WWDTM: Bob Costas

Summary

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! — Bob Costas Episode

Date: September 13, 2025
Host: Peter Sagal
Guest Announcer: Rhymefest (filling in for Bill Kurtis)
Special Guest: Bob Costas
Panelists: Emmy Blotnick, Brian Babylon, Peter Grosz

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Episode Overview

This jam-packed episode of NPR's beloved news quiz blends the show's signature quick wit, irreverent panel discussions, and live audience energy with the sporting gravitas of legendary broadcaster Bob Costas. Rhymefest lends his unique voice as guest announcer, joining Peter Sagal and regular panelists in quizzing both listeners and each other on the quirks of the week's news, pop culture, and more. Celebrity guest Bob Costas brings behind-the-scenes broadcast tales and faces the panel's own quiz game.

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Key Segments & Discussion Highlights

1. Show Opening & Introductions

[00:19–03:33]

• Rhymefest (Dr. Che Raphaest Smith) steps in as announcer, banters about his unconventional career moves, and is humorously "welcomed" to public radio's modest glories.
• Peter Sagal introduces the panel:
  • Emmy Blotnick (comedian/trivia host),
  • Brian Babylon (comedian/producer),
  • Peter Grosz (actor and writer).

Quote:
"Yeah, I'm working my way through." – Rhymefest on joining public radio (01:30)

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2. Panelist Quiz: “Who’s Rhymefest?” – This Week in the News

[03:33–09:23]

• Pharmaceutical Ads Ban: Trump administration seeks to reinstate restrictions on pharmaceutical ads.
  Discussion Points:

  • Loss of bizarre TV ads and their cultural influence.
  • Panel jokes about actors in such commercials.

  Quote:
  "Now I’ll never find out what Skyrizi is. This week President Trump directed the government to reinstitute a 1990s era policy that would sharply restrict pharmaceutical ads. Now, I have moderate to severe sadness about this news." - Peter Sagal (04:10)

• First Millennial Saint: Carlo Acutis becomes the first millennial canonized by the Catholic Church (he spread faith via early-2000s-era Internet).
  Discussion Points:

  • Jokes about generational recognition (Gen X left out again).
  • Humor about "God’s influencer" helping saints with tech issues.

  Quote:
  "Carlo, can you type this email for me? My stigmata are acting up again." – Peter Sagal (07:49)

• Pets & Privacy: The Atlantic published an argument for giving pets, especially dogs, more privacy.
  Discussion Points:

  • Panel jokes about the true reasons pets want privacy.
  • Skepticism about “dog experts.”

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3. News Oddities: Mascots, Inheritances, and More

[09:58–18:54]

• NY State’s Anti-Phone Mascot:

  • Frankie Focus, a giant green furry mascot, is introduced to help convince NY students to put down their phones.

  Panel joke:
  "I thought Frankie Focus was an Adderall dealer." – Brian Babylon (11:34)

• Bluff the Listener – Unusual Inheritances

  • Three stories:
    • (True) Brazilian billionaire leaves entire fortune to soccer star Neymar, whom he’s never met.
    • NYC woman inherits noisy parrots from her hated neighbor.
    • Vermont man leaves fortune to “Earth” and requests remains in active volcano.

  Guest's correct guess: Neymar inheritance story.
  Expert validation:
  “I would say this is pretty random. Most people are not just leaving it to like a sports [star].” – Rosanna Roizen, estate lawyer (19:00s)

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4. Not My Job: Interview and Quiz with Bob Costas

[21:18–31:04]

Bob Costas: Legendary Broadcaster, Storyteller

• Shares his unlikely journey from aspiring athlete (“Didn’t fail, but not good enough to make the team”) to sportscasting powerhouse.

• Emphasizes that broadcasting must be learned by doing, not just in classrooms:

  • “The only way you actually learn to be a broadcaster is by doing it…find out if you have a knack, then work on that knack as you move along.” (22:39)

• Classic On-Air Gaffe:

  • Recalls telling millions live, “The last thing he wants to see is a repeat of Friday night’s blow.”
  • Station manager’s verdict: “Don’t ever let this happen again. I certainly will try not to.” (25:33)

• Weirdest Olympic Sports to Cover:

  • Curling: "Think about getting a gold medal for an activity in which you can drink beer while doing it." (25:55)
  • Race walking: likens it to “…a contest to see who can whisper the loudest.” Prompted angry letters from the “small but intense” race-walking community.

Bob Costas' “Not My Job” Quiz — All About the Emmy Awards

• Nails all three questions; the panel dubs this a “Costas.”

  Memorable quote:
  Host: “What should we call it when someone goes three for three?”
  Costas: “A Costas.” (31:03)

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5. Listener Limerick Challenge & Audience Games

[39:02–43:24]

• Listener from Eugene, Oregon (archaeologist):

  • Gets all three limericks right:
    • Sneaking into hotel buffets without staying there (breakfast hack).
    • Moving away from wallets to just using phones.
    • Singles sheets at weddings—matchmaking guest info handouts.

  Laughter and playful banter throughout:

  • Panelists joke about Hampton Inn receptions and necessity of guest sheets at weddings.

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6. Lightning Fill-in-the-Blank: Topical News Quiz

[44:40–50:10]

• Highlights include:
  • Quirky Studies: How your hug style reveals your personality (“An A-frame is a hug…” [35:06]).
  • Baseball’s 9-9-9 Challenge: 9 beers, 9 hot dogs, 9 innings.
  • Notable News:
    • Teacher sued after missing 16 years of work.
    • Perseverance rover finds evidence for life on Mars.
    • Drunk raccoon saved with CPR.
    • Canadian ticketed for driving Barbie Power Wheels car.
  • Scores: Peter Grosz wins with 16 points.

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7. Closing Predictions & Memorable Quotes

[51:05–51:27]

• Panelists are asked: What will the last ever pharmacy ad on TV feature?
  • Brian Babylon: “Handmaid’s Plan B.”
  • Emmy Blotnick: “Skativan—it gives you the relaxed confidence to jazz skat.”
  • Peter Grosz: “Bone for Life. A pill you take just once that gives you an erection that never goes away for the rest of your life.”

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Rhymefest’s vocal acrobatics and wit as guest announcer: “Bill Curtis has big shoes to fill, but his stilettos look pretty good on me.” (00:19)

• Peter Sagal on pharma ad bans:
  “Now I’ll never find out what Skyrizi is.” (04:10)

• Bob Costas relishing his on-air blunder:
  “Coach Bob McKinnon, taking a time out here, wanting to take no chances because the last thing he wants to see is a repeat of Friday night’s blow. I actually said that.” (24:53)

• Bob Costas on Olympic foibles:
  “Curling…an Olympic gold medal for an activity in which you can drink beer while doing it.” (25:55)
  “Isn’t a competition to see who can walk the fastest a little bit like a contest to see who can whisper the loudest?” (26:47)

• Listener limerick winner (archeologist in Eugene):
  Archeologist reveals her wish to talk to Bill Kurtis, which draws gentle ribbing from everyone, including Rhymefest (“I came here to speak to Bill Kurtis too.”) [39:43]

• Game show banter:

  • “You people wouldn’t understand it because you’re emotional.” – Peter Sagal on hugging styles (35:09)
  • “Coming up, our panelists get their inheritance in our Bluff the Listener game.” – Peter Sagal (11:45)

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Memorable Timestamps

• 04:10 – Big pharma ad ban discussion kicks off hilarity
• 07:49 – New millennial saint and Gen X jokes
• 11:03 – Introduction of Frankie Focus, the anti-phone mascot
• 21:18 – Bob Costas joins Peter for in-depth, humorous sports media conversation
• 24:53 – Costas’s infamous “Friday night’s blow” gaffe retold
• 25:55 – Curling and race walking recollections
• 31:03 – “A Costas”: what to call a perfect quiz round
• 39:02 – Listener archaeologist limerick challenge
• 44:40 – Lightning Fill-in-the-Blank begins
• 51:05 – Predictions for the last pharmaceutical TV ad

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Recap & Tone

The episode delivers classic "Wait Wait" fare: zany real news, lightning-paced banter, and affectionate roasting among friends. Rhymefest’s style brings a lively freshness as guest announcer, while Bob Costas reveals the craft and absurdities behind decades of live sportscasting. Panel jokes are playful, quick, and clever, with a running theme of surreal news stories and generational humor.

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For more, visit Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! on NPR.

Transcript

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[Rhymefest]

From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is. Wait, wait, don't tell me. The NPR News quiz. Bill Curtis has big shoes to fill, but his stilettos look pretty good on me. I'm Dr. Che Raphaest Smith, and here's your host at the Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Illinois, Peter Sagal.

[Peter Sagal]

Whoa. Thank you all. Thank you, Ron Fest. Thank you, everybody. I feel the same way. Later on, we're going to be talking to legendary sportscaster Bob Costas. But first, we here are so excited to have Rhymefest filling in for Bill Curtis. It's astonishing. And I gotta ask, you're a legend in hip hop. You're a Grammy and Oscar winning songwriter, you're a filmmaker. What in the world are you doing here?

[Rhymefest]

Well, you know, records stopped selling.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah, that's a problem.

[Rhymefest]

And then I volunteered for the school board.

[Brian Babylon]

Yeah.

[Rhymefest]

And now I'm gonna try my hand at a defunded.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah. Exact public radio. You're working your way down.

[Rhymefest]

Yeah, I'm working my way through.

[Peter Sagal]

Lucky us. I think. I think you'll fit in. If you want to be able to say, oh, yeah, one day I hung out with Rhymefest, then give us a call. The number is 1-888-WAIT-WAIT. That's 1-888-924-8924. Let's welcome our first listener contestant. Hi. You are on. Wait, wait, don't tell me. Hi, Peter.

[Listener/Guest]

This is Shane from Parkville, Maryland.

[Peter Sagal]

Parkville, Maryland, that one of the suburbs of Washington, a suburb of Baltimore. Oh, even better. Oh, yeah. What do you do there?

[Listener/Guest]

Work for environmental compliance centered around using dredge material for restoration efforts.

[Peter Sagal]

Oh, really? So you're like dredging, you're like dredging stuff up from the bottom of Chesapeake Bay? I don't dredge it, but I inspect it and I get kind of mucky with it sometimes. Really? Every once in a while. So the job is like, well, we just drag this stuff up from the bottom of the bay. Come on, Shane, you got to look at it again. Yeah, pretty much. Yeah. Yeah. Welcome to our show. Shane. Let me introduce you to our panel this week. First up, she's the comedian hosting trivia night for Cheaters, a benefit for 826NYC on Tuesday, October 7th at Brooklyn Brewery. It's Emmy Blotnick. Hi, Shane.

[Emmy Blotnick]

Inspector Shane.

[Peter Sagal]

Inspector Shane. Next, he's our old friend, the prince of Bronzeville, and he's bringing stand up to the Runway at his Paris Fashion Week Comedy Festival. September 29th to October 5th. It's Brian Babylon. Hey, Brian. Hey. Hey. And an actor and writer who will be appearing at the improv show Two Square at the Cold Town Theater in Austin, Texas, October 17th and 18th. And the Rockwell in Somerville, Massachusetts on October 24th. It's Peter Gross. Hi, Shane. Hi, Peter Shane. Welcome to the show. You're going to play whose rhyme fest this this time. Rhymefest. Filling in for Bill Curtis is going to read you three quotations from this week's news. If you can correctly identify or explain just two of them, you'll win our prize. Any voice from our show you might choose for your voicemail. Are you ready to go?

[Listener/Guest]

Not even a little, but I'll try my best to go.

[Peter Sagal]

All right, here you go. Let's see what we can dredge up. Your first quote is a line from a song you may soon no longer be able to hear on tv. Oh, oh, oh.

[Rhymefest]

Ozympic.

[Peter Sagal]

I'm sorry. That was a certified. That was, that was a. Wait a minute. I'm sorry. I'm just getting the news in. You just got another Grammy. That's well done. They invented a category. You got it. That was from a particular kind of ad that may soon disappear from TV ads. For what?

[Listener/Guest]

Medication?

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah, pharmaceuticals. They're gonna take away the pharmaceutical ads. Damn it. Oh, you're excited. I'm upset. Now I'll never find out what Skyrizi is. This week, President Trump directed the government to reinstitute a 1990s era policy that would sharply restrict pharmaceutical ads. Now, I have moderate to severe sadness about this news.

[Peter Gross]

Ask your doctor.

[Peter Sagal]

No, this is gonna change everything. Like, there are gonna be big protests from the union for elderly but very attractive people good at smiling at farmers markets. Yeah.

[Peter Gross]

Well, here's the thing, though. Nobody in those commercials talks. And people don't realize a lot of actors who can't speak are gonna of work.

[Peter Sagal]

Really?

[Peter Gross]

Yeah. They were very instrumental in the silent movie era.

[Peter Sagal]

And then actually, is it, or is it like singing in the Rain? They have really funny voices. Like if, if you look at, like that handsome silver fox and all like, and all like the, yeah, yeah, the.

[Peter Gross]

The guy in the Cialis hat is.

[Peter Sagal]

Like, I can't take Cialis, otherwise I can't have sex.

[Brian Babylon]

Well, you know, I told you I, I, I had an audition to be in a Wegovy ad. Yeah, like a Month ago.

[Peter Sagal]

That's the.

[Brian Babylon]

Of course, the weight loss, like the Hogwart loss program.

[Peter Sagal]

And you're gonna be the before or after?

[Brian Babylon]

I was gonna be the husband of the wife that lost a weight and I had a box. Like, yeah, my baby did it. And that was supposed to be my.

[Peter Gross]

Yeah, look at her.

[Brian Babylon]

She lost all that weight. Good job, baby. And I was, you know, I had to like, emote that without words.

[Peter Sagal]

Really? Again, no speaking.

[Rhymefest]

Exactly.

[Peter Sagal]

I, I for one, will be sad to lose the ads because they're like the best way to get great ideas for dates that aren't like a movie. You know, like, oh, kayaking, hot air ballooning, playing together in a jug band.

[Emmy Blotnick]

I should repot my plants.

[Peter Gross]

Yeah, my son, that Ozempic song, that rhymefest sang. My son heard that song whatever, 10 times watching CNN. And then we were in the car and we heard, oh, oh, oh, it's magic. And he was like, oh, the Ozempic song. I was like, no, it's the other way around.

[Peter Sagal]

All right, Shane, Shane, your next quote is what a lot of Catholics are saying this week.

[Rhymefest]

What would Carlo do?

[Peter Sagal]

That in particular was an eighth grader at a Catholic school here in Chicago talking about Carlo Acutis, who this week was canonized as the first ever millennial. What? Saint. Yes, the first millennial saint. Point out, once again, Gen X skipped over. Were we? Yeah, there's no.

[Peter Gross]

Oh, because we didn't care.

[Peter Sagal]

Who cares? Who cares? I know a lot of people who.

[Peter Gross]

Are saints, but it was like ironic and they didn't really care about it.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah, exactly.

[Emmy Blotnick]

It's only like the Pope now. It's not a big deal.

[Peter Gross]

Exactly.

[Peter Sagal]

When Saint Carlo, as he is now officially known, Saint Carlo, when he was alive, he was known as God's influencer. That's because the 15 year old in Italy spread his love of the Catholic Church all over the Internet. And also because he got a bunch of free stuff from God that he had to link in his bio.

[Brian Babylon]

But wasn't he like, he came up old school Internet? Yeah, like my space.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah. This was back in the 2000s.

[Brian Babylon]

Yeah. So like, that was some hard work, you know JavaScript.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah, yeah, man, it was tough. But he did, he created websites and sort of spread the, well, gospel of the Catholic Church. And so now he is a saint, the first ever from that generation. And it's gotta be tough for him up in like the saints section of heaven because he's gotta be helping all the other saints with their computers. It's like, carlo, can you type this email for me, my stigmata are acting up again.

[Brian Babylon]

You know, he says, just reboot. Just reboot it.

[Peter Sagal]

Just reboot it. The one thing we do know is that St. Carlo will be the first person to wear a halo. Who played Halo? All right, here, Shane, is your last quote.

[Rhymefest]

I tend to watch where he goes in the yard. We sometimes make eye contact while he completes the act.

[Peter Sagal]

That was a writer at the Atlantic arguing that who needs more privacy than you're currently giving them?

[Listener/Guest]

Your dog.

[Peter Sagal]

Exactly. Right? Yes. This week the Atlantic suggested that animals deserve more privacy, especially our pets. Well, maybe. But the only reason dogs want privacy is because they're in the next room eating out of the garbage.

[Emmy Blotnick]

Out of respect. I don't read my dog's diary, but.

[Peter Sagal]

Very kind of you.

[Emmy Blotnick]

I do smother him physically.

[Peter Sagal]

Do you really?

[Emmy Blotnick]

Yeah, I can't leave him alone.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah, well, that's kind of the problem.

[Peter Gross]

Apparently they get used to too much stimulation and then when they don't have.

[Peter Sagal]

It, well, the argument is, well. And then you talk to a dog expert, a well known woman.

[Peter Gross]

I didn't think you were gonna say expert in that sentence.

[Emmy Blotnick]

I talked to a dog.

[Peter Sagal]

Talked.

[Peter Gross]

He talked to a dog.

[Peter Sagal]

And apparently your dog seems excited to see you all the time. But she says, actually, dogs don't mind being alone. It's just you've been away for so long, they've had enough time to forget how problematic you really are.

[Brian Babylon]

What is a dog expert? What is that?

[Peter Gross]

It's somebody who pretends that they can talk to dogs.

[Brian Babylon]

Thank you. That's the thing.

[Peter Sagal]

It's somebody who has studied in a scholarly and scientific fashion the behavior of dogs.

[Brian Babylon]

It's somebody. Don't say it like that, Peter, like, you know, it's actually no.

[Peter Sagal]

Harder Brian.

[Peter Gross]

Somebody who is over $100,000 in student debt to gone to school facts.

[Peter Sagal]

Rhyme fest. Rhyme fest. How did Shane do in our quiz?

[Rhymefest]

Well, insane in the membrane. Can't complain. He got all three right. Give it up for Shane.

[Peter Sagal]

Congratulations, Shane. You could ask us to do a voicemail for you. You could just use that. Might just use that. Yeah, exactly. Thanks so much for playing, Shane. Take care of. Thank you. Sometimes I feel like I am better off alone. Spider webs entangle me. You're not around, I'm worry free Anyone with eyes can see I'm better off alone Right now panel, it is time for you to answer some questions from this week's news. Peter. New York City, as I'm sure you know, has banned all cell phones in schools and New York State has rolled out a program to encourage students everywhere to put their phones down and to convince them to do it. The governor this week introduced the centerpiece of that campaign. What is it?

[Peter Gross]

A signed picture of Kathy Hochul that says, you're doing a good job.

[Peter Sagal]

Oh. What student wouldn't do anything to get that?

[Peter Gross]

I'll give you a hint.

[Peter Sagal]

It's based on the success of convincing Philadelphians to be fanatics.

[Peter Gross]

A mascot.

[Peter Sagal]

A mascot who's better. Yes, a mascot. We love mascots. Who's better to convince kids to get excited about giving up their phones than a six foot tall, fluorescent green, furry. His name is Frankie Focus. Huh? Frankie Focus. And Frankie Focus looks a little bit like the Grinch, but with glasses. Get it? He's got glasses. His message is, you can be a nerd and still be terrifying.

[Brian Babylon]

I thought Frankie Focus was an Adderall dealer.

[Peter Sagal]

Hey, Frankie, you got that stuff?

[Peter Gross]

Tell your friends where you got it. You got it from Frankie Focus.

[Peter Sagal]

Frankie the Focus. I've lost my phone. I really need it back. My whole life is inside. Coming up, our panelists get their inheritance in our bluff to listener game. Call one triple eight. Wait, wait to play. We'll be back in a minute with more. Wait, wait. Don't tell me from npr, this message comes from Cook Unity. Fuel your day with fresh fully cooked meals from award winning chefs. Every dish is crafted with hand picked ingredients and delivered to your door. Commitment. Free subscriptions start as low as $11ameal. Skip, pause or cancel anytime. Go to cookunity.com tellme or enter code tellme before checkout for free Premium meals for life. Cookunity.com tellme or enter code tellme before checkout. Terms and conditions apply. This message comes from Grammarly. From emails to reports and projects proposals, it's more challenging than ever to meet the demands of today's competing priorities. Without some help, Grammarly can instantly generate well written drafts with AI to get your ideas down on paper. Let Grammarly take the busy work off your plate so you can focus on high impact work. 93% of professionals report that Grammarly helps them get more work done. Download Grammarly for [e-mail] podcast that's Grammarly.com podcast.

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This message comes from Progressive Insurance. Fiscally responsible financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to progressive and save hundreds. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states or situations. This message comes from NPR's sponsor, Shopify. No idea where to sell? Shopify puts you in control of every sales channel. It is the commerce platform revolutionizing millions of businesses worldwide. Whether you're a garage entrepreneur or IPO ready, Shopify is the only tool you need to start, run and grow your business without the struggle. Once you've reached your audience, Shopify has the Internet's best converting checkout to help you turn them from browsers to buyers. Go to Shopify.com NPR to take your business to the next level Today.

[Peter Sagal]

From.

[Rhymefest]

NPR and WBZ Chicago, this is Wait, wait, don't tell me. The NPR News Quiz. I am not Dr. Dre. I am Dr. Chang. Ryan Fest Smith. We're playing this week with Peter Gross, Emmy Blotnick and Brian Babylon. And here again is your host at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago, Illinois, Peter Sagal.

[Peter Sagal]

Dang, George, thank you so much. Right now it's time for the wait, wait, don't tell me bluff the listener game. Call 1-888-wait- wait to play our game on the air. Hi, you are on Wait, Wait, don't tell me. Hi, I'm Marissa from Cape Coral, Florida. Hey, how are things in Cape Coral? Very rainy.

[Listener/Guest]

Aw.

[Peter Sagal]

Let's all take a moment. Let's take a moment to pity you. Well, that was fun. Well, welcome to the show, Marissa. You're gonna play our game in which you must try to tell truth from fiction. Rhyme fest. What is Marissa's topic?

[Rhymefest]

This is my last will and testament.

[Peter Sagal]

There's nothing fun about a will until now. Our panelists are going to tell you about someone who received an unusual and unexpected inheritance that we found in the news this week. Pick the one who's telling the truth. You'll win our prize, the wait waiter of your choice in your voicemail. Are you ready to play? Yes. All right. First up, let's hear from Peter Gross.

[Peter Gross]

Jennifer Insel lives in a fancy New York City apartment building in unit 4D next to Jeffrey Malinsky in 4C. They've been arch enemies for 10 years, constantly arguing about the nine squawking parrots in Jeffrey's apartment. Jennifer would complain to the co op board, then he would complain about her. Then she would sue, alleging intentional infliction of emotional distress. Then he would countersue, claiming something he called interspecies prejudice. She finally gave up and learned to live with it, figuratively. And then Jeffrey's body gave up and made her live with it, literally. When he died this week and left her his parrots in his will, Jennifer came home from work on Monday to discover the birds, their cages, and 100 pounds of bird food in her foyer. She was on the phone with her lawyer explaining the whole situation. But when she mentioned the name Jeffrey Malinsky, one of the parrots chimed in, brawk.

[Peter Sagal]

Glad he's dead.

[Peter Gross]

Jennifer couldn't believe it, so she said his name again.

[Peter Sagal]

Total jerk.

[Peter Gross]

That's why the parrots were so loud. They hated this guy even more than she did. So now Jennifer has nine new best friends who spend all day talking smack about her former neighbor. He's rotting in hell.

[Peter Sagal]

A woman stunned to be left with the parrots owned by the man next door she hated. Your next story of a Willy nilly will comes from Brian Babylon.

[Brian Babylon]

A Brazilian billionaire has named football star Neymar as a sole heir to his estate. That's worth about $1 billion. And this is without even ever meeting the guy. Yes, some people leave their money to their kids. Some people leave money to charity. This guy said, you know what? Neymar looks like he can use a little help. In the document, the billionaire wrote, I like Neymar. I identify with him a lot. He's not self serving and that's something rare these days. Apparently the man was so touched by Neymar's relationship with his father, which reminded him of his own late dad. So instead of therapy, he decided to write a billion dollar love letter. Courts now have to improve the inheritance. Legal experts say that he will have to face taxes and disputes, or as lawyers like to call it, summer vacation money. Neymar, meanwhile, not has commented, probably because he's busy practicing falling over dramatically when the IRS shows up.

[Peter Sagal]

Billionaire in Brazil leaves his entire fortune to a soccer star he had never met. Your last story of a will gone wild comes from Emmy Blotnick.

[Emmy Blotnick]

A deceased Vermont based man was discovered to have an unusual will dedicating his entire fortune to just earth. Complicating matters, the man also requested that his remains be dropped into an active volcano. His declaration is now being reviewed by the court which will determine if money for Earth should be assigned to an environmental cause or given to one member of the band Earth, Wind and Fire, should one of them go by Earth. The will also does not name a specific volcano, but a clearly stated wish for it to be splashin with magma, by which he likely meant lava. But the point is, he's gone. His inheritance is said to have a value in the ballpark of $5,000, which is not enough to charter a volcano helicopter or really do much of anything with a dead guy.

[Peter Sagal]

So one of these was in the news this week. Was it? From Peter Gross, a woman who has left the nine parrots she hated that lived next door only to discover that they hated their owner as much as she did. From Brian Babylon, a Brazilian billionaire who, having no one else to leave his money to, gave it to his favorite, already incredibly wealthy soccer player, who he did not know. Or from Emmy Blotnick, a man who left his money to the earth with the condition that he be dropped into it. Which of these was the real story of a bequest we found in the news this week? Funny, because my kid's favorite soccer star is Neymar Jr. So I'm gonna have to go with Neymar. You're gonna have to go with Neymar because if it was up to your kids, they'd give him the money, too. All right, your choice is Brian's story. Well, we spoke to an expert on this subject to bring you the truth. I would say this is pretty random. Most people are not just leaving it to like a sports. That was Rosanna Roizen, a partner in the trusts and estates group at Carter, Krinsky and Drogan llp, giving her estate lawyerly reaction to the real story of the billionaire giving all his money to Neymar. Congratulations, Marissa. You got it right. You've won our prize. Your kids will be thrilled. It's all good. You won. Neymar won. Brian won. We're winners all around. Thank you so much for playing. Thank you. All right, take care. And now the game we call Not My Job. If you ask somebody to imitate a sportscaster, right, for fun, chances are they're gonna do their best. Bob Costas, he has broadcast everything from NASCAR to the NBA. Plus most Olympics in the last four decades. 18 runnings of the Kentucky Derby, Super Bowls. Plus he's hosted his own interview and talk shows over the years. We don't know whether to ask him questions or just have him do play by play of our show. Bob Costas, welcome to. Wait, Wait, don't tell me. It's so exciting. Thank you. It's a pleasure to finally talk to you after all the years I listened to you broadcasting games. We read, Bob, that you fulfilled a certain cliche of sportscasters in that you tried and failed at every sport you attempted as a young man. Is that true?

[Listener/Guest]

You know, I wouldn't say that I failed. I wasn't that bad by schoolyard standards, but I couldn't make my high school baseball, a basketball team. And the baseball coach, who was also a math teacher, that's the way it works in high school. He actually said to me something to the effect of, you're not bad with the glove and you can run a little bit, but I don't think you can hit your weight and I don't think you weigh 130, which might have been true when I was 16 years old. And then he actually said, you know, you're always talking about baseball and you know more about baseball than any of my players. Have you ever thought about broadcasting? And I said, that's pretty much all I think about. And he actually said, as if it was a movie. Good, try that.

[Peter Sagal]

Whoa, that's awesome. And have you ever gone and like, found any of the guys who did make the team and say, how long did your career in sports last?

[Listener/Guest]

One of them, one of them actually pitched in the major leagues for two years. He did make it to the big leagues. The rest of them have scattered to the four wins. And I'm sure they're aware of me and I'm not quite aware of where they are and I don't care.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah. And you went off and you went off to Syracuse University, right, the Newhouse School to learn your trade. This is, of course, if you don't know it, is the Harvard of broadcasting schools. And I, but I'm curious as, like, how do you learn to do sports broadcasting? Like, what are the skills you have to study?

[Listener/Guest]

You know, you cannot learn it in a classroom. You want to get as good and as well rounded an education as you possibly can and to be a reader, because it improves your appreciation of language and turns of phrase. And the broader your frame of reference is, the more you can bring, to bear, where appropriate, in a sports broadcast or any kind of broadcast. But the only way you actually learn to be a broadcaster is by doing it. You can't sit there in a classroom and learn it. You just have to find out if you have a knack and then you work on that knack as you move along.

[Peter Sagal]

So, okay, you're a Hall of Fame broadcaster, an absolute legend in the industry. Nobody's perfect all the time. Can you remember a time when, like, you just blew it on live tv?

[Listener/Guest]

Oh, my, yes. Now I realize it's npr.

[Peter Sagal]

Yes.

[Listener/Guest]

Do you want the unedited version of this, Please.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah, give us the MTV version. I mean, go ahead, Bob. What are they gonna do, defund us? Here you go.

[Peter Gross]

Now, if everybody clapping could give $5,000, that would be really wonderful.

[Peter Sagal]

Go ahead, go ahead.

[Listener/Guest]

All right, so here's the deal. My first job out of Syracuse I did minor league hockey my first, my senior year at Syracuse, 30 bucks a game. But I was lucky enough right after that at age 22, to go to St. Louis big station KMOX, 50,000 watt station, to broadcast the games for the Spirits of St. Louis in the Old Aba. The first night they play on a Friday night, they have a big lead with about two minutes to go, and the game slips away. They're up by seven. And somehow the game slips away. Two nights later, they're playing at home again, and they're ahead by five with like a minute to go. And I turn toward the analyst, who was a wonderful gentleman named Bill Wilkerson, and I said the following. Bill, it appears as if the Spirits have this game well in hand, but coach Bob McKinnon, taking a time out here, wanting to take no chances because the last thing he wants to see is a repeat of Friday night's flow. I actually said that.

[Peter Sagal]

You did.

[Listener/Guest]

I actually said that, you know, they. They blew the game and, you know, the syntax just got kind of mangled. Right.

[Peter Sagal]

Well, I mean, if you think about it, I mean, it is his job, and if he blew the game, it just sort of comes naturally to that phrase, doesn't it?

[Listener/Guest]

My thought is, I looked at Wilkerson, yes. And he looked at me, and his eyes got as wide as saucers. And the engineer just made that circular thing with the index finger, like, keep on going, keep on going. We can't have all this dead air. And I was 100% certain that the next morning I'd be on a flight back to Syracuse. But the station manager took pity on me and said, don't ever let this happen again. I certainly will try not to.

[Peter Sagal]

A lot of people called in and.

[Peter Gross]

They were like, can we get more of that? Bob Costas.

[Peter Sagal]

Let me ask you this. You've. You've, over the years, obviously, not just baseball, NFL games, NBA games, horse races, and the Olympics, of course, for many, many years on NBC. So out of all those things, can you tell me, like, what the weirdest or most unusual sport is you've ever had to broadcast and comment on?

[Listener/Guest]

Well, I didn't do play by play as the host of the Olympics, but you're commenting on and showing highlights of almost everything. Curling in the Winter Olympics. You know, think about getting a gold medal. An Olympic gold medal for an activity in which you can drink beer while doing it.

[Peter Sagal]

Yes.

[Listener/Guest]

Even more so in. In the Summer Olympics, race walking is a staple. Now, there may be, I don't know, 200 race walkers in the United States, but in parts of Eastern Europe, like in Romania or something, you know, race walkers are like Michael Jordan, apparently. So 1992 in Barcelona, I'm hosting the Olympics, and there's a package of highlights, and it ends with a bunch of race walkers. And you know what it looks like, right? Yeah, it looks like. It looks like, gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now is what it looks like.

[Peter Sagal]

15 men in shorts who really need to use the restroom. I understand.

[Listener/Guest]

Right, exactly. But I. So I come off of it, I think it's completely harmless. And the people on the set laugh. I said, isn't a competition to see who can walk the fastest a little bit like a contest to see who can whisper the loudest? Eventually, don't you just, like, cross over and start running? Now, you would think that was completely harmless, but the very small race walking community wanted my head on a pipe.

[Peter Sagal]

And that's why you can never go back to Romania. That's correct. Well, Bob Costas, it is such a pleasure to talk to you, and we have asked you here today to play a game. We're calling.

[Rhymefest]

And the Emmy goes to.

[Peter Sagal]

We are right now in the eye of the Emmy storm. The creative Arts Emmys were last weekend. The Primetime Emmys are this weekend. So no one is talking about anything but the Emmy Awards. Ooh. We're going to ask you three questions about these JV Oscars. Answer two correctly, and we'll win our prize. One of our listeners, rhyme fest. Who is Bob Costas playing for?

[Rhymefest]

Bob is playing for Matt Johnson of Houston, Texas.

[Peter Sagal]

Ready to play? Here is your first question. Where does the name Emmy for the award come from? Is it. And A, it's the initials M.E. for Mamie Eisenhower, who presided at the first awards. Is it B? Strangely, it is named after our own panelist, Emmy Blotnick. Or C, it was named for the Image Orthogon tube, an important bit of early TV technology.

[Listener/Guest]

I'm going with C. You're going to.

[Peter Sagal]

Go with C. And you are right. The Image Orthogon team was known as Immy.

[Peter Gross]

That's what you're named after.

[Peter Sagal]

Huge advance TV technology. So much so that Emmy was named for it. And I guess it must have been shaped like a lady with wings holding an atom, I guess. Here's your next question. The whole point of the Emmys, of course, as you know, is to promote TV. But at the 2015 Emmys, Andy Samberg went above and beyond to encourage people to watch the HBO show Game of Thrones. How did he do it? A by wearing a handmade 15 foot long dragon costume on stage. B, by giving out to the live international audience his actual HBO login and password, or C, by playing a video in which his head was CGI'd onto every character in every sex scene from that season.

[Listener/Guest]

You know, I should know this, but somehow I missed that particular telecast. I'm just gonna guess B.

[Peter Sagal]

You're gonna guess B. He gave out his HBO login and password to the universe. He did. Yes. And people report everybody first immediately ran over to their televisions or whatever, and it worked for a few days. All right, very good. Bob here is two for two. Two for two, right? As someone in your profession might say.

[Peter Gross]

Yes, you're batting a thousand.

[Peter Sagal]

Yes, he's batting a thousand. Let's see what he does with this pitch. In Dame Helen Mirren's acceptance speech after winning an Emmy for her performance as Queen Elizabeth I, she said that her greatest triumph was, what was it? A, making her Queen Elizabeth I recognizably different from her Queen Elizabeth I the second B, the voiceover work that she had done for the film Legends of the the Owls of Gablool, for which she was unfairly snubbed, or C, she said her greatest triumph was, quote, not falling ass over tit as she climbed the stairs to the podium.

[Listener/Guest]

It is without question, C. You are right.

[Peter Sagal]

You called your shock, as you might say, and allegedly the censors who were manning, you know, that bleep but were so charmed by her British accent that the remark made it to air. And now again to us, Rhyme Fest. How did Bob Costas do in our quiz?

[Rhymefest]

Bob got three for three. He got them. All right.

[Peter Sagal]

Congratulations.

[Listener/Guest]

It's the trifecta. It's the hat trick.

[Peter Sagal]

It is.

[Listener/Guest]

And the triple crown.

[Peter Sagal]

That's a good thing. Part of your job is coming up with catchphrases and names. What should we call it when someone goes 3 for 3 on this. On this game?

[Listener/Guest]

Acosti.

[Peter Sagal]

There you go. He scored. Acostas. Bob Costas is a Hall of Fame broadcaster and not coincidentally, the winner of 28 Emmy Awards himself. Bob Costas, thank you so much for joining us on Wait, Wait, don't tell me. Thank you, Peter. Thank you, everybody. Take care, Bob. Bye bye. So long. In just a minute, Rhyme Fest tells you how to get a free breakfast in our Listener Limerick challenge. Call 1-8-8, wait wait to join us in the air. We'll be back in a minute with more of Wait, Wait, don't tell Me from NPR.

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[Peter Sagal]

For me, sometimes I just need to go and talk to somebody that is not gonna judge me, right, is gonna be there and they're gonna listen to me. And I can't start just saying, look, I'm not feeling right today. And it feels natural. I love it.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

To get matched with a therapist, visit betterhelp.com NPR for 10% off your first month. This message comes from Ollie. Back to school season can take a lot out of parents. Ollie is dedicated to helping you prioritize your wellness with solutions that fit seamlessly into your routine, like Women's Multi and Probiotic Mango for your immune system and Ollie's Sleep Gummies for nighttime rest when occasional sleeplessness occurs. Shop these products and [e-mail] or retailers nationwide. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

[Rhymefest]

From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is. Wait, wait, don't tell me the NPR News Quiz. I am Dr. Che Rhenfest Smith. We're playing this week with Brian Babylon, Peter Gross and Emmy Blotnick.

[Peter Sagal]

Yay.

[Rhymefest]

And here again is your host at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago. Chicago, Illinois, give it up for Peter Sago.

[Peter Sagal]

Thank you, Rhymefest. Thank you so much. In just a minute, Rhyme Fest meets our Limerick Fest. A little nervous about having to rhyme things there. Rhyme fest.

[Rhymefest]

I've never rhymed in Irish.

[Peter Sagal]

If you'd like to play, give us a call at 1-88-WAIT WAIT. That's 1-888-924-89-24 right now, panel, I got some more questions for you from the week's news. Brian, A recent study shows you can tell a lot about someone's personality by the style of their what?

[Brian Babylon]

Come on, man.

[Peter Sagal]

Not their clothing. No, I've not been too style of their.

[Brian Babylon]

Give me a hint.

[Peter Sagal]

Give your hand. It's like. Okay, we'll start from the beginning. Are you an A frame or a tight squeeze?

[Rhymefest]

Peter, I don't think we should be asking.

[Brian Babylon]

Yeah, like.

[Peter Sagal]

An A Frame or house? No, you up and I'll give you another hint. I'll give you another hint. Right. Okay, hang on. Bring it in, big guy. You're right.

[Brian Babylon]

Oh, bring it in. Oh, your garage.

[Peter Sagal]

No. Does anybody know what the heck I'm talking about?

[Brian Babylon]

It's jeans.

[Peter Sagal]

This is.

[Emmy Blotnick]

It's jeans.

[Peter Sagal]

Not your jeans.

[Peter Gross]

Does it A frame, A type of hug.

[Peter Sagal]

It is. It's the way that you hug.

[Peter Gross]

An A frame is a hug.

[Peter Sagal]

You've never heard of that? No.

[Peter Gross]

Is that where you go, yeah, the A frame.

[Peter Sagal]

Classically. I mean, you people wouldn't understand it because you're emotional. What in the gilded Age are you talking about?

[Emmy Blotnick]

This is a thing for people who don't get hugged very much.

[Peter Sagal]

The study showed that people who were neurotic, they asked people to hug and they observed them and then they surveyed them and they found that people who who were self described as neurotic or insecure preferred the lean in hug or the A frame. If you think about it, you're both leaning in, you're kind of hugging in the middle. It looks like an A. I thought.

[Peter Gross]

You meant the arms created an A somehow. No, I know people who hug like that.

[Peter Sagal]

Exactly, exactly. Or people with self confidence and empathy, like those close in hugs with lots of contact. And your father prefers no hugs at all. You just have to forgive him. The way he was raised. He still loves you.

[Brian Babylon]

Okay, I'm an O frame hug where.

[Peter Gross]

You don't get any. It's just a zero.

[Peter Sagal]

The study goes on to say that romantic partners hug on average for seven seconds while friends just friends hug for under three seconds. Across the board, people reported it wasn't the hug that freaked them out. It was the fact that their friend was timing it.

[Peter Gross]

In your ear. 1, 2, 3, 4.

[Brian Babylon]

Yeah, I never knew about that.

[Peter Gross]

Why are you pulling away?

[Peter Sagal]

Five. Yeah. Six.

[Emmy Blotnick]

Would you prefer I count down 1,000?

[Peter Sagal]

See, my thing is I pretty much have a traditional hug, but my thing, anxiety is whether or not to hug. Right? I mean, you're like, you know, like, okay, are we hugging now? Are we hugging friends?

[Peter Gross]

What about the grab hand, right hand grab, bring body in, left hand hug. So it's a combo handshake.

[Peter Sagal]

Oh, yes.

[Emmy Blotnick]

This one is for avoidant straight men.

[Peter Gross]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Anybody timing that?

[Peter Sagal]

Peter? As the baseball season comes to a close, more and more Fans took the nine nine nine challenge this year. What is the 999 challenge?

[Peter Gross]

Nine beers in nine innings and throwing up nine times.

[Peter Sagal]

You're so close.

[Peter Gross]

I missed one of nine beers.

[Peter Sagal]

Are right nine beers are right. Nine innings are right. What's the other inner thing that you do at a ballpark?

[Peter Gross]

Going to the bathroom.

[Peter Sagal]

No, no.

[Peter Gross]

Nine hot dogs.

[Peter Sagal]

Yes, nine hot dogs. You figured it out. The 999 Challenge. Drink nine beers, eat nine hot dogs in nine innings there was all the rage this year. People trying to do it all over the country in various ballparks. Proves that even with the pitch clock, baseball itself is still boring.

[Peter Gross]

But an average baseball game is what, 95 hours?

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah.

[Peter Gross]

That's actually not that much.

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah. If you space it out and you sleep, of course. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You still. No. I mean, it's all fun and games until you get to extra innings. Then you die.

[Rhymefest]

I'm always just as happy.

[Peter Sagal]

Up in.

[Rhymefest]

The bleachers, all behind hole, baby.

[Peter Sagal]

The crowd starts chanting out just as.

[Rhymefest]

I was counting how many hot dogs I ate.

[Peter Sagal]

Hey, let's head out to the ball game. Matter of 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 1-888-924-8924. You can see us most weeks here at the Studebaker Theater in downtown Chicago. And you can also catch us on the road if you're in St. Louis. We will be there too. Next week, September 18th. Catch us there. And if you happen to prefer Honolulu, we'll be there on October 19th and 10th. Tickets and info are at nprpresents.org and if you like our show but wish it was just about 8 seconds long, you can find us on TikTok atwaitNPR. Hi, you're on. Wait, wait, don't tell me.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

Hi, this is Alison calling from beautiful Eugene, Oregon.

[Peter Sagal]

Beautiful Eugene, Oregon. It's magnificent there. What do you do there?

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

I'm an archaeologist and professor at the University of Oregon.

[Peter Sagal]

Archaeologist. I am an archaeologist. What is your specialty? I work in Southeast Asia, mostly in Cambodia. Wow. Wow. Digging up, you know, exploring the ancient cultures there. Yes, yes, exactly. And because I study and have like a deep respect and love for old things and history, I was really excited.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

To hope to and was hoping to.

[Peter Sagal]

Get to talk to Bill Curtis, but.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

I understand he's not available today.

[Rhymefest]

With all due respect, I came here to speak to Bill Curtis too.

[Peter Sagal]

I seem to have disappointed everyone. All right, well, welcome to the show, Alison. Your job, of course, is to complete three news related limericks. Rhymefest is going to read you the first part of each limerick but not finish them. That is your job. Do it two times out of three you will win our prize. A voice of anyone you might choose through your voicemail. Are you ready to go? I'm ready. All right, here we go. Here's your first limerick.

[Rhymefest]

I scoop eggs in and off the cuff way at the place I'm pretending to stay. It works out really well. At a mid range hotel, I sneak in for the breakfast buffet.

[Peter Sagal]

Right. Very good. More and more people are going online to brag about strolling into hotel hotels. They're not staying in to help themselves to the complimentary breakfast buffet. I get it. It's better. My cereal at home say doesn't taste quite the same as when it does when I get it by turning a crank on a plexiglass box for three minutes.

[Brian Babylon]

Man. So you get out of your bed, get in the car, drive to a Hampton Inn and just go to town.

[Peter Sagal]

Maybe you're like going, you know, getting up and you're gonna go do something. You need some breakfast. You happen to be passing by one of those mid range changes.

[Peter Gross]

Mediocre waffles. Don't mind if I do.

[Peter Sagal]

Exactly.

[Peter Gross]

They're not. It's not the best breakfast.

[Emmy Blotnick]

Just get a red Delicious apple tightly wrapped in Saraj Wrap.

[Peter Sagal]

That's what I want. All right, Allison, here is your next limerick.

[Rhymefest]

Phone and keys anymore? I can't haul it. If there's need for cash, I don't recall it. Cause cards, coins and bills are for outdated teals. And I no longer carry a wallet.

[Peter Sagal]

A wallet. A new study found that nearly half the population no longer use wallets anymore. Great. Now where am I supposed to carry my COVID vaccine card? For some reason now, the change comes from the change away from wallets comes both, of course, with the technology in our phones and from your being honest with yourself about never ever going to complete that punch card for a free smoothie.

[Brian Babylon]

Facts.

[Peter Sagal]

It's true. Here's your last limerick, Alison.

[Rhymefest]

At this wedding, it's easy to mingle. Here's a table where tensions sure tingle. There's a face sheet with facts. So I might find a match at the table where guests are all single.

[Peter Sagal]

Yes. This week the New York Times reported on the trend of couples who are giving all the single people attending their wedding a laminated fact sheet with the faces of all the other single people. It makes it an even more special day. You're starting your life as a married person and you're utterly destroying your former circle of friends.

[Brian Babylon]

Right but, you know, after, like, a few bottles of that cheap wine, reception wine. I don't need no sheet. Let's do this right.

[Peter Sagal]

Sheet, schmeat.

[Brian Babylon]

Let's kick it.

[Peter Gross]

You know, Sheetshmeat.

[Brian Babylon]

I don't need either.

[Peter Gross]

I don't need information or know anything about you.

[Brian Babylon]

We're at this Hampton Inn. We have breakfast tomorrow. Let's have a good time.

[Emmy Blotnick]

You know, I don't need help meeting people.

[Peter Gross]

This is a nice wedding, too, at a Hampton Inn.

[Peter Sagal]

Rhyme fest. How did Allison do?

[Rhymefest]

There's a show full of winners today. Allison got all three right. She's a winner.

[Peter Sagal]

Congratulations. Thank you so much.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

It was a dream come true.

[Peter Sagal]

Take care.

[Listener/Guest]

Bye. Bye.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

This message comes from Progressive Insurance and the name your price tool. It helps you find car insurance options in your budget. Try it [e-mail], progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Price and coverage match limited by state law. Not available in all states. This message comes from Warby Parker. Prescription eyewear that's expertly crafted and unexpectedly affordable. Glasses designed in house from premium materials starting at just $95, including prescription lenses. Stop by a Warby Parker store near you.

[Rhymefest]

This message comes from NPR sponsor Viori featuring the core short. Receive 20% off your first purchase on any US orders over $75 and free [e-mail] NPR exclusions apply. Visit the website for full terms and conditions.

[Peter Sagal]

Now it's 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 worth 2 points. Rhymefest. Can you give us the scores?

[Rhymefest]

Yes. Brian and Emmy each have two. Peter has four.

[Peter Sagal]

Oh, my goodness. Brian, I'm going to arbitrarily pick you to go first. Here we go. The clock will start when I begin your first question. Fill in the blank. On Wednesday, FBI Director Kash Patel traveled to Utah to oversee the investigation into the shooting of Blank.

[Brian Babylon]

Charlie Kirk.

[Peter Sagal]

Right. On Tuesday, the FAA released an advisory that lithium batteries pose blank risks on flights.

[Brian Babylon]

Explosion risks.

[Peter Sagal]

Fire risks.

[Listener/Guest]

Good enough.

[Peter Sagal]

This week, pop star Bad Bunny said he left the US off his world tour over fears of blank raids at his concerts.

[Brian Babylon]

Ice raids.

[Peter Sagal]

Right. This week, a teacher in Germany sued her school after she was asked to provide a doctor's note explaining why she had blanked.

[Brian Babylon]

Pregnant?

[Peter Sagal]

No. She was asked to explain why she had Pregnant? No. Why is she pregnant? No. She. She was asked to explain why she hasn't shown up to work in 16 years. On Tuesday, NASA's Perseverance rover found new evidence for potential life on Blank Mars. Right. On Wednesday, ABC announced that one of the stars of the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives would be the next Blank Bachelorette. Right. This week, a German town is finally at peace after the culprit behind a string of ding dong ditch pranks was revealed to be Blank the teacher who.

[Brian Babylon]

Didn'T show up for 16 years.

[Peter Sagal]

No ACE Small garden slug. Residents of an apartment complex in Bavaria couldn't figure out why their doorbells kept ringing and they'd run down and there'd never be anyone at the door. Turns out a small slug has been crawling over the doorbells on the building's main entry panel.

[Peter Gross]

That's so good.

[Brian Babylon]

That's so German.

[Peter Sagal]

That's less a Ding Dong Ditch, more of a Ding Dong. Yeah. But here's the question for you, Rhyme Fest. How did Brian.

[Rhymefest]

Brian got five more right. For 10 points, a total of 12. Brian is in the lead.

[Peter Sagal]

Well done. All right, Emmy, you're up next. Here we go. Fill in the blank. On Thursday, President Trump gave a speech at the PENTAGON Commemorating blank.

[Emmy Blotnick]

September 11th.

[Peter Sagal]

Right. On Tuesday, RFK Jr released the document of his Make America Blank Again strategy. Help. Yes. This week, the 300 South Koreans arrested during an ICE raid on a Blank plant in Georgia were repatriated.

[Emmy Blotnick]

Oh, it's a Hyundai.

[Peter Sagal]

Hyundai. According to a new study, childhood blank is now more common than childhood malnourishment.

[Emmy Blotnick]

Obesity.

[Peter Sagal]

Right. Yes. This week, Japan is celebrating the life of a racehorse who had spent her 29 year career blanking.

[Emmy Blotnick]

Jumping.

[Peter Sagal]

No. Losing every single race. For the first time in almost two years, Prince Harry had tea with with Blank his father, King Charles. Yes. On Thursday, Gmail announced a special tab only for sorting all your blank purchases.

[Emmy Blotnick]

Your online purchases from the Internet.

[Peter Sagal]

No, specifically, it's Amazon. Amazon. This week, a nurse in Kentucky credited her CPR training with helping her save the life of a Blank.

[Emmy Blotnick]

Oh, that horse that lost all the races?

[Peter Sagal]

No, she saved the life of a drunken raccoon that won all the races, apparently. Can you imagine how bad that horse felt? The woman was on a walk when she heard strange noises coming from a dumpster next to a distillery. Turns out it was a drunken raccoon having difficulty breathing. So she laid down and started chest compressions. This has to be a tricky moment in the life of a nurse. On the one hand, you know that raccoons can carry rabies. On the other. When are you going to get another chance to to do CPR in a raccoon? Rhyme fest. How did Emmy do.

[Rhymefest]

In our quiz, Emmy got five right for 10 points. A total of 12. Emmy and Brian are tied.

[Peter Sagal]

Now, how many then does Peter Gross need to win?

[Rhymefest]

Peter needs four to tie and five to win.

[Peter Sagal]

All right, here we go, Peter. This is for the game. On Thursday, European leaders expressed alarm after drones sent by Blank were shot down in Poland.

[Peter Gross]

Russia.

[Peter Sagal]

Right. In her new memoir, Kamala Harris said it was reckless to allow blank to make the decision to run for reelection without consultation. Donald Trump.

[Peter Gross]

No. Joe Biden.

[Peter Sagal]

Right. This week, the NCAA handed permanent bans to three college Blank players who were involved in sports betting. Basketball. Basketball. Yes. For the first time since the pandemic, blank is no longer a top 10 cause of death for Americans.

[Peter Gross]

Oh, Covid.

[Peter Sagal]

Yes. This week, a man in Canada was ticketed while driving a Blank.

[Peter Gross]

Just a the funniest car.

[Peter Sagal]

It's true. Because it was a bright pink Barbie power wheels toy car. According to a new study, chronic sleeplessness increases the chance of blank in aging brains.

[Peter Gross]

Dementia.

[Peter Sagal]

Right. On Monday, the Blanks announced a new cookie flavor based on rocky road ice cream.

[Peter Gross]

Uh, the Girl Scouts, right.

[Peter Sagal]

Yes. In what's being called a first of its kind heist, a honey store in the UK was robbed by a gang of blanks.

[Peter Gross]

I mean, it's gotta be bears.

[Peter Sagal]

No. Bees. Oh, give it back. Pretty much. No, the heist was attempted. It was actually carried out by thousands of so called robber bees. That's a subspecies known for stealing honey from other colonies. Hives. The shop's owner was able to lure them into the bathroom where she could trap and release them. And thankfully only one bee was killed. But wouldn't you know it? He was the old bee who just got back in the game for one more score.

[Peter Gross]

This was in England.

[Brian Babylon]

What kind of Pixar? Yeah, I know Markey was there.

[Peter Gross]

It's like a. It's like Guy Ritchie directed a Pixar movie.

[Peter Sagal]

All right, but here's the big question. Rhyme fest. How did Peter do? Did he do well enough to win?

[Rhymefest]

Peter got 6 right for 12 points. Total of 16. Peter gets the plastic apple from the Hampton.

[Peter Sagal]

Yay. Coming up, our panelists predict what new drug will be featured in the last ever pharmacy ad to be seen on tv. But first, let me tell you. Wait, wait, Don't Tell me. Is a production of NPRW Bez Chicago in association with Urgent Haircut Productions. Doug Berman, benevolent overlord Philip Gautica rides our limericks. Our public address announcer is Paul Friedman. Our tour manager is Shane o'. Donnell. Thanks to the staff and crew at the Studebaker Theatre. BJ Lederman composed our theme. Our program is produced by Jennifer Mills, Miles Norbas and Lillian King. Special thanks this week to Blythe Roberson and Monica Hickey. Our saint is Peter Mary Gwynn. Our visual host is Emma Choi. Technical direction is from Lorna White. Our CFO is Colin Miller. Our production manager is Robert Newhouse. Our senior producer is Anne Chillag. And the executive producer, Wait, wait, don't tell me. Is Mr. Hot Mike Danforth. Now, panel, what will be the last pharmaceutical ad we get to see in TV before they all go away? Brian Babylon.

[Brian Babylon]

It's going to be Handmaid's Plan B.

[Emmy Blotnick]

Emmy Blotnick Skativan. It gives you the relaxed confidence to jazz. Skat.

[Peter Sagal]

Peter Gross, Bone for Life.

[Peter Gross]

A pill you take just once that gives you an erection that never goes away for the rest of your life.

[Rhymefest]

And if any of that happens, panel, we'll ask you about it on Wait, Wait, don't tell.

[Peter Sagal]

Thank you, Dr. Victor Che Rinefest Smith. Thanks also to Brian Babylon, Emmy Blatnick and Peter Gross. Thanks to all of you here at the Studebaker Theater. You're fabulous. And thanks for all of you listening wherever you might be. I'm Peter Sagal. We'll see you next week from St. Louis, Missouri.

[Rhymefest]

Now show me what kind of hug you got.

[Peter Sagal]

This is npr.

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[Rhymefest]

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