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

(upbeat music) ♪ Well no matter what the question is ♪ ♪ We'll say yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Everyone has some trouble ♪ ♪ We'll say yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ Whooo ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ ♪ You're amazing ♪ ♪ Baby you're amazing ♪ ♪ You just remember ♪ ♪ Ooh ♪ ♪ You just remember ♪ ♪ You're amazing yeah ♪ (screen whooshing) (audience cheering and applauding) - Thank you.

Good evening, friends.

Good evening, good evening.

Welcome to "Vibe 309."

I am your host, Blake Wirth, coming at you once again from the WTVP studio in front of another awesome studio audience.

(palms clapping) Can you give it up for yourselves, please?

(audience applauding) If you've been to pretty much any event in Peoria over the last several years, chances are you've seen tonight's guest.

Basically, if anything good or fun is happening in Peoria, odds are he's there, and he's usually there looking sharper than the rest of us.

He's a Peoria city councilman, a husband and a father of three, proud owner of one of the best beards in Peoria, and someone who's dedicated his career to serving our community.

Please put your hands together for Dr.

Andre Allen.

(audience cheering and applauding) Big dawg.

What's up, buddy?

- How you doing?

- How you doing, buddy?

Thank you, thank you, have a seat.

Man.

Where do you get your clothes?

Where do you buy your clothes at?

You look good.

- You know what, I try not to gatekeep, so I think this one was from Men's Wearhouse in District 4.

Shout out to Men's Wearhouse.

- Okay.

- But whatever my wife honestly puts on the bed is what I wear.

I take direction very well.

- So she lays out the outfits the night before or the morning of??

Or how does that work out?

- Yeah, it usually was, and then, usually, I change about three times based off of her feedback, so.

(Blake and audience chuckling) - That's awesome, so you're a Peoria kid, born and raised, and you are now a Peoria City councilman.

Can you just kind of take us through what your day-to-day looks like?

- Well, I'm fortunate to love what I do.

As cliche as it sounds, I feel like I'm truly in my purpose.

So every day never looks the same, honestly, so whether that's answering calls from constituents about potholes and tall grass and speeding concerns, or getting a chance to go to city council meetings and vote on important things like infrastructure and passing budgets and making sure businesses come to our community.

And then like you said in the opening monologue, I get an opportunity to really be out in the community and supporting great events that are happening in our area.

- What are some great events happening this summer people should be aware of?

- Well, After Market Hours - Sure.

- Happening down at Bicentennial Park, so that's a good vibe, so definitely check that out.

I got a chance to catch you down there as well, too, - Sure.

- So bringing that energy back in Downtown Peoria.

We just had the annual Juneteenth Fest, that was a great event.

And then coming up here soon, we've got the Red, White, and BOOM!

- Sure, I want to go back to the Juneteenth part, because, ladies and gentlemen, you're looking at the grand marshal of this most recent parade.

(audience applauding) - [Andre] You know, yeah, yeah.

- When did you get asked to do that?

How does that work?

- So I got the call back in the fall, so shout out to one of my mentors, Ms.

Sherry Carter-Allen.

She hit me up and said, "Hey, you know, I would love for you and your wife and your kids to be the Grand Marshall and Junior Grand Marshalls in the Juneteenth parade."

And last year was State Representative Jehan Gordon-Booth and her husband, Derrick, and her daughter.

So to follow them up, I'm like, "Wow, that's a size 13.

I don't know if we can fill those shoes," (Blake chuckling) but when Ms.

Sherry Carter-Allen asks you to do something, you say yes pretty fast.

- Yes, you do.

It's crazy Jehan wears a size 13 shoe.

(Andre laughing) She was a guest last season, as you know.

She is a total vibe, as are you.

You talk a lot about, like, failing up the ladder of success or stumbling up the ladder of success.

Can you talk to me about that?

- Yeah, absolutely, so I feel like I'm honestly playing with house money, you know, at this point.

I'm not someone that necessarily is cut from that political cloth, if you will.

So when I think about my journey, it started way back when I was at Sterling Middle School.

I was involved in our student council.

In eighth grade, I was elected student council co-president alongside Mary Willis, shout out to Mary.

But I was also on our basketball team, and so just like anyone from Peoria, when you're from here, you automatically have a 15-foot jump shot and you think you're going to the NBA.

And yeah, I had the Allen Iverson-inspired braids, I had the headband, the arm sleeve, and that's what I though I was doing, and so I started neglecting my student council duties as president.

(Blake laughing) And Ms.

Cook, who was our staff advisor, very fair but stern.

- Yeah?

- She called me to her office and she said, "If you don't step your game up as president, I'm gonna take your title away, and honestly, I think you need to focus on this more, because I seen your jump shot and it ain't all that."

- Oh, wow.

- So I said, "Wow," but I took that as a challenge.

And so the rest of the year, I focused more on student council and less on basketball, and at the end of the year, Ms.

Cook called me back to her office and I'm like, "All right, what's this about?"

And she said, "One day, Mr.

Allen, you're gonna end up in the White House, and when you do, I want to stay in the Lincoln bedroom."

(Blake chuckling) Now, I don't know if she imagined 419 Fulton Street where City Hall is located (Blake laughing) as the White House, but it's just an illustration that sometimes people see things in you that you don't see in yourself.

But when I got to high school, honestly, I kind of forgot what Ms.

Cook saw in me.

I was kind of stumbling and, you know, kind of getting okay grades, but then I realized my senior year, I wanted to go to college, and shout-out to my parents, Alvin and Sharon, who supported me in that journey.

And so I took that little thing called the ACT and got a 16 two times.

The first time, I was like, "All right, maybe I didn't, you know, get a good breakfast, maybe it was a little too hot?"

- Yeah.

- You know, so the second time I took it and I had my trail mix, my water, my mints, and I had a hoodie in case it was too hot or too cold.

Took it again and got another 16.

And so I remember meeting with my guidance counselor and she said, "Hey, you should go to Illinois Central College," and it was honestly the best thing for me.

And I ended up transferring from there to Eastern Illinois, and last year, I got my PhD, so not too bad for a guy who got a 16 on ACT twice.

- Can we give it up once more?

(audience applauding) I mean, that's incredible.

Seriously.

This man's going from, I think, if you get your name right, that's a 16.

They just give you a 16.

- Right.

- You know what, (sighs) I guess so.

- [Blake] Were you not paying attention?

- And then I got it twice.

I was like, "Where's Ashton Kutcher at?

I've been "Punk'd," right?

(Blake chuckling) You know, for those who don't know, that's, like, a millennial thing, "Punk'd" by Ashton Kutcher.

- Yeah, that's a great show.

- Yeah, it was.

- I think Anthony Davis has something similar right now where he's punking people.

- Oh yeah, yeah?

- Punking people's fun.

So what's your vision before we go on to the next segment here?

What's your vision for Peoria in the next three, five years?

What do you see for it?

- I want Peoria to have a growth mindset.

Peoria has so many opportunities for entrepreneurs, small business, politics, government, events.

We have a space for everyone in our community.

Last week, I attended a prom for our mature residents, and seeing them have a space where they're on the dance floor and having a good time and aging in grace.

- Yeah.

- I want us to be a community where we are a voice for the voiceless and a hope for the hopeless.

You know, we have our challenges like any other community, but I think people like yourself who are, you know, bringing good vibes and telling those positive stories, we have to control the narrative for our city.

And if we don't, it'll be told for us, and we may not like what the algorithm pushes out.

So people like yourself, people like me, who champion our community of what it can be, but I want us to have a growth mindset, 'cause I really believe that Peoria's brighter future is ahead and we just have to have that right mindset.

- I love that, brother.

Peoria has so many opportunities, Peoria has so many amenities.

One of the amenities in Peoria is our zoo.

Do you like the zoo?

- I love the zoo.

- You go to the zoo?

You know, Ms.

Cook thought you were going to be at the White House.

Growing up, I always thought, you know, maybe I'd work at a zoo or something.

I loved animals, so I thought, "What would it be like to be a zookeeper for a day?"

Well, I got to find out at the latest Vibe Check.

Todd, Father, and I slid over there to check it out, so go ahead and roll the tape.

(screen whooshing) Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, (birds chirping) to the Peoria Zoo, a featured attraction of the Peoria Park District, and honestly, our city.

We have a great zoo.

The staff here agreed to let me be zookeeper for a day, and I don't want to be late on my first day, so let's go inside and check it out.

(screen whooshing) (upbeat music) - The Peoria Zoo is just a jewel in the crown of the Peoria Park District.

It is an AZA-accredited zoo, which is the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

There are 2,900 places in the United States that can house animals for people to see.

Only 251 of those are accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

We have to follow the same standards as San Diego, Disney, Brookfield, Lincoln Park.

(tape squeaking) We have the gold standard of animal care, and we also provide the best experience for families to come and just have an amazing day.

(upbeat music continues) - Gotta get to work.

- You do, you ready to shovel some poo?

- I sure am.

(screen whooshing) (upbeat music continues) That's a big pile.

(screen beeping) - [Lauren] So they're poop, it's super fibrous.

Whatever we feed them, we have to scoop back out at the end of the day, and these guys can poop probably about 60 pounds a day.

(Blake wretching) (Lauren laughing) - I gotta get a running start, Max.

(Blake grunting) Dump her in?

- True test- - Hold on, back up just a little bit.

- True test is can you - There you go.

- [Max] Get it all in?

- [Lauren] Now, tip it up.

- This is high stakes.

(Max speaking faintly) (upbeat music) How'd I do?

- You did great.

That was good, that was great.

For a first-timer, that was great.

- Okay.

- Good job, so we have two rhino in this barn.

They were together at their previous facility, but they haven't been together since they came to us.

This area inside is a little bit too small to do that intro, so we're waiting until they get more comfortable in the yard.

Right now, we have Arthur right behind you.

He's kind of a ham.

He's five, he's gonna turn six in August.

- [Blake] What up, Art?

- [Lauren] And then we have his brother, Mwezi, in the paddock, and he's also five.

They're half brothers.

- [Blake] What's up, buddy?

And how much does he weigh?

- [Lauren] So he weighs just under 4,000 pounds.

I believe he's 3,900 right now.

He will grow.

He has about 2,000 more pounds to put on him.

(upbeat rock music continues) (screen whooshing) This is our tower of giraffe.

We have two females and one male.

This is Ms.

Emy, she's got one eye.

- [Blake] Ms.

Emmy?

- [Lauren] This is Mr.

Fitz.

- Mr.

Fitz.

- And then we have Ms.

Vivian coming in, she's our- - [Blake] Vivian!

- [Lauren] (chuckles) She's our oldest, she sneaks in there.

We are part of a breeding program, so hopefully eventually, when Mr.

Fitz grows up, he will be the father of some little giraffe babies.

(upbeat rock music continues) (screen whooshing) - This is Meg.

She's probably one of the sweetest takin you'll ever meet.

(Jetsan snorting loudly) And that is Jetsan.

Jetsan just turned three, so he's going through a little bit of adolescence, you know?

- Little cranky.

- Yeah, he could- - Showing a little attitude.

- He could be a little cranky, but he's also just, you know, protecting the girls.

(upbeat rock music continues) (latches rattling) - Can you do a third?

- Okay, you ready?

- Yep.

(Blake grunting) (door rattling) - [Kenny] So we're hoping that these two, Jetsan and Meg, breed together and we get a calf from them.

They do only produce one calf each season.

(upbeat rock music continues) (door squealing) All right, this is a big part of this job.

- Okay.

- Go ahead and get that up.

- [Blake] This is what I signed up for, so this is- - [Kenny] Hey, that's good form.

That's actually pretty good.

- Right there, okay.

Where does this go?

- [Kenny] We'll put that in a barrel, but for now, you can just kind of set it over here.

I'll bring the barrel in.

(screen whooshing) - [Blake] Okay.

(upbeat rock music continues) - To bring Lizzy inside, she does get a little bit of meat.

It is ground horse.

We use a ground horse product as opposed to beef 'cause it's less fatty.

Lizzy likes to eat, so she tends to put on weight fairly easily.

At the age of 19, she is two years past the average life expectancy for lions in human care.

It's 17 years.

And so at that age, at 19, female lions don't tend to do real well when you try to introduce them to new lions.

She's gonna sneak up on you.

- She's gonna sneak up on me?

- [Regan] Yeah.

(chuckles) - [Blake] And this is the second oldest lion in the country?

- [Regan] Yeah, Lizzy will be 20 in October.

- [Blake] And so she has no secret way out, right?

That she knows how to get out here?

- No, and now, you guys are making me super paranoid.

(Blake chuckling) To keep her inside, (chuckles) (crickets chirping) there is an electric wire that- - [Blake] Could she scale that if she wanted?

- [Regan] No.

- No?

- More than likely, no.

(upbeat rock music continues) - Man, I hear from the keepers you did an absolutely amazing job.

They want to hire you.

So with that, I want to present you with an honorary Keeper of the Day certificate from Peoria Zoo.

- Oh, that is so kind, I appreciate that.

I had a tremendous day, truly.

Like, I have so much respect for what you guys do day in and day out.

I can't thank you guys enough.

- Thank you, Blake.

(screen whooshing) (audience cheering and applauding) - Thank you.

Gotta love a zoo, man.

Gotta love a zoo, love those animals.

Welcome back to "Vibe 309."

We just got to know Andre a little better, but now, it's time to hear from the person who probably knows him best.

It's his barber.

Just kidding, it's his wife.

(audience laughing) She's a recent 40 Leaders Under 40 honoree, an incredible leader in our community, and someone with a pretty impressive pageant resume we're gonna have to ask her about.

Please put your hands together for Jaleesha Allen.

(audience cheering and applauding) - Hey, sweetie.

- Welcome, thank you so much.

- Thank you.

- That's a great dress, it's high end.

- Aw, thank you, thank you.

- I can tell it' high end as is that couch.

(Jaleesha laughing) That's actually a Roche Beaubois, it's Italian.

- Okay.

- Just kidding.

It's from Ikea.

(Andre laughing) It's not that nice.

- Well, so far, it's really comfortable, so yeah.

- Good, thank you.

(Jaleesha laughing) So yeah, let's jump right into it.

We don't have a lot of time.

I want to hear all about you are the reigning pageant winner of, can you explain this?

- Yes.

- It's a huge deal.

- So last year, I was the reigning Mrs.

Illinois Black United States.

(audience applauding) So 2025, it was a incredible year.

I went to Washington, DC where I represented the state, and I was first runner up.

I was so close to taking that title, - Aw.

- But I was first runner up, so I had a beautiful year last year.

- Amazing.

- And you know, being able to inspire our community like I did, being from Chicago, but now in Peoria, Illinois, and being the face of Peoria in Chicago just meant a lot.

- Yeah, you're from Chicago?

- You know, for me and my family, I am.

- [Blake] You guys met in college?

- We did.

- We did, we met at Eastern Illinois University.

- At a party?

Were you guys at a party?

- We actually were, and you know, this is a big part of my story.

We were student leaders, you know?

- Not surprising, by the way.

(chuckles) - Yeah, yeah.

So we were both student leaders, but we didn't start dating until grad school, so.

- Jaleesha wasn't checking for me, you know?

(Jaleesha laughing) So just how she is that girl, that woman now, she was that girl and that woman then.

She was the second- - You had to grow into it?

- She was the second Black homecoming queen in the history of our college.

- Wow.

- Cheerleader, president of her sorority, so, you know, she was outta my league.

I wasn't even trying to holla at Jaleesha.

(Jaleesha chuckling) And then when she came back for grad school, - Oh my God.

- The rumor was, "Jaleesha Murray's back, Jaleesha Murray's back," and I'm like, "All right, well, you know."

And we had a mutual friend, and he kind of threw me an alley-oop, so I'll share this real quick.

So I was known of throwing Grad School Thursdays.

Me and my guys, we had a house, and so we invited all the grad students to our house to come kick it.

And so I invited Jaleesha, and she said, "Well, you let me know when Bruce gets there," who's our mutual friend, "and I'll come."

- Yeah, that was a friend of mine.

Real close friend.

(chuckles) - And so I called, I'm like, "Bruce, come on, I need you to come, bro.

I need you to come."

(audience chuckling) - Come on.

- And Bruce came, and then, you know, the oop was thrown and I dunked it, and here we are, three kids later.

(audience applauding) (Jaleesha laughing) - That's incredible.

- That is the story.

- That's the story.

- So, how did he sell you on... He obviously had Bruce to help him with it, but how did he sell you on Peoria?

Was it hard to sell you on Peoria, for you to move here?

- You know, it wasn't, because I will say this, the same man that you all see in front of you now, Andre was really similar to that in college.

He was a leader.

He was very headstrong and he proposed to me, so.

(laughs) - He did?

- Yeah, he proposed to me before we graduated.

- Yeah.

- So we were already set to return at that point.

- [Blake] So engaged?

- Engaged.

- While still in grad school?

- While still in grad school, yep.

(laughs) - Okay, so then, after grad school, obviously, the decision was... Was there much of a conversation there?

Was it, "We gotta go back to P-Town?

The city needs me."

- So I was fortunate to get an opportunity at Illinois State University.

- Okay.

- So I had a graduate assistantship when I was in grad school as an academic advisor.

I got hired at Illinois State right out of grad school, and so that brought us back to the community.

And then in 2016, I remember seeing this article written about the city being one of the worst places or the worst place for African Americans written by "The Wall Street Journal."

And I remember seeing that and I said, "Wow, that's not the city that I know."

And I prayed on it, and I said, "God, if you get me back to Peoria, I'm gonna do more than just go to work and go home," and an opportunity presented itself at Methodist College, brought me back to the area, and so I had to do more than to go to work and go home.

- I love that, man.

Give it up.

(audience applauding) That's amazing.

- That's one of our own.

- I should mention, too, I mentioned Jaleesha is, this year, recent 40 Under 40 honoree.

Dr.

Allen is as well.

(audience applauding) Class of what, '18?

- Yeah, 2018.

2018.

- 2018?

- Yeah, yeah.

- Wow.

- Young OG.

- Yep, the year we had our second child, our son, so it was a busy year.

(Jaleesha laughing) - You guys have to have, or at least you're on the top, like, three to five couples who have the busiest schedule in the city, there's no question.

Can you take me through, like, what a day looks like?

It's probably mayhem, but like, you have three kids.

- Oh yeah.

- Yeah.

- Great kids, beautiful kids.

- Yeah.

- You got a lot going on.

- Yeah, yeah.

- Oh, yeah, I mean, with Andre, Andre's up at 4:30 because he's doing, and I was the same, but I'm not currently in the program, but Andre's doing workouts at 5:00 AM three times a week, so.

- [Blake] I saw that on his Instagram Story.

That's just to, like- - Oh yeah.

- That's real?

- That's not frontin'.

- That's real?

- That's a real thing, so.

- I can tell, he looking pretty good in that suit.

- Shout-out to Guardian Fitness.

- Shout out to Guardian Fitness.

(Jaleesha laughing) She put some pressure on me, though.

She was like, "Hey, our trainer," named Steve, she's like, "Hey, he's starting a men's group and he said he could get you in starting tomorrow."

So I took that as a, you know, "Hey, you need to get yourself together, my guy," so.

- Is that right?

- Yeah.

- Okay.

- So after that, (Blake chuckling) we were getting the kids up and getting off to work.

I mean, the day starts really early, and we're going some days until 10:00 PM, you know, it depends on how late his city council meeting goes, or an event that he's attending, or even me.

I may have an event that I'm attending as well, and then our children are really involved.

So with all of the sports and all of the activities, we have really busy days.

- We're glorified Uber drivers at this point for our kids.

- Is that?

(laughs) - Like our oldest, Barbie, like, she has an itinerary now, but one of the things that brought us back to the city was the village, and so my parents are here, my brothers are here.

And so when you start having kids, you really gotta have an extended babysitting bullpen if you want to be able to do anything.

- Yeah, that's true.

- So they really allow us to do a lot.

- That's awesome, are your folks here?

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- Yeah.

- Alvin and Sharon in the back.

- Your brother's here, too.

- Hey, shout-out, guys, welcome, thank you for coming.

- Okay, yeah.

(audience applauding) I see my brother, Shawn, in the back, too.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- Okay, what up, Shawn?

That's awesome, man, so cool.

So you... I want to get into, like, the social, like you guys have different events to go to throughout the evenings.

Like, how do you guys decide on we need to be here or we have to be here?

And like, the kids probably deserve a lot of credit for being so involved in, like, and go with the flow.

Can you talk a little bit about that?

- Yeah, I think, you know, our daughter is now about to be 12 years old, and we're just really proud of the little woman that she is.

We actually just came back from Virginia because she was one of eight that was chosen to represent the city of Peoria, Peoria Public Schools, in this national speech competition.

- That's incredible.

- So yeah.

- Very cool.

- Thank you.

Thank you so much.

(audience applauding) - Man.

- So just thinking about her leadership as a young person, they really understand now.

You know, it's kinda ingrained in them.

Like, she was with us when we were living at ISU and we were living at ICC, because I was working in housing, and he was working in housing, and we were living at- - Methodist.

- Methodist College.

So our kids are just, they get it.

- Yeah, they get it.

- They're go-getters.

They work really hard, and I'm glad you brought that up, because I'm just really proud of the children that they are, and that they are willing to just be patient, and they still enjoy their life and have so much fun, but they understand, you know?

- It's amazing, obviously, you guys are tremendous role models for them.

They know you quite well, and we're gonna get (palm thudding) to know you a little bit better, because we have a special segment here now.

Usually, we do a little rapid-fire section, but today, we're gonna do get to know your... I don't have a name for it.

Married couple segment?

Anyway, you're gonna each take one there.

- Oh, you're gonna have me on the couch, Blake.

- There's a name.

(audience chuckling) There's your name, Andre's on one side, Jaleesha's name on the other.

- Okay.

- I am going to simply ask you a series of questions.

(Andre chuckling) It's a rapid-fire, I don't want too much thought into it.

Maybe we'll have to stop for an explanation if we have to.

I don't know, we'll see.

These are in no particular order.

Get a drink, do you need a drink?

- Whew, I might need - I'm gonna get a drink here.

- Something stronger, you about to get me in trouble.

(audience laughing) - All right, here we go, you ready?

Back in the day, who made the first move?

- Oh.

- Yeah, so you apply, (audience laughing) you didn't apply, you proposed first, but you also made the first move with Bruce.

- Absolutely.

- [Blake] This was like a- - Shooter's gonna shoot.

- Shooter's gonna shoot.

- Shooter's gonna shoot.

- And you're from Peoria, so.

- I am, I am.

- You got that 15- - 15-foot jump.

You already know.

(Blake chuckling) You already know.

- All right, who's more likely to be late?

Ooh.

(audience laughing) How late are we talking here?

- Like, 15 minutes.

(Andre inhaling sharply) It's not bad.

- Okay, is that- - It's not really bad.

- Could you just start (Jaleesha chuckling) everything 15 minutes earlier and be on time, or you choose to be late?

- I try so hard.

- She does, her heart's in the right place.

- Okay.

(laughs) - Okay, I'll take that.

That's good.

- In the right place.

- Who's a better cook?

- Ooh, that's hard.

- Ooh.

I say me, I'll say me, I'll say me.

- [Blake] Way to be modest, Andre?

- I'll say me.

- Okay, all right.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

- What's your favorite dish to cook?

- The one that I love the most, which is a shrimp or a chicken Alfredo pasta.

- [Blake] Ooh, you?

- I feel like I have a little more range.

So I'm throwing salmon, (Blake chuckling) I'm doing a little steak, a little grilled chicken.

You know, that's why I said myself, but I mean, you know.

- Okay, this is probably the most important question in the history of "Vibe 309," but who's the better dresser?

- Ooh.

- Ooh.

- Okay!

(audience laughing) - Come on, everybody.

(audience applauding) - Okay.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean.

- Hey, I love it.

- She has helped me elevate my game over time.

- I believe that.

- 'Cause if you look at- - That's so sweet.

- [Blake] The college pit, like- - Oh yeah, every morning, I always check my Facebook Memories just in case I posted something crazy from college.

- You've come a long way with your fashion.

(Jaleesha laughing) - Size 40 jorts.

(Blake and audience laughing) - Who's more competitive?

- Hmm.

- I would probably say Andre, honestly.

- Are either one of you that competitive, though, or no?

- He's not really competitive, but he's competitive with himself.

- Okay.

- So he always wants to be better than the last time you seen him or other things he's done.

- Sure.

- So I'll give him that from that standpoint.

- Okay.

Let's get a few more in, we got time.

I want to know who's the stricter parent?

- Ooh.

(audience laughing) - Yeah.

- Okay, okay.

You're the stricter parent.

- Yeah.

- Who's more patient?

(audience laughing) So you're late and impatient?

- I'm not impatient, he's just more patient.

- Okay, okay.

- Yeah.

(laughs) - That's a good answer.

(Andre laughing) We got time for a couple more, let's see.

Who's more likely to cry during a movie?

- Oh.

- Okay, yeah.

(audience chuckling softly) - Well- - Very emotional as well.

- I cry during movies, too, for sure.

- Andre does not cry during movies.

- Who's more likely to get lost?

I'm horrible with directions, I never know where I'm going.

- Ooh, I would say myself, because sometimes- - You get to talking?

- In Peoria, I'd be thinking, like, I know where everything is, and then I'll be like, - Okay, okay.

- So I need to start putting addresses in now.

- I kind of agree.

- Okay.

- Yeah.

- I'll agree, I agree.

- I love that one.

All right, give it up for Andre and Jaleesha with that game.

(audience applauding) (audience cheering) Guys, you've been sensational.

- You got that pin for him?

- I would love to give you a couple of "Vine 309" hats.

- Oh wow.

- I cannot thank you enough.

You keep those keep those as well.

- Okay.

(chuckles) - Cool.

- And I can't thank you enough for coming on.

- Gotta put that on.

- You guys are legends in the 309.

Give it up one more time for 'em.

- Yeah, also, Blake, (audience cheering) (audience applauding) I got something for you.

- Okay.

- Because I appreciate everything you're doing.

So this is the Peoria County flag as a lapel so you can- - My man, thank you.

- Rock the Peoria County flag.

- I love that, thank you.

- Yeah, absolutely.

(audience applauding) (screen whooshing) (Blake slurping) (lips smacking) I ever tell you guys about the time I pooped my pants in Madagascar?

It was at a funeral, actually, so not ideal.

More of a celebration of life, but people were dancing, they're singing, they're drinking, and at this one, people were actually shooting these old muskets into the air.

(Blake imitating gunfire) The gunshots weren't what made me poop my pants, though.

The goat liver I got tricked into eating was.

They told me it was beef, it wasn't.

It didn't take long to hit me, and when it did, it was really bad, guys, okay?

(audience chuckling) In the middle of a desert, I had no choice, I left.

I Irished goodbye to everybody.

Walked three miles back to my hut, cleaned myself up, and thought, (sighs) "It probably can't get much worse than this."

Turns out it can.

Fast-forward many moons to about a year ago, my old man was diagnosed with cancer.

It's funny how life has a way of putting things into perspective, right?

Suddenly, pooping your pants in the middle of Africa really ain't that big of a deal.

For the record, that wasn't the last time it happened either, but that's another story for another day, because today, I get to share some exciting news.

Recently, my dad, AKA Slick Rick, was declared cancer-free.

(upbeat music) - Aw.

- We can give it up for Slick.

(audience applauding) He's been through a lot.

I'm very grateful.

I want to personally thank everyone at OSF Healthcare.

This wasn't the first time they've taken care of Slick.

In 2020, COVID nearly took his life, and OSF was there.

Then came a tumor in one kidney in 2023, another one on the other kidney in 2024.

You know, we spend a lot of time celebrating athletes, musicians, business leaders, and we should, but tonight, I want to celebrate the people who don't ask for applause.

I want to thank the doctors who deliver hard news with compassion, the nurses who work 12-hour shifts on their feet the whole time.

The technicians, the therapists, the people who answer the phones, the people who clean the rooms, the people who give families hope on what might be the hardest day of their lives.

We're incredibly fortunate to have people like that right here in our city.

So to everyone at OSF, truly, I want to say thank you.

You gave my family something we'll never be able to repay, which is more time.

And dad, congratulations, I love you.

I admire your strength.

Here's to many more moons.

That's all the time we have for tonight, ladies and gentlemen, so thank you for tuning in.

It has most definitely been a vibe.

(audience cheering and applauding) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (logo whooshing softly)