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Hey, Wowzer fans, Mindy here.
And before we start the show, I gotta let you know that this November, with a special new episode featuring our friends at Circle Round and Terrestrials on Radiolab for Kids,
And don't miss when Elmo from Sesame Street stops by Wow in the World to make us all belly laugh on November 24th.
Oh, but that's not all, Reg.
On December 1st, we are sharing our 250th episode of Wow in the World with all of you.
We think this one is going to be music to your ears.
Literally.
Did I mention it's a musical?
And if you're a member of the World Organization of Wowzers...
Oh boy, do I have a surprise for you.
You can listen to our 250th episode early with me and other members from around the world on Saturday, November 22nd, at 7 pm.
Eastern.
That's right, we are throwing another listening party.
Join us as we dance along to our new songs.
React to the episode with other members in the chat and more.
Grownups.
If you want your wowzer to join this members-only listening party, you can sign up to become a member today at Tinkercastcom.
Slash wow.
Already a member?
Well, you can find the link and password to join the event when you sign in at Tinkercastcom.
Slash wow.
That's it.
It's going to be a November to remember.
But for now, let's get on with the show.
Woo!
I'm pretty impressed you were able to get the food truck up and running again after the last time.
Yeah, I was finding cricket powder patties all over the place.
Turns out it was a burger in the carburetor that caused the last breakdown.
Who knew?
Well, it drives like a dream now.
Well, I would hope so after all the cash I splashed out on this bad boy.
So, I assume the insect burger business is going well?
Oh, yeah, Guy Raz.
In fact, I think you could say that, uh...
Bee-sness is a buzzing.
Was that an insect pun?
Maybe.
Why?
Is it bugging you?
So where are we headed to today, Mindy?
Oh, we're going to Creepy Crawly Fest.
Creepy Crawly Fest?
Yeah.
What is that?
Oh, it's only the biggest creepy crawly festival this side of the Ohio River.
Uh-huh.
And it's not just creepy crawly burgers, Guy Raz.
They've got tons of bonker ball stuff.
Check out this poster.
Maybe get that thing out of my face.
I can't see.
Oh, stop being so dramatic, Guy Raz.
Here, you look.
I'll take the wheel.
Huh?
There.
You happy?
Yeah, I think so.
Although I'm still not entirely sure how the steering column on this food truck works.
Don't overthink it, Guy Raz.
Just look at the poster.
Okay, fine.
Let's see here.
Ooh, a wide selection of funnel cakes.
Oh, actually, those are funnel web cakes made from real funnel web spider webs.
They're not as good as the spider web cotton candy, though.
The ones with the extra flies are my favorites.
Okay, let's see what else is going on here.
Uh, Best in Glow Dancing Competition?
Oh, yeah, that competition's always a big blowout.
The Fireflies have won it for, like, the last five years.
Whoa, wait a minute.
What is it?
What do you see?
Let me see that.
The Beatles are playing at this festival?
Oh, different Beatles.
Of course it is.
But look down at the bottom, right here.
You're missing the best event.
Black Widow Spider Dance. eating competition?
Yes.
Ah, gross, Mindy.
Who would ever want to eat a spider?
Well, according to this totally fake fact I found on the interweb, the average person already eats about 500 spiders a year in their sleep.
That cannot be true.
Oh, yeah.
That's what I just said.
It's definitely not true.
But what is true is that you and I are going to see some of the best eaters in the world chowing down on a big old bowl of black widow spiders.
Hold on a second, Mindy.
Aren't black widow spiders, like, super venomous?
Oh, yeah.
Their venom is supposed to be about 15 times stronger than rattlesnake venom.
Then why in the world would anyone want to eat one, let alone an entire bowlful?
Well, that's because they're not poisonous, Guy Raz.
Wait, what?
Poisonous is when you eat something.
Venomous is when something eats you, or at least bites you and injects venom into your system.
Oh, I see.
So, for example, you could bite into a berry.
That might be poisonous, but a snake bite could be venomous.
Both are poisonous.
Pretty bad, by the way.
Oh, yeah.
Both could be really bad.
So these spiders are okay to eat?
What?
Oh, no, no, no, no.
They would totally bite your face off as you tried to eat them.
And they are not going down without a fight.
Right.
So let me ask again, Mindy.
Why in the world would someone want to take part in an eating competition where the food is a bowl full of venomous spiders?
Well, Guy Raz, these competitors, after years and years of special training, have developed a resistance to this venom.
So they can get bitten all they want as they chow down onto that bowl of spiders.
A resistance?
How is that even possible?
Well, that's what we're here to find out, isn't it?
Well, I guess it is now.
Oh, look, we're here.
Wow, there's certainly a lot more people than I expected, Mindy.
Not as many as there are creepy crawlers.
Okay, you ready, Guy Raz?
Ready for what?
For this.
Call me Mindy.
Yeah, sure, whatever.
I'll take two cricket burgers, a powder shake.
Ow!
No!
Budging in line.
Whoa, Mindy, all these people want your cricket burgers?
Yeah, they all go bonker balls for them.
Hang on a second.
I want food in my mouth!
Ahem.
All right.
Listen up, you bug heads.
While I appreciate your enthusiasm, I am not yet ready to open up.
Don't worry, everyone.
We'll be back in a little bit.
Just chill out here for now.
Okay, but I was first.
No, you weren't.
I was.
I was first, and so was my wife.
Come on, Guy Raz.
Let's get out of here before it gets nasty.
Whoa, Mindy, people really love your cricket burgers, huh?
Oh, yeah.
Reggie and I went viral on PikPok this summer, and now everyone wants a bite of our carbon-friendly burgers.
I am First, and I have a doctor's note to prove it.
I'm angry.
Come on, Guy Raz.
The festival's over this way.
All right.
Follow me.
Ah, Mindy, wait up.
I'm coming.
Run, run, run, run, run, run.
Okay.
Ooh, a schedule.
Guy Raz would love this.
Hey, where'd he go anyway?
Guy Raz?
Guy Raz?
Ah, there you are, buddy.
Mindy.
You can't keep running off like that.
Okay, Roz, look, a festival schedule.
You love schedules.
Oh, yeah, I do love them.
Look at all this fun stuff going on today.
The dance contest, a Beatles performance.
Did you say the Beatles are performing?
Not those Beatles.
Oh.
And look, Mindy, the spider eating competition is just about to start in a few minutes.
Oh, well, then we better get a move on it, huh?
Lead the way.
Let's see.
I think it...
This way.
Okay?
So, Mindy, I'm still a little confused about how this whole spider eating competition works.
Well, that's understandable, Guy Raz.
It's not your average eating contest.
Well, obviously, they're eating venomous spiders.
And the fact that they'll all have to race each other on foot after they finish their bowl of spiders.
Wait, it's an eating contest and a foot race?
Uh-huh.
Boy, this just keeps getting weirder and weirder.
Yeah, and once the contestants have finished their bowl of spiders, they have to do a lap around the whole festival.
First one to cross the finish line back on the stage wins.
Why in the world would you want to add a foot race to the end of a food eating contest?
Because the venom in the black widow spiders typically slows down or kills whatever it bites.
By having these competitors run a race after eating all these spiders, we don't only find out who's the fastest eater, but also who's better at resisting that venom in their system in the first place.
Huh, well, I guess that makes sense.
Of course it does, Guy Raz.
If it didn't, do you really think all these people would be showing up to see them compete?
Whoa, I guess we made it to the competition stage.
Yep.
This is actually pretty exciting, Mindy.
Wait a minute.
Is that person dressed up like a lizard?
Yeah, I think he is.
And what does that sign say?
The Lizard of Jaws?
What does that even mean?
I think it's a pun on the Wizard of Oz.
Not a great one, though.
Kind of like a slant rhyme.
No, Mindy, why are they even talking about lizards?
And why are so many people dressed up as reptiles?
Oh, because they want to dress up like the competitors.
The competitors?
Yeah.
Wait a minute, Mindy.
Are you telling me that this is an eating contest between three lizards?
Uh, yeah.
What?
Did you think it was going to be three humans eating venomous spiders?
By Roz.
Well, I guess that does make a little more sense.
Well, testing.
Testing.
Is this thing on?
Yeah, it's on.
Excellent.
Ladies and gentlemen.
Welcome to the Creepy Crawley Fest spider eating competition.
Here are the rules.
Number one, the competitors must finish their entire bowl of Black Widow spiders.
Number two only after finishing all of their spiders, each competitor must leave the stage and run an entire lap around the festival.
Number three.
After completing a lap around the festival, the competitors must return to the finish line here on this stage.
Now, are you ready to meet your competitors?
From the arid deserts of California, a ferocious little reptile who goes by the name Chowtown.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Alligator Lizard!
Your next competitor all the way from the Grand Canyon State of Arizona, going by the name Chewy Chewy Nom, Noms.
Put your hands together for the West Fence Lizard.
And last but certainly not least, From Northern Mexico with an underdog attitude.
Please welcome to the stage El Camino, the side-blotched lizard.
I love an underdog.
India, how do you even know all of these lizards?
Kairos, these lizards are super famous right now.
They're all fresh off the heels of another big competition at the University of Nevada Reno, where they basically just did this same exact competition, only you know more scientifically.
How so?
Well, when they did this for science, the scientists actually injected the venom into their systems, rather than have them go through the whole trouble of eating all those spiders and hoping that they would get bitten.
Really?
You see, the researchers at the University of Nevada had never heard that the alligator lizard Which is that lizard over there?
The one called Chowtown?
Yeah.
They had heard that he snacked on these venomous black widow spiders in the wild and had been doing so for millions of years, most likely getting bitten all the time while hunting them.
And I guess they wanted to see how they were able to survive these venomous bites?
Exactoritos!
Okay!
Here we go.
Oh, Mindy, I think they're about to start.
All on your marks, get set, eat!
So, Mindy, who are you cheering for?
I'm going for the side blotch lizard.
That one that looks like it's got an ink blotch just below its armpit.
Oh, yeah?
Why are you going for him?
Well, reason the first...
Side blotch lizard is a hilarious name.
And an accurate one.
Uh-huh.
And reason the second, he's an underdog.
He came in last in that race at the University of Nevada.
You do love an underdog.
The alligator lizard and the west fence lizard are neck and neck.
Wow, that sure is a lot of spiders crawling in and around that bowl, Mindy.
Yeah, according to the official spider eating competition regulations, That bowl of spiders has enough venom to kill at least five mice.
Whoa.
Which is also the same amount of venom that those researchers at the University of Nevada injected into these same lizards.
Yikes, those lizards are getting bitten all over their mouths, Mindy.
Ouch.
Yeah, but it doesn't look like it's bothering them at all.
Oh, we're getting close to the bottom of the bowls here, folks.
And...
Yes, there goes Nom Nom, followed closely by Chow Town with El Camidor in third place.
Who will win the foot race around the festival?
Yeah!
Go get them!
Which of our three reptilian competitors will be able to counteract the effects of the Black Widow venom?
Which one will scurry the quickest?
Who will keep the poison in their tum tums from... We get it!
All right.
So, Mindy, how long do you think it'll take for the lizards to make it back to the stage?
Oh, it shouldn't take too long, Guy Raz.
This festival isn't that big.
Well, who won the last race, the one at the University of Nevada?
Well, like I said, the blotch lizard came in last there.
Which is why he's the underdog in this race.
Right.
And it didn't do too well with all that venom in his system.
It didn't kill him, did it?
No, it just kind of slowed him down a little.
Well, what about the other two?
Well, that's the bonker balls thing, Guy Raz.
The other two were completely fine.
Completely fine?
Yeah.
It's like they'd never even taken the venom.
It didn't affect them at all.
Really?
Nope.
They even looked inside the muscles of these lizards, and it was as if they'd never been touched by venom in the first place.
Whoa.
Yeah.
So how are these lizards able to do this, Mindy?
I mean, how are they able to reject this venom from their bodies?
Ooh, hold that thought, Guy Raz.
I think the lizards are just about to come around the bend now.
And here come the lizards back to the stage.
The west fence lizard and the alligator lizard are in the lead.
It's neck and neck.
Trailing behind is the side blotched lizard in third place.
No!
Last place?
Not again!
Here they come.
Crossing the finish line.
It's... It's... It's a tie!
I can't believe...
We have a tie between the alligator lizard Chow Chow and the west fence lizard Chewy Chewy Nom Noms.
Wow!
What a race!
What a sport!
What a day!
Middy, isn't this the same result that they had at the University of Nevada?
Wait, you know what, Guy Raz?
It is!
I bet the same thing happened today.
That happened in that study that the venom had a negative effect on the side-blotched lizard's muscle movement, but it didn't seem to have any effect on the other two lizards.
That is an excellent hypothesis, Skyroz.
So Mindy, why do you think that those two lizards were able to get together, bitten by all those venomous spiders, but have absolutely no negative side effects from it?
Well, Guy Raz, the scientists at the University of Nevada, believe that this sort of resistance was built up over millions and millions of years of eating those spiders.
Huh.
So you mean that, through evolution and survival of the fittest, these lizards have been able to develop an adaptation to these spiders' venom?
Exactoritos.
Huh.
Oh, boy.
Wow, Mindy, it looks like the line for your cricket burgers has grown even longer.
Yeah, you're telling me.
Hey, look!
The cricket lady's back!
For the last time, my name is Mindy!
I'll take four cricket burgers and four cricket fries.
Thank you, Cindy.
Kairos, you think you can give me a hand here, buddy?
Sure thing, Mindy.
What else are friends for?
All right, who's next?
Wow in the World will be right back.
Grown-ups, this message is for you.
Hey, grown-ups, it's Mindy and Guy Raz here from Wow in the World.
Mindy and I have some brand new Wow in the World toys out in the world just in time for the holidays.
Made for the kids who love science and for the ones who don't. yet.
From our 100 experiments, that wow kit to the telescope and astronomy kit.
Our Wow in the World toys help your wowzer learn about their world through play.
Plus, you can hear exclusive audio content from me and Guy Raz to help your wowzer discover even more wows.
Grownups.
Give the gift of wow and wonder this holiday season with our latest Wow in the World toys designed with your curious wowzer in mind.
You can shop our Wow in the World toys at Tinkercast.com slash toys.
That's Tinkercast.com slash toys.
My wow in the world is that turtles were alive the same time that dinosaurs were.
Say hi to Thomas Fingerling, Grandma G-Force, and Dennis for me.
Hi there.
I'm Indian Guy Roz.
My name is Joshua, and I'm eight years old.
I'm from Santa Monica, California.
My wow is that a blue whale's tongue weighs as much as an elephant.
Say hi to Reggie.
The Annoying Dennis.
Yes.
Grandma G-Force and Thomas Fingerling for me.
Oh, yeah.
Love your show.
Bye.
Hi, I'm Hadley from Seattle, Washington.
Did you know that theaters hold hands when they sleep so they don't float away during the night?
Say hi to Dennis.
Aw.
Reggie.
Grandma G-Force.
Aw, isn't that nice?
Thomas Fingerling for me.
What's up? and Guy Ross.
My name is Ivy and I live in New Jersey and my wow is that grass can send a distress signal when it's cut.
Hi, my name is Jimmy and I live in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
My wow in the world is that chickens evolved from dinosaurs.
Isn't that Bye.
End of messages.
Wow in the World is written by Mindy Thomas and Tom Van Kalken with help from me, Guy Raz.
Original sound design and music editing is done by Tyler Thole with help from our supervising producer, Jed Anderson.
You can also hear Jed Anderson in the voices of Dennis Thomas Fingerling, Reggie and many of the other silly characters you hear on our show.
Jessica Bode keeps our facts straight as our fact checker, and Meredith Halpern-Ranzer powers the wow at Our theme song was composed and performed by three-time Grammy nominees, The Pop-Ups.
Find them at thepopups.com.
Special thanks to Steph Sosa, Henry Moskal, Anna Daniker, Rebecca Caban, Kit Ballinger, Sana Ali-Mohamed, Anna Zagorski and all of the other tinkerers at Tinkercast HQ.
To keep the wows rolling.
Visit us at Tinkercastcom, where you can become an official member of the World Organization of Wowzers.
Learn about upcoming events, shop our Wow shop, find our New York Times bestselling books and learn about all of our other amazing podcasts from Tinkercast.
Grownups, you can follow Wow in the World on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at Wow in the World.
And our email address is hello.wow.
And if you're a kid with a big wow to share with us, call us at 1-888-7-WOW-WOW for a chance to be featured at the end of our show or an upcoming episode of Two.
What's in a Wow?
Thanks again for listening, and until next time, keep on wowing!
Wow in the World was made by Tinkercast.
And sent to you by Wondery.
