
January 27, 2025
'TODAY' show co-host Craig Melvin, right, had to get a temporary tattoo of his co-anchor Savannah Guthrie on Monday morning to fulfill a bet over the NFC championship game. Guthrie roots for the Eagles; Melvin is a Commanders fan.
"TODAY" show host Craig Melvin paid up on on a friendly bet after the Eagles soared past the Washington Commanders in the NFC championship game.
Melvin, a Commanders fan, received a temporary tattoo of co-anchor Savannah Guthrie's face on Monday's broadcast. Last week, Melvin and Guthrie, an Eagles fan, made a bet on the game, with the public getting to choose a goofy punishment for the loser.
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Melvin has to wear the tat — a close-up of Guthrie in which she's wearing an Eagles hat and holding the team's logo — all week, though "TODAY" co-host Carson Daly joked that it could stay on much longer.
"My 10-year-old daughter wore one of these fake tattoos and we couldn't get it off for 6 months," Daly said.
Based on the rules of the bet, Melvin had to have the tattoo placed on a prominent area on his body. His co-hosts applied it onto the back of his neck.
"I wish I could see it," he joked.
"Don't worry, you'll see it on TV," Guthrie replied.
"TODAY" viewers voted on the punishment, selecting the tattoo over a "shoey" – an Australian drinking tradition in which a person chugs alcohol from a shoe – and riding the New York City subway with a sign that says "Ask me about the bet I lost."
"Let this be a lesson, don't gamble," Melvin said Monday.
Along with Melvin's comical penalty, Guthrie also gave him a Saquon Barkley jersey. The Eagles running back had a dominant performance Sunday with three touchdowns, and even a grieving Commanders fan like Melvin took a moment to praise Barkley's "redemption story."
Guthrie was born in Australia and grew up in Arizona, but her husband Michael Feldman, a Philly native, brought her into the Birds fandom. Guthrie and her family have been spotted at Lincoln Financial Field for games, including for the 2023 NFC championship. Melvin, on the other hand, has been a Washington fan since he was a kid growing up in South Carolina. The Commanders sent him a special jersey earlier this month to commemorate his first year as a "TODAY" co-anchor.
Check out Melvin's new tattoo below:
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