Wow in the World: "Yeti Investigation! (Featuring Who, When, Wow!)"

Release Date: December 15, 2025
Hosts: Mindy Thomas & Guy Raz
Special Guests: Carli Q & Lewis (from Who, When, Wow!), Reginald Bailey

Episode Overview

In this playful and curiosity-driven episode, Mindy and Guy Raz dive into the age-old mystery of the yeti—an elusive, mythical creature rumored to roam the Himalayan mountains. Inspired by newly-announced DNA research from the University of Buffalo, our hosts use the Wow Machine to travel back in time to the 1950s, hoping to meet the famous explorer Eric Shipton and finally solve the yeti mystery. Along the way, they bump into fellow time travelers Carli Q and Lewis from Who, When, Wow!, get chased by a not-so-mythical giant creature, and learn the surprising truth about supposed yeti evidence.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Yeti Mystery Introduced

• The adventure begins with Mindy and Guy Raz relaxing, watching a baking competition, and then turning their attention to a breaking news segment about new yeti DNA research.
• [03:10] Gail Richards Simmons delivers the news: researchers collected supposed yeti samples from the Himalayas for DNA analysis.
  • "The team of researchers took nine DNA samples from what was said to be a yeti from the Himalayan mountain range." — Gail Richards Simmons (03:13)

2. A Personal Fascination with the Yeti

• Mindy reveals her obsession with the yeti, sharing her annual "yeti-spotting" trips and admiration for Eric Shipton, the explorer who photographed a famous yeti footprint in 1951.
  • "Why do you think I have a photo of Eric Shipton above my toilet?" — Mindy (04:11)
  • "He took the first ever photo of the yeti." — Mindy (04:30)
  • Guy amusingly confuses Shipton for Mindy’s grandpa.
• Mindy gets a "bonker balls" idea: travel back to 1951, meet Shipton, and sample yeti DNA in person.
  • "What if we went back in time to 1951... and solved this yeti mystery for ourselves?" — Mindy (05:02)

3. Blast to the Past: Himalayan Adventure

• Mindy and Guy gear up for the Himalayas (Guy hilariously ends up in a spacesuit!), board the Wow Machine, and land in the frosty mountains of 1951.
  • "Looks like you're stuck with a spacesuit, Guy Raz... Okay, let me just see here. Himalayas, 1951." — Mindy (08:01)
• They navigate a snowstorm, discover Eric Shipton’s camp, and meet his assistant, Reginald Bailey. Hilarity ensues as Mindy and Guy try to fit in and request help finding yeti DNA.
  • "We're looking for Eric Shipton... about a 5 foot 10, mustache, far off look in his eye." — Mindy (11:03)
  • "I'm his assistant, Reginald Bailey." — Reginald Bailey (11:10)

4. Surprise Encounter: Time Travelers Collide

• Mindy and Guy meet Carli Q and Lewis, the hosts from Who, When, Wow!, also time traveling in search of history’s biggest mysteries—dressed, comically, in Revolutionary War uniforms.
  • "Seems like an unusual choice for the Himalayas in 1951." — Guy Raz (12:40)
  • "Are you two traveling through time too?" — Mindy (12:49)
  • "For as big as the time space continuum is, you hardly ever see people traveling across it." — Mindy (13:01)

5. The "Yeti" Attack & Scientific Discovery

• The team is startled by a massive, hairy creature—what they think could be the yeti.
  • "Looks like some sort of tent or... Eric Shipton's research team." — Mindy (10:14)
  • "Big, hairy, covered in white fur? Sure looks like a yeti to me." — Mindy (13:19)
  • Panic and a dash ensue!
• Carli Q consults "Hdad", a digital assistant, to identify the beast.
  • "What creature almost ate me and my new friends?" — Carli Q (14:52)
  • After dramatic processing: "The creature... is identified as... a Himalayan black bear." — Hdad/Jed Anderson (15:23)
• Hdad reveals the results of the 2017 University of Buffalo study that analyzed nine "yeti" samples: eight were from bears, one was from a dog.
  • "Eight of the nine samples contained bear DNA... The final sample contained canine DNA." — Hdad/Jed Anderson (15:40)
  • "So no yeti." — Guy Raz (16:10)

6. A Little Magic Left in the Mystery

• The time travelers part ways ("Sorry, friends, we gotta go!"), but Mindy and Guy reflect on what the science actually proves—and leaves unexplored.
  • "Well, we don't know for sure that the Yeti doesn't exist, Mindy. All this study proves is that those samples... came from bears and dogs." — Guy Raz (17:45)
  • "So you're saying the Yeti could still be out there?" — Mindy (17:55)
  • "Not necessarily, but anything is possible, Mindy." — Guy Raz (18:00)

7. Fun, Friendship, and Invitations to Adventure

• The episode ends with Mindy spotting Carli Q’s lost "BUTTHEAD" (Bureau of Universal Time Travel Historical Exploration Division) badge, promising more adventures ahead.
  • "Wanna go return some lost property, Guy Raz?" — Mindy (18:41)
  • "Okay, but then we're heading back to finish that episode of the Golden Spatula." — Guy Raz (18:48)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [04:11] Mindy: "Why do you think I have a photo of Eric Shipton above my toilet?"
• [08:01] Mindy: "Looks like you're stuck with a spacesuit, Guy Raz... Okay, let me just see here. Himalayas, 1951."
• [13:19] Mindy: "Big, hairy, covered in white fur? Sure looks like a yeti to me."
• [15:23] Hdad/Jed Anderson: "The creature, located 400ft north of the current location, is identified as... a Himalayan black bear."
• [15:40] Hdad/Jed Anderson: "In 2017, scientists analyzed nine samples of yeti hair, yeti teeth, and yeti bones and concluded that eight of the nine samples contained bear DNA."
• [16:10] Guy Raz: "So no yeti."

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:13 — News segment introduces the yeti DNA research
• 04:11 — Mindy’s obsession with Eric Shipton and the yeti revealed
• 05:02 — Mindy proposes traveling back to 1951
• 08:01 — Mindy and Guy suit up and input Wow Machine coordinates
• 10:14 — Spotting Shipton’s camp in the Himalayas
• 11:10 — Meet Reginald Bailey, Shipton’s assistant
• 12:49 — Mindy discovers Carli Q and Lewis are time travelers too
• 13:19 — The "yeti" is sighted by the group
• 15:23 — Hdad identifies the "yeti" as a Himalayan black bear
• 15:40 — The University of Buffalo DNA study explained
• 17:45 — Reflecting on scientific discovery vs. wonder
• 18:41 — Mindy and Guy find Carli Q's “BUTTHEAD” badge

Tone & Style

• The entire episode is marked by the show’s trademark zany, energetic humor and delight in scientific discovery.
• Mindy is full of enthusiasm and wild ideas; Guy Raz is more cautious, with a dry wit.
• The inclusion of Carli Q and Lewis from Who, When, Wow! creates comic crossover energy and expands the adventure.
• Even when science debunks the myth, the show ends on an upbeat note—emphasizing curiosity, possibility, and that wonder remains, even in the face of facts.

Final Takeaway

"Yeti Investigation!" mixes science, history, and slapstick fun to show that even when a legendary creature turns out to be a bear (or a dog!), the journey of discovery, imagination, and the thrill of asking "what if?" is always worthwhile. And who knows—maybe there’s still something out there, just waiting to be Wowed!