WWDTM: Instant Nostalgia Edition

Summary

Podcast Summary: Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! – "Instant Nostalgia Edition"

Introduction

In the "Instant Nostalgia Edition" of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, NPR's beloved news quiz show hosted by Peter Sagal takes listeners on a delightful journey down memory lane. This special episode features engaging interviews with talented guests, lively quiz games, and plenty of humor, all curated to evoke fond memories and celebrate the past year's funniest moments.

---

Chapel Roan: From Local Talent to Pop Sensation

Introduction to Chapel Roan (00:59 - 02:22)

The episode kicks off with a vibrant introduction of Chapel Roan, portrayed by Kaylee Rose Amstutz—a former teenager local celebrity from Missouri who transformed into the charismatic pop star, Chapel Roan. Peter Sagal humorously comments, "I call it Columbo Day to celebrate our heritage of rumpled detectives" (00:59), setting a playful tone for the segment.

Career Transformation and Persona (02:22 - 05:10)

Chapel Roan discusses her evolution from Kaylee Rose, who gained fame through YouTube and local performances, to her alter ego, Chapel Roan. "Chapel's just the drag version of me," she explains (02:44), highlighting the contrast between her two personas. This transformation enabled her to explore a more outgoing and flamboyant side, albeit tiring at times: "It's quite exhausting to be Chapel" (02:59).

Musical Influences and Breakthrough (05:10 - 07:34)

Chapel reminisces about her early musical influences, initially limited to Christian rock before discovering Kesha. "When the girls at school started singing 'Blow' by Kesha, I was like, oh, holy crap," she recalls (04:31). This exposure broadened her musical horizons, leading to her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, which became a massive hit.

Impact on Hometown and Community (06:01 - 07:34)

Chapel shares her feelings about her hometown's reaction to her success. Initially, she feared backlash, but instead, her rise fostered a vibrant queer community and brought her closer to her roots. "It has brought out all these queer people and people I've never met to come to my shows," she notes (06:02).

Engaging in Pop Culture and Drag (07:34 - 08:08)

Chapel expresses her love for drag performances, stating, "I've never seen someone in person do it, but I've seen videos and they're always incredible" (07:54). This connection to drag underscores her appreciation for diverse performance art.

Quiz Game: "Hot Food to Go" (08:08 - 11:28)

Chapel participates in the quiz game "Hot Food to Go," where she answers questions about unique international food carts and takeout phenomena. Demonstrating her knowledge, she correctly identifies real food carts like the "Kitchen of the Unwanted Animal in Amsterdam" (09:30) and explains the concept of Scotland's "Munchie Box"—a comprehensive takeout meal option (10:25). Her perfect performance earns her top marks: "You got them all right. Congratulations" (11:24).

Notable Quotes:

• "Chapel's just the drag version of me." (02:44)
• "It's quite exhausting to be Chapel." (02:59)
• "I've never seen someone in person do it, but I've seen videos and they're always incredible." (07:54)

---

David Alan Grier and Janet Yellen: A Dynamic Duo

Introduction and Joint Interview (14:05 - 22:58)

The show continues with a special segment featuring comedian and actor David Alan Grier alongside Janet Yellen, the Secretary of the Treasury. Hosted by Chapel Roan, the duo engages in a humorous and insightful conversation, blending politics and comedy seamlessly.

David Alan Grier's Anecdotes (15:00 - 17:58)

David shares a personal story about his attempts to prepare for smoking marijuana in college, humorously detailing his struggles with inhaling cigarettes: "I couldn't inhale, I was coughing. I thought, well, I'm not prepared" (16:23). He reflects on overcoming this habit after years of dependency: "That took me a decade to quit" (17:38).

Janet Yellen's Insights (14:24 - 15:00)

Janet Yellen provides a glimpse into her role as the Secretary of the Treasury, explaining the importance of maintaining the safety and attractiveness of U.S. debt: "We make sure that our debt is safe and liquid and attractive to Americans and all around the world" (14:33). Her participation underscores the show's commitment to blending serious topics with lighthearted interaction.

Interactive Quiz: "It's Treasury" (19:11 - 22:58)

Chapel Roan moderates a Treasury-themed quiz game titled "It's Treasury," challenging Janet Yellen on topics related to the Antiques Roadshow. Questions range from the consequences of fake artifacts on the Chinese version of the show to memorable moments like Andy McConnell's notorious wine tasting incident. Yellen impressively answers correctly, "You're absolutely right," (21:19) showcasing her sharp intellect in a relaxed setting.

Notable Quotes:

• "Let's try B." (16:23)
• "A confluence of policy and humor makes for an engaging conversation." (Implied through interactions)

---

Tom Papa and David Alan Grier: Comedy Legends

Introduction to Tom Papa (23:01 - 30:39)

The episode features comedian Tom Papa, who shares anecdotes from his extensive career in comedy and acting. Chapel Roan delves into his journey, highlighting missed opportunities like almost joining Forrest Gump: "I am not... if I'm going to play a mentally challenged character, I'm not going to be the mentally challenged lead" (25:04).

Behind-the-Scenes Stories (24:01 - 27:03)

Tom discusses how he earned the nickname "Dag" from Adolph Caesar during the original Broadway cast of A Soldier's Play: "He looked at me and said, dang, that's your name, boy" (26:30). This personal touch adds depth to his character and showcases his long-standing relationships in the industry.

Quiz Game: "Dag Meet the Wags" (27:10 - 30:39)

Chapel Roan hosts "Dag Meet the Wags," a quiz focused on the lives of famous WAGs (wives and girlfriends of athletes). Tom Papa impressively answers questions about Victoria Beckham's early career and Ciara's humorous concert mishaps, demonstrating his vast knowledge of pop culture. David Alan Grier also participates, securing victories by answering correctly: "A television series called Vardy v. Rooney, a courtroom drama" (30:20).

Notable Quotes:

• "He put his makeup on, and it stuck from there on through." (26:30)
• "Don't ask me if I tell you to go somewhere. Go the other way." (25:09)

---

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt: Culinary Innovator

Introduction to J. Kenji Lopez-Alt (40:32 - 49:36)

Renowned chef and food writer J. Kenji Lopez-Alt takes the stage, sharing his journey from starting as a prep cook to becoming a celebrated culinary expert. He discusses his passion for science and how it intertwines with his culinary creations: "Science was my first love. And I think science, my first love was Don Herbert, Mr. Wizard" (42:14).

Balancing Career and Family (42:34 - 43:37)

Kenji opens up about balancing his demanding career with fatherhood, humorously describing his children as "the real house" while working from a kitchen: "It's balancing working in a kitchen where you're also trying to feed a family" (43:18). His candidness provides a relatable glimpse into the life of a busy parent.

Cultural Fusion in Cooking (44:05 - 45:28)

Kenji explores cross-cultural culinary experiments, such as combining Italian pasta with a wok stir-fry. This innovative approach both excites and concerns traditionalists, as he recounts a viewer's anxious call from her Italian grandmother: "I don't know. I like to tell people if I find something good to eat and I like to share that" (44:07).

Interactive Quiz: "Serious Eats, Meet Serious Feats" (45:19 - 49:36)

Chapel Roan engages Kenji in "Serious Eats, Meet Serious Feats," a quiz focusing on famous athletes' significant achievements. Kenji excels, correctly answering questions about football kickers and soccer players, further cementing his versatility and quick wit. His performance highlights his deep knowledge of both culinary arts and sports trivia.

Notable Quotes:

• "They get better with age." (42:50)
• "I trained extracurricularly. I went home and practiced with rocks and worms and stuff like that." (41:34)
• "I find them bearable right now." (43:16)

---

Conclusion and Acknowledgements

As the episode wraps up, Chapel Roan expresses heartfelt gratitude to all participants and the production team. Special thanks are extended to individuals behind the scenes, including writers, producers, and technical staff, ensuring the show's seamless delivery. Peter Sagal signs off with enthusiasm, promising more engaging content in future episodes.

Final Remarks:

• "Thank you so much for being here. Say goodbye to Tiffany, everyone." (40:32)
• "We'll be back with a new show next week." (50:52)

---

Notable Moments and Quotes:

1. Chapel Roan on Transformation:

   • "Chapel's just the drag version of me." (02:44)
   • "It's quite exhausting to be Chapel." (02:59)

2. David Alan Grier's Anecdote:

   • "That took me a decade to quit." (17:38)

3. Tom Papa's Insights:

   • "Don't ask me if I tell you to go somewhere. Go the other way." (25:09)

4. J. Kenji Lopez-Alt on Cooking and Family:

   • "Science was my first love. And I think science, my first love was Don Herbert, Mr. Wizard." (42:14)
   • "It's balancing working in a kitchen where you're also trying to feed a family." (43:18)

---

Overall Impression

The "Instant Nostalgia Edition" of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! masterfully blends humor, nostalgia, and insightful interviews. By featuring diverse guests like Chapel Roan, David Alan Grier, Janet Yellen, Tom Papa, and J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, the episode offers a rich tapestry of stories and experiences that resonate with a wide audience. The interactive quiz segments add an engaging layer, making the show both entertaining and intellectually stimulating. Whether you're a long-time listener or new to the podcast, this episode delivers memorable moments and laughs, embodying the spirit of instant nostalgia.

Transcript

[Bill Curtis]

This message comes from noom. Using psychology and biology to build personal meal plans to fit your lifestyle, taking into account dietary restrictions, medical issues and other personal needs. Sign up for your trial [e-mail].

[Peter Sagal]

From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, wait, Don't tell me, the NPR News Quiz. I'm the man whose voice sticks to your ribs. I'm Bill Curtis, and here is your host at the Studebaker Theater in downtown Chicago, Illinois, Peter Sagal.

[Chapel Roan]

Thank you, Bill. Thank you, everybody. Thank you so much. We are off for the holiday, which we used to call Columbus Day to celebrate the European discovery of America. And we now call it Indigenous Peoples Day to celebrate the people who, you know, were actually living here.

[Peter Sagal]

Personally, I call it Columbo Day to celebrate our heritage of rumpled detectives.

[Chapel Roan]

No matter what you call it, we're going to celebrate with some of the best interviews we did during the past year, plus some other special treats for you.

[Peter Sagal]

Chapel Roan got her first record deal after posting cover songs to YouTube and then went on to release a debut album that made her a superstar.

[Chapel Roan]

Now, I'm going to be honest, when I was told she was going to be our guest, I had no idea who she was. But by the end of that week in April of this year when she joined us, I had become a huge fan.

[Peter Sagal]

So you can imagine how great Peter felt about making her uncomfortable right off the bat.

[Chapel Roan]

Kaylee Rose Amstutz was a teenager who became a local celebrity in her hometown in Missouri, singing her songs at festivals and on YouTube. But then Kaylee created the Persona of Chapel Roan, and Chapel Roan's first album, the Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, became a monster hit. And now she's become one of the biggest pop stars around. Chapel Roan, welcome to. Wait, wait, don't tell me. Thank you. You're welcome.

That's a crazy intro.

It is. I mean, is it not true? I mean, you're pretty big. I guess you're pretty big time Chapel.

I'm like a random girl. I don't feel like any of the things off putting that you said my full name.

Oh, I'm sorry. No more of that. No more of that. We shall not. Well, I won't mention that name, but the story I told, I hope is true, that you were performing under your own name and then you became Chapel Roan. And can you tell me, well, can you tell me why, like who is Chapel and how is she different from that other person who I won't name?

I mean, Chapel's just The drag version of me, I would say she's quite outgoing and has no issue being loud and proud. It's quite exhausting, to be honest.

Really?

[Audience Member]

Who are we talking to right now? Like, who is.

[Chapel Roan]

Just so we know who is.

I'm gonna say 60. 40.

60, 40. So, like, when you're done being Chapel for the day, until some dumb radio show wants to talk to you about it, what do you do? Do you just, like, change your clothes? Do you put Chapel away? Is there, like, a ritual you do just to say, okay, I'm not Chapel anymore? How do you keep it separate if it's so exhausting to be Chapel?

Yeah, I just scream into my pillow and then take off all my makeup and watch Drag Race.

Yeah, sure. But other people do drag for a while. Did you have to come out as Chapel to the people who knew you because you were very young when Chappell first sort of was conjured up, Right?

Well, I thankfully wasn't very successful as Kaylee Rose, so nobody really knew the difference, to be honest, and it stuck pretty quickly.

Were you inspired by anybody? Well, let me ask you about your musical influences. Who were you listening to as a kid when you started to make your own music?

I was listening to Christian rock music only, and I found Kesha, and I was like, oh, my God.

Okay. All right. So you said you were listening to Christian rock exclusively, and then. And then, like, how did you come across Kesha?

At school.

Right.

People were talking about it.

[Bill Curtis]

Right.

[Chapel Roan]

They were singing. I was in seventh or eighth grade, and all these girls were like. They're like, oh, do you know the song Blow by Kesha? And I was like, no, what is it? And they're like, blow. And I was like, oh, holy crap. Holy crap.

Like that. Nice save there. Nice save there, Chapel. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. And, like, is that when it. All your brain sort of went into. I feel like it was like going in. When Dorothy Lynn's in Oz and it's in color. Right. You sort of saw the world differently.

Yeah, it was like glitter and, like, freaking stockings ripped up the sides, like, just.

It's just insane.

I loved it so much.

We heard a great story that when you signed your first record contract, they announced it at your high school over the paper. That true? Do you remember? Were you there? Were you listening when they said it?

Yep.

What did they say?

Well, first they said, like, there's, like, a senior football player that got signed to Mizzou, which is a Missouri. It's like, Missouri University.

[Audience Member]

Yes.

[Chapel Roan]

They're like, congratulations, Forrest. Just signed to Mizzou F1 Football La La. And everyone was like, woo. And they're like, oh, yeah. Congratulations. Kaylee Amstetz signed with Atlantic Records. We are having pizza for lunch today.

Milk pizzas.

It was like that quickly, and I was just like, oh, my God, literally, why did they do that? And then people thought I was lying, which is valid.

There's a video for one of your songs, Hot to Go, which I love again. And in that video, Chapel goes back to Missouri in Springfield, and it opens with you teaching the how to Go dance to your grandparents. And I have two questions, which is, first, how did they do with the dance? And secondly, what has your hometown like, felt about Chapel, now that you've gone pretty big? I mean, you're playing Coachella, you're opening for Olivia Rodrigo.

My grandparents did their best. And then my hometown, my hometown, I was prepared to be run out of town because, I don't know, it's pretty wild what I'm bringing to the table. But it has brought out all these queer people and like, people I've never met or seen and to come to my shows. And it's made me appreciate my hometown so much more and realize like, oh, my God, they were here this whole time. I just didn't know.

You refer to Chapel as drag and you love drag performers. In fact, many of your shows open with drag performers, right? Have you ever had the thrill of seeing a drag performer, hopefully a good one, do one of your songs, like lip sync to you?

Well, I love Bad Drag, first of all.

Okay, there's no bad drag. There's good drag, bad drag. It's all great.

I've never seen someone in person do it, but I've seen videos and they're always. I mean, they serve. They're incredible.

Right? Well, Chapel Roan, it is absolutely a thrill to talk to you, but we have some business to do. We've asked you here to play a game that this time we're calling Hot Food to Go. So one of your big hits is Hot to Go, which inspired us to ask you about takeout food. Answer two to three questions about takeout and to win our prize for one of our listeners, the voice of anyone they might like from our show. Bill, who is Chapel roan playing for?

[Peter Sagal]

10 year old Gordon Draper of Des Moines, Iowa.

[Chapel Roan]

Okay, so you're playing for a 10 year old. That's unusual. It's unusual for us. Here we go. Here's your first question. Food carts, of course, a great way to get food to go. Which of These is a real food cart. You can get food from somewhere in the world. Was it a cicada barrata, which shows up whenever a cicada brood emerges and serves them deep fried with, of course, cheese? B, kitchen of the unwanted animal in Amsterdam, a cart that exclusively serves stew made from geese killed by cars. Or C, sewer softies, which serves soft ice cream through a sewer grate below the curb on Yamhill street in Portland, Oregon.

I think B is real.

Your fans here think it's B. I think it's B. It is B. Everybody's right. Yes. B. And they say it's pretty good goose stew. So if you're next time in Amsterdam, stop by your next question. You're doing great. Plenty of fast food lovers dream of trying the options from other countries, including those served in Scotland, where something called the munchie box is a popular takeout item. What is a munchie box? A, it's the Scottish equivalent of a Happy Meal, except instead of a toy, kids get a side of haggis. B, it's a single box stuffed with kebabs, fried chicken, a whole pizza, chicken tikka masala, samosas, onion rings, chow mein noodles, naan bread, garlic bread, and for the health conscious, coleslaw. Or C, the munchie box is something we are not allowed to say on npr.

[Audience Member]

B.

[Chapel Roan]

B is right. Yes.

[Peter Sagal]

Good for you.

[Chapel Roan]

Correct answer. It's everything you've ever wanted to eat at once. All right, last question. American fast food restaurants are banned in Iran, but business owners in that country have found a workaround. They just create restaurants with similar menus and names, but they're changed slightly. So which of these is a real rip off of a American fast food restaurant they've got in Iran? A Mash Donald's B, Pizza Hat. Or C? Kfd.

Oh, my God. B.

[Audience Member]

B.

[Chapel Roan]

You're going to go for B. You're right. They're all real. They're all real. They're all real. They're all restaurants you can go to in Iran.

[Audience Member]

Pizza Hat.

[Chapel Roan]

Pizza Hat. Oh, let's go down to Pizza Hat and get a pizza. That's what they have. Bill, how did Chapel Roan do on our quiz?

[Peter Sagal]

Brilliant. She's gone to the top of the Michelin list. Chapel, congratulations.

[Chapel Roan]

You got them all right. Congratulations. Thank you, thank you, thank you. So Chapel Roan's new single is Good Luck Bab. Her album is the rise and fall of a Midwest princess. Chapel Rome. What an absolute joy to meet you. Thank you for everything you've done and everything you're going to do. And thanks for being on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Give it up for Chapel. When we come back, we talk to comedian and actor David Alan Grier and the Secretary of the Treasury, Janet Yellen reveals her secret pastime. That's when we come back with more Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me from npr.

[Bill Curtis]

This message comes from Schwab. It's easy to invest in ideas you believe in with Schwab investing themes like online music and videos, artificial intelligence and electric vehicles. Choose from over 40 customizable themes.

[Janet Yellen]

[e-mail] this message comes from BetterHelp. It's important to take time to show gratitude towards others, but it's equally important to thank yourself. Life throws a lot of curveballs, and being grateful isn't always easy. Therapy can help remind you of all that you're worthy of and all that you do have. Let the gratitude flow with BetterHelp. [e-mail] NPR today to get 10% off.

[Chapel Roan]

Your first month support for this podcast. And the following message come from Autograph Collection hotels, offering over 300 independent hotels around the world, each exactly like nothing else. Hand selected for their inherent craft, each hotel tells its own unique story through distinctive design and immersive experiences, from medieval falconry to volcanic wine tasting. Autograph Collection is part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio of over 30 hotel brands around the world.

[Bill Curtis]

Find the [e-mail] this message comes from Carvana. With Carvana Value Tracker, you can track your car's value anytime, anywhere. Carvana will even let you know when your car's value changes with updated emails. However you value your car, know its worth with Carvana Value Tracker.

[Peter Sagal]

From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, don't tell Me, the NPR News quiz. I'm Bill Curtis, and here is your host at the Studebaker Theater in downtown Chicago, Illinois, Peter Sagal.

[Chapel Roan]

Thank you, Bill. We are taking this week off to celebrate those brave adventurers who risked it all to create the idea of long weekends.

[Peter Sagal]

Here's to you daring authors of the Uniform Monday Holiday act of 1968.

[Chapel Roan]

And while we do that, we thought we'd bring back some of our more interesting interviews of the year. In January, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen came to Chicago to make an important policy speech. At least that's what she told people.

[Peter Sagal]

We know she really came to town to join us on stage because, hey, even economists like to have fun.

[Chapel Roan]

She joined us along with guest judge and scorekeeper Chioki Iansen, what is it exactly that you do? Because honestly, I don't know, we just assume that, like you write the checks like when we buy a missile. I honestly don't know.

[David Alan Grier]

Well, that is one of our responsibilities, really, and to make sure that our debt is safe and liquid and attractive to Americans and all around the world.

[Chapel Roan]

All right, more questions about your job. Inflation.

[Audience Member]

Was that you?

[David Alan Grier]

Not me.

[Chapel Roan]

Not you.

[David Alan Grier]

No, not my fault.

[Chapel Roan]

No, no, not you.

[David Alan Grier]

That's a fence job.

[Chapel Roan]

That used to be you. Interestingly enough, I was watching an interview you did about a year ago where you were asked about all the predictions at that time of a recession. And you said in that interview that you did not think that would happen by this time. You, of course, were correct. So would you like to take this opportunity to spike the ball?

[David Alan Grier]

Well, I said I told you so, exactly. For example, and Newt was right.

[Chapel Roan]

Listening to her. Larry Summers. Now, we wanted to get a little bit bit into your background. We were told that one of your secrets to your success is that you always over prepare. Including a story we heard about how you prepared to smoke dope for the first time in college. Can you please inform us how you prepared for that particular challenge?

[David Alan Grier]

Well, you know, I had never smoked marijuana before. It was the summer before I was going to college and my roommate said she hid some marijuana and we should have a party and smoke marijuana.

[Chapel Roan]

This, of course, was this renowned party school, Yale.

[David Alan Grier]

Well, you know, I worried about that because I had never smoked anything in my life. You know, as you said, I liked, I like to be prepared. I always try to prepare when I can. And I thought, how can I prepare for this experience? Well, why don't I buy a pack of cigarettes and try to smoke them and see if I can inhale? Because I was told you can't really enjoy marijuana unless you inhale. So I bought a pack of cigarettes, I started smoking them. Horrible. It was a horrible experience. I couldn't inhale, I was coughing. I thought, well, I'm not prepared. I have to work harder at this. So I bought some more cigarettes and all week preparing for this party, I smoked cigarettes. Well, then I went to the party, had some, smoked a couple of marijuana cigarettes. Well, I never did that again. But you know, what happened to me was within a couple of months, I was up to three packs a day as a smuggler.

[Audience Member]

Really? Wow.

[David Alan Grier]

That took me a decade, decade to quit.

[Chapel Roan]

We are also reliably informed that among your enthusiasms, in addition to macroeconomic policy, is mobile games.

[David Alan Grier]

There is some truth in that.

[Chapel Roan]

There's some truth in that. Okay. Specifically, in case everybody wants to know, Candy Crush.

[Audience Member]

Yes.

[David Alan Grier]

Candy Crush is a new game I've taken up only a year or so ago.

[Audience Member]

Right.

[David Alan Grier]

Somebody was writing a book about me and they heard that I was interested in games, and they said, did you play Candy Crush? And I. Candy Crush, Are you kidding? I wouldn't play a game like Candy Crush. And, well, wait a minute.

[Chapel Roan]

You were like a woman of my distinction played Candy Crush?

[David Alan Grier]

Something as silly as Candy Crush.

[Chapel Roan]

Please, don't you know who I am?

And then.

[David Alan Grier]

Exactly. And then I thought, well, you know, maybe I should just look and see what the show.

[Chapel Roan]

What's the. Have a puff. You're not going to get addicted.

[David Alan Grier]

I didn't get addicted. You know, I'll just play a couple of levels.

[Chapel Roan]

Sure.

[David Alan Grier]

Yeah. This morning I hit level 6180.

[Chapel Roan]

Do you have a secret for Candy Crush?

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Audience Member]

Marijuana cigarettes.

[Chapel Roan]

Yeah.

[David Alan Grier]

If he gets stuck, it always helps.

[Chapel Roan]

Yeah, I know. Yeah. Well, Secretary Yellen, it is an honor for us to be able to speak to you. We're very glad you took the time, particularly because we have asked you here to play a game we're calling It's.

[Bill Curtis]

Not Quite Treasure, It's Treasury.

[David Alan Grier]

So that sounds like a good game for me.

[Chapel Roan]

There you are. Yes. Maybe this will be your next addiction. You're Secretary of the treasury, of course. So we're going to ask you about Antiques Roadshow. That is, of course, the very popular TV program. Will people bring their things that aren't quite treasure, but they're treasuree.

[Audience Member]

Right.

[Chapel Roan]

And they get them professionally appraised and they hope they're worth millions. You ever watched that show?

[David Alan Grier]

Many times.

[Chapel Roan]

Many times. So you know the idea. Okay. You get two of these three questions right, you will win our prize for one of our listeners, the voice of anyone they might choose for their voicemail. Chioqui, who is the Secretary of the treasury playing for?

[Bill Curtis]

Joe Sylvester of Merrimack, New Hampshire.

[Chapel Roan]

All right. For people who bring potential treasures onto the Roadshow, nothing is more disappointing than finding out that it is a fake. But there are many versions of the show around the world. And on the Chinese version of the show, what occurs when that happens? Is it, A, the item is used for another separate show called Sell a Fake Artifact to a Westerner, B, the owner of the item who brought the thing to the show is arrested on charges of attempted fraud, or C, the host of the show immediately smashes the fake item with a hammer.

[David Alan Grier]

I would try.

[Chapel Roan]

C, you try Smash it with a hammer. You Are correct? Yes. The host of the show roams the set with a hammer, and when something is discovered to be a fake, he comes over and bam. Okay, next question. Appraisers are not always right on the show, amazingly enough. Which was the case for a glass Expert named Andy McConnell, who on the British version of the show took a sip of what he thought was 150 year old port out of an antique bottle, only to discover later it was what? A, a solution of opium and cocaine, B, diet Dr. Pepper or a 150-year-old mix of human urine and Rusty.

[David Alan Grier]

I'll go with A.

[Chapel Roan]

You're gonna go with a dissolution of opium, cocaine? I understand why you would say that. They used to do that. Well, given your predilections, I guess. But no, it was actually C. I knew it. That's what it was. I knew it. The appraiser, he said, well, this 150 year old port. It turns out that more than a century before, someone had filled this antique bottle with what they hoped was a potion to keep witches away.

[David Alan Grier]

Nice.

[Chapel Roan]

There you are. All right, now, you still haven't lost. You have one more question. Fans of the program have created an Antiques Roadshow drinking game in which you drink every time. What happens A, whenever jewelry expert Jeffrey Munn breathlessly references Faberge? B, whenever someone says, well, we'll still enjoy it after finding out their item is worthless. Or C, whenever an expert tells someone how much more their item would be worth if they hadn't had it refinished?

[David Alan Grier]

I will go with C. You're going.

[Chapel Roan]

To go with C again. You're right, but they are all true. Those are all genuine Antiques Roadshow drinking games. Enjoy them all at once, why don't you? Of course. Shoki. How did the Treasury Secretary do on our quiz?

[Bill Curtis]

She Candy crushed it.

[Chapel Roan]

Janet Yellen is the Secretary of the treasury of the United States of America and among the top 2% of players globally. Uncandy Crush. Secretary Yellen, we are so honored to have you with us. Thank you so much.

[David Alan Grier]

Thank you very much. Thank you very much.

[Chapel Roan]

Secretary Janet Yellen, everybody. In March of this year, along with special guest judge and scorekeeper Andy Richter, we spoke to David Allen Greer, an actor and comedian who's done pretty much everything a performer can do and whose latest project was a movie called the American Society of Magical Negroes.

[Peter Sagal]

In fact, he'd done so many different things, we didn't know which one we should talk about.

[Chapel Roan]

I asked this question of a lot of the performers we have on the show, and I can usually Guess the answer in your case, I simply can't. When you walk down the street, you've done so many things for so many years in so many different genres. What are you most often recognized for?

[Tom Papa]

In Living Color. Yeah, absolutely.

[Peter Sagal]

Hands down.

[Chapel Roan]

And I. Until this weekend, I started looking into it because I had myself known you from that and all the comedy stuff you've done since then. I did not know that you were like a serious theater guy. So how did a serious theater guy end up, like, blowing up on this hilarious sketch show?

[Tom Papa]

You know, what happened was I met a comedian, an actor named Robert Townsend, when we did Soldier Story, and I went out to la. He introduced me to Keenan Ivory Wayans and the die was cast. But I was dissuaded by my agents. Nobody wanted me to do it. I didn't listen to them, and the rest was history.

[Chapel Roan]

There you go, man.

[Tom Papa]

Yeah.

[Chapel Roan]

You said a moment ago about being up for a role and your agent telling you not to do it. What's interesting about David Alan Grier is if you look for stories about David Alan Grier, they will often be about the roles you did not get. For example, you auditioned for the part of George and Seinfeld.

[Tom Papa]

Yes, I read with Jerry Seinfeld. I read this episode and I thought, well, this isn't funny. Jerry can't act and it will never go anywhere.

[Chapel Roan]

Right.

[Tom Papa]

Yet again, I was right on all counts.

[Chapel Roan]

You were? Man, it's horrible.

[Tom Papa]

Don't ask me if I tell you to go somewhere. Go the other way.

[Chapel Roan]

You were also almost in Forrest Gump, right?

[Tom Papa]

Oh, yeah. Now this is even better. My manager sent me this script, Forrest Gump. I read it and I was like, I am not. If I'm going to play a mentally challenged character, I'm not going to be the mentally challenged sidekick. I need to be the mentally challenged lead. No, I will not audition. They kept sending the script. They kept calling. I said, no, I will not go in. About a year later, my manager and I were in New York City for something else. And she took me to the movies. And as the movie started, it was Forrest Gump and I was weeping within seven minutes. And I turned to her and I said, why didn't you? And she said, shut up. I sent you the script three times. So yet again, close the wrong door.

[Chapel Roan]

Oh, my gosh. I have to ask. This is because you again. I don't know if people know this Tony Award winning actor, right? Yes. Or if I'm not mistaken, the Tony came for the second go round with the soldiers play and Which.

[Tom Papa]

Yes.

[Chapel Roan]

When you were in that original cast of A soldier's play on Broadway with the esteemed actor Adolph Caesar, he gave you your nickname.

[Tom Papa]

He absolutely did give me my nickname. He came in the dressing room and he looked at me and said, dang, that's your name, boy. He sat down and put his makeup on, and it stuck from there on through.

[Chapel Roan]

Did he do that to everyone? Did he turn to, like, you know, Francis in the corner and say, you're Denzel and there he is? No.

[Tom Papa]

No, Peter, he never did that to anyone but me because I'm special.

[Chapel Roan]

You are. And you have. And you. And you have been known as Dag ever since, right?

[Tom Papa]

Yes. Absolutely right. Yes.

[Chapel Roan]

Okay, well, David Alan Grier, we've asked you here to play a game we're calling Dag Meet the Wags.

[Peter Sagal]

Ooh.

[Tom Papa]

Okay.

[Chapel Roan]

You, of course, as we established, are known as Dag. So we thought we'd ask you about famous Wags. That's the term that the British press came up with to describe the wives and girlfriends. Wag. Of famous athletes. Answer two of these three questions right, you'll win our prize for one of our listeners, the voice of anyone from the show they might choose on their voicemail. Andy, who is our Dag playing for? Pear Mooney of Bloomington, Indiana.

[Tom Papa]

May I just say, Pear Mooney.

[Chapel Roan]

You bout to win there. That's confidence. I like that. So if there was any sort of original Wag, it was Victoria Beckham, who, of course, married soccer star David beckham back in 1999. Before that, she was wildly successful, the of course, as one of the Spice Girls, but she was slightly less successful in what other job? A, as being one of the McCormick Spice Girls who handed out free samples at Costco. B, as a model for a British clothing company called White and Willowy, or C, as an extra on the BBC sex ed show Body Matters, where she played a sperm on roller skates.

[Tom Papa]

I'm gonna go with my gut. My final answer.

[Chapel Roan]

C. You're right. That's what it was. That's correct. She was, in fact, a roller skating sperm. All right, here's your next question. Pop star Ciara is married to NFL star Russell Wilson, but she was performing to sold out crowds for years before they met, and even that didn't go well for her. Like at one show where what happened? A, someone in the crowd started tackling other people to get to the front, and that man was Russell Wilson. B, there was a problem with a wardrobe change, so Sierra was forced to do half the concert in three dresses. Stacked on top of each other. Or C, she signed an autograph for someone in the audience without realizing they were actually legal documents and she had just been served.

[Tom Papa]

All right, I'm gonna say probably you're gonna say B.

[Chapel Roan]

No, it was C. It was C. She got served here. Could you sign this autograph? And she signed it to my biggest fan, I guess, you know. And turns out she was being served for legal paper. So. All right, you have one more chance. But it's fine because if you get this, you win. Colleen Rooney is the wife of English soccer legend Wayne Rooney, and she was involved in the greatest WAG scandal of all time. Happened in 2019. She accused another WAG of leaking stories about her Colleen to the press. And the other one sued Colleen for libel. It went to trial. This whole thing inspired which of these A, a television series called Vardy v. Rooney, a courtroom drama B, a BBC documentary called Wagspiracy, or C, a West End play called Wagatha? Wow.

[Tom Papa]

I'm going to go with A.

[Chapel Roan]

You're gonna go with A. A television series called Vardy v. Rooney, a courtroom drama. You're right because they were all real.

[Tom Papa]

Oh, great.

[Chapel Roan]

Okay, cool. Yes.

[Audience Member]

Wow.

[Chapel Roan]

Andy, how did David Alan Grier do in our quiz? Well, he won. He got two out of three and.

[Audience Member]

That'S all he needed.

[Chapel Roan]

That's all you need. David, you did it.

[Tom Papa]

I'm a winner.

[Audience Member]

You are.

[Chapel Roan]

David Alan Grier is a Tony winning actor who's movie the American Society of Magical Negroes is out now. David Allen Grier, thank you so much for joining us. What a joy to talk to you.

[Peter Sagal]

Bravo.

[Tom Papa]

I'm a big fan.

[Chapel Roan]

Oh, we are fans of yours. Thank you so much, David. Take care. When we come back, I take a sick day and wait. Wait gets a new papa. That's when we come back with more of Wait, Wait, don't tell me from npr.

[Bill Curtis]

This message comes from noom. Using psychology and biology to build personal meal plans to fit your lifestyle, taking into account dietary restrictions, medical issues and other personal needs. With daily lessons that are personalized to you and your goals. Noom's flexible program focuses on progress instead of perfection to help you build new habits for a healthier lifestyle. Sign up for your trial [e-mail] this message comes from Shipstation, your E commerce command center. Take control of your growing order volume with Shipstation's all in one shipping software that centralizes your fulfillment, automates repetitive tasks and delivers the best carrier rates all in one place. Integrate effortlessly with over 180e commerce platforms and marketplaces save time and scale efficiently with features like inventory synchronization. For a free 60 day trial, go to shipstation.com NPR.

[Peter Sagal]

From NPR in WBC Chicago, this is Wait, wait, don't tell me. The NPR News Quiz. I'm Bill Curtis. Here's your host at the Studebaker Theater and the Fine Arts Building in downtown Chicago, Illinois, Peter Sagal.

[Chapel Roan]

Thank you, Bill. Thank you. So everybody knows. Everybody knows what? If you go to work, you start to feel sick and then you test positive for Covid, you go home, you don't want to get any of your coworkers sick, even if you have flown all the way to Seattle to do a radio show in front of thousands of people.

[Peter Sagal]

So we flashed the host signal onto the cloudy skies of Seattle and Tom Papa answered from Los Angeles. Just a few hours later, he showed up and ran right from the airport onto the stage. Here are some highlights from that show.

[Tom Papa]

Luke.

[Audience Member]

This week, a man in Tennessee made the news when people discovered he'd sold his house and moved his family into a place where he'd previously spent a lot of time. Where?

[Luke Burbank]

A strip club?

[Audience Member]

No.

[Luke Burbank]

Okay, I'm pretty much out of ideas. Can I get a hint?

[Audience Member]

Sure. He had to move in before first period.

[Luke Burbank]

Oh, the school where he was a teacher?

[Audience Member]

He wasn't a teacher, but yes.

[Luke Burbank]

The school where he worked.

[Audience Member]

His old high school.

[Luke Burbank]

His old high school, yes, that's what I said.

[Audience Member]

Yeah. I'm giving it to you. Teacher's not here.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, right.

[Audience Member]

The school had been abandoned since 2006, so a former student bought it and moved his family in. It was all fun and nostalgic until his kids wouldn't let him sit with them at lunch. Did you like high school, Luke?

[Luke Burbank]

I went to high school for the first four years that was teaching us that the earth was literally 7,000 years old. And they also preached abstinence only education, which is why my 30 year old daughter is here with us at the Paramount Theater, because I am a walking example of how ineffective that is as a form of birth control. So I have mixed feelings about my time at North Seattle Christian.

[Audience Member]

It would be pretty cool to go there and, you know, get it on.

[Luke Burbank]

Did I, did I mention, Tom, my 30 year old daughter is here at the theater.

[Audience Member]

Hey.

[Chapel Roan]

Hey. I'm feeling kind of old school.

[Audience Member]

How about you? If you feeling how I'm feeling, this.

[Chapel Roan]

Is what you do.

[Audience Member]

Throw it up. Throw it up. Throw it.

[Janet Yellen]

This message comes from Midi Health. Women in midlife face a healthcare desert. But Midi is here to fill the gap Offering expert care for perimenopause and menopause covered by insurance Hot flashes, insomnia, brain fog, weight gain and moodiness don't have to be accepted as just another part of aging. Midi clinicians understand how these symptoms can connect to menopause and prescribe a wide range of solutions. Book your Visit [e-mail] that's join midi.com.

[Bill Curtis]

This message comes from Progressive. What if comparing car insurance rates was as easy as putting on your favorite podcast with Progressive, it is. Just visit their website to get a quote with all the coverages you want. You'll see Progressive's direct rate and their tool will provide options from other companies so you can compare. Then just choose the rate and coverage you like. Quote [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates comparison rates not available in all states or situations. Prices vary based on how you buy.

[Audience Member]

You can catch us most weeks back at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago or come see us on the road. I'll be there if Peter gets gout. For tickets and information about all our live shows, go to nprpresents.org hi, you're on. Wait, wait, don't tell me.

[Chapel Roan]

Hi, my name is Tiffany. I'm calling from Denver, Colorado. Ah.

[Audience Member]

How is Denver, Colorado? What do you do there?

[David Alan Grier]

It's good.

[Chapel Roan]

Weather is kind of crazy out here. It's still trying to, you know, figure out if it's snow season or drought season, I guess.

[Audience Member]

Yeah. What should it be? In olden times when weather was normal, what would may be like?

[Chapel Roan]

I haven't lived here long enough to tell you, but I think probably what it is right now. Still cold.

[Luke Burbank]

Is it possible it's the curse of Blucifer? The weather trouble? The fact that you have a 80 foot, demonic, anatomically correct blue horse by the airport named Lucifer? Did the weird stuff start after you erected that idol?

[Audience Member]

She just got there, Luke. Well, welcome to the show, Tiffany.

[David Alan Grier]

Thank you.

[Audience Member]

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 on two limericks, you're a winner.

[Peter Sagal]

Here's your first limerick saying Cheers for thanks. Isn't that odd? Wearing jumpers won't make me a fraud. Give my accent a break. I am not being fake. I've been changed after living abroad.

[Audience Member]

Yes, you got it. That's right, abroad. You know that dumb little accent your friend has when they come back from study abroad? Turns out it's real. Linguistics has just validated the worst person at your college who came back from Barcelona.

[David Alan Grier]

Ibiza. So fun to say.

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah, Calgary.

[Audience Member]

Oh, that one gets me every time.

[David Alan Grier]

Luke, you're not getting the game.

[Audience Member]

All right, here's your next limerick.

[Peter Sagal]

Leaving picnic trash is a grave sin. But this box is too large to fit in after lunch on the grass next to cardboard and glass. My used pizza box gets its own bin.

[Audience Member]

Yeah, that's right, bin. Last week, New York Central park conservatory installed a new recycling bin just for pizza boxes. There's never been a trash can so tailored to New Yorkers since the one that rented for $6,000 a month. The new receptacle is tall and square so you can stack pizza boxes flat instead of having to cram the pizza box into a little round hole. The same way you cram the pizza slice into your face hole. All right, here's your last limerick.

[Peter Sagal]

Young men who are not fully grown have a scent that makes most mortals moan. But most bodies spray keeps their classmates at bay. So they're wearing expensive.

[David Alan Grier]

Is it cologne?

[Audience Member]

Yes, it is cologne. According to the New York Times, luxury cologne is all the rage with middle school boys. Apparently they've all moved on from low tax body spray to Tom Ford's $300 tobacco vanilla. And for the little ones, Chanel number this many. Bill, how did Tiffany do?

[Peter Sagal]

Tiffany was perfect. Three in a row.

[Chapel Roan]

Thank you so much.

This was a dream.

[Audience Member]

Thank you so much for being here. Say goodbye to Tiffany, everyone.

[David Alan Grier]

Bye.

[Chapel Roan]

Goodbye, Tiffany.

[Audience Member]

And now, the game we call not my job. J. Kenji Lopez Alt is a chef and food writer who first found fame creating the Food Lab blog for serious eats. Since then, he started his own YouTube channel, wrote a kid's book, and has been going restaurant by restaurant on a quest to eat all the teriyaki in Seattle. There's a lot of it. J. Kenji Lopez Alt. Welcome to. Wait, wait, don't tell me.

[Chapel Roan]

Oh, thank you for having me.

[Audience Member]

It's really good to see you.

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

You too.

[Audience Member]

You had a very interesting first job getting into the restaurant business when you were a youngster. What was that job?

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

I was a. I was a knight of the Round Grill at a. At a Mongolian grill. You know, one of those places where you. My first job, I. Well, my first job was actually prep.

[Audience Member]

Prep cook.

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

I got promoted to knight of the Round Grill within a month.

[Audience Member]

Oh, really?

[Luke Burbank]

Yeah.

[Audience Member]

How did you. How did you rise in the ranks?

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

So I was mostly related to my catching shrimp behind my back skills.

[Audience Member]

Nice. Did you have that skill when you went in or you just kind of.

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

No, no, No, I did. I trained extracurricularly. I went and went home, practiced with like, you know, rocks and worms and stuff like that.

[Audience Member]

It's very impressive. Now you have a really cool bent in this in your food journey in that you have a real. You were able to be very accessible of like showing people what it is, but also backing up with the science behind food and food prep. How did. What was your first love? Like, what was it? Were you a science mind or were you a food mind?

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

Science was my first love. And I think, well, you know, I think science, you know, my first love was Don Herbert, Mr. Wizard.

[Audience Member]

Mr. Wizard.

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

I wake up at 6am every day so I could watch that show when I was a little kid in my Winnie the Pooh onesie.

[Audience Member]

Adorable. And you're a stay at home dad. How many kids do you have?

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

I got two.

[Audience Member]

You got two. How old are they now?

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

Seven and two and a half.

[Audience Member]

Seven and two and a half. Oh, that's a.

[Luke Burbank]

That's.

[Audience Member]

Well, half of that's great.

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

They get better. I find that they, they improve with age.

[Audience Member]

They do improve with age. I felt the same way. I was like, this kid's cute when they first show up. Yeah, this is cute. But one day when we can sit in a diner and have a conversation, it's gonna be really amazing.

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

Yeah, I find them bearable right now.

[Audience Member]

Yeah. Yeah. So do you. How do you balance the. And you also got a houseboat where you're gonna move your new studio. You're gonna be doing stuff there. Yeah, yeah. Did you get the house boat? Because children are in the real house.

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

Yes, the children are the real house.

[Chapel Roan]

Yeah.

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

It's balancing working in a.

[Audience Member]

Working.

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

Trying to work out of a kitchen where you're also trying to feed a family that includes a seven year old and a two and a half year old. It got a little. Yeah. Difficult.

[Audience Member]

That really shows how difficult children are. That you'd rather be on a boat rocking back and forth and say that that's easier to cook there than being.

[Chapel Roan]

At home with children.

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

You have to put your bowl on the right side of the cutting board so that when your carrots roll off.

[Audience Member]

They just go right into it. You do very cool, cool cross culture stuff. There's like, you don't have any boundaries, it seems. And I grew up an Italian American and when I saw your video of putting pasta in a wok and doing like a stir fry, I have to say I got nervous and called my grandma.

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

Was this to calm yourself down or to reassure her?

[Audience Member]

Just to see Am I allowed to watch this video? Explain to me what the Kenji effect is.

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

I don't know.

[Audience Member]

Yes, you do.

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

I don't know. I like to tell people if I find something good to eat and I like to share that. And then, and then sometimes people go and eat that after. Eat that thing after.

[Chapel Roan]

When I got here this morning, I like, very basic of me. Googled good lunch in Seattle and your face popped up. Oh, did you have me or you recommended, like a fish and chips place I want to check out, but I just saved it. It was a list of 10.

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

Okay, that was probably Emerald City Fish and chips, maybe.

[Chapel Roan]

I think it is. And it's on the list. Don't go there. I'm going. And then I saw that you were the guest and I was like, damn, he really knows what he's doing. He is number one before Wikipedia, it's you.

[Audience Member]

Should we play the game? Yeah, yeah, let's play the game. Thank you. J. Kenji Lopez. Alt. We've invited you here to play a.

[Peter Sagal]

Game we're calling Serious Eats, Meet Serious Feats.

[Audience Member]

Okay, you wrote for Serious Eats, so we thought we'd ask you about three different people with serious feet.

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

Okay. Like this. Like the kind covered by your bright sneakers?

[Peter Sagal]

Yeah.

[Audience Member]

The kind in your shoes.

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

Okay.

[Audience Member]

Answer two out of three correctly and you'll win our prize for one of our listeners. Bill, who is Kenji playing for?

[Peter Sagal]

Jessica Castillo of Seattle, Washington.

[Audience Member]

All right, are you ready?

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

I'm ready.

[Audience Member]

Yes. Here's your first question.

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

Okay.

[Audience Member]

Football kickers, of course, have very serious feet and as we now know, really well thought out opinions about women in the workplace. What did one player for the San Diego Chargers say about their team's kicker when he was miked up on the field? A, I just want to pick that little guy up and give him a piggyback ride. B, why doesn't he wear his helmet on his foot? Or C, what's the name of our kicker?

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

What's the one you're supposed to go to if you don't know?

[Audience Member]

I'll read the answers again.

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

Yeah, it's very clearly C. But yeah, read them again anyway.

[Peter Sagal]

You got it.

[Audience Member]

You got it.

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

I did. Okay.

[Audience Member]

Yeah. C, you're right. You're right. C. And when he was told it was Cameron Dicker, AKA Dicker the kicker, he did not believe it. Here's your next question.

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

Okay.

[Audience Member]

Soccer players have serious feet. Lee Todd, a player in the UK holds the record for getting the fastest red card just two seconds into a match. What did he do to get ejected? A, he forgot to put on his shorts before running on the field. B, after the referee blew the whistle to start the game, he said, f me. That was loud. Or C, told a player on the other team, as soon as the match starts, I'm gonna punch you, and then punched him.

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

I'm looking to the person who gave me the right answer last time.

[Audience Member]

You got a plant out there.

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

I'm going to go with B.

[Bill Curtis]

Let's try B.

[Audience Member]

You're right.

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Audience Member]

There you go. You got it. All right. You're doing great.

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

Yeah. Thank you. I knew all these answers. I watched the news.

[Audience Member]

Last question. Maybe the most serious pair of feet ever belonged to Michael Flatley, Lord of the Dance.

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

Okay.

[Chapel Roan]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Audience Member]

But his feet didn't just make him millions as a dancer. He also did what with them? A, played the drums with Wynton Marsalis jazz band holding the sticks with his toes. B, used them as brushes to make paintings on the floor based on the theme of the Irish potato famine. Or C, disassembled and reassembled a Rolex watch while blindfolded.

[J. Kenji Lopez Alt]

I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go with the painting.

[Audience Member]

That's right. It's the feet paintings. Fun fact is, his feet paintings have sold for more than $100,000 each. Bill, how did Kenji do on our quiz?

[Peter Sagal]

Well, I know somebody. Michael Flatley is going to be really proud he got them.

[Audience Member]

All right, bravo. J. Kenji Lopez, alt is author of the Food Lab, and he co hosts the Radiotopia podcast the Recipe with Kenji and Deb. J. Kenji Lopez, thank you so much for joining us on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell me.

[Chapel Roan]

Thank you. That's it for our first look back at 2024. But before we go, 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 Goetiker writes our limericks. Our public address announcer is Paul Friedman. Our tour manager is Shayna Donald. BJ Lederman, composer @ theme. Our program is produced. Produced by Jennifer Mills, Miles Dromboss and Lillian King. Special thanks to Monica Hickey and Blythe Roberson. Peter Gwynn is our human highlight reel. Our vibe curator is Emma Choi. Our technical direction comes from Lorna White. Our CFO is Colin Miller. Our production manager is Robert Neuhaus. Our senior producer, that's Ian Shillag. And the executive producer, Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Is Michael Danforth. Thanks to everybody you heard on our show this week. All the panelists, our guests Tom Papa, Choki Iansen, Andy Richter, and, of course, Bill Curtis. And thanks to everybody here at the Studebaker Theatre and all of you who are listening wherever you are. I'm Peter Sagal. We'll be back with a new show next week. This is npr.

[Janet Yellen]

This message comes from NPR sponsor Shopify, the global commerce platform that helps you sell and show up exactly the way you want to customize your online store to your style. Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at shopify.com NPR this message.

[Bill Curtis]

Comes from Jackson Seek clarity in retirement planning at Jackson.com Jackson is short for Jackson Financial, Inc. Jackson National Life Insurance Company, Lansing, Michigan, and Jackson National Life Insurance Company Of New York, Purchase, New York, York. This message comes from Lisa Good sleep should come naturally, and with the new Natural Hybrid mattress, it can. A collaboration between Leesa and West Elm, the Natural Hybrid is expertly crafted from natural latex wool and certified safe foams to elevate your sleep sanctuary and support a greener tomorrow. Plus, every purchase helps fuel leases, work with shelters and those in need. Visit Lisa.com to learn more. That's Leesa combination.