OPHIRA EISENBERG, HOST:
It's time to crown our big winner. Let's bring back our finalists - June Chin, who says her three sons see the whole world as their bathroom, and Ruchi Nanda, who wishes killer whales and seals could just get along.
(APPLAUSE)
EISENBERG: Puzzle guru Art Chung, take it away.
ART CHUNG: Thanks, Ophira. June, Ruchi, your final round is called The End. Every answer contains the letters E-N-D in consecutive order. For example, if we said, he's the lead guitarist for The Who, you would say, Pete Townsend. Our big winner will receive an ASK ME ANOTHER Rubix Cube signed by Adam Conover. We rolled a 20-sided die backstage, and June is going first. June, it's the U.S. historical document that begins with the words - when in the course of human events.
JUNE CHIN: The Declaration of Independence.
CHUNG: That is correct.
(SOUNDBITE OF DING)
CHUNG: Ruchi, it's a 10-letter word originating in French that indicates a time and a place for a meeting.
RUCHI NANDA: The meeting place.
CHUNG: I'm sorry, we were looking for rendezvous. June, this actress was nominated for an Emmy six times for her role as Joan Holloway on "Mad Men."
CHIN: Christine...
CHUNG: Three seconds.
CHIN: Christine End.
(LAUGHTER)
CHUNG: It was close. We were looking for Christina Hendricks. Ruchi, he's a multiple Grammy-winning rapper with hits "Swimming Pools (Drank)," "All Right" and "HUMBLE."
NANDA: Kendrick Lamar.
CHUNG: That is correct.
(SOUNDBITE OF DING)
CHUNG: June, he's a botanist whose experiments cross breeding plants laid the groundwork for the modern science of genetics.
CHIN: Mendel.
CHUNG: Correct - Gregor Mendel. Ruchi, 2002 sports film whose title refers to a star soccer player's skill at free kicks and curling the ball around defenders.
NANDA: "Bend It Like Beckham."
CHUNG: That is correct.
(SOUNDBITE OF DING)
CHUNG: June, it's a classic Alan Moore graphic novel titled "V for" this.
CHIN: Vendetta.
CHUNG: That's right.
(SOUNDBITE OF DING)
CHUNG: Ruchi, on Twitter, it's a list of popular hashtags and topics displayed in a spot with this label.
NANDA: Trending.
CHUNG: Trending or trends. That's correct.
(SOUNDBITE OF DING)
CHUNG: We're at the halfway point. The game is tied at three points each. June, he's a writer and illustrator of "Where The Wild Things Are" and "In The Night Kitchen."
CHIN: Maurice Sendel.
CHUNG: That's...
CHIN: Sendak, Sendak, Sendak, Sendack, Sendack, Sendak.
(LAUGHTER)
CHUNG: I'm sorry. We're going to have to go with your original answer. I'm sorry. We were looking for Maurice Sendak. Ruchi, the first African-American poet to win a Pulitzer Prize, her notable works include "A Street In Bronzeville" and "Annie Allen." Three seconds.
(SOUNDBITE OF BUZZER)
CHUNG: Sorry. We were looking for Gwendolyn Brooks. June, a retired space shuttle now exhibited at the California Science Center. Three seconds.
CHIN: Enterprise.
CHUNG: Close - we were we were looking for Endeavor.
CHIN: Endeavor.
CHUNG: That's the name of that space shuttle. Ruchi, in June 2017, the Department of Interior announced its plan to remove the grizzly bear from this list.
NANDA: Endangered species.
CHUNG: Correct.
(SOUNDBITE OF DING)
CHUNG: June, a young relative of chickaree, this plant is kept out of the light to form a small head of whitish leaves sometimes added to salads.
CHIN: Endive.
CHUNG: That is correct.
(SOUNDBITE OF DING)
CHUNG: Ruchi, the pancreas, thyroid, adrenal and pituitary are part of this system of glands that secrete hormones directly into the blood.
NANDA: Endocrine.
CHUNG: That is correct.
(SOUNDBITE OF DING)
CHUNG: The score is 5 to 4. You each have one question left. June, to stay in the game, you must answer this question correctly. The Automat and Mold-A-Rama are examples of this kind of dispenser of products.
CHIN: Vending machine.
CHUNG: That is right.
(SOUNDBITE OF DING)
CHUNG: Scores tied - this is the last question. Ruchi, get this correct to win. It's the national park located in western Texas bordering Mexico.
NANDA: West End?
CHUNG: No, I'm sorry. We're looking for Big Bend National Park. That means we were all tied up. Hands on your buzzers. Here's your tie breaker question. It's the Wisconsin-based casual clothing and apparel retailer known for its mail order business and customer service.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
CHUNG: Ruchi.
NANDA: Land's End.
CHUNG: That's right. Congratulations. You're a winner.
(APPLAUSE)
EISENBERG: June, amazing competitor - thank you so much.
(APPLAUSE)
EISENBERG: Congratulations, Ruchi. That's our show. ASK ME ANOTHER's puzzle guru is Art Chung.
CHUNG: Hey, my name anagrams to Narc Thug.
EISENBERG: Our house musician is Jonathan Coulton.
CHUNG: No Joulta Canton.
EISENBERG: Our puzzles are written by Carol Lee, Jack Leshner (ph), Scott Ross and senior writers Greg Lightman and Karen Laurie. Ask ME ANOTHER's produced by Mike Katzif. Travis Larchuk, Julie Melfi, Danny Shin, Rommel Wood and our intern Madeline Kaplan, along with Steve Nelson and Anya Grundmann. We're recorded by Damon Whittemore Noriko Okabe and David Hurtgen. We'd like to thank our home in Brooklyn, N.Y., the Belle House...
CHUNG: Hot heel blues.
EISENBERG: ...And our production partner WNYC. I'm her ripe begonias...
CHUNG: Ophira Eisenberg.
EISENBERG: ...And this was ASK ME ANOTHER from the NPR.
(APPLAUSE)
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