”We counted down the 3 most listened to episodes of 2025.”

We launched This One Time in Kankakee on the WVLI Podcast Network in October 2025, and the stories have been nothing short of wild. In this year-end recap, host Jake LaMore cracks open the vault to count down the Top 3 Most Downloaded Episodes of the year.

If you are new to the show, this is the perfect place to start. We revisit the funny, the historical, and the shocking moments that defined our first season.

In this episode, we cover:

• The Tie for Bronze: Two very different brushes with fame and danger.
  • "Jennifer Hudson came to see our musical": That time Jennifer Hudson surprised the cast of Godspell in Bourbonnais (feat. Andrew McBurnie).
  • "A bank robber called me": That time News Director Rob West received a phone call from a bank robber.
• The Silver Medal: A dive into local history with the Village of Bonfield Banned Rhummy. Discover how a harmless card game in 1938 led to a "rebellion" and a crackdown on local gambling.
• The Gold Medal: The #1 story of the year! The hilarious true confession of the "I kidnapped a plaster cow from Perry Farm Park", where a shopping cart and a bad idea led to a police encounter in a living room (feat. Shane Whitlock).

EXCLUSIVE SNEAK PEEK: Stick around to the very end for a teaser of our first episode of 2026. We are sitting down with Tommy Solace to get the real story behind the infamous Aaron Carter fight at The Looney Bin. Was it a brawl? Was it staged? And what does "Bye Felipe" mean? Find out next week.

Links & Resources:

• Submit Your Story: Have a "This One Time in Kankakee" moment? Email jake@milnermediapartners.com
• Listen to the Full Episodes: Scroll back in your feed to hear Episodes 2, 3, 4, and 5 in their entirety.
• Website: wvli927.com/totk3
• Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram

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Want more from the WVLI Podcast Network? Listen to the WVLI News Update with Rob West every weekday morning! Get the days local news from the greater Kankakee County, IL area in 10 minutes or less.

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