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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!
Don't know what you've been doing in a golden age.
Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats.
The World Spinning Championships are about to begin.
Hello, ma'am.
What can I get for you?
Let's see here.
I'll have the curly fries, two ham hock sliders, and a large pretzel with extra caviar.
Oh, sorry.
We're all out of caviar.
Oh, ma'am.
Anything else?
Oh, and an extra large chocolate milk.
On the rocks.
You got it.
Haji!
Mindy!
Kairazi!
Mindy, where have you been?
I thought you were just going to get snacks.
That was an hour ago.
I am getting snacks.
Can you believe that none of these snack shacks have any caviar?
Shocking.
Excuse me, ma'am.
Don't worry about it.
I brought my own Tart Pops anyway.
Um...
Okay.
Wait, may I use your toaster in there, please?
Ooh, yeah.
Sorry, it's broken.
I was trying to, like, toast the caviar.
Just forget it, Mindy.
Let's go.
Dennis is saving us front row seats.
Front row seats?
Wow, way to go, Dennis.
But the show's about to start.
We gotta move.
I'm coming.
I'll follow you, Guy Raz.
Okay.
Welcome, everyone, to the World Spinning Championships.
Sponsored by Francis O'Hanigan's mouthwash.
Come on, this is the door to our seats.
Wow, this place is packed.
Yeah, well, it is the World Series of Spitting, Mindy.
Look, Dennis is down in the front there.
Dennis!
Oh, boy.
He better get down there.
Let's go!
I can't believe we're here, Guy Raz.
I have been trying to get tickets to the World Spitting Championships for years.
Well, I guess it does help that Grandma G-Force is a competitor this year.
Yeah, all those years of practice are really paying off.
Guy Raz!
Mindy!
Here, here, here!
We see you, Dennis!
Stop yelling!
Yay!
We're sitting together, all together.
Hey, these are really nice seats.
Great job, Dennis.
I know.
And I only had to get here five hours early.
What?
All right, got us a couple of programs while I was out scouting for caviar.
Here, catch.
Ow.
And a program for you, Dennis.
Thank you.
Reggie, hold out your wing.
All right, now let's scope out the competition.
Let's see, what do we have here?
We've got a camel.
Wait, what?
Look, there's a snake competing, too.
And an archerfish?
Guy Raz, these spitting competitors are all animals.
Yeah, this looks like an interspecies competition.
I didn't even know that other animals could spit.
Well, it is a very rare animal behavior, but there are a handful of creatures in the wild that do do it.
Even seals.
What?
Here, look on page nine.
A gray seal.
A spitting seal?
A spitting seal.
According to her bio here, it says that she was observed spitting at a sea eagle off the coast of England.
Whoa!
Ooh!
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to this year's World Spitting Championships!
Brought to you by Francis O'Hanigan's mouthwash.
Tonight we have five competitors from every corner of the animal kingdom competing in a sharpshooting challenge of daring expectoration.
Ooh, a sharpshooting challenge?
Like they have to hit targets or something with their spit?
Exactly.
Oh, wow.
Now, please, welcome to the stage, your competitors.
From the brackish waters of South Asia, weighing in at one and a half pounds and measuring just under six inches long it's the archerfish.
Oh, would you look at that?
I've heard about this fish.
Super accurate with his spinning.
Oh, wow.
Next up, from the deepest deserts of the Australian outback, this dromedary requires no commentary.
Give it up.
The camel!
And now slithering in at three feet three inches long, from the savannas of subtropical Africa.
It's the reptile with the venomous projectile, the spitting snake, representing Homo sapiens from all over the world.
Standing at 4 feet 10 inches, it's the loogie legend, the little spittle, it's Grandma Jeefus!
Well, that's right.
Y'all can't touch me.
And her coach, Thomas Finkering.
All right, let's light this firecracker.
Woo-hoo!
Uh, Mindy, why is Thomas Fingerling there again?
Oh, he's Grandma G-Force's coach.
He actually used to be a pretty big deal in the spitting world back in the day.
Really?
Yeah, they used to call him the Saliva Survivor, but then he switched to competitive knuckle-cracking.
And now, our final contender.
From the Isle of Wight off the coast of England...
Weighing in at 370 pounds, she's feared by every eagle, hawk, and falcon from here to Nova Scotia.
It's Gracie the Gray Seal! support Grandma G-Force.
Yeah, but Gracie wants it more.
Just listen to her.
Competitors, are you ready?
Yes, you are, G-Force.
We were born ready, Mr. Announcer Man.
And let's get ready to spit!
I'm so nervous!
I'm so nervous!
I'm so nervous!
What are they doing, Ninja?
It looks like they're bringing out the spitting targets for round one.
Competitors, you have five attempts to hit all five of the targets you see in front of you.
May the most exceptional Expectorator win.
They keep saying that word, Expectorator.
What is that?
Oh, it's just a fancy scientific way of saying spitting.
Ah.
First at the spitting line, the Archerfish.
Yeah!
The crowd really loves that archer fish.
Well, it appears he is the favorite here, Mindy.
He's probably one of the most well-known animal spitters in the world.
Really?
Yeah, he uses his spitting for hunting purposes.
What?
How?
Well, where he lives in the jungle, he mainly eats insects.
Insects that hang off the branches above the water.
So, how does he get them to fall into the water where he can eat them?
He spits.
Spits at them?
Exactly.
And he's super accurate, too.
He's able to hit bugs up to five feet above the water surface.
Wait, with his spit?
Yeah, check it out.
He's about to go.
On your mark, get set, spit!
Wow, fastest spit in the West.
Oh, four out of five.
An almost perfect score.
Oh-ho!
Next up to the line, it's the camel.
I've heard about this one too, Mindy.
Yeah, what do you know?
Well, apparently she has a real problem with authority.
Okay now, camel.
Easy now.
On your mark, get set, spit.
You just spit on my face.
Disqualified.
You are disqualified from the tournament.
Can someone give me a napkin, please?
Oh, yeah.
Disqualified.
Get out of here, camel.
Yikes.
Okay, next up, the snake.
Ooh, I like her.
She's got a sassy attitude.
Look at that slither.
Uh, yeah, she's got moods.
Guy Raz, does she also use her spitting for hunting?
Not exactly, Mindy.
According to the program here, it says she uses it for self-defense.
Let me see that program.
Huh.
So it says here that when backed into a corner, this kind of snake can protect itself by spitting its venom almost seven feet towards its attacker.
Whoa, I'm going to keep my social distance from that thing.
Sounds like solid advice for anyone.
Okay, Snake.
On your mark, get set, spin!
Ooh, only three out of five.
Unfortunately, Mr. Snake, that means that you are eliminated.
Eliminated.
Better than Snakey.
Next up to the line, this year's newest addition, Gracie the Gray Seal!
Yay!
Go, Gracie!
The Gray Seal's my favorite.
Yeah, we know Dennis.
So, Mindy, what's the story with this seal?
Well, according to the program here, she's actually new to the spitting world.
It says here that she was first observed spitting in the wild back in 2022.
Huh.
Spitting in the wild, eh?
Apparently she was caught on camera spitting at sea eagles.
Here, look at this photo.
Oof.
That eagle does not look happy.
Gracie.
I mean, would you be happy if a seal just spit in your face?
I wouldn't be happy if anyone spat in my face, Mindy.
Exactly.
So what was the reason for her spitting?
Protection?
Hunting?
Well, neither.
It says here that scientists think that she was spitting at that eagle to try and scare it away from the fish.
She was trying to protect the fish?
Well, not exactly.
She was actually trying to eat the fish.
Oh, I get it.
Fewer eagles swooping in and eating our fish means more food for the seal.
Gray seal, are you ready?
On your mark, get set, spit! have a tie for first place.
Yay!
Way to go, Tracy!
I'm your biggest fan.
Dennis, remember, we're here for Grandma G-Force.
Oh.
I have to say Mindy, for someone who's relatively new to the spitting game, this gray seal is Pretty talented.
Yeah, I guess there's a reason she made it all the way to the world championships.
And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for the lean mean, clean spinning machine herself.
It's Grandma G-Force.
Oh, yeah, that's me.
Go me.
I'm the boss.
Go get him, Grandma.
Go, Grandma G-Force, go!
Yeah!
We love Gracie.
Janice.
What?
As our final competitor, Grandma G-Force will need a perfect score in order to win and take home the title of World Spinning Champion.
Now remember what I said, G-Force.
Become one with the flam.
I am the flam.
That's right.
You are.
G-Force, are you ready?
No!
I mean, yeah.
On your mark, Get set targets.
Can she do it?
Oh wow, that's it.
Little spittle be the flame.
Okay, what is she doing, mindy?
I don't know, i guess this is part of her technique or something.
Wow, Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for this year's World Spinning Champion, Grandma G-Boy.
Now G-Force.
Do you have any words to all the little boys and girls out there who one day want to be in your shoes?
Yeah, I do.
My shoes will not fit you.
I got unusually wide feet.
What?
You heard me.
Okay, and your coach here, Thomas Fingerling.
How do you feel seeing your protege follow in your footsteps?
Oh, I am over the moon!
I can't believe I finally won America's Funniest Home Makeovers!
Uh, no, Mr. Fingerling, this isn't America's Funniest Home Makeovers.
It ain't?
No, it's the World Spitting Championships.
Oh, well, do I still get the $10,000?
No.
Ah, rats!
What do I win?
Oh, I'm so glad you asked!
Tonight, our world champion will leave here with a lifetime supply of Francis O'Hanigan's mouthwash.
Just swirl and spit.
Oh, boogie.
Well, it's just what I always wanted.
Thank you all for attending tonight's event.
Um, you can all leave now.
Oh!
I didn't see that Gracie could have really used that mouthwash.
What?
She has a raw fish diet, Mindy.
Think how bad her breath is probably.
Uh-huh.
There she is, leaving the stage.
I'm going to go get her autograph.
Gracie!
Gracie!
Wait up!
I'm your biggest fan!
Well, that certainly was an eye-opening event.
Yeah.
Who knew so many animals knew how to spit?
And for so many different reasons.
And we only learned about seals being able to spit a few years ago.
I mean, who knows how many other animals out there have extraordinary spitting abilities and they're just hiding them from us.
That's true, Mindy.
I guess we'll just have to come back next year.
I can hardly wait.
Okay, folks, moving on out of here.
I gotta pack up all these chairs.
Oh, sorry.
Sorry.
Don't worry about it.
Just keep moving.
We got the end of species world splashing competition here in like 20 minutes.
Ooh, world splashing competition.
I gotta stay for that.
Mindy!
But first, I gotta go find some caviar to put on this pretzel.
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 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.
What?
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.
Hi, thanks for calling Wow in the World.
After the beep, get ready to record.
Hello, my name is Theo, and I live in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
I'm nine years old and my Wow in the World is that Roly-Polys are actually crustaceans and they have gills.
Say hi to Reggie and Dennis.
Hi.
Bye.
Love your show.
Hello.
My name is Brennan.
I am from North Carolina.
My wow in the world is Bamboo can grow one and a half inches in just one hour.
Goodbye.
Hi.
My name is Lily and I'm from the Port Indiana.
And my wow in the world is that starfish can regrow arms.
My name is Stacy.
I live in Burlington, Vermont.
Am I well in the world that about 10,000 cells in your body could fit on the head of a pin?
Say hi to Dennis, Reggie, Thomas Ringling, Grandma G-Force, and the Sleigh Cats for me.
Howdy.
Oh, yeah.
Hi.
My name is Theo and I live in Dunstable Massachusetts and my China's spring Texas, and my wow is that scorpions are arachnids.
Hi, I'm TJ, and I'm eight years old, and I live in Chicago.
My wow in the world is that there's a type of snake called the pit viper.
It has heat vision, and it's really cool.
Reggie.
Dennis.
Hi there.
And the sleigh cat.
Hi, Mindy and Guy.
I'm Claire.
And I'm Wyatt.
And we're from Cincinnati, Ohio.
Our wow in the world is that one day on Venus is equal to 243 Earth days.
Say hi to very, very annoying Dennis for me.
Ahoy there.
And Grandma Dee for us.
And before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey at wonderycom.
Slash survey in the world is written by mindy thomas and tom van kalken with help from me, guy roz, 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 that you hear on our show, And Lizzie Freilich can also be heard as some of the silly characters on our show.
Jessica Bode keeps our facts straight as our fact checker.
And Meredith Halpern-Ranzer powers the wow at Tinkercast.
Our theme song was composed and performed by three-time Grammy nominees, the Pop-Ups.
Find them at thepopups.com.
Special thanks to Kit Ballinger, Rebecca Caban, Dr Natasha Crandall, Kenny Curtis, Kristen Yang, Thuy Mac, Erica Medina, Henry Moskal, Jodi Nussbaum, Ali Paksima, Linda Rothenberg, Steph Sosa, Joanna Weber, Anna Zagorski and all of the other tinkerers at Tinkercast HQ.
And to keep the WOW rolling after you finish this episode, visit us at Tinkercast.com.
There you can become a member of the World Organization of Wowzers to get year-round mailings and weekly activities.
Shop our WOW shop, get tickets for upcoming events and Find our best-selling books and learn about some of the other amazing podcasts from Tinkercast.
Grown-ups, you can follow Wow in the World on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at Wow in the World.
And our email address is hello at Tinkercast.com.
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 To What's in a Wow.
Thanks again for listening.
We're here every Monday or you can check out Two What's in a Wow every Friday right here in the Wow in the World podcast feed.
And don't forget, we wow on the weekend with Dennis, Saturday and Sunday.
Keep on wowing!
Wow in the World was made by Tinkercast and sent to you by Wondery.
