“Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!” Will Have Montgomery County Connection This Weekend

Rockville residents might hear a name they recognize on this weekend on of NPR’s “Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!”.

City of Rockville’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator Kevin Belanger will be the call-in contestant on “Wait Wait,” NPR’s humorous take on the radio quiz show.

Belanger said his episode will air on WAMU at 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. 

The episode was recorded live Thursday from The Chase Auditorium in Chicago.

Belanger said he was only on the show for four minutes or so. But he got a chance to plug his job, what it means to be a bicycle and pedestrian coordinator—which drew a joke about people showing up to the job sweaty.

“I was going to mention Bikeshare, but that didn't come up,” Belanger said.

Belanger’s few minutes of radio fame come after at years of listening and thinking he could be that guy—the contestant who calls the show and guess answers to current events questions doled out Peter Sagal-style.

Belanger, 28, wrote the show six weeks ago.

“Within a week, they called me back,” Belanger said.

He said he’s been a fan of the show since 2008, often listening to downloads on the Metro, en rote to work at City Hall.

Though he’s led some trivia nights, Belanger said he’s never been on a game show. He said not being able to see the show’s audience—the estimated four million people who tune in—actually made him more nervous.

We won’t say whether or not he won, but we will note that he was asked questions about Obamacare and Google’s ploy to cure death.

The panelists for this weekend’s episode are Jessi Klein, Paula Poundstone and Roy Blount Jr.

“I love Paula Poundstone,” Belanger said. “She's ridiculous.”