Second Chances

Transcript

OPHIRA EISENBERG, HOST:

Our next game is called Second Chances, and let's say hello to our next contestants, Brittany Kronick and Phoebe Richman. So Phoebe, Brittany, we have had lots of different configurations of couples on the show, but I believe this is the first time we have had roommates.

BRITTANY KRONICK: Yes.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: And - yeah - roommates playing against each other - exciting. Are you guys competitive?

PHOEBE RICHMAN: A little bit.

KRONICK: Yeah, definitely.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: Really?

KRONICK: Yeah.

RICHMAN: She's more than I am.

KRONICK: Yeah.

EISENBERG: OK.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: How long have you lived together as roommates?

KRONICK: Four years, but we've known each other for eight.

EISENBERG: All right, so it's working.

RICHMAN: Yeah.

EISENBERG: How about you, Jonathan - roommates?

JONATHAN COULTON, BYLINE: I - you know, I had roommates in college. Most of them were a cappella kids, so you can imagine the kind of crazy hijinks we got up to.

EISENBERG: Yeah. What are we putting these women through?

COULTON: Well, in this game, you can win by coming in second. We'll ask you a question that has a fairly well-known number-one answer. However, instead of giving that first place answer, you can give the second-place answer for two points instead of one. It actually behooves you to give the second-place answer. So, puzzle guru John Chaneski, how about an example?

JOHN CHANESKI, BYLINE: If we said name either of the first people two people to walk on the moon, you could answer either Neil Armstrong for one point, since he was the first, or Buzz Aldrin for two points, since he was the second.

COULTON: Get it? So just like life, you are trying to get the most points, which means that in this game, you can try to guess the second-place answer. But here is the catch - your opponent will automatically get a chance to answer the one that you don't pick. All right? And you also have to tell us which answer you are going for.

EISENBERG: Yeah.

COULTON: I know.

EISENBERG: I know.

COULTON: This is serious, people. This is serious.

EISENBERG: We're doing something new here.

COULTON: It's going to be an easy game, and you're both going to do great, except one of you is going to be better than the other one. I'm sorry to tell you.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: I'm already looking at a winner and a loser. I just don't know who's who.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: Are you ready?

KRONICK: I guess so.

RICHMAN: Sure.

COULTON: OK. Name one of the two largest planets in our solar system.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Brittany.

KRONICK: I will go for the first.

COULTON: OK.

KRONICK: Mars?

COULTON: I'm sorry, that is incorrect. Phoebe, do you want to guess the number-one or the number-two largest planet in the solar system?

RICHMAN: I guess I'll go with the first one and say Jupiter.

COULTON: That is correct.

(APPLAUSE)

COULTON: Second-largest planet is Saturn. Don't get depressed. I feel like...

EISENBERG: It's going to be fine.

COULTON: I feel like a sadness just descended on you, and it shouldn't have happened. It's going to be great. Name either of Led Zeppelin's first two studio albums.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: Oh, boy.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: You're going to find this funny if you don't know the answer. Phoebe, yes?

RICHMAN: First, second, I don't know. "Stairway To Heaven?" That's not an album name probably.

COULTON: That is incorrect. I'm sorry. Brittany, do you want to - do you want to guess?

KRONICK: Zeppelin.

CHANESKI: No. I'm afraid both of those answers are both wrong.

COULTON: OK. We're going to say both of those are incorrect. The first studio album was called "Led Zeppelin." The second studio album was called "Led Zeppelin II."

(LAUGHTER)

RICHMAN: Of course it was.

KRONICK: I was going to say "Led Zeppelin."

COULTON: That was meant to be a hilarious question that brought you a lot of joy.

(LAUGHTER)

KRONICK: I was going to say "Led Zeppelin," and I was like, that's too obvious.

EISENBERG: Right.

COULTON: It's too obvious, yeah. What were the names of the first two sequels to 2001's "The Fast And The Furious?"

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Brittany.

KRONICK: I'll go with the first one, "2 Fast 2 Furious."

COULTON: That is right. Phoebe, do you know the second one?

RICHMAN: "The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift."

COULTON: Wow, that is correct.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: If any of the remaining members of Zeppelin are listening to this show, they are very mad right now.

COULTON: They're like, that is it. That is it. I give up completely.

EISENBERG: They are furious.

COULTON: We have found a vein of expertise to mine here. It's - all of the remaining questions will be about sequels of "Fast And The Furious."

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: After Queen Elizabeth II, who are the next two people in line for the British throne?

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Phoebe.

RICHMAN: Prince William.

COULTON: Do you want to go with...

RICHMAN: Oh, first. First - maybe.

COULTON: I'm sorry, that is incorrect. Brittany, do you want to guess either the first or the second?

KRONICK: I'll do the second is Prince William.

COULTON: Yeah, that's correct.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: The first is Prince Charles.

RICHMAN: Ah, of course.

KRONICK: Right. Yeah.

RICHMAN: Sure.

EISENBERG: And then right after that, Prince.

(LAUGHTER)

KRONICK: Hopefully.

EISENBERG: I know. That'd be amazing, right?

KRONICK: Yeah.

EISENBERG: Yeah.

COULTON: Prince Prince.

EISENBERG: (Laughter) Yeah. He's above Prince Harry. It just goes, like, Prince and then that baby.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: Name the first two books in the "Harry Potter" series.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Brittany?

KRONICK: OK. I'll go with the second.

COULTON: Second.

KRONICK: And it is "Chamber Of Secrets."

COULTON: That is correct.

(APPLAUSE)

COULTON: That's two points. Phoebe, for one point, can you name the number one - the first one?

RICHMAN: "Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone."

COULTON: That's right.

(APPLAUSE)

KRONICK: That was a - you sounded so sad.

RICHMAN: (Laughter).

COULTON: Well, she got one point less than you. That's very sad. Name the winners of the first two seasons of "American Idol."

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Phoebe.

RICHMAN: I think the second one was Clay Aiken - no - Ruben Studdard.

COULTON: Yes. That is correct. That is correct. I'll give it to you.

CHANESKI: Good save, Phoebe. Good save.

RICHMAN: He's just the one who got famous.

COULTON: Yeah, that's right. That's right. And the number one, Brittany?

KRONICK: Kelly Clarkson.

COULTON: Yeah, you got it.

(APPLAUSE)

COULTON: In the movie, "Fight Club," there are a lot of rules.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: Keep it together, everybody. What are the first and second rules of fight club?

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Brittany.

KRONICK: I guess the second is don't talk about fight club.

COULTON: That's right.

(APPLAUSE)

COULTON: And, Phoebe, do you know the first rule of fight club?

RICHMAN: Don't talk about fight club.

COULTON: That's right. John Chaneski, how did our contestants do in this game?

CHANESKI: Well, Phoebe came in second. That means Brittany won. Brittany, you're moving onto our Ask Me One More final round.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "AFTERLIFE")

INGRID MICHAELSON: (Singing) We all, we all, we're going to live to tonight, like there's no tomorrow because we're the afterlife. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.