Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! - Best of WWDTM Mo Rocca Revealed

Episode Date: August 15, 2020

Mo Rocca reveals more than we were expecting in this Best of WWDTM episode.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz. It's summertime and the billin' is easy. I'm Bill Curtis, and here's your host, whose wife is still angry at him for dumping sand in the kitchen to make a quarantine beach. Peter Sagal. Thank you, Bill. So every year, summer seems to be over a little quicker. The day is getting shorter long before you're ready to see it all go. Fortunately, we've now solved that problem by making every single day exactly like every other one forever. The good news is you can wear white long after Labor Day now

because time has no meaning. But we're doing our best to enjoy what we are told is summer and we're doing it the traditional way by lazing around and thinking about all the fun things we did back when we were at work. For example, we got to talk to actress

and model Isabella Rossellini who went from international sex symbol to sex expert, at least when it comes to ducks. Thank you so much. Now, I did want to talk to you before we get to your work a little bit about your parents. I don't know how many people know this, but your mother, Ingrid Bergman, was perhaps the greatest movie star of her age, Casablanca and Gaslight. And your father, Roberto Rossellini, great Italian film director. And how old were you when you realized that your family was not like other people's families? Well, you know, it took me a while.

I didn't understand. You know, I think when you're a child, your family is your family. You know, it took me a while. I didn't understand. You know, I think when you're a child, your family is your family. So I remember that when I went to school, I asked, maybe I was seven or eight years old, I asked my student, is my mother, how famous is she? Like John Crawford?

Is she as famous as Jared Garbo? I needed a kind of thermometer that other people could give me, because for me, I couldn't gauge how famous they were. You decided to become an actor yourself. Was that something that you resisted because it was your family business or something you embraced? I did resist it for a long time because I thought that I couldn't be as good as my parents or that I was always going to be compared to them. So I first became a model. Then in my 30s, I decided to move into acting,

which was something that was always offered to me, but I always declined it. That's all well and good. Modeling, whatever, acting, fine. Let's talk about animal sex. Okay. Because this is what I'm interested in. You did...

Let me rephrase that That is an academic subject Which I find fascinating It is fascinating And it's very funny I guess that was the mid-2000s And that's why I started making funny films About how different animals mate and reproduce

But people have never seen these films They're called Green Porno about how different animals mate and reproduce. But people have never seen these films. They're called Green Porno, is the name of the series of films. And in it, they're not just lectures. You actually depict the animal. You have these costumes and these sets in which you'll do a piece about, say, the mating habits of ducks. And you, Isabella Rossellini, are a duck. I have to tell you that ducks are very special.

We always think that courtship is what you need for the female to say yes or no. But ducks have a different method. They evolve a very labyrinthic vagina. A lot of ducks jump on them, and they all try to make love to them. So they have evolved a vagina with several canals they can control. So if they're penetrated by a duck, they don't want to be the father of their babies. They send them to a dead end. But if they're penetrated by the duck they like,

then that doesn't mean the right canal to leads it to the eggs to have babies. That's why Daffy Duck didn't have any kids. I know. So I... And, like, there are films about bugs and snails in which Ms. Rossellini depicts all of them, and they're amazing, but how in the world did you get interested in that stuff?

That seemed like such a strange... Well, I was always interested in animal behavior in general. And then with Sundance, they have a television channel and they have several other institutions. I mean, the most known is the film festival, where they like to work on experimental filmmaking. And they contacted me saying they wanted to create a series of short films on the environmental subject, because they knew I was a series of short films on the environmental

subject because they knew I was a filmmaker and actress and I knew about biology and I had a master's degree. And at first I said, well, I don't know, nothing comes to mind. And then like a flash in my head, they had a lot of programs called Green Transportation, Green Housing, Green whatever. And I said, oh, green porno. And I made a series of 40 short films, you know, and they all shot with me saying, oh, if I were a fly,

and then I transformed myself into a fly. Of course, having been a model for many years, I know how to do costumes. Right, of course. It's amazing the way that you can reproduce. How do snakes do it? Oh, snakes, you know, they have a double penis. Well, I'm so glad you asked, Maz.

And they are fine. You went, you went. Do the penises compete, or do they work as a team? No, you know, surprisingly, they only use one at a time. Yeah. Is it penises or peni? Caucasus. Caucasus. Caucasus.

Well, Isabella Rossellini, we could talk to you about that all day. But we do have some... Sex is a fascinating subject. Yes. And I just want to say, and Isabella, this is for our audience here in Chicago, there is a little boy sitting right there.

Right where I can see him, which has made this whole conversation so comfortable for me. It's nature. We haven't said anything dirty. Nature is nature. That's true. You either made things really difficult for him and his parents when they leave, or you saved them a conversation. So either way... Now look, it's time to have the talk about the snake and the snake. When two snakes

love each other very much... Am I helping? You are. You are. Well, Isabella Rossellini, we are so delighted to talk to you, but we've asked you here to play a game we're calling... Make a Run for the Border.

Your name is Isabella, so we're going to ask you three questions about Taco Bella. Answer three questions about the popular fast food franchise Taco Bell. Get two right, you'll win a prize for one of our listeners. Bill, who is Isabella Rossellini playing for? Charlie Elvey of Evansville, Indiana. So here's your first question.

People who love Taco Bell truly love Taco Bell. As proved by which of these real life cases? A, in 2016, a Florida man woke up from a seven week coma and the first words he said were quote I want Taco Bell be a woman turned herself permanently orange trying to create the bright orange powder from Doritos tacos locos or see a woman in Florida named her three children Crunchwrap Crunchwrap Supreme and an extra Crunchwrap Supreme, now you know who the favorite is. Tacoma. Tacoma.

You're right. Guy was in a coma. Guy was in a coma for seven weeks, completely insensate. One day his brother's sitting there, he opens his eyes and says, I want Taco Bell. And let me tell you something, ladies and gentlemen,

he got it. In Florida, that is gentlemen, he got it. In Florida, that is a medical treatment. Yes. All right, here's your next question. As you may know, Taco Bell has a reputation for being the food of choice for drunk or stoned people. That was a reputation that was confirmed when which of these happened? A, in 2011, a man in Florida was so drunk he showed police a Taco Bell taco thinking it was his driver's license. B. Taco Bell reports that one in four customers take out their money to pay and say,

Isn't it weird? This is just paper and you give me food for it? Or C. Taco Bell Incorporated has created its own special branded cannabis line called Live Moss Baked. No, the one that he surprised about the paper. That money is paper and you just give paper and you get food. I can understand that is a surreal moment. It doesn't make any rational sense. No, and I love that you chose it. The answer, of course, was A,

the man in Florida who was so drunk he chose the taco. All right. You still can win it all, Isabella. Here we go. Your last question. It seems like Taco Bell can do no wrong, but in 2017, they tested one product that never caught on with their

customers. What was it? A, the caviar chalupa, B, the nacho suppositorio, or C, the Kit Kat quesadilla? What about the Kit Kat? What about the Kit Kat? That's the answer. It was a dessert item, of course, and it did not succeed. Bill, how did Isabella Rossellini do on our quiz? Isabella, you won because two out of three right is a win. Congratulations.

Wonderful. Isabella, what an absolute pleasure to talk to you. Thank you so much for joining us on Wait, Don't Tell Me. Thank you so much. What a joy. Thank you so much. Bye, everybody. But don't think we spent the pandemic just talking about ducks getting down.

No, we did what we could to help. It's hard to know, for example, how many lives Bill might have saved with this. And a one, and a two, and a three. Take me out to the ball game. Take me right to the ball game. Take me right to the sink. Buy me't sit next to me. For it's one, two, three, four,

five, six feet away at the new ball game. Yay! I think that was horrible. Brings you right back to Fenway. Play nothing!

When we come back, Mo Rocca, as you've never seen him on our show before, well, you still won't be able to see him, but take our word for it. That's in a minute on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me from NPR. 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, trying to get a tan from the heat lamp in his bathroom, Peter Sagal. Thank you, Bill. So we're kicking back this week and resting on our laurels, which, by the way, you should not literally do. Ugh, itchy, itchy laurels. So we were doing our show via Zoom, as per normal these days, but right at the beginning, Mo Rocca had an announcement to make. Well, Peter, before I answer, can I share some personal news with everyone?

You may, Mo. Earlier today, I had an endoscopy and a colonoscopy. It's what's known in TV as a two-camera shoot. And that's why I sound a little groggygy because of the camera they put down my throat yeah but as for the prep i just feel like i could fly like i feel so just i feel like nuriav like i feel like i could just like just leap across sixth avenue but you're doing the show today then mo still on colonoscopy drugs which is interesting yeah no i know it's interesting it's it's it's it's yeah it could be part of it can be part of a question based on some sort of research later on like in a few weeks researchers show that wait no your voice does

sound a little scratch you have like a little dr f Fauci kind of scratchy. Oh, good. I like that. I like that. Good. Okay. I've got some Fauci going on. Yeah. All right. Are you ready to answer a question though, Mo? I appreciate the warning that you've been scooped. Oh, sure. I just wanted to, I thought this would be a special wait, wait moment. Later on in the show, we were talking to special guest Don Cheadle, who had joined us on Zoom so each of us could see everybody else as we broadcasted from our individual homes. Don was focused on his Not My Job quiz, but I was having a hard time paying attention. I'm going to go with B again, cut the plastic and run. You're right. That's exactly what he was advised to do, because apparently you just didn't want to be between anybody and their TV.

Yeah, that's smart. I think so. Do you have, um, I'm sorry, I'm quite distracted because Mo has taken off his shirt. He took it off about 10 minutes ago and it was wild. I was focusing on you like a good host. I was just seeing his head but now he's pulled his shoulders

into it. Should I save this for pledge week? It's really hot in this room. I'm burning up too but I'm not just roving. Got people in closets and they're not taking their shirt off. It's just so warm in here. We have all been locked inside too long, I think.

Oh my God. But shirt or no shirt, the show must go on and so we did mo summer is here and a new study says that all that sunshine and warm weather does what to you um it all that sunshine and warm weather um what does it do to you it makes you um it makes you sad because you can't really enjoy it. I'm sorry. Mo, are we having a sexy date with you? No, the lamp is hot.

So you're naked and it's dark in there and you're peering into the camera. Does this look a little Blair Witch? Now, we heroically made it to the end of the show, our lightning fill-in-the-blank game, and Mo was, well, if not ready, well warmed up. Right, on Wednesday, the DNC announced they would hold a mostly virtual blank in August. Um, convention. Right, this week officials in Austin blamed... I'm sorry, what? Peter, ask the questions. Don't get distracted.

Don't take a screenshot of that. Too late. Oh my God, now I need to take off my shirt because I'm hot. Don't use stark faith. Peter was so distracted. Bill gets into it. We just don't want to go there.

Where was I? Oh my God, Mo. Oh. Here's a time a panelist managed to answer a question while remaining completely clothed. Maeve, Alinea, which is a very high-end restaurant here in Chicago, is being criticized for a new item on their menu, a dessert made to look just like what? A dessert. Oh, well, you know that we have this terrible dessert in Ireland called Spotted Dick.

I do know that. They didn't do that, did they? No, they didn't do that. Okay, because that's actually just like a bread pudding. Yeah, I know. Fashion to look like. Is it something political? No, but it's something in current events.

Certainly something in the news right now. Something dominating the news right now. Oh, for God's sake, Disney Plus. People felt that this was in poor taste. That in this moment, they're serving people an expensive dessert that looks like what? Is it a democracy crumble? No. Does anybody know?

Does anybody want to guess? It's the coronavirus. It's the coronavirus. Yes. So it's a bluish gray coconut custard sphere dotted with red Szechuan peppercorns. And it looks just like the coronavirus, you know, blown up to large size. It's insane. red Szechuan peppercorns and it looks just like the coronavirus, you know, blown up to large size.

It's insane. After four months of lockdown, people are not finally going to go out to restaurants to think about coronavirus. They're going to go to restaurants to get coronavirus. And also like, don't put peppercorns on your dessert. Like, fine, make a funny dessert out of a killer disease, but just don't put peppercorns on it. That's where I get really offended. Really? I'm outraged. I sent you a pie shaped as Ebola. Thank you. So just go ahead and enjoy that.

Sure. There's no fennel or anything terrible in it. I don't care as long as it's just apple Ebola. Ma's researchers have surveyed single people who were looking for a partner and found all of them have one thing in common as to what they want in a partner. What is it? Someone who's nice? No.

Oh, they all want someone who's better looking than them. No. Gosh. Let me ask you this. Maz, when you were single, did you know what you were looking for in a partner? I would probably, I think if I saw that person,

like when I saw my wife, I knew I was attracted to her instantly. Right. But if I had asked you what you were looking for, would you have known? Not really. Well, that's the answer. It turns out none of them have any idea what they're actually looking for.

There you go. Oh, they think they know. Everybody thinks they know if you ask them what they're looking for in a partner. Somebody who's funny or is generous or has millions of dollars, a heart condition, and no other heirs. But research has proved that all these people are wrong. Nobody knows what they want. In random tests, people ended up expressing attraction to people who had none of the things they had said they were attracted to, with two significant exceptions, a nice butt

and their own HBO password. I also think, Peter, I also think a lot of times you'll get people who be like, yeah, I'm looking for a woman that looks like this and she does that. Or the girl goes, I want a guy that's like this, like that. But once somebody gives the other person a little bit of attention, they go, hey, you'll work out. They really don't take into account how much we're all willing to settle, Mike. That's true. Yeah, it'll work. That's true.

Yeah, it'll work. When the pandemic started, we did what a lot of people did. We reached out to old friends to see how they were doing. We found Stephen Colbert at home and outside by the fire pit. And one of the reasons we like him so much is that he says such nice things about us. What an honor. It's a friend of Regis Philbin. You are.

Or I like to think when the old Carol Burnett show announced a family show, just the regular cast was like, couldn't get a guest, huh? So we're part of our family then, Stephen. I am sincerely honored that you thought of me. I absolutely love your show. I am sincerely honored that you thought of me. I absolutely love your show, and there are a few things that I know I can, I hope to listen to as this goes through to give me some sense of stability, and you guys have been a staple of my life, and I'm so happy to be here. I have to ask, just because we're all sort of going through the same thing, how are you doing? How's sheltering in place going for the Colbert family? Well, I mean, I think it's like what it's like for other people. It's anxious, but there's just a sort of a sense of anticipation, and I'm eating a lot of old meat. How old, Stephen? We worry.

I, you know, right before you called, I was grilling a piece of steak that I think was two and a half years old, because my wife became a vegan about two and a half years ago and right before she became a vegan, she bought a lot of steak. And the first thing you do when something like this happens, you go and you start defrosting things. So we've been defrosting and eating two and a half year old meat. You, of course, have been one of my mainstays, your show Late Nights with Stephen Colbert,

but you, like everybody else, had to shut down. You did do like one or two episodes without an audience, right? We did one episode without an audience in the Ed Sullivan because we were ready to do a show, and then the governor decided that no groups of 500 or more. And that's about what my audience, what my staff is. Right. And then this week we did three shows, three monologues, whatever you want to call them, at my house.

Yeah. I shot it with an iPad and then emailed the files to my producers who filled in all the graphics and all the footage. Yeah. If you haven't seen them, by the way, everybody listening, you can find them. They're on YouTube on the Late Nights with Stephen Colbert channel. They're amazing. You did one from your bathtub in a suit with bubble bath, one from your back deck fire No pants though.

Really? No pants. Why would you wear pants if you don't have to go into work? Actually, just speaking as a radio guy, you're living the dream. And you film them yourself? It's just you? You set up your iPad? Well, who else wanted to be in the bathroom with them?

My wife operated the prompter, because we have a little prompter program on the iPad. She would basically start the prompter program so I could start talking in the bathtub. And then my two sons operated the machine on the next couple of days. Well, it's nice to have them around. I'm not entirely alone, but it's not the usual situation. You will be if you keep getting in the tub with no pants on like that. Inviting people in, you'll be alone, mister. Wait a minute.

Paula, do you wear pants when you get into the bathtub? I don't get into the bathtub. I shower fully clothed. It's just... You know what, Peter? Stephen, can we go back to the prompter thing? Your wife has a prompter? Can you not spontaneously talk nicely to her? You have a prompter?

Listen, we're happily married for 25 years. I recommend giving your wife a prompter. The first line of every script is, I'm sorry. By the way, Stephen, this is an important thing I have to tell you. I was supposed to do your show at the end of April.

I'm not going to be there. Why? Because I am not going into that bathroom with you in the tub naked with no pants on. I'm not going to do it. We have, I have one last question. I just wanted to ask if there's a joke you would like to tell, since you're not doing your show. I'll tell you one of my favorite

jokes. This is a joke that my daughter came up with when she was three. Okay, go ahead. What does the dog say? The dog says, ruff ruff. Exactly right. What does the cow say? Moo. No, the cow says ruff ruff. Why does the dog say? The dog says, ruff ruff? Exactly right. What does the cow say? Moo? No, the cow says, ruff ruff.

Why does the cow say, ruff ruff, Stephen? There's a dog in its mouth. A round of applause for your daughter at the age of three. That's probably the best joke of the week on this show. It probably is. That's a quality joke. We're reduced to telling our children jokes. Well, Stephen Colbert, as we have said We had another guest lined up So we're just going to ask you the quiz we came up for this person

We can't say who it was So I'm sorry But you just get, I guess, here are the leftovers It's a game we're calling The Sneaker of the House Yes, this was a great idea for our original guest We're going to ask you three questions about sneakers of the house. That is, burglars.

Answer three questions about some notable robberies, and you'll win our prize for one of our listeners, the voice of anyone they may choose in their voicemail. Bill, who is... Let me get this straight. Yes. So this quiz was for the person who was supposed to be here, who you cannot reveal.

Right. We just didn't want to embarrass this person by saying that they backed out on us. I can't imagine what they had to do that was more important than being on our show. Name rhymes with Pansy Nelosi. All right, you're ready. Here we go. So, Bill, who is Stephen Colbert playing for? Kerry King of Providence, Rhode Island. All right, you ready to do this?

I'm 100% All right, first question. An Ohio man was arrested for trying to rob his own mother's house, but he explained to the police that he couldn't possibly be guilty of burglary. Why? A, because if stealing from your mom was illegal, every baby who breastfed would be a criminal. B, because he tried to rob the house in the daytime and you can only commit burglary at night. Or C, because he had a note allowing him to take whatever he wanted, signed, my mom.

Those are all really good excuses. They are. They would all hold up in court. I'll go with A. You're going to go with A, if stealing from your mom was illegal, every baby who breastfed would be a criminal. I'm afraid it was B, he said he was robbing a house in the daytime and that can't be burglary. All right. Next question. You still have two chances, Stephen. A man trying to steal a refrigerator from a Washington home was arrested when he made what mistake? A, he didn't realize

the car in the driveway was not his getaway driver, but was instead a police officer who had pulled in to turn around. B, he forgot to unplug it, so he ended up tripping and it fell on top of him, pinning him down until the owner came home. C, he forgot to take 60 pounds of ice out of it, resulting in an immobilizing hernia. The first one, the cop one. You're right, Stephen. That's exactly what happened. He walked out with what was a small refrigerator, saw a car in the driveway, said, Oh, my ride's here, got in, and the police officer said, hello. All right, last question. Criminals were dumb even back in the olden days of 2009. How did the authorities track down burglar Jonathan Parker in Pennsylvania?

A, well, he signed the guest book they had put out by the front door. B, he had told his friends that if they needed him, he'd be over at this particular house robbing it. Or C, before leaving the house he robbed, he logged onto his Facebook account on the owner's computer and forgot to log out. Oh. I would say C. You're going to say C?

Or the third one. I don't know what the number is. Yeah, C, the third one. Yes, that's exactly right, Stephen. He logged onto Facebook because he just had to see his news feed. Maybe he was like, he was like, typed in his status, hey, I'm robbing somebody, and he left it online, so they caught him.

Bill, how did Stephen Colbert do in our quiz? You know, Stephen won. We don't let friends go away empty. He won, he won. Congratulations, Stephen. Peter, that... I'm bragging to my family. I won the Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me quiz That's awesome

Oh and the Finally you got some Applause this week We are playing For a live crowd After all This is great Yes

Daughter of mine I told you You're a cow joke On Wait Wait Don't Tell Me Would she like To tell that joke Or any other joke On Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. Would she like to tell that joke or any other joke on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me? Would anyone here like to tell a joke

on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me? Do you have a joke at your fingertips? My wife is leaving the room. She so doesn't want to tell a joke. She's going out to punctuate. Stephen Colbert is the host of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and a dear friend of ours, Stephen Colbert. Thank you so much for joining us again on Wait, Wait,, Stephen Colbert. Thank you so much for joining us again

on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Thank you so much for doing your show. I will be listening. God bless you all. Stay safe, everybody. We shall. You too. Thanks, Stephen. See you later. Thank you. When we come back, Bill helps you with things you don't need any help with,

and Samin Nosrat tries to figure out how to improve our taste. We'll be back in a minute with more of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me 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, who pretends to travel the world by looking at old national Geographic's really, really close up. Peter Sagal. Thank you, Bill. Well, it's a week off and we are enjoying some me time because you know what? Me deserve it. Especially when the me is me.

Exactly right. Now, Bill has been a mainstay during the pandemic, especially when it comes to making sure you know things you already know. When leaving the home, wear pants. They're a mask for your legs. Remember to bring a form of payment with you to the grocery store. Those things are not yours yet. When seeing an adorable baby, it's important to say, uchi uchi goo, and not, why is that person so, so small? Remember, babies are brand new people, not tiny adults. It's exciting to be with other people again, but remember, the toll booth guy does not want to spoon.

One more, just to be safe, do not go swimming in Pennsylvania. Thank you, Bill. And remember, everybody, when encountering something unusual, when in doubt, don't lick it. Wait, can I just say about the toll booth operator, I thought the words easy pass meant he does want to spoon.

We're doing a lot of cooking at home these days, learning interesting and exotic new techniques for opening cans of beefaroni. I like to do it the way Mom used to do it, with a machete and a wild look in her eye. To up our game a bit, we checked in with Samin Nasrat, the chef and cookbook author famous for salt, fat, acid, heat. Thank you for having me. I'm so excited. Oh, we're very excited to have you.

I was amazed to find this out, but you did not, you were not one of those people who grew up cooking and wanting to be a chef or a cookbook person at all, right? No, not at all. I grew up eating. Well, yes.

Well, that is good practice. I always loved to eat and that was definitely my entry into the kitchen. Well, I do too, except I don't have a Netflix special about international cuisine. So you, as we know from watching your Netflix special, among other things, have traveled the world to taste and learn about the finest cuisines around the globe. Now you're stuck in your house with the rest of us.

How's it going? I mean, I actually really like Constraint, and I think it makes us more creative. Well, yesterday I had two slices of bread with butter and honey for dinner. Yay! You're one of us! You're one of us! While I was running around the garden chasing my dog. Like I didn't even sit down. One of the things I always assume about like food celebrities like yourself is that when you entertain, you have to impress.

Because it's like, Samin Nasrao, she's going to make an amazing meal for us. But since you're eating by yourself, I presume, do you let that go and just like make all the crappy things that you've always like really wanted to make like homemade SpaghettiOs or whatever it may be? Well, I mean, I sort of burnt out on trying to impress people a long time ago. So one delicious thing I had last week was a box of Annie's white cheddar and shells mac and cheese with frozen peas, which sit perfectly in the shell. You know, they just like nestle perfectly.

So you made Annie, you made boxed mac and cheese. Annie's is basically, you know, it's like it's craft that went to Harvard. Yeah. And you made it and then you put in frozen peas. Like at the end, you know, they weren't frozen when I was eating them.

Yes. That might be the saddest thing, which is cold peas. And you were like, oh my God, the pea fits exactly into the little semi-circular pasta thing. Totally.

And then I put like this stuff called chili crisp, which is like a Szechuan chili oil that's super crispy and garlicky and yummy on top. So I mean, if it was, you know, the whole thing took eight minutes, but it was so delicious. But I also would be really happy to serve that to anyone, except I also really like eating the whole thing myself. Hey, one of the things we noticed watching your show on Netflix is you have these amazing emotional reactions to food. You'll laugh or you'll almost cry something so delicious. I assume that's how you really are. You're not putting that on. Oh, yeah. I don't know how to act.

I'm a terrible actor. Do you react like that to anything else in real life? Almost everything, actually. I feel like, oh, my friend had a magician, like a really talented magician at his birthday party last year. And we were all gathered around the dining room table. And I just, I feel like I'm a magician's dream audience member because I'm so, so gullible and so emotive. So I'm like, what? Wow, how did you do that? Magician's like, are you making fun of me?

No, but it's really my genuine, like really, really my thing. I just have big responses to stuff. I might not be the favorite person you want in the movie theater with you. Right. I'll keep that in mind. Well, Samin Nasrat, since you're famous for salt, fat, acid, heat, we thought we'd ask you to play a game we're calling... Crosby, Stills, Nash, Acid, and Heat. That's right.

That's right. We're going to ask you three questions about Woodstock, the famous music festival. Answer two out of three questions right. You'll win our prize for one of our listeners. Bill, who is Samin Nostrad playing for? Rose Von Hatton of Florescent, Missouri. Oh, my gosh. That is the best name and the best town name.

It is. I really hope I don't let you down. All right. I should ask, how are you at, like, playing games under pressure? I'm terrible. Well, that should be fun. I don't know that I'm,'m like deep down incredibly competitive but i don't want to come off as competitive so i usually just fail at everything you're speaking my language

that is a solution if you're worried about beating people all right here's your first question once the organizers signed the band credence clearwater revival for the festival other big acts started signing up too but but Credence ended up regretting their involvement in Woodstock. Why was it? A, they were the ones who tried out the famous brown acid. B, they were introduced from the stage as Credential Clearasil Revolution. Or C, their performance slot was 3 a.m. C, C, C. You're exactly right. In addition to having to go on at 3 a.m., John Fogerty, the leader of the band,

refused to let themselves be filmed for the movie, which is why nobody even remembers they were there. Oh, my. I like that there was a band at Woodstock who didn't want to stay up late. I thought that would be prime time at that. You'd think. Look, free love and drugs, but I get a thing in the morning.

So can we write this up by like 11? Here is your next question. The band Iron Butterfly did not perform at Woodstock as they were stuck at LaGuardia. They sent a telegram requesting that the festival send helicopters to take them up and back. How did the production coordinator at Woodstock respond to them? a telegram requesting that the festival send helicopters to take them up and back, how did the production coordinator at Woodstock respond to them? Did he A, send them tickets for a plane flight to Ontario and four parachutes so they could jump out on the way? B, he sent a telegram back where the first letters of each line spelled out F U? Or C, he called the band's manager from

the stage, held out the phone and said this is what a band who arrives on time sounds like I'm gonna go with C again I'm gonna go with C that he said this is what I want it that's what I want it I want it it's often wise to go with what you want to be true in life and in this game but in this case it was in fact B he sent back a

telegram that's why Iron Butterfly was not at Woodstock. They were spared in a gata de vida one more time. Where are you learning this information from? Oh, there's a lot of oral histories of Woodstock out there. That's amazing. It was a memorable event. And of course, if you actually, if you can remember it, you weren't there. All right.

Here is your last question. If you get this, I mean, you win. So no worries. Here we go. Woodstock was a huge mass of people with insufficient security and facilities, but there wasn't any violence at all, except for one incident. What happened? A. Two people, very high in LSD, had a sword fight with imaginary swords, leading to the loser insisting he was dead for an entire day. B. Pete Townsend of The Who hit Abbie Hoffman on the head with his guitar when Hoffman jumped on stage.

Or C, eight people fought over a single roll of toilet paper, leading to some serious paper cuts. I really, again, want it to be A. So I'm going to go with A. You're just going to get the idea of like two people totally high on LSD having a sword fight. And then when it goes stab,

he goes, I am slain for like a day. That's what you think happened. Okay, fine. Okay, fine. Okay, B. Yes, it was B. Pete Townsend hit Abbie Hoffman over the head with his guitar. And as far as anybody knows, that was the only physical confrontation at Woodstock.

Oh, my gosh. Wow. Bill, how did Samin Nasrat do on our quiz? Two out of three right. I call that a delicious win. Samin Nasrat is the author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, and her new podcast is called Home Cooking. Samin Nasrat, thank you so much for joining us on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Thanks so much for having me, you guys. You're so fun. Thank you. Take care.

Finally, when we're sitting back reliving good times, one of the best times we constantly go back to was our 20th anniversary show. In the fall of 2018, we gathered all our panelists and a lot of our friends in the Chicago Theater to celebrate lasting about 20 years longer than anybody expected. Here's the grand finale of that show. We've selected team captains. Congratulations to the panelists with the most ever losses in the history of this show. That would be

Brian Babylon, Maz Jobrani, and Paula Poundstone. Thank you. All right. First up, Brian, it's your team. What is your team name, Brian? We are the Illuminati. All right.

Here we go. Fill in the blank. Brian, on Thursday, the Pentagon announced it was sending 800 agents to the border in response to the blank. The horde of immigrants that was walking to our nation like zombies. Right. Roxanne, on Monday, a Russian man was charged with conspiring to interfere with blank. The elections. Right. Roxanne, on Monday, a Russian man was charged with conspiring to interfere with blank. The elections. Right.

Moe, after being released from a prison in Kansas, a man celebrated his freedom by blanking in the parking lot. Wait, after, sorry, I'm sorry. After a man was released from the parking lot in Kansas, he celebrated his freedom? He was released from a prison. He was released from a freedom. He was released from a prison.

He was released from a prison. He was released from a prison, and then he went to the parking lot. The rest of you can leave. Mo and I will work this out. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Hold on. No, a man was released from prison. Of course he celebrated.

But what did he do to celebrate in the parking lot? He committed a crime and got arrested. He did. He stole a car and got arrested. He did. He stole a car. Nagin. Nagin. On Wednesday, the blank On Nagin, on Wednesday, the blank closed 608 points down,

erasing the gains made in 2018. The Dow Jones. Yes. Tom Beaudet. This week, a woman rushing to get to a meeting at a mall in China was delayed when she blanked. I knew I was going to get this question. I knew it.

When she, when this guy got out of prison and he stole her car. No! She didn't make the meeting on time because she fell into the mall's shark tank at feeding time.

What? Now, a lot of you are probably asking, why the hell is there an open shark tank in the middle of a shopping mall? And really, your first question should be, is that woman okay, you monsters? Yeah. She is fine. I'm glad I didn't know the answer. She is fine. She swam around with the sharks, which were like, oh, my God, they deliver, but they didn't act on it.

This was in China? This was in China. Maybe that's their version of the show Shark Tank. That's true. She fell in. There's a bunch of sharks. Mark Cuban? Who knew?

Bill, how did Brian's team, the Illuminati, do on our show? Well, they got four right, so four, eight more points, and that puts them in the lead. Wow. We need it. Wow. Next up is Maz Jobrani's team. What's your team name? Our team is Mount Perf, otherwise known in French as Mont Perf.

Mont Perf. All right, Mont Perf. Here we go. Fill in the blank. Montpertre. Montpertre. All right, Montpertre. Here we go.

Fill in the blank. Mars. This week, President Recep Erdogan called on Saudi Arabia to let Turkey adjudicate the death of journalist blank. Khashoggi. Yes, Khashoggi. Faith. On Sunday, thousands took to the streets in London to demand a new vote on blank. Brexit.

Right. Peter. This week, a GOP congressman in Illinois regretfully declined an invite to meet President Trump, saying blank. Okay, sorry. There was a fish who rode a bicycle in a storm? Is that, no. No, he said he'd already agreed to march in the Sycamore Pumpkin Fest parade. Roy, following a surprise third quarter profit, shares in electric car company blank jumped by almost 10%.

I don't want to just say one word. I mean, I've been waiting. I've been waiting back there. I've been waiting here. Tesla. Tara, a waitress at a family restaurant, ended her very first day in the job surrounded by police after she accidentally blanked.

Feinted. No, she accidentally pressed the 911 emergency call button 348 times. We're all nervous. On your first day at work, you do nervous things. Maybe you click a pen or you reorganize the papers, and then she saw this small button near the register, so she just started pressing it. She kept pressing it throughout the day, never realizing every time she did it, she was calling the police. They ended up surrounding the restaurant with guns drawn. In any event, residents of her town are happy to know that if they need the police, they only need to call 911 348 times, and they'll be right there.

And they will finally show up. How did Maz's team, Malpais, do on our show? Three points, six more. That means they trailed Brian's team. All right. Now, our last team. We got this. We got this, six more. That means they trail Brian's teeth. All right. Our last team. We got this, Danforth dancers. All right. So this is Paula Poundstone

leading the Danforth dancers. Bill, how many does Paula's team need to win? Four to tie, five to win. All right. Four to tie, five to win. Here we go. Fill in the blank. Paula, on Monday, it was reported that the Trump administration was considering narrowing the legal definition of blank. Marriage?

No, in this case, gender. Amy, on Wednesday, a federal judge ordered election officials in blank to stop rejecting absentee ballots with mismatched signatures. Oh, the great state of Georgia. In fact, you're right. Adam Burke, a town in Florida, has become the first U.S. city to use a fully autonomous school bus. They celebrated another milestone this week when they became the first U.S. city to blank. Have fully autonomous school children. No.

They're the first town to have the federal government tell them to stop using the fully autonomous school bus. That's crazy. Luke Burbank, this week week Colorado broke $1 billion in legal blank sales, generating $200 million in tax revenue. Is there a shark tank involved? No. Marijuana, Luke. Oh, that was my second guess. I'm sure. And Adam Felber.

The wedding of Taylor and Kern Lehman was announced in the New York Post this week, along with the headline blank. Couple falls into shark tank. No. I married my best friend's dad, and now Couple falls into shark tank. No. I married my best friend's dad, and now I'm her stepmom. Yeah. Despite a 25-year age difference and the

awkwardness of asking your best friend to call you mom, Taylor says the two make a great couple, noting they like the same music and are both old souls. Mr. Kern is also physically old. Bill, did Paula's team do well enough to win? No. They did get one

right. One right! It's Brian! Brian! Brian's team! Woo-hoo! Woo-hoo! That's it for our summer nostalgia show. Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me is a production of NPR and WBEZ Chicago

in association with Urgent Haircut Productions, Doug Berman, Benevolent Overlord. B.J. Lederman composed our theme. Our program is produced by Jennifer Mills, Miles Dornbos, and Lillian King. Winner, winner, Peter Gwinner. Technical direction is from Lorna White, our business and ops manager, our production manager is Colin Miller, our production manager is Robert Newhouse, our senior producer is Ian Chilog, and the executive producer, wait, wait, don't tell me, is Mr. Mike Danforth. Thanks to everybody you heard this week, all of our panelists,

all of our guests, of course, Bill Curtis, and thanks to all of you, we made it through more than half the year together. We're going to make it through the rest the same way. I'm Peter Sagal. Stay safe, stay healthy. We'll see you next week. This is NPR.