In short
This Wait Wait episode is a “summer spectacular, part 2” replay of earlier segments while the show is on break. It centers on three guest interviews and multiple quiz/bluff games. Key claims/examples: Ken Jennings explains Jeopardy host “boot camp,” where writers impersonate unruly contestants; he jokes about not being fact-checked and about Jeopardy’s fast pace. In a quiz about H&R Block, Jennings answers 2/3 correctly, including that H&R Block’s “R” came from hiring Henry Block’s other brother, and that the company made errors on its own corporate taxes (not customers’). Olivia Munn says she became an actor after failing at TV news; she wins a 3-question quiz about Friends and Neighbors (2/3? actually perfect). Father James Martin, a Jesuit priest and NYT bestselling author, discusses summer jobs shaping his faith and wins a stadium concessions quiz (perfect), including Cracker Jacked Power Bites being high-caffeine.
Guests
Ken Jennings (Jeopardy host/author), Olivia Munn (actor), Father James Martin (Jesuit priest/author).
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOKen Jennings Discusses Jeopardy Hosting
0:46 to 4:12
Ken Jennings shares his experiences transitioning from contestant to host of Jeopardy.
“We are off enjoying the second week of our summer break, but I have got to tell you, we are getting a little antsy.”
Jeopardy Trivia Game
4:12 to 10:40
Ken Jennings participates in a quiz about H &R Block related to his Jeopardy history.
“No, but over the years, many people would ask me, hey, clearly, if Alex were ever to retire, you'd be on the shortlist, and I would just laugh at them.”
Ken's Reflections on Jeopardy
10:40 to 12:06
Discussion about Ken's past experiences with Jeopardy and his views on celebrity participation.
“They managed to screw up their own corporate tax return.”
Ken's Reflections on Jeopardy
12:50 to 13:26
Discussion about Ken's past experiences with Jeopardy and his views on celebrity participation.
“With the days packed with summertime activities and back to school coming up, it can be a challenge keeping everyone healthy while staying on budget.”
Looking Back at Earlier Moments
14:31 to 14:56
Reliving some favorite segments from earlier in the year.
“while we're on vacation, we've decided to relive some moments from earlier in the year.”
Interview with Olivia Munn
14:56 to 21:41
Olivia Munn discusses her career journey and plays a fun quiz.
“She asked Olivia, the star of Your Friend and Neighbors on Apple TV, how her career began.”
Father James Martin on Summer Jobs
21:41 to 23:41
Father James reflects on his summer jobs and the lessons learned.
“A few weeks later, I took another week off, and this time Tom Papa got to fill in and talk to our guest, Father James Martin, a Catholic priest, a regular in the late night circuit, and a best-selling author.”
Games with Father James Martin
23:41 to 27:38
Father James plays a trivia game about stadium concessions.
“Now, you made a playlist to accompany your book, and it has everything from afternoon delight to rock lobster on it.”
Stadium Concessions Trivia
27:38 to 28:00
Father James answers trivia questions about popular stadium foods.
“There's no concession more classic than Cracker Jack But in 2012, a new product called Cracker Jacked Power Bites Was not well received Parents didn't like that the product contained what?”
Quiz Time with Father James
28:00 to 31:04
Join us as we quiz Father James on unusual concession items at stadiums.
“B, somewhere here, there's tiramisu and little hats.”
Show all 16 chapters
Upcoming Stories and Guests
31:04 to 31:57
Teasers for the next segment featuring panelists and an EGOT winner.
“When we come back, our panelists tell some of their best lies ever, and we talk to a real EGOT winner, which is as close as we will ever get to any of those letters.”
The Lies We Tell: Bluff the Listener
32:34 to 42:00
Panelists share their best lies in the Bluff the Listener game.
“From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz.”
The Book of Mormon's Unlikely Success
42:00 to 46:31
Explore the surprising success of 'The Book of Mormon' musical and its reception by the church.
“And so the music, were you surprised that this musical about Mormon missionaries with its extraordinary language and themes and sense of humor was the monster hit that it became?”
Bobby Lopez's Dual EGOT Story
46:31 to 50:10
Bobby Lopez shares the story behind his achievements and the unique dynamic with his wife.
“We have invited you here to play a game that this time we're calling You are 15 going on 16.”
Game Segment Introduction
50:10 to 51:01
Introduction to a fun quiz game celebrating the 15th anniversary of the musical.
“That's it for our We Can't Wait to Get Back to Work edition.”
Sponsor Messages from Arctic Wolf and Betterment
51:01 to 51:39
Two sponsors share their messages about security and investment tools.
“I'm Peter Sagal, and we'll see you next week with a brand new show.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Father James Martin:This message comes from NPR sponsor Charles Schwab. Financial decisions can be tricky. Your biases can lead you astray. Financial Decoder, an original podcast from Charles Schwab, can help. Download the latest episode and subscribe at schwab.com slash financial decoder.
0:22Father James Martin:from npr and wbez chicago this is wait wait don't tell me the npr news quiz i'm the man who looks forward to labor day because if you think i look good now wait till you see me in fall colors i'm alzo slade and here's your host at the student baker theater in downtown chicago peter sagal
0:40Olivia Munn:Thank you all. Thank you so much. Thank you, Alzo. Thank you, everybody. We are off enjoying the second week of our summer break, but I have got to tell you, we are getting a little antsy. We want to get back to work and start grappling with the week's news again. That's right. We're idiots. Before we make that terrible mistake, we're going to satisfy our longing with some great moments from earlier this year. In May, I had the pleasure of talking to our old friend, Ken Jennings, who, of course went from Jeopardy champion to Jeopardy host.
1:13Father James Martin:Peter took the opportunity to talk to Ken about his own appearance on Jeopardy, which, well, it didn't end as well as Ken's did.
1:22Olivia Munn:So as you know, Ken, as I may have mentioned bitterly a number of times when we've spoken, I myself was on Jeopardy many, many years ago. I did not do as well as you, but one of my memories was during lunch, I sat near Alex Trebek, the legendary host, and I heard him telling his producers, you know, nobody understands this is the hardest job in show business. Now that you are in the host's chair or podium on Jeopardy, do you agree?
1:51Ken Jennings:Well, of course, it always flatters the person in the job to point out how hard it is. Yes. But I will absolutely back up Alex here. I mean, after he passed away, sadly, during that guest hosting rotation, we had a lot of broadcasters in who had done everything. We had people who had reported from war zones. And to a person, they all said, wow, this game moves really fast. And I don't mean to imply that a trivia quiz show is as important as being in a war zone. But there is a unique skill set. And Alex was amazing at it. And I don't have anywhere near his level of grace or riz. But I'm going to try.
2:28Olivia Munn:Now, we heard that during that period, as you say, when many people were trying, they tried a lot of people as the host of Jeopardy, that they went through training to do it. Did you? Is there Jeopardy host training?
2:42Ken Jennings:There is Jeopardy boot camp. The Jeopardy writers, the people who write the clues, impersonate Jeopardy contestants. Okay. Just to put you through your paces. And at first, they impersonate well-behaved Jeopardy contestants doing the things we expect. Sure. As your difficulty level grows, they impersonate increasingly unruly and disobedient Jeopardy! contestants, just as the host would do.
3:04Olivia Munn:Really? So can you give me some of the simulations that they put you through?
3:08Ken Jennings:Well, they don't become cantankerous necessarily, but they become erratic. Like, they'll stop responding to things in the form of a question. They'll see if you know what to do if they correct an answer late, or if they call out a category without being prompted. You know, just the little niceties of Jeopardy start going unobserved because a lot of these are related to rules. You know, we're a serious game, Peter. I'm not saying that Not My Job is not a very serious segment. We take Jeopardy seriously.
3:39Olivia Munn:Yeah, you know, well, we have... Okay, fine.
3:46Olivia Munn:Can you... So you've been doing it for a while. Has anybody sworn audibly after screwing something up?
3:54Ken Jennings:I feel confident that Jeopardy has violated the George Carlin rule on a few occasions It just wasn't me
4:02Olivia Munn:I remember when I was on I think I said all seven at once after one question You obviously because of your extraordinary success as a contestant must have aspired to be a contestant for a while before you went on the show Did you also ever want to be the host?
4:21Ken Jennings:No, but over the years, many people would ask me, hey, clearly, if Alex were ever to retire, you'd be on the shortlist, and I would just laugh at them. No, no, no, no, no. That would be a very outside-the-box, kind of a Willy Wonka way to run a game show if you invited back the lucky little boy and gave him the factory. Nobody's going to do that in TV. But it turns out Jeopardy! is kind of its own little institution, and it runs by its own rules.
4:50Olivia Munn:Yeah, and there you are. Apparently, if you are the champion, they make you the host. Everybody who watches Jeopardy! knows that after the first commercial break, when we come back, the host, now you, used to be Alex, comes over and talks to the panelists. Is that as difficult as it looks?
5:06Ken Jennings:It's hard for the contestants. I actually really enjoy it. That was always the part of the show that I thought was a little bit cringy. Even as a kid, I would sometimes have to leave the room during a boring story. It's like Jeopardy stops for a second And Curb Your Enthusiasm begins That's why the theme song changes Just at that moment The tuba comes in So I worked very hard on making that a little more engaging And the fact is, Peter I've gone my whole life trying to get out of conversations With people in about 20 seconds So I was made for this
5:39Olivia Munn:Famously, I believe this is famous That when you did your amazing run of 74 shows after the first, I don't know, 20, you ran out of interesting things to say about yourself. You were a young man. You had only done so much. So that you just started making stuff up to talk about with Alex. Is that right?
5:57Ken Jennings:I ran out of ideas very early on. Like if you see my fourth game, it's getting a little, the anecdotes are a little quick. And, but what I found out is nobody fact checks these. Really?
6:14Ken Jennings:Have the New Yorker's staff, Peter. Like, you shouldn't say you have a purple heart, but if you tell us you were a birthday clown, we are not going to LinkedIn. Right. Yes.
6:25Olivia Munn:I was watching Celebrity Jeopardy, where I expected, because I know some celebrities, the questions to be a little easier. I was very impressed. The celebrities have gotten good. Do you think so?
6:36Ken Jennings:I feel like the celebrities don't get enough credit. I think generally people assume, I think because of the Will Ferrell sketches, people assume Celebrity Jeopardy is a cakewalk where it's like states that rhyme with Schmallowair. Right.
6:51Ken Jennings:And as a result, I think they don't give the celebrities enough credit. Certainly we want them to play well. We know they're playing for charity. It doesn't fill the category. If it's showbiz, you can ask celebs harder questions perhaps than civilians. So it might depend on the category.
7:05Olivia Munn:Yeah, but if it's like working for a living for real, that, yeah. I'll take not having an assistant for six minutes.
7:15Father James Martin:Ken, is there any plans for like a dumbass Jeopardy?
7:22Father James Martin:Because I have a request. Yes.
7:25Ken Jennings:I was going to say, well, you know, that show already airs and it's called, and then I realized I would get in trouble.
7:31Olivia Munn:So I was like, okay. Oh my God. Well, Ken Jennings, it is always a pleasure to have you with us. this time we have asked you here to play a game we're calling... What is H &R Block? As some people may remember, your Jeopardy win streak ended with a question about H &R Block that you did not answer correctly. We're going to ask you three questions about that tax preparation firm.
8:07Ken Jennings:I have to ask, I've listened to Not My Job so many times over the years. I have to wait. Is this the first time you're ever asking the guest about the single most traumatic thing that's ever happened?
8:24Bobby Lopez:All right.
8:24Olivia Munn:If you answer two to three questions about H &R Block, you will win our prize for one of our listeners. Bill, who is the legendary Ken Jennings playing for? Bobby Powers of Vienna, Virginia. All right. Here's your first question, Ken. And H &R Block was originally a bookkeeping business called the United Business Company, founded by Henry Block and his brother. After his brother went back to law school, Henry took out a help wanted ad, which was answered by whom? A, the former head of the IRS under President Truman, who had just been fired by President Eisenhower. B, his mother, who told him he should hire his other brother.
8:59Olivia Munn:Or C, no one, so Henry just invented someone with the initial R so people would think the company wasn't just him. Wow. I'm going to guess B, his other brother? You're right. That's what happened.
9:13Bobby Lopez:But he didn't phrase it as a question. He doesn't have to.
9:18Olivia Munn:He's off duty. All right. Here's your next question. H &R Block is obviously known for their tax work, but they have another surprising source of revenue. What is it? A, they're majority owners of America's largest chain of Halloween haunted houses. B, they own the copyright for the GIF animated file format or C, they own the rights to the entire recorded music catalog of Parliament Funkadelic.
9:51I'm going to say, just because it delights me, the haunted house.
9:56Olivia Munn:The haunted houses. No, I'm afraid not, although it'd be another seasonal business. they own the copyright for gifts because they bought CompuServe and CompuServe way back when patented the gift. Here's your last question. In 2005, H &R Block got in trouble when it was revealed that for the past three years they had made significant errors when filing whose taxes? A, seven of the nine Supreme Court justices. B, their own taxes. or C, every player in the New York Yankees.
10:35Ken Jennings:I mean, I'm going to say their own, B.
10:39Olivia Munn:You're right. They managed to screw up their own corporate tax return. And their excuse, but we used TurboTax, did not fly.
10:54Olivia Munn:Bill, how did the quiz master, Ken Jennings, do on our quiz? Like a champ, two out of three. Congratulations, Ken. Well done.
11:07Olivia Munn:How does it, does it, I have to, I mean, okay, yes, we did this thing to you. We asked you about H &R Block. Does it feel good that you finally conquered your demon that is H &R Block?
Read the full transcript
11:17Ken Jennings:After all these years, I'm finally back to 500. But you know, I think of them all, every time I drive past a strip mall, you see that little green square? Now, Peter, I'm going to think of them every time I watch a GIF. So you've made my life even worse. About them year round.
11:34Olivia Munn:Ken Jennings is the host of Jeopardy. He's also the author of the Complete Connections puzzle book, which has eaten up a lot of my week. It's available now. Ken Jennings, thank you so much for joining us again. I'm way, way, way, way. Always a joy to see you. Take care. We'll see you on TV. Bye-bye.
11:57Olivia Munn:When we come back, Olivia Munn reveals that she went into acting because she was a failure at TV news, and a Catholic priest commits the venal sin of gossiping about the Pope. That's when we come back with more Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me from NPR.
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12:49Father James Martin:Support for NPR and the following message come from GoodRx. With the days packed with summertime activities and back to school coming up, it can be a challenge keeping everyone healthy while staying on budget. With GoodRx, you can find big savings at the pharmacy for the whole family. Compare prescription prices at over 70 ,000 pharmacies and instantly find free coupons. GoodRx is not insurance, but it may beat your copay price if you do have insurance. Save at the pharmacy this summer. Go to goodrx.com slash wait.
13:33Father James Martin:From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz. I'm Alzo Slade, and here's your host at the Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Peter Sagal.
13:45Olivia Munn:Thank you, Alzo. Thank you, everybody. And hey, if you're listening at home right now Or wherever you are And you think the people here are having a good time And you want to see what that's like Have I got good news for you You can always come see us live here in Chicago And also on the road We'll be at the beautiful Outdoor Rose Music Center In Dayton, Ohio Enjoy one last blast of summer in the great outdoors with us That's on September 3rd And we will also be at the Orpheum Theater In Omaha, Nebraska on September 24th And we've got more Our comedy grab bag show is coming September 9th to the Den Theater in Chicago.
14:19Olivia Munn:Alzo Slade will be hosting. You'll hear stand-up from Weight Weight panelists and see special guests like me. For tickets and information to all our live events, just go to nprpresents.org. Okay, so in order to help get through our news quiz withdrawal while we're on vacation, we've decided to relive some moments from earlier in the year.
14:39Father James Martin:Imagine us all at a resort somewhere, ignoring our families, lip-syncing along to the Not My Job game. Yeah, it's a little sad, really.
14:48Olivia Munn:And on that said, some of these segments are real bangers. For example, here is guest host Nagin Farsad talking to actor Olivia Munn back in April. She asked Olivia, the star of Your Friend and Neighbors on Apple TV, how her career began.
15:01Bobby Lopez:So I graduated college. I majored in journalism. And I always wanted to get to LA and I wanted to be an actor. But my mother's an immigrant. And so when I told her I wanted to be an actor, it was like, that's insane. We're not doing that. You're going to be a doctor or a lawyer. And, um, but then I was like, I just love storytelling. So I was like, what about a journalist? And she's like, well, what exactly is that? So I pointed to like the people on the news. She's like, oh, okay. Okay. That's okay. And so I go there and then she made me a deal. She's like, you know, I'll support you if you want to go to LA only if you use your degree for one year.
15:41Bobby Lopez:So I worked at this NBC affiliate in Tulsa and I did the assignment desk and people who have done journalism or been in a newsroom the assignment desk is where you get all the calls you get people calling in like with complaints or nice things that just everything but there's also all these police scanners which is like the most important thing for you to do there's police and fire department paramedics and you're supposed to listen to all of them at once and be able to call it out and i was the absolute worst person at that job i'm sitting at the desk and i hear nothing and then you just hear a reporter over there being like there's a school bus on fire on 83rd Street.
16:17Bobby Lopez:And I was like, there is? And then a year to the day, I went in and I was like, I'm leaving. I'm not going to be staying here anymore. And they go, great. Well, you're now on Friends and Neighbors. And Jon Hamm's character takes to robbing his friends on that show, which made me question, which of your friends or neighbors would you like to rob? yes yeah so such a good question you know i'm i'm not when i'm in new york there are so many more like cool rich artsy people around and i mean he's not he's my friend through my husband so i just have to say that when i say but like don't be like oh she's name dropping because he's not my friend but i've been to his house and like Steve Martin has like like the best art that you can imagine it's just like it's like the coolest stuff like it's really um like everything's cool and curated in this and I'm like eating a kebab like right next to like some like ridiculously expensive painting I just want to go like that you want to touch it with your kebab I want to feel what it feels like like that it's something else.
17:40Bobby Lopez:It's something. You know what? I should go. You're going to ask me about that and I'm just literally... Well, Olivia, we've asked you here to play a game we're calling Our Friends and Neighbors. You star in the show Your Friends and Neighbors, but what do you know about the NBC sitcom Friends and the Australian soap opera Neighbors? Answer two out of three questions. correctly, and you'll win our prize for one of our listeners, the voice of their choice on their voicemail. Bill, who is Olivia playing for?
18:15Father James Martin:Alyssa Hosey of Greensboro, North Carolina.
18:19Bobby Lopez:All right.
18:23Bobby Lopez:All right. Well, we'll start with Friends. Here's your first question. The barista at Central Perk, where the Friends hung out, was Gunther, played by James Michael Tyler. Gunther was only supposed to appear in a single episode, but the producers kept him around. Why? Was it A, because Tyler was a huge Knicks fan, so the writers would ask him how to make Joey sounds like a real Knicks fan? Was it B, a network executive thought the way Tyler answered the phone was the funniest thing in the show? Or was it C, Tyler was the only one who knew how to use the espresso machine?
19:05Bobby Lopez:just so you guys know b and c sound a lot of like they're saying e and you should say banana or cat okay just so you know
19:22Bobby Lopez:i believe i do believe they said cat banana and cat sound a lot Very similar.
19:28Father James Martin:Keep going.
19:30Bobby Lopez:They were saying C. Yeah, I feel like that's what they were saying. Okay, C. That's right. The answer is C.
19:42Bobby Lopez:I don't know why he wasn't miming using the espresso machine, but anyway, there it was. He actually knew how to use the espresso machine. All right, let's jump over to Neighbors. Here's your next question. In a 2013 episode of Neighbors, bad boy Kyle Channing became temporarily blind after staring directly at an eclipse. What circumstance led him to look straight at the sun? Was it A, his kidnappers held his eyes open and pointed them at the sun? Was it B, a dog stole his eclipse glasses and ran away with them? Or was it C, he was trying to win$10 ,000 in an eclipse staring contest? Okay, The Neighbors is a soap opera, right?
20:28Bobby Lopez:Yeah. I'm going to guess it's B. That's right. It's B. How did you know?
20:35Bobby Lopez:The dog stole his glasses, and he just looked anyway. So, all right. Back to Friends. Lisa Kudrow won an Emmy for playing Phoebe on Friends, but she always had a backup plan ready. In the same year that the show premiered, Kudrow also did what? Was it A, published a study in a neurological journal testing if left-handed people are more likely to get migraines? Was it B, completed an internship at the three Michelin star restaurant, the French Laundry? Or was it C, received a patent for a leash that lets you walk five dogs at once? It's A. I know that one. It's A. That's right. It was A.
21:21Bobby Lopez:Bill, how did Olivia do on our quiz? Olivia was perfect Three right
21:31Bobby Lopez:Olivia Munn is an actor who you can see on Apple TV Plus as your friends and neighbors Season 2 premiered this week Olivia Munn, thanks so much for joining us It's been so much fun
21:50Olivia Munn:A few weeks later, I took another week off, and this time Tom Papa got to fill in and talk to our guest, Father James Martin, a Catholic priest, a regular in the late night circuit, and a best-selling author.
22:01Father James Martin:His latest book is a memoir about all the summer jobs he had as a kid, and Tom got right to the most important question about it. So your book is all about your past summer job starting off when you were a child which job made you believe in
22:15Ken Jennings:god the least probably uh i was the world's worst caddy uh at a golf course outside of philadelphia and i was stuck in the middle of a lightning storm and my cat my golfer told me to stay there with the bag of clubs under a tree. And I realized that I was standing under a tree in the middle of an electrical storm holding a bag of lightning rods.
22:46Father James Martin:But you have a real nice way of giving perspective. Looking back, these weren't really just dumb jobs. You did learn something along the way.
22:55Ken Jennings:Yeah, I learned a lot about hard work, first of all, but also being kind to people. Because when you're humiliated as a busboy or a dishwasher or a caddy, you learn how not to humiliate people. It was as effective as a year's worth of homilies on being kind.
23:11Father James Martin:Yeah, I was a busboy, and they are mean to you when you were a busboy. I was probably 15 years old, and a guy was really mean to me, and I wasn't really as poised as you were, and when he demanded that I give him rolls, I may have licked one or two. I wouldn't do that now, Father, but back then... So you are confessing.
23:33Bobby Lopez:Three Hail Marys.
23:35Ken Jennings:That's right. I absolve you 40 years later.
23:41Father James Martin:Thank you.
23:45Father James Martin:Now, you made a playlist to accompany your book, and it has everything from afternoon delight to rock lobster on it. Do you actually make the playlist yourself? And more importantly, what do you consider an afternoon delight?
24:04Ken Jennings:As I say in my book, it was a mark of some distinction if at age 15 in the summer of 1976, you knew what an afternoon delight was. So we consider ourselves very cool. You know, that playlist actually is from the book. And in each chapter, I mention, you know, a song or two that was popular during the summer. And I tell people, this is not the playlist that I would look back and say, these are the songs that I like now from that time period. These are the songs that I actually listen to, so including Afternoon Delight, but you know, my taste, I would say, develop a little bit more as I get older.
24:41Father James Martin:I'm Catholic, and I travel around the country as a comedian all the time, and I go into all these churches when I'm on tour. I try and fit it in on Saturday before the show, or before I fly back on a Sunday, and I really have noticed in the last couple of years, these churches all around the country are filling up. There's a lot more activity. It seems like from the early days to now, it seems like there are a lot more people going to church. Do you find that true? And do you think having an American Pope has anything to do with that?
25:10Ken Jennings:I'd say a little of it. You know, people have been thinking about this, people who entered the church, you know, for maybe a longer time than he's been Pope, but he's certainly given people, you know, a real shot in the arm. And it is really something to listen to the Vicar of Christ speak in flawless Chicago English.
25:32Father James Martin:Did you know Pope Leo before he became Pope?
25:35Ken Jennings:I did a little bit. I was at a meeting called the Synod, the Synod of Bishops, and I happened to be, we were at the same table, and he's wonderful. He really is wonderful. I mean, I don't have to tell a Chicago audience that. He's kind and smart and reserved and prayerful. I'll tell you a funny story. I was helping out ABC News during the conclave, and I was so excited because I knew him. It's amazing to see someone you know dressed up like the Pope coming out of that balcony. Dressed up like the Pope?
26:05Bobby Lopez:That is Halloween in Chicago.
26:09Ken Jennings:I went back to the Jesuit community. I was staying in the Jesuit headquarters, and I was so excited, and I said, I can't believe that he was at my table. And they said, no, Jim, you were at his...
26:26Ken Jennings:One of my favorite lines was, among the Italians, it was not exactly a huge surprise, but he was kind of on the second tier of guys who were being considered. One of the Italians said that he was the least American of the Americans. Which was a compliment. Yeah.
26:47Father James Martin:Well, Father James, we've asked you here to play a game we're calling... Don't take confession. Take these concessions. That's right. We're going to ask you three questions about stadium concessions.
27:04Ken Jennings:You know, it's funny. I actually have my PhD in stadium concessions.
27:10Father James Martin:The HD stands for hot dog. This is all the food that you can get at sporting events. Oh, my God. If you answer two out of three correctly, and you'll win our prize for one of our listeners, the wait waiter of their choice, on their voicemail. Bill, who is Father James Martin playing for? Lauren Joyce of Chicago, Illinois. All right.
27:37All right.
27:38Father James Martin:Here's your first question. There's no concession more classic than Cracker Jack But in 2012, a new product called Cracker Jacked Power Bites Was not well received Parents didn't like that the product contained what? A. Twice as many peanuts B. As much caffeine as a cup of coffee C. Venison
28:08Ken Jennings:I'm going to say the parents were upset because it was B
28:12Father James Martin:B, you're right They were loaded with caffeine You know, for when you're like, man, I feel sluggish today I need a bag of Cracker Jacks Alright, here's your next question Many attention-grabbing concessions are only sold at one particular concession stand, which is why a reporter overheard a woman at Yankee Stadium telling her friend what? A, start on the upper deck. Don't come back without Pokey. B, somewhere here, there's tiramisu and little hats. We have to find it. Or C, keep checking Insta until they post the nacho drop.
29:06Ken Jennings:I'm going to say B just because I can hear someone in New York saying that.
29:10Father James Martin:You're right, B.
29:16Ken Jennings:You know, today I walked into a store with my Phillies hat on. I'm from Philadelphia. And someone said, hey, you expect me to serve you with that on? You feel like you're in a movie sometimes.
29:32Father James Martin:And then you show him the collar and he's like, I'm sorry. What do you want? That's exactly right.
29:36Ken Jennings:And I want it for free, too.
29:41Father James Martin:The Lord give it. All right. You're doing great. Here's your last question. The most unbelievable concession we found is sold at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Atlanta Falcons, where you can get what? A, actual falcon wings with buffalo or barbecue sauce B, a regulation-sized football helmet containing one scoop of ice cream for each of the 32 NFL teams C, a beer that's only$5
30:20Ken Jennings:I'm going to say A is probably illegal B is repulsive So I'll say C.
30:29Father James Martin:That's right, C. Wow. Yeah. And a$2 hot dog. Bill, how did Father James do on our quiz? Is there any other answer but perfect? Nice.
30:49Father James Martin:Congratulations, Father. Father James Martin is a New York Times bestselling author and Jesuit priest. His new book, Work in Progress, is available now. Father James Martin, thank you so much for joining us on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me.
31:03Olivia Munn:My pleasure. Thank you. When we come back, our panelists tell some of their best lies ever, and we talk to a real EGOT winner, which is as close as we will ever get to any of those letters. That's when we come back with more of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me from NPR.
31:21Father James Martin:Support for NPR and the following message come from GoodRx. With the days packed with summertime activities and back to school coming up, it can be a challenge keeping everyone healthy while staying on budget. With GoodRx, you can find big savings at the pharmacy for the whole family. Compare prescription prices at over 70 ,000 pharmacies and instantly find free coupons. Good Rx is not insurance, but it may beat your copay price if you do have insurance. Save at the pharmacy this summer. Go to goodrx.com slash wait.
32:01Bobby Lopez:This message comes from BetterHelp. One of the hardest parts about starting therapy? Not knowing what to expect. Instead of listening to an ad, hear from the people who've actually been there. Visit betterhelp.com slash reviews to explore real client reviews that are updated every day. With an average live therapy session rating of 4.9 out of 5, based on more than 1.7 million client session reviews, the feedback speaks for itself. Visit BetterHelp.com slash reviews.
32:34Father James Martin:From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz. I'm Alzo Slade, and here's your host at the Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Peter Sagal. Say go.
32:46Olivia Munn:Thank you, Alzo. Thanks, everybody. My gosh. We're still on break, but we are so eager to get back to work that we are spending the whole episode reliving our favorite memories. So if you're out there wishing that we'd just do a new show already, so are we.
33:04Father James Martin:I don't know, Peter. When I took the job, I didn't know I could just sit around and let my past self do all the work.
33:11Olivia Munn:Speaking of which, our panelists never work harder than when they have a chance to lie to you, which they did last May in this Bluff the Listener game with Nagin Farsad, Paula Poundstone, and Luke Burbank.
33:21Bobby Lopez:Hi, this is Rhonda Grass calling from McCook, Nebraska.
33:24Olivia Munn:McCook, Nebraska. Where is that exactly?
33:27Bobby Lopez:We are smack dab between Denver and Omaha and home to Senator George Norris.
33:33Olivia Munn:Oh, Senator George Norris?
33:36Bobby Lopez:Yeah, you got to go back a ways to, you know, electricity. Oh, I'm sorry. And now we're to broadband.
33:42Olivia Munn:The Senator George Norris. Now I know. Yes. Well, Rhonda, welcome to the show. You're going to play the game in which you have to tell truth from fiction. Bill, what's Rhonda's topic? Just one letter. One letter can make a big difference. Consider the priest who told the congregation that all singers go to hell. This week, we heard a story of something off just by one letter and the consequences were remarkable. Our panelists are going to tell you about it. Pick the one who's telling the truth and you'll win our prize, the wait waiter of your choice on your voicemail. Ready to play? I am. First, let's hear from Nagin Farsad.
34:20Bobby Lopez:Dr. Mariano Cohen is a well-respected urologist in Argentina who was invited to speak on a local radio station. He was probably flattered that his vast knowledge of urology was going to be useful on a more public-facing scale. It's about time that the study of the testes, prostate, vas deferens, and yes, the seminal vesicles, be taken as a serious matter of public health and not as an uncomfortable joke made by dirtbag comedians on silly quiz shows. But when the urologist went live on the airwaves, the first question he got was, where did he study to become a ufologist? As in someone who studies UFOs.
35:02Bobby Lopez:Quote, I'm a urologist, not a ufologist, he said. as all the genitals he studied metaphorically shrank. In the end, urologists are still the one doctor no one wants to see, but they're a pretty decent stand-in when it comes to explaining inexplicable orbs with strange behaviors. A urologist invited onto a radio show
35:32Olivia Munn:because they thought he was a ufologist. Your next alphabet account comes from Luke Burbank. According to a story this week in The Hill, about six months ago, Ben Forstag was at his
35:43Ken Jennings:desk as regional director of the FBA, the Farmington Bratwurst Association, a Michigan-based lobbying group representing the cased meats industry, when he got an email from Kash Patel ordering him to look into a series of bank robberies in the area. Why, though, would the FBI director reach out to him? Well, thanks to a typo on his LinkedIn page, his name came up when Director Patel googled Michigan Regional Director of the FBI. Patel was actually emailing a guy whose real expertise was, how spicy is too spicy when we're talking kielbasa? The even more amazing part, Forstegg nabbed the suspect.
36:24Ken Jennings:With no legal authorization, he staked out the one bank in town that hadn't been robbed yet, And sure enough, he caught the bandit when he showed up. Something he said he saw in a Matt Damon movie.
36:38Olivia Munn:Someone listing his job as with the FBI instead of the FBA ends up catching a criminal. Your last story of someone playing loose with the letters comes from Paula Poundstone.
36:52Bobby Lopez:Tech Tech, who Wired Magazine has put in the top slot of their who to watch in tech list, recently held their Spring Fling employee recognition luncheon at the Southport Hyatt in Boston. The round tables were festooned with bouquets of flowers. The event featured an improv teacher who led the attendees in some hilarious group storytelling, but there was something missing. The lunch. In fact, the crowd grew a little restless, digging through their bags for power bars and candy by the last speaker, who shook his head slowly and moaned in response to each disturbance during his somewhat out-of-place testimonial about the challenges of his life as a very tall man, his struggles with depression, and the difficulties of finding work as a butler in the current economic climate.
37:40Bobby Lopez:Of course, CEO Watson threatened never again to use Let's Have an Affair, her go-to party planners, until they showed her a copy of the email asking for the event to include Lurch.
37:55Bobby Lopez:Lurch was the butler from the Adams family.
38:02Olivia Munn:So one of these single letter typos made it into the news this week. Was it from Nigeen Farsad, a urologist who got invited to talk about ETs and UFOs from Luke Burbank, somebody who was a regional director for the FBA, being mistaken for someone from the FBI, or was it from Paula Poundstone, a corporate event that went awry because they ended up with this visit from Lurch, the butler from the Adams family, rather than a delicious lunch?
38:38Bobby Lopez:Well, I love the Lurch idea, and I believe the FAI, I'm going with number one.
38:43Olivia Munn:You're going to go with Nagin's story of the urologist mistaken for a ufologist. Well, to bring you the correct answer, we spoke to someone familiar with the real story.
38:52Bobby Lopez:You log on to a call to think you're going to be asked about your medical expertise, and then someone's like, do you believe in aliens? And you're like, how is this relevant?
38:58Olivia Munn:Yeah. How is it relevant? That was Dr. Reena Malik, a urologist, explaining the mix-up in this week's news. Although when you think about it, sometimes aliens are reputed to do the same sort of thing that urologists do. Yeah. At any rate, that means you got it right. Of course, Nagin was telling the truth. You're in a point for her. You've won our game. You get to choose the voice of anyone you might like on your voicemail. Congratulations, and thanks for calling. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
39:57Father James Martin:for the whole family. Compare prescription prices at over 70 ,000 pharmacies and instantly find free coupons. GoodRx is not insurance, but it may beat your copay price if you do have insurance. Save at the pharmacy this summer. Go to GoodRx.com slash wait.
40:19Bobby Lopez:This message comes from Mint Mobile. Cut your wireless bill. No catch. Go to MintMobile.com slash wait. Upfront payment of$45 for three months,$90 for six months, or$180 for 12 months. Plan required,$15 per month equivalent. Taxes and fees extra, initial plan term only. Greater than 50 gigabytes may slow when network is busy. Includes up to 20 gigabyte hotspot. Capable device required. Availability, speed, and coverage varies. See mintmobile.com.
40:49Olivia Munn:Finally, speaking as a theater kid, here's one of my favorite interviews of the last year with the composer, lyricist, and EGOT winner Bobby Lopez.
40:58Father James Martin:Bobby won two of his three Tony Awards for the very irreverent, often obscene musical, The Book of Mormon. And he told us he never expected it to be a big hit.
41:08Olivia Munn:We're the 10th longest running show of all time. Yeah. How does it feel to be the Andrew Lloyd Webber of F-bomb shows? It feels good. It feels good.
41:19Father James Martin:I would never put myself in his rarefied air.
41:22Olivia Munn:No, no. Now, if you've never seen the Book of Mormon, it is incredibly obscene in the best possible way. And I heard a story. It was actually in Josh Gad's memoir. Josh Gad from the original cast. He says he was at an initial workshop. He was working out the show. And he, like, read or performed one of the songs. And he actually said to Trey Parker, one of the authors, he said, you can't do this. This is too offensive. people will kill you did you ever worry about that?
41:58Father James Martin:you know I give him this when you read the book of Mormon on the page there's a convention in writing the scripts out where all the lyrics are in all caps which looks like screaming so when you have the lyrics to filling the page it really jumps out and a different tone than the music makes it much sweeter.
42:22Olivia Munn:Yeah. And so the music, were you surprised that this musical about Mormon missionaries with its extraordinary language and themes and sense of humor was the monster hit that it became?
42:35Father James Martin:We were hoping to run a year and maybe get some protesters. But instead we became this long-running mainstream right down the middle hit, which still baffles me.
42:49Olivia Munn:I know, it's amazing. And the amazing thing is, the Mormon church was okay with it, right? They kind of got on board? Yeah, they kind of judoed us.
42:59Father James Martin:They were like, let's put an ad in the playbill. You've seen the show, now read the book.
43:07Olivia Munn:Great ad.
43:12Olivia Munn:Are you aware of anybody who came off the streets, saw the Book of Mormon, the musical, and any of its many iterations or productions, and then said, you know what? I think I'll look into this religion. No, but I would love to meet you if you're out there. Before we leave the topic, I understand that in June, once the show comes back from its theater catching fire, the show is going to be doing something called Magical Mormon Mystery Week.
43:39Father James Martin:Yes, that's it. We're having Josh Gad, Andrew Rannells, and all of the original company kind of come back and pop into the show in random scenes. And I will get to also be in it with Matt and Trey on certain nights. Really? I think Trey's in it every night, yeah.
44:01Father James Martin:Trey's going to play Jesus and Joseph Smith every night that week. Wow.
44:06Olivia Munn:From what I know of him, that's kind of a dream come true, right?
44:09Father James Martin:I mean, he looks like Jesus and Joseph Smith. That's true, that's true.
44:13Olivia Munn:So famously, you are the youngest person ever to EGOT, Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony.
44:24Olivia Munn:And you also are the only person, as far as I know, who's done it twice in each category, sometimes more than twice.
44:35Olivia Munn:And we're just wondering, as the only person in the entire world who have ever done that, what kind of privileges does that get you? Do you get to cut in line at the movie theater?
44:45Father James Martin:Oh, let's see. My family, my kids, my kids were very young at the time, and they and Kristen, my wife, got together and made an EGOT necklace like the one from 30 Rock, but out of cardboard and macaroni and glue. Oh, that's awesome.
45:00Olivia Munn:That's great. You can see it. It's online. That's fabulous. Speaking of your wife, who's astonishingly talented and shared in your Oscars because she co-wrote the songs from Coco and Frozen with you, she is missing that Tony Award. So she's an ego.
45:18Father James Martin:She's a big ego. Big ego.
45:22Olivia Munn:Any tension around the house or maybe when you're having those spats like we all do. Don't try and get me in trouble, man. I know, but Tony says it's your turn to clean the kitchen. Yeah. No. No. Is that tough though? I mean, because you obviously work very successfully with your wife. Does it interfere with your daily life? Do you pause and go, wait a minute, is that a song? Did we just write a song? Is that a song? Or is it like, you're not going to write a song about this, right?
45:56Father James Martin:Absolutely. We are on vacation and we end up running to write something, not for any project. Just like we wrote lyrics to the, like our kids loved Harry Potter way back when. and we wrote a whole Harry Potter quiz show set of lyrics to the Harry Potter theme. It was, What time is it? You know what time it is. Time for the Harry Potter quiz. And it went on. I got the whole thing. Really?
46:27Olivia Munn:Wow. Well, Bobby Lopez, it's a joy to talk to you. We have invited you here to play a game that this time we're calling You are 15 going on 16. It's the 15th anniversary of Book of Mormon, which means it's time to start planning for the show's appearance on the MTV reality show, My Super Sweet 16. That's the show in which America's richest and most entitled teenagers threw extravagant birthday parties and then cried at them. So we're going to ask you three questions about that show. Answer two of them correctly. You won a prize for one of our listeners. Wait, give me a second to watch all those episodes.
47:04Olivia Munn:Yes, please do that. Bill, who is Bobby Lopez playing for? Loxum Wong of Gaithersburg, Maryland. All right, here we go. In season seven, as fans remember, birthday girl Sky got upset because all her friends were inside dancing, meaning that none of them could see what? A, her head projected onto Mount Rushmore, which was the venue for the party. B, her arrival at the party riding the same giant gold lion that Katy Perry rode in her Super Bowl halftime show or see her grand entrance in a 20-foot tall dress with a hydraulic lift built into it to raise her into the air. Well, that sounds like a girl obsessed with Wicked.
47:51Olivia Munn:I think I'll choose C. You were right. That's exactly right. All right. My super sweet 16... My super sweet 16 was so popular that it had several spinoff shows, including which of these? A, Exiled, where the parents of teens who had parties in the show send those teens to remote countries by themselves to see if they can survive. B, my super depressing 30 about people realizing they were totally unequipped for adulthood. Or C, I hate them all. Interviews with the caterers, waiters, and other people whose staff are the parties. Wow. They all sound fake. I pick C again. You're going to pick C again.
48:47Olivia Munn:I hate them all. Interviews with the staff of the parties. No, I'm afraid it was A, exiled. It lasted one season. They sent these entitled kids, and as far as I know, they all survived and came back. All right. Last question. If you get this right, you win. My super sweet 16 has inspired other creators, including which of these? A, your friend Trey Parker, who made a South Park episode where Satan throws his own super sweet 16 party. B, choreographer Twyla Tharp, who created a dance show called Les Insufferables. Or C, actor Nicolas Cage, who vowed that his own kid's birthday party would be better than any of those parties on the show and subsequently had to declare bankruptcy again.
49:29Olivia Munn:It was A, right? It was A, yeah. Ray Parker made an homage to Super Sweet 16 on South Park. He called, the maker of South Park, called my Super Sweet 16, quote, the most disgusting foul show ever made. Bill, how did Bobby Lopez do in our quiz? He got two out of three, and that's good enough for us. Bobby Lopez is the double EGOT winning songwriter and composer of Book of Mormon, which you can see during Magical Mormon Mystery Week at the Eugene O 'Neill Theater from June 9th through June 14th. Bobby Lopez, thank you so much for joining us on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. What a pleasure to talk to you.
50:09Olivia Munn:Thank you. Take care. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye, Bobby. That's it for our We Can't Wait to Get Back to Work edition. We'll be back next week, but first let me tell you, 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 Bacotica writes our Limerick's BJ Lederman composed our theme. Our program is produced by Jennifer Mills, Miles Dornbos, and Lillian King. Our Y fan is Peter Gwynn. Our Vibes curator, that's Emma Choi. Technical directions from Lorna White. Our CFO is Colin Miller. Our ops manager is Jasir Vardak.
50:42Olivia Munn:Our production manager is Robert Newhouse. Our senior producer is Ian Chillag and the executive producer. At Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me is Mike Danforth. Thanks to everybody you heard on our show this week, all of our panelists, Alzo Slade, and that deep, basso, profundo voice you heard, well, that was Bill Curtis. Thanks to all of you for listening. Thanks to our fabulous audience here. You're the best. I'm Peter Sagal, and we'll see you next week with a brand new show.
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