Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

WWDTM: Ally the Piper

October 25, 2025

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  • Bagpipe superstar Ally the Piper joined the panelists Hari Kondabolu, Faith Salie, and Alex Edelman on *Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!* to discuss her viral success playing bagpipe covers of rock songs. 
  • Contestant Kimberly, an accounting professor from Charleston, South Carolina, correctly identified news stories about a Louvre jewel heist, President Trump's proposed White House ballroom renovation, and an NBA gambling ring. 
  • The panel discussed bizarre news stories, including Amazon Web Services outages causing issues with smart beds, a Spanish school playing a creepy version of 'Happy Birthday' all night, and the accidental creation of a successful kazoo orchestra. 

Segments

Show Introduction and Chicago Pride
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(00:00:21)
  • Key Takeaway: Chicago was named the number one big city by Condé Nast Traveler magazine in the same month it was named the number one big city to invade by National Guard Illustrated.
  • Summary: The show opened by celebrating Chicago’s recognition as the number one big city by Condé Nast Traveler magazine. This coincided with the city being named the number one big city to invade by National Guard Illustrated. The episode previewed an interview with guest Ally the Piper.
Listener Contestant Introduction
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(00:01:37)
  • Key Takeaway: Listener contestant Kimberly is an accounting professor from Charleston, South Carolina.
  • Summary: The first listener contestant, Kimberly, introduced herself as an accounting professor from Charleston, South Carolina. Peter Sagal joked about whether increased enrollment in accounting was correlated with her teaching. Kimberly then prepared to play the ‘Who’s Bill This Time’ game.
Panelist Introductions
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(00:02:34)
  • Key Takeaway: Panelist Alex Edelman is making his debut on the show, known for his Peacock special and HBO Max one-man show ‘Just For Us’.
  • Summary: The panelists were introduced: Hari Kondabolu, who is headlining at Denver Comedy Works and the Den Theater in Chicago; Faith Salie, a contributor to CBS Sunday Morning and host of the Audible Original podcast ‘Envy Enlightened’; and Alex Edelman, making his panel debut.
Louvre Heist Quote Analysis
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(00:03:35)
  • Key Takeaway: French President Emmanuel Macron commented on the recent Louvre heist where thieves dressed as construction workers stole $100 million worth of jewels in under seven minutes.
  • Summary: Kimberly correctly identified the quote from Emmanuel Macron as relating to the Louvre heist where priceless jewels were stolen. The thieves reportedly used a ladder truck and escaped in under seven minutes, taking $100 million in irreplaceable jewels. Guards followed protocol by evacuating visitors instead of confronting the thieves.
White House Ballroom Renovation Quote
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(00:06:09)
  • Key Takeaway: President Trump’s controversial plan to demolish the White House East Wing to build an enormous, gilded ballroom with a capacity of 999 people was discussed.
  • Summary: The second quote concerned President Trump enjoying construction sounds related to the demolition of the White House East Wing for a new ballroom. The planned ballroom is described as large and gilded, with a capacity of 999 people, a number humorously linked to Disney’s Haunted Mansion.
Illegal Gambling Ring Indictment
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(00:08:19)
  • Key Takeaway: An FBI indictment against an illegal gambling ring involved co-defendants with colorful nicknames like ‘Big Bruce,’ ‘Pookie,’ and ‘Albanian Bruce,’ connected to major basketball.
  • Summary: The final quote referenced co-defendants in a major illegal gambling ring indictment involving basketball. The colorful nicknames included ‘Big Bruce,’ ‘Pookie,’ and ‘Albanian Bruce,’ and the ring allegedly involved four New York City mafia families.
Amazon Outage and Smart Beds
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(00:10:09)
  • Key Takeaway: An Amazon Web Services outage caused dangerous malfunctions in high-end smart beds, including turning heating elements to maximum and locking beds into vertical positions.
  • Summary: Alex Edelman’s question concerned the dangerous malfunctions caused by the Amazon Web Services outage, specifically affecting smart beds. Some motorized beds turned their heating elements to maximum or suddenly locked into a vertical position, effectively turning them into ‘massive toasters.’
Listener Game: Who Lost Sleep
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(00:14:52)
  • Key Takeaway: Contestant Chandriette Culling correctly identified the real story of a neighborhood kept awake by a continuous, full-volume loop of children singing ‘Happy Birthday’ from a school PA system in Murcia, Spain.
  • Summary: Chandriette Culling, a federal government lawyer, played the game about surprising reasons people lost sleep. She correctly chose Faith Saley’s story about the creepy, continuous broadcast of ‘Cumpleaños Felices’ from a Spanish school PA system.
Interview with Ally the Piper
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(00:20:56)
  • Key Takeaway: Ally the Piper began learning the bagpipes at age 12 to connect with her adopted family’s heritage and initially practiced on a practice chanter for nearly a year before playing the full instrument.
  • Summary: Ally the Piper explained she started playing the bagpipes to explore her adopted family’s heritage, aiming to ‘ruin her brother’s life’ before college. She noted that beginners often sound bad because they practice the full bagpipe too early, whereas she practiced on a practice chanter for almost a year first. She was also a champion in the youth competitive bagpipe circuit.
Ally the Piper’s Viral Success
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(00:25:43)
  • Key Takeaway: Ally the Piper’s TikTok fame began accidentally during COVID-19 cancellations when she posted anonymously but received 150,000 views on her first video, leading to interaction with Metallica.
  • Summary: Ally the Piper started posting on TikTok during the pandemic after gigs were canceled, seeking an anonymous platform for encouragement. Her first video unexpectedly garnered 150,000 views, failing her attempt at anonymity. After posting a Metallica medley, Metallica commented to support her against a critical fan, validating her bagpipe covers.
Game: Bagpiper Meet Piping Bag
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(00:27:31)
  • Key Takeaway: In the cake decorating game, one real event involved a woman apologizing to a police officer she tried to bite by sending him a cake that read, ‘Sorry I tried to bite you.’
  • Summary: Ally the Piper played ‘Bagpiper Meet Piping Bag,’ answering questions about unusual cakes. She missed the question about a Louisiana woman who sent a cake apologizing to a police officer she attempted to bite. Another true story involved a baker who decorated a cake with the words, ‘Happy birthday, the picture is on the flash drive,’ when given an image on a flash drive.
Panel Questions: Socializing and Wine
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(00:33:19)
  • Key Takeaway: A survey by the dating app Hinge found that most people can only socialize comfortably for about three hours before needing to leave.
  • Summary: Faith Salie answered that most people can only socialize for about three hours, according to a Hinge dating app survey. Hari Kondabolu noted that the Catholic Church of Kenya had to switch communion wine because the previous brand became too popular in local bars and restaurants. Officials in the UK asked people not to swim in the River Thet because it was covered in thick white foam.
Listener Limerick Challenge
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(00:38:34)
  • Key Takeaway: The limerick challenge covered news that young people report rarely having crushes anymore, a public restroom in Oxford was converted into a luxury boutique hotel called The Netty, and backwards walking is a new health trend.
  • Summary: Listener Beth from St. Louis, a veterinary technologist, correctly filled in the blanks for three limericks. The correct answers related to the decline of crushes among youth, the conversion of a public restroom into ‘The Netty’ hotel, and the fitness trend of walking backward to stimulate underused muscles.
Lightning Fill in the Blank Game
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(00:44:13)
  • Key Takeaway: Faith Salie won the game with 10 points in the final round, bringing her total score to 13, narrowly beating Hari Kondabolu’s 11 and Alex Edelman’s 8.
  • Summary: Alex Edelman went first in the final round, scoring six points. Hari Kondabolu scored eight points, taking the lead with 11 total. Faith Salie needed five points to win and secured the victory by correctly answering five fill-in-the-blank questions, ending with 13 points.
Show Wrap-up and Final Predictions
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(00:50:05)
  • Key Takeaway: The panelists predicted future heists, including Hari Kondabolu suggesting a Warhol soup can painting would be replaced by a Progresso soup can painting.
  • Summary: Faith Salie won the overall game. The panelists offered final predictions for the next great heist: Hari Kondabolu predicted a Warhol soup can theft replaced by a Progresso can, Faith Salie predicted Trump stealing hair oil for the White House ballroom slide, and Alex Edelman suggested stealing the Bill of Rights to reclaim its principles.