the original liberated lady. and helen, we weren't at your party last night because we were sort of busy. >> very busy. >> but happy birthday to you. >> happy birthday. >> cheers. she and her husband david, when i first came to new york, were absolutely everything i ever did and they were in the front row and supporting me. they were great ladies. lifetime friends. happy birthday. >> an institution. a feel-good story. it is friday. we'll make you feel warm and fuzzy. this started off scary. it came from michigan. there was a 4-week-old puppy, a puggle, fell through one of the basement grates in the owners' home. it got stuck. it was tiny. got stuck in a drainpipe overnight. these rescuers put a stethoscope-type thing, listened to where the dog was, placed cameras in the pipe -- >> oh! >> oh, and he was so scared. >> you know what they named him? >> piper! >> look. oh, look, his mom. >> his mom. >> can you imagine how scary for that little dog? >> now he's got to be thirsty. >> anyway, i can't believe how cute that little guy is. >> you know, so many sad stories regarding your pets and things, you see a little rescue like that. >> this next piece of video, our girl, bobbie thomas, was surfing the web and doing what she does in her spare time. >> of course she was. >> there's something called the flip side. this is a thing where men -- girls and guys, men and women, get to play the other's role at a bar. we've seen how guys react and girls react. they decided to do role playing. it got 1.5 million hits on youtube. it's called the flip side. >> oh, come on! >> i hear you guys are brothers. >> we're not brothers. >> we get it all the time. >> i don't know. >> all right. shot. >> i don't know. you know how i get. i don't want to come off as rude. >> you seem like a nice person. >> just trying to catch up a little bit. we haven't seen each other in like -- >> i'm doing my part. i'm a good guy, right? i'm a good guy, right? >> i believe you. >> the love is gone! >> that's hoda. >> all right. i think we should go. >> what do you say we get out of here? >> i don't know, i probably shouldn't. let me see if my friends are okay. >> whooo! >> yeah, let's get out of here. >> cute. very cute. >> that is a scene i cannot even comprehend anymore. >> going to the bars? >> being a single in the bars today. i can't even -- it must be scary. >> it's not a great feeling because you don't know what you're talking to. you really don't. people pretend a lot. >> yes. >> you really don't know. >> unless they're drunk and then you see the real them. right? >> that's true. the real them does come out. we talk a lot about text messages and stuff. a lot of people, 1 in 10, claim they have been dumped by a text message. but here's some of the scarier stuff i think. 25% admit to flirting with someone they shouldn't by text because you don't feel like -- >> you feel like it's not cheating. >> there's a buffer. you're not actually seeing them. 1 in 3 admit to reading their partner's text messages. >> you got a problem if you're doing that. you've got a big problem in your relationship. you may not be voicing that problem to one another, but you've got one. >> i did that before. >> you had good reason. >> 1 in 10 listen to their partner's voice mail. >> frank and i don't even know how to access voice mails. frank said to me the other day, do you think i should learn to text? i said no, you're good. i don't need to know how to e-mail and you don't know how to text. >> if you have suspicions -- i mean, you want to be trusting, but if your husband has been out late, you're wondering what's going on, you wouldn't click around? >> don't you have a pass, a key? >> sometimes you don't. >> i don't know. i just think it's very sad if you've got to be snooping around. >> i think if you have a gut feeling something is wrong, you're not crazy or neurotic, but if you think something is wrong and he keeps saying nothing, nothing, nothing. >> a lot of people do find out that way. it's sad. it's one more thing. i don't know how anybody stays together in today's world. i honestly don't. so many things pulling at you. and kids, i mean, they all go to these movies and they're bombarded by sexual messages from the time they're little. they're not allowed to be children anymore. they're already having, you know, their little baby chinos and their -- i know. i mean, i think we're going to pay a price culturally for all this. >> yeah. >> i truly do. you know, we live on our technology so it make us want to think what's on his text number, hers? >> you're right. >> what's in your heart is what i want to know. tell me what's in your heart. sit down and have a conversation. >> i started reading that book "the happiness project." >> you've been talking about it for about a week. >> that's a great book. they bring up very obvious things. i'll tell you this one. there's a great story about a little boy who's playing with a shiny blue car, loves it, plays with it. it's his favorite thing. his mom sees how happy he is. he gets four more of the exact same cars. suddenly he's not interested in any of them. it's that whole thing in life. you have something, you treasure it, and when you get a mass of things, like too much ice cream. >> women with men. they can't get enough. >> i know. >> one's not enough. they want five of them. >> good one. >> and on that, it's time for -- >> "the friday funny." >> it better be good. >> this is my last shot. >> a woman is sitting at home and she hears the knock on the front door. she sees two sheriff's deputies standing there. naturally she wonders if there is a problem. before she can inquire, one of the deputies asks if she's married. when she acknowledges she is, he asks to see a picture of her husband. >> uh-oh. >> yeah. the woman gets the picture and shows it to the deputy. the deputy says, i'm sorry, but it looks like your husband has been hit by a truck. the woman says, yes, i know, but he has a great personality, he's terrific with the kids. [ drum roll ] >> that was a good one. i liked that one. >> no. >> finally dug yourself out of the hole. that one was a good one. i like that. already, you guys. i don't know if you've noticed but on our website we have a blog. >> i didn't know. i'm so thrilled. >> we know nothing about this. anyway, we've heard rumors about it. it's a place you find -- >> it's called the kathie lee and hoda blog. >> we were wondering who's the secret girl writing it. >> and what gives her the right. >> her name is julian smolinski. >> are woe sure of that? >> i don't know. she's a "today" show contributor. she writes our funny posts. do you have to watch our show? >> i do. it's a really hard job. >> are you getting paid for this? >> i am. i am getting paid for this. >> you're lucky. >> i know. >> that's ridiculous. >> that is truly ridiculous. >> mm-hmm. >> you should be in the studio to see what happens in the commercial breaks. you can write about that stuff. >> i hear that's when it gets crazy. >> please don't. >> we're already off the air. >> if you like our blogs, please tell julianne, and if you have any suggestions -- >> why don't we get sara to blog about you? how about that, julianne? see how you like it. glad to have you. thank you. >> it is time for bobbie's buzz! >> we are animals. >> we are all animals. what's happening? >> meow. >> a three-day weekend. >> yes, we are. it is try day. we decided to combine "buzz" and try day because i have some fun food finds thanks to the girls in my office always looking for clever ways to cut calories. you may or may not like these, but they're popular in the office. a peanut powder called pb2. they take the oil out of it and it's 85% less fat and you mix it with water. i tried it. i'll tell you what i think after you try it. just scoop it. >> that's pretty good. >> not bad. >> you wouldn't eat it in a pinch? >> no. >> for 85% less fat? >> no. >> it's good. 45 calories for two tablespoons, which is not a lot. it's usually 150. >> it tastes like the kind that isn't full fat. >> the natural kind. >> sorry, bobbie. >> arctic zero is an ice cream that the whole pint, if you decided to splurge, is 150 calories. i was talking to joy bauer earlier and she said there's nothing crazy bad in it, which is good. not any of these weird preservatives. >> that's good. >> that's peanut putter? >> chocolate peanut butter. 45 calories per serving. if you decide to get in there, there are fun, crazy flavors. >> i don't eat sweets. i try not to any way. >> that's pretty good. >> i love it. you have corn dog mints, ranch mints. >> who wants ranch mints? >> the girls say at the office if you break it up in your salad, it's better than the dressing. >> smell this. >> that smells like doritos. thank you, bobbie. we love our bobbie. >> how much? >> all the information is on klgandhoda.com. >> thank you, baby. love you. bye. up next, a special edition of "today" ambush makeovers. >> the winners of our 25,000-pound weight loss challenge get a brand-new look after this. ♪ beautiful girl >> back with a special weight-loss edition of "ambush makeover." we picked two winners from our 25,000-pound weight loss challenge with joy bauer. and flew them to new york to receive an ambush makeover. >> very exciting. here to show them off, "today" contributor and stylist to the stars -- >> louis licari, la, la, la, la, la. >> you have been practicing. and his partner in perfection, "us weekly" contributor and author jill martin, plus joy bauer today. yay. a big day. >> usually we pick someone off the plaza, but today, two lucky ladies. >> our two winners from the 25,000-pound weight loss challenge and they both wrote super compelling essay entries. one is from south carolina, and the other one is from pennsylvania. they've got some friends. and i have not met them yet so i'm really excited. >> you're going to be blindfolded too. >> yes. yes. >> joy is playing the game. first up is penny matthews, 29 years old from shrewsbury, pennsylvania. she started gaining weight when her sister kelly passed away two years ago. since following our segment, she's lost 21 pounds and is so excited to keep losing. let's listen to her story. >> you lost 21 pounds. you must be so proud of her. >> i am. i'm so proud. she has had two bad years, 2010, 2011. and she's making a great comeback. and 21 pounds in a month is just -- i'm so proud of her. this gift you're giving her is wonderful. thank you so much. >> already. we're all crying. we went shopping yesterday and had so much fun. >> yes. >> are you ready to see your whole new look? >> absolutely. i wish you could go shopping with me every day. it's the only way i like to shop. yes, yes, no, no, yes, yes. >> what a doll. >> how cute. >> so we had mom, cindy, over there, joy, put your blindfold on. don't cheat. >> so excited. >> here is the before picture of penny matthews. keep a blindfold on. we'll tell you when to take them off. come on out, penny. >> oh, my gosh! stay right there. >> are you ready? take off your blindfolds. >> oh! you look gorgeous! >> want to see yourself? be careful. right here. >> wonderful. >> gorgeous! >> beautiful. >> oh. >> cue the kleenex, please. >> wait. look at mom. >> so sweet. >> so proud of you. >> come to me. come to me. how are you? tell us about the hair. beautiful. you look great. >> congratulations on your weight loss. >> look there. >> we even accented because that made her hair darker. we shaped it around her face to contour her face. >> what do you think? >> i have never worn gold before. >> tell us about that. >> we went shopping yesterday, and it was so much fun. the two things we wanted, a little sparkle to match her personality, and then a pair of jeans that fit. her jeans were four sizes too big. this is inc, hemmed right, and you cannot wear them to the barn. that's the rule. >> she has dropped four sizes in one month. that's unbelievable. >> look how misty joy is getting, too. >> you obviously followed her plan. right? >> i followed her plan. i started eating better, no trigger foods, physical therapy gave me a wellness plan after gym. and so we could target the areas where i broke my back. then i would go ride the horse for as long as i could have the stamina. >> we are so excited for you. big round of applause. >> whooo! [ applause ] >> careful, careful! >> oh, my gosh. >> our next lady is dana rice. she's 29 from charleston, south carolina. for the past two years she's been too busy to take care of her daughter to really focus on herself. since starting joy's weight loss program, she's lost 18 pounds and is still working hard to reach her goal weight. she's with her friend, sarah. listen to her story. >> dana and i went shopping yesterday. and she has a hot body. >> she is. >> you must be so proud of her. >> she's work sod hard. i'm just so proud of her. she's a great mom, a great wife, a great friend. and she just deserves this. i'm so excited for her. >> such a good person. and we did have so much fun. are you ready to see the whole new you? >> very excited. very excited. yes, thank you. >> no. thank you. all right. one last look at dana. her friend and joy blindfolded. one last look. let's bring out the new dana rice! >> whoa! beautiful! >> wow. >> you look great. ladies, you want to take off your blindfolds? >> oh, my gosh! >> wow. >> beautiful. >> you really do, dana. i know you're dying to. turn around and see yourself. >> wow. oh, my gosh! >> i love the hair. >> i'm gorgeous! >> you look so great. >> stay right there for the camera. >> again, very soft strawberry quality. >> i love it. >> the trick here is we brought her hair up several inches, gave her great proportions with her new body. it will only continue to make her look thinner and thinner. her bronzer on the side to make her face look a little thinner. >> all blended and soft and pretty. >> jill. >> head start. >> pop of color. >> isn't it fun? >> we had so much fun, i felt like this really brought out her personality. she loved it. this is ny collection. i love mixing pink and red. how much fun are these shoes? available at macy's. she was, like, have to have these shoes! >> are they comfortable? >> they're very comfortable. >> you love? joy is getting out of her chair. come on out. >> all right. not too late to start your own weight-loss program. follow joy's program. up next, firing up the crowd. they have questions for us after this. [ male announcer ] when do you take 5-hour energy? when i'm on the night shift. when they have more energy than i do. when i don't feel like working out. when there isn't enough of me to go around. ♪ when i have school. and work. every morning. it's faster and easier than coffee. every afternoon when that 2:30 feeling hits. -every day. -every day. every day is a 5-hour energy day. [ male announcer ] 5-hour energy. every day. [ party goers ] go! go! go! yayyy! go! go! go! yayyy! go! go! go! go! how do you like them apples? he didn't do nothin'. orbit. for a good clean feeling. no matter what. see? he's taking his vitamins. one a day vitacraves plus omega-3 dha is a complete multivitamin for adults. plus an excellent source of omega-3 dha in a great tasting gummy. one a day, gummies for grown-ups. ♪ $5 ♪ $5 footlong [ male announcer ] februany's on! any regular footlong™ is a $5 footlong™... all day long. subway. eat fresh®. it is time for "321 live with sara haines," who is hanging with the crowd at the nbc experience store across the street. >> hope you did a good job sifting through their questions. >> we have great names. this is imogene with a question about food. >> i'm visiting new york with my family. what food do you recommend? >> i love her. >> new york pizza while you're here. >> and go to magnolia bakery and just get one warm cupcake. whatever comes out of the oven, get that one. doesn't matter the flavor. >> go down to chinatown and get their wonderful food. then have the best lamb chops you've ever had at neary's pub. >> she's, like, i don't know what she just said. >> you asked the right girls. they love to eat, too. next up, pala from italy with a question about valentine's day. >> what did you guys get for valentine's day? >> do we have to go through this again? >> tell her. >> hoda had the greatest valentine's day ever. >> went down to the lobby real quick, by boyfriend was in a tuxedo with a woman playing a violin. >> at 5:00 in if morning. >> i was boo-hooing. >> then on the treadmill, what did you get? >> i got roses. the hits kept coming. i can't say anymore. what did you get? >> something else. >> i got a bear. a big bear, a vermont stuffed teddy bear. but it was the thought that counts. >> thank you for asking. thanks, guys. still ahead, fun activities to beat the winter blues. >> a slam dunk, the harlem globetrotters are here. ♪ we're back on this try day friday with more of "today." for so many moms, long winter days is bring on a case of groundhog day syndrome where every day seems like the one before. >> dana is here with great tips to shake up the daily routine. >> welcome back. >> thank you. >> this is all stuff you have in your house. a lot of it will be easy to do. >> that's the idea. you want to be prepared. a long weekend coming up, maybe somebody will get some snow. there are a lot of days until march 21st. >> okay. >> what are we starting with? marshmallows and -- >> we're making creatures and shapes out of marshmallows and pretzel sticks. i'd be shocked if every mom doesn't have these in her house. i do. >> take a break and eat along the way. >> what are you guys making? >> i think this one is going to be -- >> that's a giraffe and that's a snowman. >> wow. very cool. >> doesn't cost much. >> another thing you probably have at home, masking tape or painter's tape, that blue tape. we just made a simple hopscotch plan here on this. >> show us how it's done. >> remember? >> okay. >> you can do it anyway. >> go for it. >> i forget. >> i forgot how to play hopscotch. >> the other thing you can do is make a balance beam with masking keep going. pull some sofa kitchens off the couch and hop over back and forth. >> when this game is done you just rip it up. >> thank you. >> good job. >> good job. >> here's something you'd want to prepare a little bit by stocking up on a few craft supplies. but these are basically homemade craft kits. this one here you can make a picture frame with some glue, some inexpensive acrylic frames you can get at the craft store or even sometimes the grocery store. you have puff paint there, like a three-dimensional paint, and some glitter dots and foil. the kids can just decorate -- >> do whatever they want. >> exactly. >> the second one is a clay animal. really once clay is in the picture you never know what's going to happen. it could be an animal. it could be something else. >> could be unrecognizable. >> unrecognizable. >> googly eyes are a good ingredient in any home craft project. >> what's on the end here? >> a pirate chest, a is simple wooden chest you can buy at a craft store. you'll paint that and make things to go in the top here. and over here -- >> what's going on? >> all kinds of things you can do with cheerios and cranberries. >> right. >> so these are garlands for your feathered friends out in the backyard. >> nice. >> clever. >> that is smart. >> it's simply fishing line. as you can see, the kids are using some plastic craft needles, safer than using regular needles. we have some cranberries there and cereal. they're stringing it up. >> this time of year the creatures appreciate it. >> look at that. >> great idea. very cool. >> dana, nice job. good job, you guys. >> thank you, kids. so coming up, there are inappropriate remarks some people make after others are engaged. why do people do that? >> we don't know anybody like that but we've heard. snappy comebacks for you. >> this is the best song right now. ♪ marry