PETER SAGAL, HOST:
Right now panel, it is time for you to answer some questions about this week's news. Faith, as virtual reality headsets become more common, people are finding all sorts of practical applications for them. This week, we heard about a company that is using VR goggles to help people by giving them the feeling using VR that they are surrounded, even covered, by what?
FAITH SALIE: Something good?
SAGAL: Something...
SALIE: Chocolate?
SAGAL: No.
(LAUGHTER)
SALIE: OK.
SAGAL: This is actually - in seriousness, this is something for people...
SALIE: Oh, to get over some fears.
SAGAL: Exactly right.
SALIE: Oh, so it's probably some kind of insect.
SAGAL: It is.
SALIE: And I should probably guess the insect.
SAGAL: You should.
SALIE: And it's probably - could it be spiders?
SAGAL: It is...
SALIE: Who aren't insects. Is it arachnids?
SAGAL: They are, in fact, arachnids.
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SALIE: Is it? OK.
SAGAL: I...
(APPLAUSE)
SAGAL: I was about to say - I was tempted to say well, Faith, technically they're not insects. But then everybody would know both you and I went to Harvard. And I didn't want that.
(LAUGHTER)
PETER GROSZ: Yeah, 'cause that's day one at Harvard. All right, welcome, you rich sons of [expletive]. Let's get one thing straight at this this school.
SALIE: All of you who think...
GROSZ: Spiders are arachnids. And if you disagree, go to Yale.
(LAUGHTER, APPLAUSE)
SAGAL: So in order to help people with their arachnophobia, this company has created a new virtual reality spider immersion therapy program.
SALIE: Oh my gosh.
SAGAL: And basically, what it is - you put it on and you look. And you're like - you're sitting there, and all of a sudden these spiders come out.
SALIE: That's horrible.
SAGAL: And they soon - they crawl all over you.
SALIE: This is freaking me out.
SAGAL: If you have arachnophobia and you use these VR goggles, you can eventually get over your terror by getting used to it. And if you don't have arachnophobia, well, you will now.
(LAUGHTER)
GROSZ: Can you lie and be like I'm afraid of supple young women?
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: Yeah.
GROSZ: They scare me like nothing else, so I'd like to enter into your program where you cover me in young ladies. And I will endure this torture over and over again until I - until I bravely overcome my fear of lying young bodies. Oh, I...
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SAGAL: Coming up, our panelists try to save the newspaper business. It's our Bluff The Listener Game. Call 1-888-WAIT-WAIT to play. We'll be back in a minute with more WAIT WAIT... DON'T TELL ME from NPR. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.