In Wheel Time Podcast

Jeep Thrills at the Houston Auto Show: The Adventure Begins

• In Wheel Time • Season 2025 • Episode 141

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Thank you for joining us on this replay of some of our favorite interviews from the 2025 Houston Auto show.  We have included a NEW review of the 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid from our Host, Don Armstrong.

Get ready to rev your engines and fuel your passion for adventure in this episode that takes you inside the 42nd Annual Houston Auto Show. From the striking presence of the Stellantis booth to the exhilarating rides at Camp Jeep, we uncover what makes this event a true celebration of automotive culture and camaraderie. 

Our team gets exclusive access to firsthand accounts from professional drivers who divulge the secrets behind Jeep's technological advancements, enriching our understanding along the way. 

Discover the joy of attending an auto show where passion meets engineering. This episode not only showcases exhilarating driving experiences but also highlights the importance of community spirit among car lovers. 

Whether you're a die-hard Jeep enthusiast or simply curious about the latest trends in automotive engineering, this episode promises insights and engaging stories that will captivate your interest. Join us, and don’t forget to share your experiences or favorite Jeep models with us after listening! Subscribe for more thrilling automotive adventures and exclusive insights!

Be sure to subscribe for more In Wheel Time Car Talk!

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to another In Wheel Time podcast, a 30-minute mini version of the In Wheel Time Car Show that airs live every Saturday morning 8 to 11 am, central From the 42nd Annual Houston Auto Show. This is the award-winning In Wheel Time Car Talk Show. Just ahead we've got interviews with some of the participant manufacturers and others here at today's show. Also, I'll give you my thoughts on driving the 2024 Jeep Wrangler 392. Oh, and the 392 is not how long it is.

Speaker 2:

It's not a wheelbase. No, it's not a wheelbase.

Speaker 1:

It's not the weight, it's the engine size And's not a wheelbase. No, it's not a wheelbase, it's not the weight, it's the engine size and it's a hot rod. They put that engine in the Super B and let me tell you something it bad, it real bad. Jeff has the Motor Minute on this segment of the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show. Howdy, along with Mike out of this rural Mars, we always need Jeff Zekin Chief. Along with Mike, out of this rural Mars, we always need Jeff Zekin Chief Engineer. David Ainsley has joined us fresh from the bed this morning and I'm, don Armstrong, glad that you could join us. Thank you very much. In the hot seat right now, our first interview of the day. Hmm, can't imagine why we're going to make this the Jeep segment. Why? Because we are in the Stellantis booth and more specifically in the Jeep booth here at the Houston Auto Show. You've got all of the Jeeps here and they've got Camp Jeep right over there, right yonder.

Speaker 1:

Right yonder, and they're lining up already.

Speaker 2:

Oh yeah, they opened the doors and folks just rushed over to this area.

Speaker 1:

That's right. It's like Disneyland. You know when they first opened the gate at Disneyland and everybody rushes to their favorite place. You know Pirates of the Caribbean or Space Mountain or whatever it is.

Speaker 2:

The restroom.

Speaker 3:

Don goes to Tiny Tots Town or whatever. Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Thank you, I do With my grandson.

Speaker 2:

Just to make it clear. I knew that Did I leave that out, you sick old man, it's all right.

Speaker 3:

Sorry.

Speaker 1:

At any rate. So Benny Munguia, from ready drum roll.

Speaker 2:

South.

Speaker 1:

Padre Island.

Speaker 2:

Texas.

Speaker 1:

Who do you know from South Padre Island?

Speaker 4:

You, this guy right here yeah.

Speaker 1:

South Padre.

Speaker 4:

You know you're the only person that I have ever known, met or been in touch with and seen from South padre I actually have a cousin that lives in south padre I was born and raised here, but once I moved down to the valley I was like south padre, I can't, yeah you know it's kind of looking for a nice deep, dark hawaiian tan, but I'm not seeing that right now easy, easy just yeah I haven't been around home for months.

Speaker 1:

Are you on the?

Speaker 4:

road with Jeep all the time For the last couple months. Yes, so it's been an interesting tour. I would say yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1:

Well, I know that on the road that you have to read about your company a lot because there's been lots of changes with Stellantis here in the past month and a half or so, they fired Louie Prima and he's gone, and now we've got somebody from the US of A heading things up and we are really excited because I think that the turnaround is going to be jaw-dropping in the coming months. They've already made announcements regarding advertising, the whole new push. It's going to be good, but in the meantime and in between time, camp Jeep. Why is it that everybody comes over here and wants to? Because this is not the only ride and drive, if you want to call it that. This is not the only one, because there's lots of them outdoors, indoors, but always Camp Jeep.

Speaker 4:

Yeah, it's just a unique-looking obstacle illusion that you're looking at, but it's not an illusion, of course, but it's something that it's rare that you get to see in auto shows Describe what it is what it is is an experience for people to come over, and you're getting specs, you're getting knowledge, as well as going obstacles, like going over the breakover, where you have your wheel up in the air and they explain why.

Speaker 2:

So the passengers go with a professional driver or do? The folks drive it themselves? They go with the professional driver.

Speaker 4:

Are you one of the professional drivers I used to be? I used to be. I still do it here and there when I want to have fun.

Speaker 2:

You want to scare the you-know-what out of the people. Oh, yeah, yeah, I've been doing it for so many years, but I love it, I love it.

Speaker 4:

I mean, I can't beat it.

Speaker 1:

So do you demonstrate? Demonstrate things like the disconnect for the sway bar and stuff like that.

Speaker 4:

Yes, sir, disconnection of the sway bar and why is that important?

Speaker 1:

For those that don't know, why is that important?

Speaker 4:

It's just a lot of people don't know about it Half the people, I would say. So we explain it how it works, how it disconnects and the importance of why it disconnects.

Speaker 1:

Right right, because it keeps that other wheel on the ground, yeah, when typically it would not in a car or something else.

Speaker 4:

Yeah, it tends to work four by four. Yeah, you know four wheels on the ground, there you go, yeah.

Speaker 1:

What is the gain as far as inches or feet when you disconnect the sway bar?

Speaker 4:

It's, I believe, 33 inches or so. That's huge. Yeah, it's a good drop, but it helps when you're going in angles so you don't have that tire up in the air, so you have more control.

Speaker 1:

Now are all of these vehicles over there? Are they all Jeep Wranglers? No, no.

Speaker 4:

We got Wranglers. We do also have Gladiators and the Grand Cherokees.

Speaker 1:

Now, does the Gladiator also have an option? I would assume a detachable sway bar. Yes, really yes.

Speaker 4:

So the Gladiator is just like a Wrangler. It's just a truck with a five-foot bed in the back.

Speaker 1:

And I've read and we've actually had them and we've talked about it. It is not just a truck bed on the back of a Wrangler. It is designed as the truck. It does not. You just don't pick the body up off of it and move it over to the Wrangler.

Speaker 4:

Right, right, yeah, it's very similar to it. It's just a little bit more extension to it, but it does quite a bit just about the same, even though it's a little bit longer wheelbase, right, so it does feel just a little different. Yeah, just a little different.

Speaker 2:

So what are they going to experience? You said I see there's something like an incline, an access. You've dressed down a hill, you've got bumps and things to go over.

Speaker 4:

Yeah, so we, yeah. So we have our 18-foot high hill. Obviously, that's the most attractive thing you could see with 35-degree angles on it. Obviously, we have 4x4 all the way around the track, 4x4 low. We also have what we call the breakover. That's where we actually show the disconnection of the sway bar. It shows you the stretching.

Speaker 2:

The articulation of it yeah, the articulation of the sway bar so it shows you the the stretching the articulation of it. Yeah, the articulation of the front is this size typical of what you do at other shows, or is this larger, smaller average?

Speaker 4:

it's about average, average, same yeah yeah, we do have a different type of hills. We have a smaller hill and we have a bigger hill. Uh, fortunately it doesn't fit in here because it's pretty pretty big, tall hill.

Speaker 3:

So Jeep people I can see Jeep people are going to pretty well know what you're talking about when you're talking about disconnecting sway bars. But what about somebody that's pretty new, I mean, do they seem to kind of grasp what you're saying?

Speaker 4:

Yeah, and that's kind of one of the big points that we do is try to explain people about what this is and what this does and what this other thing does, you know, as far as, like, sway bar axle locks, you know.

Speaker 3:

And then you can kind of show them the result of doing that because of your setup over here. Yeah, that's pretty cool yeah different type of trim levels.

Speaker 4:

You know.

Speaker 1:

There's Rubicon, Saharas, there's sports, you know, you know it's interesting because I think back on the beginning of the civilian style jeep, when it first came on the market. It was pretty much just a mimic of the military but it had a few more options on it. But you still had to get out and go to the lockers up front, yeah to get them lock. You don't have to do any of that anymore. All of it's done from the driver's seat and it's all electronic and it works really well.

Speaker 4:

Yeah, yeah, it's excellent. I mean it's. I hate to say it, but it's pretty lazy nowadays.

Speaker 1:

so you just press a button, you know, Right. The other thing that I did want to mention and I'll mention it in my review is the fact that the new infotainment system and we're going to talk about the info part of the infotainment system especially when it comes to the upper-end Wranglers not only are you able to control all of the different functions of the four-wheel drive, you can actually see it on the display what you're doing. Yes, it shows you that, and that's a relatively new thing. Yeah, and it's kind of evolved over the past few years, hasn't it?

Speaker 4:

yeah, it's. It's pretty awesome just to see that and shows you how, what degrees you're doing and you know vertically, horizontally. Uh, it's a great feature. Now they have like different screens nowadays, so it shows you more clarity, the roll angle, the yaw, the all of the stuff that you hear the space shuttle, yeah, yeah yeah, it is very cool

Speaker 1:

houston style yes, yeah, exactly, well, you know. That's the other thing too. Why would you need a Jeep Wrangler?

Speaker 2:

a 392 in Houston, texas, that's flat as a board Because you can, because you can, because you can.

Speaker 1:

And the 392 is just a little overkill, I think, for rock crawling, yeah, but it sure does go fast on the street, oh yeah.

Speaker 2:

And that's what I'm talking about in Houston, Texas. Get to the rocks quicker. That's what it is. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1:

Well, here I think it's mostly about the beach, and you see so many guys with 4x4s and, in particular, the Wranglers at the beach Dune crawling, and you know all about that down at South Padre Island. Oh yeah, they probably have courses down there, don't?

Speaker 4:

they and clubs. They have a little bit of clubs. I think Houston has more clubs than we have down there Right.

Speaker 1:

But as far as courses are concerned, yeah, usually you could just find it. Yeah, because I mean, from my knowledge, that you can't go too deep into the dunes, because then the Parks and Wildlife Department will get after you. Because you don't want to tear that up and mess that up. So I would imagine that somewhere down there that you haven't discovered yet, there's got to be a closed course that they can manipulate the sand so you can do your thing in your new Wrangler.

Speaker 2:

I've got a friend of mine, an acquaintance, that actually belongs to a club, and they go out to West Texas, they go to Moab, they have big events out there as well, and they've all got custom fiberglass, all this other stuff on there.

Speaker 1:

Now Jeep goes out to Moab. Oh yeah, they're big out there, yeah they have a Jeep Safari down there. Absolutely.

Speaker 4:

You ever been on that? Yeah, I have, I have. I've been there twice or three times, I believe. It's incredible just to see thousands and thousands of Jeeps, and you got Willys and 1942s and you have these little clubs.

Speaker 2:

Spotters and all that.

Speaker 4:

It's pretty cool.

Speaker 1:

Well, I will tell you that years ago I belonged to an organization I won't name which one it is. Mars knows tell you that years ago I belonged to an organization I won't name which one it is. Mars knows that we were relegated to a very elevation savvy ranch and it was always so much fun to take that Wrangler on the hill climb part of it. It wasn't a huge elevation, but I will tell you it was. You had to be pretty savvy. We've also been up on a mountaintop where you have to have spotters because otherwise, if you didn't have a spotter, you could roll off that mountain real easily.

Speaker 1:

And some of this stuff gets pretty serious. And these guys that customize their Wranglers, you're going oh my God, how much money you got in that thing.

Speaker 2:

But the thing I think about and they talk about when you're on one of these trails and there's four or five, or a group or your club is out there and you break, how are you going to get back, how are you going to pull your rig out of there? That's always a question that concerns me.

Speaker 2:

to do that Well, that would be your winch well yeah winch, but you know how many, so how long is going to take to get you out of there if you're deep back in that, if you're stuck in there and your jeep's broke down.

Speaker 3:

You don't care how long it takes to get out, as long as you get out all right, and you can call a wrecker, okay, and we've we've witnessed that yeah, we had.

Speaker 1:

We had somebody that went down in the riverbed. They said stay close to the shore, did they? No, put it right down in the deep part of the river. You know what?

Speaker 4:

I'm talking about.

Speaker 1:

They pulled it out, cleaned out, dried out the air cleaner element started right up the way they went.

Speaker 4:

I mean, the good thing now, too, is that they have a front camera they can use yes, I saw that and even if it gets muddy or wet or whatever you want to call it, there's a little spray on it, so it can wash off the mud so you can actually still see everything in front of you, which is a great idea. You know you're talking about.

Speaker 3:

they go to West Texas and they go to North Texas. Apparently, there's a lot of stuff up in oklahoma as well, but it's such a difference that, like don said, the few times that we've been able to go someplace besides the sand and the flat texas here on the coast, rock climbing is just a totally different thing. Experience, yeah, and it's uh, the first couple of times I did it, I I was pretty impressed that, you know, the je Jeep would do it, because I didn't think it would. And he's got, I don't know, go on up there, you don't have to worry about it.

Speaker 2:

So you all opened. You all started Wednesday. Correct you loaded in and started Wednesday. Right, right correct so has it been more guests coming or less, or on average for?

Speaker 4:

folks visiting. It's been pretty average, Obviously today's Saturday, so hopefully it'll pick up a lot more, oh yeah.

Speaker 1:

This afternoon is going to be nuts, it's going to be crazy, and let's not forget that you've got the big guns across the way over NRG Stadium.

Speaker 4:

Oh yeah.

Speaker 1:

With the trucks Monster truck.

Speaker 4:

Monster truck show. Yeah, yeah, we can't compete by those you can Just, you can Just run underneath them.

Speaker 1:

The fun part about this weekend is that you've got the monsters across the street and if you want to make a weekend of automotive, so to speak. This is the place Yep. Nrg, NRG.

Speaker 3:

You know one thing that 392's got it's got a performance exhaust button Makes it considerably louder. You know more performance, right, you know, if you wanted to compete with the monsters, you could go in there and get a Sawzall and cut the mufflers and the cats off of the jeeps you know, as you're going around, don't give anybody any ideas, mars, I'm just thinking.

Speaker 2:

I think that's against the law.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, but we're inside the building. You're not on the street.

Speaker 1:

Okay, Well that's great. I'm sure the Houston Police Department appreciates you talking about Kevin. I saw a couple of sheriffs walking through here just eyeballing you, okay so let everybody know, if you come out which we hope that you do to experience the Houston Auto Show, that when you enter the front of the building, go all the way to the right back quarter, and that's where we are and that's where Camp Jeep is. Yes, sir.

Speaker 3:

Can't miss it. You got hot dogs over there.

Speaker 4:

I wish we did. I'm hungry, well, right over.

Speaker 1:

There is the concession booth.

Speaker 2:

I tell you what Hot dogs. We got donuts back here you want to grab?

Speaker 1:

a donut.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, as always.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, that's the best we got today.

Speaker 3:

Benny, thanks so much for joining us today.

Speaker 4:

Thank you, gentlemen, it's always a pleasure to talk to you, my friend. Thank you, guys.

Speaker 2:

We're going to let Mike take a ride.

Speaker 4:

Of course anytime.

Speaker 2:

And you've got to be 44 inches tall to get on there. Yeah, so I think he's high.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, yeah, he's checking you.

Speaker 4:

Yep, yep, sure is Got it, Benny thanks.

Speaker 1:

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Speaker 1:

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Curbed your wheels Instead of buying new, why not have them repaired? How about a professionally installed radar detector? Gulf Coast Auto Shield does that too. Get a peek inside the shop and look at the services offered by getting online and heading to gcautoshieldcom. Better yet, stop by their facility at 11275 South Sam Houston Tollway, just south of the Southwest Freeway, and get a personal tour. Gulf Coast Auto Shield is your place to go for all things exterior. Call them today 832-930-5655, or gcautoshieldcom. Hey, you can catch the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show 24-7 on InWheelTimecom and the Odyssey radio app, or check us out on the video stream on Facebook, youtube and InWheelTimecom Podcasts available from your favorite podcast provider, including SiriusXM. Okay, let's do the Jeep.

Speaker 2:

Wrangler review. Can we hold off on that for one moment? Let me do mine first, because we're going to hook a cable up. Whatever you want. Okay, you know what I'm only along here for the ride. Okay, the Motor Minute.

Speaker 1:

Do you do it.

Speaker 2:

Are we going to?

Speaker 1:

do it now, or are we going to hook a cable?

Speaker 2:

up first. We're going to hook a cable up for that as well, but the Motor Minute is. Guess what's happening. At 9 o'clock this morning they announced the Hot Rod Tour of Texas. Oh, they did Hot Rod Tour of Texas is officially open for your tickets, for your passenger tickets, your hotels, the route, everything's going on for that Motor Minute or for my Motor Minute, for the Hot Rod Tour of Texas, april, april 24th.

Speaker 1:

I believe Yep, and it's going to be great. It starts down in Victoria and it's going to make its way up to and through Houston and it's going to wind up up in Madisonville this year, but that information's online Hot Rod Tour of Texas.

Speaker 2:

You can get it going and we'll see you there. Okay, you're on. Did you get your cable hooked up? Got my cable hooked up, all right.

Speaker 1:

All right time now for our car review of this hour, and we're going to talk about the 2025 Kia Carnival. Now, the vehicle itself isn't a new new design. What's new about this one is this is the hybrid version. Okay, so let's go down the list here and tell you all about it. Final assembly location is Gwangmyeong, korea. That's where it's built. It is a Kia and that's their home base.

Speaker 1:

Available trim levels include the LXS to start off with, then moves up to EX SX and then top of the line SX Prestige. We had the hybrid SX Prestige. Top of the line. It's a minivan all the way, no doubt about it, and I have to tell you I really do like minivans. As far as people movers, this is top of the line. You don't have to worry about going over rocks and that sort of stuff. Like most SUVs are set up, but minivans do have an image. I think that Kia has tried to set aside the image part and make it look more along the lines of an SUV, which clearly is the most popular form of transportation today. Seats including the driver, up to eight depending on the configuration, so that's good. This hybrid, as I mentioned, all new for 2025.

Speaker 1:

Exterior features include a minivan that resembles an SUV. How did they do it? Well, they laid the windshield back like an SUV much more aerodynamic and they did kind of a mind-blowing thing in design with the doors. Now it does have the sliding side doors in the back, but the way that they're designed, with the A, b and C pillar, with the windshield being laid back, it kind of looks like an SUV. You'll have to look at it to see, but I think you'll agree that it tries to break the minivan look. Attractive front grille and extensive lighting across it. It looks really good. Huge rear hatch with big lighting across it all adds to a sharp, sharp look. Some wheel designs are really not that attractive in my mind. You may think that they are, but each one is related to the certain trim level that you decide that you want to buy what you can afford, what I liked the clever way that Kia designed its look to look like an SUV.

Speaker 1:

What could use improvement? A $495 extra charge for a silver paint job why Stick with just a regular paint job? It goes into the same paint booth and there's no reason to have to pay extra money. All vehicles are painted. You know Interior highlights. It's got the minimalist look dash design with a two-foot wide let's make it two-foot, six-inch wide one screen that contains not only the instrument cluster in front of the driver, clearly, but it also contains the infotainment system over the center console. It works well, except with the minimalist control surfaces, that the volume control and the station tuning control double as the HVAC system. In other words, you turn up and down the temperature that you want in the vehicle or you can adjust the fan, but the same knobs not a big fan of that Soft-touch materials inside are top are top notch, cool and comfortable.

Speaker 1:

Second row seating, reclines and the center seat actually will come out For those that have small children. Each one of the seats in the center section are adjustable back and forth, including the center one, which is really cool because if you have a small child then you can pull the small child up toward you in the center seat so you have access to them. Flat phone charger doubles as a storage area. It's well-designed, works well. Cargo and trunk room well, it's cargo room really behind the third row. It has a huge well back there that does two things Swallows up lots of luggage and whatever you need to have back there, but it also swallows up the third row seat if you want to fold that down and use the entire back area.

Speaker 1:

What I liked? I liked the minimalist controls, except for, as I mentioned to you, the knobs that control the HVAC and the radio. What could use improvement? Again? Hvac control knobs, double radio volume. I get the minimalist look, but that just a little bit over the top. Anyway, as far as power is concerned, it is a 1.6 liter turbocharged hybrid configuration, so it does have a battery, so you don't have to plug it in. It does it all by itself, which is really cool. 242 horsepower, which is a lot out of this battery and engine combination, 271 pound-feet of torque. It does well. I didn't drive it with a loaded-up vehicle, but it works for this vehicle.

Speaker 1:

Six-speed automatic transmission, and here's what really hits home Miles per gallon. It's rated at 34 in the city, 31 on the highway, for a combined of 33. The gas version, by the way, is 21 miles per gallon combined. I got 32.2 miles per gallon over 368 miles. I loved it. What I liked, obviously, is the mileage.

Speaker 1:

What could use improvement? Acceleration from a dead stop sometimes is delayed. It's trying to think about okay, what gear do I need to go into. Is he pressing the accelerator hard enough to bring in the engine? It could be annoying and it could be scary. It's not in all situations. You have to drive it and decide for yourself. Ride and handling pretty good.

Speaker 1:

It is a minivan. It's a big vehicle. The steering is light to the touch, so easy to maneuver through the parking lots of your favorite stores, which I'm sure you'll spend a lot of time in. Here's the pricing on it. The base trim price starts at $5,2600. The price is tested $5,4490. The base model price $40,800. The base model price $40,800.

Speaker 1:

How does it compare with the other vehicles? The Toyota Sienna is a hybrid-only vehicle and it starts at $39,000, within $1,000 of the Kia Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid. It's a plug-in hybrid. It starts at $51,055. It's the most expensive of our comparison and the Honda Odyssey starts at $41,920, within a couple thousand dollars of the Kia. By the way, the Kia has an overall warranty of 10 years and 100,000 miles and that pretty much kills it when it comes to comparison with the other vehicles.

Speaker 1:

I really did like this vehicle a lot. I love the gas mileage and if you're going to be in the minivan market anytime soon, please check all of the minivans from all of the manufacturers. Drive them, look at all of the features, sit in all three rows of seating, see how easy it is to fold down that third row and get it out of the way. What is the adjustability of the center row, the second row, and are you comfortable driving it? Check those out and then price compare. It's very important. You want to drive away loving your new vehicle and that is my review of the 2025 Kia Carnival Hybrid SX Prestige. You, you, you.

Speaker 1:

It's time for the 47th Annual Corvette Chevy Expo in Galveston Saturday and Sunday, march 15th and 16th, at the Galveston Island Convention Center. This premier indoor event features iconic Chevrolets, from classic Camaros to America's sports car Corvette. See over 135 displays, automotive vendors and unique finds at the expansive swap meet. You'll also see the all-handmade Galveston Craft Show featuring over 100 artisans. Be part of the Chevy celebration March 15th and 16th. For tickets, visit CorvetteChevyExpocom. That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheel Time Car Show. I'm Don Armstrong, inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning on Facebook, youtube, twitch and our InWheelTimecom website. Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, spotify, stitcher, iheart Podcast, podcast, addict TuneIn, pandora and Amazon Music. Keep listening and we'll see you soon.

People on this episode

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Don Armstrong

Host
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Jeff Dziekan

Co-host
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Michael Marrs

Co-host