C (1:47)

Yeah.

B (1:48)

And then year. I think they did it last year, didn't they?

A (1:50)

I think so.

B (1:50)

I think they did it last.

A (1:51)

Dolly was involved. Maybe too.

B (1:53)

Dolly Parton was involved. I think Pete took a break for rehab and a show in Conyers, Georgia. Right. And then. Yeah, I like Ryan and I like Andy. I like both of them. I think they're. They're good. But since they stopped drinking, you know, it's not as interested, is it? I thought that they weren't allowed to drink. I thought they told them no more drinking.

A (2:15)

Well, they got a little crazy with it.

C (2:17)

They're allowed again, though.

B (2:18)

They're allowed again.

A (2:19)

I think people demanded it.

B (2:20)

Well, fine. Finally, CNN coming To their senses, doing something to improve the ratings over there at cnn. What a fucking train wreck that's that channel has become.

A (2:30)

Honestly, I haven't even watched.

B (2:31)

I mean, Anderson Cooper is the only reason to watch. If we're being real about it. Anderson Cooper, I think, is the only one that's still over there. But anyway. And of course, you know, Ryan Seacrest and Dick Clark Productions is the sentimental favorite, because that's what I've been watching since I was a child. My grandmother, I. We would always spend New Year's Eve with my Grandma Green on my dad's side, my mother, my dad's mom. And while I think my dad would argue that he wasn't her biggest fan, I always enjoyed being around my Grandma Green because she always made it a big deal to be at her house.

A (3:07)

Yeah.

B (3:07)

And she. I've told you this. She had this house in Melrose Park, Illinois, in Chicago. And in this house, it had a basement like a lot of houses in Chicago do. And in this basement was a bar. And we're not talking about a bar like most people have a bar. They've got a little nook with a couple of bottles and glasses on it. We are talking a full Cheers bar downstairs in the basement with cocktail tables and a TV and things hanging on the wall and a little fireplace. You could literally belly up to this bar. And there could be a bartender back there serving you drinks.

A (3:39)

I love that.

B (3:39)

And they have all kinds of booze and beers and everything. So when my grandfather was alive, apparently this was the place to go for Smoky Bones and, you know, Guns Magoo and Fishneck Rogers, you know, all these gangsters that used to live in Melrose Park. All these Italian guys used to come over and drink at my grandfather's bar. My grandfather, of course, was Irish. At the speakeasy. That's right, at the speakeasy. Even though it was legal to drink, but, you know, still they had their neighborhood little bar. And they would come down there and they would have parties. So when my grandfather passed away when I was very young, my grandma took it upon herself to take us for New Year's Eve so that my parents could go out and we would go to Party City, the party place down the street. My grandma would let us spend some loot. We get the poppers and the streamers and the Happy New Year banner and all that stuff. And we would spend the afternoon setting up the basement, the bar. And then at night, my grandma would allow us to stay up and watch on the little tiny little shit TV she had down there. We would watch Dick Clark as he rolled in the New Year's. We with that ball drop in in New York. So for me, that's a very much a sentimental favorite because I just remember as a kid having so much fun with my grandma Green and doing that. They also had a live grenade down there from World War II, which was crazy. Crazy. I had to check myself with my brother one time. I'm like, that thing was live, right? He's like, pin in live grenades sitting down. Yeah, but I think that was pretty common that guys came back from the war and they took souvenirs, like their guns, their medals, a grenade, you know, I don't know why my grandpa kept it, but my grandma kept it, too. It was sitting down there in the basement. My grandma also, one year, she bought Weird Al Yankovic. You ever heard the song Grandma Got Run over by a Reindeer? Okay. It's a very famous song. Can't remember the name of the artist, but he had a whole comedy album. Elmo something. I think his name was Elmo something. He had a very famous comedy album. And Weird Al Yankovic, of course, had, in the 80s and the 90s, was doing a lot of comedy albums, too. So my grandma bought us these two albums. And I just remember one New Year's Eve, Kevin and I burning the shit out of those cassette tapes, just listening to them over and over and over again. Weird Al and Elmo. Weird Al and Elmo. Back and forth, back and forth till midnight. Trying our best to stay up for the. For the ball drop. And I think we accomplished it. I have such fond memories of being down in that bar for.

A (5:57)

Sounds like a really good time, especially for a kid. I mean, how old were you up until, like, this was the.

B (6:04)

I would say seven through moving here to Atlanta. So I would. I mean, remembering. Right. Of course, I was probably there much younger, but I would say she started to do this party tradition. Seven through 13. Seven through 12. Seven through 13. Good. Five or six years. And then when we came here, moved here to Atlanta, there were a few odd years where we would be up there for whatever reason, and she would do it, and she would always make it a big deal. Kevin and I would play down in that bar. They had a match collection. A ma. You know, matchbook collection.

A (6:33)

Yeah. Like the little boxes.

B (6:34)

Yes. Because that was what you did back then. If you had a restaurant, it was like a business card instead of a business card, you'd have a matchbook. Right. And so they had thousands of these matchbooks. So Kevin and I used to go down there and be little pyros and, you know, burn the matches and set the matchbooks on fire and play on loop.

A (6:52)

Grandma got run over by rain Grandma.

B (6:53)

Got run over by a reindeer Coming home from our house Christmas Eve. You can say there's no such thing as Santa. So now I have passed on that tradition. Both of my grandparents were into. Is it Elmo? Is that his name?

C (7:06)

It's Elmo and Patsy.

B (7:08)

Elmo and Patsy.

C (7:09)

Elmo and Patsy.

B (7:09)

Elmo and Patsy. He was like a comedy artist. That's. We did before Weird Al Yankovic, there was Elmo and Patsy. And I'm sure there was lots of others, too. But both of my grandparents were into Elmo and Patsy. That was like. Their sense of humor was very much like dad jokes. And if you listen to an Elmo and Patsy album, it's very dad jokey. Like, grandma got run over by a reindeer. There's a song, there's a line in the song that goes, now we're all so proud of Grandpa. He's been taking it so well. Watching football. Watching football and drinking beer and playing cards with Cousin Mel. Like, playing cards with Cousin Mel. What?

A (7:47)

I know. That was a bizarre song. Catchy.

B (7:50)

So now I pass this down to my children, and you would not believe they're huge Christmas music fans. And Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer is on the top three. It's like, they're always like, dad, play Grandma Got Run over by a Reindeer, and my wife hates it. Astro. It's like, God damn it. They need to be listening to gaitas. Gaitas are like Venezuelan holiday songs. So for.

A (8:14)

Wait. Well, speaking of Venezuelan, so what, what. What is Astrid's tradition over the years of celebrating New Year's?

B (8:20)

So New Year's Eve for them is a big deal. Venezuelans love a good party. And if you've ever been to the. I mean, everybody loves a good party, right? But the Venezuelans just do it different. They like the culture. The party culture there is so ingrained with everything. Everything. You. You had a good day at work, get. Get the barbecue going, invite 30 friends over. Yeah, you had a bad day at work, get the barbecue going, invite 50 friends over. You know, you get the rum out, you. You drink, you get to canos. To canos. To canos. It's just one of those things that they're. Everything needs to be a party because they like to celebrate everything. And I really love that because us Irish folks, we don't celebrate anything. The most fun we have at a Gathering is usually at a funeral or a wake, right? We like to celebrate death. Ah, he got out early. Good for him. That son of a bitch. It's not really ingrained in my family to do that. We didn't even really have birthday parties. So for Astrid, New Year's Eve is special. It needs to be a big party. She wants everyone to have a good time. And if you've ever been to a Venezuelan party, you know two things. There's going to be Ticanos number one and number two, it's never going to start on fucking time. And there are waves of the party. Let's say the party starts at.

A (9:31)

I love party waves.

B (9:33)

Party waves are the best. Our wedding was a party wave, right? You've got the pre alcohol, you know, you got the pre party where everyone's out stunning themselves getting a cocktail. Then you go, do you do the thing? And then you have the cocktail hour. And then you sit, sit down and you eat. And then you go out and you party. And then here comes the. And then you do the crazy hour. And then after that they're serving breakfast like it's a whole thing.

A (9:53)

I know, I remember.

B (9:54)

So if they say the party starts. So a party on New Year's Eve doesn't start till 10pm, period in the sentence. Like here in America, you get there at 8 o' clock and by the time New Year's rolls around, you're ready to go home. For the Venezuelans, it starts at 10 o' clock, and then you celebrate at midnight and then you celebrate again at one o' clock and then you celebrate again at two o'. Clock.

A (10:13)

I like that a lot.

B (10:14)

Yes. And so this is just. This is just the way they do it. It's a big deal.

A (10:17)

Do they have any kind of like ball dropping scenario or is that just.

B (10:20)

In the us I think they have like democracy drop.

A (10:27)

Democracy drop.

B (10:29)

Democracy drop. No more democracy for you. I don't think they have a ball drop necessarily. But like, this is a big party. Yes, it's a big party. That's what they do. But they do like the ball drop. At least my family does. They like to watch that thing. They eat grapes. So for every year they eat a grape. Every year of the Millennial, they'll eat a grape. So 2001, you eat one. And then so this year we're gonna have to eat 24 grapes. And I couldn't even imagine what it was in 99.

A (10:55)

Well, I know that's what we were talking about, Christina.

B (10:57)

And I said, you have grapes, you Have a dollar bill. You must wear red underwear. It's a whole thing. Red underwear, red underwear. If you don't wear red underwear, it's bad luck. If you don't wear red underwear on New Year's Eve, you have to have a dollar bill that you soak in champagne and then you keep it throughout the year.

A (11:13)

Really?

B (11:14)

So there's actually a dollar that's sitting around here.

C (11:16)

I wonder.

B (11:17)

Dollar wise, it's a dollar from last year. They soaked it in champagne, hoping the commercial break would be solvent by the end of this New Year's. We'll see. We got 10 more days to go. We'll see how it goes. So. And that's what they do. There's just a couple of traditions that they like.

A (11:31)

Well, that reminds me too of a tradition like right at New Year's. So this was passed down. And Christina, I want to ask you about this because I think it's some type of Scottish derivative of something that's done at midnight. Is that a dark haired man is supposed to pass through the doorway with bread, salt and coal. Oh, my grandmother always did this. And so then my dad did it with my mom and now I have Jeff doing it with me. And I looked it up and it is a thing. It is.

C (12:06)

Have you ever heard of that? I have never heard of that.

B (12:08)

No.

C (12:09)

I mean, maybe it's a thing, but no.

B (12:11)

When I was a kid, I do remember this. When I was a kid, when I was like in my early 20s, I would pass through the door with cocaine, Bud Light and dollar bills for the ladies. I mean, it's. Is it the same thing? It's a derivative of the. Yeah, it's very similar. It's an Irish tradition.

A (12:26)

That's an Irish tradition.

C (12:29)

I have a question about the dollar bill soaked in champagne.

B (12:31)

Yes.

C (12:32)

Does it count if it's sparkling wine or does it have to be champagne from champagne?

B (12:37)

Well, I think you'd have to ask an actual Venezuelan about this, but I believe that the tradition is champagne. But I think you can get away with anything. Like, as long as you're. As long as it's in the same vein.

C (12:46)

I'm wondering. I'm like, maybe the luck is in the champions. Yes.

B (12:48)

I am making my own. I'm just making up my own rules right now. I say sparkling wine is. Okay, Christina, go ahead and do it. There you go.

A (12:56)

I brought some champagne for us today.

B (12:57)

You brought some champagne? We're all dressed very lovely.

A (13:00)

Yes, we all got my sparkles on.

B (13:01)

Well, okay, Christina, we're gonna pretend like you're dressed up.

C (13:03)

I have a martini on her. Yeah, I have a martini glass on my shirt.

A (13:07)

That counts.

C (13:08)

Ready to drink?

A (13:09)

That count?

B (13:12)

Yeah. That's another thing that Venezuelans do. You must dress up on New Year's Eve. If you're not dressed up, you're doing. You're not doing it right. Yeah. For years, like, I mean, I took this stance for years before I met Astrid that New Year's Eve was really for amateurs, you know? And I didn't like to go out and I didn't want to party. I was okay staying home and not doing anything.

A (13:32)

Halloween as Debbie Downer Ish. Throughout our friendship.

B (13:38)

If I went to a New Year's Eve party, it was under duress. I went under duress. Just know that I didn't want to be there. I was there. If I looked like I was having a good time, I was pretending I would.

A (13:48)

For years. I wanted to see music for New Year's.

B (13:51)

Yeah, I did that for a couple of years, too. I thought that was a good one.

C (13:54)

That's what I'm doing this year.

B (13:55)

What are you doing? Who are you going to see?

C (13:56)

I'm going to a hugel concert. Oh, Afrobeats, baby.

B (14:00)

There you go.

A (14:00)

Drop the Afrobeats.

C (14:02)

I'm excited.

B (14:03)

Is it a New Year's Eve concert? They're going to play through midnight.

C (14:05)

It starts at 10, so I'm. Please. We're having a little pre game.

B (14:09)

Are there friends coming?

C (14:10)

Yeah, yeah, we're gonna do a little pre game and then we're gonna.

A (14:13)

It's our friends coming.

C (14:14)

It's literally called night.

A (14:15)

Yeah.

C (14:16)

By myself.

B (14:16)

I've been to concerts by myself.

A (14:17)

I know, but on New Year's.

C (14:19)

Yeah, Yeah. I mean, the only other. Well, the only other person that I specifically invited cannot go. So I am kind of going alone. Not really. I'm going with my sister and her boyfriend and then some of our other friends.

B (14:31)

Well, hopefully you'll meet people there.

C (14:33)

Oh, no, it'll be great. It's literally called make the Girls Dance. Oh, I love it. Make the Girls Dance.

A (14:39)

And I said, count me in.

B (14:40)

Well, if they had make the Girls Dance parties and I might have not stayed home all those years. Well, here's the thing. I went to those fucking hotel parties for a couple years in a row. I went to the clubs for a couple years in a row. I worked in the restaurant business so many years on New Year's Eve that I got real sick of it real fucking quick. Because everyone becomes a raging asshole by 10:30. And then you have to deal with them for the next four hours. Kick them out at three in the morning. And it's just true. Like the a.m. like there's amateurish behavior that goes on because of how much.

A (15:09)

The wrong party.

B (15:10)

No, I was at the party serving people. Yes. So that's how I got that. So a little cocaine and some, you know, Jagermeister made things. Made the medicine go down. I'm sorry. That's just the way. But then when I wasn't working in the restaurant business. Hotel party. Okay. I paid $1,000 for the worst. It was terrible. I mean, between. So I remember one year, it was me, it was the girl I was dating who would eventually become my. My ex wife, my ex wife, eventually.

A (15:38)

Become my ex wife, and then your.

B (15:39)

Ex wife, My wife and then my ex wife and a couple friends. I paid a thousand dollars for four of us to go to this hotel party. Big, big hotel in downtown Atlanta. Do it every year where there's like 12 rooms, 12 different types of parties. And what ended up happening is we stand, we stood in the lobby because it was the only fucking place we could get a drink and talk to each other at any reasonable decibel level. Every room was obnoxious. Everyone. And I became real turned off to that idea. And then a couple of years later, after I got a divorce, I went to a hotel party, paid a lot of money. Same type of situation. Two rooms were empty. One room was terrible. Like just terrible. Human beings in there. And so we ended up staying out in the lobby bar.

A (16:17)

You should have come to me. Widespread Panic.

B (16:19)

I wish I had gone to a couple of Widespread Panic shows. At least there, you know, you. That Dibbity Dabs. Finger Dip. Finger Dip. Finger Dip, Yeah. A widespread fan of concert on New Year's. Kevin used to do that every year. And then I wouldn't hear from him for three days.

A (16:35)

Yes. Because you need that time to recover. I remember my parents calling me, being like, are you alive?

B (16:42)

Didn't they do like 25 years in a row at Phipps or Omni?

A (16:46)

And the fifth, there was a consecutive amount of sellout.

B (16:49)

They got a banner. There's a banner up there. Widespread Panic. And then they. And then they went to the Fox or something like that.

A (16:54)

Now they do the Fox.

B (16:55)

Oh, very interesting. Interesting. Yeah. One of the ones I missed. I wish I had gone to. I had an opportunity to. Was the Fish. Millennial Concert.

A (17:03)

Fish does a big one.

B (17:04)

They do a big one. I don't know if they're. Are they doing it this year? Oh, you know what I just saw? I just saw that the dead is coming back to the sphere. So I'm like, okay, I'm not missing it this time. It was such a big fucking deal. I'm not missing it this time. $4,000 for a fucking package. It's insane. It's insane.

A (17:21)

Let's talk off camera.

B (17:22)

Okay, I'm gonna talk off camera. Get Jeff. Jeff, give. Can Jeff give me tickets? Thank you. Thank you, Jeff. I love you. I'm gonna send you red underwear, some grapes, and anytime you want your bell rung, call me and I'll ding dong. I'll come over with my gloves and some warm lube. I do promise. All right. We're dressed to the nines. 12 days of TCB is long behind us. Thank you, everyone that supported us and loved us and kept us going. I just can't thank you enough. Everyone said really nice things.

A (17:51)

The response was great.

B (17:52)

The response was great. So unfortunately, that probably means we have to do it again next year. Fuck you.

A (17:56)

We're planning that different next year.

B (17:58)

Yes. Next year we're going to do one a week for 12 weeks.

A (18:01)

I was thinking one. I think it still would be an option to do one each month. And then it's kind of like a time capsule too.

B (18:10)

It could be.

A (18:10)

Look back then and we can review it.

B (18:12)

It could just be a real. It could be like one of those still, you know, one of those stop motion photographies on how much weight I'm going to gain over 20, 25. We'll change the studio, we'll have different music, everything will go different. And by the time we get to 12 days, we're going to rush again to get it done. I prom. Let's do the 12 weeks leading up to. I think that sounds good. That's three months. That's three months we divided into three months.

A (18:34)

I'm down with that.

B (18:35)

We know it's coming. We'll give everybody some a chance to get ready and then we can talk to our audience and get their ideas about what they would like to hear. So, okay, so let's do this. We're going to start a timer on the third. On the third segment of the show, we'll start a timer, we'll do a countdown, we'll celebrate together. We've got a little game to play. When we come back, we're going to see how Christina and Chrissy measure up their year. When we return, we'll be back.

C (19:01)

Well, thank the baby Jesus. Brian took a breath. And now I will use this opportunity to let you know that we've got a brand new phone number. That's right. It's 212-4333 TCB. And you can text us anytime you want, or you can call and leave us a voicemail. And we might just use your message on the show once Brian gets through all the messages he missed last year. Of course. Anyway, you can also find and DM us on Instagram at the commercial break and on TikTok CB podcast. And of course, all of our audio and video is easily found on tcbpodcast.com now I'm going to thank G one more time that we have sponsors. So thank G. And here they are.

B (19:44)

All right. And we're back on this New Year's Eve celebration here on the commercial break. Hope you're doing well.

A (19:49)

We need one of those little.

B (19:51)

The little uvula. What do they call them? A uvula.

A (19:56)

What?

B (19:56)

What do they call them?

C (19:57)

A vulva. I thought Chrissy was talking about just one of those, like little curly things that pop out.

B (20:04)

Yeah, but also a volvile. Yes, we need a volvalelo right here, right now. Unfortunately, I'm married. All right. Hey, I want to say one quick thing. Today as you're listening to this will have been the 10 year anniversary of one of the greatest television shows in late night history going off air. The Craig Ferguson Show. Late Night with Craig Ferguson. You didn't like that show?

A (20:30)

Well, I mean, I watched it sometimes. I don't ever be the greatest of all time.

B (20:33)

It was so fucking. You'd have to watch a lot of it to get into it. It's one of those shows. It's an acquired taste. Like the commercial break. And I acquired the taste and I loved it. He had the masturbating bear and the robot. It was just like, he was just so funny. He was sober, so he'd always, you know, talk to the camera. He'd do these long soliloquies. He was really good at what he did. Now he has a podcast. Not as good as the television show. I do have to say though, I still listen to it every once in a while. All right, let's size up our year together. What do you think? Let's size up 2024. Here we go. We're gonna play Love, Hate, Regret, Desire. Love, Hate, Regret, Desire. I want you to name a few things you loved about 2024, a few things you hated about 2024, some things that you regretted, and some things you desire moving forward in 2025. So, Christy, let's start with you. Oh, okay, give us two or three things that you loved about 2024.

A (21:22)

Let's see. You did spring this on us pretty quickly.

B (21:25)

Well, I actually gave you more notice than I've ever given you on content ideas. So there you go.

A (21:32)

Let's say, you know what? I loved Taylor Swift's Taylor.

B (21:36)

Okay.

A (21:37)

And her love with Travis Kelce. I have to admit, it has been very. I think we talked about it at the beginning of the year. I said I'm root for them.

B (21:44)

Yes.

A (21:45)

I hope it works. And everybody just gets so much joy. Has gotten so much joy out of her tour. And I have to say I love that.

B (21:51)

Certainly consumed a fair amount of minutes here on the commercial break talking about Taylor Swift and Taylor and Travis. And I do have to say I also am rooting for them because I think it's very difficult. Probably, certainly going to be difficult now for Travis to find anybody else. He's now as just as famous as she is. It's hard to make that work under those streaming lights. And it seems at least a year and some change in that they are doing well. So good for Taylor Swift.

A (22:16)

That was like a bright spot, I think, in a lot of people's lives.

B (22:19)

I have a house full of Swifties. Not going to say a bad word. Taylor Swift is a badass boss bitch. And congratulations for all of her success. And Travis seems to be the. The right fit, I guess, is the right. The right way to say it. Okay, Christina, let's go. Let's bounce to youth. It's something you loved in 2024.

C (22:38)

Okay. Something I loved in 2024 was. And this is. This is. Is personal to me, but I ran a 30k for my 30th birthday. And, yeah, I ran well. I actually ended up running 20 miles because I did my map wrong.

B (22:57)

But were you going for the marathon and you did 30k?

C (23:00)

I was going for my. Okay, well, my original plan. So I had knee surgery last year, and then my original plan was, oh, I'm gonna run 30 miles for my 30th birthday. And then I was like, actually, I've had a lot of health issues this year, and I don't think I've been able to train properly to run that distance. So I was like, let's do a 30k instead. And I. It's like 18.6 is a 30k. And then I did the map wrong and ended up running 20.

B (23:27)

Well, congratulations. That's incredible.

C (23:29)

It's a massive deal. And it was accomplished a year after the surgery, and it was really big. And really emotional, and I'm super proud of myself. That was a big love.

B (23:41)

That's fantastic. I also am into running and. And I don't do it as much as I. I did before the children, but I love running, and I got into distance running, and the most I've ever run was 13.5 miles. I felt really accomplished, and it only took me half a day to do that, so it took me so long to have run down half a marathon. Okay. All right. Right. So something that I loved in 2024. It's very personal and it's true. The commercial break survived what I think probably would have been the demise of most other podcasts. And listen, a lot of other podcasts had very similar drama. It's not. The podcast world got shooken up, shaken up in 2023, and I'm not going to get into all the minutia, but then we kind of took two smacks in the face. And I will tell you what, we survived it, and we came out the other end and maybe a little. A little worse for the wear, a.

A (24:31)

Little bit more time calluses, a few.

B (24:33)

Calluses, a little less cash in the bank, but we actually survived and thrived. That has a lot to do with the new contract we signed. And of course, Christina and everybody else around us that's been very supportive and helpful. I'm really proud of the commercial break that it got to the end of 2024. Solvent, let's put it that way.

A (24:51)

Always said we were the little, little podcast that could.

B (24:54)

Yes. And still, by some people's measure, doing very well. I guess, by some people's measure. I'm not sure it's mine year for.

C (25:02)

Us, but we made it.

B (25:04)

The first half of the year was we scraped our knees, that's for sure. But I'm proud of us. We did it, and I am very grateful for that. Okay, another thing that you loved in 2024, then we're gonna get on to hate, because that's the funnel.

C (25:17)

Oh, God.

A (25:18)

Well, no, I mean, personally, I am. I was happy that. I mean, finally, the mountain monsters called Bigfoot.

B (25:26)

Hey, there you go. They did.

A (25:28)

They did this year.

B (25:29)

They did, didn't they? No, not that I saw.

A (25:33)

They said they did.

B (25:34)

They said, okay, they did capture a glimpse of something on video, but we, I think, determined that that was not a monster, but a man with a hat.

A (25:45)

Hell, I know. All right, there's no show.

B (25:47)

If it was, I jumped. Yeah. Season number nine. People are begging for season nine.

A (25:51)

That's one of my desires.

B (25:52)

Oh, that's One of your desires is season number nine of Mountain Monsters. I'll tell you what. Me too. Because contractually, we have another 222 episodes to go. I need some content ideas. All right. Another thing that you loved in 2024, Christina. That's a good one.

C (26:07)

Actually, I loved Below Deck this year. I really got really into it. I watched all of Below Deck. Men. I watched it. It's addictive, regular Below deck. They really got some of our tougher times.

A (26:21)

Sailing.

C (26:22)

Yeah, I have not watched Sailing Sailing yet. Just down.

A (26:26)

Also, the. The one. The adventure one.

C (26:29)

Oh, I haven't watched that one yet either. I've kind of been saving.

B (26:31)

I'll be back in a few minutes. Everyone take a break, and we're gonna let Christina. All right. Below Deck was good for Christina.

A (26:40)

It's a good escape.

B (26:41)

It is.

A (26:42)

And it's beautiful scenery.

C (26:43)

Yes.

A (26:44)

Which is what I was telling Brian.

C (26:46)

It is.

A (26:46)

It brings me a lot of places.

C (26:48)

And you would really, like, relate to the whole serving aspect of it.

A (26:52)

Yeah.

C (26:53)

Because, like, if you've worked in, like, the restaurant industry at all, you're just like, yes.

A (26:57)

You have to smile.

C (26:58)

Like, you just. You relate to them in this way.

B (27:01)

Okay. Below Deck. Putting that on the list of things that I probably will never watch, but it's on the list. You should. I will say that I loved in 2024. I did love my Instagram algorithm, which is on fucking Fleet.

A (27:20)

You love that.

B (27:21)

And Christina hates when I say that, but I'm telling you right now, it is so good. It is so original. It is so dedicated to the weirdness of the world. It is so. I. I don't know. Instagram. I've fallen in love with Instagram this year because that algorithm is amazing, and the content that it serves me up is delicious in so many ways, horrible in other ways, sexy in a lot of ways, because I like those photographs. But I'm being honest. Instagram's. My algorithm on Instagram is something to behold. I think it's a national treasure, quite frankly. But that. But I think a lot of other people think that too. I think Instagram will work the way you ask it to work eventually.

A (27:58)

Specific, like, AI.

B (28:00)

All right, let's move on to hate. What is something you hated in 2024?

A (28:04)

Something I hated in 2024. Let me look at this traffic on the way home after the Christmas episode.

B (28:14)

Yes.

C (28:16)

Honestly. Almost killed me. I was. Almost killed me off.

B (28:22)

Yeah, that's. You know, there's no. There's no getting around it. That is not the greatest part of working at the commercial break is driving where the actual studio is. I don't have to drive anywhere.

A (28:36)

It's all good.

B (28:37)

But just feel. Just. Just know this. I have a lot of empathy for where you're coming from. I understand that traffic is not fun. And if I was sitting in that.

A (28:43)

Traffic, I would blow a gasket in my head.

B (28:46)

So where was it just yesterday? Yesterday. Wow. Okay. It was terrible. That is one of the worst traffic days of the year is the Wednesday.

A (28:54)

Before Christmas, which also made me think that next year we should plan out our time that we're recording, then we will. Well, we will do it.

B (29:02)

Well, listen, because of medical issues and other things, we just couldn't get it earlier than it needed to get. And we also then took a couple extra days off for shits and giggles. I'm not sure why. Ah, we'll get to it. It's all good.

A (29:15)

I got a plan. It's over now.

B (29:16)

And every day, the plan compacted just a little bit more than the past. All right. Something you hated in 2024.

C (29:23)

Me?

B (29:24)

Yes.

C (29:24)

Okay. I hated not having air conditioning in my car, and I refused to fix it. It's my own fault, but I just. These Atlanta summers, they are not getting cooler. No, they're not getting cooler, and I'm getting sweatier and I'm getting more irritable.

B (29:39)

Yeah, you need to get that fixed.

C (29:41)

I'm not going to. My car is 22 years old.

A (29:44)

Out of principle, I'm not putting any money that I don't have to in it.

C (29:47)

I get it.

B (29:48)

Hold on, hold on. How much does it cost to fix the air conditioning?

C (29:51)

It's like a grand. It's like what my car's worth.

B (29:53)

Okay, but you need air conditioning or a new car. You can't go without air conditioning. And here in Atlanta, you're gonna die.

C (30:00)

Gets me from point A to point B.

B (30:02)

Okay.

C (30:02)

And I will.

B (30:04)

This is coming from a guy who had half a car, and I was driving it down the highway.

A (30:07)

Christina was talking about it. I was like, look, we have all. I mean, I drove around with half the side of my car scraped for, like, three years.

B (30:15)

Yes.

A (30:15)

I was like, I refuse to get it fixed.

B (30:18)

Okay, what did you hate? I'll tell you what I hated in 2020 for. And this is a bit on the serious side. I really hated the election season.

A (30:26)

Yes.

B (30:27)

I hated it. I hated it. I hated it. It made me stressed. It made me anxious. People treated each other with disgust and disrespect. And it continues. And I gotta be Real frank about this. I don't give a shit who you voted for. It's your right to vote for whomever you want to. But if we don't start calming down in this country, we are going to come unglued. If it's not too late already. It will be very soon. And I just wish, I hope, I just pray, and I mean meditate, whatever. I pray that in 2025 there is some adult in the room. Adults in the room. All of us being adults in the room that can take it down a couple of degrees, rev down. Because we are going to rip each other apart. And it's not needed. It's not necessary. We can fight for what's right. We can fight for what we believe. We don't have to literally kill each other. That's all I gotta say. And I hated that about 2024. And I'll never forget it. It's like a scar that I think we'll all wear for a very long time. And that's not just because the outcome wasn't my favorite. I can deal with part. It's how everybody on both sides of the aisle treated each other running up to that election. It was just terrible. Okay, so now, things you regretted in 2024. What did you regret in 2024? This one I'm hoping will be introspective.

A (31:50)

Oh, okay, let me see.

B (31:52)

But Chrissy says no, it's gonna. It's gonna be Teresa Caputo.

A (31:55)

I said that Jeff and I didn't cook naked enough.

B (31:58)

Oh, there you go. Hey, that's a good one. That is a good one. 2020. That is a good one. And when you guys cook naked, please videotape it. I'll Instagram it for you since you don't like to do that. I'll put it up there and I'll even put little blurbs. I'll blur it out for you.

A (32:16)

Okay.

B (32:16)

All right. Something you regretted in 2024.

C (32:20)

Okay. Something I regretted.

B (32:21)

This is a joke.

C (32:23)

It was all the hours I listened to TCP quiz and joke. But my serious one is not being able to figure out my health stuff sooner. Yeah, like if I think. Not following my gut, I guess. Well, literally and figuratively, because I went to, like, my. My first doctor months ago saying I think this is the problem. He did not believe me. He told me, like, he did not let me do the test for it. It was like, a horrible experience. And then like, like, come December, turns out it was the thing I thought it was at the start. So that sucks.

B (33:06)

This is like, kind of funny, but at the same time, not funny. But this is a true. I think this is something that I learned in 2024. There is absolutely no one on this earth who is going to care for you like you are going to care for you. You have to be your own advocate at every turn, at every corner, at every question mark. And if someone. If someone in the medical field is not giving you the attention or the answers that you think you need, then you go somewhere else or you do something else until someone does. That's it. Period. End of sentence. And I will tell you what it is. The same thing with me. For 20, maybe 20 years, I had a tumor wreaking havoc on the chemicals in my body, and I had no idea. And for at least seven or eight years, someone did have an idea and chose not to say anything. Whether that was a mistake, I'm sure it was an honest mistake. I don't think they were trying to kill me. But they didn't say anything. And even when I noticed, I thought, oh, well, if the doctor's not saying anything, then I shouldn't say anything. So that's a good one. I'll tell you what I regretted this year. I regret that Astrid and I did not get more time as a couple. And I hope that changes in 2025. So many children, so many things, so much chaos, so much drama with the commercial break. And we just had a lot going on in 2025, and I think we got, like, a total of, like, 10, you know, hours alone together. That wasn't after the kids went to bed. And in 2025, babe, that's gonna change. 11 hours coming your way in 2025. I promise you. Cause I love you.

A (34:40)

You're upping the ante.

B (34:41)

I am upping the ante. All right. Okay, so let's do this. I know it's a little bit early. Let's flip to a break. And then after we flip to the break, we're gonna start a clock, and we're gonna talk about what we want moving forward. In 2025. The desires. Chrissy. The desire. My Jeff naked. More in 2025. That's what. That's one of them. We'll talk about a couple of things.

A (35:02)

Henry Fonda's there, you know, filming.

B (35:05)

Oh, man. Henry Fonda hasn't made an appearance on this show in three years. Maybe that's what I regret, that Henry Fonda wasn't here enough in season number five. You know what I regret? 3,000 episodes of the commercial break. I regret. I Didn't say no. All right, let's take a break and when we get back back, we'll all count down to the new year together.

C (35:30)

Brian might have just said it's time to take a break, but some of us have to work right now. And by work, I mean gently nudge you, nay beg you to follow us on Instagram at the commercial break and on TikTok CBpodcast. Because listen, the more followers we get, the more clout I get with Chrissy and Bryan. If you've got something to say, give us a call and leave us a voicemail. The end at at 212-4333, TCV or shoot us a text. One more thing, check out our website, tcvpodcast.com where you can find all of our audio and video and even request a new sticker from the contact us form.

B (36:06)

Bye. All right, for those of you at home that want to do this with us, feel free to start your 10 minute timer. I'll give you like 15 seconds to get your clock out and start your 10 minute timer or to start this episode when 10 minutes on that. Whatever, whatever you're watching, however you do it, start. So I'll give you a couple of seconds. We've got our champagne here. We dress very nicely. We're talking about all the things we've got.

A (36:31)

We got our red underwear on.

B (36:33)

I don't have my red underwear on, but I don't have any wear underwear on. So there you go. I'm free balling it spicy. Yes. I'm hoping that Jeff comes in and jingles my jangles. I was listening to one of the episodes we did. We were talking about ringing the bell and I'm like, brian.

A (36:52)

Oh, I came.

B (36:53)

Up with a no wonder the parents hate you at the school. No wonder.

A (36:58)

I told Jeff that it got a lot of miles.

B (37:00)

It did get a lot of miles. It got 15 minutes of conversation. Yes. And then I gotta go pick my kid up from school later. I could just see like, you know, all those cars parked in the parking lot. I gotta imagine at least two of them are listening to the most recent episode of the commercial break. Listening to me talk about a finger in my anus.

A (37:17)

Yeah, yeah, you're. Your secret is not secret anymore. Did the teacher come out and go, I know?

C (37:24)

Yes.

B (37:25)

A teacher came out and said, I know at one of the schools. And then at the other school they printed our email addresses. I don't even put my work email address on a doctor's office. I'm so embarrassed. I'm like, no, give them that personal Gmail.

A (37:44)

That's right.

B (37:45)

Can't let that cat out of the box because we all do it, right? We all get an email from somebody and we go. Let me check out that website, see what's going on. Yeah. What does that guy do? Tcb podcast. What is that? Let me see that. Oh, oh, oh. Well, I guess they're letting anybody in the school now. I guess there's no more. There's no more checks and balances at this school. All right, so let's start that 10 minute timer now.

A (38:16)

Well, where is that?

B (38:17)

Where is that 10 minute timer? What happened? Timer. Hold on. Don't start your 10 minute timer yet.

C (38:26)

I can put a timestamp in the episode for when everyone.

B (38:29)

Yeah, but I want to do this. We need it so that we can. No, I know, but I'm just saying.

C (38:33)

Like, don't stress about it. People will know when to.

B (38:35)

Oh, gotcha, gotcha, gotcha. Go watch this on YouTube.

C (38:38)

11:49.

A (38:40)

Here, I'll start the timer.

B (38:41)

I got it, I got it. 10 minute timer starts right now. All right, here we go. The next episode of the commercial break starts now. All right. Things we want to accomplish in 2025. The things that we desire or desire. Accomplish or desire. Go, Chrissy.

A (38:58)

Well, I think I said it earlier. The mountain monsters. I mean, more episodes.

B (39:02)

More episodes. Season number nine.

A (39:04)

And also I'd like to see a little bit more of a shakeup in the monsters.

B (39:07)

Yeah, that's true. They keep on going after the same four monsters all the time.

A (39:10)

I want a good witch. A good.

B (39:12)

A witch, A ghost, a ghoul, a goblin. A Kabul goblin. What is that? Kabul ghoul. The ghoul of Kabul. Yes. That's what I want to see, too. I want to see that guy kneeling with the fight. You know, I want to. Yeah, I agree with you. But, you know, to be fair to mountain monsters, they do branch out. There's the little Indian girl that's walking through the cornfield. I mean, they have a lot of stuff. There's people leaving a messages. There's blood, pig blood on the wall. They found a couple of dead animals. And I mean, you know, they try and switch it up. But let's be real about it. After nine seasons and 130 episodes of the commercial break, we were having trouble with content. Yeah, the five huckleberries later, they do have at least two huckleberries. I swear they do. Because if you look at the early huckleberry and the most recent huckleberry, they just don't look alike. I'm sorry. I'm not convinced at all. All right, Christina. Desire in 2025.

C (40:04)

I. I want my cats to get along.

A (40:07)

Oh, yeah, she got a new kitten.

C (40:09)

I got a new kitten recently. And my. My OG cat, the big boss of the house, she is not very happy right now, and she's been very, very stressed out yesterday, and it made me so sad.

B (40:22)

Okay, they'll get along.

A (40:24)

They will. I said that eventually that'll.

B (40:26)

They'll come together.

C (40:26)

I'm so nervous. My emotions are her emotions. You know, we are one woman.

B (40:34)

All right?

A (40:34)

She's been with you for a long time.

B (40:36)

So I desire in 2025, a couple things. First of all, a lot more massages. I didn't get enough massages in 2024. I want massages. Not the Boscolo kind. I just want a regular, nice massage every once in a while. Maybe once every other month. I'd like that. Number two, I want to see the commercial break raise to new heights. And by that, I mean that was on my list in the positive and not in the negative.

A (40:59)

That was on my list.

C (40:59)

That was on mine, too.

A (41:01)

We can all agree.

B (41:03)

Number three, and most importantly and only you can help us do this. I want to get to 10,000 YouTube subscribers. I have a. I have a mild goal here, guys. A mild goal. And I realize we've been terrible about social media, but for the last couple of weeks, you'll have to admit things have been much better. So if you could please follow us on Instagram and YouTube. TikTok I really don't care about. Because, I mean, I care about TikTok, but I'm not sure TikTok's gonna be around. I gotta be real honest. I think they may move forward with that band, and I think we may not have TikTok, because I think they're gonna. They wanna kind of step on China's neck a little bit. So I hope all of that's banned from TikTok. Astrid's banned from TikTok. She's banned from TikTok, and we have no idea why. And we know people who work at TikTok, and we have no idea how to get her back on TikTok. She never made one post. Never. And they kicked her out, and now they won't let her back on. And no one knows why. No one can answer the question.

C (41:58)

Maybe she was cyberbullying you and you just didn't know.

B (42:01)

You put you on a troll. But it was Astro. Yeah, she was logging into my account, checking out all the girls in bikinis that I have.

A (42:09)

Yeah, it's like I'm banned.

B (42:10)

Yeah, TikTok's not as bad. My TikTok is not as bad as my TikTok.

A (42:15)

I'm banned.

B (42:15)

Yeah, you're banned. Right, exactly. You didn't even know what TikTok was until July. And that's fair enough. That's fair enough. Well, listen, we do have to say it's been a very eventful year here at the commercial break. From Theresa Caputo to the mountain monsters, all the content, the time off, the live shows that didn't end up happening, that may end up happening in the future, the switch of the studio. Christina, in here with us. It has been a wild and wacky year for the commercial break. And I do have to say we are extraordinarily grateful for everyone that has listened to the commercial break, because by listening to the commercial break, believe it or not, you actually make us a little bit of money, and that helps us create that content over and over and over again. We do four episodes a week. It's not the world's hardest job. It's not even a hard job, but it does take a lot of time, and we put a lot of care and effort into doing it, despite what it may sound like, we actually try. But the best part of tcb, the best thing, the thing that I will never regret, is all the wonderful people that listen to us and write in and say, you know, like, this job can be lonely. You talk into a microphone, you don't hear anything back except for the people in the room. You don't hear anything back. And so the only feedback that you ever really get is either yourself or the other two people that now sit in the room. And so it's not like comedy or doing a concert where, you know, you can see in people's faces, applause, laughter, all that. And sometimes, like when you're in July and you're on your 700th episode and you don't know what you're gonna talk about and you hope it's funny, and you're just trying to, you know, be funny. It can get. I guess it can be lonely. Even when you have somebody that you're doing the show with, it can be a little lonely because you have no idea. But what keeps me going every time is when I pick up the phone, the TCB phone, or when I look at our reviews or our comments, and I see that people say something nice. And some of the best messages we've got is, my life is not really great right now. But I can count on the commercial break for a laugh, and that has kept me going.

A (44:15)

You guys are a worse train wreck.

B (44:17)

Yes, yes. Just like your reality shows. You guys are I'm fetish watching you for your shitty gun content. I'm saying, well, my life's pretty bad. I lost my job, my car don't work, my wife left me. But look at Brian and Chrissy. They still think they're gonna make this work. They're still holding out hope, so can I. They think they have a chance. I might as well, too. Why not? Hey, listen, anything's possible, kid. If the commercial break after five seasons has shown everybody one thing, it's that blind faith will either lead you down, lead you off a cliff, or up the mountain. One of the two. That's right. We haven't really figured it out yet, but, you know, I have a feeling, you know, as I'm watching, I was telling the girls before we came on that I'm watching a lot, and I mean a lot of Everest porn right now. Mount Everest porn, people. Is porn the right word? Yes, it is, because it's just me watching for disaster to happen. I'm just like, at any moment, disaster could happen and some people die. A lot of people die actually trying to go up that fucking mountain. And I think the reason why I like it is because it's something I will never do. I would never want to be up that high. I don't want to be on a ladder, let alone mountain.

A (45:39)

Oh, I could be flown in up to the top. I'd like that.

C (45:41)

I don't want to.

B (45:42)

You can't even fly up to the top.

A (45:43)

I don't want the track.

B (45:44)

No. And apparently it's a very easy mountain to climb technically, but it's, you know, without the. You know, not having any oxygen really does a number on the body. But I've been watching it, and I'm like, you know what? Blind faith. Blind faith will either get you killed or it will get you your name in the record book. One of the two. All right, two minutes and 30 seconds left before the New Year's girl.

A (46:10)

Should I pop the champagne?

B (46:11)

Well, I guess, but now's a better time than any. Don't hit me with that fucking cork. You're not lost on Iowa.

A (46:16)

Pop the champagne.

B (46:17)

Oh, you are. You're a professional champagne popper.

A (46:20)

I've had lots of experience.

B (46:22)

Well, I believe that. That I believe. I'll take your wor. Face value. Do you and Jeff drink a lot of champagne? No, no. But on occasion, yeah, on, you know, on New Year's Eve, I always end up with a headache because of the champagne, and that drives me crazy.

A (46:35)

Some good stuff. I love that sound.

B (46:37)

Hey, what is that? Vouve Lacroix.

A (46:39)

No, it's not Vuvre. I didn't spring for that. We're not making that V money, I thought.

B (46:44)

That's right. We're not even making that money. What is that? Saint Hilaire. We're not. Watch out, guys. Sir, you're st. Hilarious.

A (46:54)

Hey, would you like to do the tasting with your testies?

B (46:56)

Yes, I'd like to taste my testes, please. Thank you. Just a dash there. I don't want to get my balls too wet. Oh, it's fantastic. Lovely. This is a fine year. What is that, 2023.

A (47:12)

Your balls are straight on.

B (47:13)

Yes, a wonderful year for Saint Hilaire. Champagne, Chanel Air. I love how Chrissy pours half a bottle. Watch it. You watch your ears. Yeah, yeah. Oh, look at this. All right, here we are with a glass of champagne, and we should make a toast.

A (47:34)

We should.

B (47:34)

We should make a toast. I don't know what toast to make, but I'm trying to think of one. But. But I'll. I'll make it up as we go. Here's to those that aren't here. Here's to those that are near and dear. And here's to those who were going to cheer. All right, there you go.

A (47:53)

Cheers.

B (47:55)

Cheers.

A (47:55)

I love you guys.

B (47:57)

47 minutes, 45 seconds on the clock. Now, ladies and gentlemen, I wish you a fond New Year. I bid adieu to 2024. You shitty fucking year.

C (48:07)

Yes, that's right.

B (48:08)

Go in the trash, never come back. We'll see you in 2028. We'll do it again then, if democracy's still around. If democracy is still a thing. We'll be in 28th our year. I feel it. I can feel it. All right, 20 seconds left here on the clock. 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Happy New Year.

A (48:44)

Oh, gosh.

C (48:47)

I work. I was supposed to do something here.

B (48:49)

You're all right. It's one of those years.

C (48:50)

It's coming, it's coming.

B (48:51)

It's coming. Look, it says done.

C (48:55)

There you go.

B (49:03)

Cheers, my friend. Till next year. Till next year.

A (49:09)

Cheers to you, listeners.

B (49:12)

I want to cheers you at home, no matter what you're doing, no matter where you are. I hope your New Year brings you luck and love and wealth and health. And I also hope you listen to the Commercial break. Because I want those things. Also. I want those things. I have desires too, guys. Tell a friend, tell a family member. Yeah. More massages and more listeners. Those two things.

C (49:38)

We got a vision board over here.

B (49:39)

Yeah, I really do want more of.

A (49:41)

This vision board for the studio.

C (49:43)

Yeah, yeah, we should wait. That's so cute. Let's make a group vision board.

B (49:48)

Oh, my God, I love it. All right, I. I'm trying to. We have. Man Dollar Shave Club is one of our sponsors. I'm trying to keep any of the men around listening. Although I think that might be a lost cause at this point. If our Spotify is any indication. I think that might be a lost cause at this point. Well, bye. 2024. Women rule the world. Hola. 2025. My son doesn't like the fact that it's turning 2025. Cause he doesn't want to have to learn how to write a new year. And I said, hey, listen, get used to it, kid. It happens all the time. All right, well, listen, I don't know how much more we can do today, but we will be back tomorrow to nurse your hangover with you. A brand new episode of the commercial break on New Year's Day. What else could you ask for? Wow. And that' is in the books, I think. 226 episodes of the commercial break this year. This year in December, we will have broadcast 24 of the 31 days of the month, or 24 episodes. That's 50% more commercial break in December than any other month of the year. Congratulations to us. Congratulations to you on all the good tidings and all the good cheer. Well, you know, some things remain the same, like our website, tcb podcast.com. nothing changed in the year. There you go. TCB podcast.com is where you get all the information about the show, the audio, the video right there from one location. And every episode, including this one, is available on that website. Audio and video. You can also get your free TCB Schwab. You want a sticker? You want a couple stickers? I think we might actually have some T shirts somewhere. If you want something, write in. Go to the contact us button, drop down menu. I want my free sticker. Drop us a message with your physical address. Let us know what you want and what you need. And who knows? Astrid may bless you in the new year with some good TCB swag. Mempho stickers.

A (51:47)

Memphis stickers. I can't get three years ago.

B (51:48)

Oh, you can.

C (51:49)

Yeah.

B (51:49)

Well, no, I mean Memphis stickers. The commercial break.

A (51:51)

Oh, Right.

B (51:53)

Or a Memphis. Memphis sticker. Yeah, if we start giving away Memphis stickers, people are definitely Gonna write in 212-4333. TCB. That's 212-433-3822. Questions, comments, concerns, content, ideas. Tell us how your holidays were. We'd love to hear your crazy stories, your interesting anecdotes. What'd you get for Christmas? What'd you not get for Christmas? How shitty are your children? How shitty is your uncle? How sexy is your cousin? I want to know all about it.

A (52:23)

Oh, my God, the sex cousins.

B (52:24)

The sex cousin. Yes. Everyone has a sexy cousin. You know you do. And I want to hear about it. You know you do. It's okay. You don't have to them. You can still desire them. You know what I'm saying? Brothers and sisters. Cousins is okay. It's one step removed. 212-43338. Add the commercial break on Instagram tcb podcast on the aforementioned. As long as it sticks around TikTok. That's TCB podcast and YouTube.com thecommercial break. Thanks, Dr. Phil. All the episodes available the same day on Spotify a few days later. Okay, Chrissy. That's all I can do this year.

A (53:04)

I think so I'll tell you that.

B (53:06)

I love you and I love you best. You best you out there in the podcast universe. And you too, Christine. Until next time. We all say, we do say, and we must say goodbye. I.