NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: NBC’s ‘Today with Hoda and Jenna’ host Jenna Bush Hager looked unwell during a recent episode after she tried Burger King’s viral cheeseburger.
Jenna Bush Hager, known for her love of queso, faced a challenging moment on Wednesday's ‘Today with Hoda and Jenna’ show. She and co-host Hoda Kotb were tasked with trying Burger King Thailand's “real cheeseburger,” which consisted of a bun packed with a staggering 20 slices of American cheese. The segment, called Yuck or Yum?, featured the co-hosts sampling unique food combinations and snacks. However, their expressions revealed their lack of enthusiasm as Today's culinary producer Katie Stilo presented the meatless burger on a silver tray.
Is Jenna Bush Hager OK?
During a recent ‘Today with Hoda and Jenna’ episode, Jenna Bush Hager had a stomach-churning moment when she tried a burger filled with 20 American cheese slices. After Katie presented the famous cheeseburger on a silver tray, Hager asked, “Why is it white right here?” while pointing to the processed cheese. After acknowledging that the burger contains 20 cheese slices, Kotb revealed, “I don’t feel well. I think I might get sick.” She continued, “You couldn’t bite that if you tried.”
While Kotb clearly refused to try this disastrous burger, it was clear that Hager had to step up and take a bite. Hager said, “I’m not going to use the bathroom for seven weeks,” as she picked up one of the burgers. As Hager took a small bite, she couldn’t hide her disgust and quickly frowned. She said, “I love cheese, too, but this takes it too far”. Both Hager and Kotb unanimously agreed on a “yuck” verdict for the Burger King menu item. As they were ready to move on from the tasting, Hager suddenly felt a wave of nausea. She yelled, “Ugh!” while holding on to Kotb’s arm for support, “It's just hitting me... That's really hard. As a child, I might have liked that. It's just a lot.”
‘I like it way more than I thought’
Before dealing with the burger’s monstrosity, Hager and Kotb had tried an English muffin topped with almond butter, jelly, and Doritos. This unique combination was suggested by actor Neil Patrick Harris. During an interview with New York Magazine’s Grub Street, he revealed that the Doritos add “umami and a crunch.” However, Kotb and Hager didn’t feel the same way. “Oh my word,” Kotb said as Hager chimed in, “This is not something I was expecting.” Fortunately, after trying the item, both of them were surprised by the combo and gave the dish a “Yums up.” Hager said, “I like it way more than I thought.” The last food trend that the ‘Today’ hosts decided to try out was crispy freeze-dried candy which had gained popularity on TikTok. Among the samples they tried were freeze-dried caramel apple pops, peach rings, Skittles, and Hi-Chews. The results were mixed as they tasted the different candies. Some of the candies were deemed too sweet for their preferences. In the end, Kotb summarized their thoughts by saying “Yuck for some of them” indicating they didn't enjoy them, but she labeled the Skittles as a “Yum,” suggesting they found them enjoyable.