Librarian Mychal Threets talks rebooting Reading Rainbow and our panel eats goo

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

• The episode features guest Mychal Threets, the new host of the rebooted *Reading Rainbow*, who discusses his love for libraries and his connection to the original show's host, LeVar Burton.  Copied to clipboard!
• The news quiz segment covered unusual topics including a government mascot named Coley (a talking lump of coal), the trend of consuming nutrient goo instead of solid food, and a boxer whose toupee flew off during a fight.  Copied to clipboard!
• The panel played a limerick challenge where contestant Lee correctly answered all three, and the main game saw Josh Gondelman win with a score of 15.  Copied to clipboard!

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Show Opening and Sponsor Reads

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(00:00:00)

• Key Takeaway: The show opens with sponsor messages and a plea for listeners to hit the follow button.
• Summary: Warby Parker is advertised as a one-stop shop for vision needs, offering eyewear, contacts, and eye exams. The host humorously describes listeners who haven’t followed the podcast as being in a ‘situationship’ lacking commitment. Hitting the follow button ensures listeners receive the latest episodes immediately.

Guest Introduction and Game Setup

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(00:00:58)

• Key Takeaway: Guest Mychal Threets is introduced as the host of the rebooted Reading Rainbow.
• Summary: The show officially begins from the Studebaker Theater in Chicago, with Bill Curtis introducing host Peter Sagal. Mychal Threets, the new host of the rebooted Reading Rainbow, is highlighted as a treat for library enthusiasts. Contestant Nathan from Overland Park, Kansas, a paralegal, is welcomed to play ‘Who’s Bill This Time?’

Who’s Bill This Time? Round 1

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(00:03:43)

• Key Takeaway: The first news quote references the Super Bowl matchup between Starbucks and Duncan, humorously framed as a contest between two terrible coffee brands.
• Summary: The first quote compared the Super Bowl matchup (Seahawks vs. Patriots) to a contest between Starbucks and Duncan coffee. Panelists joked about the lack of tension because everyone is supposedly a Patriots fan, and they discussed Bill Belichick’s dating life relative to Tom Brady’s. Nathan correctly identified the Super Bowl, earning his first point.

Who’s Bill This Time? Round 2

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(00:06:19)

• Key Takeaway: The second quote concerned the U.S. Department of the Interior debuting Coley, a cartoon lump of coal mascot, with the slogan ‘Mine, baby, mine.’
• Summary: The second quote featured the slogan ‘Mine, baby, mine’ for Coley, the new government mascot encouraging coal mining. Panelists reacted with disbelief, noting the mascot wears work boots and a hard hat. The discussion touched upon the traditional negative connotation of receiving a lump of coal as a Christmas punishment.

Who’s Bill This Time? Round 3

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(00:08:48)

• Key Takeaway: The final quote related to the dining trend of consuming nutrient goo or shakes to maximize nutrition and save time.
• Summary: The third quote concerned the New York Times article about people eating packets of goo to save time, which the Times called ‘aspirationally branded meal replacements.’ The panel lamented the lack of flying cars in favor of ‘pizza soup’ as a future trend. Contestant Nathan scored perfectly and won the game.

Panel Discussion: Travel and Middle Seats

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(00:11:00)

• Key Takeaway: A new travel trend involves intentionally seeking out the middle seat on airplanes for a spiritual sense of acceptance.
• Summary: Tom Bodett introduced a trend where people find peace in the dreaded middle seat, with one TikTok user calling it a ‘mid-air cuddle.’ Panelists joked that embracing the middle seat requires erasing the ego and accepting life as it comes. The segment concluded with a humorous, rhyming summary of the middle seat experience.

Bluff the Listener Game Setup

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(00:14:07)

• Key Takeaway: Listener Laura from Durango, Colorado, joins the show to play ‘Bluff the Listener’ about spilled secrets.
• Summary: Laura, who embarrasses her son with outdated slang, is introduced to the game where she must distinguish truth from fiction among three secret-revealing stories. The topic is ‘A secret got out this week,’ with one story involving nutrient goo being made of people.

Bluff the Listener: Secret Spills

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(00:15:17)

• Key Takeaway: One fabricated story claimed Justin Bieber was moonlighting as an Uber driver named Vladislav and was discovered by his wife, Hailey.
• Summary: Josh Gondelman claimed a boxer’s toupee flew off mid-fight, revealing his baldness. Tig Nataro claimed Miss Manners’ daughter found yearbooks showing her mother was once a delinquent. Tom Bodett’s story involved Justin Bieber driving Uber as ‘Vladislav’ and being picked up by his wife, Hailey. Laura correctly chose Tig’s story as the bluff, but the audio revealed Josh’s story was the actual bluff, leading to confusion and Laura winning the prize.

Interview with Mychal Threets

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(00:20:40)

• Key Takeaway: Mychal Threets has a full tattoo sleeve of his favorite books, including Where the Wild Things Are and Bud Not Buddy.
• Summary: Mychal Threets discussed his excitement about hosting the new Reading Rainbow on YouTube and his admiration for LeVar Burton. He revealed that he has tattoos of his favorite books, including Bud Not Buddy, which was the first book where he saw a character resembling himself. Threets also shared that he was shushed multiple times while working as a librarian, even though he worked there.

Game: Don’t Read the Rainbow

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(00:27:23)

• Key Takeaway: Mychal Threets failed to correctly identify the flavor of the unsuccessful 2019 limited-edition Skittles, which were ‘Zombie Skittles’ where one in twenty tasted rotten.
• Summary: The game challenged Mychal Threets on Skittles trivia, playing for listener Tick Lewis. He incorrectly guessed ‘Suppository Skittles’ for the 2019 limited edition flavor, which was actually ‘Zombie Skittles’ featuring rotten flavors. He correctly answered that the rumor about all Skittles tasting the same was false, but missed the final question about bizarre Skittles commercials.

Listener Limerick Challenge Setup

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(00:39:01)

• Key Takeaway: Listener Lee from Harrisonburg, Virginia, plays the Limerick Challenge, correctly answering all three limericks.
• Summary: Lee, a senior data scientist, joined the show to play the Limerick Challenge. The first limerick concerned a drone hovering an umbrella overhead, correctly answered as ‘drone.’ The second limerick highlighted that ‘pet-friendly’ signs often exclude cats, with the missing word being ‘cat.’ The final limerick addressed film students’ inability to watch entire movies, with the missing word being ‘movie.’

Lightning Fill in the Blank Game

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(00:44:09)

• Key Takeaway: Tig Nataro took the lead in the final round by correctly answering six fill-in-the-blank questions in 60 seconds.
• Summary: Tig Nataro scored 12 points in the Lightning Fill in the Blank round, taking the lead with 13 points. Josh Gondelman scored 12 points in his turn, bringing his total to 15 and putting him in the lead. Tom Bodett needed seven correct answers to win but only secured four, making Josh the overall winner.

Show Wrap-up and Predictions

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(00:49:38)

• Key Takeaway: The panelists offered humorous predictions for the Super Bowl ads, including Skittles promoting ‘die-free’ candies.
• Summary: Josh Gondelman is declared the winner of the episode. The panel offered predictions for the upcoming Super Bowl ads, including Tom Bodett suggesting a Skittles ad about ‘die-free’ candies and beige tasting. Tig Nataro predicted a commercial for next year’s halftime performance by the ‘Andrew, formerly known as Prince.’