PETER SAGAL, HOST:
Now onto the final game, Lightning Fill In The Blank. Each of our players will have 60 seconds in which to answer as many fill-in-the-blank questions as they can. Each correct answer now worth two points. Chioke, can you give us the scores?
CHIOKE I'ANSON: Shannon and Mo each have three. Paula has two.
SAGAL: OK.
PAULA POUNDSTONE: It's rigged. It's rigged.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: OK. OK, Paula, you're up first. Fill in the blank. On Wednesday, the president of Turkey announced military actions against the Kurdish militia in blank.
POUNDSTONE: Serbia.
SAGAL: Right.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: Yes. A Quinnipiac poll released on Tuesday found that blank continues to lead Joe Biden in the race for the Democratic nomination.
POUNDSTONE: Elizabeth Warren.
SAGAL: Right.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: Shopping malls and railway lines announced early closures as more pro-democracy protests were announced in blank.
POUNDSTONE: Hong Kong.
SAGAL: Right.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: In order to reduce the threat of wildfires, PG&E cut power to over 800,000 customers in blank.
POUNDSTONE: California.
SAGAL: Right.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: This week, Fox News broadcasted a tweet attacking Hillary Clinton from a Twitter user named blank.
POUNDSTONE: I hope it wasn't Bill Clinton.
SAGAL: No, it was...
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: It was Hugh Janus.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: According to a new study from UC Berkeley, the richest Americans pay a lower blank rate than the middle class.
POUNDSTONE: Tax.
SAGAL: Right.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: Despite the controversy surrounding it, blank broke the record for biggest opening weekend in October.
POUNDSTONE: "Joker" - the "Joker."
SAGAL: Yes, "Joker."
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: The universe will have two chances to get rid of Gene Simmons next month...
(SOUNDBITE OF GONG)
SAGAL: ...When KISS performs in blank.
POUNDSTONE: Two chances to get rid of Gene Simmons - I don't get it.
SAGAL: Nope.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: KISS will perform underwater to an audience of great white sharks, KISS, who are white but are not great...
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: ...Will be performing underwater in Australia. There will be eight spots for fans to watch from a submarine. So it probably won't sell out.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: The sharks, which are, of course, blood-thirsty beasts that will catch and kill anything, are expected to lose their appetite.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: Chioke, how did Paula do on our quiz?
I'ANSON: Paula got six right for 12 more points. She now has 14 points and the lead.
MO ROCCA: Wow.
SAGAL: All right.
(APPLAUSE)
SAGAL: All right. We have flipped a coin. And Shannon has elected to go next. Shannon, fill in the blank. On Monday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that could affect blank discrimination in the workplace.
SHANNON O'NEILL: LGBTQIA.
SAGAL: Yes.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: Warning that it may soon run out of money to pay its staff, the blank asked member nations to make contributions.
O'NEILL: WeWork - no.
SAGAL: No.
(LAUGHTER)
POUNDSTONE: Good guess, though - the U.N. On Thursday, former National Security Adviser blank announced he was writing a book about the Trump White House.
O'NEILL: Oh, a white guy.
SAGAL: Yes, very good.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: John Bolton specifically. In response to an increased number of lung illnesses, online retailer Alibaba announced it would no longer sell blanks in the U.S.
O'NEILL: Vapes.
SAGAL: Right.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: This week, a government agency in Canada refused to reveal details for an event where they will blank.
O'NEILL: Be naked.
SAGAL: No, where they will be given an award for transparency.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: On Friday, Netflix released "El Camino," a movie spin-off of the critically acclaimed series blank.
O'NEILL: "Breaking Bad."
SAGAL: Yes.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: This week, the Nobel Prize winner in physics said he expected humanity to discover blank within 30 years.
O'NEILL: Love.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: Alien life.
O'NEILL: Oh.
SAGAL: After a man in Tokyo got his bike seat stolen...
(SOUNDBITE OF GONG)
SAGAL: ...He dealt with it by blanking.
O'NEILL: Riding it without one.
SAGAL: No.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: He dealt with it by going out and stealing 159 other bike seats.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: You know what they say? Revenge is a dish best served with a very sore butt, which is why the man started to stalk the streets of Tokyo looking for vengeance, though he was stalking kind of funny. He was able to steal 159 bike seats before being caught. Police say they were thrilled to make the arrest. It means they could call off the search for the giant 159-butted monster they were after.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: Chioke, how did Shannon do on our quiz?
I'ANSON: Shannon got three right for six more points. She has a total of nine. But Paula still has the lead.
SAGAL: Wow. So...
(APPLAUSE)
SAGAL: ...How many then does Mo need to win?
I'ANSON: Mo needs six to win.
SAGAL: All right. Here we go, Mo. This is for the game. Fill in the blank. On Tuesday, a bipartisan panel of senators warned of blank's continued efforts to interfere in U.S. elections.
ROCCA: Russia.
SAGAL: Yes.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: On Monday, a judge rejected President Trump's attempts to keep his blanks private.
ROCCA: Taxes.
SAGAL: Right.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: According to a new poll, a majority of Americans now support blank.
ROCCA: Impeachment.
SAGAL: Yes.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: On Tuesday, Democratic presidential candidate blank announced he would scale back his campaign schedule after his heart attack.
ROCCA: Bernie Sanders.
SAGAL: Right.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: On Thursday, Peter Handke and Olga Tokarczuk won the blank prize for literature.
ROCCA: Nobel.
SAGAL: Right.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: At the World Gymnastics Championships on Tuesday, gymnast blank won her 21st medal.
ROCCA: Simone Biles.
SAGAL: Right.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: A San Jose man who had his duffel bag stolen...
(SOUNDBITE OF GONG)
SAGAL: ...Believes that the thieves did not know it had blank inside.
ROCCA: Just a lot of overdue library books.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: No, four giant pythons.
ROCCA: Nice.
SAGAL: The victim of the theft was a reptile breeder who had just gotten done giving a presentation at a local library when a gang of thieves made off with his bag containing four giant pythons. Desperate, the man posted a video on YouTube pleading for the animals' safe return and was relieved when the snakes responded, we're doing great. In fact, we just had the best meal of our lives.
(LAUGHTER, APPLAUSE)
SAGAL: Chioke, did Mo do well enough to win?
I'ANSON: Oh, yes. Mo got six right for 12 more points, total of 15. So Mo is this week's winner.
SAGAL: Congratulations, Mo.
(APPLAUSE) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.