The Morning Brew with Chris Bennett

New Year’s Eve Chaos: Resolutions, Am I The Jerk Court & One Last Redneck Showdown for 2025

• Chris Bennett • Episode 176

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The final Morning Brew of the year comes in loud, joyful, and full of heart — just the way we like it.

We kick off this New Year’s Eve special by checking in with Jineane Ford from our sister stations Majik 101.7 and iTalk 106.7, joined by her grandkids Titus and Addie. From kid-approved resolutions like mastering skateboard tricks and learning to catch, to grown-up goals that actually feel doable, the year wraps with optimism and laughs. Chris also pulls back the curtain on hosting the City of Show Low’s Deuce of Clubs Drop — including a sneak peek at the sparkly, playing-card-inspired outfit designed by his wife.

Then it’s time to rewind 2025 with fun, fast-moving New Year’s Eve games that revisit the moments everyone was talking about — from viral headlines to pop-culture chaos — and what they say about the year we’re leaving behind.

The gavel drops for Am I the Jerk Court, as Jineane helps rule on a family snack-locking dilemma that sparks a surprisingly relatable conversation about boundaries, sharing, and respect. If you’ve ever hidden treats from hungry relatives, this one’s for you.

We close out the year with the final Are You Smarter Than a Redneck of 2025, as Paul from Beaumont goes head-to-head in a country music year-in-review showdown featuring big moments, legendary artists, and plenty of trash talk — all in good fun.

It’s a celebration of community, family, laughter, and one last cup of coffee together before the calendar flips.
 If this episode made you smile, follow the podcast, share it with a friend, and tell us the one resolution you’re actually going to keep in 2026. We’re cheering you on — Happy New Year from The Morning Brew. 🎉☕

SPEAKER_04:

From the Horn Auto Center Studios, Chris Bennett and the morning brew. Janine, you there?

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, I am, of course, waiting for you.

SPEAKER_04:

Heck yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Sweet, are you alone this morning? No, I have two of the grandkids today. I've got Titus and Addy. Addie's back, and I've got Titus. Say hi, guys. Hi.

SPEAKER_04:

Hi, Titus. Hi, Addy. What are you guys doing for New Year's Eve tonight?

SPEAKER_00:

Um, we're gonna do fireworks and we're gonna talk about New Year's revolutions.

SPEAKER_04:

I love New Year's. I don't want a New Year's revolution. Resolutions, yeah. What uh do you guys have any goals for uh 2026? Titus or Addy?

SPEAKER_00:

Um, getting better at doing tricks on my skateboard and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_01:

Tricks on a skateboard. Oh gosh. Addie, any resolutions for you?

SPEAKER_00:

Probably laying how to catch.

SPEAKER_01:

She wants to learn how to catch better. Last year it was right riding a bike. She's now an expert at that. She's got so this year they're gonna, yeah, they want some more, you know, good sports things. Nice skateboards and all that.

SPEAKER_04:

What about you? Uh, you have any resolutions or uh goals for 2026, Janine?

SPEAKER_01:

You know what? I have just been getting uh uh this is my time of year where I get super organized. Like almost all the Christmas stuff is down, but I organized everything really well. And it's everybody does that in the new year, you know, big organization, uh more and also uh starting, I have I'm actually because of my leg and getting kicked. I'm starting physical therapy at the beginning of the year. I can't go into a real hardcore workout, but it's at least it's physical therapy. Right. Yeah. But I'm doing good, so yeah, all those things.

SPEAKER_04:

Awesome, sweet. Yeah, I don't. I'm just gonna keep trucking along. Tonight I'm hosting the uh New Year's Eve festivities for the city of Shola. Tell us what you are wearing, I'm so because you have the best. Should I I should I just surprise people or should it's gonna be something sparkly? Ooh, sparkly. It's gonna be something it is the Deuce of Club card drop. So it is an outfit that uh pays homage to playing cards.

SPEAKER_01:

Aw nice. And I I have to ask you, did it was Andrea involved at all?

SPEAKER_04:

Of course. My wife, uh, she's my designer, and uh I require adult supervision. So if there's anything that requires scissors or gluing, I have to go get an adult, and Andrea takes care of it.

SPEAKER_01:

I know it's gonna look good if she was part of it. Yes.

SPEAKER_04:

It's gonna be great. So hopefully, I'll see a bunch of you down at the uh City Asholo tonight at the public library from 11 p.m. to midnight. If you're not able to make it in person, we're gonna be on the uh City Asholo's Facebook and YouTube live pages. So check us out there.

SPEAKER_01:

Super cool. I can't that's gonna be awesome.

SPEAKER_04:

All right, Janine, it is the end of 2025, so I thought I'd uh recap some interesting things that happened this year and uh see how well you know 2025. You ready?

SPEAKER_01:

I'm ready.

SPEAKER_04:

Uh, do you know which popular social media app was temporarily unavailable in the US? Uh this last January?

SPEAKER_01:

Titus wants to answer.

SPEAKER_04:

Titus, what was it?

SPEAKER_01:

TikTok.

SPEAKER_04:

There we go, dude. That was TikTok. Yeah, that was a big talk. Big deal. Um let's see. Oh, in April, and all female crew, including Katy Perry, Gail uh King, they flew in Jeff Bezos' rocket. Do you know how long their uh flight was?

SPEAKER_01:

Two seconds.

SPEAKER_04:

The correct answer. What about you, Titus? Any guesses?

SPEAKER_01:

How fast they went up and down all those girls. Um 10 seconds.

SPEAKER_04:

10 seconds.

SPEAKER_01:

I don't know.

SPEAKER_02:

What do you think of that?

SPEAKER_04:

The cor the um ten seconds. Ten seconds. Well, they say 11 minutes, but Janine, I'm I'm thinking you don't think they really went into space.

SPEAKER_01:

They no, I'm teasing. It was such a joke. They just poked them up there, brought him right back down. Yeah. Um but they were all dressed to the hilt. Like they were, you know, they were all look good. All the makeup and all the yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

If they ended up doing that this year and they asked you to do it, would you do that? Would you go up to space?

SPEAKER_01:

I would, but um, I yeah, I would. Oh really? I have no fear over it. I think that would be very cool. Now, I do love the one award I saw. I have to bring it up, is Megan Markle wins the most disappointing celebrity. Oh, really? Oh gosh. You have to watch the South Park episode about her and Harry. Oh my gosh, it's so funny.

SPEAKER_04:

Oh gosh.

SPEAKER_01:

World Ride Privacy Tour, Worldwide Crow.

SPEAKER_04:

Uh, and uh, well, last one, uh, Janine. We'll see. Do you know which band's concert kiss cam earlier this year? Oh. Exposed in an affair between a CEO and the girlfriend.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh my god, what band was it?

SPEAKER_04:

Chief of People Officer. Dang, it was the same thing. You played this band.

SPEAKER_01:

I I know I play them all the time, and my brain just locked up. Um, not Imagine Dragons. Nope.

SPEAKER_04:

The lead singer was married to Gwyneth Paltrow. Lead singer's Chris Martin.

SPEAKER_01:

Can you remember it? It's the Kiss Cam thing was so huge. Uh oh, Coldplay? There you go! Coldplay was Coldplay. I just pictured him on my hand. I'm like, that's cool, yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

That was a crazy moment in 2025.

SPEAKER_01:

It's so funny. And she came out and spoke on it a couple of weeks ago, and everybody's just like, don't do that, just keep your mouth shut. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

Just be quiet. All right, it is now time for Am I the Jerk Court? The honorable Janine Ford presides. All right, Janine, we got a juicy one for you. Here we go. Okay. Uh, this person wants to know if they're the jerk for locking up my snacks so my family can't take them without asking. Here's the deal. Uh-uh, I'm a 22-year-old male. I buy my own snacks with my allowance from my internship. If I leave them in the kitchen, they get eaten, so I keep them in my room. Even then, my family, parents, and younger siblings still take them without asking. I've even asked multiple times to at least ask first, but they say it's not a big deal and laugh it off. After it kept happening, I bought a small lockbox and started keeping my snacks locked up. Now my family says I'm being selfish and mean for not sharing. To be honest, I don't mind sharing if people ask, but I really don't want my own things taken without permission. All right, Janine, what is your ruling? This person wants to know. Am I the jerk for locking up my snacks so my family can't take them without asking? And this one also sounded like it hit a little close to home.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, it hit way close to home. And I might have to have the um grandkids here, Tied Addy, chime in on this one, but I don't know. I don't know if I all cut their mics. If they say something wrong. I'm just with the snacks, the thing is, is that I, you know, I'm a big one on all the grandkids are all coming, so I'll I'll load the the little fridge on the patio with a bunch of drinks for them, and then I'll load snacks into for a long time. I put all these, you know, the gummies and the the little um Welshes, the y the yogurt uh bread snacks. Yes, they're so good. You load those in, but then they come in and they wipe them out. I will say something like, okay, two snacks a day, and they're gone in like two hours. And then there's cans in the back. I mean, it's it's like a nightmare. It's like they they just so so I I do. I I give them some, but I lock them up. Am I the jerk for that? Oh my gosh. Well, because it they kids, sometimes do you go overboard on the snacks? Yeah. Look at Addy Addy's smiling shit. What about you, Ty?

SPEAKER_02:

Uh, sometimes.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

unknown:

See.

SPEAKER_01:

See, they're admitting it. And the thing is, is if I say one or two a day, no, I find rappers in the recliners, I find wrappers, and and then it just creates this, and you're like, well, maybe we just Yeah, we're just gonna have waters. You're gonna have what so now we've gotten to where when I found the cans and stuff all out the yard, I'm like, okay, just water bottles and fill them from the hose. That's it. That's your choice. And then when the meals appear, you eat them or you don't eat them. You know what I mean? That's it. So I mean I'm trying to work on this. So I don't think this guy's the jerk. I mean, you need to, you know, respect his boundaries. If he's buying snacks, just respect them. And and if you were being respectful and nice, he would share more with you. But you're not being respectful and nice. So I don't think he's a jerk.

SPEAKER_04:

Exactly. Okay.

SPEAKER_01:

It's okay.

SPEAKER_04:

So they're they're his snacks, he can hide them, he can whatever he wants.

SPEAKER_01:

Because if other people are just wolfing him down and he's got, you know, he's got a little budget, he's got his little snacks, and he's and he mentioned he's going to school or something. He's on a budget. You know what I mean? And I don't think that's bad. You have to watch your stuff. You just can't just throw it all to the wind and everybody, you know, hogs it down and throws wrappers in your recliners, all that stuff. They're just mean. They're just mean. They don't pick up after themselves. Yeah. So I sound like I'm kind of the jerk this moment. I'm the jerk.

SPEAKER_04:

Well, the honorable Janine Ford says, You are not the jerk. Yes. And stop stealing my snacks. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Or stretch them out. I'm not even. They're for you, but stretch them out over the week you're with us, you know?

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah. Awesome. Well, you're the best, best friend. Happy New Year's. Uh, Addy and Titus. I hope you guys have a great evening and a happy new year as well.

SPEAKER_01:

Say happy new year, guys. Happy New Year.

SPEAKER_04:

Good job. Good job.

SPEAKER_01:

See you back, Chris. Okay, Chris. Bye-bye.

SPEAKER_04:

Woo! That's Bob Long! Good morning. It's the morning brew with Chris. Who's this? Yeah! Yeah, yeah! Everyone's favorite redneck from Beaumont, Texas. It is Paul from Beaumont on this New Year's Eve. What are you guys doing for New Year's Eve?

SPEAKER_03:

GD, we're going, we're picking a head out, uh, go up to Austin with Jesse for his birthday, because it's his birthday, and we're gonna go to Kill Tony show and just have a two days of alcohol-induced fun.

SPEAKER_04:

Nice hanging out with your cousin and family. Yeah, and I love the Kill Tony podcast, so I'm excited to uh hear your review from it uh uh when we talk on Monday.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, uh Rhonda don't know, but I'll put her name in the bucket.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, because the audience can put their name in the bucket and then they draw.

SPEAKER_03:

Everybody knows she's a com everybody knows she's a comedy writer.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah. I hope she gets her name drawn. That would be awesome. Do you have any uh goals or resolutions for uh 2026 there, Paul? Sure. Not not not what not not what Rhonda thinks. Because what I forget what Rhonda she said uh what was uh your resolution she gave you?

SPEAKER_03:

Uh be a better gift giver.

SPEAKER_04:

Oh, be a bet Oh, that's right, after you gave her a new Volkswagen for Christmas. Yeah. But so you didn't put any presents around the tree? I know you got her a big one, but then so did you- I put stuff in her I put stuff in her stocking. Right, but nothing around the tree. Nah. Yeah, I mean, you could have at least wrapped some beef jerky for her just so she had something to unwrap.

SPEAKER_03:

I'll put a freaking fruit cake in her in her in her in her stock. And you know what? She's talking smack about it. Guess where it's at? It's in the refrigerator.

SPEAKER_04:

It is now time for the end of the year. Are you smarter than a redneck? Holy moly Paul. This one's for all the marbles. All the other ones didn't mean anything. Whoever wins today is the winner for the whole year, 2025.

SPEAKER_03:

That's it. That's it. You're either winner, you're losing.

SPEAKER_04:

All right. Uh, we're gonna do some uh country music themed 2025 trivia. If you know the answer, say your name. That's your buzzer. Here we go. Which comedian teamed up with the Country Star to host Nashville's New Year's Eve Big Bash tonight? Is it Kevin Hart, Burt Kreisher, Nate Bergazzi, or Theo Vaughn? Chris. I'm gonna say Burt Kreischer. It is Burt Kreischer with Hardy.

SPEAKER_03:

Theo Von. I'd say Theo Vaughn.

SPEAKER_04:

Theo Vaughn, yeah, yeah. Uh you might see him at uh Kill Tony tonight. You never know. All right. You never know. All right, next one. Um which country artist scored multiple number one hits in 2025 and also hosted a major country award show. Was it Luke Combs? Uh Paul, go ahead. Laney Wilson. It is Lainey Wilson. We are tied at one apiece. This last question is gonna determine who's been smarter this whole year. All right. Which artists officially closed out their touring career with an emotional farewell show in 2025. Was it Alan Jackson? Tim McGraw, John Michael Montgomery or Clint Black Paul. I'm gonna say uh Alan Jackson. Is it Alan Jackson? No, Chris, I'm gonna say John Michael Montgomery, and it was John Michael Montgomery. I am smarter than a redneck for all of 2025.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, you know what? You are in the music business, so congratulations, man. You know what, everybody, just have a great new year's. Focus on next year. What? Oh, Rhonda's like corny.

SPEAKER_04:

No, be corny, dude. I love it. We uh we we love you, we love Rhonda. I love uh that you're you know all the way over in Texas. You're part of uh this family here in uh the White Mountains called the Brew Crew, and uh I'm so thankful for you, and thanks for uh making us laugh this year, best friend.

SPEAKER_03:

Hey, thank y'all, hey man, thank y'all for having me and me and Rhonda all and and and everything y'all done for us, man. We love y'all and you know, happy new years. Uh I'll let you know when that kill Cody reel comes up for Ronda.

SPEAKER_04:

Heck yeah, good luck, Ronda. Have a great set tonight. All right, buddy.

Contributor

Chris Bennett

Host