WWDTM: Kevin O'Leary

24:11And that company sold for so much money to a pharmaceutical. So that's an example of just random outcome. It paid for so many of my mistakes. And she married a Canadian lumberjack who's taller than her, and they had monstrous children. Can I ask, may I ask, does anybody know how the cats felt about the Q-tips? I was going to say, I just so wish I had seen that episode, because up walks a six-foot-four Russian model biologist with a Q-tip in one hand, an unhappy cat in the other, saying, I'm going to make you rich. You see? I know. Think about this. In ancient Egypt, a chocolate point Siamese lasted for 33 years.

25:03Our U.S. domestic cats, 12 and a half to 14. We kill them with crappy food. Wow. This is so frustrating because I was sticking Q-tips up cats' butts just recreationally. I have to talk to you about Marty Supreme, the Oscar-nominated film, which I saw this week. This is your very first acting role, right? Never done it before. And for those who haven't seen the film, and you should, it's quite brilliant. I was going to try to describe your character. It's a major character in the movie, but I figured maybe I'd let you do it. You do it with a little more sympathy, perhaps. Yes, it's Milton Rockwell, richest man in America in 1952.

25:52Safdie called me and said, look, this is Josh Safdie who is the director and Ronnie Bronstein's the writer you know, 20 years earlier at the Shutters Hotel, which is Santa Monica I got a call from Mark Burnett and he was casting for Shark Tank and I was working on a show in England he said, you gotta come over and have breakfast with me I'm casting this new show called Shark Tank and I'm looking for a real a-hole and you're it and now 20 years later I'm hearing the same story from Safdie, looking for the a-hole and you're it. And I'm starting to think this a-hole thing's really working. Really, so that was their pitch.

26:30They said, you're not an actor but we want you to play this major role and the reason we do it is because we need someone to be a rich a-hole and that's what you are. And Josh said, he went beyond it and he said, I want the first frame to tell everybody that's the a-hole. Without me even saying anything I was honored. I thought, my goodness. and I said to him, maybe I should embrace this a-hole. Maybe I should be the best a-hole I can be. Right. Wake up in the morning and be proud of my a-holeness because I know with certainty there's light at the end of the sphincter.

27:08Or if you're a cat, a cutip. I've got to say. Whatever. Well, Kevin O 'Leary, it is a delight to talk to you and we have invited you here today to play a game we're calling Marty Supreme meet Party Supreme. You star in Marty Supreme, as we have said, so we thought we'd ask you about some of the biggest parties of all time, perhaps ones you've attended. Answer two out of three questions right. You will win our prize for one of our listeners, Bill, who is Mr. Wonderful himself playing for. Heidi Hudson of Santa Barbara, California. All right. Here is your first question. Here we go. The Vanity Fair Oscar party has a notoriously strict guest list.

27:48But one reporter from the Star tabloid managed to work their way in one year. How? A, thousands of dollars of plastic surgery to make him look just like Jack Nicholson. B, they brought a pig on a leash and told everyone it was the pig from Babe. Or C, they disguised themselves as a giant Oscar statue and had a friend wheel them into the hall a day early. I think the Oscar wheel them in a day early thing. That sounds good to me. It's brilliant. It's sophisticated, but we made it up. It was really the pig. He brought in a little pig. You know what? I was going to go pig. I was going to go pig. You screwed me up.

28:33Okay. It didn't work. Everybody was like, wait a minute, that pig can't talk. All right. You have two more chances here. Here's your next question. The Met Gala's red carpet is always filled with huge stars, but someone stole the show in 2023. Who was it? A, a New York Mets fan whose Uber driver got confused and dropped him at the Met Gala instead of the stadium. B, party organizer Anna Wintour who was caught in the hot mic saying, God, I'm so uncomfortable. Next year I'm making the theme sweatpants. Or C, a cockroach who walked the runway like he was the guest of honor. I'm going cockroach. As well you should, because that's exactly what it was.

29:10Yeah, baby. I'm still in it. I'm still in it. When the cockroach walked down the red carpet, every photographer immediately dropped what they were doing and tried to get a picture. It was wearing Balenciaga. I thought it might have been Dolce. No, well, you never know. Last question. You get this, you win. In 2022, the EU spent half a million dollars to throw a huge virtual party in the metaverse, right? Hoping to engage young people with their policies. One problem, though, what was it? A, Emmanuel Macron attended and got motion sickness from the VR headset and threw up during his big speech.

29:46B, the virtual DJ in the metaverse glitched out and just kept repeating the first 40 seconds of that Chumbawamba song. Or C, only six people showed up. Six people showed up. You're right. A vast... Thank you very much. A vast infinite space in the metaverse. Listen, there's something about that cat DNA thing that's working for me too. It really is. Yeah, the six people who did show up at this virtual party had fun, according to one attendee, quote, I am here at the gala. I am alone. So, Bill, did Kevin O 'Leary do as well at this as he seems to do at everything else? Everything else. He got two out of three.

30:33That means you're a winner and it'll pay off in 20 years. Congratulations.

30:39Well, thank you very much. Tim, thank you, and congratulations on everything. Kevin O 'Leary is one of the Shark Tank sharks. You can see him now in Marty's Supreme. Kevin O 'Leary, thank you so much for joining us on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. What a pleasure to talk to you. Take care. Thank you, thank you. Take care. Bye-bye. In just a minute, the rudest thing your house can do in our listener Limerick Challenge. Call 1-888-WAIT-WAIT to join us on the air. We'll be back in a minute with more of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me from NPR. This week on the NPR Politics Podcast, President Trump's first year.

31:15You know, it's not just that there aren't really the guardrails on Trump's presidency this term. It's that he's doing things that are just not conservative. We unpack the ongoing transformation of the Republican Party on the NPR Politics Podcast. Listen on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. On Planet Money, we have covered a lot of topics. Like, just try searching something on the internet and adding Planet Money to the end of it. Tariff prices, Planet Money? That's an episode. Stop sign war, Planet Money? That too. Alaska halibut derby, Planet Money? If you can ask it, we have probably answered it.

31:53Planet Money. Listen on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

32:02From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz. I'm Bill Curtis. We are playing this week with Adam Burke, Mo Rocca, and Shantira Jackson. And here again is your host at the Studebaker Theater in Illinois, specifically Chicago, Illinois, Peter Sagal. Thank you, Bill.

32:29Thanks, Bill. In just a minute, the odds of you winning the Listener Limerick Challenge are 34 to 1 on FanDuel. Are you ready to prove them wrong? If you'd like to play, give us a call at 1-888-WAIT-WAIT. That's 1-888-924-8924. Right now, a panel of some more questions for you from the week's news. Mo, a new board game, has caused some controversy, and it is not longer Monopoly. It's a game where players reenact what historical incident. Oh, the Donner Party?

33:03No, although a lack of food does come into it. Well, I was always a big Hungry Hungry Hippo fan, so that's where my mind went. They reenact something that's very controversial. Mo, I think this answer is about to make me real angry, is it? Yes, it is. It's going to make you hangry? Yeah, not hangry. Well, it's going to make you hangry, too. Oh, the Irish potato famine! Yes, it is a game in which you can reenact the Irish potato famine. Is it like a really skinny Mr. Potato Head? Sorry. By the way, that's just called a French fry.

33:42In the new game, The Great Hunger, you play the families of farmers and field hands in Ireland in the 1840s when your main source of food dies out. Not only does it make a game out of the worst disaster in Irish history, The pieces representing individual Irishmen are all adorable leprechauns. Oh my god. Wait, what's the game called? It's called The Great Hunger. And people in Britain created it? It was created? Yeah. Probably. I mean, this game already exists. It's called Monopoly. One of the ways you can win the game, by the way, is moving your family to America, which makes sense. It's victory, because as we know, Irish people who moved to America at that time had it really easy and nothing bad ever happened to them again.

34:28Shantira, the newest wisdom about having a neater home is that we should get rid of our quote, aspirational clutter. What is aspirational clutter? Aspirational, like a piano? Like a... Yeah, something like that. Something... The reason it's called aspirational clutter is because it's things you bought for what purpose? Oh, to use it that you never did? Exactly right. I will give it to you. Yay! Stuff we never use, but we bought to pretend that one day our life would be different and we'd be able to do it. According to organizational experts, aspirational clutter is the stuff around our house that highlights, quote, the gap between who we are and who we want to be, which seems like a really poetic way to tell me to throw away my figure skating tights.

35:13I feel like I do this with clothes. I'm like, I could definitely wear that jacket one day and I would never do it. Actually, that's one of the examples. It takes the form of big serving platters for dinner parties you never throw, blazers for the job you'll never have, and pretty much any and all exercise equipment. What if my aspiration is to be a hoarder? Yeah, that's true. That's a good point. Adam, this week a new study finds that after you go to the gym, your what has ten times more harmful bacteria than a toilet seat. Is it your gym clothes? No. Can I get a clue? We'd expect that, yeah. This is why you should always get a manicure immediately after spin class.

35:59Oh, is it like your fingernails? Your fingernails are filthy after a gym workout. According to a new study, we have a high level of bacteria on our fingernails after working out for an hour. Not only can this make you sick, apparently it means I've been working out all wrong. I almost never scratch the weights. You say working out for an hour? Yeah. No worries. Yeah, you're good. Walk out. Your hands are pristine. I am so clean, you guys. We also recommend against sharing towels or water bottles at the gym. Okay, fine. But how else am I going to make friends at the gym if I'm not borrowing random people's towels?

36:38That seems like a suggestion for boys. That seems like season two of Heated Rivalry.

36:48Coming up, it's Lightning Fill in the Blank, but first it's the game where you have to listen for the rhyme. If you'd like to play on air, call or leave a message at 1-888-WAIT-WAIT. That's 1-888-924-8924. You can see us most weeks right here at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago. And if you are in Chicago looking for a drunker version of WAIT-WAIT, come see our special comedy grab bag live stand-up show March 11th at the Den Theater in Wicker Park. Adam Burke will be hosting, along with Alzo Slade, Joelle Nicole Johnson, and more. For tickets and more information for all of our live events, go to nprpresents.org.

37:22Hi, everyone. Wait, wait, don't tell me. Hi, this is Kate calling from Salem, South Carolina. Oh, Salem, South Carolina. I'm not quite sure where that is. Where is it? It's where they filmed the end scene of Deliverance. Oh, that's so sweet. Yeah, but it's pretty close to Clemson as well as Greenville, South Carolina, which is where I live. I'm sorry. You decided to let me know about your hometown in the short time you had by letting me know that that's where they filmed the end scene of Deliverance. I mean, it says all the shirts around here say pedal faster. I hear banjos.

38:00It's such a romantic movie. It really is. Well, welcome to the show, Kate. Bill Curtis is going to read you three news-related limericks with a last word or phrase missing from each. If you can fill in that last word or phrase correctly on two of the limericks, you'll be a winner. Ready to play? Yep. Here's your first limerick. There is not much a panda can do. They're more likely to die out than you. But their high fiber diet, we humans should try it. Yes, people should eat more. Bamboo. Bamboo. The latest superfood being pushed by all the nutrition influencers is bamboo. Bamboo! I mean, maybe pandas aren't so dumb after all.

38:45Bamboo apparently has got dense nutritional value, it's rich in protein, and gives you 100 % of your daily recommended sticks.

38:55Imagine how pissed you'd be if you just got on Ozempic just as Panda Body became all the Exactly, what a shame. Now before you immediately go eat that bamboo houseplant you got at IKEA, remember you have to prepare bamboo correctly. you first strip the fibrous exterior, then continuously boil the core to remove the toxins before you can cook with it. Or if you're a panda, just eat it as is and watch your entire species become endangered because of dumbness. Here is your next limerick. That old accent where R sounds got lost in got some Duncan but cream filled with frosting. Unlike Cliff from that bah, They no longer say ca.

39:39We can't tell if a speaker's from... Baston. Baston, right. According to the Boston Globe, the famous Boston accent is dying out. One reason, apparently, for the accent's decline is that many adults have intentionally dropped their Boston accents for professional reasons. They're afraid that accent doesn't say, I'm executive material, and instead says, I'm about to rob a bank with my little brother. If they're going to drop the Boston accent, they have to drop everything else that goes with it, right? Because it doesn't carry the same weight to say, well, I am wicked smart. How do you like them apples?

40:18Do these apples appeal to you? Here's your last limerick. Windows open and close with a chirp, and a breeze rushes in with a slurp. When the air isn't stale, we can take an inhale. I am giving my house a quick burp. Yes, right. More and more Americans are taking part in the German tradition of house burping, where you open all your windows to let the fresh air in on a regular basis. It's especially great when you've burned something in the stove, or someone in the house is sick, or you just want a bird to get inside your apartment. Do you have to slap the back of the house? Put a little towel on the front lawn, slap the back.

41:04Sometimes it vomits up your aspirational hoarding. Yeah, exactly.

41:13We should point out, though, if you open the back door, that's not called burping.

41:19Bill, how did Kate do? How did Kate get all three right? That was hard. Well done. Yeah. Congratulations. Congratulations, Kate, and thanks for calling. Thank you. Bye-bye.

41:44On NPR's Wildcard podcast, author Jeanette McCurdy says she understands one emotion best. I'm trying to, like, literally name any other emotion, and anger is the only one coming up. Love it! It's just anger, baby. Watch or listen to that wildcard conversation on the NPR app or on YouTube at NPR Wildcard.

42:08On the TED Radio Hour, if you won the lottery, your life would be amazing, right? So I think everyone's got a vision of what it's like to win the lottery in their head when they're playing. The reality, of course, is very different. Ideas about making the most of what you've got and finding agency. Listen to the TED Radio Hour on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

42:58First question, fill in the blank. On Wednesday, blank launched a new operation in Maine. LLB. No. That would be so nice. They're already there. ICE. Oh, okay. Thursday, Trump said he had held productive talks with Ukrainian President blank. I can't remember his name, but I hope the best for him. Thank you. I'm sure it means a lot to him. It's Vladimir Zelensky. This week, a study found that it could cost over$100 million to rename the Department of Defense blank. The War Department? Right. This week, police in Canada, who pulled over a driver for speeding, refused to let him get back on the road because they said his car was blank.

43:35Um, full of parrots. No, they said his car was, quote, held together with duct tape and wishful thinking. This week, Sunny Williams, one of the astronauts who was stuck on the blank, announced her retirement. Oh, was it like the ISS? Yeah, she was stuck on the space station. Last week, anti-ice protesters in Minneapolis located the hotel where agents were staying and blanked. They made a bunch of noise and poured ice and showed them what America's made of. Yeah, I'll give it to you. They played drums outside all night. Protesters in Minneapolis kept coming up with creative ways to interrupt ice activity.

44:08You've got to wonder how well this works on ice agents, though. Being kept awake by drums might actually be a nice change from being kept awake thinking about how your wife hates you.

44:23Bill, how did Shantira do in our quiz? Oh, well, very good. Three right. Six more points. Total of eight. Puts her in the lead. All right. For one second. Mo, you're up next. Fill in the blank. On Friday, a massive blank led to severe conditions in over two dozen states. It's a massive cold and snowy front. Yes, a winter storm. According to DOJ court filings, Elon Musk's blank shared sensitive Social Security data. His doge. Doge, yes. On Thursday, Trump announced he was suing blank for$5 billion for closing his bank accounts after January 6th. Jamie Dimon. Yeah, of J.P. Morgan. On Monday, the CEO of online retail giant blank blamed tariffs for increased prices.

45:11Amazon. Amazon, right. This week, a California fitness company is under investigation after it was discovered that their protein powder was actually blank. Oh, cremated remains. No.

45:26No, it was actually just cake mix. According to a new study, stressing about blank can age your heart faster than cardiovascular disease. Stressing about aging, about your health. No, about money. Oh, money. On Tuesday, officials had to release a warning after beaches in Australia recorded four blank attacks in two days. Shark attacks. Right. This week, a man in New Jersey was able to escape authorities despite wearing an ankle monitor because he blanked. Oh, because, oh, he removed his ankle.

45:54A bear. A panda. No. Shoot, finally decided to become carnivorous. Exactly. Shoot off his ankle. Panda's like, why do I have these teeth? Let's try it out. No. He attached the ankle monitor to a dog and let it loose. When the man failed to appear in court authorities immediately checked the GPS tracker and his ankle monitor. It didn't take long for cops to realize what had happened and they managed to track the dog down with the help of a local vet Unfortunately, as soon as officers removed the ankle monitor and set the dog free it went right out and robbed a liquor store

46:27Bill, how did Mo do on our quiz? Pretty good. Five right ten more points. Tuttle to twelve puts him in the lead. All right then Thank you. So, how many does Adam need to win? Adam, you need five to win. All right. Ready to do this, Adam? Here we go. This is for the game. Fill in the blank. According to a new poll, a majority of Americans say the government is intentionally holding back information from the blank files. Epstein. Right. This week, Michelle Obama said she thinks the U.S. is getting closer to electing a woman as blank. Our president. Right. According to the CDC, the blank outbreak in Texas is one of the worst in decades.

47:01Measles. Right. This week, a self-driving bus being demonstrated on the streets of D.C. was hit by blank. Another self-driving bus. No, the self-driving bus was hit by a human-driven Tesla. On Monday, the Space Weather Prediction Center said they were tracking the largest blank storm in 20 years. Meteor? A solar storm. On Thursday, Sinners set a new record for most blank nominations. Oscar nominations. Right. This week, a U.S. aircraft carrier stationed off the coast of Venezuela may have to end its mission early because blank stopped working. The toilets. Exactly right. Since the ship, the$13 billion aircraft carrier, was launched in 2023, they've had to call for outside help with the toilets 42 times.

47:46It must be so embarrassing for the sailors to have to knock on Venezuela's door and be like, I'm so sorry. But could we invade your bathroom real quick? Bill, did Adam do well enough to win? Five right. Ten more points. his total is 13 and yes is the answer he won congratulations Adam

48:11in just a minute we're going to ask our panelists now that they're using tools how will cows surprise us next but first let me tell you that Wait Wait Don't Tell Me is a production of NPR and WBEZ Chicago in association with Urgent Haircut Productions Doug Berman, Benevolent Overlord Philip Gotica writes our limericks our public address announcer is Paul Friedman Our tour manager is Shayna. Birthday girl, Donald. Thanks to the staff and crew at the Studebaker Theater. B.J. Liederman, composer, our theme. Our program is produced by Jennifer Mills, Miles Dornbos, and Lillian King. Special thanks to Blythe Roberson and Monica Hickey.

48:45Peter Gwynn is our malevolent overlord. Emma Choi is our visual host. Technical direction is from Lorna White. Her CFO is Colin Miller, our production manager. That's Robert Newhouse. Our senior producer is Ian Chillock. And the executive producer of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me is Mr. Michael Danforth. Now panel, what will cows do next? Adam Burke. They'll learn how to make the B sound and reveal they've actually been booing us this entire time.

49:13Molocco. To combat climate change, they'll begin eating impossible burgers. Shantira Jackson. They're going to stop working for Chick-fil-A.

49:26and if any of that happens we're going to ask you about it on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me thank you Bill Curtis thanks also to Adam Burke Shantira Jackson and Mo Rocca thanks to our fabulous audience here at the Studebaker Theatre in downtown Chicago and thanks to all of you for listening wherever you may be I'm Peter Sagal we'll see you next week

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