Guest co-host Leland Vittert: “We may never leave!” Scary. Fox & Friends Weekend co-anchor Anna Kooiman looked ill at ease on the curvy couch sandwiched between F&FW virgin co-hosts Leland Vittert and Connell McShane. (Leland is a FNC foreign correspondent based in Jerusalem, and Connell is the FBN “Imus in the Morning” newsreader.) The ever gregarious Energizer Bunny tried her hardest to introduce the two newbies to F&FW fans and to create, at least, a modicum of chemistry. Anna succeeded–barely, to put it charitably.
The usual playful banter and racy double entendres that have been F&FW staples were not existent. Even the small talk among Anna, Leland, and Connell seemed strained and stilted. To make matters worse, Leland took a strange shot at his dad’s looks* and Connell delivered a gratuitous jab to Fox & Friends Weekend.**
Perhaps, FNC’s Bill Shine (or his underlings) decided that he could foist the two tyros on his most dedicated F&FW fans for a tryout (since they would probably watch no matter what): Well, this loyal F&FW fan did watch–and almost wished he had not.
The youthful Anna is great: But, she is no Alisyn Camerota who could carry F&FW no matter who her bookends were. F&FW fan favorite and FNC meteorologist Rick Reichmuth was on the set today and should have been the obvious choice to be one of Anna’s guest co-hosts: Together, he and Anna could have more successfully shepherded either Leland or Connell in his debut.
[Author’s aside: Re the provenance of the subtitle, Leland made his “threat” as Anna welcomed him and Connell to the third hour. Chiming in, Connell jested, “Right, you’re stuck with us, Anna!”]
*During a “Meet Leland” segment with baby photos, Leland bizarrely barbed, “I do look a little bit like…my father in those pictures. And, it’s a good thing that I now look like my mother: Otherwise, I would have a fabulous career…in radio.” (@ 6:34 a.m. ET.)
**In the “Meet Leland” segment, supra, (which included Leland’s war footage), Connell sarcastically commented, “Let me be the first to congratulate you on the promotion (to F&FW guest co-host) to now narrating dog video (earlier on F&FW) from…these frivolous foreign videos that we just looked at.” (6:34 a.m. ET.)
Tags: alisyn camerota, Anna Kooiman, Bill Shine, Connell McShane, FBN, FNC, Fox & Friends, Fox & Friends Weekend, Fox and Friends, Fox and Friends Weekend, Fox News, Imus in the Morning, Leland Vittert, Rich Reichmuth
Carpe Diem 
December 27, 2014 at 3:22 pm
Oh please!!…give them a chance….didn’t see anything so terribly wrong with them…
December 27, 2014 at 7:09 pm
I dint mean to be unkind, but Anna was much better doing the playful stints. She never looks at ease in her role as co-host. Why in the world would the let Allison go? She and E.D. We’re the best Fox has had to date. Mike and Juliette were a great team too.
December 28, 2014 at 5:50 am
I was bummed Rick wasn’t on the curvy couch yesterday. He and Anna are a great combo when there is a vacant spot. I love Rick and Clayton co-hosting together better than Tucker even.. I like Anna too and have gotten use to her deeper voice, but I think she speaks a little too low for her vocal range range and could use some voice lessons to raise her voice a little higher to have a smoother sound.
December 28, 2014 at 8:57 am
I agree with the original post. When they added TWO newbies on the same day it created a very spasmotic show. Wish Rick had been in one of their seats.
December 29, 2014 at 5:52 am
Loved seeing Charles on Sunday. He adds a lot of energy and presence. It was much better than Saturday’s show. They needed an “alpha dog” on the couch and Charles has no problem stepping into that role.
December 29, 2014 at 8:37 am
I thought they all did a wonderful job.
January 7, 2015 at 3:56 pm
Rick can hold his own. When Mike Jerrick fills in, I usually turn it off. I did like Jessie Waters filling in, and Tucker is not afraid to express his beliefs.
Eric Bolling is also a good man for a fill in host. For the ladies, I felt that Kimberly Guilfoyle was great filling in for Elisabeth when she was ill, and Guilfoyle has filled in for Anna occasionally.
I would like to see Clayton move to weekdays and replace Kilmeade. Kilmeade can be too much of a goof off in the morning.
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