Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! – Chip Caray (Sept 20, 2025)

Podcast: Wait Wait... Don’t Tell Me!
Host: Peter Sagal (NPR)
Guest: Chip Caray (St. Louis Cardinals announcer)
Panelists: Dulcé Sloan, Adam Felber, Rachel Koster
Location: Fox Theater, St. Louis, Missouri

Episode Overview

This lively episode of NPR’s “Wait Wait... Don’t Tell Me!” brings a packed house to the Fox Theater in St. Louis, serving its classic blend of news, improv comedy, and audience interaction. The show kicks off with panel quizzes on the week's wackiest news, spotlighting head-scratching headlines and bringing comedic takes from the panelists. The centerpiece is a playful, insightful interview with Chip Caray, the renowned Cardinals broadcaster and member of the sportscasting Carey dynasty. Sports history, pop culture, and sharp gags collide in a thoroughly entertaining installment for news junkies, comedy fans, and baseball buffs alike.

Key Segments & Highlights

1. Warm Welcome from St. Louis (00:46–01:37)

• Peter Sagal, newly back in St. Louis, acknowledges the Cubs clinching a playoff berth but promises, as a gentleman, not to gloat to the Cardinals crowd.
• Playful ribbing:
  • Peter Sagal: "As a Chicagoan, but as a gentleman, I am not going to bring up with [Chip Caray] that the Cubs just clinched a playoff berth." (01:09)

2. “Who’s Chioki This Time?” Quiz: Quirky Weekly News (03:09–09:25)

• Contestant: Ellie from St. Louis
• Notable questions and answers:
  • Ben & Jerry’s Jerry Resigns: Jerry Greenfield leaves due to disagreement with corporate policies.
    • Peter Sagal: “Jerry Greenfield is leaving because Unilever won’t let him express his political opinions.” (03:23)
    • Adam Felber: "Who wants to order a pint of Garcia?" (04:04)
    • Panel jokes on Ben & Jerry’s political flavors and “White Chocolate Supremacy.”
  • Skinny Jeans Are Back: The panel laments the return of skinny jeans as the latest fashion trend.
    • Dulcé Sloan: “Skinny jeans are only a single skinny woman's problem. Those jeans are skinny when I put them on, baby.” (06:11)
    • Panel roasts fashion magazines, claiming they exist to “terrorize white women.” (06:53–07:13)
  • AI Language Translating AirPods: AI-enabled instant language translation; panel jokes about real-world usefulness.
    • Dulcé Sloan: “If all I can get is input but I can't provide any output, I still can't communicate.” (08:44)
    • Adam Felber: Jokes about cats’ possible opinions via AirPods translation. (09:08)

3. Odd News in the Bluff the Listener (14:43–20:17)

• Theme: Creative reuse and recycling in the news
• Stories pitched:
  • Rachel Koster: Woman makes quilts from hoodies left by former dates (Fake)
  • Dulcé Sloan: Elton John turns his old kneecaps into jewelry (Real)
    • Quote, real audio: “In a thousand years, this will be Elton John's kneecap.” (19:45)
  • Adam Felber: Montana farmer uses Lego bricks to repel bears (Fake)
• Winner: Kaylee from Colorado correctly guesses Elton John’s golden kneecap jewelry is true.

4. "Not My Job" Interview: Chip Caray (20:17–30:42)

Chip Caray’s Broadcasting Family Legacy

• Chip Carey's backstory: Third in a line of sports broadcasters, all named Harry, going back to grandfather Harry Carey of Cardinals (and Cubs) fame.
  • Quote – Chip Caray: "My dad is or was Harry Carey Jr. I'm Harry Carey III. ... The first one who popped out [of my twins] got the name. He's Harry IV." (21:31)
• On Nepotism:
  • Chip Caray: “Nepotism. The practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives... Especially by giving them jobs. It’s on my screensaver!” (22:32)
  • Peter Sagal, dryly: "Don't have to be good. You just gotta pop out of the right place." (22:52)
• Family Lore: Harry Carey tricks his son into broadcasting, the family’s unusual route into the business, and the Caray’s renaming saga.
• Dulcé Sloan sums up:
  • Dulcé Sloan: “I have absolutely no idea what is happening right now... but I can say the way you have explained all of these things. I am so glad you use your powers for good.” (24:50)
• Imitating Grandpa Harry Carey:
  • Chip Caray (as Harry Carey): "He's kissing her on the strikes, she's kissing him on the balls." (26:21)
    (Story of a real on-air moment from the late, great Harry Carey)
• Game Segment: Chip answers trivia about Catholic cardinals; the St. Louis audience gleefully helps him.
  • Great crowd moment when Chip plays along with the audience guesses.

5. Rapid Fire Oddities & Laughs (Multiple Segments)

• Corvette Recall: Supercar owners are warned cars may explode when refueling; panel riffs on midlife crises. (09:39–11:28)
• Bear Repelling Legos: (Bluff the Listener, Adam Felber) A viral story about farmers repurposing Legos to fend off wildlife.
• Aston Martin’s $3,000 Baby Stroller: Panelists amuse over over-the-top luxury parenting gear.
  • Peter Sagal: “What parent wouldn’t pay that for a stroller with an ejector seat?” (39:05)
• Sunscreen-Flavored Ice Cream: Reality. Carnival x Van Leeuwen. (“Sunscreen” - 41:09)
• Costco Prosecco Exploding Bottles: Unopened bottles may burst—Peter admits to drinking inside the store. (37:08)
• Geysers plugged by tourist hats: Yellowstone officials battle fashion at Old Faithful. (41:50)

6. Panel Banter & Running Jokes

• Skinny jeans: A thematic through-line, returned to for callbacks and closing gags.
• Fashion magazines:
  • Dulcé Sloan: "All Vogue magazine does is terrorize white women... that's what these fashion magazines are for!" (06:53)
• Job stress in tech:
  • Rachel Koster (on startup founders): “They seem, honestly, awesome. Yeah, I’d love to chill out with them.”
  • Peter Sagal: "But they don’t chill out." (36:25–36:32)
• Doctor’s ‘comfort break’ is actually a tryst:
  • Peter Sagal: “As the Hippocratic oath says, first, do no harm. Second, you do. You do her.” (34:13)
• Humpty Dumpty theft:
  • Peter Sagal: “But things got way worse when a bunch of horses showed up to try to put him back together.” (45:17)

7. Lightning Fill-in-the-Blank & Finale (44:14–49:12)

• The panel races through bizarre headlines: Trump’s travels, emotional support alligators, police slow chases, and a shih tzu rescued from a gator.
• Dulcé, Adam, and Rachel all compete; Adam Felber wins the week!
• Classic closer: Panelists riff on the future of jeans:
  • Rachel Koster: "Spray 'em on so they're tighter."
  • Adam Felber: "Elastic briefs...everything below turns blue." (50:32)
  • Dulcé Sloan: "If they're my jeans, you're dead." (50:39)

Memorable Quotes & Timestamps

• “[Skinny jeans] are only a single skinny woman's problem. Those jeans are skinny when I put them on, baby.” – Dulcé Sloan, (06:11)
• “All Vogue magazine does is terrorize white women... that’s what all these fashion magazines are for, right? ... And older gay men terrorizing young white women.” – Dulcé Sloan, (06:53)
• “Nepotism. ... It’s on my screensaver!” – Chip Caray, (22:32)
• “I wish I could say I picked my own nickname. Sadly, it was the old proverbial ‘chip off the old block.’” – Chip Caray, (22:12)
• “[Harry Carey] tricked my dad into getting into the business... [He] called every bartender in town and said, Skip’s done at 9:45. Call the station and tell him how great he was.” – Chip Caray, (23:35)
• “I have absolutely no idea what is happening right now... but I am so glad you use your powers for good.” – Dulcé Sloan, (24:50)
• “[Harry Carey] said, ‘He's kissing her on the strikes, she's kissing him on the balls.’” – Chip Caray, impersonating his grandfather, (26:21)
• “Do no harm. Second, you do. You do her.” – Peter Sagal, on Hippocratic Oath, (34:13)
• “[Costco wine bottles] might spontaneously... explode. Why does everything keep exploding?” – Dulcé Sloan, (37:08)
• “But things got way worse when a bunch of horses showed up to try to put him back together.” – Peter Sagal, on Humpty Dumpty, (45:17)
• “If they're my jeans, you're dead.” – Dulcé Sloan, on the future of jeans, (50:39)

Show’s Signature Tone

The episode maintains "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!"'s signature irreverent, quick-witted, and playful tone. Smart, sharp, and rarely missing a punchline, the panelists’ banter veers from sly to silly, with the live St. Louis audience energizing the whole event. The Chip Caray interview strikes a breezy, affable note—self-deprecating about nepotism, loose with behind-the-scenes baseball stories, and fully in on the family joke.

For First-Time Listeners

This episode is a perfect sampler: witty news coverage, pop culture juxtapositions, stripes of genuine interview warmth, and uproarious improv. You’ll get the flavor of topical radio done right, with plenty of regionally flavored St. Louis love and no shortage of self-aware jabs, especially at American fashion, ice cream, and exploded consumer goods.

Listen For...

• The real story behind Elton John's knee jewelry (19:45)
• Family legends (and deep baritone “wa-wa”s) with Chip Caray (20:52–26:02)
• The origin and fate of “skinny jeans are back” and why nobody’s safe
• Why the Humpty Dumpty statue was never truly safe at the mini golf course (45:17)
• Dulcé Sloan’s histrionics about Vogue, anesthesiologists, and the latest news oddities