05x04 - The North Philadelphia Story

[bunniefuu]

[hip-hop playing]

♪ We gotta turn big dreams into action ♪

♪ We gotta mix action with the passion ♪

♪ Time's short, no time for redaction ♪

Free book bags! Free book bags!

♪ We gotta turn big dreams into action ♪

♪ We gotta mix action with the passion ♪

♪ Time's short, no time for redaction ♪

♪ Be the first in, last out
Make it happen ♪

Want to know who we're helping this week?

[all] Yeah!

We're helping Tyreek.

Hey, Tyreek.

Yes!

Get your free book bags!

My name is Tyreek Wanamaker.

I'm 27 years old,
and I live in Fishtown in Philly.

Bro.

I have always been told
that I look like Snacks Harrison.

Also Questlove.

If you're, like, a big black guy,
I've been called them. [laughs]

"He was nominated by his boss
and long-time mentor Christina

and Tommy,
his brother from another mother."

You can't see the resemblance?

We're obviously brothers.

We look damn near alike.

[laughing]

[Tommy] Reek's by far one of the most
lovable people I know.

He loves just helping people
and helping the community.

-Thank you.
-No problem.

I love to see other people happy.

Growing up was rough,

and the people who were there for me
made a huge impact,

and I want to make that same impact
for other people.

-Ooh, this is good. More volunteers.
-[laughs]

Currently I am working
at Mighty Writers in West Philly,

teaching kids the art of the pen.

[Christina] I met Tyreek ten years ago.

He was a high school student
where I was working.

The dropout rate was 50%,
but he b*at the odds.

"Tyreek was raised
by a family friend Ruth,

who kept him off the dangerous streets
of North Philly

and focused him on attending college."

Thanks, Ruth.

[Tyreek] I consider Ruth my mother.

She's probably the most vibrant person
that I have ever met.

Like, she was a professional pool player,
and, like...

Living with Ruth was...

[laughs] amazing.

Just felt like home.

But one day, we had an argument,

and... it changed my life.

I moved back with my biological mom.

It wasn't an easy transition.

And then my brother k*lled someone.

Uh...

And my mom was afraid that
people were going to come to retaliate.

My family kind of dispersed,

and I was basically out on the streets.

It was a struggle.

[Tommy] I know he slept in vehicles,
abandoned apartments.

For a full year he slept in a shed.

Wow.

Not having that sense of security
can really be hard on you.

[Tyreek]
During the time that I was homeless,

my friends helped me stay afloat.

They made sure I had clothes and food.

They kept me alive.

[Tommy] Poverty could definitely make you 
do a lot of negative things,

but he's always kept his head straight.

He was finally able to get an apartment,

and he's been stable
for a little over a year.

He's really a remarkable guy,

but I'm not sure that he really feels 
proud of what he has accomplished.

I haven't felt like I've lived up
to the standards that I set for myself,

but I finally got my own place, and now
I want to have that sense of family back,

and the last time that I felt, like,
that bond of family,

I was living with Ruth.

[Karamo] "This is our mission this week.

Let's help Tyreek show Ruth and himself

that he's the man
he's always known he could be."

Yeah!

[theme music playing]

-♪ Better ♪[/i]
-♪ All things just keep getting better ♪[/i]

♪ Yeah, I know that they don't
Really want me to win ♪

♪ So we gon' do it anyway ♪

♪ Yeah! Hey, watch us win, oh, yeah!
Hey, watch us win ♪

[Jonathan]
There's our gorgeous Mighty Writers.

[woman] Each will be doing Mighty Writers
comic book workshops in your spaces.

[Tan] Okay.

-[Jonathan] We're here.
-Let's do this.

Your role in MightyFest?

-I am just the muscle for Tyra.
-[laughing]

-Hi.
-Hello!

-[cheering]
-[Bobby] Hi, thank you!

Oh, my gosh!

Tyreek! There you are.

Hey!

I'm Bobby. Nice to meet you.

I'm Karamo. Nice to meet you.

-Who made the quiche?
-Christina.

-The nominator!
-Oh, my God!

So nice to meet you.

[Christina] Thank you for coming in
during our staff meeting.

-[Karamo] Of course.
-[laughing]

Tell us about
what you guys do here overall.

Mighty Writers works with children,
teaching writing,

not only as a tool to learn, but also
as a tool for personal development.

-Yeah! I love that story!
-[Tyreek] Yeah, yeah.

I think the next step is for us 
to go see your place.

This is just great.

I really hope you change your perspective
on things and own what you got.

[Tan] So, you want us to teach him
to stop being so modest.

-[Tyreek laughing]
-Easy!

-[Christina] Really?
-Can I take my quiche?

-Yeah.
-Of course.

[Jonathan] Absolutely, take your quiche.

[kisses] I'm so proud of you.

[chattering]

So, Tyreek, is this your neighborhood?
Do you live close by?

No, I live in Fishtown.

[Jonathan] Tell us more.

So, I grew up in North Philly.
Every house was a cr*ck house.

-Wow.
-Wow.

In our neighborhood, you see
a lot of things growing up down there,

but during high school, me and my friends
decided that somebody in the community

needed to stop the complaining
and do the work.

Like, when we go out
and we do street cleanings,

it's not just to beautify the block,

but make sure that people know that,
like, this is ours, you know?

[Tan] How did that come about?

[Tyreek] Randomly, we'd go out and just
hand out food to the homeless.

And then it went on
to becoming a big thing.

-[Bobby] Official.
-[Tyreek] Yes.

If every community got together
and looked out for each other,

-communities would be way better off.
-Way better. Way better.

[Karamo] We are here!

[Jonathan] Your first gorgeous apartment!

Home.

[Antoni] Home. Your home.

[Jonathan]
I'm so excited to see your place!

-[Fab 5] Yeah!
-[Tyreek] Yes, yes.

So, this is the living emporium.

-Girl's got some cats! Whoo! 
-Yeah. [laughs]

Love.

Tyreek has two cats who are
totally gorgeous, who we love,

but the kitty litter is

"not giving my nostrils life."

♪ The cat piss is major ♪[/i]

This is my bodyguard.

Silver Surfer? He's my favorite.

This is 100% somebody's first home.

There is an avocado-shaped ashtray,

video games...

I love that all you need in your life
is a little soy sauce.

Not so much "food,"

not so much sustenance,

not so much place
to get any sort of nutrition.

Buffalo chicken in a can? What the hell?

[Antoni] There's a lot of things that 
I neglected when I had my first place.

Food was never one of them.

[Tyreek] Here's my bedroom.

-[Karamo] It's a good size.
-[Antoni] Oh, nice.

I see the clothes in a pile
and not one hung up.

-Yes. [laughs]
-[Bobby] No.

-[Antoni] Do you hang out in your room?
-No.

You use it for sleeping.

Usually, I just crash on the couch.

-Why?
-Wow.

When I sleep on the bed,
I feel like I get too comfortable

and then I'll wake up at one
in the afternoon and miss my entire life.

Okay.

[Tyreek] Here's my bathroom.

[Jonathan]
I'm just doing a little light cleaning.

-Just a light speckling of a clean.
-[Tyreek laughs]

[gasps] That's just open on the taint.

[Jonathan]
How long have you had your gorgeous locks?

I started growing three years ago.

It kind of just started to blossom
two years ago.

-Yeah.
-But I feel like

-they're a big part of who I am.
-Yeah.

I gravitated toward Rastafarianism.

Your hair connects you to God.

So, I want to keep my dreadlocks.

Yes, and celebrate gorgeous,
traditional styles of textured hair.

But I can tell there's, like,
smaller moments.

-[Tyreek] Yeah.
-And then maybe from, like,

not getting them retouched.

Like, some of our skinnier ones,
like, turned into one,

-and then you have some regrowth.
-Yeah.

-I'm just really excited.
-Awesome.

So show me what is day-to-day Tyreek.

Well, mostly what you see here.

I wear a lot of t-shirts and shorts.

When I have, like, bigger events...

-Yeah.
-...I do

button-downs, some, like, khakis
or things like that.

Tell me what "bigger events" means.

Working in a nonprofit space,

-we do a lot of fundraisers.
-Okay.

What kind of budget are you allocating
to what you wear?

-Does it matter to you at all?
-It does matter to me,

but money's always tight,

so a lot of my clothes are
hand-me-down stuff...

-Yeah.
-...and not my style.

Okay, what would you like to look like?

I always want to, like, push the envelope
on, like, what people expect from me.

When I was younger, it was always like,

"Boys can't wear pink,"
and, like, everything I owned was pink.

-Yep. Love, love, love. Yes. Love.
-[laughs]

-Really big on ASAP Rocky, Kanye.
-Love.

They're very playful with their fashion,

-which I really appreciate.
-Exactly.

That's what I love to do.

-I like to be different.
-Great.

Because then I could go even more bananas.

-Bananas. [laughs]
-Bananas. Okay, good. Okay, good.

[clatters]

Here we have...

dead flies of the smallpiferous defeces[/i]

genus and species.

[coughs]

[Jonathan] When we have coniferous
p*rn [/i]in the wild like this,

-it's a good indication that...
-[buzzing]

the sanitation has gone awry.

Hi, big bear. Are you scared to be here?

Yeah, you are?

You want him to clean it? Yeah, you do.

So this is where all the magic doesn't

-currently happen.
-Doesn't currently happen.

Like, I only really eat at work.

I just don't develop routine.

I'm always one foot on the gas.

-And I--
-Well, what do you expect?

-Like, that's how you've lived your life.
-Yeah, yeah.

The stability I have right now is
something I've been wishing for

my whole life,
but the only thing on my mind

has been, like,

how this could possibly fall apart

and what I need to do
to make sure it doesn't.

You've busted your ass to be here.

Yeah.

This is your home now. It's like,

I want you to enjoy it.

-Yeah.
-So, like, end of the week,

what's the vision? What do you want
to be able to do in your own kitchen?

I wanna just be able to, like,
plan a meal for my friends.

And what does that look like?
What's the dish?

So, Ruth would go out and buy,

[laughs] like, 100 crabs, and, like,

potatoes and corn and get a big pot--

Like, a full-on crab boil.

Yeah, and cover the whole table
with newspaper and plastic...

-Yeah.
-...and just go to work.

-That's awesome.
-Yeah.

[Tan] Quick PSA for you all.

If a pair of jeans or pants
has a belt attached,

it's a no-go, hard pass.

Catch. [grunts]

-Yes!
-Yeah, more!

Come on, more! Yes!

Oh, no, that was like Tr*mp
in Puerto Rico, girl. [shouts]

So this is your first place
that you could, like, make your own,

-put own stamp on it.
-Yeah. Yeah.

What has prevented you
from kind of doing that?

Money.

-[laughs]
-I get that. So, a little background.

-Mm-hmm.
-I've been homeless. I've lived in my car.

I've couch surfed
till I've almost drowned.

Like, this year is the first time

I'm able to worry about more things
than just, like, survival.

[Bobby] I'm really proud of Tyreek.

He's pulled himself up out 
of being homeless, and now

he finally can take control
of his own future.

Are you able to save now?
Do you have a bank account?

And I ask that because
I didn't used to, either.

-So I don't have a bank account.
-Okay.

I went to the bank to start an account,

and they told me that there was something
wrong with my Social Security card.

I used to keep my Social Security card
in my wallet

because I was always bouncing around,
and I lost my wallet before,

so what I think happened is

somebody's been using
my Social Security card.

[Jonathan] ♪ I'm so calmed [/i]
By baby blue walls and guitars[/i] ♪

-You have to play it to--
-♪ They make me feel so[/i] ♪

-♪ Soothed ♪
-♪ Safe ♪

♪ No, why are you up there?
I'm down here ♪

♪ Safe, safe, safe ♪

♪ Safe ♪

[Karamo] Before we got to this guy,

who was young Tyreek?

When I was still an infant,
my mom had moved into a new apartment

and there were only so many people
she could bring into the apartment.

So, my family decided to send me away
to a friend of the family's.

-So, did your other siblings go with you?
-No.

She just was like,
"Somebody has to go somewhere,"

-and that was me.
-Yeah.

So, I moved into Ruth's house,

and she took care of me
until I was 11 years old.

So, what was that time for you
when you were living with her?

-Fun. [laughs]
-Yeah.

I was always, like, a smart kid,
always loved learning new things.

-Yeah.
-Ruth was a huge resource.

Growing up with somebody who actually
put in time and effort into my education.

So, why did you leave Ruth's house?

Honestly, I still don't know
the whole story, even now.

I'm 27 years old, I don't know.

I think part of it was that

I had a lot of pent-up anger
that I didn't really know how to express

with the situation I had going on
with my biological mom,

and I took to my journal one day
after an argument,

and wrote in it
that I wish that Ruth d*ed.

And she went through my journal,
saw that and flipped out.

And that was the end of it.

Have you talked to her since?

Twice, and both of those times
were this year. 

One of them,
I was going through the neighborhood,

I knocked on the door, she came out,

saw me, gave each other a big hug.

She misses me and wants me 
to stay in contact with her.

But, like,

staying in contact was a hard thing,
I think, for me emotionally

because I felt like
I failed her a little bit.

So, you've been avoiding her?

-Yeah.
-Makes sense. Did you ever get to ask her

if the reason you left her house
was because of that journal?

We've never talked about it.

So there's no resolution there?

Yeah, yeah.

-[Bobby] Hello.
-Hi.

-What's going on?
-Welcome.

So, I think what we want to do

is let the world see
that you've had a challenging past,

but you didn't let it define you.

Should we get started?

-Yes.
-[Karamo] I'm excited.

Let's come in for one big group hug
before we go.

-Come on in. Let's get this started.
-Yeah!

♪ Let's go, let's go ♪

Tyreek has busted his butt
to finally have a place to call his own,

where his friends can come over,
where he can cook for them,

where he can be comfortable.

I want him to know what that feels like
because he deserves it.

[Jonathan] Tyreek's external look
doesn't totally match

the strength of the message
that he has on his inside,

and so we need to kind of, like,
rework that a little bit

so that he can really empower himself
with the love and education

that he gives to everyone else.

♪ Seize the moment ♪

[Tan] I love that Tyreek knows
what style can do for him.

He just doesn't have the tools
to be able to execute.

And that's where I step in.

I think there's a few things
that he's struggling with.

First is just pride in himself.

Second is pride in his home.

And I think if I can set his home up
to be something that he's proud of,

he can go even further in life
than he's already gotten himself.

[Karamo] Tyreek has done such an amazing
job of overcoming obstacles in his life,

but this week I want him to realize
that he has to confront his past

because sometimes before you can write
the next chapter,

you got to go back to the first page.

♪ Rise up and seize the day
We got to let go! ♪

-[Bobby] All right! 
-[Tyreek] Perfect.

[Bobby] We are here. 
Have you ever been here?

-[Tyreek] No.
-[Bobby] Oh, well. It's so hot.

[Tyreek] Yeah, so much sun.

-[Bobby] After you, sir.
-AC!

I wanted to bring you in here
because it's a Philly company,

and they heard how much
you give back to your community,

and they wanted to give back to you.

My heart. [laughs]

♪ Show up, got something to say ♪

[Bobby] So, this wallpaper, I was thinking
about putting in your bedroom.

I like it. It's right up my alley.

-Guess who designed it.
-Was it you?

[voice breaks] I was hoping you'd say 
something nice, 'cause if you don't...

[laughs]

I like things that feel handmade.

-More of an organic feel.
-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah. [shouts]

-[Tyreek laughs] Has the eye, yes.
-Ahh!

-[Tyreek] We're getting somewhere.
-Okay.

-It goes with the wallpaper.
-[laughs]

It's really fun to see Tyreek...

probably for the first time,

think about picking out stuff
for his home.

So, I'm excited to make his house
into a home,

but I want to make sure that
he's gonna be able to keep it.

I wanted to talk to you again about

the situation we were talking about
yesterday with the bank account.

Yeah, well,
if I'm gonna be blunt about it, 

[laughs] I don't like money.

Like, I don't like the concept.

The thing about our credit system
in America is

if you don't have good credit,

it is like a piece of your freedom's
been taken away.

But it's something that you can fix.

So, I want to make sure I teach you
the tactics that I learned

so that way you can move on with your life
and not have to think about that crap.

I'm excited. Let's do it. [laughs]

There you go.

Hi, Miss Ruth. I'm Karamo.
I brought these for you.

-Oh, thank you.
-Nice to meet you.

-May I have a hug?
-You, too. Yes.

I can tell from talking to Tyreek
that Ruth is really important to him,

so I want to meet with her

and see if she's open and willing
to give him the answers that he deserves.

-I met with Tyreek.
-Okay.

And one of the most special times

in his life that he talks about
is with you.

Well, it was really great.

-Yeah?
-He was always a jolly baby.

-Really?
-Always.

-And he was mine. I loved him.
-Yeah, yeah.

For him, there's confusion.

'Cause he said that he was with you
until the age of 11.

So, he was wondering, what you mean?
Why he was gone?

Yeah.

-My daughter, she had a child.
-Mm-hmm.

He was, like, 24 weeks premature.

He had to have his heart mended.

He had brain bleeds,

so they took him from her,
so I had to get him out

-of foster care.
-Yeah.

And they said I couldn't have the both
of the children.

Hmm.

It was a hard choice for me, very hard.
You could not imagine.

I just... couldn't do nothing about it.

-I had to get my grandchild, so...
-Yeah.

Makes sense.

Talking to Miss Ruth, I realized there's
an obvious miscommunication going on.

She didn't want to give him up,

but he needs to hear that.

Why didn't you tell him?

I didn't think to tell him.

I just told him
he was going with his mother.

So, why weren't you able to stay in touch?

-What was going on in your life then?
-Well, I'm not a perfect person.

No, yeah, no. I'm not judging.

Yeah. At times I talked to him online
and I always write something,

but I didn't know where he was at.

He never

-really came to visit me or nothing.
-Yeah, yeah.

I think it's gonna be interesting
for you to hear

why he thinks he was taken out the house.

Because in his mind...

he doesn't think it's anything
about any of this.

What did he think it is?

I think he needs to tell you that.

-Yeah.
-[laughs] I sure do wanna hear it.

-Yeah.
-I really do.

-Yeah.
-Mm.

Well, thank you for your honesty.

-I appreciate you.
-Oh, you're welcome. Mm!

[dance music playing]

[Tan]
Will you join me in our loft, please, sir?

-[Tyreek] Ooh.
-[Tan] Nice, right?

[Tyreek] Yeah. Yeah.

So, I know that you are not dressed
the way you would like to dress.

Yeah. My wardrobe and my confidence have

-a deep-tie in with each other.
-Yeah.

And I've missed big moments because
I've looked at my wardrobe and said

-that I can't dress for this event.
-Wow.

It puts you in slumps, you know?

I get that. I get that.

I hate the thought of

you not being able to attend
the things that you want to attend,

and so I want to play
a little dress-up with you.

-Yes, yes. [laughs]
-Okay, great.

Tyreek doesn't want to look like
your average dude in a suit.

He is a lot more stylish than that,

but there aren't many options
for men of his size and his height,

and so I decided to order online

and then show Tyreek what I have for him.

Okay, I love this.

Yeah, I like this a lot.

-Yeah.
-Good.

-That makes me so happy.
-Love it. Yeah.

[Tan] You are giving yourself layers.

This top that you've got on right now,
it's got different levels.

I call it tricking the eye.

-Yeah.
-So, it doesn't focus

on one thing in particular.

If this were a baggier pant,
it wouldn't work.

You would just look wide and short.

But because it is slightly more tapered,

you are looking taller and put together.

Just these couple of tweaks
can really change your proportions,

-and that's what this does.
-Yeah.

Do you see that when you look in
the mirror when you dress more like that?

-Everything just feels nice. [laughs]
-Good.

Yeah. I see a brighter future.

-I like that.
-[laughs]

[Tan]
The way he's looking at himself is like,

"Oh, yeah, there is a higher power."

It's fashion.

So, I want to talk to you about something
called a capsule collection.

-Mm-hmm.
-You'll notice this whole rack is

-a very simple color story.
-Okay.

Everything's interchangeable.

-So, you'll have maybe ten to 15 pieces...
-Yeah.

...that you can break up and make
30, 40 looks from.

Tyreek doesn't have the funds to be able

to freshen up his wardrobe 
every few weeks,

and so I wanted to get Tyreek
a capsule wardrobe

when he has just a few pieces
that he can interchange.

He gets to be stylish
with very little effort.

I love fatigue, and this is definitely...

-fire.
-[laughing]

Fire. I love it.

Did we nail it on the first fitting?

Yeah, mate!

[laughs]

♪ It's like fire ♪

♪ Burning up, time to rock it
Turn it up ♪

♪ Make it hot, make it hot... ♪

-[Antoni] Have you heard of Aether?
-I have not heard of Aether, no.

They are experts at seafood,

-and that's why we're here.
-Oh, that's my thing.

[Antoni]
I want Tyreek to have a fun experience,

something to gets him connected to food.

A crab boil is something that's very
emotional to him. It ties him to family.

It's not the most technical recipe,
it's actually really simple.

It's just a matter of sequencing
and how we put everything into the pot.

So, we're gonna start out with andouille,
the sausage.

Because I want this to be a full meal too,
and not just crab, but the idea of, like,

you and your friends
at the end of the week

enjoying this whole meal together.

I want the newspaper,
the whole experience.

So, we're gonna cut these up
into just some nice, little, thin slices.

[Tyreek] Okay.

[Antoni] We're gonna put these directly 
onto the pan.

[sizzling]

Now shucking corn.

[Tyreek] This is actually something
I've never done before.

-You've never shucked corn?
-No.

It is one of the most
satisfying things ever.

Try to rip it somewhere near the center
so that you get all the filaments.

Okay.

-[Antoni] Look at you, shucking corn.
-[laughs]

We have our pot,
we have a couple of cups of water.

Then what we're gonna do
is pour in our alcohol.

So, you've never made a crab boil
since you moved out of Ruth's house?

[Tyreek laughs]
I've never made one in my life.

-[Antoni] Never made one in your life?
-Yeah.

-[Antoni] So you'd just watch her make it?
-Watch her make it, yeah.

Wait, so you've only had, like,
small talk with Ruth, basically.

Yeah. Pretty sure she has no idea about
anything that's going on in my life.

Yeah, that's how it is with my mother.

Yeah, yeah.

I haven't spoken to mine in,
like, five years.

[Tyreek] It's tough.

It is hard because when you know
how important family is...

-Yeah.
...if you have a little taste of that,

and then that's taken away from you,

you work harder to get it elsewhere.

That's why I gravitated towards some
of the people

-that I gravitated towards.
-Yeah.

When I first met Tommy, like,

we talked for ten minutes,
and it felt like we were brothers.

And, like, that's important.

You just want something,
something tangible.

-Yeah.
-And at Ruth's house,

I grew up in a house
that was very much about affection,

and, like, nurturing and, like,

so much of my life was just, like,

-wanting that feeling back.
-Right.

-Like, you're figuring it out as you go.
-Yeah, yeah. [laughs]

Now, our onion, which is gonna give
a really nice sweetness to it.

Now we gotta season. Old Bay.

[Tyreek] The good stuff.
Is there ever really too much?

[Antoni] This is one of those, like,
"season aggressively" situations.

-Yeah.
-What are we missing?

[Tyreek]
Uh... ah, yes, the stars of the show.

So, the safe way to grab a crab
is from behind?

[Tyreek] Mm-hmm.

I'm excited.

Yes!

Tyreek didn't have the upbringing
that he wanted to have,

but his memories of crab boil...

[laughing]

...shouldn't just be a thing
that you look back on in nostalgia.

[Tyreek] Yes.

-Talk about, like, a passing of the torch.
-[Tyreek] Yeah.

-You're like a grown man with his home
-[laughs]

who's taking care of himself
and can prepare a beautiful meal.

-Yeah, an adult. [laughs]
-Adult.

-Mmm! This is so fricking good.
-It's amazing.

♪ Get, get, get, get, get up ♪

♪ People in the back
People in the front ♪

♪ Get up
You gotta give the people what they want ♪

-Hello!
-[man] Hey!

So, this is where
the wallpaper's gonna go.

Then we have this over here,
our Anthropologie chandelier.

-[man] Doubles as a wig for Sia.
-Oh.

[laughing] I'm caught on the fly strip.
I'm caught on the fly strip.

-How does Sia do it?
-[laughing]

♪ Oh. yeah... ♪

This is the playground. Yeah, Penrose.
I used to come here every single day.

-[laughs]
-Yeah.

Ride the swings.

[Karamo] I want you to take me around more
now that we're over here

because I think it's really important
to see your old neighborhood.

[Tyreek]
Well, Ruth's house is the next block over.

That's the old family house.

-This is the house you grew up in?
-Yeah, yeah.

No matter how the neighborhood
may look like, it was ours, you know?

-Yeah.
-[Tyreek] It just felt like home.

But there's, I know,
a lot of darkness that also happened.

Yeah, like,
you're always one moment away from...

just being somebody else that got k*lled

or being somebody else that went to jail.

Like, my brother is serving life.

-My brother and I are the same person.
-Yeah.

He's just as smart.

Like, his thing was just not having
the right people in his life,

and I think, like,
Ruth was a huge resource.

[Karamo] You had something that was stable

-in such an unstable world.
-Yeah.

That was huge for me.

But it was taken away from you.

Yeah, yeah. And it's jarring.

I mean, you just get hit with, like,

one day you're
in an entire different world.

Yeah.

[Tyreek]
Like, I went from, like, every day...

and, like, seeing her,

you know, and, like, for so long,
that part of my life has been missing.

And I think I carried that
into, like, every relationship.

Like, I'm always constantly trying
to prove that I'm, like, good enough.

Hmm...

It's very unfair,
what happened to you as a child.

But that had nothing to do with you.

Tyreek has been telling himself
an old story

that he is not loved
and he doesn't belong,

and it's time that he starts
to confront that.

You can't build a future
without really facing your past.

I met with Ruth.

[laughs] Okay.

She is ready to talk to you
and give you the answers.

Ugh.

So, you're gonna call Ruth right now

and invite her to come and speak with you.

[grunts]

You got this, don't worry.

[sighs]

[ringing]

[Ruth] Hello.[/i]

Mom.

-Yes.
-[laughs][/i]

Hey, I wanted to set up a meeting

between me and you tomorrow night.

Okay.

So, we can talk about everything.

You sound like you're nervous.

'Cause I am. [laughs]

You sound like you don't know
why you're nervous, Tyreek.

[sighs] It's just...

I've been sitting on it for a while,
and it's time.

All right.

Uh, tomorrow at my place at four?

-Okay.
-All right.[/i]

-Bye.
-[laughs] Bye-bye, honey.[/i]

I don't hear her voice a lot, and...

I miss that.

I miss that a lot.

It's just the beginning.

It's time to get the answers you need.

Yeah.

I'm proud of you.

Thank you.

♪ I just wanna climb to the top
Of the cliff and fly

♪ All these people checking your status ♪

[Karamo] I'm dropping you off
to your next fairy gay father.

[Tyreek laughs] Awesome.

-[Jonathan] Hi.
-[Karamo] Hey, boo.

-How are you doing?
-Hi.

-Hey, my baby.
-[Jonathan kisses] Good to see you.

[Jonathan] Mm! Hi, honey.

It's good to see you. Come on, gorgeous.

Yeah, I love this place.

-No!
-Yes. I gotta go.

You should give us a double pirouette
on your way out.

Five, six, seven, eight. One...

[laughing]

Kind of clearing it. Bye, y'all.

Ugh. We got to work on those doubles.
Come on in.

-[woman] Hi, Tyreek.
-[Jonathan] Take a seat.

-[Tyreek] Hello, hello.
-How you doing? What's going on?

This is Shahada. I'm basically gonna be
her gorgeous assistant.

You ready to get the side 
of this hair handled today?

-Yes.
-[Shahada] All right.

So, what we've got going on
in here is that

a lot of these locks
have doubled themselves.

[Tyreek] I need new ways to style it.

I don't know how to make it uniquely me.

[Shahada]
I'm gonna make you look spectacular.

-Ooh, yeah, yeah! [grunts]
-[laughs]

The dreadlocks going on Tyreek right now 
are what are called "reformed."

But the issue is
it lacks intention and planning.

[Shahada] We're gonna get out any 
impurities, any build-up.

We have just not had quite enough time
and financial resources

over these last couple years,

and so we have
our stunning loctician Shahada

to really help these dreadlock dreams
become a reality.

Ooh!

So, you're just gonna retwist those
little babies into one for that length?

[Shahada] I think so.

Wow, wow, wow.

What about baby Ruth?

Are we nervous to see?
Are we excited to see?

She's like your very formative, like,

-childhood, like, mama.
-[Tyreek] Yeah.

She taught me a lot about just, like,
how to care for other people,

and, like, I've tried to

replace her by being her,

so me and a bunch of friends
do a ton of events.

We pick different streets across the city,

clean them up, throw a block party,

we get the businesses in the area.

Love that community activism...

-Yes, yes. [laughs]
-...and organization.

[Tyreek] My focus is so much on trying
to help everybody who needs help.

-And they need-- [laughs]
-Okay, but so... [stammers]

I want you to take 10% of the advocacy
that you do for your community

-and start doing it for yourself.
-Yeah.

That's a huge problem I have,
is, like, setting boundaries.

I love-- here, shall we role play?

-Let's. Yes.
-Okay.

Imagine me as having
bountiful, perky breasts

and a tiny little snatched waist, and...

Imagine I'm Shahada.
Just imagine I'm her, okay?

-[Tyreek] Right, right.
-[laughing]

-Oh, hey, Tyreek.
-[laughing]

-Hey.
-[Jonathan] Hey.

You know, it's been so...

I've been really going through so much,

-and--
-He's a way better me than me.

-[laughs]
-I just needed a ride over to the salon.

-Now is not good for me.
-So maybe, like, later?

Um...

Probably not. I'm pretty busy.

-Okay.
-[laughing]

I love those exercises.
It's good to practice saying no.

-That's a small action you can take...
-[Tyreek] Yeah.

...that shows you, Tyreek, from Tyreek,

-that you're taking care of yourself.
-Yeah.

♪ A little more style and flavor
That's the return on boss behavior ♪

-Oh, my goodness!
-[Jonathan] Doesn't he look amazing?

-You ready?
-[Tyreek] Ready.

-Wow.
-All right. Let's turn you.

[laughing] Hmm. Yes!

[Shahada laughs]

Yeah, I love it.

Isn't it so sharp?

-Yeah.
-[laughing]

It makes my face look a lot slimmer.

-[Jonathan] Doesn't it, though?
-Yeah.

-Hello, cheekbones!
-Yes.

[Jonathan] Shahada, we love you.

-Thank you.
-You, too.

♪ Good morning, a new day is dawning ♪

♪ A new swag, a new bag is calling ♪

♪ Stop soaring, my whips are foreign ♪

♪ Life is good, good morning ♪

♪ Good morning, a new day is dawning
Wake up, get up ♪

I'm getting ready
to take you to your new home,

but with your new home
comes new responsibilities,

and I want to make sure
that you're set up for success, so...

-[Tiffany] Hi.
-I have brought my girl Tiffany.

-Nice to meet you.
-She's a financial educator...

-Nice to meet you, Tyreek.
-...and financial planner,

to set you up for financial success.

So, I've heard a lot about you

and your situation and circumstance,

and it's very similar to my own.

-Yeah.
-And so,

just tell me a little bit about,
probably, your biggest concern.

[laughs] My biggest concern is not...

being prepared for, like,

-financial disasters. [laughs]
-Okay.

He has shared 
with me some information about

-being able to get a bank account.
-Yes.

He has had some people
who have clearly stolen his identity.

So, I would say, immediately,
you want to freeze your credit,

so that way no one else,
moving forward, can use your credit.

-Right.
-And secondly, the reason why

you're likely not able
to open up a bank account

is because you've been reported
to something called ChexSystems.

-Been on that list.
-So have I at some point, right?

So, let's just say
you had an overdraft at one bank

and you didn't pay that overdraft back,

they're gonna tell every other bank,

"Tyreek should not be allowed
to open up a bank account here."

But the good news is every bank
does not use ChexSystems.

So, I want you to open up a checking

and a savings account
with one of those banks.

-Some of those banks are major banks.
-Okay.

[Bobby] Talking about your finances,

it's an awkward conversation
to have with anybody,

especially people you don't really know,

but I couldn't leave this week

without really making sure that
he's going to be able to continue

to have that sense of security
and continue to have that success.

If you automate your bills,

automate your savings,
automate your transfers...

If you do that, you're just standing
at the top of the mountain,

watching your minion money
do what you told it to do.

So, I made sure I created what I like
to call your "live richer plan."

You're gonna learn how to budget, save,
get out of debt and improve your credit

in 36 days.

-Thank you.
-[Tiffany] Yes, you're welcome.

I'm excited for you, Tyreek.
You are past survival.

-You have now entered thrive mode.
-Okay.

-I'm ready to thrive.
-Good.

-Ready to see your new house?
-Of course.

[laughing]

-[Tiffany] Aww.
-Thank you, love.

-[Tiffany] Thank you for bringing him.
-You're the best.

-[Tiffany] I'm proud of you already.
-Thank you. Nice to meet you.

[Tiffany] You're welcome.

[man vocalizing]

♪ Yeah! ♪

-Plants! Yes, agriculture.
-[laughs]

-[Bobby] Are you ready?
-Yes.

-[horn honks]
-[Karamo] Hello!

-Wow, look at your hair!
-[Tan] What?!

-Oh, my gosh!
-Right?

It looks so good.

-Oh, my God.
-Come on in!

-Come on in!
-[Karamo] You ready?

-[] Look at your house!
-[Jonathan] Get out of that rain.

-Shelves!
-[laughing]

[Tyreek] Wow, wow, wow.

This is insane.

-And it smells gorgeous.
-It does.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Wow. Yes.

So, before, the room was very closed off

because the sectional was facing this way.

I flipped everything around.
I utilized this wall for the TV.

Pictures of me! What?

Wow

Wow.

-I want to see more things.
-[Bobby] You know...

[laughing]

You're like, "What else did I get?
What else is there?"

So, if you guys noticed, he now has
a kitchen in a completely different room.

Wow!

The kitchen is in the logical place.

[laughing]

[Bobby] You got a dining table here now,

-a new refrigerator.
-[Tyreek] Wow.

Whole new countertop, microwave--

[Tan] You got him a Smeg? I love a Smeg!

-This thing is amazing.
-I love the Smeg.

[Bobby] I did open shelving over here

because you still have the storage,
but it makes the space feel bigger.

[Tyreek] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I'm really into this gorgeous baby pocket
of a room back here.

-What's her story?
-So I made you an office.

[sighs]

[Bobby] I know how much you love to write,
and I know how much you need a spot

for you at home to really continue 
the work you're doing outside of work.

Oh, thank you. Thank you.

That's so important to him.

-[Bobby] What do you think?
-Yeah. You understand me.

[laughs] You understand me.

-[Bobby] You ready to see more?
-[Tyreek] Yes, yes.

Whoo!

[Bobby]
Here's the wallpaper we picked out.

Oh, my God. [laughing]

A bed that I actually want you to use.

One of the things about not having a home

is crashing on sofas, crashing in cars.

This is like the thing that finally says,

"This is where I lay my head every night."

And I want you to start feeling
that sense of security.

Yeah, like,
actually sleeping in my bedroom.

-[Bobby] Yeah.
-Yeah. [laughs]

This is amazing.

-[Karamo] Let's take a seat.
-[Tyreek] Awesome.

You're meeting with Ruth.
What is the biggest question you have?

Um... does she still love me?

'Cause I've been feeling
from a lot of places that...

I'm not good enough,

and...

that's one of the places it started.

But what I want you to remember...

is that no matter what happens
in this conversation,

you have overcome so many adversities.

You have still found the courage
to help other people

in your time of need.

Yeah.

These are the things
that make you a success.

It takes a lot for me
to accept that sometimes.

Say it for me.
I'm not gonna have you leave

until you're very comfortable saying,
"I'm a success."

I'm a success.

I'm a success. I know I'm a success.

Yeah.

Yeah! Give me a hug.

-[laughs]
-Hey! Mm!

[Tan] Okay. Wardrobe time.

-[Tyreek] Yes.
-[Tan] I got you playful, playful,

to make sure that this feels

as close to who you actually are
and want to be.

-You said you love a bold print.
-Yes!

-Yes!
-You're not-- okay, good!

-Yeah...
-That's the reaction I wanted.

-Nice, right?
-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Tan] And then pretty much every drawer
is filled with footwear.

Like, you've got
so many great footwear options.

Yes. [laughs]

[Tan] Should we try some things on?

-[Tyreek] Yeah.
-[Tan] Yes?

[softly grunting]

-[Tan] Tyreek--
-I just learned patty-cake.

Come and join me, my love.

[Fab 5 cheering]

Okay!

-Come through, suit!
-Hello!

-Come through, suit!
-[Tyreek] What do you think?

-[Karamo] Yes, color!
-[Antoni] You wanted bold, you got bold.

[Karamo] Lining!

-[Tyreek] I love the lining in this.
-All about the lining.

-There you go!
-Yes! Gorgeous!

[Tan] You look so good.

-Do you feel good in that?
-I feel amazing.

[Jonathan] I wanna see another look!

-I'm ready, too.
-Yeah.

You're gonna love this one.
I know you're gonna love it.

-Whoa!
-[Karamo] Wow!

That's cool.

-I love that.
-I knew you'd like this one.

[Antoni] What?!

-[Bobby] Really cool.
-I love the asymmetry of that shirt.

-[Tyreek] Yeah. I love this shirt.
-[Tan] Okay.

So this one has been custom tie-dyed.

-This is a local artist who made this.
-I'm gonna love this.

-[Jonathan] Love that.
-I love it, too, yeah.

What does it feel like to have
a custom piece that was made for you?

That's insane. [laughs]

-You'll get used to that.
-[Tyreek] It shows, yeah.

This has been an amazing week,

and I don't think
I've ever had an experience

anywhere near this.

[laughing]

I don't get to talk to other people
about my emotions.

Well, I don't get to have
those conversations with men,

and I feel like
that's something that's always,

like, in a lot of our lives,
and that means a lot. Yeah.

You have five... Well,

four gay godfathers and me,

you know,
just a non-binary fairy... parent,

who is always there for you, should you
need skincare, should you have questions.

But you gotta get ready,

-you gotta get this food together, right?
-Yeah.

Love you so much.

I'm going to miss you, buddy.

Tyreek is the perfect reminder

that every one of us wants to feel secure.

Fire. [laughs]

Yeah, mate.

[Jonathan] He has fought so hard
to get to where he is in life.

-Yes.
-[laughing]

-I'm proud of you.
-Thank you.

[Bobby] Your past does not have to dictate
your future.

You write your own destiny.

Ciao.

[horn honks]

♪ If I was born to be a winner
Then I'ma grow up to be a go-getter ♪

[hip-hop continues]

♪ If I was born to be a winner
Then I'ma grow up to be a go-getter... ♪

-Food!
-[cheering]

What smells so good?

-[Antoni] Crab cakes!
-[Jonathan] Ooh!

Do you like crab cakes, Walty?

Give him a little mohawk.

You're a pupper!

-[Karamo] Oh, boy.
-[Antoni] Look at his face!

[Karamo] Can we go watch Tyreek now?

-I wanna see what happens.
-Yeah, let's go!

-Okay--
-Come on, boy.

-Time.
-[Tan] Come on, Walter.

-Hey, buddy.
-[Karamo] Press play, Johnny.

Ugh!

[Karamo] I can't imagine what's going on
in his head right now.

This is gonna be the first time
Ruth has ever walked into his house

and he's had a real conversation with her.

At least he's got a task to kind of,

a little bit, take his mind off it.

-[Antoni] Right.
-[Karamo] Yeah.

[knock on door]

Oh, my gosh. Ruth is here.

[sighs]

[sighs]

-[Ruth] Hey!
-[laughs] Hello, hello.

[Ruth laughs] Oh, my goodness.

-[Tyreek] How you doing?
-Oh! [kisses]

-How you been?
-Look at you!

I know, right? He's grown. [laughs]

Yeah.

[Tyreek] Well, come in.

My goodness, it is so nice.

What you got going on here?

-Look at you. Look at your hair.
-Oh, my God.

Wow, I haven't seen
these pictures in forever.

-[Ruth] I know.
-[laughs]

It shows that she never lost love
or never stopped thinking about him.

-For her son. Like, this is her son.
-[Karamo] Yeah.

-Yeah, yeah.
-You still look the same way.

Still look the same.

-Well, let me show you around.
-Okay.

-This is cute, too.
-I know, right? Right?

Yes, it-- oh, my-- yes!

[Tyreek] So, this is my kitchen.

I think I'm moving in.

-There's always space.
-Aww.

No, serious, it is so lovely.

-Thank you. Thank you.
-Oh, my God.

-Mm!
-This is the office.

-Oh, this is so nice.
-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I'm so happy for you.

-Thank you.
-This is so nice.

And I missed you.

-It's been way too long.
-I missed you, too. Give me another hug.

-I know.
-[laughs]

Aww!

-She raised a good one.
-Yeah.

So...

Something I want to talk about

-is where we left off.
-Mm-hmm.

I just wanted to know, like,

what made you make the decision?

-For you to go back?
-Yeah.

All I remember is just, like,
we had an argument,

and I remember I had wrote
what I wrote in the journal,

and then you saw the journal
and you were upset about it.

That's what I remember.

It's not nothing like that.

I don't know if you remember
when I had to get my grandson

-because he was real sick, so...
-Yeah.

I had to took you back because

I couldn't get him out of foster care
if I had another child.

I just...

couldn't do nothing about it.

-I remember bits and pieces of that.
-Yeah.

[Karamo] See, this is a lot 
of the confusion that was happening.

She had to make a hard decision
because the state was making her have it.

It wasn't that I didn't want you,
or I didn't love you.

I always loved you. I love you right now.

[Karamo] Mm!

[Tyreek] I knew that you...

wanted to reconnect for a long time.

-I didn't even know where you was at.
-I stayed away.

I stayed away because I was afraid. 

What were you afraid of?

You told me a lot about

being, you know, proud of what you do,

-and...
-Of course.

For a long time,

I didn't feel up to par.

I was struggling. [laughs]

But that's all right.
That's what life is, a struggle.

-[Tyreek] Yeah.
-[Ruth] Trust me.

It wasn't nothing
that you had to prove to me.

-What you had to prove was to yourself.
-Yeah.

-Oh.
-[Karamo] Mm!

Maybe you'll come visit me now.

[laughs] Right.

I'll definitely come visit.
Definitely come visit.

-For sure?
-For sure.

I love you.

-I love you, too.
-I love you.

That was his biggest question,

-is if she still loved him.
-Yeah.

He got his answer.

It's been hard without you.

Thank you from--

-Of course.
-Give me some more love.

[kisses]

Do you see how just, like, having a moment
of conversation there becomes, like,

clarity and closure, and they're finally
moving on with their relationship,

-where it got stuck before.
-Yeah.

A ten-minute conversation
can change the rest of your life.

-I'm hungry.
-[laughing]

This experience has given me
a brighter outlook

on not only my future,
but the love that I put into myself.

My insecurities stopped me
from taking the next steps.

And for the first time in a long time,

I see myself prospering.

-[man] Yeah.
-Yo.

-Oh, my God, no way!
-Yeah!

[laughing]

Yo!

-Bring it in!
-Come on, bro. Yeah.

[man] Oh, my God. I want to cry.

[laughing]

Whoo, look at you!

-You see him, though?
-Kev.

Look at the shoes, Kev.

-Oh, wow.
-Kev, look at the--

-I mean, he does look incredible.
-[Antoni] Yeah.

-[laughing] Hey!
-[man] The man...

-[man] The man, the myth.
-[man 2] Look at him. Look at him.

My God.

You got weights on your ankles?

-'Cause, boy, you too fly.
-[laughing]

Bro. Bro.

-This is a new man.
-Yeah.

-Hi. Oh, my gosh!
-[man] Look at him.

Oh, my gosh! Look at you!

[Jonathan] I love Tyreek having a moment
to be in the spotlight.

It's so gorgeous to just see him, like,

just soak up this, like, gorgeous,
positive attention

from the people in his life
that mean the most.

Oh, my gosh. Oh!

[Tyreek] I'm glad y'all finally got 
to meet. 'Cause y'all--

-Oh, my gosh.
-[Ruth laughs]

-Y'all both been real important to me.
-[sighs]

This is a man who felt like
he didn't have a family.

-And look at his home now. Full of love.
-[Bobby] Full of love and family.

[Karamo] Yeah.

[Christina] Wow!

-[Ruth] This is really good.
-[Christina] This is something else.

[laughing]

-To Tyreek!
-Tyreek!

-To Tyreek!
-Yay!

-[Antoni laughs] Walter! What a good boy!
-[sniffs]

Is that your jeans, Ant?

No, Tanny, it must be Walter.

No, no, no. [sniffs]

-Tanny, it's Walter.
-Take them off.

I'm telling you, it's your jeans.

Get up. I'm going to solve the problem
for you. Take your jeans off.

Everyone likes to humiliate Antoni.

Wanna get rid of that rancid smell without
washing your jeans and fading them?

Simple. Put them in the freezer
for up to six hours,

and it's gonna get rid of that smell
and that gross bacteria. [clicks tongue]

Freezing your jeans. It works every time.

-♪ Oh, yeah! ♪
-[man vocalizing][/i]

♪ Can't keep me down
I stand my ground ♪

♪ Hey! On the journey
You can go through all types of things ♪

♪ Don't be stressing
About the money or the diamond rings ♪

♪ When the world feels
Like it's all crumbling ♪

♪ Don't be trippin', don't get caught up
Don't be stumbling ♪

♪ You can't stop now, whoo! ♪

-[vocalizing]
-♪ Hey, hey! ♪[/i]

♪ Can't knock me down
I won't stop now ♪

♪ You can't stop now ♪

[vocalizing]

♪ Hey, hey! ♪

♪ Can't keep me down
I stand my ground ♪

♪ You can't stop now ♪

♪ When the sun's not shining bright ♪

♪ I'ma always keep my light ♪

♪ Through the storm, I will survive ♪
You can't stop now ♪

♪ When the sun's not shining bright ♪

♪ I'ma always keep my light ♪

♪ Through the storm, I will survive ♪

-[vocalizes][/i]
-♪You can't stop now ♪