• On Thursday, season two of "The Flipping El Moussas" premiered on HGTV.
• Tarek and Heather Rae El Moussa flipped a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Los Angeles.
• The flip took longer than they anticipated, but they still made a profit on the property.

Tarek El Moussa and Heather Rae El Moussa are back to flipping houses on HGTV.

In January, the couple will appear in the competition series "The Flip Off" with Tarek's ex, Christina Haack. And on Thursday, season two of Heather and Tarek's show, "The Flipping El Moussas," premiered on HGTV, diving into the couple's house-flipping business.

In the episode, Tarek and Heather flipped a three-bedroom house in Los Angeles that was filled to the brim with trash when they started the project.

In the season premiere of "The Flipping El Moussas," Tarek and Heather took on a trash-filled home in Los Angeles.

As the episode opens, Tarek and Heather check out a three-bedroom, two-bath house in Los Angeles.

Tarek's company, Tarek Buys Houses, had purchased the 1,200-square-foot property for $430,000, which they said was on the low end for the area because the house was in disarray, filled with trash, rat droppings, and human feces.

They originally intended to sell the home to another flipper at wholesale, but because it was so dirty, Tarek and Heather would have had to invest money in cleaning it out before they could sell it to another flipper.

Instead, they decided to flip it themselves. They set a budget of $184,000 for renovations and hoped to sell the home for close to $1 million.

The home's large living area was full of garbage when Tarek and Heather started working on it.

The large living area had an open-concept feel, though it was difficult to see the layout when Tarek and Heather first toured the property because it was covered in debris.

Tarek said in the premiere that it took his team three days and 10 trips to the dump to clean out the property.

Tarek and Heather decided to fully open the living area during the flip.

The new living space felt large and airy after the renovation.

Tarek and Heather took down the wall that separated the kitchen from the rest of the living area, making the space feel larger.

The space was full of light thanks to its white walls and the sliding glass doors that took up nearly a whole wall in the living room. Touches like beachy lighting modernized the space.

The backyard wasn't much to look at before the renovation.

The fenced-in backyard offered privacy, but that was the only redeeming quality when the El Moussas worked on the project. The grass had died, and the house wasn't in great shape.

However, the El Moussas noticed that a raised patio would create a view of the area, so they decided to add it to the property.

A patio made the house feel more luxurious.

The episode revealed that adding the patio to the home wasn't simple. The team originally constructing it built an unstable structure and burned a hole through it, to Heather and Tarek's dismay.

But the final version of the patio created an indoor-outdoor living vibe thanks to the sliding doors.

The El Moussas also added a new fence, grass, and a gravel area to the yard for additional seating.

The kitchen was originally full of dark cabinetry.

To make the kitchen feel grander, the El Moussas decided to place the oven and gas range in the center of the space so they were visible when you entered the home.

They had to move some windows around to make the change, which ended up causing them weeks of delays on the flip.

The delays were worth it, as the range became the centerpiece of the kitchen.

The kitchen looked cohesive with the living room, featuring white counters, appliances, and built-in open shelves.

A window above the sink overlooked the patio the El Moussas added to the backyard.

Tarek and Heather wanted to modernize the fireplace in the living room.

A stone fireplace took up much of the central wall in the living room, but the dark color was dated and didn't fit the clean look Tarek and Heather were creating for the home.

Floating shelves and white brick made the space feel fresh.

The new fireplace featured vertical white brick framed by built-in shelving made of wood.

Large windows sat opposite the sliding glass doors, so light flooded the home.

The primary bedroom wasn't as private as it could have been.

When Tarek and Heather first walked through the house, they found that the primary bedroom had a bathroom attached to it, but it was accessible from the home's laundry room and kitchen as well.

The El Moussas decided to close off the bathroom and move the laundry room to a closet to make the bedroom bigger and have a true en suite.

They made the space feel fresher.

Rather than one large window, the El Moussas added two windows framing the bed in the primary to give it a sense of grandeur.

A sliding door led the way to the en suite.

The bathroom featured a large walk-in shower and double vanity.

Heather and Tarek's vision for the bathroom paid off, as they were able to use the former laundry room to add square footage to the bathroom.

The walk-in shower featured a bench, and tile floors with a star-shaped pattern brought a pop of color to the room.

The wooden cabinetry also matched the shelving in the living area, giving the home a sense of cohesion.

The flip took longer than the El Moussas wanted, but they still made a profit.

Due to project delays, Tarek and Heather spent 12 months flipping the property in Los Angeles.

They also spent nearly $100,000 over their original budget on the renovation and invested $276,000 in the flip. Considering the carrying and selling costs, Tarek and Heather's breakeven price for the house was $793,000.

They originally listed the house for $999,999 and got an offer of $920,000.

• Meta's Horizon app topped Apple's App Store on Christmas Day, signaling strong VR headset demand.
• Quest headsets, starting at $299, are gaining mainstream traction in virtual reality.
• Despite strong demand, Meta's Reality Labs faces significant financial losses.

Meta's virtual reality ambitions got a Christmas boost this year.

On Christmas Day, the company's Meta Horizon app, which users must download to set up the Quest virtual reality headsets developed by Meta, was the top free app in Apple's App Store in the US and the UK, indicating strong holiday demand.

Meta has never disclosed how many Quest headsets it has sold. The surge in app downloads suggests that the Quest is solidifying its status as one of the most mainstream VR headsets. The devices, which start at $299 and are developed by Meta's Reality Labs division, are a relatively affordable gateway to virtual and mixed-reality experiences. They let people watch movies on giant virtual screens, play immersive games, and even work out.

Meta did not respond to a request for comment about Quest sales from Business Insider.

Quest competes with VR headsets from other companies, including Sony, HTC, and Apple, although Apple's Vision Pro headset costs much more, at $3,500.

Meta has been working to make VR more accessible to a broader audience. In October, the company launched the Quest 3S, a less expensive version of the more advanced Quest 3, priced at $299 — $200 less than the standard model. Like the Quest 3, the 3S lets people experience mixed reality in full color, making it a compelling entry point for VR newcomers.

Meta's quarterly revenue from Reality Labs, which includes $299 Ray-Ban glasses that let people take pictures and talk to Meta's AI chatbot, was $270 million — an increase of 29% compared to the same quarter the year before, the company announced in October.

Still, Reality Labs continues to bleed money. In the third quarter of 2024, Meta reported that Reality Labs lost $4.4 billion, up from $3.7 billion in the same quarter of 2023. For the first nine months of 2024, Reality Labs lost nearly $13 billion, Meta's earnings report said, and the company has warned investors that it expects the division to lose even more money.

"Overall, I'd say Reality Labs is clearly one of our strategic long-term priorities," said Susan Li, Meta's chief financial officer, responding to a question about Reality Labs' losses on the earnings call. She added that Meta expects it to "be an area of significant investment as we build out towards the very ambitious product road map that we have there."

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has remained bullish on the company's VR strategy. On the call, Zuckerberg highlighted the company's strong demand for its Ray-Ban glasses and expressed optimism about Orion, an early prototype of its glasses that superimpose digital elements onto the real world.

"We're not too far off from being able to deliver great-looking glasses that let you seamlessly blend the physical and digital worlds," Zuckerberg said on the earnings call.

Unlike the Meta Horizon app for Quest headsets, Meta View, the app for setting up the Ray-Ban glasses, however, isn't on the App Store's top charts.

• For some New Yorkers, winning the NYC housing lottery is the only way they can afford to stay in the city.
• But competition is tough: There are about 3.5 million applications each year.
• Those who have won say it often took multiple applications and months of waiting before they heard back.

Louis Ciprian, 29, moved around New York City a lot when he was younger.

His father died when he was 11, and Ciprian and his mother fell on hard times. At 15, he entered the foster care system. For the next couple of years, he bounced from place to place and even graduated from high school while living in a homeless shelter.

After college, he started couch surfing, living with different roommates while looking for a more permanent place to call home.

In 2022, he started applying for the New York City affordable housing lottery, which is run by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the Housing Development Corporation (HDC).

Two years later, in July, Ciprian finally received the call that he'd been waiting for: He won the lottery for a one-bedroom apartment in the Bronx, where rent is $1,481 a month.

He was thankful and relieved.

"To be able to get an opportunity like that where I'm paying rent that is affordable and not going to hit more than 30% of my income, it's an amazing feeling," Ciprian, a customer success manager at a real estate technology company, told Business Insider.

After years of grappling with homelessness, he now has a place of his own.

1 in 450 chance of winning

NYC is experiencing a severe housing affordability crisis.

From 2022 to 2023, rents in NYC increased seven times as fast as wages, a Zillow and StreetEasy analysis found. Even tech workers — who make an average of $135,000 annually — can only afford 35% of rentals in the city.

It's not surprising that many lower-earning New Yorkers are choosing to leave the city or even the country entirely in order to enjoy a lower cost of living.

For those still in NYC, the outlook is far from rosy. Over the past decade, the city grew by nearly 800,000 people, but only added 200,000 new homes, mayor Eric Adams said in a speech in December 2022.

Not only that, the city has also lost some 100,000 apartments — many in wealthy neighborhoods — because New Yorkers keep consolidating multi-family buildings and turning them into one- or two-family homes.

A 2023 city housing and vacancy survey found that only 1.4% of NYC apartments were available to rent last year, and over 40% of all renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent.

For many New Yorkers like Ciprian, winning the housing lottery is their only hope of securing an affordable apartment in an increasingly expensive city.

While the application is free, each household must meet specific income requirements to qualify for an apartment. But winning the affordable housing lottery is a feat in itself.

The HPD receives about 3.5 million applications a year, Natasha Kersey, an HPD representative, told BI.

On average, there are 450 applications received per rental unit.

With competition so stiff, it is not uncommon for people to apply for multiple apartments offered in the lottery.

Nkenge Clarke, 30, told BI previously that she had sent out over 130 applications before she finally succeeded in her bid.

"It took me maybe over a year before I started hearing back from different properties that I applied to," Clarke said. "Some of them I ended up not qualifying for, some of them I didn't provide enough documentation for."

Now, she pays about $1,000 in rent every month for a one-bedroom apartment in Chelsea, a neighborhood on the west side of Manhattan. The timing was impeccable; her previous landlord was looking to raise her rent had she renewed her lease.

"This place literally came just in time, like a few months before my second-year lease ended," Clarke said.

While the process took a lot of paperwork and patience, it was well worth the effort, she added. After all, living in an affordable apartment in the heart of the city was like a dream come true.

Stabilized rent in an ever-expensive market

Interested parties can apply for the affordable housing lottery online via the Housing Connect portal or by mail. Once the deadline passes, all applications are combined to create a pool from which the lottery is conducted, Aileen Reynolds, the assistant commissioner of housing opportunity at HPD, told BI.

A computer algorithm randomizes all the applications and assigns everyone a number, known as a lottery log number. That number, she added, dictates the order in which the developers have to contact the applicants.

While it helps applicants get a sense of where they stand, it's not a perfect science since there might be people who applied but do not qualify for the apartments.

It can take any time between weeks to months for an applicant to hear back, Reynolds said.

In Josh Ayala's case, it took him eight months to receive a call back after he had applied for his apartment.

"I was like, wait, what? I totally forgot I applied to this," Ayala, 26, told BI in August.

Thankfully, it all worked out for him; He signed the lease for the apartment within a month of the viewing. Now he pays $2,345 in monthly rent, which is stabilized.

"Around COVID-19 time, people were moving into apartments, and for one year, it was a great price. But the next year, the landlord would just increase their rent exorbitantly," Ayala said. "I didn't want that to happen to me, so I wanted something that was more secure, too."

Likewise, rent stabilization was the main reason Brynne McManimie and Peter Romano started applying for the housing lottery.

In 2021, they lived in a $2,600-a-month apartment in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. They had gotten a good deal on their lease due to the pandemic, but it didn't last long.

"After a year, our landlord raised our rent by like 25% and it made us very nervous about staying in that apartment," McManimie told BI in June. Their new rent was going to be $3,300 a month, and they decided it was too expensive for them to afford.

But luck was on their side: Within a month of applying for the housing lottery, they were contacted about a one-bedroom unit in Brooklyn.

The couple ended up signing a two-year lease. Now, they pay $2,800 in monthly rent.

"Since it's rent-stabilized, they can't raise it like a ton," Romano told BI. "Which is honestly really attractive to us, given what happened with our last landlord."

The income and household eligibility criteria for the lottery apartments only apply at the initial stage.

"Folks only need to qualify based on house size and income at the time they move in," Reynolds said.

'Native New Yorkers deserve to stay here'

But the housing lottery isn't without its criticism.

For years, the city's "community preference" policy dictated that half of new affordable apartments must first be offered to those already living in the area.

However, in 2015, three women filed a lawsuit against the city, saying that the policy reinforced segregation.

After almost a decade, the city finally agreed to settle the lawsuit in January. Under the terms of the settlement, the city will reduce the percentage of affordable houses set aside for those already living in the same community to 20%, down from the original 50%, per court documents. In May 2029, it will drop to 15%.

"Although the preference has been reduced, the outcome allows us to preserve it and continue to do our work by advocating for New Yorkers that need more housing at deeply affordable levels," Kersey said.

Still, NYC residents do get priority in the affordable housing lottery — although applicants don't need to be US citizens, Reynolds said.

In the meantime, the housing lottery will still be one of the best ways for New Yorkers to stay in affordable apartments in the city.

"As much as I'm for the housing lottery, I think that it does suck that as a native, sometimes the only hope and dream of staying in the city affordably is this route," Ceronne Mitchell, who pays $1,600 a month for her one-bedroom lottery housing apartment in Queens, told BI previously.

"Native New Yorkers deserve to stay here, and I'm always proud when one can," she added.

• Lindsay Jang moved to Hong Kong 15 years ago and has launched five businesses.
• Despite not all of Jang's ventures being successful, she says she has learned something from each.
• At 43, the entrepreneur and mom says she's finally found ways to disconnect and find work-life balance.

Lindsay Jang moved to Hong Kong 15 years ago and has kept herself busy, very busy.

Since relocating, she's launched five businesses — including a one-Michelin-starred restaurant and a workout technique listed on Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop. Now, at 43, she balances her time between running her companies and raising her two kids.

Born in Alberta, Canada, Jang is the eldest of three sisters. Her dad was a civil engineer, and her mom worked as a special needs teacher. A stroke of luck changed her family's path when her parents won a gold brick, valued at 100,000 Canadian dollars, in a local carnival lottery in 1981, the year she was born.

Shortly after, when her dad got laid off, he invested in a Chinese-Canadian restaurant in Sherwood Park, near her hometown. Her dad went on to run the restaurant, and her mom decided to be a stay-at-home mom. "Growing up, the restaurant was a huge part of our lives and really shaped who I am today," she told Business Insider.

Jang struggled to find the right career path. "I had scholarships for science and French, and I explored a few different paths — science, art school, digital publishing, and business management — but none of them fully resonated with me. I didn't graduate from any of those programs," she said.

She dropped out of college when she decided she wanted to become an actor.

She stopped in NYC before moving to Hong Kong

In 2002, Jang left Canada and moved to New York City to study acting. She took on a job as a floor captain at Nobu Fifty Seven, and began contributing to the restaurant's special events department. In 2009, at 27, she relocated to Hong Kong with her then-romantic partner, Matt Abergel, who had accepted a job offer as an executive chef.

They had two kids during their relationship before separating in 2011. Despite the split, they remain close. "We're best friends, co-parents, and business partners," Jang said.

In 2011, Jang said they raised around $500,000 to open Yardbird, the restaurant that went on to earn a Michelin star in 2021. It was followed up with Ronin — another izakaya-style dining bar — in 2012.

Jang said the primary investor in both restaurants had been a regular customer of theirs in New York. "He ate at Masa, where Matt worked, every week and would occasionally come to Nobu Fifty Seven," she said.

The team managed to find their rhythm at Yardbird early on. "We hit capacity within just a few weeks thanks to word-of-mouth, and once the media discovered us, it brought in a steady stream of guests," Jang said. "We didn't rely on traditional PR or marketing — instead, we gave out stickers and T-shirts to build the brand."

Social media was still an early concept — Instagram had just launched the year before — and it didn't play much of a role in the hype. Jang did, however, face challenges online in the early stages, when she was sharing the restaurant's no reservations and no service charge policies. "People didn't like those ideas and weren't shy about voicing their concerns," she said.

The restaurant has continued to draw in crowds over the past 13 years, despite the policies. "The main draw is without doubt the 20-plus types of yakitori skewers made with local 'three-yellow' chicken from beak to tail, grilled over binchotan charcoal," per the Michelin website. An extensive Japanese whisky collection has also added to its appeal.

After the couple split, they went back to being friends. "Between sharing businesses and kids, we take pride in giving each other the space and time to do the things that we need to do to be happy," Abergel, co-owner of the restaurant, told BI. "Things are pretty great most of the time, and when things are hard, we know that the foundation we have as friends is stronger than whatever we are facing."

Not all of Jang's ventures have been successful

Jang has also seen some of her companies fail.

Sunday's Grocery, which started as an extension of the Yardbird brand, opened in 2014 and closed in 2016. "We took over an existing business to test the concept, but the location wasn't ideal, and the costs were too high to make it sustainable," Jang said. "It was a valuable experiment, and while it didn't last, it taught us to prioritize scalability and the importance of location."

Jang went on to launch Sunday's Spirit in 2017, before wrapping it up in 2023 due to challenges with margins, certain team dynamics, and working within Japan's highly specific market structure. "Both of these ventures taught us that not every concept needs to be forever," she said. "Letting go of ideas that no longer resonate or fit the bigger picture is OK. The key is to embrace adaptability while staying true to the vision."

She continues to run Hecho, a creative agency she launched in 2017. Previous clients include Hongkong Land, a property investment company and Swire, a conglomerate working in sectors ranging from aviation and beverages to healthcare.

Finding balance and staying healthy

In the past, Jang found it difficult to find a work-life balance. "I don't put rules on myself when it comes to disconnecting because my work and my life are about being connected," Jang said in an interview with Compare Retreats in 2020. However, more recently, she has found ways to decompress.

"I've been making a concerted effort to disconnect more," she told BI. Flexibility plays a central role in her time management. "I run my entire life from my phone and computer, which allows me the freedom to manage my schedule. So even though I'm technically always plugged in, I still make time for myself and my family," she added.

Her daily routine now includes a 20- to 45-minute session in the infrared sauna. She said it was a trip to HigherDOSE in New York almost 10 years ago that got her interested in the heat. "It was intense, but it felt productive. Since I had space at home, it made more sense to own one than to pay by the minute elsewhere."

A few years after the sauna was installed, during COVID-19, Jang transformed her TV room into a workout studio. "The space was better used as a place where I could sweat and move every day," she said.

Her most recent lifestyle adjustment was to stop drinking. "I cut alcohol out of my life over a year and a half ago, which was significant given my F&B background," she said. "I was nervous about what social situations would be like without alcohol, but I've found that my life has improved in every way."

Her career has also shifted toward fitness

Four years ago, she co-launched Family Form, a workout technique and studio in Hong Kong. She said the mat-based workout aims to use movement and infrared heat to strengthen and balance the body.

"People connect with it on a deeper level because it's approachable yet challenging, and it becomes part of their daily routine," she said.

Classes are often at full capacity with waiting lists. On Google reviews, nearly all of its ratings are five stars.

Expanding to mainland China is part of the plan and has come with hurdles. "We are building our China community for when we launch in Shanghai in a few months, and it's been interesting to navigate the approach in such a different market," she said. "It's been a grassroots effort mostly, and we're so grateful for the word-of-mouth support from our community."

In July 2024, Family Form received support for the directory listing of Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop. The listing states, "It's intense but also totally cathartic. "

"Someone from their team reached out to us," Jang said, regarding the posting, adding that they did not pay for the listing. "It was purely an organic connection." A representative for Goop did not respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider.

In November, the company launched classes in Manila and will start in Shanghai in early 2025.

As for her future, Jang hasn't planned too far ahead. "I prefer to remain flexible and open to opportunities as they arise," she said. Jang said she has a few projects in the works, including a new wellness product brand that will launch next year.

"While Hong Kong will always be home, I plan to spend more time in a more relaxed environment once my kids are in university," she said. "Running multiple businesses has taught me the importance of balancing ambition with sustainability. The biggest life lesson I've learned is that success comes from staying true to your vision while remaining flexible enough to adapt to change."

• Netflix didn't crash when it streamed two NFL games on Christmas.
• Even better for the NFL and Netflix: The streaming-only games got audiences that were only a bit smaller than a TV game.
• Streaming live sports used to be a novelty. Not anymore.

Netflix passed two tests on Wednesday when it streamed live NFL football games for the first time in its history.

First: Netflix managed to stream the games around the world without widespread tech foul-ups that plagued its Mike Tyson-Jake Paul boxing exhibition/stunt last month.

Second: Netflix managed to attract the kind of audience for the games that you'd expect from the NFL, which is continually the most popular thing on conventional TV.

The NFL and the streamer say that both of Wednesday's games — the Kansas City Chiefs vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens vs. the Houston Texans — averaged around 24 million viewers in the US. That's a record for streaming NFL games in the country. (Those initial numbers may swell a bit once the NFL, Netflix, and Nielsen scour for additional viewers.)

The biggest audience — around 27 million viewers — showed up for the "Beyoncé Bowl" — a halftime performance during the Ravens/Texans game, featuring, of course, Beyoncé.

For comparison, last year, the NFL attracted an average of some 28 million US viewers for the two games it broadcast on Christmas Day, via conventional TV networks. (Netflix's numbers don't include viewers outside the US; it says it will report back on those on December 31. Netflix says the audience for the Tyson/Paul event peaked at 65 million worldwide and 38 million in the US.)

All of which means that when Netflix streams Christmas games again next year, and again in 2027, it won't seem like a novelty. It will just be the most popular sport on TV, delivered via a streaming service.

This is what both Netflix and the NFL want, for slightly different reasons. The NFL is always looking for another outlet that will pay it top dollar for the right to show its games — Netflix paid the NFL a reported $150 million for this year's games — and Netflix wants high-profile live events as a way to boost its nascent ad business.

Win-win. This is what the NFL has been finding every time it sells streaming rights to digital players over the years, including Yahoo, Twitter, Amazon, and Google.

While we are here, a couple other notes:

• While there was some discussion of Netflix trying to make its NFL coverage unique, I couldn't discern anything meaningfully different about the games from any others I've watched this year. Which, again, is the point: The NFL wants the product to look the same no matter where you see it. (And if there is a desire for something different on the part of fans, I have yet to discern it.)

• Netflix streaming NFL games for the first time is meaningful to the NFL, Netflix, and people who pay attention to the media business. But in my 100% unscientific poll of people in the real world, no one knew Netflix had the games. And when they found out, they didn't care, which makes sense: Neither game was particularly important, or suspenseful. But for Netflix and the NFL that wasn't the point.

• Monica Barbaro plays Joan Baez in "A Complete Unknown," which follows Bob Dylan's early career.
• Barbaro told BI that she and Timothée Chalamet, who plays Dylan, first met at a music rehearsal.
• Barbaro did vocal training to sing like Baez and duet with Chalamet's Dylan.

In "A Complete Unknown," Timothée Chalamet and Monica Barbaro inhabit two musical legends: Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. True to form, the actors first met on set at a music rehearsal.

The film, directed by James Mangold, stars Chalamet as a young Dylan during the early years of his career, from his 1962 debut self-titled album through his controversial pivot to electric instrumentation. It features many of Dylan's contemporaries from the era, including Baez (Barbaro), Pete Seeger (Edward Norton), and Johnny Cash (Boyd Holbrook).

The film's greatest strength is its music, much of which was recorded live on set. Not only does Chalamet perform live as Dylan, but he duets in-character with his collaborators. That led to the perfect meeting for the actors.

"We heard each other's voices in recording studio sessions, because I would sing duets to his voice," Barbaro told Business Insider. "The first time we met was a music rehearsal, and it was just the most beautiful experience to me."

Like Chalamet, Barbaro also did vocal training to play Baez in the film, working to emulate the singer's trilling vibrato while also researching Baez's life and career. The actor told BI that she knew the music was going to be "the biggest hill to climb," and she knew that Chalamet — who spent five years preparing to play Dylan — had been practicing. By the time they first met, she felt ready to hold her ground not only as an actor, but as a musician.

"Getting to play next to him and hear the harmonies of our voices and the accompaniment, so complementary of each other — that was a career highlight," Barbaro said.

"I'm so glad we waited until that point to meet each other and to work with each other," she continued. "It was more true to a Bob and Joan version of the meeting that we'd have these musical proficiencies, that we could collaborate and play together."

• Business Insider put over 160 recipes from celebrity chefs to the test to find the tastiest winners.
• We've tried everything from breakfasts and dinners to desserts and specialty bread. 
• Some winning recipes came from Guy Fieri, Ree Drummond, Carla Hall, Ina Garten, and more.

Business Insider put the best recipes from celebrity chefs head-to-head to find the most delicious salads, desserts, bread, beverages, and more. 

Here are some of the winners, from hearty breakfasts to refreshing cocktails.

Editor's note: This story was originally published in September 2021 and most recently updated on December 26, 2024.

Breakfasts

The most important meal of the day deserves a great recipe. Food writers Paige Bennett and Tiffany Leigh tested scrambled eggs, omelets, blueberry pancakes, and breakfast burritos to see if they were worth the hype. 

The winning chef's scrambled eggs had parsley as a secret ingredient 

Emeril Lagasse's flavorful recipe for scrambled eggs was food writer Bennett's favorite.

Though the seasoning alone had 10 ingredients, the rest of the technique only required eggs, cheese, milk, butter, and salt. According to Bennett, the cooking process was easy and took only a couple of minutes.

The eggs were incredibly creamy, runny, and cheesy, paired well with fresh parsley. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made scrambled eggs using 8 recipes from famous chefs to find the best one.

Out of the many omelet recipes, the best one was microwaved

Bennett had a couple of favorite omelet recipes, but one of her favorites included Carla Hall's microwaved eggs.

Filled with mayonnaise, lemon juice, broccoli, and butter, the end result was fluffy and light. It had a nice balance of creamy cheese and crunchy vegetables.

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made omelets using 6 recipes from famous chefs, and it surprisingly involved strawberries and microwaves.

The key to fluffy blueberry pancakes is whipped eggs

Bobby Deen's winning recipe calls for whipped egg whites.

According to Bennett, the hardest part was whisking the eggs into stiff peaks, but the rest was simple and quick. The final stack was fluffy and delicious, especially with syrup. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I tried 3 celebrity chefs' recipes for blueberry pancakes, and the best used whipped egg whites.

Try overnight oats in a canteloupe

Nancy Fuller serves up a hybrid of chia-seed pudding and overnight oats in half of a cantaloupe, then tops the concoction with blueberries and honey.

Bennett put all of the ingredients except the blueberries in a container and placed them in the fridge overnight. The flavor goes so well with the blueberries and honey.

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made 4 celebrity chefs' recipes for overnight oats, and the best was served in a cantaloupe.

Use simple and fresh ingredients to make delicious blueberry muffins

Ina Garten's simple take on classic blueberry muffins proved to be the best of the bunch.

After using basic ingredients like flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to make the dough, Bennett folded in buttermilk, butter, eggs, lemon zest, and blueberries to make golden and moist muffins. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I tried 3 celebrity chefs' blueberry muffin recipes, and the best one was the easiest to make.

Use toasted oats for a hearty loaf of banana bread

To make Alton Brown's banana bread, swap regular flour for homemade toasted-oat flour.

Bennett found the hardest part was making the flour without a food processor. After toasting and pulverizing oats and mixing them in eggs, stick everything in the oven for 10 minutes.

The final product has a distinct nutty flavor without being overpowering. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made 3 banana-bread recipes by Ree Drummond, Alton Brown, and Curtis Stone. One famous chef's use of oats blew me away.

The sweetest cinnamon rolls use strong coffee and maple syrup 

Ree Drummond had the best one-pot recipe for gooey and perfect cinnamon rolls.

After rolling out the dough and filling it with the coffee mixture, Bennett baked them and found that the ingredients made for the fluffiest rolls.

The sugary maple-filled icing is so good, it could be eaten out of the bowl. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made cinnamon rolls using 3 celebrity-chef recipes, and the best one blew me away. 

Use canned pumpkin puree for sweet, flavorful pumpkin bread 

Bobby Flay's recipe calls for a ton of spices, canned pumpkin, and pantry staples like sugar, eggs, and vanilla.

Bennett mixed the wet and dry ingredients together and folded in toasted pecans and walnuts for an added crunch. 

This bread had the richest pumpkin flavor of all the recipes, plus a moist texture and nutty kick. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made pumpkin bread using 3 recipes from celebrity chefs, and the best was the easiest to make.

Three different kinds of alcohol are used to make a sweet and crispy French toast

To make Guy Fieri's French toast, you'll need orange-flavored and creme de banana liqueur, dark rum, milk, cinnamon, and brown sugar. This recipe turned out to be the most expensive of the bunch, thanks to the alcohol. 

Bennett thickened caramel sauce, dipped and fried bread, and carefully sautéd sliced bananas.

The sweet toast was soft but slightly crispy. The bananas gave it a hint of freshness, and the caramel sauce was delicious. You won't even need maple syrup. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made French toast using 3 celebrity chefs' signature recipes, and the best one cost over $40 to make.

Out of all the breakfast burritos, the best one had steak

Fieri's breakfast burrito recipe calls for ingredients like skirt steak, scrambled eggs, onions, and pico de gallo. This recipe made the best-looking burrito and had an umami flavor thanks to the juicy steak.

Leigh arranged the filling, made up of steak, eggs, diced potatoes and onions, cheese, salsa roja, and lettuce, on the tortilla and then griddled the burrito for a couple of minutes. This gave the burrito a nice golden-brown color and grill marks.

The result was an incredibly satisfying breakfast dish loaded with flavors and textures.

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made breakfast burritos using 3 celebrity chefs' recipes, and Gordon Ramsay's disappointed me most.

Jeff Mauro's recipe for homemade hash browns came together quite easily

Writer Andy Lynes thought Mauro's recipe for hash browns was easy to follow and produced a recognizable version of the breakfast classic.

Notably, this recipe didn't call for eggs or onions. Mauro's recipe required a short list of potatoes, butter, olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne powder.

The final hash browns had a great color from the spices, and they crisped up nicely in the pan.

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I tried hash-brown recipes from Ina Garten, Bobby Flay, and Jeff Mauro, and the best was the easiest to make.

Side Dishes 

A meal isn't complete without a generous side. We tested everything from different kinds of bread to salads and spreads to find which ones should be staples at your dinner table. 

For flavorful corn on the cob, try a spicy chile-lime recipe topped with cheese

Bennett followed corn recipes from Fieri, Giada De Laurentiis, Trisha Yearwood, and Aarón Sánchez.

After grilling the corn for 20 minutes, Sánchez seasons it with rocoto-chile paste, fresh cilantro, lime juice, butter, cumin, salt, and pepper.

Bennett topped it with cotija cheese, cilantro, and butter for a spicy and cheesy main dish. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I tested 4 corn on the cob recipes by celebrity chefs, and the best was the spiciest. 

The most delicious baked potatoes took all day to make 

Fieri's "Bomb Bakers" potatoes have to soak in brine for two to eight hours before they are rolled in salt and baked.

Bennett let her potatoes marinate in saltwater for six hours, then rolled them in garlic salt, seasoning salt, kosher salt, and black pepper.

She topped them off with a horseradish spread, sour cream, and black pepper for creamy potatoes that packed some heat. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I tried baked-potato recipes from Ina Garten, Guy Fieri, Cat Cora, and Nancy Fuller. My favorite took nearly 7 hours.

The best stuffing is the easiest to make

Garten's stuffing was Bennett's favorite because of its complex flavor and easy preparation.

It required only one type of bread, baguettes, which made it easier to prepare. It also had fresh herbs, apples, and almonds combined with savory onions and celery. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made stuffing using 4 recipes from celebrity chefs — the best used a boxed mix and beat Ina Garten's.

To make the best guacamole, you'll need fresh ingredients

Sánchez's guacamole is stuffed with a ton of ingredients, which made it the most time-consuming recipe of them all.

After using a mortar and pestle to grind the ingredients, Bennett noted that the chile, cilantro, sliced radish, and queso fresco added a nice kick to the avocado. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I tried 4 famous chefs' guacamole recipes, and I'd make all of them again.

Easy and affordable ingredients can make the tastiest deviled eggs 

Bennett tried deviled-egg recipes from Alex Guarnaschelli, Rachel Ray, and Paula Deen. Guarnaschelli's eggs were not only a breeze to make, but they were also creamy.

Simply toss egg yolks in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients until they become soft. They have a nice kick thanks to the hot sauce, scallions, and paprika. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made deviled eggs using 3 celebrity chefs' recipes, and the best were the cheapest to make. 

This celebrity chef's garlic bread was buttery, spicy, and not at all soggy

The ingredients for Fieri's recipe are a little more complex than others, but the process is quite simple.

Bennett added all the ingredients to a bowl and slathered them on a French baguette. The parmesan, hot sauce, scallions, and parsley balanced each other out. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I tried 3 celebrity chefs' garlic bread recipes, and the best one has hot sauce in it.

The best cornbread didn't have any butter but turned out soft and fluffy

Hall follows her grandmother's recipe for golden cornbread. Bennett tested it out and found her technique to be simple and straightforward.

After making a thick batter, heat a cast-iron skillet and pour the mixture in.  The creamed corn and canola oil made for a slice of soft and savory bread. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made cornbread using 5 celebrity chefs' recipes, and there's only one I wouldn't eat again.

For pillowy biscuits, use cake flour and sea salt 

Fieri's buttermilk biscuits had similar ingredients to other recipes. Bennett mixed the ingredients in a food processor, cut the dough into rectangles, and brushed them with butter and salt.

She was initially skeptical of the scone-like appearance but found the cake flour made for a soft and delicious biscuit. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made 4 celebrity chefs' biscuit recipes, and the best were little pillows of deliciousness.

The tastiest rolls were also pull-apart 

Brown's recipe seems complex at first but turned out to be quite simple. Bennett tossed the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, egg yolks, and warmed milk in a stand mixer and let the dough rest.

After letting it rest for an hour, slicing it into strips, and baking them, she found the rolls to be savory and crispy. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made dinner rolls using 4 celebrity chefs' recipes, and the best doesn't even need extra butter.

The creamiest mashed potatoes contain sour cream 

Garten's recipe was a traditional take on mashed potatoes. Bennett put it to the test and used a ricer to break up red potatoes, which was the most time-consuming part.

After mixing it with warm milk, sour cream, and butter, the final result was tangy and savory. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made mashed potatoes using 3 celebrity chefs' recipes, and any of them could work for Thanksgiving with some tweaks.

The best recipe for egg salad was simple and had a dash of fresh herbs 

Garten's egg salad featured dill and mustard, with a stronger egg flavor. Bennett found the process of boiling eggs to be easy and quick.

All she had to do was add eggs to a pot, boil them, drain them, and cover the batch in cold water. Finally, she added some mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and dill. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I tried 4 celebrity chefs' recipes for egg salad, and the worst is full of potatoes.

Bennett's favorite pasta salad featured Miracle Whip for a salty and sweet flavor

Sunny Anderson's recipe for pasta salad calls for peas, cheddar, bacon, and Miracle Whip.

Bennett found it to be easy to make. She simply mixed anchovy-free Worcestershire sauce, red onion, apple-cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper with cooked noodles. The sweet replacement for mayonnaise added a tangy kick. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I tried 3 celebrity chefs' recipes for pasta salad, and the best doesn't use any mayonnaise.

There was more than one winner for the best potato salad

Fieri and Garten were tied for the best potato salad. Fieri's recipe called for red potatoes, vinegar, mayonnaise, sour cream, green onions, bacon, and chopped green onions.

Garten, on the other hand, used whole-grain mustard, buttermilk, salt, pepper, celery, red onion, and white potatoes. Both were crunchy and tangy thanks to the vegetables and condiments. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I tried 4 celebrity chefs' recipes for potato salad, and I'd make them all again.

The best marinara sauce used red wine to create a sweet yet rich flavor profile

Garten came out on top with the best marinara-sauce recipe perfect for any pasta. Garten's marinara recipe required a 1/2-cup of wine, crushed tomatoes, fresh parsley, salt, pepper, onion, garlic, and olive oil.

Bennett sautéd the onions and garlic and then deglazed the pan with red wine, which boiled down pretty quickly. Once she added the other ingredients to the pot and let them simmer, she topped the sauce with some fresh parsley.

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made marinara sauces using 4 celebrity chefs' recipes, and the best had an unexpected secret ingredient.

Bennett was a fan of Anderson's flavorful coleslaw. The apple-raisin slaw called for mayo, sour cream, golden raisins, celery seeds, apple-cider vinegar, cabbage, shredded carrots, and shredded apples.

The finished dish had a balance of sweetness, savoriness, acidity, and tanginess from the sour cream, apples, and raisins. The flavors worked together to make a light yet refreshing take on the cookout classic.

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I tried 3 coleslaw recipes from Guy Fieri, Ina Garten, and Sunny Anderson, and the best one called for raisins and apples.

Entrées

If you find yourself scratching your head for a meal plan or main course, look no further. We've tested baked potatoes, hamburgers, corn on the cob, roast chicken, and pasta to find the best options for your next dinner. 

The juiciest hamburgers are filled with steak sauce and butter 

Food writer Lucien Formichella made different hamburger recipes from Brown, Fieri, and Garten.

His favorite was by the "Barefoot Contessa," which used the most ingredients — an egg yolk, steak sauce, two kinds of meat, and seasoning.

After hand-mixing everything, Formichella added butter to the meat and cooked it in a pan to make a robust and flavorful patty. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made burgers using recipes from Ina Garten, Bobby Flay, and Alton Brown, and the best used butter.

Delectable roast chicken doesn't need extra seasoning or toppings 

Leigh made roast chicken using recipes from Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud, and Garten. Leigh found Keller's technique to be a breeze — and it only uses a handful of ingredients.

After defrosting the chicken, patting off the moisture, and sprinkling pepper and salt on the skin, she cooked it in a cast-iron skillet for 50 minutes. The result was crispy, golden brown, and juicy. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made roast chicken using 3 famous chefs' recipes, and the best took the least amount of time and work.

The best macaroni and cheese took 30 minutes to make

Rachael Ray's recipe used affordable pantry staples like extra-virgin olive oil, butter, flour, milk, white cheddar, nutmeg, cayenne, salt, and elbow macaroni.

After shredding the cheese, Bennett made a roux and broiled the mixture for half an hour. It turned out gooey and slightly cheesy. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made mac and cheese using 3 celebrity-chef recipes, and the best one was the easiest and cheapest to make.

For tasty fettuccine Alfredo, incorporate cauliflower and no cream 

Katie Lee Biegel's fettuccine uses less cheese and more vegetables than other recipes. Though Bennett felt this recipe was more complex than the rest, she found it made the perfect sauce.

To make it, boil cauliflower florets, blend them with milk, and add fettuccine to the boiling vegetable mix. After adding Parmesan cheese, she loved the creamy texture and hardly tasted the cauliflower. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made fettuccine Alfredo using 3 celebrity chefs' recipes, and the best doesn't require cream.

For crispy chicken wings, try a flavorful breading and deep-frying 

Anderson's recipe calls for deep-frying and covering the chicken wings with a Buffalo sauce. Food writer Chelsea Davis didn't think that the breading and sauce were anything unique, but she loved that these wings had a nice crunch and tasty deep-fried flavor.

After tossing the wings with a spice blend of flour, cayenne, salt, and pepper, Davis heated oil in a pan and deep-fried the wings for about 25 minutes to create a great taste and texture.

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made chicken wings using 3 celebrity chefs' recipes, and the best were super crispy.

There wasn't just one winner in the battle for the best chili

Davis made different types of chili from celebrity chefs from Garten, Drummond, and De Laurentiis. She loved Drummond's take on a traditional dish as well as De Laurentiis' recipe for a comforting, vegetable-filled chili.

Davis browned ground meat with onions and added a spice blend — chili powder, cumin, oregano, and cayenne pepper — tomato sauce, beans, and corn grits to make Drummond's chili.

For De Laurentiis' dish, Davis cooked ground chicken with a blend of salt, cumin, fennel, oregano, and chili powder and added corn, white beans, and Swiss chard to the mix.

Davis loved both Drummond's and De Larentiis' chili recipes for their hearty, savory, and complex flavors.

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made 3 chili recipes from celebrity chefs, and the worst didn't even have beef or beans in it.

Ray's ribs packed flavor and called for a boozy ingredient

Writer Pascale Mondesir thought Ray's dry rub helped make flavorful, delicious ribs.

The recipe called for a dry rub made with brown sugar, espresso powder, mustard powder, paprika, and cayenne. For the sauce, Ray specifically recommended Southern Comfort whiskey, as well as standard ingredients like chicken stock, tomato sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, garlic, onion, oil, and ground pepper.

Though she wasn't sure if she'd like the mixture of hot sauce and whiskey in the sauce, the finished dish had a good spice level and enjoyable fruity flavor notes from the alcohol.

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I tried ribs recipes from Ina Garten, Guy Fieri, and Rachael Ray, and the best was a little boozy.

Celebrity chef Roy Choi's recipe for grilled cheese kept things simple yet tasty

Writer Meredith Schneider thought Choi's recipe for a grilled-cheese sandwich had an impressive, delicious blend of cheesy flavors. 

The sandwich had the shortest ingredient list out of the recipes she tried, calling for sourdough bread, unsalted butter, yellow cheddar, white cheddar, Gruyère, and Parmesan. 

Schneider even plans to make Choi's sandwich recipe her new go-to grilled cheese.

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I tried grilled-cheese recipes from Ina Garten, Ree Drummond, and Roy Choi. The best one didn't have fancy add-ins.

Desserts

From pastries and cookies to cakes, we've tested delicious recipes that'll satisfy any sweet tooth. 

The tastiest chocolate-chip cookies are the easiest to make 

Bennett found Duff Goldman's recipe to be simple and straightforward.

The recipe needs all-purpose flour, salt, baking soda, butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and, of course, chocolate chips.

After mixing everything in a bowl, she baked them for 20 minutes for a buttery and picturesque cookie. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made chocolate-chip cookies using 3 celebrity chefs' recipes, and the best is the simplest. 

The perfect pumpkin pie had a bourbon-maple whipped cream 

Though Flay's recipe had a laundry list of steps, Bennett found that making the filling was simple.

After hand-mixing all the ingredients in a bowl and baking a graham-cracker crust, all she had to do was pour the filling in and bake the pie for 90 minutes.

With the whipped cream, the dessert had the perfect balance of vanilla, maple syrup, warm pumpkin, and spices.

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made pumpkin pie using 3 celebrity-chef recipes, and the worst was from a baking legend.

Dark chocolate-loaded brownies pair well with berries

To make Gordon Ramsay's indulgent brownies, melt dark chocolate and butter in a broiler and add in the rest of the batter ingredients.

After only 20 minutes, toss more chocolate bits into the crust to break it up. Bennett noted they became bubbly and added to the rich flavor and texture of the pastry. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made brownies using 3 different celebrity-chef recipes, and the best one was also the most fun to bake.

The best chocolate pie required the most ingredients, but they were all worth it

Out of the many chocolate-pie recipes, Goldman's technique using a store-bought crust and homemade whipped cream was the tastiest.

Bennett said it took 30 minutes to whisk and thicken the filling, but after that, it simply had to chill in the fridge.

The whipped cream used mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, fresh vanilla seeds, and sugar for a delightfully sweet pie. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made chocolate pies using 3 celebrity-chef recipes, and the worst has tofu in it. 

You can make quick and easy chocolate lava cake using kitchen staples

For an easy-to-make lava cake, try Drummond's recipe. Bennett simply melted butter and chocolate, then mixed it with powdered sugar, eggs, vanilla, and flour.

She cooked them for 13 minutes to make a delicious hybrid of brownies and batter. She recommended serving it with ice cream. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made chocolate lava cakes using recipes from 3 celebrity chefs, and they were surprisingly easy to make.

Citrus-filled gingerbread is perfect for the holidays 

To make Guarnaschelli's chewy and flavorful gingerbread, use orange zest and lemon juice.

Although Bennett found the dough to be sticky and hard to work with, it was easier to roll out after spending 15 minutes in the fridge.

The cookies' combination of orange icing and spice was "love at first bite." 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made gingerbread cookies using 3 recipes from celebrity chefs, and the best were nice and chewy. 

Caramel-filled apple pie is perfect for Thanksgiving 

Drummond's recipe for this pie has a long list of ingredients for each component: the crust, the filling, and the topping.

The crust was incredibly buttery and flaky, and the added spices in the crust kept it flavorful. Bennett found the softened apples contrasted perfectly with the crunchy topping. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made apple pie using 3 recipes from celebrity chefs, and the best was the easiest to make. 

The top fruit salads used surprising but refreshing ingredients 

Bennett tried several recipes for the summery salad and found she'd make Fieri's and Flay's recipes again.

The "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" host grills his fruit and adds in pound cake, toasted almonds, mint, and lemony whipped cream for a sweet and caramelized dessert.

Flay uses papayas, kiwis, mangos, pineapples, mint, and a ginger-lime simple syrup for a tropical take. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I tried 4 potato-salad recipes from Guy Fieri, Sunny Anderson, Ina Garten, and Ree Drummond, and the worst one called for hard-boiled eggs. 

The best pecan pie was made with a homemade crust

Out of all the pecan pies, Bennett found Drummond's recipe to be the tastiest. 

Drummond used pantry staples like brown sugar, salted butter, eggs, and pecans to whip up this deliciously warm pie. Although the dough was pebbly at first, the crust held up well after it baked.

The gooey center and caramelized pecans made this dessert stand out. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made 3 pecan pies using recipes from celebrity chefs, and I'd combine 2 of them for a perfect slice.

The best sweet-potato pie was time-consuming but worth the effort

Bennet thought Hall's sweet-potato pie, which required a homemade crust, was delicious.

Though the pie took about five hours to make altogether, Bennett thought the dessert had a great structure and a perfectly sweet filling.

Next time, she'd add a crispy, sugary topping to the pie.

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I tried sweet-potato pie recipes from Trisha Yearwood, Alton Brown, and Carla Hall. The best had an easy homemade crust.

Drinks

Whether you're looking for a refreshing cocktail or a warm mug of hot chocolate to end your day, we've tested iconic beverage recipes from multiple celebrity chefs. 

To make boozy hot chocolate, you'll need vodka or liqueur

Sandra Lee's boozy and hot chocolate uses simple ingredients like milk chocolate, half-and-half, cinnamon, and either vanilla vodka or hazelnut liqueur.

Bennett found this was the fastest recipe to make. She enjoyed the sweet and nutty flavor, which is perfect for winter. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I tried 5 hot-chocolate recipes from celebrity chefs, and my favorite is also a little boozy. 

Steep milk with spices to make a chai-filled milkshake

Anderson's chocolate-chai milkshake was Bennett's favorite of the bunch. She started by steeping milk with cinnamon, pumpkin-pie spice blend, nutmeg, cardamom, fennel seeds, and black peppercorns on the stove for 20 minutes.

The mixture was then strained into a cup and cooled in the fridge. Bennett loved the cinnamon flavor and thick texture of the beverage. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I tried 4 celebrity chef's recipes for chocolate milkshakes, and the best was filled with spices. 

To make minty Moscow mules, try this homemade recipe

Bennett's favorite Moscow Mule was from De Laurentiis, and it required some homemade ingredients.

She soaked fresh mint in vodka for a day, added ginger syrup to vodka, and garnished it with a lime slice, a lemon slice, and a sprig of fresh mint.  

It was cold and refreshing, and the ginger and mint flavors came through equally.

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made Moscow Mules using 4 celebrity chefs' recipes, and the best was hard not to drink like water.

For classic margaritas, try a simple recipe

Geoffrey Zakarian uses lime juice, tequila, orange liqueur, and agave syrup to make a refreshing cocktail.

Bennett found the tartness from the lime juice, the sweetness from the agave, and the saltiness of the rim came together well without any single ingredient overwhelming the drink.

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made margaritas using 4 celebrity chefs' recipes, and the best was also the quickest to make. 

A balanced negroni has more citrusy flavors than bitter ones

Ray's recipe was incredibly easy to whip up. Bennett mixed all the ingredients in a shaker, including the lemon peel, and served it neat.

She added a lemon peel as a garnish for an extra boost of citrus. She found that the colder the ingredients are, the better they tasted. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made a Negroni using 4 celebrity chefs' recipes, and the best one was easy to make. 

The best recipe for mulled wine was the easiest

Garten's classic recipe had a short ingredient list that included Cabernet Sauvignon and a lot of apple cider.

It also called for honey, cinnamon sticks, orange zest and juice, and a bit of clove and star anise. Bennett had the wine ready in 10 minutes after it simmered in a pot.

It wasn't spicy and had a good balance of sweet honey and cider.

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I tried 3 celebrity chefs' recipes for mulled wine, and the best was the easiest and cheapest to make. 

Add a spicy kick to your Bloody Mary with a jalapeño

Flay's recipe for a spicy citrus beverage calls for plenty of lemon and lime. There's also a jalapeño involved, which Bennett worried would make the drink too spicy.

It took no time at all to muddle most of the ingredients then add in vodka, tomato juice, and Worcestershire sauce. The flavors worked well and balanced one another, and the cocktail had a nice twist from the pepper. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made Bloody Marys using 4 celebrity chefs' recipes, and the best was the easiest to make. 

For fruity mocktails, load up on ginger beer

Although it took a little bit longer to come together than the rest, Zakarian's sparkling mocktail was still easy to make.

Bennett filled a cocktail shaker with ice, then added the fruit juices. She strained the mix into an ice-filled glass, leaving a bit of room at the top to pour in the ginger beer.

The pineapple and mango juices gave it a tropical flavor and sweetness that perfectly paired with the spicy ginger beer, which gave the mix a kick that resembled a real cocktail. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I tried 3 fruity mocktail recipes from celebrity chefs, and the best could pass as a real cocktail.

You can't go wrong with a cosmopolitan

Garten's cosmopolitan recipe makes a massive single serving. Bennett mixed vodka, orange liqueur, cranberry-juice cocktail, and some fresh lime juice together.

There was a nice balance of lime and cranberry to take some of the edge off the liquor. Brown's process was simple, aside from finding fresh cranberries. Bennett boiled sugar, cranberries, and water together until most of the cranberries burst open.

After blending everything in a food processor, she added it to a cocktail shaker filled with ice, vodka, and lime juice for a refreshing beverage. 

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I tried 3 cosmopolitan recipes from celebrity chefs, and the best has become my go-to cocktail. 

Every single mimosa recipe was good enough to make again 

Bennett made mimosa recipes from Flay, Pat and Gina Neely, Guarnaschelli, and Ray.

Each recipe highlighted different flavors and garnishes in the simple cocktail. She had no complaints about any of these mimosas because all of them were fruity, sweet, bubbly, and refreshing.

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I made 4 celebrity chefs' mimosa recipes, and I'd make any of them again for my next brunch. 

The fruitiest white sangria only takes 15 minutes to make

Ray's recipe calls for apple liquor and sparkling water, which Bennett respectively swapped for apple brandy and club soda, as well as dry white wine, sugar, and a variety of colorful fruits.

The recipe also calls for fresh, ripe peaches. This cocktail was light, and the varying colors of the fruit this option stand out.

Read more about the winning recipe and full battle here: I tried 3 celebrity chefs' recipes for white sangria, and the best was also the prettiest. 

The cause of a deadly plane crash in southwestern Kazakhstan is being investigated, and some officials are claiming Russian involvement.

• Two prototypes for China's future stealth strike fighter took the skies in broad daylight.
• Both appear to be advanced flying wing designs useful for attack missions.
• China watchers buzzed about the possible roles of a fighter that could rival US aircraft.

Two prototypes for China's future stealth strike fighter took the skies in broad daylight in recent days, showcasing China's growing aerospace might as it tries to match the US.

The designs appeared intended to make a splash. One showed a triangular aircraft similar to America's retired F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter, with some notable differences. The prototype by Chengdu Aerospace Corporation lacked a tail and fin-like vertical stabilizers and was powered by three engines; a new video shows it in a low-altitude turn accompanied by a J-20 Mighty Dragon stealth fighter.

Photos and videos also recently captured a stealth prototype, attributed to Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, fueling speculation the aircraft may be rivals.

The sightings immediately prompted questions among aviation watchers about whether these designs were stealthy strike aircraft (designed to ground-attack areas guarded by air defenses) or contenders for a leap-ahead sixth-generation air superiority fighter, of the sort the US is struggling to define.

"Fascinating that the [People's Liberation Army Air Force/Chinese Communist Party] have chosen to fly this prototype in daylight now," Justin Bronk, an airpower expert at the UK's RUSI think tank, said on X. "I suspect more likely to be the 5th Gen regional bomber/strike fighter project sometimes called J/H-XX."

A Defense Department report released in mid-December said that China "is developing new medium- and long-range stealth bombers to strike regional and global targets."

Both prototype aircraft appear to be flying wing designs, which more efficiently distribute an aircraft's load and reduce drag. These aircraft are more inherently unstable and require automated fly-by-wire systems that constantly change the aircraft's flight controls. The US Air Force has leaned into this design with its Northrop B-2 Spirit and Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider bombers.

By eliminating a tail and vertical stabilizers, the flying wing reduces the number of angled surfaces that can produce radar returns. These types of aircraft may be able to strike defended areas before being detected on radar.

• My husband and I moved from New York to Paris eight years ago.
• I have two kids and my parents are older, and I realize how hard it is to be away from them.
• I'm also an only child and have no one to share the responsibilities of caring for them.

When my husband and I first moved from New York to Paris eight years ago, we were thinking about kids — specifically, we wanted to be closer to his family to start our own.

I didn't comprehend what it meant to be an only child living so far away from my parents. New York is already a seven-hour flight from Tucson, where my parents live, I rationalized. What's eight hours more in the grand scheme of things? It helped when my parents floated the idea of buying a small vacation home in southern France.

Now that I have two small children and aging parents, the consequences have crystallized. It's too late to turn back now. I wonder what that means for our future.

Traveling to see them is hard

The first time we went to visit them, it was a disaster. My dog, Mochi, peed at the feet of airport security. For the previous eight hours, she'd quietly submitted to being stuffed under the seat in her carrier for our Paris-Atlanta flight. Our first child, Eloise, was at a "golden age" for travel. At 6 months old, she blissfully slept in an airline-provided bassinet hooked to the bulkhead.

Then we arrived at customs. The line wound around itself like a rattlesnake in a defensive coil. I pushed Eloise's stroller from one customs agent to the next, pleading to jump the line so we could make our tight layover to Tucson. They looked unimpressed.

We'd been waiting an hour and a half when Eloise started screaming. I picked her up and bounced. She screeched. People stared. Five minutes passed. A grandmotherly agent finally took pity and escorted us to the front of the line. That was when Mochi peed on the airport floor (and, as we sprinted to the gate, pooped). We missed our connecting flight.

Thanks to COVID, 18 months passed between that first Tucson trip and our next visit. Until then, Skype mercifully allowed my parents to see their granddaughter every week. But you can't hold and kiss, tickle, and chase over broadband.

After Thibault arrived, I couldn't justify a 24-hour journey with two tiny humans. I always pitied the parent following a toddler up and down the airplane aisle, rocking a screaming baby. I had no appreciation of what it was like to be that parent until I became one myself.

We waited until the kids were 18 months and 4 years old to venture back to my parents' house. The flight, combined with a nine-hour time change, was brutal. My husband and I — usually relatively collaborative — fought nonstop. In over a year, we haven't been back.

They are getting older

One upside of being an only child is that my parents have more bandwidth to visit us in Paris, a trip my mom makes every few months.

It only took a couple of visits before she shelved the idea of a vacation home here. We were all deluding ourselves.

As time passes, I reproach my only child's egotism. My parents are getting older, and each flight is harder. I know there will come a point when they aren't able to travel to us when they need someone to care for them. I'm the only person for that role.

How could I have reasonably considered living abroad as an only child? How could I have not foreseen the unfairness of dragging children on daylong flights? How could I have allowed myself to fall in love with a man who told me he planned to return to France on our very first date?

After that fateful missed flight, it took three frantic Uber rides before we found an Atlanta motel with an available room. Without a bassinet, Eloise slept on the floor; we passed out, fully clothed, on top of the bed. The following day, we made it to Tucson, bleary but relieved. Eloise met my childhood friends, swam in my parents' pool, and glimpsed her first saguaro. My parents spoiled their only granddaughter rotten.

We all make choices, but we're often bad at appreciating where those choices will lead until we're well past that fork in the road. My parents chose to have one child because I was "all they wanted" (I'm still not convinced that's a compliment). I fell in love with a Frenchman and moved 5,000 miles away. We'll have to make the best of it.

One upside of aging is that kids get older, too. We have an iPad and "PAW Patrol." Transatlantic flights will never be easy, but they will get easier.

My parents recently bought a new home with an upgraded view down the street from their old place. A huge selling point, for them and us, is it came with a waterslide. I can't wait to share it with my kids when we return this spring.

• Podcast host Ilana Dunn gives daters advice on her podcast "Seeing Other People."
• She guides her listeners through transforming their dating app profiles, charging $95 apiece.
• She shared three tips to make dating profiles better, including how to choose photos.

Ilana Dunn knows dating — and she agrees that it's tough out there.

Dunn, 30, used to be the lead content creator for Hinge, a dating app with about 20 million users. Now, she hosts the podcast "Seeing Other People," which is about dating in the digital age. It recently hit 5 million downloads and has over 400 episodes.

Its popularity comes as singles complain of "swipe fatigue," a disillusionment with online dating apps that has caused headaches for Bumble and Match Group, which owns Tinder and Hinge, and created a rush of new dating-app startups.

Dunn told Business Insider that she sympathizes with modern daters, who have the daunting task of crafting digital personas.

"Dating apps appeared one day, and they never came with an instruction manual," Dunn said.

There's hope, she added: Some simple tweaks to online dating profiles can help boost the chances of better matches.

In recent years, fans of her podcast have reached out for help with their profiles. Dunn began charging $95 to revamp them, helping clients select the best photos and prompts and curate how they share the story of who they are.

Dunn shared her top three tips to improve any dating profile.

1. Choose photos that show you doing what you love

Dunn said some daters fall prey to an obvious impulse — they only select photos in which they think they look the best.

"They're just posting the most attractive pictures of themselves, or what they think somebody would be attracted to," she said.

It can end up looking like a random, bland collection of images, Dunn warned.

Instead, Dunn recommended finding photos that more effectively reflect one's interests and personality. For example, Dunn once suggested that a dater delete a gym selfie from their profile and upload a picture of a marathon they ran instead.

Dunn suggested a simple thought exercise: Think about how your friends might describe you to a stranger, then pick photos that showcase the most important things a potential partner should know about you.

2. Weave an easy date idea into your profile

A common complaint from dating-app users is that conversations rarely translate into real-life meetups. This year, Hinge added a feature that blocks users from matching with new people if they have eight unanswered matches.

To encourage real-life plans, Dunn suggests planting an idea for a date somewhere in your profile, ideally related to food or drink you like.

Sometimes it's as easy as tweaking a statement you're already making. For example, Dunn would change a response to the prompt "The one thing you should know about me is…" from "I just moved to New York City" to "I'm looking for the best dollar slice in town."

"It sends the signal, 'We don't have to beat around the bush. We can just get to the date,'" Dunn said.

She added that another strategy is to name your favorite cocktail or café order and then ask where to find it in your profile.

3. Put one of your answers to a prompt in list form

Dunn said more is better when it comes to listing your interests on your dating-app profile.

You never know what word or phrase might pique the interest of a potential match, so put it all out there, she added.

Dunn recalled filling out Hinge's "I won't shut up about…" prompt when she was dating. She initially listed just her dog, Zoe, but then went back and added the Jonas Brothers and Sugarfish, a buzzy chain of sushi restaurants in New York and LA.

Her future husband ended up messaging her about the Jonas Brothers. The first dance at their wedding? "When You Look Me In The Eyes," by the Jonas Brothers.

"We've now been to 10 Jonas Brothers concerts together," Dunn said. "We may not have met if that wasn't on my profile."

• Tiffany Trump and Michael Boulos met in Mykonos in July 2018 and wed at Mar-a-Lago in 2022.
• Boulos grew up in Nigeria, where his family owns an automotive company, and he works in business.
• Donald Trump announced that Tiffany Trump is pregnant at a campaign event in Michigan in October.

Tiffany Trump and her husband, Michael Boulos, are expecting their first child.

President-elect Donald Trump shared the news at a campaign event in Michigan in October. 

Michael Boulos began dating Tiffany Trump in 2018 and reportedly proposed to her with a $1.2 million engagement ring at the White House, shortly before Donald Trump left office. The couple wed at Mar-a-Lago in 2022.

Boulos' father, Massad Boulos, is CEO of the Nigerian automotive business SCOA Nigeria and will serve as a senior advisor on Middle Eastern affairs in Trump's second White House administration.

The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Here's a timeline of Tiffany Trump and Michael Boulos' relationship.

July 2018: Tiffany Trump and Michael Boulos began dating after meeting at Lindsay Lohan's beach club in Mykonos, Greece, according to People magazine.

Boulos grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, where his family owns the automotive conglomerate SCOA Nigeria. He was studying project management at City, University of London, when he met Tiffany, then a law student at Georgetown, on vacation in Mykonos.

"I wasn't there when they met," Lohan told People magazine at the premiere party for her MTV series, "Lindsay Lohan's Beach Club," in 2019, adding that she knew both Tiffany Trump and Boulos but didn't know exactly how they met.

September 2018: They made their first public appearance together at New York Fashion Week.

Boulos joined Tiffany Trump in the front row of the Taoray Wang show during New York Fashion Week.

November 2018: Page Six reported that the two were dating, and that Tiffany Trump had introduced Boulos to her family over Thanksgiving at Mar-a-Lago.

"Tiffany is happy she has so far been able to keep things with Michael under the radar," an unnamed source told Page Six. "But she introduced him to her family at Thanksgiving, and he comes across as a very intelligent young man from a great family. There was no mention of the president's unfortunate comment about African nations."

In January 2018, Donald Trump reportedly referred to African nations and Haiti using an expletive during a meeting with lawmakers. He denied the reports, writing on X that the language he used was "tough" but that the widely reported remark was "not the language used."

January 2019: Boulos made his first appearance on her Instagram.

Trump posted an Instagram photo of her and Boulos in the Red Room of the White House at Christmastime. Boulos also shared a photo with her at a White House Christmas party, captioned, "Christmas vibes are the best vibes," in a post that no longer appears on his page.

February 2019: They attended New York Fashion Week with Tiffany Trump's mother, Marla Maples.

As they had the year before, Tiffany Trump and Boulos sat in the front row of the Taoray Wang show.

April 2019: Boulos joined the Trump family for Easter services at the Bethesda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Palm Beach, Florida.

Tiffany Trump shared a photo of herself and Boulos, as well as snapshots with her father, Donald Trump Jr., and Kimberly Guilfoyle, on Instagram. The photos are no longer available on her Instagram page.

May 2019: They stepped out together at the Cannes Film Festival.

Public records showed that the three-night trip to France, during which the couple stayed at the Marriott Jesta Fontainebleau hotel, cost taxpayers at least $20,000, Quartz reported.

"For operational security reasons, the Secret Service cannot discuss specifically nor in general terms the means, methods, resources, costs, or numbers we utilize to carry out our protective responsibilities," a Secret Service spokesperson told Quartz.

June 2019: They flew to Orlando for a rally kicking off Donald Trump's 2020 campaign.

"With every ounce of heart and mind, and sweat and soul, we're going to keep making America great again, and then we will indeed keep America great," Donald Trump said in his speech. "I will keep it so great. Better than ever before. We're going to keep it better than ever before. And that is why tonight, I stand before you to officially launch my campaign for a second term as president of the United States."

August 2019: Tiffany Trump wished Boulos a happy birthday on Instagram, writing that he fills her life with "so much joy, kindness and laughter!"

"Happy Birthday, @michaelboulos," she captioned a photo of her and Boulos. "You fill my life with so much joy, kindness and laughter! Thank you for always putting a smile on my face!"

September 2019: Boulos joined his girlfriend to hear Donald Trump speak at the UN.

Boulos sat behind Tiffany, who was seated beside Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle.

November 2019: They greeted guests at the national Thanksgiving turkey pardoning event in the Rose Garden of the White House.

How the turkey pardoning tradition started is still a bit of a mystery, but the White House traces it all the way back to President Abraham Lincoln in 1863.

December 2019: They celebrated New Year's together at Mar-a-Lago.

Trump's other children were in attendance, as well as his then-lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

July 2020: Trump and Boulos waved to crowds gathered at Mount Rushmore for Independence Day fireworks.

They were joined by Eric Trump and Lara Trump.

August 2020: They attended the funeral of Donald Trump's brother, Robert.

Robert Trump died on August 15, 2020, at the age of 71.

"He was not just my brother, he was my best friend," Donald Trump said in a statement. "He will be greatly missed, but we will meet again. His memory will live on in my heart forever. Robert, I love you. Rest in peace."

August 2020: Tiffany Trump and Boulos attended the Republican National Convention, where she gave a speech.

Tiffany Trump spoke on the second night of the RNC in support of her father and mentioned her recent graduation from Georgetown Law School.

"Like so many students across the world, I graduated from law school during the pandemic," she said. "Our generation is unified in facing the future in uncertain times. And many of us are considering what kind of country we want to live in. As a recent graduate, I can relate to so many of you who might be looking for a job. My father built a thriving economy once and believe me, he will do it again."

October 2020: They arrived in Nashville to watch the final presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

The debate featured plexiglass barriers between the candidates to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and a mute button to prevent them from talking over each other.

November 2020: They joined Donald Trump at the White House to watch the election results come in.

The Trumps watched election results in the East Room of the White House.

January 2021: The couple announced their engagement on Instagram the day before Trump left office.

The day before Biden's inauguration, Tiffany Trump shared an Instagram photo of her and Boulos standing in the White House Colonnade.

"It has been an honor to celebrate many milestones, historic occasions and create memories with my family here at the White House, none more special than my engagement to my amazing fiancé Michael!" she wrote. "Feeling blessed and excited for the next chapter!"

Boulos also announced their engagement on Instagram, writing, "Got engaged to the love of my life! Looking forward to our next chapter together."

Boulos proposed in the White House Rose Garden with a diamond ring worth $1.2 million, People magazine reported.

July 2021: Trump and Boulos, who moved to Miami after her father's presidency, were spotted in Mykonos.

Tiffany Trump and Boulos vacationed in Mykonos, where their relationship began, over the summer.

May 2022: Tiffany Trump and Boulos chose Mar-a-Lago as their wedding venue.

Page Six reported that Donald Trump and his ex-wife, Tiffany's mother Marla Maples, would host the wedding at Mar-a-Lago with over 500 people expected to attend.

November 2022: Tropical Storm Nicole made landfall north of Palm Beach days before the wedding, putting their wedding plans in jeopardy.

Days before the wedding, Mar-a-Lago and its surrounding coastal residential areas were under mandatory evacuation orders because of the storm.

A Mar-a-Lago employee confirmed to Business Insider that the club had reopened on Friday, November 11, just in time for Trump and Boulos' welcome dinner.

November 2022: Tiffany Trump and Boulos' wedding proceeded as planned.

Tiffany Trump wore a sparkling long-sleeved wedding dress from Lebanese fashion designer Elie Saab, a likely nod to Boulos' Lebanese heritage. The couple exchanged vows under a gazebo decorated with cascading bouquets of pastel-colored flowers.

In an Instagram post, Tiffany Trump described the wedding as "The most magical day."

May 2024: Tiffany Trump and Boulos attended the closing arguments of Donald Trump's hush-money trial in New York City.

Donald Trump was found guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 hush-money payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. The former president denies ever having sex with Daniels and has called the trial a "witch hunt."

July 2024: They attended days two and four of the Republican National Convention.

Unlike in 2020, Tiffany Trump did not speak at the 2024 Republican National Convention.

October 2024: While speaking at a campaign event, Donald Trump announced that Tiffany Trump and Boulos are expecting their first child.

Speaking to a crowd at the Detroit Economic Club, Donald Trump shared the news while acknowledging the presence of Michael Boulos' father, businessman Massad Boulos, at the event.

"He happens to be the father of Tiffany's husband Michael, who's a very exceptional young guy, and she's an exceptional young woman," he said. "And she's going to have a baby, so that's nice."

November 2024: In the days leading up to the presidential election, Tiffany Trump and Boulos appeared at campaign events in Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Tiffany Trump delivered a rare speech in Reading, Pennsylvania, telling the crowd, "Hello, we love you, we support you, and my father's here fighting for you and he's never gonna let you down, so please vote. Let's get this country back on track."

November 2024: Tiffany Trump and Boulos celebrated Donald Trump's victory in the presidential election.

Tiffany Trump and Boulos joined other Trump family members and associates at the campaign's election night watch party in West Palm Beach, Florida.

December 2024: Trump chose Boulos' father, Massad Boulos, to serve as a senior advisor on Middle Eastern affairs.

In a Truth Social post, Donald Trump described Massad Boulos as "an accomplished lawyer and a highly respected leader in the business world."

"He has been a longtime proponent of Republican and Conservative values, an asset to my Campaign, and was instrumental in building tremendous new coalitions with the Arab American Community," he wrote in part.

Trump's description of Massad Boulos as an "accomplished lawyer" may not be accurate. Although Massad Boulos listed a law degree from Texas Southern University on his LinkedIn profile, a Business Insider investigation found that he does not appear to be licensed to practice law in any of the countries where he's lived.

Massad Boulos was also widely reported to be the billionaire owner of Boulos Enterprises and told The New York Times in December that his company was worth billions. However, Boulos Enterprises is owned by a different Boulos family. The small automotive company Massad Boulos runs, SCOA Nigeria, is worth about $865,000.

Massad Boulos later told The New York Times that he was referring to his father-in-law's companies when asked about his business. Massad Boulos' wife, Sarah Fadoul Boulos, is the daughter of wealthy Lebanese businessman Michel Zouhair Fadoul, who runs The Fadoul Group's conglomerate.

In an email to Business Insider, Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt called media reports examining Boulos' credentials "fake news."

"The truth is Mr. Boulos is a highly respected businessman who has proudly served as the CEO of some of his family's group of companies based in West Africa for more than 27 years, and his family has employed tens of thousands of people around the globe," Leavitt said.

• A video shows people emerging from the wreckage of Wednesday's Azerbaijan Airlines crash.
• A 2015 study from Time Magazine found lower fatality rates in the rear section of aircraft.
• Pilot actions and the circumstances of the crash impact survivability across all seat areas.

Video footage of survivors emerging from the wreckage of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed Wednesday raises questions on how it's possible to survive such a catastrophic event. At least 29 people survived the crash in Kazakhstan, and 38 people died.

The survivability of any plane crash largely depends on the circumstances of the accident. It's not yet known what caused the Azerbaijan crash, or how nearly half the people on board survived.

In general, however, seating arrangements and the actions of crew on board can contribute to survivability.

Specifically, seats in the rear of a plane — the section from which the Azerbaijan survivors were emerging — are historically the safest, data shows.

Federal data analyzed by Time Magazine in 2015, which looked at 17 crashes between 1985 and 2000 that had both survivors and fatalities and seat maps available, found the back third of the aircraft had a fatality rate of 32%.

The rear middle seats had the lowest fatality rate at 28%.

That compares to the 39% fatality rate in the middle third section and the 38% fatality rate in the front third section. The study found the highest fatality rate was in the middle section aisle seats at 44%.

The report followed a 2007 analysis by the science and technology magazine Popular Mechanics.

It analyzed 20 crashes dating back to 1971 and found the survival rate in the aft, or rear, section was 69%, which is a 31% fatality rate. The middle section and front sections had survival rates of 56% and 49%, respectively.

The rear seats can experience less G-force

The back of the plane may be safer because, when a plane crashes, the front and middle sections often absorb much of the impact energy.

This can allow the back of the aircraft to remain more intact during head-on collisions with water or terrain, even if the rear portion separates from the plane.

The sole four people who survived a Japan Airlines crash in 1985 were seated in the aft section when the plane slammed into a mountainside. 520 others died.

A Delta Air Lines crash in 1985 in Texas saw 27 survivors, most of whom were seated in the back of the aircraft. The aft section broke free during impact.

In 2012, the Discovery Channel purposefully crashed a Boeing 727 into the desert with test dummies on board to analyze survivability.

They found that the middle and aft sections were the least fatal, with the front section experiencing 12 times the force of gravity. The middle and aft sections experienced a G-force of eight and six, respectively.

Crew actions can increase survivability

Pilot handling and cabin crew responses can also improve the chances of surviving a plane crash.

Azerbaijan Airlines president Samir Rzayev spoke about the pilots' "heroism" to reporters on Wednesday. Both died in the crash.

"While this tragic accident brought a significant loss to our nation, the crew's valiant dedication to their duties until the last moment and their prioritization of human life have immortalized their names in history," Rzayev said, according to the Report, an Azerbaijani news agency.

Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger is one of the more famous examples of pilots whose quick decision-making is credited with saving lives.

In 2009, Sullenberger's US Airways plane lost engine power over New York City. He responded by ditching the aircraft in the Hudson River because there were no runways in gliding range. All 155 passengers and crew survived.

Decades earlier, a United Airlines plane crashed in Iowa in 1989 due to an engine failure and subsequent hydraulics loss, meaning aircraft control was severely limited.

The pilots kept the landing gear down to absorb some of the crash shock and maintained relative control of the plane as it crashed. 184 of the 296 passengers and crew survived.

Flight attendants have also been credited for saving lives. During a fiery Japan Airlines runway collision in January, flight crews' quick response and communication were cited for the successful evacuation of all 379 people on board.

There is no universal safest seat

Federal authorities say there is no safest seat on a plane because every crash is different and depends on factors like how the plane impacted the ground and whether there was a fire.

Sully's water landing is an example of how the back of the plane could be most at risk after landing because it was taking on water with no exit doors available — so those passengers were among the last to exit.

In the United crash in Iowa, most of the survivors were in the rows behind first class but in front of the wings. They likely lived because of how the plane hit the ground and broke during landing, allowing people to more easily escape. Some people who did not perish on impact died due to smoke inhalation, an NTSB investigation found.

In 1977, a Pan Am and a KLM Boeing 747 collided in Tenerife, Spain, killing 583 people and becoming the world's deadliest plane crash. However, 61 people seated in the front section of the Pan Am plane survived.

The KLM jet hit the middle and aft sections of the Pan Am aircraft, causing the front of the Pan Am jet to be less severely damaged and allowing people to escape via an opening near the left wing.

Despite the different outcomes of the varying air crashes over the decades, flying is the safest mode of transportation — regardless of where you sit — thanks to strict safety laws and improvements in aircraft design.

A 2020 National Transportation Safety Board survivability report found that 1.3% of people involved in commercial airline accidents between 2001 and 2017 died, down from 4.7% between 1983 and 2000.

• Apple exec Eddy Cue explained why the company has not built its own search engine.
• Google has a deal with Apple to be its default search engine, and Apple wants to keep it that way.
• The exec explained Apple's reasoning in a filing related to the DOJ's antitrust case against Google.

Apple says it plans to stick to what it knows best, and that doesn't include building its own search engine.

In court papers filed this week in Washington, DC, Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of services, listed the reasons the iPhone maker does not want to create its own search engine.

The filing was made in connection to the Department of Justice's antitrust case against Google, which argues that Google has an illegal monopoly over the search engine market. One of the DOJ's key pieces of evidence in the trial is a revenue-sharing deal between Google and Apple that makes Google the default search engine on Apple's Safari browser on all its devices. Google has been paying Apple for this default search engine status since 2002. Google's payout has increased dramatically over the years, rising to around $20 billion in 2022.

Apple had asked to participate in the trial to defend its partnership with Google, Reuters reported. And in this week's filing, Cue explained the motivation behind the deal, including why Apple uses Google's search engine instead of creating its own.

He gave three main reasons:

1. Developing a search engine would "cost billions of dollars and take many years," Cue said in the filing. He added that it would divert employees and capital investment away from the company's other areas of growth.
2. Search is "rapidly evolving" alongside artificial intelligence, and investing in it now would be "economically risky," Cue said.
3. Search engines require a platform to sell targeted advertising, and that is not a core part of Apple's business, Cue said. He said Apple also does not have the staff or operational infrastructure to build out a successful search advertising business. And he said it could conflict with Apple's "longstanding privacy commitments."

Cue said the DOJ is wrongly assuming that, without a deal with Google, Apple would create its own search engine. Cue said that's not likely, regardless of the case's outcome. And he warned that if the DOJ blocks Google's revenue-sharing deal with Apple, then "it would hamstring Apple's ability to continue delivering products that best serve its users' needs."

Cue also highlighted Apple's revenue-sharing agreements with other search engines. These include deals that give Yahoo!, Microsoft Bing, DuckDuckGo, and Ecosia access to Apple users' Safari search queries, he said.

In 2018, Apple considered buying Microsoft's Bing search engine or investing in a multibillion-dollar deal to allow Bing to supplement some of Google's dominance on Apple devices, CNBC reported in 2023. But the deal, which could have tarnished Apple's relationship with Google, ultimately did not go through, according to the report.

• We asked four interior designers to share which living-room trends missed the mark this year.
• All-white everything and bouclé-textured furniture are out.
• Wood-paneled accent walls and too much light wood can make your room feel inauthentic.

We asked four interior designers which living-room trends totally missed the mark this year.

Here are the styles and designs they told Business Insider they don't think we'll be seeing in 2025.

Bouclé is overdone.

Anna Tatsioni, lead interior designer at Decorilla, has seen enough bouclé (a thick, curled fabric) in living rooms this year.

"Bouclé has exploded in popularity, particularly as upholstery for couches, and it's just so overdone," she told BI. "I also think it can be a really restrictive textile as it only works with a limited number of colors and can look very synthetic."

Instead, consider adding other textures to your space to create more variety.

Minimalism took over to a fault.

Tatsioni told us that minimalism was taken to extremes to create tidy and clean-looking spaces this year — and isn't working in its current form.

"So many interiors are starting to look like those I'd find in a show home," she said. "Minimalism can be done beautifully, but when brought to the extreme, it can dampen any sign of unique personality or character in an interior, making a place feel sterile and uninviting."

Oversized furniture in small spaces is a miss.

"I suspect that social media might be to blame for this, but the trend of having massive cloud couches is problematic for smaller living rooms," Tatsioni said.

She cautions against thinking oversized furniture is necessary to create a cozy living room space, as other options often work better.

"There are so many gorgeous styles of comfortable couches and easy chairs that are perfect for smaller living rooms, which can work much better for maximizing limited space," she told BI.

All-white living rooms are a tired trend.

Brad Smith, the CEO and lead designer at Omni Home Ideas, said it's time for living rooms to stop feeling "too sterile and uninviting" with their all-white color schemes.

Smith said homeowners can create a balanced look and add warmth and personality to predominantly white spaces by "incorporating colorful accents like throw pillows, artwork, or even a textured rug."

The industrial style didn't work in some living rooms this year.

Industrial elements include metal accents, exposed bricks, and raw materials. They can make a space look edgy and modern.

However, when a living room leans too far into this design style, Smith said, it instead "comes off as cold and impersonal."

"A balanced approach using softer textures and natural materials can help soften the industrial feel and make the space more welcoming," he told BI.

Maximalist patterns, colors, and styles didn't always work.

Keri Petersen, owner and lead designer at KP Spaces, said maximalism missed the mark this year because it can quickly go from "collected and cool" to "cluttered chaos" in a living room.

"Too many patterns, colors, and styles thrown together without a plan? The result is a space that feels overwhelming and anything but relaxing," she told BI.

To add life to a space without creating chaos, she suggested sticking with a cohesive color palette and limiting yourself to only using two or three complementary patterns in a room.

The novelty of wood-paneled accent walls didn't last.

"Wood-paneled accent walls were a fun way to bring a natural, rustic touch into a home. But, like all trends, it got overdone, fast," Petersen said.

She added that when too many walls are paneled — especially with cheap, faux materials — a space can start to feel inauthentic and dated.

"If you want a focal wall with timeless appeal, try limewash or textured plaster for that subtle, earthy vibe," she said.

Too much light wood sucked the dimension out of some spaces this year.

It is possible to have too much of a good thing, especially when it comes to light-colored wood, said Allison Burke, principal at Allison Burke Interior Design.

"Light wood tones, especially white oak, have been absolutely everywhere, and while they have a fresh, airy look, it's starting to feel a little overdone," she told BI.

When spaces have too much light wood, they can "feel too uniform and lack dimension," she said. Plus, darker wood tones add a layer of sophistication to a room that light ones can't.

Open shelving isn't ideal for most people.

"Open shelving had its moment in the spotlight, but let's be honest: It's much harder to pull off than it looks," Burke told BI.

These shelves can make rooms look unpolished and busy.

"It's a tough trend to sustain day-to-day," she added. Most homeowners aren't styling their living room spaces to perfection or constantly dusting.

Instead, she recommended blending closed storage solutions with glass-front or framed cabinet doors that look far more polished.

• YouTube creators are increasingly optimizing their content for TV screens.
• There was an uptick in 4K videos and creators earning revenue from TV viewership this year.
• YouTube exec Kurt Wilms broke down the top performing content on the big screen.

2024 was a breakout year for watching YouTube on the big screen.

YouTube said this month that creator earnings from TV were up more than 30% year over year, and the share of videos uploaded in 4K was up over 35%.

Kurt Wilms, senior director of product management at YouTube, said more creators are making highly produced, episodic content. Wilms leads teams responsible for YouTube's "living room" efforts.

"2024 was the year of living room," Wilms told Business Insider. "Creators across the board, no matter what content they're making, are leaning into optimizing their content for the biggest screen."

Historically, many creators thought their audiences would be watching on a mobile phone and didn't expect them to watch for an hour or two in one sitting, Wilms said. But now, creators are no longer limited to thinking about making content in bite-sized pieces.

Michelle Khare, who has 4.8 million subscribers, is an example of a YouTube creator focused on episodic content. Her "Challenge Accepted" series is divided into episodes and seasons. She also categorizes her content on YouTube and organizes similar-themed videos into playlists, which makes it easier to watch them all at once on a TV screen.

"One of the things that has happened throughout 2024 is content that's maybe traditionally viewed on television, like sports and kids' content, is performing well for us on the TV," Wilms said. "It's gained a lot of momentum."

In YouTube Studio, creators can see their analytics related to how different videos performed across devices such as mobile, web, and TV.

"I would assume for most creators over time they're going to see a shift and TV viewership pick up," Wilms said. "I just think that's an overall industry trend and viewing trend that's going to happen."

Looking ahead, Wilms said his team is thinking about how to better enable features that let the audience interact with creators more easily on the big screen.

Here are 3 high performing types of content on the YouTube app for TVs, according to Wilms:

1. Watch-along sports content

A popular search term for sports-related content on YouTube is "watchalong," which is what creators call commentary-related videos for live events, including sports.

"You can come before a game to see the news, the predictions, the clips, the interviews, all leading up to a game," Wilms said. "When the game's going on, you can see real-time reaction highlights and commentary on the plays. Then, when the game is over, you can see all the official highlights and pundits talking about what they thought of the game."

NFL Sunday Ticket and NFL RedZone subscribers can watch two to four streams together based on program start and end times with a feature called multiview.

Wilms said next year, his team would continue to pilot a feature called "watch with," where the viewer can watch both an event and a creator at once on screen.

"Watch with was born out of this idea that creators are commentators," Wilms said. "We're in the early stages of development on this feature. But we think it's going to be amazing for creators and viewers."

2. Content geared to kids

Kids' content also performs well on TV, Wilms said.

"I think because one of the big value props of YouTube on the big screen is the ability to co-watch it with others, whether it's friends or family," Wilms said.

In the last year, the Ms. Rachel YouTube channel, which has 12.8 million subscribers, had one of the platform's highest watch times on TVs, the company said this month.

Last year, YouTube combined YouTube and YouTube Kids into one app for the living room. Now, YouTube is rolling out a feature for TVs called Parent Code, which allows parents to set a PIN code to access adult-focused content on the app.

3. Long-form video podcasts

YouTube creators are redefining what a podcast is.

Traditionally, a podcast was thought of as an audio-only experience. But now, many creators make video podcasts that resemble a talk show format.

"With video podcasts in the living room, you can put it on your TV and watch or listen to it while you do something else hands-free," Wilms said.

Wilms said viewers generally choose to watch content on the big screen over a mobile phone or a computer for three main reasons: they are dedicated fans of a creator; they want to watch content with others; or they are at home and watch while they do something else, like clean or make dinner.

• BI asked the largest US investment banks if they test for marijuana and other drugs.
• NY prohibits employers from testing many job seekers for marijuana.
• Drug testing on Wall Street is not dead, however. See the policies and exceptions here.

Laws and attitudes around drugs are swiftly shifting, which can create confusion for job seekers. Is medical marijuana OK to use at work if you have a prescription? What drugs can you be tested when applying for a new job?

In New York, the financial capital of the United States, recreational cannabis use is now legal for people over age 21, and testing job seekers for marijuana in the Empire State has been largely outlawed.

That doesn't mean that drug testing on Wall Street is dead, however. Indeed, many large banks have strict rules against using substances at work, including unsanctioned alcohol. And while NY-based employers are prohibited from testing most job seekers for marijuana, they can still test for other drugs and discipline workers for being impaired on the job by drugs, including cannabis.

BI reached out to six large banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Citi, to ask about their drug testing policies. We found that, for the most part, these employers no longer screen most job applicants for drugs of any kind.

That said, these banks still have the right to test for drugs, including marijuana, under certain circumstances, including when federal or state law requires it as a mandate of the position or when someone shows signs of being impaired on the job.

Bank of America reserves the right to screen for drugs when legally required, according terms and conditions of employment posted on its website. JPMorgan Chase, meanwhile, may require suppliers to test personnel who work with the bank for amphetamines, cocaine, opiates, and phencyclidine, according to documents posted on its website.

Like it or not, drugs have long been a mainstay of Wall Street culture. While cocaine has been largely replaced by softer uppers, like Adderall and Zyn, the intense demands of the finance industry can often lead to drug use, as Business Insider has previously reported.

See what we learned about drug testing for job seekers and current employees at Citi, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and more.

Bank of America

A spokesperson for the Charlotte, North Carolina-headquartered bank said the firm does not require new hires or current employees to test for drug use.

Documents posted on the company's website show that it may screen for drugs in select circumstances. One document, for example, says employees may be asked to "agree to undergo a screening for illegal drugs prior to or during my employment with Bank of America if requested or as legally required." A positive test may "render me ineligible for employment at Bank of America."

The drug policy posted on the bank's website says that the use or even possession of illicit drugs during work hours can lead to termination.

Citigroup

Citi also doesn't require drug testing as a condition of employment, a bank spokesperson said. This goes for both new hires and existing employees.

BI reported in 2019 that Citigroup was reevaluating its stance on testing job applicants for marijuana use. The bank also held high-level discussions among senior executives about how closely it should work with the cannabis industry or clients interested in doing cannabis deals.

Goldman Sachs

A spokesperson for Goldman Sachs told BI that the bank does not test new hires or current employees for marijuana or other substances.

Goldman's policy is a switch from 2019 when a Goldman spokesperson told BI the bank drug tests new hires, though the screening process did not include marijuana.

JPMorgan

A spokesperson for JPMorgan Chase declined to comment on the bank's drug-testing policies.

A 2021 document obtained by BI showed that JPMorgan may test its supplier's employees, at the supplier's expense, at a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) certified site. This includes personnel who "work at a site of any JPMC and receive a JPMC identification access badge" or who have access to the bank's confidential information, networks or systems, or customer property, the document says.

Morgan Stanley

A Morgan Stanley spokesperson told BI that the bank does not test employees or new hires for any substances.

Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo does not require new hires or current employees to screen for marijuana or other drugs, a spokesperson told BI. "Drug testing is not part of our pre-employment eligibility review," the spokesperson wrote.

That said, Wells Fargo's online policy calls for a "drug-free workplace," including the improper use of legal substances. "All employees are required to perform their job duties unimpaired by illegal drugs, marijuana, alcohol, or the improper use of legal substances," the policy states, adding: "Employees are prohibited from working or reporting to work when impaired by alcohol or drugs."

• Bob Dylan has six kids from his previous marriages to Sara Lownds and Carolyn Dennis.
• Dylan and Lownds welcomed four kids together and the singer adopted Lownds' daughter, Maria.
• Dylan shares a daughter named Desiree with Carolyn Dennis, whom he was married to from 1986 to 1992.

Bob Dylan is a 10-time Grammy Award winner and is considered one of the most prolific singer-songwriters of all time, but his personal life is surprisingly low key.

The Minnesota native's rise to fame in the '60s is the focal point of James Mangold's latest film, "A Complete Unknown," which stars Timothée Chalamet as Dylan. The movie also features Monica Barbaro as the folk singer Joan Baez and Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo, a fictional version of Dylan's girlfriend at the time, Suze Rotolo.

In real life, Dylan, now 83, was twice married and shares six kids with his ex-wives. Here's everything to know about them.

Dylan welcomed 4 children with his first wife, Sara Lownds, and adopted her daughter from a previous marriage

Dylan and Lownds were married from November 1965 to June 1977. During their relationship, Dylan adopted Maria Lownds (born on October 21, 1961), Sara's daughter from her marriage to the photographer Hans Lownds. Maria changed her last name to Dylan after the musician legally became her father.

According to Howard Sounes' 2001 Dylan biography, "Down the Highway: The Life of Bob Dylan," Maria became a copyright lawyer and welcomed four kids with her husband Peter Himmelman.

Dylan and Lownds' first child together, Jesse Byron Dylan, was born on January 6, 1966.

Jesse got into filmmaking and directed music videos for artists including Dylan, Lenny Kravitz, Elvis Costello, and Tom Waits. He's also the director of the comedies "American Wedding" and "Kicking and Screaming."

He's the founder and CEO of Wondros, a global creative agency geared toward social change, public health, and the arts. He's also the cohost of the educational podcast called "Wondros Podcast."

Jesse and his wife, Susan Taylor, have a son named Pablo William Dylan, born in 1995, and a daughter named daughter Feury Mae Beatrice Dylan, born in 2000.

Little is known about Dylan and Lownds' daughter, Anna Lea, who was born on July 11, 1967. According to the biography, she completed college in 1999 at 32 years old, became a painter, and got married.

Dylan and Lownds' third child together, Samuel Isaac Abram, was born July 30, 1968. After graduating college, Samuel worked alongside Jesse at the LA-based production company Straw Dogs. He married Stacy Hochheiser, and they have two children, Jonah and Lowell.

Dylan and Lownds' youngest child, Jakob Luke, was born on December 9, 1969. Like his famous father, Jakob became a singer-songwriter.

Jakob is the lead singer and guitarist of the band The Wallflowers, formed in 1990. The band has released seven studio albums, beginning with its eponymous debut album in 1992. "One Headlight," from the album "Bringing Down the Horse," is perhaps their most notable song.

Separate from the Grammy-winning band, Jakob also released two solo albums: "Seeing Things" in 2008 and "Women and Country" in 2010.

In 2011, Jakob earned an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Idaho State University. He and his wife, Nicole Paige, married in 1992 and have three kids.

Dylan shares one child with Carolyn Dennis, his second wife

Dennis was Dylan's backing singer. On January 31, 1986, the couple quietly welcomed one child together, a daughter named Desiree Gabrielle Dennis-Dylan. Their secret wedding took place in LA in June of that year, and their marriage ended in 1992.

Dylan and Dennis' child and marriage were kept a secret from the press for years. Upon the release of Sounes' biography, Dennis explained that she and Dylan mutually agreed to keep their marriage a secret so their daughter could have a normal childhood.

• Nearly 75% of executives said in a survey they'd mandate at least three days a week in the office in 2025.
• Many companies cite collaboration, productivity, and culture as reasons for office return.
• RTO mandates could lead to higher turnover, especially among women and skilled workers.

Many bosses with an RTO policy in place plan to ask employees to spend more time in the office next year.

In a recent survey from Resume.org, nearly three-quarters of execs at companies that have already implemented some form of an RTO policy said they would require workers to be in the office at least three days a week by the end of 2025.

The November survey of 900 business leaders underscores a general trend of bosses demanding to see more heads bobbing atop cubicles in the new year.

Some of the companies demanding more face time instead of FaceTime are big-name employers like Amazon, AT&T, and Starbucks.

In the Resume.org survey, 73% of respondents whose companies already have an RTO rule said they would require workers to report to the office at least three times a week by the end of 2025. Almost one in three expect to require workers to come in every workday, while only 2% expect to allow workers to show up once a week or less.

While many employers calling workers back to the office point to productivity — as respondents did in the Resume.org survey — being in person doesn't necessarily boost how much gets done, said Nicole Kyle, who researches the future of work.

She told Business Insider that many studies suggest productivity and performance don't drastically change when workers aren't side-by-side. Instead, such metrics can remain steady or even increase if an organization allows more remote or hybrid work, Kyle, the cofounder of CMP Research, said.

Various studies have come to conflicting conclusions on how remote, hybrid, or fully in-office work impacts productivity — and one complicating factor could be the matter of how best to define or measure productivity.

Bosses might not care if you quit

Employees, in some cases, have pushed back — often unsuccessfully — against RTO mandates. Yet many business leaders don't regard these mandates as asking too much of the people they're paying to do a job.

In the survey, about one-third of bosses said they were worried workers would quit because of the RTO policies, while 49% said they weren't very concerned or weren't concerned at all. Of those surveyed, 18% were uncertain.

About seven in 10 execs said the reason to have workers back IRL is to promote collaboration and teamwork. Nearly six in 10 said the move was aimed at improving communication. And about half pointed to a desire to strengthen the organization's culture and raise productivity.

Lisa Walker, a managing partner at the executive search firm DHR Global, told BI that some employers can benefit from bringing back workers because it allows more experienced people to mentor newer workers. She said that's often harder to do when workers aren't in person.

"To get the junior people into the office, you need to get the senior people back to the office," she said.

In the Resume.org survey, four in 10 respondents said they wanted to use office space that might otherwise lie fallow.

It's understandable that bosses wouldn't want to let sometimes pricey real estate go unused, though strict in-office rules can also have a cost.

Researchers from the University of Pittsburg and other academic institutions recently reported that S&P 500 companies that require workers to return to the office subsequently experience "abnormally high" rates of workers quitting and have a harder time filling open roles.

The researchers found that those leaving are often female, more senior, or more skilled. The findings are based on the employment histories of more than 3 million tech and finance workers, as reported on LinkedIn.

"The return-to-office mandates are having pretty specific and negative impacts and causing brain drain from companies," said Kyle, who wasn't involved in the research.

Perhaps with those types of concerns in mind, some leaders have said they likely would only tighten the RTO screws if productivity suffered. Among them, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in October that the company wouldn't require workers to come to the office as long as they remained on task when working from home.

Do you have something to share about your employer's RTO plan, something else at work, or in your job search? Business Insider would like to hear from you. Email our workplace team from a nonwork device at [email protected] with your story, or ask for one of our reporter's Signal numbers.

• Vivek Ramaswamy doubled down on DOGE's calls to eliminate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
• He wrote on X that the CFPB overstepped its authority with its recent rule to limit overdraft fees.
• The CFPB's rule aims to cap bank overdraft fees, not eliminate them, saving consumers billions.

Vivek Ramaswamy has called out a government agency's latest rule to give Americans banking relief as an example of why the office should be eliminated.

Ramaswamy, who was tapped by Donald Trump to co-lead a new Department of Government Efficiency to make spending-cut recommendations, posted on X on Thursday that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau had exceeded its authority with its recent rule to limit overdraft fees.

"The new administration can & should nullify this overreach, but we must go further: this latest gambit of the CFPB is just a symptom of a deeper (and unconstitutional) cancer of unelected bureaucrats substituting their policy judgments for those of Congress," Ramaswamy said. "That's un-American & needs to end."

While DOGE is an advisory commission and would not have the power to eliminate agencies or cut spending on its own, it is in a position to make recommendations. Elon Musk, the co-head of DOGE, said in November that the Trump administration should "delete CFPB."

The CFPB finalized a rule on December 12 that would require banks to limit overdraft fees — the amount charged to customers when they attempt to spend more than their balance. The agency estimated that the new rule would save Americans up to $5 billion each year, or $225 per household.

"The CFPB has heard from tens of thousands of Americans who are sick and tired of paying billions in junk fees," Allison Preiss, a CFPB spokesperson, told Business Insider in a statement. "This rule is common sense and long overdue, and it's unclear why big banks are scared to be transparent with their customers about the interest rate they're charging on overdraft loans."

The rule updates federal regulations for banks with over $10 billion in assets, including major institutions like Bank of America and Capitol One. Banks can now choose between two options to address overdraft fees: They could implement a $5 cap on fees, or they could set their fee at an amount necessary to cover the bank's costs and losses. Banks earning profits on overdraft fees would also be required to disclose the terms of the fees, as they already do with credit cards and other types of loans.

The CFPB took action against Wells Fargo in 2022 after the bureau said it charged consumers surprise overdraft fees, which resulted in customers receiving $205 million in refunds. Other federal agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Transportation, have also taken steps to ban hidden and excessive fees.

The CFPB is no stranger to criticism. The Supreme Court in May rejected a conservative-led lawsuit that sought to dismantle the CFPB's funding structure. The lawsuit argued that Congress should have to approve annual funding for the agency rather than it receiving funding in perpetuity. Since its creation in 2011 in the wake of the financial crisis, the CFPB has received funds directly from the Federal Reserve, allowing it to carry out its functions independently of the political appropriations process.

Trump, Musk, and Ramaswamy have called for eliminating other federal agencies including the Education Department, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

It's unclear if DOGE will succeed in its efforts to eliminate agencies like the CFPB. However, Rohit Chopra, the head of the CFPB, warned Musk and Ramaswamy in an interview earlier this month with MSNBC that axing the agency is "begging for a financial crisis" and would have dire consequences.

"I don't understand why people would want financial crime," Chopra said, "and if they say it's duplicative, who else will do it?"