Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! - WWDTM: Pedro Pascal, Chris Perfetti, Heather Gay, and more!

Episode Date: January 12, 2026

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From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz. That big ball in Times Square doesn't drop until it hears me, count down from 10. I'm Bill Curtis, and here is your host at the Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Illinois. Peter Segel. Thank you, Bill. Thank you, everybody. The new year has begun, but since we're so nervous about what's going to happen, we've decided to just pretend that it hasn't.

2025 isn't over until I say it's over. So, we're going to spend another show for rightly avoiding the future. And we'll start with something it killed me to miss when it happened. Pedro Pascal is one of my favorite actors, so I was extremely jealous of guest host Tom Papa getting to interview him in August. It was better this way, Peter. You would have fainted dead away the second you saw his face. Thank you.

Thank you for having me. It's so great to see. It's really nice to meet you. I feel like we all feel like we know you because you're literally in every movie. How do you... I know. I'm sorry about that.

You're making us all very happy. How do you keep your characters straight? You must be filming some of these things at the same time, right? There were intersections. And, you know, I'm in about 10 minutes of Eddington, and Eddington is two hours and 20 minutes, so there was time. Right.

It's not that hard. But, I mean, what a run. I mean, Narcos and Game of Thrones, Marvel, D.C., Star Wars. Are you going to leave anything for any other actor? No. No, it's all mine. You started as an actor in New York mainly, right? You were a struggling actor in New York?

Yes. Right. Yes. That was like the longest role of my life was struggling. Wow. And you must have started getting parts there and you slowly, did you do like commercial work, that kind of stuff? I mean, I couldn't get arrested, to be honest with you.

There was, there was, there was, I had like a little bit of a promising start with jobs that were in Los Angeles. Angeles, actually, but as far as New York was concerned, it just was a rough go. I was a waiter, and I was really bad at it. But I still didn't have the skill to learn something else. And I did eventually learn how to wait tables. I became good at it, but boy, it took years. What was the struggle in waiting tables for you? What was the hard part? Just the logistical labor of meeting everyone's needs in the right manner. You know, act one, the water, act through the drink,

you know what I mean? Upsell, you know, like the whole everything and making them feel attended to and respected in everything. And I, you know, I desperately didn't want to be there. I want to be honest with you. I've never understood the waiter's journey until that moment, Pedro. That was beautiful. Like, wow, I'm going to tip more every time.

Like, I see what you're doing, man. So at that time, what was scarier? The world in The Last of Us or your first apartment in New York? Oh, gosh. Wow. Okay. Yeah, exactly. I mean, you know, I thought my apartment was really cute.

And I When I moved out to Brooklyn The only place I could afford Was a tiny little place in Red Hook And I remember taking a friend of mine to it Years years, years later While I still had the lease And she looked like she was going to cry

Knowing that I moved there for 12 years Like she just was dumbfounded And it was hilarious So I don't know maybe To some people My apartment in Red Hook Brooklyn but to me definitely the post-apocalyptic fungal nightmare.

Although there was a lot of fungal nightmares in that apartment. I was curious for The Last of Us, which is so brilliant, but I know so many people, and Peter, who I'm filling in for today, he played The Last of Us on his PlayStation, the video game,

and he was so moot. He talks to me about it, Like, he's so moved by that game. It really hooked people in a profound way. Did you play that game before you start in the adaptation? No, I tried. I really, really did try. I tried.

I tried. And my nephew didn't have the patience, so he took the concert to me. And I was just like, well, then you do it. I'm sorry. and so I just watched him play. It's a skill. It's such a thumb skill. I was like, you know, I mean, you know, I was just like running in a corner and I couldn't get out of a corner.

You're going to like pick up the ladder and you got to, you know, all these things. I couldn't figure it out. It's funny to think of you going through the script when you get the role and looking like, where's the corner scene? Yeah, exactly. Where's it where I'm like running in place? You've been recognized by so many award committees. How did it feel to be named Grinders' 2024 hottest man of the year?

You are lying to me. You're not aware of this? You're lying to me. I'm not. If that is the truth, then I need to go. Except it's 2025. You're probably, yeah, the buzzes weren't off. Oh, man.

All right. My ear and I didn't even know it. All right, Pedro, Pascal, we've asked you here to play a game. We're calling The Last of Us Weekly. You star in HBO's The Last of Us. But what do you know about us weekly? the celebrity gossip magazine for folks who think People magazine is too literary. Answer two out of three questions right, and you'll win our prize for one of our listeners.

Bill, who is Pedro playing for? John Bieber of New Market, New Hampshire. All right. All right. You ready to play? I'm ready to play. Okay, here's your first question. Us Weekly is one of the best-selling magazines in the world,

but some issues sell better than others. According to a former employee, which of these is the kiss of death for an issue of Us Weekly? A, when the note from the editor at the beginning of the magazine starts with, listen, they can't all be winners. B, when the issue includes the rare, stars, they're just like us only much, much better column,

or C, when the magazine's cover has a picture of literally any man on it. That's too many words. Let's do a C. See? The answer is C. According to the employee, having a picture of a man on the cover pretty much guarantees that the magazine will undersell,

which is crazy. because who doesn't want to know about Kevin Jonas's skin care routine? Here's your next question. Slate called Us Weekly Celebrity Questionaire, 25 Things You Don't Know About Me, the best magazine feature in all of media. As proof, they cited Cher's 2013 profile where she revealed what?

A, that she's gone by Just Share for so long she's completely forgotten what her last name is. B, that all of her imaginary friends growing up were lumberjacks, or C, that the original lyrics for, if I could turn back time, were about stopping the JFK assassination. My God.

I mean, it's got to be B. That was, that was, those were, my friends. You're right. It was B. Cher also revealed that she owns, quote, a large collection of elephants. Real ones.

You can't have a small collection of elephants. All right. All right, here's your last question. Without a doubt, the most popular section in Us Weekly is Stars, they're just like us, where the magazine posts pictures of celebrities doing everyday things with captions including which of these.

A, they tie their own shoes. B, they eat Mexican food. Or C, they squint in the sun. I'm allowed to get help from the audience, right? Between A and C. What? All of them, but they would literally say they eat Mexican food? You're right, all of the above.

But thankfully, though, they don't do all those things at the same time. Bill, how did Pedro Pascal do on our quiz? Could he do anything better than be a winner? Pedro. Pedro Pascal is starring in the Fantastic Four, and he's up for an Emmy for HBO's The Last of Us. Pedro Pascal, thank you so much for joining us on Wait, Late on Time. Thank you.

When we come back, some of our panelists' best lies of the past year, and how Abbott Elementary subtly lets you know that one of its characters was secretly a genius. That's when we return with more of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, from NPR. From NPR and WBEC Chicago, this is Wait Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz. I'm Bill Curtis, and here is your host at the Studebaker Theater and the Fine Arts Building in Chicago.

Peter Sago. Thank you, Bill. Thanks, everybody. So, thank you. So we know the calendar says it is now 2026, but we are refusing to look at it. Imagine saying, la, la, la, we can't hear you, but with your eyes. In our world, it's still 2025, and it is so great here. For example, here are our panelists lovingly lying to you in a show we did in March.

Hi, Peter. This is Kim, and I'm calling from Cumbergible. Maine, but I was born and raised in Saskatchewan. Right. So you move from Saskatchewan, Canada, to Maine, the United States. Yes. Do you regret that now? Sometimes, yeah.

What do you do there in Cumberland, Maine? So I'm a primary care doctor. Oh, you are? Yeah, yep. That's the best kind of doctor, as far as I'm concerned. Yeah, all about the preventative care. Yeah, exactly. Well, welcome to our show, Kim.

You're going to play the game in which you have to tell truth from fiction. Bill, what is Kim's topic? Honey, you're on TV. It's always fun to be on TV, whether it's being interviewed in the local news or maybe seen in the crowd at a football game or French kissing your brother on the White Lotus. This week we heard about somebody getting on screen for a somewhat surprising reason. Our panel is each going to tell you about it.

Pick the real story. You will win our prize, the waitwaiter of your choice on your voicemail. Are you ready to play? Yes. All right, let's hear first from Paula Poundstone. Just before the start of their recent soccer game, Bulgarian team Arda paid tribute to recently deceased former team member Petko Gonchev. Both teams lined up and bowed their heads for a moment of silence.

Meanwhile, the 78-year-old Ganchev was running late to get home to watch the game on TV, as was his practice. He wasn't dead. When he pulled up at his house, his wife came out crying and shouting, Petco, Petco, they announced on TV that you were dead. Gunchev was so shaken by not being dead. He downed a glass of brandy. So many people called me relatives, friends, acquaintances, and not so big acquaintances, Gonschev said. Like maybe Stoyan, Ivan's friend from the bar that he met that time.

Petco? Yes. It's me. Stoyer. Do I know you? Yes, we met at the bar that time. I'm Ivan's friend. Were you wearing a striped shirt?

No, I had a blue shirt. Oh, yes. Stoyan. Hello. Petco, are you dead? Petco may not have been dead, but he did watch a moment of silence for himself on the TV before a soccer game.

Your next story of a television tale comes from Alonzo Bowden. Matt Collins worked for Amazon. Everyone thought Amazon Prime one day delivery was fast, then they saw Matt run. KCAB obtained this video from a neighbor's ring camera.

Matt was dropping a package when Thor, a notorious neighborhood German Shepherd, got loose. In the video, Matt ran past his truck, leaped a small garden hedge, and increased the distance between himself and Thor until Thor simply gave up.

Thor wasn't the only one to see Matt run. Pete Walker, who once coached Dion Prime Time Sanders, said Matt was the fastest man he's seen since he saw Dion run a 4-2-40 in college. Pete had to find and time Matt. Matt ran a 4-3-5-40. Now it's rumored Thor's 40-time was about 4-5, but no one's been brave enough to verify that.

It turned out Matt had been a high school player, but he didn't get recruited for college and was working at Amazon to help pay for his education. Well, Matt won't have that problem anymore. Since he didn't play college ball, even at age 21, Matt had his full eligibility and is now a full-time scholarship as cornerback at Alcorn State University. An Amazon delivery man is caught on camera outrunning a German Shepherd and gets himself a football scholarship. Your last story of somebody getting screen time comes from Eugene Cordero. When Jason Estrellis of Alhambra, California, began his day with his usual cup of coffee and switching on the local morning news, he was met with a story asking, are we too addicted to junk food?

During the segment, it showed stock footage of various people eating fast food or drinking soda. There was one noticeable snippet to Mr. Estrellis of a man drinking an extra large soda, holding a hot dog, and wearing a green t-shirt that read, got a bad case of bad shingles, we can cure it. Estrellis roofing. This was, in fact, Jason Estrellis himself in the video. And he was shocked. I was excited at first that I was on the news until I saw what the story was about, said Estrellis. But lucky for him, more people were intrigued with the shirt than they were about his

quick meal options that he chose. Businesses picked up quite a bit, Mr. Estrella said, I hope they keep using the footage. It's free advertising, plus a few customers have had hot dogs ready when I arrive to do the job. All right. Here are your three choices. Somebody was surprised to see themselves on TV. Was it from Paula Poundstone, an elderly former soccer player who watched his own memorial service with a moment of silence, even though he was still alive to watch it? From Alonzo Bowden, an Amazon Deliverable, every guy who was caught on camera and then on the news sprinting so fast he got himself a gig in a football team,

or from Eugene Cordero, a man who saw himself used as an example of an unhealthy lifestyle, but it ended up bringing him some business. Which of these is the real story of a surprise TV appearance? Oh, hey, ooh, hey. I think I'm going to go with Paula's story. You're going to go with Paula's story. Well, to find out the correct answer, we spoke to a reporter covering the real story. At a football match in Bulgaria, there was a minute's silence for a former player of PFC Ada who wasn't actually dead.

That was Guardian reporter Paul McKin's talking about the moment of silence at the soccer game. Congratulations, Kim. Paula was telling the truth. I took a moment to glare at the people who objected. Paula was telling the truth. You earned a point for her for doing so, but you yourself have won our prize, the voice of your choice on your voicemail. Congratulations.

Well done. Thanks for calling and playing. Thank you. Here is another interview I am really eager to revisit because I missed it the first time. In June, guest host Nagin Farsad interviewed actor Chris Perfetti from the hit sitcom Abbott Elementary and they talked about what makes Chris character the smartest most sophisticated person ever seen on TV.

Chris, I, first of all, love the show. You're so funny. We have something in common. We both started out our careers in entertainment as baristas. Apparently, you were a Starbucks barista. Is that right? I was. I still feel bad about it to this day, but I sort of used it as a way to get a job elsewhere. I knew about this kind of like Starbucks loophole that if you got hired, you could be transferred somewhere. And I knew when I went to drama school, I needed a job. And so I didn't tell them, but I, you know, applied and got a job in my hometown just so that I would have somewhere to work when I went to school. Oh, wow. Okay. So then they just put you at another Starbucks. Yeah.

There's like a few of them, I guess. Yeah. And then, okay, so as a Starbucks barista, did you intentionally screw up names on the cup? I was not trusted with the customers. They learned very early to put me at the bar to make the drinks. I was really good at that. I could, you know, but... Were you doing the hearts, the heart shapes and the palm tree shapes on the foam?

Oh, no. There was no time. What are you talking about? There was, there was, I feel like I worked at quite possibly the busiest Starbucks in the world. and so you were just lucky if your order came out correct. So you spent this time at Starbucks, but you did a, you know, you put a lot of time in serious theater. Is there like a favorite theatrical piece that you did?

I don't know. I think doing Shakespeare in the Park really kind of like came up first for me. You're doing a play for, first of all, just so many people. It's outdoors. and sometimes it rains halfway through and you flip and fall on your butt in front of everyone. Did that happen? You fell on your butt in front of everyone? Maybe. Maybe it happened more than once.

Now, let's actually, let's talk about Abbott Elementary, and there's something about that show, the elephant in the room, which is that you have one major quirk in the show. Your character is a huge way, way to... Don't Tell Me fan. Now, that's, yeah, huge fan of the show.

Now, I want you to be honest, did you know about Wait, wait, wait, before you were that character? Are you kidding, Negeen? Oh, thank God. And you saying that just kind of has renewed my fears about season five. I'm terrified about,

you know, the line between Chris and Jacob is getting, very blurry and decided to not share with Quinta any other personal details about my life because, you know, we show up to a table read and there it is. So yeah, I'm so glad that that made it into our show. So like, so when, when that trait was given to you, did that affect, like, how you did that character? Was it, you're like, oh, no, I got this. Like, how did, what, what did you change about the character knowing that you could go? full, wait, wait, dork.

Really, not much. I mean, I feel like Quentin has given us such permission to be sort of the authority on these characters, and I think it made perfect sense, and once again, I'm just like, I'm terrified about what's going to show up next season. Now, actually, so I heard this rumor, and I wonder if it's true,

I heard a rumor that your mom pitches a year, ideas for Abbott Elementary. Yeah, she totally does. God bless her. She reminds me that the show is on, and she likes to, you know, kind of like go through the plot of that week with me when I call on Sundays. She gives notes. That's always a joy. Yeah, yeah.

I'm sure, did she also do that with Shakespeare in the park? My mother has given notes on everything I have done since the day. So you play this iconic teacher on TV. Have your own teachers from the past approach you with tips or feedback? Oh, no. I think if they ever saw me in person again, they would probably physically harm me. I've made very clear of them and probably they of me, I made their lives a living hell.

Wait, so you were not, were you like not a good student? No, not at all. No. No, no, I really enjoyed school, but school did not enjoy me. Right, Chris. Well, we've asked you here to play a game we're calling Abbott Elementary, meet the elementary abbot Abbot. So you star in Abbott Elementary.

Don't be scared. Don't be scared. It's going to be okay. It wasn't good at school, McGee. Okay, so you star in Abbott Elementary, so we thought we'd ask you three questions about another kind of Abbott. That's right, we're talking about monks. Answer two out of three questions correctly, and you'll win a prize for you. for one lucky listener, the voice of anyone they choose for their voicemail. Bill, who is Chris Perfetti playing for? Jake Evans of Los Angeles, California.

Jacob, let's go! Okay, here's your first question. A group of monks in the French Alps have taken a vow of silence, but they are allowed to speak in certain conditions, including which of these? Is it A, when singing along to their favorite bad bunny song? is it B, when they really need to talk about a cool leaf they saw? Or is it C when calling the monastery cats to dinner by making kitty calling noises? I really didn't think I needed to hear any more options after A, but I'm glad I did.

I'm going to go with C, I think. That's right. Very good. That's right. Every Abby makes an exception to their view. vow of silence as long as the monks are being adorable. Okay, here's your next question. Monks are known for living lives of peaceful contemplation, which is why one monk in Japan

got in trouble when he started doing what? Was it A, halfway through meditation time, he loudly said, B, boring. Is it B, angrily responding to every negative Yelp review about his monastery? Or is it C, trying to jails. jazz up the chance by doing some sick harmonies. I feel like I want to go with B.

That is right. Yes. When one reviewer complained about the food at the Abbey, the monk responded, and this is true. Yeah, it's monastic cuisine, you uneducated... 2025 will do that to a monk. All right, here is your last question. Though it surprises a lot of people. monks have unknowingly made a huge impact on pop culture

as proven by which of these. Is it A, law and orders dun-dun sound is partly a recording of 500 monks stomping on a wood floor? Is it B, the members of the band One Direction first met during a school trip to a monastery? Or C, the reason Vin Diesel shaves his head is because a monk came to him in a dream and told him he'd look cool, bald.

God bless you, wait, wait, don't tell me. I'm going to go with, those are so funny. I'm going to go with A. That's right. Also includes a sound of a hammer hitting an anvil, and if you listen closely, the scream of a man who just hit his thumb with a hammer. Bill, how did Chris Peretti do?

The teacher is always right, and this teacher got every single one. Correct. Mama's going to be proud. Congratulations, Chris. You're a big winner. And Chris Perfetti is one of the stars of Abbott Elementary. All four seasons are streaming now.

Chris Perfetti, thank you so much for joining us on Way Way. Don't tell me. Thank you, Chris. Thank you, I love you. Thank you so much, Chris. When we come back, we talk to a real housewife of Salt Lake City, and we've got the receipts, proof, timeline, and screenshots to prove it. Thank you.

That's when we come back with more of Wait, Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, from NPR. From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz. I'm Bill Curtis, and here is your host at the Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Peter Seigle. Thank you, Bill. Thank you, everybody. Thank you, everybody. We have decided to spend the start of the new year desperately clinging to, the old one.

Come back, 2025. Come back. We knew all year that no matter how stressful the week was, at least at the end, we got to hang out with their panelists. So always made things seem, if not better, at least sillier. Here are some examples of what I mean. Luke, an expert on automated customer service lines, has offered some tips in how to get through it to a real person.

For example, he suggests you should say one word over and over. What is that word? I don't think I can say it on public radio. That's right. We've all tried that word, but this is something you can say, perhaps, if your children are listening. Oh, okay. I usually start out yelling human. Yep.

And then when that doesn't work, then I break out the F word. Right. This is an alternative to both of those. Okay. He says it'll work. Okay. Can I get a hint? Yeah.

It might be confusing if you're calling, say, customer service for the Chiquita Corporation. Banana. Banana. Banana. You can now stop being the worst version of yourself every time you call customer service and end up screaming Speak to human Representative Representative

Now you can just say banana banana banana Say it over and over again the automated system is looking for certain words so repeating a nonsense word or a word it's not programmed for over and over We'll get you transferred to a real person quickly Whoa So, you have to be a minion? Yeah, pretty much. You just have to be a minion. Blanana, nah, banana.

Wow. Of course, even if this works, it's hard to feel like you're winning when you're the one going banana, banana, banana. Paula, according to the Wall Street Journal, the cosmetics industry is finally moving away from floral and natural scents. The latest trend in perfumes and shampoos, stuff like that, is being scented like what?

Oh. No, I don't think so. I'm assuming it's popular. Industrial waste? No. I'll give you a hint. Insiders say that you should only wear, you have to be careful,

you should only wear, for example, crispy cream when the fresh hot sign is lit. Do you smell like donuts? You want to smell like donuts? Donuts. Donuts are the new scents. According to Wall Street Journal, dessert-based fragrances,

the market. These are all true. There's natives Boston cream shampoo, Doves confetti cake body scrub, homework's apple cider donut fragrance. They say, if you put these on, they give you this aura that says, tonight I am hitting the club and I am going to attract bees. Never dated so many cops in my life. I don't know what the hell's going on. But really, it's the reaction, I think, my understanding is this. This makes sense, because as far as I know, it's the reaction every woman wants to inspire. Excuse me, Miss, but I have to ask her, you wearing Duncan number five?

Do they make a toilet water with donut smell? Because isn't that what they call one of the products? Yeah, toilet water is a toilet. Boy, that seems to turn off. Toilet water. I think it doesn't mean toilet in the sense that you're thinking. Yes, but it's the same word, Peter, and it's pronounced much the same. Peter, in the latest nostalgia craze, more and more 20-and-thirt-somethings are getting injured doing what?

Opening a coconut water. No. Did that happen to you here? That happened to me when I cleared 40. Not a coconut. Just being like, they're getting nostalgic, jamming themselves into telephone booth. No. Is it something nostalgic like that that people, young people used to do a long time ago? It's nostalgic from their youth, not from, say, 100 years ago.

Well, as a member of that generation, let me just harken back. No, I'll take a hint. I'll take a hint. I'll take a hint. Oh, duck, duck, duck, goose. Yes. That's a great hint. And other sort of summer camp,

your southern guests, yes, what you said. Exactly. Ding! You're so smart. Boy, I did that all by myself. Adult field days are all their age right now. Grownups are competing in childhood games, sack races, dodgeball, tug of war. They're doing these things with the energy of youth and the knees of age.

They've even invented new games. The most popular one is called limping back to the car. But it's people in their 20s and 30s? Yeah. They shouldn't be getting injured doing that. They should be still doing it well. You think. One social club in Utah drew over 300 people to their field day event,

and the only complaint was people who thought the capture the flag game involved, and this is a real quote, too much running? Yeah, that is a little weird. In their 20s and 30s, they'd be injured from these things. They should not be getting injured. That's like people in the Olympics are that old, right? Yeah.

Yeah, I'm sure they are. Yeah, exactly. I think I would do it if I could play children, because I think I could beat that. I think I could beat children, says Peter Sagal of NPR's Waytoe Teller. Yeah. You know what? The federal government just pulled their funding again.

Yeah, I know. Joyelle, a recent survey of kids in the U.S. shows 40% of children think bacon is what? Delicious? Perhaps I shall give you a hint, Joyelle. For sure. I would appreciate that. I think we all would. Thank you so much. You can say to the kid, you know, eat all you want.

It grows on trees. Oh, gosh. A plant? Yes, they think bacon is a plant. A survey in the Journal of Environmental Psychology showed 40% of kids surveyed think bacon is a plant. The same amount of adults think it's a donut topping, which is even weird? I did used to work at a diner that had vegetarian options, and I did once serve what was supposed to be a tempe BLT, an actual BLT to a vegetarian. And I was like, how is everything?

And I saw it, and they went, this is the best tempe I've ever had. And I just looked at them and went, it's really good. Finally, one of the surprised TV hits of the year was Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. John Oliver, for example, said that no matter what your favorite show was, Real Housewives of SLC was better. So, of course, when we visited Salt Lake in August, We welcome that show's breakout star Heather Gay. Peter asked the obvious question to a real housewife.

Is she real? We are all pretty real, and I think Salt Lake City keeps us real. Right. We're all each other has in this community, and we have grown up here, we have lived here, we have roots here, and we are just messed up enough to keep it interesting. Right. Do you think you are representative of the housewives of the housewives of the housewives of?

Salt Lake City. Like a random sample could have ended up with the same cast. Yes, I feel like we are representative of the Housewives of Salt Lake City. There's a little something for everybody. Now, I just want to make everybody clear, to people who aren't familiar, this is not Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Okay, different show. For someone who's new to it, how would you tell the two shows apart? I would say that we are the Mighty Oak, and Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is the acorn that fell and sprouted as a result of us. The market. And we created, you know, a little bit of Mormonism and the zeitguise.

Yes. You created intrigue, I think. That mighty oak is casting some shade. So Housewives shows are known for the Housewives starting the show every season by turning to the camera, right? And giving your opening, like, line. Was there a technical term for that? The opening term. It's called your tagline.

Your tagline. Yeah, your season tagline. Can you share some of yours? My first one was, just like my pioneering. your ancestors, I'm trying to play as a new trail. That shoulder rotation is so important to this. And then I think season two was, I was raised Mormon, but now I'm raising a glass of champagne. That's good.

Yeah, I've had a couple. I've had six now. No, yeah, six. Wow. Do you workshop them? Do you try them out? No, they're assigned. No.

No. You're allowed to contribute ideas, but they shut those down immediately. Wait a minute. My world has been rocked. Somebody wrote that for you? Well, I had alluded so much to my pioneer ancestry that it kind of wrote itself. In a weird way. But, yeah, like, they, you know, and you can kind of, like, they'll give you three or four to keep you guessing,

and you can kind of try to mess up the ones that, you know, you don't like, that don't represent you fully. Do you remember any of the bad ones, the ones you tried to kind of fumble? Well, they're usually picked. I remember, like, I may be a bad Mormon, but I'm always a good time. And I think I said that in a funny way, and they used the funny way, which made it invariably worse. Heather, I'm a huge fan. So glad you're here. I cannot believe that my worlds are climbing like this.

Would you indulge me? Could I workshop a tugline? Anything. please. I don't wait, wait, but I always tell. There you go. I love it. And then I turn. It's pretty good. It's better than pretty good. If the world could have seen Shane your smoldering glance. Thank you. And I am willing to relocate to Salt Lake City. You have a new book called Good Time Girl. Yes. And this book is sort of a recounting of your various exploits presumably once you left the LDS church.

Can you give everybody sort of a taste, a sample of the stories you tell in your new book, Good Time Girl? My senior trip to Tijuana, where I discovered that I might be more of a good time girl than I anticipated as one does in Tijuana. It's right there in the name. Yeah, and I thought I was having the most worldly foreign experience of my life. Tijuana. Right.

But then I later went on a mission for my church in the school. South of France, which ended up being even more of an adventure. It's amazing. I didn't realize that you had gone on an LDS mission to the south of France. If only the church had not sent you to a place with wine. Yes. The land of love, and I was preaching, celibacy, and sober living. Not so great.

Not so great. Not so receptive. The mission was actually closed down. When in Provence. Yeah, don't be Mormon. That's what they say. Well, Heather Gay, we could talk to you all day, I think. But we have asked you to play a game we're calling.

Good time, girl, meet good crime girl. As you know, some women aren't as virtuous as you, and they cross the bright red line of the law. So we're going to ask you three questions about female criminals. Answered to correctly, you'll win our prize for one of our listeners. Also, who is Heather Gay playing for? Melissa Snyder of Mill Creek, Utah. I love so please. There you go, everybody does here.

So here's your first question. A woman in Florida took a lift to a gas station, robbed it, and then when tried to get back in the lift, the driver refused. So, what did the woman then do? A, gave the driver one star and sent a detailed complaint to lift.

B, returned all the stolen goods, gave up in the robbery, got back in the car, or C, just called an Uber instead because they'll do anything. Well, I'm wondering if the lift had a pink mustache attached to the fender or not, because that could be a factor. As an Uber fan, I'm going to go with C. You can go with Uber. Yes, that's what she did. But plotting for myself, we have to do that on Housewives because no one else will.

The lift driver called the police, and the police found her waiting for the Uber. she had ordered. All right, very good. Here's your next question. A Massachusetts woman convicted of making and possessing cocaine, meth, LSD, and other drugs in 2016

got sent to prison, but also, of course, lost her job. What was her job? A, she was the president of Dare, the police program, to encourage kids not to use drugs. B, the scientist in charge of drug testing for police across the state of Massachusetts, or C, Harvard Law

Professor. Oh. I'm just going to like zero in on the making of and assume that there is some scientific background for the chemical creation of such a litany of drugs, which I'm completely unfamiliar with. Absolutely. Wait a minute, let me quickly check the index of your new book. I'm a good time girl, not a great time. Okay. You'll know where to limit. So I'm going to go with B.

You're going to go with B. That's right. She was in charge of drug testing. She says that she went to work high on cocaine every day for eight years. Wow. She sounds like a real housewife. Oh, yeah. All right.

You're doing great. Let's go for perfect. One of the most famous lady lawbreakers of all time was Mob Barker, whose kids and husband were part of a notorious gang of bank robbers back in the 1930s. But she was also a beloved cultural figure. as evidenced by what? A, Barker House rolls, based in her family recipe, which were later changed to Parker House rolls

because of her bad press. B, people came out to have picnics while watching her final shootout with the FBI. Or C, while on the run, she got an endorsement deal from Smith and Wesson, which she called, quote, Mama's Little Helper. I mean, I believe that Angie Dickinson

started a movie called Big Bad Mama in the 70s. Was that based? based on Mama Barker? I don't know. Well, I only could watch it when my parents weren't home on HBO in segments. So I'm going to go with B. You're going to go with B.

They came out to watch her, have her shootout. That's right. Wow. Yeah. It happened naturally. Don't challenge me with perfection. I will take it. It happened naturally in Florida.

And the shootout with the FBI laughed at so long, the people were like, oh, this will be fun. And they packed a picnic lunch, and they came out. watched the gunfight. Wow. Yeah. Well, I mean, you got it right, and that just goes to show you, kids. Please stay up late and sneak and watch HBO. Yeah. Right. You'll be a winner. It's good to be gleaned from Raid at our movies. Yeah, there you go. Also, how did Heather Gay do in our quiz?

She did criminally well, three out of three. Heather Gay is an author, but of course, one of the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. Her new book, Good Time Girl, is available now. Please give it up for Heather Gay. Thank you so much. That's it for our happy old years day edition. We'll be back next week with a new show. But first, let me tell you all that, Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, is a production of NPR and WBEZ. Chicago, an association with urgent haircraft productions,

Doug Berman, Benevolent Overlord, Philip Godica, writes our limericks. Our public address announcer is Paul Friedman. Our tour manager is Shane Adomald. BJ Leaderman composed our theme. Our program is produced by Jennifer Mills, Miles, Dornboss, and Lillian King. Special thanks to Monica Hickey, Peter Gwyn, is our real house husband. Our visuals host is Emma Choi. Technical directionist from Lorna White or CFO is Colin Miller.

Our production manager is Robert Newhouse. Our senior producer, that's Ian Chilog and the executive producer of Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me, is Michael Danforth. Thanks to everybody you heard on our show this week. That would be all our panelists, our guests, our guest hosts, Tom Papa and McGin Farsat, of course Bill Curtis. And thanks to all of you for listening. I am Peter Saga. We'll grudgingly admit it's a new year when we see you next week. This is NPR.