will have 60 seconds in which to answer as many fill in the blank questions as they can. Each correct answer is now worth two points. Bill, can you give me.
Bill Curtis
Josh has three, Alonzo has four, and Faith has five.
Peter Sagal
Oh, my goodness. Well, that means we know who's going first, and that would be Josh. The clock will start when I begin your first question. Fill in the blank. On Thursday, Hillary Clinton testified in a congressional investigation into the blank files.
Alonzo Bowden
Epstein.
Peter Sagal
Right. On Monday, a bomb cyclone left several states on the east coast dealing with over two feet of blank. Right. This week, the White House announced it was withholding $250 million in blank funds from Minnesota.
Alonzo Bowden
It's health care.
Peter Sagal
Yeah. Medicare. Yeah. On Tuesday, the U.S. lifted a shelter in place order for Americans in blank.
Alonzo Bowden
Mexico.
Peter Sagal
Right. This week, New York governor Kathy Hochul said a grandfather would be allowed to keep his personalized license plate that reads blank.
Alonzo Bowden
Horny grandpa.
Peter Sagal
No, his plate, which he now can use, is PB4. We go.
Alonzo Bowden
That's pretty good.
Peter Sagal
On Monday, researchers said they developed a single vaccine that could protect against cold, flu and blank Covid. Yes.
Alonzo Bowden
Wow.
Peter Sagal
On Thursday, the 2026 NFL blank began in Indianapolis combine. Right. This week, a man in Ohio running from the police was caught after he hid in a curbside trash can until blank.
Alonzo Bowden
He sneezed. And they found him?
Peter Sagal
No, until the garbage truck came along and tried to put him in the truck.
Faith Salie
Alright.
Peter Sagal
Whole thing was caught on video. You can see it. The guy jumps into it. A little while later, truck pulls up, attaches it to the thing, the machine picks it up, and the next thing you know, the guy jumps out of it. Garbage man is freaked out. The guy starts running away because the cops, it turns out, were like right there, he was caught. And in addition to the charges they were arresting him for, he was fined $10 for being in the recycling bin. And he clearly should have been in the hiding from the police bin. Bill, I think Josh did pretty well, right?
Bill Curtis
Very well. Six, right. 12 more points. 15 is the total. Very good.
Alonzo Bowden
Thank you, Bill.
Peter Sagal
Very good, Josh. All right, Alonzo, you were in second place. So it is your turn now. Here we go. Fill in the blank. On Thursday, new nuclear talks between the US and blank began in Geneva, Iran. Right. On Tuesday, Representative Al Green was escorted out of the blank for protesting stated union. Right. In Response to last year's multimillion dollar heist, the director of the Blank announced she was resigning the Louvre. Right. This week, a man in California was charged with a misdemeanor after he filmed himself blanking.
Josh Gondelman
Ooh. Scooping up the hummus.
Peter Sagal
He filmed himself giving a wild hawk a sip of his buzzballs alcoholic beverage.
Josh Gondelman
I did hear about that. Yeah.
Peter Sagal
According to a new study, forever chemicals may be causing men to blank faster.
Josh Gondelman
I don't know. Die faster.
Peter Sagal
Give it to you Age faster so they die sooner. On Monday, budget airline blank reached a deal that will keep it from going out of business.
Josh Gondelman
Spirit.
Peter Sagal
Right. This week, the infamously unflattering picture of the former Prince Andrew in the back of a police car after his arrest was briefly on display in Blank
Josh Gondelman
Everywhere.
Alonzo Bowden
No.
Peter Sagal
Yeah.
Josh Gondelman
No.
Peter Sagal
But it was framed and displayed briefly at the Louvre. This is the second time in two months that someone managed to sneak a framed photo into the Louvre and hang it on the museum's wall until it was found and removed. But this time, there is some artistic merit to it. If you haven't seen it, this photo of Andrew really answers the question, what if Edvard Munch's the Scream was a painting of an old pedophile? Bill, how did Alonzo do in our quiz?
Bill Curtis
Very close game. 5.
Peter Sagal
Right.
Bill Curtis
10 more points. 14. Just one behind Josh.
Peter Sagal
All right, How many then, does Faith need to win?
Bill Curtis
5 to tie, 6 to win.
Peter Sagal
Here we go. Faith. This is for the game. On Wednesday, confirmation hearings began for Kacey Means, Donald Trump's nominee for blank Surgeon General. Right. Following a Supreme Court ruling, FedEx sued the Trump administration, demanding a blank rebate tariff. Right. This week, the Supreme Court ruled that the Postal Service could not be sued for intentionally withholding people's blank mail. Right. On Thursday, police in New York said they'd arrested a man who they claimed was involved in a massive blank fight.
Announcer
Snowball.
Peter Sagal
Right. This week, a man in Italy got in trouble with authorities after he trained
Faith Salie
his dog to blank to do mountaineering.
Peter Sagal
No, to take his trash bags and bring them out and illegally dump them by the side of the road. Good dog. On Monday, NASA once again delayed their mission to the blank.
Faith Salie
To the moon.
Peter Sagal
Right. On Wednesday, Wu Tang Clan, Lauryn Hill and Joy Division were named as possible
Faith Salie
nominees to the Blank Rock and Roll hall of Fame.
Peter Sagal
Right. This week, police in the UK were able to apprehend a suspect who jumped the fence into a farm as he was running away, but was stopped there
Faith Salie
by, uh, uh, pigs.
Peter Sagal
No, a herd of llamas.
Announcer
Ah.
Peter Sagal
Cops say the man was trying to evade police by trespassing onto a farm, but got caught because he was immediately confronted by eight llamas who formed a circle around him and would not let him leave. I don't know about you, but I'm going to be very disappointed if this does not result in a new cop show called llama force. Bill did Faith do well enough to win?
Bill Curtis
She got six right for 12 more points. With a total of 17. Faith is this week's winner.
Peter Sagal
In just a minute, we're going to ask our panelists to predict now that they've done American American Girl dolls, what will be the next famous toy to get an update? But first, let me tell you that Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Is a production of NPR and WBEZ Chicago in association with Urgent Haircut Productions. Doug Berman, benevolent overlord Philip Ga writes our limericks. Our public address announcer is Paul Friedman. BJ Lederman composed our theme. Our program is produced by Jennifer Mills, Miles Drombos and Lillian King. Yes, we've got one, too. Special thanks to Blythe Roberson and Monica Hickey. Peter Gwynn is our llama wrangler. Emma Choi is our vibe curator. Technical direction is from Lorna White. Our CFO is Colin Miller. Our production manager is Robert Newhouse. Our senior producer is Ian Chillag. And the executive producer of Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me is Mike Danforth. Now, panel, what toy is getting the next big update?
Josh Gondelman
Alonzo Boden, Hot Wheels cars will come with Apple CarPlay
Peter Sagal
faith saley.
Faith Salie
GI Joe is going to become GI Bro, and he comes with a rucksack full of protein powder and a podcast
Alonzo Bowden
studio and Josh Gondelman microplastic machines. The toy car is small enough to go straight into your bloodstream.
Bill Curtis
Well, if any of that happens, panel, we're going to ask you about it on Wait, Wait, don't tell me.
Peter Sagal
Thank you so much. Bill Curtis. Thanks also to Alonzo Bowden, Faith Staley and Josh Coloman. Thanks to the staff and crew at IU Auditorium. Special thanks to Amy o' Shaughnessy and Alex Chambers at wfiu. Thanks to our fabulous audience who came out to see us here in Bloomington and to all of you, wherever you may be for listening. I'm Peter Sagal. We'll see you next week. This is npr.
Audience Member/Caller
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Alonzo Bowden
Learn more@schwab.com this message comes from Midi
Announcer
Health, a virtual care platform for women in perimenopause and menopause. CEO Joanna Strober shares the mission behind working with women in midlife.
Faith Salie
It's not just about hormones. It's not just about weight loss medications. We are very much a holistic care platform and our job is to figure out whatever medications are appropriate for you and offer you those those medications.
Announcer
Midi Health committed to helping women in midlife with perimenopause and menopause care, accessible via telehealth visits at. Join MIDI.com.
Date: February 28, 2026
Host: Peter Sagal (with Bill Curtis)
Location: Indiana University Auditorium, Bloomington, Indiana
Panelists: Josh Gondelman, Faith Salie, Alonzo Bowden
Special Guest: Lilly King (Olympic swimmer)
This lively episode of NPR’s Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me! blends the week’s news with quick wit, playful banter, and a Hoosier homecoming for Olympic swimmer Lilly King. The show tackles hot topics—including highlights and hilarity from the State of the Union (SOTU) address, cultural milestones like Survivor’s 50th season and the American Girl dolls’ 40th—while also delving into the unique mental and competitive strategies of a world-class athlete.
[03:21–05:24]
[05:27–07:31]
[07:31–09:39]
[10:14–11:43]
Bluff the Listener, [14:07–20:19]
[21:09–30:48]
The episode maintains Wait Wait’s signature irreverence and rapid-fire wit, driven by Peter Sagal’s playful prodding and the comedic talents of the panel, with plenty of playful teasing and topical sarcasm. Lilly King’s energetic personality fits right in, adding a candid athlete’s edge—and a dose of humble Hoosier pride—to the mix.
This episode is ideal for anyone who wants: