Every Little Thing

Who put the tension in reality TV? ELT tracks down the source of the nail biting-sound you can’t unhear. Plus, cicada killer wasps — a backyard horror story, turned intervention. Guests: sonic puppetmaster Rick Livingstone; cicada killer wasp expert Chuck Holliday. Thanks to callers Caitlin and Stephanie. Have a question that needs answering? Call the ELT Help Line #(833) RING ELT.  To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

DJ Casper tells us the origin story of the Cha Cha Slide. Plus, The Nod’s Brittany Luse is astonished by the unreleased Cha Cha Slide Pt. 1. Guests: The Nod’s host, Brittany Luse; Willie Perry Jr. (aka DJ Casper aka Mr. C the Slide Man); former gym rat David Wilson; radio personality and actress La Donna “Tittle in The Middle” Tittle; and BBC Radio 1 host Scott Mills. Thanks to caller Rachael and line dance guru Kenny J. Have a question that needs answering? Call the ELT Help Line #(833) RING ELT. To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ELT goes down under, to expose one of the most impressive butts in the animal kingdom. Plus, the multi-layered origin story of the Bloomin' Onion. Guests: Science Vs. host, Wendy Zukerman; Wombat specialists, Alyce Swinbourne and Julie Old; ELT producer and fried appetizer fanatic, Phoebe Flanigan; Outback Steakhouse co-founder Tim Gannon; chef George Barnes Thanks to fact buddy Ivy. Have a question that needs answering? Call the ELT Help Line #(833) RING ELT. To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is it possible to interpret what dogs are saying when they bark? We have the tools to help you do some ruff decoding. Plus, listeners share their real-life, unconventional Lassie stories. Guests: Dog bark researchers Péter Pongrácz and Kathryn Lord; behavioral scientist Susan Friedman. Thanks to dog callers Jacob, Alan, Katie R., Katie K., and Oren — and to everyone who sent in their pet stories. Have a question that needs answering? Call the ELT Help Line #(833) RING ELT. To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus, koala fingerprints, lobster pee and other hot facts. There are mysterious symbols inside your tee-shirt -- do you know what they mean? ELT reveals the secrets of The DaLaundry Code. Plus, lobsters pee from their faces, and other cocktail party fodder from our fact buddy exchange. Guests: Symbol whisperer John Langdon; Pascale Florant of GINETEX; Patrick A. Ayers of Vartest Labs. Thanks to laundry caller Ellen, Fran Kozen of Cornell University’s College of Human Ecology, and to our fact buddies Josh, Angela, Greg, Olivia, Chad, Kathryn, Rachel, Amber, Ivy and Lia.  Have a question that needs answering? Call the ELT Help Line #(833) RING ELT. To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Does that person sitting next to you on the airplane REALLY work in IT? Plus, a tribute to the bedazzled sausage of the desert southwest, and more fun with pirates. Guests: ex-CIA operative Robert Baer, gila meister Dan Beck, and lady pirate expert Laura Sook Duncombe. Special thanks to callers “anonymous” and Eric — and to all of the listeners who sent us pirate questions. Have a question that needs answering? Call the ELT Help Line: #(833) RING ELT. To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Some birds can fashion tools and create tiny works of art, so why do we always underestimate their bird brains? In this panel discussion, recorded at the 2018 Aspen Ideas Festival, Flora talks with writer Jennifer Ackerman and crow expert Alex Taylor about the genius of birds.  Guests: writer Jennifer Ackerman and New Caledonian crow expert Alex Taylor. Have a question that needs answering? Call the ELT Help Line #(833) RING ELT. To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ELT goes into the mind of a crow to find out if scarecrows work. Plus, a look at how clowns protect their clown IP with fact buddy Prashanth Venkat Guests: Julie "Lovely Buttons" Varholdt; crow expert Kevin McGowan. Thanks to Bruce Johnson (aka "Charlie the Juggling Clown") and Alan Zerobnick (aka “Zerbo the Clown” and “The Shoemaker to the Clowns"). Thanks also to callers Brian and Jordan. Find a link to the clown egg photos on our show page, and on Twitter and Facebook. Have a question that needs answering? Call the ELT Help Line #(833) RING ELT. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pirate historian Laura Sook Duncombe tells us about the golden age of pirates. Plus, a tunnel follow up with Dr. Mole: where do the emergency exits in underwater tunnels go? Thanks to lady pirate expert Laura Sook Duncombe and tunnel afficionado Gary Brierley, aka Dr. Mole. Thank also to callers Captain Yarb and Kirsten. To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus, learn how to lie like a dad. Guests: Fake parenting expert Adam Mansbach; belly whisperer Tamara Duker Freuman; bird-watcher extraordinaire Amar Ayyash. Special thanks to Nicolas, Marisa, and everyone who called in with their Old Dad's Tales. To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is there more to your taste buds than you thought? ELT tackles a fat question. Plus, a #yesflamingo campaign update. Guests: Richard Mattes, taste czar; Sarah Laskow, reporter for Atlas Obscura. Special thanks to caller Samantha. *Correction: The Vegas Golden Knights mascot is not, in fact, a golden knight. It is Chance the gila monster. Our apologies to Chance and fans for the error. To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is your roommate trying to kill you? Learn how to spot the telltale signs of a psychopath. Guests: Jon Ronson, author of The Psychopath Test; cat psychologist Eva Waiblinger. Special thanks to caller Megan. *No animals were harmed in the making of this episode. To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus, a look at lottery history, and your strangest raffle winnings. Guests: Jonathan Cohen, lottery historian; John Koza, co-founder of Scientific Games Callers: John Henry, D., Lisa, Megan.  Hear your favorite Gimlet shows LIVE at Gimletfest this June 16-17 in Brooklyn. Buy tickets at gimletfest.com. To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A kid caller pops the question: How does popcorn pop? Plus, the uncomfortable truth about baby corn. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus, how to pee in zero-G. To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One man is to blame. Plus, vanity plates in the wild: IC A GR8 PL8. To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.media/OurAdvertisers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How they get that tunnel under there. Plus, a centuries-old scientific debate: why ice is slippery. Guests: Dr. Gary Brierley (aka Dr. Mole), tunnel engineer, Dr. Miquel Salmeron, physicist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Special thanks to callers Nikki and Erin. Check out the Terrifying Tunnel Video referenced in today's show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus, dog clothes: where did they come from? To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.fm/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Listener Mack asked about the unfamous people who fill empty seats at the Oscars. To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.fm/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why do we get goosebumps from music and other emotional experiences? Plus, the strangest things to give ELT listeners goosebumps. To find a list of our sponsors and show-related promo codes, go to gimlet.fm/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices