Sports programming offers a veritable buffet of options for viewers, but if you are looking for something different on the menu, you might want to try Vibe Check which airs on Disney+ every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Vibe Check debuted in late June as a vehicle to spotlight ESPN’s growing roster of impressive female talent. The core group of hosts includes Elle Duncan, Andraya Carter, Monica McNutt, Chiney Ogwumike, and Hannah Storm, but also features a rotating panel of participants.
I caught the July 14 edition which aired on ESPN2. The first thing that struck me about this episode of Vibe Check was the trio of panelists and the concept of fish out of water. We seldom see Kelsey Riggs-Cuff, Jen Lada, and Molly McGrath in a conversational studio setting. Riggs-Cuff is most known for her work as an ESPN SportsCenter anchor. Lada is a two-time Emmy winning reporter and is now a key part of ESPN’s venerable and powerful College GameDay show. McGrath is an ESPN/ABC sideline reporter extraordinaire. Seeing these three seated in studio, talking openly and anecdotally was refreshing. It’s good to see such talents try something new.
I liked the way the show opened without a traditional hello and welcome. It was essentially a cold open with the trio just casually talking mid-sentence. The various backgrounds of these three women bring weight to the Vibe Check discourse.
Setting the Scene and the Vibe
Before she became a mainstay on SportsCenter, Riggs joined ESPN for the launch of ACC Network in 2019 and hosted various studio shows. In 2023, she was named the host of ACC Huddle. She has also anchored pregame, halftime, and postgame studio programming, as well as ESPN’s weekday College Football Live.
Lada files stories for ESPN’s SC Featured, Outside the Lines, and E60. She has also guest hosted on a variety of ESPN Radio and television shows including Baseball Tonight, First Take, and SportsCenter.
McGrath previously hosted College Football Live and College Basketball Live. She has reported on ABC’s XFL telecasts and on ABC/ESPN’s Thursday night college football and men’s college basketball broadcasts.
The shared experiences of these three hosts are combined with their collective sports acumen. This was in full evidence as they ripped through several items on Vibe Check. McGrath opened with a riff on the streaking Boston Red Sox, citing a May 2025 comment from Boston manager Alex Cora when the team was struggling. At the time, Cora said that his team was capable of winning 10 straight games. Lada mentioned that she worked with Alex Cora at ESPN a decade ago and brought up the hot topic of whether the Red Sox will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline.
Vibe Check offers a wide range of topics and, thankfully, eschews the overdone fare of Lakers and Cowboys, two mediocre teams completely unworthy of the time normally given to them on ESPN chat shows. Instead, Lada brought up Milwaukee Brewers rookie pitcher Jason Misiorowski, who was added to the All-Star roster for the National League. Misiorowski is 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA in only five starts for Milwaukee. A debate ensued as to whether a pitcher with just five starts deserves All-Star recognition. McGrath, playing the antagonist role, said that she understands those teams and players who are upset with Misiorowski’s inclusion.
Showcasing a New Experience With Sports Discussions
Vibe Check provides a different attitude, angle, and aspect to sports talk. Riggs-Cuff, Lada, and McGrath blend extremely well together and regularly break free from sports to just some natural chit-chat as if they were hanging out at an outdoor bar having a couple of drinks. From the studio, Riggs-Cuff threw to a package featuring ESPN’s Elle Duncan, who participated in the Celebrity Softball Game as part of MLB’s All-Star festivities. Duncan provided an inside look at the fun and excitement of the extravaganza.
Coming back from the break, a chat graphic showed some fun texting between the three hosts mentioning that it is just 40 days until the college football season starts. Playing off the college football road trips that all three will be taking soon, Riggs-Cuff asked if the group preferred to carry on or check bags when flying. McGrath said she can’t remember the last time she checked a bag and jokingly said that she questions people who check bags because they risk losing them. These three are extremely comfortable with each other. They have shared experiences in television and are equally versatile in career and conversation. All three talked about the evils, perils, and foils of checking a bag at the airport. Viewers can identify with this, which is so important in this type of program.
The Vibe Check conversation next moved to the subject of SEC football and picks to win the conference in 2025. McGrath went with Texas, citing Steve Sarkisian’s coaching prowess. It was also noted that the Longhorns will face Ohio State in an early season, National Championship tester. Lada warned viewers not to sleep on Alabama, and McGrath opined that LSU’s Brian Kelly is the head coach under the most pressure to win this season. This was a really solid and well-rounded college football discussion.
Embrace Conversation, Not Debate
While there is no specific host on Vibe Check, it is Riggs-Cuff who moves the conversation from one topic to another in a very subtle and calm manner. There is a free-flowing movement to the show that is really enticing. Another subtle aspect of Vibe Check is that throughout the discussion, none of the participants look into the camera. They are not trying to pontificate. Instead, they choose to communicate. The show is a real conversation. Lights and cameras just happen to be there. I like that style. While there is certainly disagreement among the participants, Vibe Check doesn’t denigrate into screaming or yelling, which is another refreshing aspect. The trio talked a little Big Ten football, touching on Penn State, Ohio State, and Oregon with some great insight. As for the ACC, Clemson seemed to be the pick.
When I look at a program, I don’t just focus on what is being said, but the backdrop in which it is being said. The Vibe Check set is very colorful and welcoming to the eye. The casual styles reflected in Riggs-Cuff, Lada, and McGrath also create an atmosphere of comfort and cool. There is a really nice sense of rhythm, feeling, and timing to the program. Speaking of timing, Vibe Check even has a segment called “Give Me a Minute,” where each participant has an opportunity to make a case or talk about a subject for 60 seconds. This segment underlies the relaxed swiftness that defines the show. Topics ranged from salary regulation in college football to ceremonial first pitches to family trips to Disney World. Vibe Check is an appropriate name for this refreshing and entertaining program. If you’re looking for a real sports vibe, it’s a show you should check out for sure.
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John Molori is a weekly columnist for Barrett Sports Media. He has previously contributed to ESPNW, Patriots Football Weekly, Golf Content Network, Methuen Life Magazine, and wrote a syndicated Media Blitz column in the New England region, which was published by numerous outlets including The Boston Metro, Providence Journal, Lowell Sun, and the Eagle-Tribune. His career also includes fourteen years in television as a News and Sports Reporter, Host, Producer working for Continental Cablevision, MediaOne, and AT&T. He can be reached on Twitter @MoloriMedia.
