Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

WWDTM: Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper

November 22, 2025

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

  • The owners of Russ and Daughters, Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper, clarified that their establishment is an "appetizing store" (selling bagels and lox) and not a delicatessen (which sells corned beef and pastrami). 
  • Scientists determined that the first kiss among human ancestors occurred between 17 and 21 million years ago, defined scientifically as "non-aggressive, mouth-to-mouth contact that does not involve food transfer." 
  • The panel played a game where the correct answer to a news item was that Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, not the Scottish Spurtle utensil or a New Jersey high school, recently signed with a major Hollywood talent agency (UTA). 

Segments

Show Opening and Guest Introduction
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(00:00:23)
  • Key Takeaway: The episode of Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! features guests Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper, owners of Russ and Daughters.
  • Summary: The program opened with the standard NPR identification and host introduction. The guests, Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper, were introduced as owners of Russ and Daughters, a legendary Jewish food shop in New York’s Lower East Side. The show immediately set up the main interview topic by mentioning bagels and lox.
Listener Contestant Segment
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(00:01:31)
  • Key Takeaway: Listener Tracy Kinchelow, a middle school teacher from Louisville, Kentucky, played the ‘Who’s Bill This Time?’ quiz.
  • Summary: The show welcomed listener contestant Tracy Kinchelow from Louisville, Kentucky, who teaches sixth and seventh grade. She played the ‘Who’s Bill This Time?’ game where she had to identify the source of three news quotations. Panelists Joyelle Nicole Johnson, Faith Salie, and Zach Zimmerman were introduced to the contestant.
News Quiz: LeBron James Record
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(00:03:05)
  • Key Takeaway: LeBron James broke the NBA record for playing the most seasons when he started his 23rd season.
  • Summary: The first news quote concerned a 40-year-old NBA superstar making sports history by starting his 23rd season, which is the most seasons played by anyone in the league. The panel joked about his longevity, noting that many current opponents were not yet born when he was a rookie. The contestant correctly identified the player as LeBron James.
News Quiz: Italian Pasta Tariffs
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(00:05:16)
  • Key Takeaway: Tariffs may cause shortages of Italian pasta in the U.S., a situation the panel joked was traditionally the mafia’s domain.
  • Summary: The second quote referenced ‘fusili freaks scrambling’ due to news that tariffs might cause shortages of Italian pasta. The Wall Street Journal reported that Italian pasta was ‘poised to disappear.’ The panel joked about the U.S. government interfering with pasta pricing, traditionally the purview of the mafia.
News Quiz: Raccoon Domestication
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(00:06:51)
  • Key Takeaway: Scientific study suggests raccoons are evolving toward domestication, exhibiting softer features like floppier ears and shorter snouts.
  • Summary: The final news quote related to a scientific study suggesting raccoons are evolving toward domestication, similar to dogs and cats. Researchers noted that raccoons living near humans are developing softer features, making them cuter. The panelist noted that New York City raccoons are already brazenly active during the day.
News Quiz Results and Transition
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(00:09:08)
  • Key Takeaway: Listener Tracy Kinchelow won the quiz by correctly answering two out of three questions.
  • Summary: Bill Curtis announced that Tracy Kinchelow scored perfectly for a middle schooler, winning the prize of any voice for her voicemail. The show then transitioned to the next segment, the panel questions.
Panel Question: Primate Kissing Origin
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(00:09:31)
  • Key Takeaway: Scientists estimate that our most ancient ancestors first engaged in kissing approximately 17 to 21 million years ago.
  • Summary: Joyelle Nicole Johnson was asked when our most ancient ancestors first engaged in kissing, which was determined through genetic tracing of kissing behaviors in modern primates. The scientific definition used was “non-aggressive, mouth-to-mouth contact that does not involve food transfer.” The panelist Joyelle Nicole Johnson guessed sexual relations, but the correct answer was kissing.
Listener Game: Star Gets Agent
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(00:16:05)
  • Key Takeaway: The true story among the panelist’s claims was that Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese signed with talent agency UTA to explore product placement opportunities.
  • Summary: Listener Kevin from San Mateo, a high school history teacher, played ‘A Star is Born,’ guessing which entity recently signed with a Hollywood agent. The options were the Scottish porridge utensil (Spurtle) signed with CAA, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese signed with UTA, or Union High School (from Private Parts) signed with WME. Kevin correctly chose the cheese.
Interview: Russ & Daughters Identity
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(00:21:43)
  • Key Takeaway: Russ and Daughters maintains a strict distinction between an ‘appetizing store’ (bagels/lox) and a delicatessen (corned beef/pastrami), a term rooted in Yiddish translation.
  • Summary: Guests Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper confirmed they are not a deli, explaining that ‘appetizing’ is the sister food tradition focusing on bagels and lox, stemming from a mistranslation of the Yiddish word forschweis (appetizers). The original Russ started by selling heavily salted Schmaltz herring from a pushcart, a product they still sell today, which Anthony Bourdain highly praised.
Interview: Ordering Etiquette
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(00:26:09)
  • Key Takeaway: Professional customers at Russ and Daughters often test the staff by asking for a taste of every salmon variety, while new customers are advised to know their bagel order in advance.
  • Summary: The guests described the long lines at the original store and the pressure to order efficiently. While professionals might ask for samples of every salmon, new patrons should know their bagel choice (e.g., plain, sesame, everything) beforehand. The idea of selling ‘bagel holes’ was humorously dismissed as an innovation unlikely to happen soon.
Game: Houdini Escapes
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(00:28:39)
  • Key Takeaway: Houdini once escaped from the belly of a whale that washed up on a Boston shore, and later won a lawsuit by opening the judge’s safe, which turned out to be unlocked.
  • Summary: Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper played ‘Lux Meet Lux’ about escape artist Harry Houdini for listener Ben Rill. Houdini escaped from a whale in Boston and nearly suffocated escaping a barrel filled with beer. For the final question, he won a lawsuit by opening a judge’s safe, which he later revealed was not locked.
Lightning Round Scoring and Play
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(00:44:56)
  • Key Takeaway: Faith Salie took the lead in the final Lightning Fill in the Blank round with five correct answers, earning 10 points.
  • Summary: The final game, Lightning Fill in the Blank, awarded two points per correct answer. Faith Salie scored five correct answers, bringing her total to 12 points and putting her in the lead. Zach Zimmerman scored six correct answers, totaling 15 points, making him the eventual champion.
Final Predictions
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(00:51:04)
  • Key Takeaway: Panelists predicted that female Mayflies, which live for only five minutes, might be the next pet, given the short attention span of children.
  • Summary: The panel offered predictions for the next animal to be domesticated after raccoons. Zach Zimmerman suggested the female Mayfly, whose short lifespan mirrors a child’s ability to care for a pet. Joyelle Nicole Johnson predicted Marjorie Taylor Greene would be looking for a forever home, and Faith Salie predicted rats would be welcomed inside and called Capybaras.