Do You Like It Or Not: November 09, 2026

I'm Melissa Bethany on Hot 99.5. It is Jingle Ball season, so we're giving away Jingle Ball tickets. We got nine artists coming December 14th. Oh my gosh, I got to call it. I need some. I need some. Yeah, period. That was my first concert, Jingle Ball. I know. Hot 99.5 is like... That's really hard to live up to after that, though. So, everybody. Kaivon Shroff, good to see you again, my man. Thank you so much. Always good to see you. Britt, always love having you here, too. We hope to see you tomorrow here. We'll hope to see you next week. We'll hope to see you tomorrow. Have a great night. Bye-bye. It's 7.30 on this Monday night, and that means it's time to find out if you like it or not. Thanks so much to everyone out there streaming with us here on Fox Local or on Fox 5 DC's YouTube page. I am producer Chris, and coming up tonight, we're talking about the New York school trying to change the game when it comes to not only education, but parents' lives, trying to make it a little easier as well. Plus, how you can land a free trip to Finland and maybe find love in the process. Then later, Kim Kardashian's advent calendar. fail. Those are just some of the stories we're going to talk about over the next 30 minutes and we want you to take part. So let's talk about how you can join us live the easiest way. Scanning that QR code right there. We'll take it full so you can see it. Also that one in the bottom left hand corner, you can scan that as well. That'll stay up for the next 30 minutes so you can join at any time. If you are currently watching us on your handheld device and you can't scan the QR code, that's okay. You can still join. You can go to Zoom and punch in the meeting ID. 8 9 2 0 9 8 2 4 6 7 4. Even easier, you can go to my Instagram page, Fox 5 Producer Chris, and we have a link to the Zoom room pinned at the top. One click, it'll bring you right in. You can go to Fox 5 DC's Instagram page. We have a broadcast channel called Do You Like It or Not? And there's a link to the Zoom room there as well. Of course, if you're shy and you don't want to show your face, that's okay. You can still take part. You can still join us despite Jim booing you. You can leave comments in our YouTube chat because that is open. And we have a live stream going on Fox 5 DC's TikTok page as well. So you can leave comments there as well. All opinions welcome. As always, just keep them respectful. That's all we ask. So, we will check in with all of our friends in the Zoom room coming up here in just a second. First, though, we want to say hello to our in-studio guest host. Please welcome back media personality, Lex Suarez. Lex, welcome back. Thank you for having me. Thank you so much for being here. What's new since the last time we chatted? Oh, what's new? Just working on moving in. I moved to a new apartment. Oh, well, congratulations. Always fun. Top host. We've made it to the final quarterfinal round. Got to keep my first place with that. Yeah. All right. Well, we have Ronald Young on recently, who is also a contender. And you've got Tony P, who is also a contender. All in different groups. All in different groups. So you can vote for each of them and they're not going against each other yet. So show that support, DMV. We love to see it. Thank you so much for being here as always. Thank you. Yes. Love coming on this show. All right. You ready to dive right in? Let's do it. All right. We're starting off with a trip back to school because kids go to school for an education and to hopefully make Make their future better. Those are the goals. Ideally of a school, but one new school in New York has a slightly less lofty goal, less lofty ideal. The Strive Charter School is what it's called. It wants to make life easier for working parents. While also providing an education. That is the goal. The founder of the school says he knows the main selling point is its hours of operation because it is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week, 12 months a year. The school has embraced the dual role as both a center of education and an integral form of child care. The institution has its fair share of critics, admittedly, but the founder says the vast majority of parents in America depend on schools. to be able to do their own jobs and that educational institutions can and should do even more to help parents stay employed. So you can read about the Strive School in its entirety on New York Magazine's website. But Lex, the idea of a seven-day-a-week, 365-day-a-year school so that parents don't have to stress about child care. Do you like this or not? I like the concept. So, um... I went to a year-round school as a kid for like one year. It was strange being so off the same calendar as every other kid. As every other kid. And so I like the concept. Do I think, I don't know. I mean, I guess we'll see how it goes once it's been up and running for a while. Once it's had a few years to kind of see, you know, as an experiment. Here's the thing. I love the idea. I hate the idea that we need it. That's kind of where I live with this because it would be ideal if more child care was more affordable or more child care was more subsidized. The idea that parents have to take a day off of work because of a snow day or a teacher calling out sick or a daycare provider calling out sick and that potentially, you know, then they could lose their job because they don't have to pay time off. It can snowball. So I hate the idea that we need it. I love the idea that it exists. Allison is in the Zoom room on this Monday night. Allison, the idea of this school doubling as a child care to try to make it easier on working parents. Do you like this or not? All right. Hey, Chris and Lex, I love your hair color, girl. You need to go out in the leaves and do a photo shoot. I'm going to tell you that last night. I agree. You're so welcome. Yeah, Chris, I think this is actually helpful to parents. For myself as a single mother, I went through the struggle of having child care for my kids. For kids for a long time, and it's difficult when they got to a young age, you know, they were still alone sometimes and it's very hard for parents. So I think this is helpful financially because when you work several jobs and you have a lot of kids, sometimes one paycheck can go to childcare and mortgage and nothing else. So things like this can help working parents. Yeah, no question. And especially in a city like New York. Where everything is already incredibly expensive, which I know a lot of people here in the DMV can relate to as well. Timur is in the Zoom room on this Monday night. Timur, thanks so much for joining us. Where are you watching from? Hey, Chris. Hey, Lex. I am a DMV native and I'm watching from Miami, Florida. Oh, well, bringing some of that hopeful sunshine vibes up this way where it's dark. Here you go. Thank you. Hey, do you like the idea of this year round school that can help working parents? So this idea of a 365, 24-7 school in concept, like Lex said, it sounds actually really interesting. Being a single 40-something with no kids, I definitely get my ear full of my friends and family who are so busy with their kids. All they want is a break, you know? So having consistent care or something for them to do or someplace for them to go. In theory seems legit, however, I remember being a kid in the DMV and my parents, in fact, I think one of my parents is in the Zoom room now, they invested in not 365 school, but I was in summer camps, I was in weekend activities, and let me tell you, all I wanted was to sleep in and stay at home and watch cartoons sometimes, eat junk food and cereal and not have to be somewhere. I can imagine the kids may not love this idea. Yeah, that's very, very true. I mean, those couple of months off during the summer are what people look forward to most. And that sort of unstructured time is also very crucial as well. But the reality of the fact is not every parent works a nine to five Monday through Friday. Some parents work adjusted, you know, time adjusted schedules, and some have to work on weekends and it can be really difficult. If schools are closed, then you don't have anywhere to take your kids while you're working on those weekends. Olivia is in the Zoom room on this Monday night. Olivia. Oh, your sister. Olivia, where are you watching from? Hi, I'm in Zebulon, North Carolina. Okay, well, welcome to the show. Thank you so much for joining us. The idea of this 365-day-a-year school to try to make working parents' lives a little easier. Do you like this or not? Oh, I would just be interested to see how, how it goes. I'm not, uh, I mean, it's definitely different and I definitely think there's some merit to the, uh, kids will be very upset by it, but I'd be interested to see what happens. Yeah. I mean, this is definitely an experiment. No question about it. Billy, Billy's in the zoom room on this Monday night as well. Billy, this is sort of, sort of like, I understand that it's a slightly different take on it, but it's kind of like the idea of boarding school, but not necessarily for like the ultra wealthy. I like this idea, but I think they need to throw a little twist in it. Like, go five straight months, then you'd be off in July. I mean, the whole month of June. Then you go the next five months, then you'd be off the whole entire month of December. Because everybody needs to recharge their battery. And teachers will get frustrated with kids, especially kids that are naughty. So I think if you work it that way, then I feel more comfortable agreeing with that. Yeah, it definitely, I mean, it takes a lot because obviously also the people who are working there need to kind of have this dual role as educators slash child care, which can take a lot. They hopefully are being compensated for it, but how do they keep the cost low so that parents who are working can afford it? There's a lot of X factors in this, so I am curious to kind of see how it works out. And obviously, the bottom line is, hopefully, parents do want to be able to spend time with their kids. You don't necessarily want to have to drop them off from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week, but reality sets in at a certain point. I wonder if they'll let them, you know, hey, after this certain time of day, they're done with school, you can pick them up in these hours. That way, it's not... Yeah, it absolutely is. So it's open for those hours. Kids don't necessarily have to be there. For all of them. Meanwhile, a new trend report shows some parents are taking a different approach when it comes to teen drinking. Now, this is nothing new because I can attest to this back from my own high school days, which is going back quite a way these days. But a feature in the Wall Street Journal says instead of just saying don't drink, some parents are now focused on how to keep their kids safe instead. Some parents are actually choosing to host supervised parties with drinking in their homes. Some are even driving teens to parties where they know alcohol will be served, picking them up later and making sure they have water and other basics so that they stay in good shape. Other parents are having honest conversations about alcohol before their kids head off to college, including knowing their limits, staying hydrated, eating before drinking, and never getting in a car with someone who has been drinking. So Lex, this more hands-on approach Some parents, you know. They were joking in the 7 o'clock version that, you know, I'm the cool mom, you know, or whatever you want to call it. But the idea that parents are kind of not looking the other way, but taking a more hands-on approach to make sure their kids stay safe. Do you like this or not? I do. I think that any time. A parent-child relationship has enough trust that they feel they can come to them about anything and be honest with them, even if they might be disappointed or it might be something that they wish their kids weren't involved in or doing. They can always get that perspective. I think it leads to kids being safer overall because they don't feel like they have to find out just from their friends and they can talk to an adult. I agree with that entirely and it's sort of taking a little bit of the stigma out of it and also a little bit of like the kind of taboo appeal so that I mean it feels a little more European to me because I feel like they are a little less you know brutish for lack of a better and they don't binge drink as a result because they're more introduced to it and it's not just like no it you know and then of course if someone tells you no you want to end up doing it like I Like I said, I mean, I knew... People in high school whose parents would host parties and they know there would be alcohol there, but the rule was you could not leave. You had to spend the night. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. But as a parent, I would necessarily, well, that's the sort of thing. As a parent, I think it would be very difficult to have faith in other people's parents to be looking out for your kid or to take on that responsibility because you are putting your own future, your Freedom in jeopardy, because if you get caught, that is a crime. Allison in the Zoom room, Allison, the idea of some parents, you know, not looking the other way, but taking a more hands-on approach and helping their kids to drink safely. Do you like this or not? Yeah, there's definitely levels to it. Like with my son, you know, I've had some Irish cream one day and he said, can I taste that? And I allowed him to, but we also had a conversation of, you don't ever drink anything outside of the home or with anybody. And, you know, I have adult children as well. They know, they knew, you know, in their teen years, they couldn't be out running the streets. But if they would have a conversation with mom, like Lex said, we built that trust. So if they had curiosities, they would not have to sneak out. You just come ask mom. But one thing we won't do, I'm not having your friends over here, like no other person. I'm not bringing other, you know, young people under drinking age. And again, my son is not a drinker. I don't want you to think that. But when that time comes that he knows that's going to be done in the home. Yeah, that's, and that makes complete sense to me. Tamar, in the Zoom room, Tamar, do you like the idea? Do you like what Allison said? Basically the idea of destigmatizing it, but also not kind of encouraging it either. Oh, I'm, I'm like 9,000% on board with Allison, your perspective. And then just to sprinkle in a little bit more context on my end. So number one, I was always pushing the boundaries as a kid, you know, growing up in Montgomery County, like we have big houses with big basements and big parties and always trying to scheme my parents. And it actually got to the point, Chris, that I was. I wasn't sent to, but I was selected to be a part of a European school program. So I did have that experience halfway through high school of being in a European environment to your earlier point, which there wasn't that weird, like secret life of high schoolers and that superfluous pressure for people to like drink like fish and then, you know, get blackout. So, if I were a parent, and would I advise my cousins and my siblings? Be a little bit more European. Keep the conversation open and candid. I am that kind of uncle with my nephews and nieces. I certainly share my lived experience with them. And I try to destigmatize the pressure, that social pressure to like want to do the things you're told not to. And then also make sure that they honor that there are rules, if that makes sense. That makes complete sense. I love that approach to it. And that was very, very well put. And, you know, it's funny because I think kind of where you grow up impacts this as well, not just internationally, but here in our country, too, because, you know, not to put all my wife's business out there, but she grew up in a much more rural area where they were like out in the woods. Yeah, exactly. And like that was not my experience in any way, shape or form. I'm Billy the Idea. Of parents kind of not exactly supporting it, but being okay with their kids drinking to make sure that they do it safely. Do you like this or not? I don't like it. There's no such thing as safe drinking when you get drunk. You know, you don't think with a logical mind. And any parent that allows other children to come into their house and get twisted and that child falls down the steps and busts their heads and go into a coma, then you're liable. So I don't agree with that either. But if you're going to drink and you're going to allow that, it should be a limit. It should be a cutoff limit. No question at all. Keep the conversation coming. You can post on our TikTok live chat, our YouTube live chat. We'll check those coming up. These next two stories come from the Daily Mail. First up, another new study confirms what we have been talking about for a while, and that is that Gen Z is just not dating the same way that previous generations did. In fact, they may be putting romance on the back burner. The Bank of America survey showed 53% 10% of Zoomers they polled had spent absolutely nothing on dating each month. 33% said they spend less than $100 a month, but it doesn't necessarily mean that they're skipping dating entirely. Instead, many are just finding cheaper or even free ways to spend time together. The survey also showed that financial pressure is shaping Gen Z's approach to dating, with many more focused on saving for or securing their future first. So, Lex, do you like this approach to dating? Do you like the idea of not even spending anything on it? Would you be willing to go on a date? That you knew the other person wasn't spending a dime. Yeah, absolutely. And I have many friends that do the same approach. We've got so many free and things that we can do that are also fun around DC that, you know, you can go. You know, my friend with her husband, they go, like, hiking in Rock Creek Park. I wouldn't necessarily do that on a first date. I was a little secluded. But there are fall festivals, things happening on the mall. Our museums are free. There are so many things you can do for free or very low cost to get to know somebody that. You don't have to have the pressure of them shelling out the bucks. But I also say that as someone who gift giving and getting is not at the top of my love languages. So that's not going to impress me one way or the other. Okay, fair enough. Allison in the Zoom room. Allison, the idea of Gen Z kind of reprioritizing, not making dating the top priority, but also while they are doing it, being willing to spend less. Do you like this or not? Okay. So it depends on if you're actually just trying to save or are you actually acting like I'm not worthy? Those are the two different things. And I've been treated both ways and I understand it now how it works. When I was younger, I didn't get it, but I get it now. Like sometimes people actually have the money or they might spend more money on someone else or to you, they might look like, you know what? She's only worth a Happy Meal, so we're going to spend a dollar on her today. But then you go to the next person and they go to Ruth Chris. So it just all depends on how the person's being. Like I said, there's nothing wrong with saving money, but treat me like I'm worth. Yeah, I think that is a very valid argument. And I also would say for some of those zoomers who may be going out on these dates and not being willing to spend anything, let's check their FanDuel account and see how much they're spending on online gambling. Tamar, Tamar, do you like this approach Gen Z is taking where they're putting their own financial future first instead of going big, spending big on dates? You know, is there like I plead the fifth to this question right now because I've been reacting in the Zoom room like a crazy person. I think I think I wish I wish I was in my 20s again and I had that positive, joyful outlook on romantic interaction. but right now I'm at the point, show me the receipts, show me the receipts. Like, you know what I mean? If you're going to, if you're going to show me who you are, you're going to be, you. Treat me like a queen, honey. Like, I've been around this bush way too many times. I can go to the museum for free with my best friend and the dog. You know? Very fair. That's very fair. Listen, I completely understand. These are conversations that do need to come up so that you're not shocked by them later. And we have also talked about the number of people who are hiding their finances from other people because whether it's they're in debt or they're spending issues or their credit limit, but at the same time, I don't know. Billy, the idea of Zoomers basically spending nothing on dates. Do you like this or not? I hate it. I mean, what's the point? Like, what are we going to go to a library to read books? I mean, the whole point is for me to whine and dine you and spoil you and let you know how you're going to be treated in the future. Let you know what type of guy I am. Let you know I can afford you. You know what I'm saying? Like, come on. Like, like you said, we can just go to the museum with our friends. There you go. All right. Look, I completely understand from all sides of it because I have also made the argument before that, especially with the invention of dating apps, People are going on a lot more dates than they used to. A lot more first dates than they used to. And you might not necessarily want to be dropping whining and dining type money on every single one of them before you get to know the person that's just me. I think don't be cheap, you know. And don't brag about being cheap, but you can make someone feel special. You can still make someone feel special. Meanwhile, if you are looking for love and you are on a budget, how about a trip to Finland? Because the country's tourism board... Just launched what it calls the Finnish Dinner Date Initiative. It's an effort to introduce international travels to its local food scene. And to that end, you can enter a contest to win an all-expenses-paid four-day trip to the country for a blind dinner date. Sixteen winners will enjoy a guided itinerary that includes sauna, sightseeing, and a group dinner. Now, keep in mind, it's a group dinner. They're not, like, matchmaking you entirely, but it's with a group of Finnish singles. Applications close tomorrow. You can check out the Visit Finland website to find out how to apply. Lex, the idea of an international blind dinner date, do you like this or not? Yes, my former single self would have been all over that. I think it's fun, you get to travel. Okay, if the blind dinner date doesn't go well, you're in Finland. I mean, yeah, I totally love it. Worst ways to spend a long weekend, right? Yeah, I wish they had one for people that have relationships. Allison, do you like the idea of enticing people to come visit your country and try its cuisine with a blind date? No, Chris, this sounds like an episode of Taken. Absolutely not. No, I don't like it. Doesn't like it at all. All right, keep the conversations going on all the stories we've talked about so far. Coming up next, Kim Kardashian's advent calendar fail. We'll be right back. Welcome back to Do You Like It or Not on this Monday night. Thank you to everyone out there starting your work week with us. Listen, whether you like it or not, the holidays are right around the corner. And that means a lot of brands are dropping these advent calendars. It's become a big thing in recent years. And Kim Kardashian did it as well, but it didn't really go well. Her shapewear brand, Skims, doing some damage control now. The company issuing refunds after customers blasted its $148. Advent calendar online because the 12-day calendar included hair ties, scrunchies, clips, keychains, and bobby pins. One person compared the contents to random stuff you find at the bottom of your purse. The online roasting got so loud, SKIMS says it personally contacted every customer and offered a full refund or store credit. So Lex, these are almost now obligatory Advent calendars. Do you like these or not? Have I bought one? No. If there was one that was enticing enough and that actually looked like it was enough bang for its buck, or if Diet Coke dropped one, I would absolutely buy a calendar. Um, but... Yeah, I mean, I think I like it if you're going to actually go for it. I've seen hilarious memes about the Skims one, and it is just people grabbing and garbage and throwing it on the counter. And there's my calendar. It's like going to like an H&M and it's like that aisle, like as you're going to check out and it's just a bunch of random crap that they threw in there. Look, I did have one of these advent calendars, but it was like a bottle of wine, but it was like not a full size bottle of wine. But it was like a bottle of wine for every time you opened it. That was aggressive. I had one that was hot sauce as well, and I love that. Allison, these Advent calendars, do you like these or not? No, Chris, I've been trying to listen to people's opinion because I've been thinking about doing this with Zendiva Skincare. So I'm just literally trying to see how other people feel. And I don't have time this year, but next year I was thinking about doing it. But I just want to get everybody else's opinion, so I'll know. Okay, that's fair. And I completely understand. And look, obviously there's a lot of work that goes into these. There's a lot of time. But at the same time, you can see how wrong things can go. Do you like the idea of these advent calendars? Have you gotten on board with any of these? Have you bought any? Okay. Listen, I have an unfair advantage here. I run a marketing and branding agency and I'm obsessed with this idea, but it needs to be delivered correctly. Like this advent calendar should be unreleased product or capsule product. And it should like collate or, um, collate or whatever the word is I'm trying to say with something either you purchase or something limited, which makes it exciting. And then also, I believe we live in the land of like non-religious specificity. So Skims, you could have done better about reinventing the advent calendar and perhaps done like the 19 days of holiday or something different than the 12 days to Christmas so that it feels a little bit more inclusive and a little unique since Kardashian clan, like you ladies know how to reinvent and make things big and fabulous. So I would put that pressure back on them, but effort A, delivery F. And we're still talking about it, most importantly, though. And I do think, you know, they're masters of marketing. So going out of their way to contact the customers and give that refund, I think is worth whatever black eye that they took as a result of this. Freddie's in the Zoom room. Freddie, are you, listen, are you a fan of these advent calendars? Have you ever bought one? Oh, he's got his right. Well, that's kind of a countdown. I have this one for a while. Okay. I have this for a while. How are you, Lex? Good to see you. Hi, good to see you. Got his North Carolina hat on. And I like the red hat. I like the red hair. I like it. It looks nice. Freddie, but are there any gifts in there when you open it, or is that just the countdown? No, there's no gifts. I didn't open the thing in there. So it's just like, you just slide down what day it is. Let's say December 1st or 3rd, 4th. Yeah. Well, you got some time before you got to bust it back out, Freddie, because we have to make it through Thanksgiving first. Black Friday, now just 18 days away, in case you were keeping track. But your inbox has probably already been flooded with deals from your favorite stores or maybe even ones you haven't heard of. It may be time to start working on your smart... Shopping. Oh my God, I can't do that. Smart shopping strategy. That's what I was trying to say. One online guide has these three tips. Do not wait for the sale day anymore. Retailers don't wait for the short window to sell discounted products. They maximize their sales through the entire month of November. Do your research. Look around before hitting checkout. Amazon, not always necessarily your best friend. And finally, remember that it is not a bargain. If you're not going to buy something you don't use, that's just wasting money. Lex, are you a fan of Black Friday? Do you do the online shopping early or do you miss the days of like? No, I, well, working in news, I was always at the mall covering Black Friday, and then by the time I was done with live shots, I was like, get me out of here, and yeah, I just, I've never been one to like, let's go at midnight, but I don't dislike Black Friday, and actually, I follow this Instagram account, Two Broke Chicks. And they already have, like, this spreadsheet they keep updated with Black Friday deals. That's pretty nice. So I got that yesterday, and I'm going to look through it. But I'm a bargain shopper, so I look, but I'm really good at, like, window shopping. Okay. I'm one of those people that's convinced that they're basically just, like, giving you the same price and telling you it's a Black Friday sale when it's, like, the online deal. So, like, I never fully get into it. Allison, we've only got 30 seconds left. Are you a fan of the Black Friday deals, or do you prefer going in person? Um, I like to do it online. Black Friday online. Black Friday online for Allison. Thank you to everyone who joined us in the Zoom room tonight. Thank you to everyone streaming with us on Fox Local and Fox.