The Five – December 31, 2025: New Year's Eve, Viral Trends, Superstitions & Oz Perlman

Episode Overview

On this lively New Year's Eve edition of The Five, hosts Joey Jones, Kat Timpf, Leslie Marshall, Rosanna Scotto, and Jimmy Falla reflect on 2025's cringiest and most viral moments, debate travel vs. staying home for NYE, dissect online trends, and explore quirky New Year's superstitions. The episode is punctuated by memorable comedic exchanges and features a visit from renowned mentalist Oz Perlman, who astounds the panel (and listeners) with mindreading feats. The discussion wraps with resolutions, personal stories, and rapid-fire “one more thing” highlights.

Main Topics and Insights

1. New Year's Eve: Go Out or Stay In?

• Reluctance to Celebrate Publicly: The hosts discuss a poll indicating many Americans would rather go to the dentist or get a root canal than party on NYE.
  • Jimmy’s Perspective: Compares NYE to “the second half of the St. Patrick's Day parade,” highlighting the chaos and “amateur night” atmosphere. (01:46)
  • Rosanna’s Take: Prefers going out and pokes fun, “unless the dentist has better drugs than you're going to get out with your friends.” (03:05)
  • Joey, Leslie, Kat: Preferences range from wanting to celebrate at home (especially post-pandemic and after personal events) to reflecting on past party experiences.

2. Viral Trends of 2025

• The “Six Seven Crave”: A TikTok-fueled fast-food ordering meme so disruptive, chains like In-N-Out banned the number.
• Labubu Dolls: The new “Beanie Babies,” prompting nostalgia and warnings: "They're not investments. They will collect dust and just emotional memories." — Rosanna (05:39)
• 100 Men vs. 1 Gorilla Debate: The absurd hypothetical captivates the panel, blending humor and astonishment at internet culture.
  • “Every man's like, well, I could do it myself… it's like, no, you absolutely could not.” — Kat (07:28)
  • “The internet has no episodic memory.” — Jimmy, reflecting on how quickly topics recycle, from Harambe to gorilla battles. (07:50)

3. New Year's Superstitions from Around the Globe

• Diverse customs: eating 12 grapes at midnight, breaking plates, carrying suitcases, and eating lentils or black-eyed peas for prosperity.
• The panel shares personal quirks — from avoiding ladders to irrational pet fears, and family rituals bridging Polish, Sicilian, and Southern traditions.
  • “My family is half Polish and half Sicilian. So, like, we combine that. On Christmas Eve, we have the feast of the seven flushes...” — Jimmy (09:19)
  • "Each country has a tradition... In Spain, they eat 12 grapes to summon the new year." — Jimmy (09:38)
  • Kat is superstition-skeptical but wary: “With my luck, my dog will eat one [grape] and we’ll have to go to the vet. No caviar then.” (10:04)

4. Guest Segment: Mentalist Oz Perlman Blows Minds

• Background on Oz: Mentalist, author of a new book “Read,” focuses on people skills, not the supernatural (13:06).
• Panel's Bewilderment: Live demonstrations—Oz reads Rosanna’s mind to “pick” a random page and word in a book.
  • “AI will never be spontaneous like a person. Spontaneity can’t be faked.” — Oz (16:16)
  • Rosanna “chooses” the book “Hollywood Fix” and the first word “Hollywood” (16:53), as Oz miraculously mirrors her choices.
• More Mindreading: Oz correctly identifies names (e.g., Joey’s friend “Blake,” Leslie’s first kiss “Mike,” Kat’s “Sean”).
  • “How’d you do that?” — Joey, stunned as Oz reveals his picked name (21:25)
  • "Friend zone. Yeah, well, he's gay..." — Kat, with self-deprecating humor as her first kiss is revealed (25:19)
• Oz’s Philosophy: “If there’s no fear of failure, there’s no amazement, there’s no reward.” (18:28)

5. The Most Cringe-Worthy Political Moments of 2025

• Democratic Missteps: Choices likened to “try-hards” — lawmakers cursing for relatability, awkward campaign videos, and Kamala Harris's offbeat book tour.
  • "When you see all of those people cursing at the same point... you realize they were what my son would describe as ‘try hards.’” — Jimmy (29:20)
  • Kat draws the line between authentic and performative: “Throwing a few F bombs… is how normal people talk. At least the people I’m around. It sure beats ‘Hello, I am Kamala Harris. My pronouns are she, her, and I’m wearing a blue suit.’” (30:33)
• Trump’s Authenticity: Panelists agree Trump’s unscripted moments succeed because they're genuine, not forced.

6. Resolutions for 2026: Sincere and Sarcastic

• Kat: “I want to spend next year making good out of all the bad stuff that happened to me... more speaking, more advocacy.” (35:20)
• Jimmy: “I want to lose weight… my clothes feel like the warm embrace of a loved one. And I don’t think that's good for a guy who works in television.” (35:48)
• Joey: “Spend more time at home… and in the hunting blind. Get both my kids their first buck by the end of the year.” (36:34)
• Leslie: “Continue my health journey… this year, I’d like to swim with humpback whales… and try not to cry too hard when both my kids go to college.” (37:09)
• Rosanna: “Finish all the half-read books at home... and read Dana Perino's new book cover to cover.” (37:38)

7. "One More Thing": Whimsical News & Personal Highlights

• Joey: Viral kid rewarded for school spirit; gets Sugar Bowl tickets (38:34)
• Jimmy: Comedy tour plug, anecdotes from the road, and a runaway snow globe in South Carolina (39:03)
• Kat: Stand-up tour expansion, and Rex the wallaby found near a Walmart (39:42)
• Rosanna: The tale of two stolen mandolins returned with a “sorry I was drunk” note (40:04)
• Leslie: Buddhist monks’ walk for peace, gathering supporters en route from Texas to D.C. (40:28)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On NYE Partying:

  • “Going out tonight is a hassle, but the larger challenge is they have really good stay home options.” — Jimmy (01:46)
  • “First of all, I don't know why anybody would want to go to a dentist rather than going out…” — Rosanna (03:05)

• On Viral Trends:

  • “My kids think I’m a boomer. Because I asked them what [Six Seven] was.” — Leslie (06:16)
  • “100 men could not beat a gorilla. But also, you… every man's like, well, I could do it myself. Me and three of my buddies could do it. It's like, no, you absolutely could not.” — Kat (07:28)

• On Superstitions:

  • “We have the feast of the seven flushes…” — Jimmy, joking about Polish-Italian traditions (09:19)

• Oz Perlman, Mentalist:

  • “Spontaneity can’t be faked.” (16:16)
  • “If there’s no fear of failure, there’s no amazement, there’s no reward.” (18:28)
  • [On being called a witch] “My daughters are in trouble when they're a teenager, that's for sure…” (22:28)

• On Political Authenticity:

  • “…they were what my son would describe as ‘try hards’… trying too hard to be cool.” — Jimmy (29:20)
  • “Throwing a few F bombs… is how normal people talk.” — Kat (30:33)

• On Resolutions:

  • “I was in survival mode all year. I want this next year to be about healing and happiness and helping other people.” — Kat (35:20)
  • “I'm from Boston. We shoot animals with cameras.” — Leslie, about her family's approach to outdoor activities (37:09)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• [01:14] - NYE polling & party/hometime debate
• [04:52] - 2025 viral trends (Six Seven, Labubu, gorilla debate)
• [08:39] - Superstitions discussion
• [12:21] - Oz Perlman joins, mindreading segment
• [16:57] - Oz’s trick: word/page/book revelation
• [21:17] - More mindreading: friends’ names, first kisses, resolutions
• [27:22] - Most cringe-worthy moments of 2025 politics
• [35:14] - Panel’s personal New Year’s resolutions
• [38:34] - “One More Thing” closing highlights

Tone and Language

The episode’s tone is playful, fast-paced, and irreverently comedic, marked by friendly ribbing, pop culture asides, and moments of sincere reflection—particularly in the New Year’s resolutions segment and during recounting of personal hardships.

Bottom Line

The Five's NYE 2025 episode delivers a blend of reflection, humor, debate, and surprising mentalism. Through banter and honesty, the hosts offer a snapshot of the nation's zeitgeist on the cusp of 2026—from skepticism about public celebrations to skepticism about politicians’ authenticity, from viral absurdities to the pursuit of genuine connection and self-improvement. The visit from Oz Perlman adds fun and amazement before the panel wraps with personal hopes for the New Year.