>> they did them with a bunch of rats, like they do every test, and they found out that oreos are as addictive as cocaine or morphine. >> how did college kids come upon cocaine? >> they didn't at oral roberts university where i went. that's for sure. >> oreos and cocaine on rats and had an equally strong addiction. oreos come in rows, the three rows that come when you get the package. it's so simple to take one bite, then two, then three. >> this is what i think is the funniest. they watched the rats. what the rats did -- they did this. they broke it and they ate the middle first. how crazy is that? i love that. see, this was higher before, when we started. i have no trouble putting that oreo right back. >> you don't? >> no, it's not -- no, no. i'm so glad. i have other things i have difficulty with. that's not one of them. i have to finish them. >> i like to eat them in the privacy of my home. when you eat an oreo, your teeth show it. it's horrible. you have to be in private alone. >> it's the same thing with lamb chops at mary's, too. i went home after having them -- i went with my friend, karen. i have other friends than just you, hodie. >> i have a question. why wasn't i invited to the lunch? >> i didn't think you would want to go. >> there you go. >> we reached out to nabisco for comment. so far the e-mails and phone calls have not been returned. new hampshire elementary school has decided to ban a playground game called tag. >> which has been played since cave mothers said get out of this cave and go run around and tag each other. >> injuries have been caused because kids that were playing tag were tagging too hard and forcibly pushing a child on to the ground and causing injury. >> or else they were running so fast they didn't realize where they were running and they were running into things. >> okay. they said that the kids are not paying attention to where they're running. we decided to ban the whole game. >> everything has been banned now. what the heck are they supposed to do, play tiddly winks? we have a problem with childhood obesity in our country. >> yes. >> to begin with. they're getting rid of physical education in so many of the schools. >> yes. >> if a kid can't run and play tag -- here's an idea, ding, let's take the bully kids and get them off the playground and let the other kids who just want to be fun have fun and be good to one another. let's let them -- why are we going to let the minority destroy for the majority? >> that is the truth. a kid pushing too hard is the pain in the neck kid who does everything like that. >> nobody says anything. >> nobody does. >> we're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore. >> we're mad as bullies. we're sick of bullies. >> which goes to our next story, which is an interesting one. we have different -- different takes on this. workout mom. >> there's a workout mom who has a great body. she's been working out like crazy. she has three kids and decided to post this photo of her and her children, 8 months, 3 years, 2 years and her headline is what's your excuse? >> in fairness, this is a woman who battled bulimia at one time in her life -- >> you don't know that by looking at the picture. >> i'm a journalist. i dug deeper. >> you're right. >> so are you. >> she's a former pageant queen and fitness competitor. >> you don't like her right off the bat. tell me why, hoda woman. >> let me tell you why. anyone who says that at the top -- the headline at the top, which i've already forgotten. what is it? >> what's your excuse? >> nobody likes people like this. >> and i have a theory on that. >> why? >> because she's -- i'm not saying what she did is right or wrong. the reason people immediately have that response is it has a grain of truth in what she's saying. how many of us make excuses for lots of our bad behavior and then we're offended when somebody says, well, why? >> i work out every day. >> yes. >> i don't like this. i'm not worried about my excuse or -- i just don't like -- >> you don't like the tone? >> when someone says -- >> i get it. i get it. >> come work out with me. there's a new machine. i would like to take a class with you. >> the tone, the way she said it. >> whatever motivates you. is this mama bully? bully is being used for everything. >> let's save the word bully for actual bullies. and maybe she wasn't being as thoughtful as she could have been, but -- >> by the way, she got millions of hit. we don't know how many million. >> they say 16 million. we find that hard to believe. only 12 thorks comments. some are complimentary. the last baby was eight months ago. >> she looks great. >> good for her. she does look terrific. others are angry. sometimes we have to look at why are we defensive about something? >> yeah. >> we should ask ourselves the question at least. >> i think so, too. >> be honest with our responses. >> we don't like it when a doctor says you really need to lose 20 pounds. >> i hate that. >> what they're saying is something that might save your life and give you ten extra years on your life. or you've got to quit smoking or you're going to die from cancer. you don't want to hear it, because you like to smoke but it's the truth. >> people mad at us? i feel like they're mad at us. >> both things are correct. they're speaking truths. you have to speak the truth in a spirit of love in order for it to be received. >> let's talk about "the voice." okay. this is -- no. this is the battle round. this is when we -- neither of us know who won these battle rounds because it was on too late, 9:00. so we're going to watch these battle rounds and then we're going to try to guess who won the battle round. here is the first one. ♪ don't want to close my eyes i don't want to fall asleep cause i miss you babe ♪ ♪ and i don't want to miss a thing ♪ ♪ cause even when i dream of you the sweetest dream will never do ♪ ♪ i still need you baby ♪ i don't want to miss a thing yeah ♪ >> i would not want to be in a vocal battle with that girl. >> her name is cat, right? >> yeah. it's not just the way she sings, it's her personality and her performance ability. she's like watching, you know, bette midler and tina turner. >> did she win? she did. >> okay, we were right. >> anthony was terrific. >> he went home. no one even saved him. >> i'm sorry. >> team blake, monica versus ray. let's look. ♪ i don't need a whole lot of money i don't need a big fine car i got everything that a man could want i got more than i could ask for ♪ >> let's hear her. ♪ i don't have to run around i don't have to stay out all night ♪ >> no. ♪ cause i got me a sweet lovin' man and he knows just how to treat me right ♪ >> i would pick him, too. >> yeah, ray. the first note he sang, like a young huey lewis, when we first heard him. she's a lovely girl. nothing stands out for me. >> we're saying ray. >> roll the tape. let's see what happened. >> who is the winner of this battle? >> ray! >> what? >> ray! >> that's my daughter. >> that's not fair. that is not fair. >> winner of this battle is ray. >> team blake moves on. >> steal. >> so exciting. >> not even involved in this and i'm just -- bump bump. >> you've got the battle rounds monday nights and tuesday nights where you can see carson daly doing his thing. >> we never congratulated him on his engagement. >> i know! >> we haven't seen him. he is one of the sweetest gentlemen of all time. >> he is one of the greatest. >> sometimes weddings and engagements don't work out but sometis they work out for somebody else. >> kim kardashian has sold her engagement ring. >> see gave it back. >> kris has sold it. right. kris sold that rock. it's a honker. it looked like an ice cube in person. it was more than 16 carats. he sold it for $749,000. >> it went well beyond expectations at christy's -- they thought it would go between $300,000 and $500,000. the impressive diamond ring was fought out by two bidders in the back of the room. and one online bidder. that was the one who ultimately got it. i think it was some wealthy sheik or something like that. >> wouldn't it be weird to get someone else's engagement ring, to have that as your engagement ring? >> to some people it's bragging rights about it. some people like to buy a celebrity's house and say -- >> weird stuff. even if it's a 70-something hour wedding. >> 72 days. >> was it days? i thought it was hours. anyhoo -- >> if you're single, we have bad news for you. cosmo november issue, these are the worst cities for single women who are searching for a straight man. >> emphasis on straight. >> number four, baltimore. not great. >> nope. >> d.c. is number three. also thumbs down. number two, philly. oh, my god. and the worst city to be a single woman, looking for a straight man is new york city. >> and all the single ladies here are going, that's right. >> that's what i've been telling you. >> i found my husband here in new york city. you found a very nice guy that we've known as boots and shall remain named boots for a while. lovely guy. it is possible. >> you can. i don't think it's simple. it's a city that's so big and crowded and bustly but everybody is in little groups. it's not easy to meet people. >> yeah, yeah. we want to find out who that teacher of the year is, somebody that's just made a huge impact in your life. please -- hoda, please get a grip on yourself, all right? >> all right. >> if you have a teacher teaching a class between kindergarten and 12th grade and had a major impact on you, we want you to nominate them by submitting an essay. you have to write something. and a photo. >> somebody who is alive. >> yeah. to klg and hoda. a great prize. >> $10,000 in school supplies from retailmenot.com. you forget that teachers have to pay for their supplies. >> yeah. >> wasn't like that when i was growing up in the 1800s. scotty mccreery will be singing for us. >> he has had so much success. >> he really has. >> he's doing great. has a brand new album. has his truck, got his dog and got his woman. >> yes, he does. no matter how old they get, our children will always be our baby. >> we'll try to explain how to have happy children through the years. >> not as easy as it sounds. former idol winner scotty mccreery, becoming one of country's biggest new star. >> we'll speak to him and a lot of other people. >> and he's going to sing for us. >> of course he is. >> yes, he is. [ female announcer ] you've got finding time for what matters, down to a science. you're the reason we reformulated one a day women's. a complete multivitamin that now has extra b vitamins, which help convert food to energy. energy support for the things that matter. that's one a day women's. ask any parent and they will tell you they just want their kids to be happy shall right? how can you teach your toddler, tween or teen to look on the bright side and be happy. >> therapist and parenting expert tammy gold. >> welcome, ladies. >> hey, ladies. >> are kids sort of born with a certain temperament? >> it's a combination. happiness is a mood state, it's an emotion. you can be born with an optimistic temperament, be bold or shy. you want be to kind of take the temperament and experiences in their lives that parents, family, friends give them, we then build up all of these mood states like happy or sad or angry or cranky. so it's a combination of nature and nurture. >> the word happy comes from happenstance. we are trying to coddle them to keep them from certain circumstances. how can they grow up and be functioning adults in a world that they have to deal with unhappy things? >> the key to happy children is resilience. it's not coddling them but having them have failure. >> we have a whole new generation growing up that's never been allowed to fail. >> too much helicopter parenting going on. parents think they're creating happy children but they're actually robbing them of the ability to feel happiness from kind of coming through traumatic events and feeling the other side and looking toward the optimistic view. >> it seems to me like my mom was happy, is happy. >> she's very happy. >> you wake up with someone who says morning every morning, everything is contagious. you can tell when you meet someone who is cranky and you meet their mom, it's like, oh. is that the nut of it? >> definitely a link between a happy parent and happy kid. >> what if you're not happy? what if you're going through a tough time? >> you can go through a tough time because it's life. the resilience component can be modeled and how we are resilient. you can model that you can get through it and still get up every day and be functioning and you're not hiding from the world. the kids then see oh, i can do that, too, and put a smile on my face and be part of the world. >> and explaining to them if they're old enough to understand what you're going through, why you may not be chipper so they don't understand why are mommy and daddy upset? explaining, you know, i had a bad day. i wish i could be cheery right now, but i can't. tomorrow will be better. >> what about the tweens and teens where they're dark and moody? >> it's so horrible. >> and we're having a time with them? >> i will say that teens have so much. they have the hormonal changes, the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain where emotion is not fully developed yet. >> not until 25, they say now. >> not till 25. >> wow! >> hormones, social pressure, peer pressure, all of that. >> what do you do? >> still, i think you model optimistic solutions to everyday problems. talk through them. talk, talk, talk. you can't hold them, talk to them, walk them through enough. >> and validate that how they're feeling makes sense. how can you help them recognize that they've got a lot of good stuff going on even though there's all this miserable stuff that feels like it's taking over. >> if kids are bullies, is it their parents' fault? >> that's a whole other segment in itself. >> i do believe if they're not being held accountable, they feel they can act any way. >> bullying is a learned behavior. we are not born a bully. you learn it somewhere. does it start at the home? it's possible. it's a learned behavior. >> a lot of people don't want to talk about it much. the biggest difference has made every difference in my children's lives and my friends' children's lives, raising them to be accountable to a higher power. whatever you think that higher power is. if you think you're the center of the universe, you act like you are. >> gratitude, empathy, all of those things will help to build happiness. how many times do you mess up the lyrics to a song? >> never. >> never? >> never. >> we're going to play this great fun name called who knew? guess who is here? >> elvis is in the house and we'll be singing along with country music singer scotty mccreery later. >> the "american idol" performs in our studio a little later. ted is now on hold with his insurance company. maxwell is not and just confirmed a 5:30 time for tuesday. ted, is still waiting. yes! maxwell is out and about... with ted's now ex-girlfriend. wheeeee! whoo! later ted! online claims appointments. just a click away on geico.com. eat right, not less. [ female announcer ] introducing special k nourish hot cereal. made with superfoods. special k? i can taste the quinoa. i can't believe that's less than 200 calories. [ female announcer ] nurturing yourself. what will you gain when you lose? >> his first album went platinum. now calling his newest album bright and polished. >> scotty mccreery sings his latest song for us. >> do you know who else is here? >> elvis is across the street. >> getting ready to play a game with our fans "who knew?" >> you all screw up the lyrics to your favorite songs. can i put you to the test? >> yes. >> do you know your abba songs? >> abba. >> potato, potato. abba, abba. sorry. i'm here with some new friends at the nbc experience store. we're shoplifting and having some fun. let me test you. you ready? give me some abba. here we go. ♪ having the time of your life ♪ ooh see that girl >> stop. what's next? ♪ watch that scene the dancing queen ♪ >> chicken? there's no chicken. >> sing it. >> you don't know the lyrics to any of my songs. >> i know all of them. i have your cd. who wants a kathie lee cd? anyone? >> elvis, we'll check back with you. >> i need a couple of dozen of those over here right now. >> i'm coming to bring them to you right now. we're back more on this wines day wednesday. we're ready to play "who knew?" we're going to have fun with all the songs you think you knew but didn't get. and ready to sing all the lyrics you thought you knew, and don't. $100 tho to those who get the question right. and to those who don't, kathie lee's cd. here to help me out is radio dj, elvis durante. you asked us about dancing queen, the abba song. >> you didn't finish it correctly. >> here is the question. here are the answers. what is the right answer? ♪ see that girl watch that scene digin' the dancing queen ♪ >> no one uses the word diggin' anymore. >> i could see why you get that wrong, because nobody uses digin' anymore. >> i don't know how up you are on your music. listen to bon jovi's living on a prayer. what does he say next? ♪ we've got to hold on to what we've got it doesn't make a difference ♪ >> we have to hear it for her to guess, everybody. here is your choice. if we're naked or not if we fake it or not if we take it or not if we make it or not. >> if we fake it or not. >> no, but, you know what? that is so unfair. >> the correct answer is if we make it or not. is that correct? >> that is correct. this game is going so well. >> where are you at? i'm over here. >> this game is not going well. he showed up at someone's wedding and walked -- i'm sorry, you know everything. >> walked a girl down the aisle. >> isn't that great? you had too many of those addictive oreos. >> yes. let's go back again to kath. >> i am oreo free, okay? finish the lyrics please. you are from ft. myers, florida. to this 1968 single by the foundations. i hope ♪ i need you i need you more than anyone darling you know that i have from the start ♪ >> multiple choice? >> no ♪ fill me up buttercup and don't break my heart ♪ >> wow, that is in a lot of keys. >> way before her time, too. >> that was great. >> close, isn't it? >> that's it. she gets it. elvis, wow, can you believe she knew that one? >> 1968. >> how did she know that? >> kathie lee was the only one around then. >> kathie lee? >> she's acting like she didn't hear you. >> i didn't hear what elvis said. but i'm sure it was rude. >> it was. it was. back to you. >> i'm from proctorville, ohio. >> i thought it was something else. what famous actor's name is often mistaken for the lyrics of a 1971 hit by elton john? tony randall, tony curtis, tony danza or tony bennett? >> tony danza? >> yes. intelligent man. >> he's correct, elvis? >> "tiny dancer." >> the name of the song is tiny dancer, but everyone is saying tony danza. >> they do? >> he's like, they love me. we always mess up lyrics to songs. that was a pretty bad one. absolutely. >> back across to kath. >> from queens, new york. long way you kamt. listen to this 1987 arrow smith song and name the correct lyrics. ♪ dude looks like a lady ♪ dude looks like a -- >> what? one more time. >> do this lady. >> no. no. he's adorable but he's wrong. >> the correct answer is? >> dude looks like a lady. >> that's a good one. >> aerosmith. they're still making albums. they have an album out in november. >> these groups are all kind of hanging in there, they're coming back. >> steven tyler was a judge on "american idol." and people love their sound. their sound just keeps on going. we love aerosmith. >> we're waiting for you to come back and give us your next little pick. >> i'll be here thursday. >> you are? you'll be here all week practically. >> wear purple tomorrow, too. >> i wore it today. okay. anyway, fans on the plaza play mad madelyn food challenge. wait till you see what happens and surprise after this. it's going to be big. thank you, elvis. time to play madelyn's mad food challenge when team hoda and team kathie lee go head to head. >> getting our game on right now is nbc's health and diet editor, madelyn fernstrom. on my team we have grant pastor from buffalo, new york, and erica barbera from islip, new york, also known as the winners. >> my team, two best friends from middle school. >> lisa kanarska and heidi mcfarland from princeton, new jersey. >> we are ready, madelyn. >> all about tailgating. question number one, look at the board. be ready to buzz in at any time. how many buffalo wings can you eat for 200 calories? >> what is the answer? >> say b. >> and three buffalo wings would be right. >> okay. have to buzz in quickly. >> he's from buffalo. that's why he knew that. buffalo wings. >> how many grams of fat are in one order of loaded baked potato skins with cheese? 45, 65 or 85? >> b. >> you would be wrong. >> c. >> you can steal it. >> c. >> 85 grams. >> i said that. you people didn't listen to me. >> share those if you're going to eat them. coming up next, next question, all of these foods are over 500 calories except one. is it the slice of pepperoni pizza, chili cheese dog or six-inch meatball sub? >> we got it. >> say it. >> he says pizza. >> you would be wrong. you could steal. which one has lower calories? >> six-inch meatball sub. >> no. >> b. >> no points for that. 350 calories. the others are almost twice that. next, alcohol. >> i should know this. >> based on health guidelines, what count as one drink for women? >> the answer is beer. it's the beer. >> no, a. >> final answer. >> a, that is correct. 12 ounces of beer. >> i thought a fourth of a bottle of wine was one glass of wine. >> no. >> oh, hallelujah. >> in health guidelines it's five glasses to a bottle. >> madelyn, i want to point out the score. it's 3-0. >> you have time to catch up. so how many football fields -- how many football fields would you have to walk to burn off the calories in four handfuls of potato chips? 30, 40 or 50 football fields? >> no. >> my fault. >> b. >> no, it's c. 50 football fields. a football field is only 100 yards. so you have to walk about 3.5 miles. >> this is another one. kathie lee, this has your name on it. only one of these hot drinks has less than 150 calories. which one? >> apple cider, hot cocoa or irish coffee? which one has less than 150. >> irish coffee. >> you would be wrong. triple or nothing. >> hot apple cider. >> hard apple cider is correct. you win that. 140 calories. you win that point. >> loaded with calories. >> yes, indeed. you got the right answer. >> so is it over? >> it's over. and our winner is -- it's a tie. >> no, you guys win it. they get the prize. >> but we also have -- >> there you go. wouldn't you rather have that anyway? star has been rising very fast since winning "american idol." >> scotty mccreery has a song with us, for us. >> he came all the way from montreal with his one-pot stew. >> coming up after this. >> and for every season there's a reason to watch "wake up with al" weekday mornings on the weather channel. >> it's just right. all your local weather, travel updates and the day's top stories. >> the front will move through. that will change the temperature. >> you can't beat this kind of weather. >> everything you need to know first thing. >> big picture. >> we're sort of like a killer app in the morning. >> tap into us. >> "wake up with al" weekday mornings at 6:00 and 10:00 a.m. only on the weather channel. [ male announcer ] this is mike. mike's being healthy and chewing like a man. with one-a-day vitacraves for men! it's a gummy multivitamin... with more b vitamins, which help convert food to energy, and help mike do manly things, like wrestle bears and take out the garbage. get $2 off at oneaday.com. get out those knives, put on that apron. we're about to take you into "today's" kitchen for a healthy chicken stew to warm your stomach and your soul in a single pot. >> chuck hughes, host of chuck's eat the street. >> i like that. >> on the cooking channel, brought this recipe straight from his grandma's kitchen. i don't think we've seen you since we were with you in montreal. >> that's true. >> how are you? >> i'm amazing. this chicken -- >> it's seen better day. >> this is a one-pot wonder. this is what my grandma used to make around christmastime. it's one of those comforting, easy recipes you can do for under 25 bucks. >> feed four people? >> feed people for days. we start off by roasting the chicken. intensifying the flavors, getting a nice sear on there, good color. onion, carrot, celery. leeks and garlic. >> and whole clove. >> whole clove. nice and chunky. thyme, parsley. beautiful. toss that in there as well. >> vodka. >> loads of vodka. vodka, oreos. >> that's water, of course. >> water. peppercorn. >> how much of -- oh, olive oil. >> zero. >> why is it sitting here? >> just to see if you're listening. >> i'm listening. >> we put this in the bottom to sear the chicken first, but we're good to go. honestly, how beautiful does that look? >> i like that. >> how long do you cook that? >> let it go for an hour and a half to two hours. >> simmering or boiling it? >> simmering. that's a really good question. >> you want to make it fall off the bone. >> boiling it -- >> emulsify the fat if you boil it and then you won't be able to skim it off after. >> that's why i ask. >> once we have that, we've taken the chicken out. we have potatoes that have been par boiled. they're lightly cooked. pasta not cooked at all. let this go. you have the chicken here, which we just pull apart. my grandma typically would serve it with these very fancy celery sticks. >> i like it. >> put this in water overnight and salt water and olives. really that's all it is. dress it up, put some chicken. you have to get that old-school parsley in there as well. >> you like the old-school stuff not the flakes. >> ladies, thank you so much. >> that's just the broth. >> i know. >> it will give you an idea of -- >> say hello to our friends in montreal. >> i will. dinner and music. country music star scotty mccreery sings for us. first this is "today" on nbc. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> announcer: the toyota concert series on "today" brought to you by toyota. >> it was just a couple of years ago when scotty mccreery won "american idol" at the age of 17. >> wow! >> five months later he released his debut album "clear as day" which became the best-selling solo album of any country artist in 2011. >> now scotty's out churning out his second cd and is already getting reviews called "see you tonight." >> glad to see you today. >> thanks for having me back. >> it's been a wild couple of years for you, huh? >> it has. it has. we've been busy. busy is good. >> you took your time with this next cd. >> we did. >> you did some of the writing on it? >> i did. wanted to make sure i was an artist with this record and say what we wanted to say. think we've got cool tracks on this thing and i'm excited. >> what are you going to sing for us? >> we're going to sing what's out on the radio right now, the title track "see you tonight." >> all right. "see you tonight" scotty mccreery. ♪ girl you know i love talkin' to you on the phone i could listen to your sweet voice all night long sometimes i can get by with a sweet dreams baby goodnight but this time well i don't wanna spend it alone no♪ ♪ so i'm comin' over i hope it's all right listen for me pullin' into your drive look out your window you'll see my lights ♪ ♪ baby girl i gotta see you tonight the way the breeze is blowin' blowin' you got me wishin' i was holdin' holdin' on to you so tight under that porch light girl i gotta see you tonight tonight tonight ♪ ♪ girl i gotta see you tonight tonight tonight ♪ ♪ i gotta couple hundred pictures of your pretty face on my phone on my dash all over the place but i would drive a million miles just to see that little smile in real life baby it's worth the drive you're worth the drive ♪ ♪ so i'm comin' over i hope it's all right listen for me pullin' into your drive look out your window you'll see my lights ♪ ♪ baby girl i gotta see you tonight the way the breeze is blowin' blowin' you got me wishin' i was holdin' holdin' on to you so tight under that porch light ♪ ♪ girl i gotta see you tonight tonight tonight ♪ ♪ girl i gotta see you tonight tonight tonight ♪ ♪ no i don't care what time it is i just gotta get a little moonlight kiss girl i can't help it when i feel like this there's only one thing to do cause baby i'm missin' you ♪ ♪ so i'm comin' over i hope it's all right listen for me pullin' into your drive look out your window you'll see my lights ♪ ♪ now baby girl i gotta see you tonight the way the breeze is blowin' blowin' you got me wishin' i was holdin' holdin' on to you so tight under that porch light girl i gotta see you tonight tonight tonight girl i gotta see you tonight tonight tonight ♪ ♪ girl i gotta see you tonight ♪ ♪ girl i gotta see you tonight ♪ >> yeah! >> scotty mccreery. >> i'm here to help. you and i will get through this together. [applause]