The season of reunions has arrived!
With the official start of summer just days away and the lifting of pandemic-related travel restrictions, for many, it’s time to get back together with familiar faces, whether it’s a class reunion, a family reunion, or just getting together with friends. old friends for the first time in a long time.
And that’s exactly what happened in the square on Tuesday, when the TODAY gang was shocked to find themselves face-to-face with friends they hadn’t seen in years.
The emotional moments began with host Savannah Guthrie, who saw some banners waving through the crowd at her former alma mater, the University of Arizona. But while the banners made her smile, it was the face of her former best friend, Melissa Mana, that made her jaw drop.
“Melissa, I can’t believe it!” Savannah said as she reached out to hug her friend. “I’m shocked.”
But the spotlight didn’t stay in its sweet moment for long, as there were plenty of others to reach.
Next up was meteorologist Al Roker, who wasn’t just meeting a friend when he spotted Lou Borrelli in the plaza. He met with a mentor.
“Oh Lord!” Al was delirious. “Sweet Lou!”
Al and “Sweet Lou” go back to his days at college radio station WOCR at the State University of New York at Oswego, when Lou helped introduce Al to some of his early broadcasts.
“How are you, big boy?” Al smiled and looked at his friend, who even wore a pair of bright blue Rocker-inspired glasses for the special moment.
For Carson Daly, it was a “Total Request Live” reunion, because the friend waiting to surprise him was Tony Disanto, a man he worked closely with back in his MTV days.
“This is my man right here!” Carson yelled after spotting Tony in the crowd.
Hugging his old friend, Carson added, “We created ‘TRL’ together.”
Craig Melvin ran up to Robert Goings when he saw his Kappa Sigma fraternity brother in the plaza, and was genuinely taken aback by his appearance, partly because it had been so long since their last meeting and partly because Craig thought he knew exactly where he was. Robert.
“I was texting with him, he was like, ‘Oh, I’m duck hunting in (Argentina),'” Craig explained.
“I came back for you, my brother,” said Robert.
That makes sense as these two have fostered their friendship well beyond their days at Wofford College.
“He sang at my wedding,” Craig said of Robert. “And I was at his wedding.”
And finally, after the others had their sweet reunions, host Hoda Kotb saw a bunch of Virginia Tech banners waving and knew she was about to get in on the reunion fun, too.
“Maria!” she screamed as soon as she saw her Delta Delta Delta sorority sister, Mary Robertson. “We were roommates in college. I can’t even believe you’re here.”
Tears of happiness flowed, and Hoda added, “I’m shocked!”
And that surprise was genuine, as Savannah confirmed.
“This is crazy,” she said, still holding her friend. “Actually, we are never so surprised on this show. This it is shocking!”
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