- [Toddfather] This program is made possible through a grant from the Greater Peoria Leadership Council, a coalition of business and civic leaders working together to shape a stronger, more connected region through the Choose Greater Peoria Initiative.

(upbeat music) ♪ Well no mater what the question is ♪ ♪ We'll say, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ And if you wanna find some show ♪ ♪ We'll say, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Woo ♪ ♪ Whoo-hoo ♪ ♪ You're amazing ♪ ♪ Baby, you're amazing ♪ ♪ You just remember ♪ ♪ Whoo ♪ ♪ You just remember ♪ ♪ You're amazing, yeah ♪ (whooshing sound effect) (crowd cheer and clap) - Thank you, thank you.

Thank you, guys.

Welcome to "Vibe 309".

I am your host, Blake Wirth, and we are at WTVP.

We have a great crowd tonight.

If you can hear 'em, I think you can hear 'em.

(crowd cheer and clap) There they are.

- Yeah.

(crowd clapping) Great crowd because we have a couple great guests tonight.

Our first guest spent nearly a decade delivering the news here in the "309".

She's a Metamora native, a Bradley grad, and in 2023, she was named Best TV Anchor in Illinois.

This past June, she took off the lavalier mic and stepped away from the desk at WEEK.

She thought she was done with television.

Well, I never got that memo because tonight, we're bringing her back.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Jenise Rebholz.

(crowd cheer and clap) Welcome.

- Oh, thank you so much.

- Thank you so much.

- Thank you so much.

- It felt good to get a microphone on again.

- You le, yeah.

Yeah, you missed - It's very natural.

- the lavalier mic?

- A little bit.

- You go lav or lavalier, right?

- Lav.

- We say lav- - We say lav.

A lav mic?

- So, do you say la, lavalier mic?

- Lavalier, yeah.

- [Blake] Not lavalier?

- No, I've never heard that in my life.

- Well, that's why I didn't work... That's why I'm not on the news, folks.

- Hey, I've been wrong many times though.

- Well, it's all right.

- It's okay.

- So, anyone in the crowd tonight here to support you, or?

- My family is holding it down at home - They're holding down.

- because my kids are reckless, in the best way.

- Yeah.

- So, they're- - How old are your kids?

- I have a five-year-old and a one-year-old.

- [Blake] Which one's more reckless?

- It depends on the day, - Okay.

- but probably the five-year-old.

- Okay.

- He is just a ball of energy and he's just so fun.

- That's awesome.

- Yeah.

- So, you left in June - I did.

- from the news.

Pretty emotional farewell video, which was awesome.

I think a lot of people (Jenise laughing) probably saw that.

You're a lot of people's favorite anchor.

So, for you to leave was upsetting for people.

I know it was bittersweet for you.

Can you kind of walk through what it was like to leave, why you left?

I know fame was a huge part of that, and kind of where - Mm-hmm.

- you're at right now.

- Absolutely.

It was a really hard decision, but it's one that I really thought about for a really long time.

There was a point where I thought I was gonna retire at 25News because I really loved being there so much.

I loved the people.

It was just really a good, fun place to work.

Every day was so different, which is something I really thrive on.

- Yeah.

- And so, I think the reality of needing to exit became top of mind when my second son was born.

- Okay.

- With one kid, it was challenging to be in that field, but when the second kid came, it presented its whole new set of challenges.

So, that was definitely - Sure.

- when my second son was born that I really had to kind of shift my mindset and how is this going to work?

And we made a lot of plans in our heads of different options on what we could have done, whether I switched shifts.

- Mm.

- But with my oldest going to kindergarten, and if I worked second shift, which is like 2 to 11 o'clock, I was never gonna see him.

And- - 2:00 to 11:00.

- 2 to 11 o'clock - Is that the one - at night.

- you primarily worked when you got to your, like recently before you left?

- Yes.

So, I had been on the evening shift since 2019.

- Okay.

- So, most of my career was in the evenings.

And me and my husband had never worked the same shift as long as we've known each other, which is like nine years.

- Wow.

- So, I was also craving, like, man, I would really love to go eat dinner - Yeah.

- with my husband - Hang out with my husband.

- at nights.

That would be so cool.

- Yeah.

- So, it was very bittersweet.

But I would say maybe nine months before I left, I started applying, exploring my different options.

And to be honest, Caterpillar was always at the top of my list.

- [Blake] Because you are, are you fourth or fifth generation?

- I am a fifth generation Caterpillar employee now.

- Big Yellow.

- Yes, Big Yellow.

- Big Yellow.

- So, my great, great-grandpa, - [Blake] Great.

- he was born in the 1800s.

So, he was one of the first, I don't know, 6,000 workers at Caterpillar.

- He built one of the first tractors probably.

- Basically.

(laughs) He moved Earth for the first time.

- He moved Earth.

(Jenise laughing) The first person to ever move Earth was Grandpa Rebholz.

(Jenise laughing) - I actually have- - His last name's not Rebholz.

- No, it was.

- Oh, cool.

- It was Rebholz.

It was my Great-Great - That's awesome.

- Grandpa Rebholz.

But I have a funny story about my Great-Grandpa Rebholz.

- Let's hear it.

- He lied about what year he was born so that he could work at Caterpillar sooner.

- When did he start at Caterpillar?

When he was like 15?

- Oh gosh, I don't know.

But you probably needed to be either 16 or 18 at the time.

I don't remember.

- Yeah.

- My dad told me this story, but I have his ID card and it says that he was born in, I think it said 1910, but it was a lie.

He was actually born in 1912 or '13.

- Most people use fake IDs to get in bars (Jenise laughing) - and get hammered.

- Yeah.

- She used a fake ID to get to work.

- Yeah, because... And I want to say, I think that's my family legacy is that the Rebholz name is they like to work, they work hard, and I just want to keep that going.

- So, what are you doing at Cat?

What department are you in?

Are you getting to shine on camera at all (Jenise laughing) or what are we doing over there?

- No, I actually work in internal and external communications in the supply chain side, which is like a totally different world.

I didn't know anything about supply chain.

- What is it?

- And now, I kind of do.

You know?

- What's the most important thing about supply chain?

- Getting our parts - Yeah.

Well, you need the parts.

- so that our customers can fix their tractors.

- Like turbo chargers, (Jenise laughing) fuel filters?

- Some of the parts are microscopic and some of them are bigger than your desk.

- [Blake] Okay.

This is a huge desk, by the way.

- It is.

And I- - It's the heaviest desk ever built.

Your grandpa probably had something to do with construction.

- You know what?

Probably.

Because it's in good shape.

- It is from the 1800s.

- Yeah.

- It's from the 1800s.

- And I think that... So, I work in Morton at the distribution center and I always say it's like the Amazon of Caterpillar because that's just where all the parts are.

- So, you work in Morton, but there's also East Peoria - Mm-hmm.

- and I know there's several buildings in East Peoria.

- You kind of work everywhere when you're in Caterpillar.

- Yeah.

- So, sometimes I'm in a different building.

It just depends.

- Yeah.

So, obviously while Caterpillar did move their headquarters, I think Peoria is still the biggest congregation of Caterpillar employees in the world, if I'm not mistaken.

- I do not know the answer to that fact, - Yeah.

- but I would be surprised.

- Yeah.

Todd, check that out, would you?

- Fact check, please.

- Yeah.

(Jenise laughing) - I think it's true.

If not, we'll edit it out.

Or we'll just run with it.

Who cares?

So, let me ask you this though.

I know you're happy and you're gonna go to the T-ball games now.

- Yes, football practice.

- I have to ask you about the chickens.

I think everyone in here has been waiting to learn (Jenise laughing) how are the chickens doing?

I asked you to bring one in, but you didn't have one that was leash-trained.

- I didn't.

Scooter loves to be held.

I have a few chickens that enjoy being held.

- You think they do or they actually do?

(Jenise and crowd laughing) - That's a great question.

- 'Cause th- - If I'm holding them, I think they're fine.

Sometimes with my kids.

- Okay.

So, Scooter is the eldest, or?

- No, Scooter is just everyone's favorite because she has this big wild blonde hair.

- Okay.

- Feathers rather.

- Beautiful.

- She's a Polish.

She's a Buff Laced Polish chicken.

- So, there are different kinds of ch... I thought it was just chicken.

- See, we could be here for hours if I told you - We don't- - all that I know about chickens.

- Todd, I already asked for a two-hour special.

Todd denied me.

(Jenise laughing) So, we can't do that.

- About my chickens?

- So, Scooter, who else you got?

- Oh, gosh.

Okay.

So, we have Bawkbawk, Grassy Wassy, Chocolate Milk.

- Sure.

- Carburetor.

- What?

- French Fry Ranch Sauce.

I'm not making these up.

I swear these are their names.

- Are you kidding me?

- Salty.

- French Fry Hot, what?

- French Fry Ranch Sauce.

- Who named it French Fry Ranch Sauce?

- My five-year-old did.

- Good for him.

That's an amazing name.

We actually have a cat named Milkshake, believe it or not.

- Milkshake is almost better than Chocolate Milk.

- I just saw earlier this morning, I creeped on your social media, you posted a picture.

You at an orchard, picking apples.

- Yes.

- [Blake] Where was that?

- That was Christ Orchard in Elmwood.

- Okay.

That is one orchard.

Another orchard is Tanners Orchard.

And the Toddfather and I went to Tanners Orchard recently and we got a behind the scenes look at how they make their iconic apple cider over there.

You don't want to miss it.

So, Todd, go ahead and roll.

(whooshing sound effect) (engine humming) Welcome to Tanners Orchard, an absolute staple here in the "309".

Some of the best apples you will ever sink your teeth into.

Today, the Toddfather and I are here to show the people a little bit of behind the scenes what goes into making the iconic apple cider here at Tanners.

I'm with Craig Tanner, fourth generation owner.

Craig, it is so good to be here with you today.

- Thank you.

It's a real pleasure to have you guys here with us today.

- So, tell the people what we're gonna be doing today.

- So, today, we're gonna pick some Pink Lady apples.

They call them Pink Lady.

They get a nice pink cheek on them where they get kissed by the sun.

Are you afraid of heights?

- Nah.

- [Craig] Nope.

We're all set then.

Let's get going.

- Let's go.

(upbeat music) Oh, this is a good one right here, right off the bat.

Yo, Craig, I'm pretty excited to be here because we came here for a field trip when I was in grade school, but I got in trouble on the way here, so I had to stay on the bus the whole time.

So, it's good (Craig laughing) to actually be here.

This is a good one here, I think.

It's okay if there's still a little bit of that?

- Yep, because it's got that nice pink cheek on it.

That's how we know they're ready.

(upbeat music) - What are you 6'4"?

You can probably just pick these yourself, man.

How many apples approximately go in one gallon of cider?

- So, we'll get about four gallons, three and a half to four gallons of cider per bushel.

A bushel of apples is about 100 apples.

25 to 30 apples makes a gallon of cider.

- Did you know that, Todd?

- [Todd] No, I did not.

- Now you do.

- Got to be very gentle.

(upbeat music) Cheers.

(upbeat music) (apples crunching) (upbeat music) - Best apples this side of the Mississippi and honestly, probably the other side too, Craig.

Todd, do you trust me driving a forklift?

- [Todd] Oh, sure.

(forklift hums and cranks) - Whoa!

(companion laughing) (forklift humming) Whoo-hoo.

Go slow.

(forklift humming) - You got to get farther over to the side too.

- This side?

- Yep.

Yeah, drive up like right here.

You're gonna come right up to here.

- Piece of cake.

- And then, once you get here, then you lift it up.

- I understand.

(forklift humming) Are you nervous, Craig?

- [Craig] No.

- [Wes] I'm nervous.

- Wes is hiding (companion laughing) behind a crate.

- Straighten it out.

There you go.

- Oy.

- Now turn it just a little bit to the left.

- To the left.

- Yeah.

Okay.

Tip it forward a little bit.

Okay, pick it up.

(forklift humming) Yep.

(forklift humming) All right.

Go ahead and dump it.

Rotate it.

(apples thud) (upbeat music) Keep going all the way around.

(apples thud) (upbeat music) Good job.

(forklift humming) (upbeat music) - [Blake] Phew.

I feel like that could have been a lot worse.

Anyway, here come the apples up this thing into that.

I have no idea what that machine's called.

It's obviously grinding them up real good though.

And yeah, they're going here.

Javier fills these in.

He's worked here 41 years.

He's a legend.

(upbeat music) Here we go.

- Javier, you want to show him what to do?

(upbeat music) - Not all the way?

I'm probably wasting a ton of apples here.

Tanners' profits are gonna be down because of me here just this one day.

What?

(upbeat music) Puh, puh, puh, huh!

So, yeah, basically guys, I'm just getting this apple sauce down in there, and then it squeezes it all together.

It becomes apple cider.

(upbeat music) Dump out the nasties, the core, the stuff you don't need, what have you.

- So, this is our CiderSure UV machine that bathes the cider in the UV light to try to kill any harmful bacteria that might be in apple cider.

We've got cider flowing into the tank, comes in up here.

So, we open the valve down here.

(upbeat music) There the cider starts coming in.

- [Blake] I see it.

(upbeat music) - Over here, we switch this to run, and then hit the start button.

So, this is the Century 400, Belshaw Century 400 donut machine that drops four donuts at a time and the conveyor just goes along there, go along, and then it flips them over, then it fries the other side.

Conveyor takes them out.

(machine humming) They go on this cooling conveyor.

(upbeat music) Then when they get down here, they send them and sugar them all by hand.

- Thank you so much.

(wrapper crinkling) - All right.

Moment of truth here.

(upbeat music) (wrappers crinkling) Oh my, oh my god!

- We made cider today.

Tomorrow, they're gonna bottle it, so we can't drink today's cider till tomorrow.

But we made cider yesterday and I'll show you that.

(upbeat music) - I see the pour.

Look at that.

Cheers, Craig.

- Thank you so much for having us.

Privilege and an honor.

(Blake slurps) (tongue clicks) It's perfection.

Only at Tanners Orchard.

(whooshing sound effect) (crowd cheer and clap) Thanks, guys.

(crowd cheer and clap) Man, I love Tanners.

You like Tanners?

- I love Tanners.

- Tanners is incredible.

We actually have Craig Tanner who was just in that vibe check in the house.

Give it up for Craig.

(crowd cheer and clap) He's a tall drink of water, that guy.

(Jenise laughing) He knows his way around an apple.

Listen, we got to get right into it.

Our next guest helps Central Illinois rise and shine every morning as an anchor on 25News.

She's a Tennessee state grad, a familiar face in our community, and somebody whose energy and personality are a whole vibe.

Put your hands together for RaShaun Haynes.

(crowd cheer and clap) RaShaun, hi.

- Hi.

- Thank you so much for coming.

I love the jacket.

- Thank you for having me.

Thank you.

- Incredible.

- Well, hello.

Oh, queen.

- I might have to get myself one of those.

- Good to see you.

- So, thank you for joining us.

- Thank you for having me.

- So good to be here.

You guys all know her from TV, right?

(crowd cheer and clap) So, I want to hear right into it.

I want to know what is your day-to-day?

I'm curious about what your day looks like from when you wake up to what you do, to when you go home.

- Okay.

Well, I'm typically up when most are sleeping.

- Mm-hmm.

- Some are just going to sleep, depending on how great of a night they had.

Up about 1:00 AM at the station.

- You get up at 1:00 AM.

- You heard that right.

Yes.

- What's your first drink?

It's coffee.

It's got to be coffee.

- Well, water.

- She can't tell you.

- Water.

- Oh, that's, yeah.

Well, yeah, because you're supposed - I'm young, - to flush the toxins out.

- but you know, the body is still waking up.

- Yeah.

Sure.

- So, a sip of water.

But then, yes, about three to four cups of coffee comes afterwards.

An energy drink on a really hard day, but up at 1:00 at the station.

Before 4:00, ideally, because I'm on air at 5:00 and I have to read through scripts, write teases and headlines, things like that.

The show ends at 7:30 for me.

We added an extra half hour.

Did you know that?

- Of course you did.

Of course - Oh.

- you did.

- You added an extra half hour?

- It was not me.

It was not me, - Oh.

- but I have the pleasure - The higher-ups.

- of anchoring that extra half hour.

- [Blake] Oh, good for you.

(Jenise laughing) - So, off air at 7:30, slight break, but then I'm preparing for midday at 11 o'clock.

- [Blake] Okay.

- That's an hour show.

A lot of fun.

A lot of fun.

I would consider it a vibe.

I know this is "Vibe 309", - Oh.

- but we have a lot of fun - But that's a vibe too.

- on midday.

We do.

We do.

- I understand.

- And my day usually wraps up around 1:00, 1:30.

I rarely ever see Jenise, but if I did see Jenise, that means I was at the job too long.

I'm late.

- And I called you out every single time.

- Yeah.

"What are you still doing here?"

- As soon as I walk in, I'm like, girl.

- I'm packing up, trust me.

- Get out of town.

(RaShaun laughing) - So, you pref... Like, you don't prefer to wake up at 1:00 AM.

- Not at all.

No.

- Like, yeah.

- Who does?

- Well, yeah, that's true.

Probably nobody.

(RaShaun laughing) I read that you started a weekend show on WEEK or 25News.

Is that true?

- Yeah.

So, the Weekend Morning Show, I was about two months at 25News when they asked if I wanted to anchor Weekend Mornings.

And like any sane person, I wouldn't say fresh out of college, but I was about a year- - But you were a producer.

You weren't even in front of the camera at that point though?

- No, I produced for two months.

I think I produced the evening show on HOI with you and Kyle Beachy back in the day when I first started.

- Oh wow.

That was a throwback.

- Yeah.

- Wow.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- A little reference.

- Yeah.

(Jenise laughing) You, Kyle and Brian, you guys were a dream team.

- What a crew.

That was a really good crew.

- They... I called them The Three Stooges because they always have fun together.

But then, the opportunity for Weekend Mornings came and I said no.

No, thank you.

- Whoa.

- I did say no.

I felt like I was too green.

I was nervous.

- Mm.

- I was just getting my footing at the station.

So, I was like, no, I'm okay.

And then, I like being behind the scenes.

There's power, there's this chillness to it in a sense - Yeah.

- that I was so in love with.

- Yeah.

- But shout-out to my mom, who happens to be here today.

- Shout-out.

Can we get out for her mom, please?

- Yeah.

- Yeah, shout-out to my mom.

(crowd cheer and clap) - I thought that was your sister, seriously.

- Oh.

- Well, that's my girl.

(Jenise laughing) We're friends now.

- It's the second time I've said that, but- - I've made it to the point in my life where I am her little friend, so we have - Sure.

- great conversations.

- Isn't that the best?

- Right!

It's like... - When you get to that point.

Yeah.

- It's like something unlocks and everything, phone conversations are 10 times longer.

(Jenise laughing) But like any good mother would, she convinced me to take the opportunity.

And then, there I was Saturday and Sunday mornings from 6:00 to 8:00.

- And how do you like being in front of the camera?

You do a great job.

And I have to imagine they asked you to be in front of the camera for a reason.

You've got a great personality.

I'm sure you let it shine - Thank you.

- around the water cooler.

- Yeah.

(laughs) The water cooler.

I like it a lot.

It was different.

It's nerve-racking at first - Mm-hmm.

- because we don't have a live studio audience typically.

- Yeah.

- And you would think - Mm-hmm.

- that makes it more comfortable, but it's something about these cameras in your face - Yeah.

- and it's just you and a meteorologist.

It's kind of nerve-racking, but I like it.

I like it.

- Yeah.

- But nothing compares to when I'm out in the community and I meet people and I get to talk to them.

- Sure.

Yeah.

- That definitely makes it worth it.

- Well, again, you really do such a great job and obviously you do too.

- Thank you.

- I saw you at SoulFest briefly.

- Yeah.

- That's where I got to talk to you.

Are you from Chicago?

- I'm from the suburbs south of, so I'm from Dalton, Illinois.

- Okay.

So, Tennessee State by way of Dalton, Illinois.

- Mm-hmm.

- And does your mom live in Peoria now or did she come down to see this?

Or- - She came down.

- Oh.

- She came down to support.

- That's nice.

(RaShaun laughing) She's a big supporter.

- Yeah.

She is.

- So, what are your first thoughts of Peoria?

You came here in what, 2022?

- Yes.

My first thoughts, wow, everything closes early.

- Wow.

- I'm hungry.

- Sure.

- And it seems like I'm looking stuff up.

I've missed my opportunity, so I guess - Yeah.

- McDonald's.

- If you don't eat by 6:00 PM here, you don't eat.

- Yeah.

Yeah, but... (Blake laughing) So, that took an adjustment because being so close to Chicago and then going to Nashville, it's still big city vibes.

But being in Peoria, I had to readjust.

Things are a little slower, - Yeah.

- but the longer I've been here, the more I've fallen in love with the aspect of, it's so family-oriented here.

- Yeah.

- You just walk into a room and everybody knows each other.

And I'm just like, okay, so I know they don't know me because I see that everybody knows each other.

- Well, they know you because you're on TV.

- Well, there came a point where I became recognizable.

- Yeah.

- At first, I was just the average Joe when I entered a room.

So, that took - Yeah.

- a little bit of time.

But yeah, it was an adjustment.

It was an adjustment.

Slower pace.

- Sure.

- But once you get acclimated, there's so much to do.

The people are so nice.

It's just... I see why people come and they stay.

- There you go.

I kind of want to play a game.

What about you?

You guys want to play a game?

- Let's play a game.

- Ooh, I love games.

- You want them to play a game?

- Yeah.

- Okay.

We'll play a game here.

(crowd cheer and clap) The game is called Finish the Headline.

These are whiteboards, obviously.

One for you, one for you.

- Thank you.

- I am going to read you a headline and give you multiple choice answers.

These are real headlines, ladies and gentlemen.

I did the research.

- Oh, well then you're gonna get that.

- These are all true, (RaShaun laughing) as jarring as they may seem.

This first one's in Illinois.

We're gonna start with this.

Ready?

- Okay.

- Chicago police discover a blank hiding in the refrigerated section of an ALDI.

Is it, A, coyote, B, python, or, C, raccoon?

This was hiding in the refrigerated section of ALDI in January of 2025.

Show me your answers here.

A, they both picked A, which is coyote, and they are correct.

A coyote was discovered (Jenise laughing) hiding behind refrigerant shelves.

- That was a crazy story because I'm an ALDI shopper.

- Hold on.

You guys knew that?

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- Crap.

Okay.

(RaShaun laughing) - We are like some of the highest news consumers - This is - that you will find.

- awesome.

I hope I can stump you.

Here we go.

You ready?

A runaway pet, ugh, in Tennessee was captured and airlifted by helicopter.

Is it, A, camel, B, zebra, or, C, ostrich?

- Oh.

- It's a real story.

June 2025, a runaway pet, blank, in Tennessee was captured.

- Oh, that's ugly.

- Tennessee.

- Woo-hoo.

Go Big Blue.

- You should know that.

- We just had... - [Blake] All right, what do you think?

- These are both things - Yeah, show them the answers here.

- catered to her, Chicago and Tennessee.

- C?

Okay.

So, Jenise said B, - Oh.

- which is zebra.

And you said C, ostrich.

The correct answer is B, zebra.

- Mm.

Nice.

- Another point for Jenise.

(Jenisie and RaShaun laughing) - I need to get off the internet.

- The zebra's name was Ed.

(Jenisie and RaShaun laughing) - Ed the zebra on the loose.

- Ed the zebra.

He was on the loose more than a week and eventually caught and flown out by helicopter.

So.

- Mm-hmm.

- This is a good one.

An Idaho man set a world record by riding a unicycle while carrying seven watermelons, bowling balls, pineapples.

Is it, A, watermelons, B, bowling balls, or, C, pineapples?

She's thinking hard.

She's trying to remember - Oh, she got it.

- these stories.

I'm so impressed you remembered the first.

All right, let's see.

- Well, I'm an ALDI shopper.

That was easy.

- All right.

So, RaShaun said A.

- B.

- RaShaun said that.

- No, I was reading her.

Sorry.

- Okay.

Okay.

(Jenise and RaShaun laughing) She says A, watermelons, B, bowling balls.

Ladies and gentlemen, Jenise is out of the news, but she's keeped up on it.

- Yeah.

- Bowling balls.

- That's... - This guy had seven - Bowling balls is insane.

- bowing balls on a unicycle.

- This is so embarrassing.

(Jenise laughing) - That up.

How do you do that?

- You know what?

Instead of doing more, - It's a talent.

- actually, real quickly, 30 seconds each, craziest story - Mm.

- you've ever covered.

- Oh gosh.

- Like locally covered?

- Any story ever.

- Or that we've heard of?

- If it's a negative one, don't have it be a Peoria story.

- Oh man.

(crowd laughing) - Craziest.

Oh.

You seen that episode of "SpongeBob" when they asked him what's his name?

And I was like, they threw out his name!

That's how my brain is scrambling.

- Okay.

- Yeah, same.

That's 10 years of trying to go through.

- Well, we're out of time, luckily, so you guys are off the hook.

I do want to give you guys a couple "Vibe 309" hats.

You guys have been awesome guests.

Thank you so much.

- Oh.

- I love it.

- Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Jenise - Thank you.

- and RaShaun.

- Thank you.

Should I put it On?

(crowd cheer and clap) (whooshing sound effect) - Growing up, I got in trouble at school a lot, okay?

I'd always get in my mom's car after school and have to tell her, mom, I got another detention.

Every time, she asked, "What happened?"

And every time, I'd tell her the same thing.

Mom, I didn't do anything, okay?

I'm sure she knew I wasn't always as innocent as I claimed to be, but that didn't matter.

She'd march right into St.

Mark's and address whoever was annoyed with me that day.

Teachers, the principal, the lunch lady got it one day.

Didn't matter.

If somebody had an issue with her son, they were gonna hear from her.

That's my mom, fiercely loyal to her people.

I've always been a mama's boy.

I'm proud of it too.

The last couple of months, my mom has been battling cancer.

(Blake clears throat) I'll spare you the details, but she went through so much.

She fought so hard.

This morning, my mom passed away.

That's a difficult thing to say out loud.

It's even harder to accept.

I've spent so much time lately thinking about everything my mom did for me and my two sisters.

All of the sacrifices she made, the countless times she put our needs ahead of her own.

(gentle music) And no matter how old we got, she never stopped being our mom.

She never stopped worrying about us.

"Text me when you get home."

She never stopped looking out for us.

There are people watching this right now who've lost their moms, people who would give anything for one more conversation, one more hug, one more ordinary day together.

(gentle music) I've always known that kind of heartbreak existed.

I've had friends who've gone through it.

I just never understood what it felt like until now.

There is no preparing for it.

That's just the truth.

If there's one thing I hope you take away, it's this.

Don't wait until you're running out of time to start treating time like it's precious.

If you're lucky enough to still have your mom around, give her a call.

Go see her.

Hit her with a FaceTime.

Write her a letter.

Tell her you love her.

And when she starts telling you the same story you've heard a thousand times, let her finish it.

(gentle music) You're gonna miss hearing it someday.

(gentle music) And if you've already lost your mom, I am so sorry.

(gentle music) My heart goes out to you.

(gentle music) (Blake exhales) Mom, I hope you know how proud I am to be your son, how grateful I am for everything you did for me, Tiffany, and Stephanie, and how unbelievably lucky we are that of all the moms in the world, we got you.

Thank you for loving us unconditionally through every version of ourselves, for making sure we never had to wonder how much we were loved.

(gentle music) Best mom ever.

I love you forever and always.

(gentle music) (no audio) (no audio) (bright music) (no audio)