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Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

The Alzo Era begins in Austin!

06 Jun 2026

Transcription

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

Chapter 1: What is the significance of the Alzo Era in this episode?

0.031 - 19.205 Unknown

New shows, new music, new movies. Keeping up with pop culture sometimes feels like a full-time job. Thankfully, over at Pop Culture Happy Hour, it's literally our job. We break down what's actually worth watching, listening to, and pretending you already knew about. So the next time someone says, did you see that? You can say, yeah, obviously.

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19.566 - 23.693 Unknown

Follow NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour wherever you get your podcasts.

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28.617 - 53.002 Alzo Slade

From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz. I'm the man who, for some reason, thought now was a good time to start a career in public radio. I'm Alzo Slade, and here's your host at the Bass Concert Hall in Austin, Texas, Peter Sago. Thank you, Alzo.

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53.022 - 65.018 Peter Sagal

Thank you, everybody. Thank you. It's great to be back in Austin, Texas. We have a fine show for you today. Later on, we're going to be talking to Alana Myers-Taylor, the most decorated black winter Olympian ever.

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65.259 - 84.324 Peter Sagal

But first, we are so excited to inaugurate what cultural historians of the future will refer to as the Alzo era, as we welcome Alzo Slade as Wait-Wait's new official judge and scorekeeper. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Peter. Thank you so much.

84.344 - 84.544

Thank you.

85.857 - 99.201 Peter Sagal

This is very exciting. But also, now that you are official, you are able to wield the awesome power of judging and scorekeeping. So as you start your reign, what do you want people to know about you?

100.003 - 107.376 Alzo Slade

That I am the most decorated black scorekeeper in weight-weight history. So...

109.145 - 122.949 Peter Sagal

If you want to be the first contestant of the Alzo era, give us a call. The number is 1-888-WAIT-WAIT. That's 1-888-924-8924. Let's welcome our first listener contestant. Hi, Ryan. Wait, wait, don't tell me.

Chapter 2: Who is Alana Myers-Taylor and what are her achievements?

205.213 - 206.294 Jenny Stout

I've been cramming all day.

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206.555 - 206.935 Peter Sagal

You have.

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0

209.534 - 216.386 Peter Sagal

All right, well, here is your first quote, and as I'm sure you'll recognize from Alzo's imitation, it is vanilla ice.

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218.529 - 222.777 Alzo Slade

I don't even vote, so I don't even care. I'll go play for Putin if you want.

Chapter 3: How does the role of a judge and scorekeeper change the game dynamics?

225.161 - 235.238 Peter Sagal

Warm body, vanilla ice, was one of the few performers not to drop out of a concert on the National Mall celebrating what?

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236.078 - 238.482 Jenny Stout

America's 250th birthday.

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238.522 - 259.318 Peter Sagal

Yes, that's exactly right. For their big party on the National Mall, the White House proudly announced a lineup of American music icons like Vanilla Ice and Bret Michaels from the band Poison. Seriously, it was like they just wrote down all the names from the Grammys in memoriam reel.

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260.902 - 269.86 Brian Babylon

So is this tied to the cage match that's going to happen on the lawn? Oh, it's all part of the big festivities.

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269.88 - 285.688 Peter Sagal

That's all part of it. The cage match, they've been building this thing on the White House lawn to have a UFC, basically a cage match. Yeah. That's going to be on Flag Day, which, oh, by the way, what a coincidence, is also President Trump's 80th birthday. Let me just say this about that UFC thing.

286.229 - 310.828 Brian Babylon

If you look at aerial footage of the White House, it looks like what they thought the White House was going to look like when the Obamas were there. It looks like Breaking Bad meth lab house. Yeah. Yeah. With the construction of the ballroom that you have seen, it looks very, like Air Force One is on some blocks. It looks wild.

311.008 - 319.161 Brian Babylon

It feels like when you have a house guest and you can't kick them out and they're ruining everything and you're like, we'll just clean it when they're gone.

321.385 - 326.633 Peter Sagal

All right, Jenny, here is your next quote. It's about a hot new director in Hollywood.

326.765 - 331.118 Alzo Slade

He got his start at age nine, posting videos of himself playing Minecraft.

Chapter 4: What unusual trend is happening with shirtless fans at baseball games?

451.015 - 464.33 Brian Babylon

And now that they can make legit films out of it makes perfect sense. My daughters, within 30 seconds of taking a picture, are able to take that picture, zoom in on my fat neck and make that the picture. Right.

0
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466.017 - 467.579 Brian Babylon

That's the thing that counts. Skills.

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467.719 - 468.08 Peter Sagal

Mad skills.

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468.1 - 469.081 Rachel Koster

They're going to save Hollywood.

469.282 - 486.445 Peter Sagal

Yeah. Your last quote is an official statement from the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team. Tarps off. Let's go. So tarps off. It's the hottest thing in Major League Baseball right now. When you hear tarps off and you're in the stands, you are supposed to do what?

487.267 - 490.611 Jenny Stout

Oh, geez. They take off their shirts?

490.872 - 492.935 Peter Sagal

They take off their shirts. Yes.

493.115 - 493.435 Jenny Stout

Oh, my goodness.

Chapter 5: What surprising connection is made between mosquitoes and insect repellent?

1392.634 - 1396.66 Brian Babylon

Is it like, is it sort of like the Jets and the Sharks, like luge versus Mono Bob? Is it?

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1397.332 - 1408.991 Alana Myers-Taylor

No, actually, we get along with losers really well. Losers? Losers, yes. Losers like the country club of sports, and bobsleds more blue-collar sports. Wait a minute.

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1410.193 - 1422.994 Peter Sagal

I didn't even know. So you mentioned you had kids. You and your husband have two kids. You're now raising them here in Austin. In fact, is it right that you won one of your gold medals at one Olympics while you were pregnant? Yes. Yep.

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1423.174 - 1428.032 Alana Myers-Taylor

Didn't know it at the time. So the bobsled had five people?

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1428.373 - 1428.894 Peter Sagal

In a way.

1428.914 - 1433.441 Alana Myers-Taylor

It was the worst five-person bobsled. It was a two-person bobsled, but yes, technically it had three people.

1433.521 - 1439.07 Peter Sagal

And I know it's rather difficult to do here in Austin, but have you ever taken your kids sledding?

1439.711 - 1444.799 Alana Myers-Taylor

Haven't taken them sledding, but the nanny has. Not in Austin, but the nanny has taken them sledding.

1448.325 - 1451.009 Unknown

That sounds very lousy. Oh, yeah. Very lousy.

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