that was jeff rossen reporting.kaging. and you can get it before it even hits the shelf. >>> just ahead, beijing china is pushing to do something no one else ever has. plus ronaldo trades in his celtics green and you're looking at a $600,000 sack. sports is next. at panera bread, our hearty all-natural turkey chili is back in season. slow-cooked with turkey raised thout antibiotics, tart tomatillos, chilies carrots, edamame and more. the savory spice of the chili pairs perfectly with the black bean hummus and the fresh crunch of napa cabbage blend in our southwestern chicken flatbread. and it all comes together in a you pick two made just for you. only at panera bread. these little angels build in softness. and these little angels build in strength. and that little angel says "weeeeeeeee!" 60% more sheets than charmin. everything you want and the value you love. angel soft. why do i cook for the holidays? to share with family to carry on traditions to come together, even when we're apart in stuffing, mashed potatoes

we shredded all of their information. >> jeff rossen, thanks. that is a report that will stick with us. >> i cringed. >> there is a difference between book smarts and street smarts. that is frightening. >> you say reality show and you are in college. for some students, that is candy to a dream. >> hopefully lessons learned here. >>> up next, the five financial moves you should make before you ring in the new year, but first these messages ♪because i love you ♪[music continues] ♪ [announcer] this is my business. i started it. i believe in it. i know and grow it. i live it and breathe it. i put my heart and soul... ...blood,sweat and tears into it. i run on quickbooks. that's how i own it. >>> new year's is just around the corner, before you start celebrating, jean chatsky says there are five moves to make before the ball drops. nice to see you. >> nice to see you. >> you need to write this down. this is a check list. >> absolutely. these have to be done quickly. >> you talk about maxing out contributions. >> retirement plan contributions like 401

jeff rossen puts them to the test in a hidden camera investigation. >>> let's get the latest in sports. the nba's reining mvp made his return to the court. thunder's kevin durant suited up against the pelicans after undergoing foot surgery for an injury suffered in october. undergoing foot surgery. k.d. scored 27 points but they fell 112-104. >>> college football playoff committee released its rankings. alabama is number one, oregon number two for the third straight week. the surprise came in at number three with one-loss tcu leapfrogging florida state and dropping to fourth. the final four teams for the inaugural playoffs will be selected on sunday. >>> the university of alabama birmingham is shutting down its football program because it was losing too much money to football. university president ray watts said the move was for the greater good of the athletic department and uab. at 6-6 they became bowl eligible for the first time since 2004 and the only second time in the school's history. >>> tiger woods says he is ready to play again. he will tee off thursday in his annual tourname

. >>> this morning on "today," jeff rossen's special series, we're back. visits some retailers busted a few years ago for reselling used underwear. find out if they have cleaned up their act. >>> sports now this morning. spurs and grizzlies, a showdown of multiple buzzer beaters. take a look. >> trailing by 23. manu for three. fouled! everybody outside the circle. gasol. for three. we got overtime. >> are you serious? >> tim duncan. yes! oh, my goodness! i don't believe it! >> three buzzer beater shots in one game. grizzlies edge the defending champs, 117-116. >>> the bears are benching jay cutler in favor of jimmy clausen. is that the benching there a single of cutler's end with the struggling 5-9 bears. cutler just signed a contract worth $120 million after last season. >>> the san francisco 49ers released ray mcdonald as san jose police investigate him on suspicion of sexual assault. the gm said the decision was prompted by a pattern of poor decision-making. >>> and could 49ers head coach jim harbaugh return to his alma mater michigan? there is reported

. >> you need jeff rossen and his black light for the returned underwear. >> oh, it's so gross. don't know if you saw the one in 2010 -- epic. >> yeah. >> we'll see you at 7:00. >> there's a promo for you. >> announcer: now your nbc10 "first alert" weather with meteorologist bill henley. 12k3w4r >>> well, it would be nice to return to the temperatures we had yesterday. we're in the 50s yesterday afternoon. but it's cold this morning. featured clouds a live look from the nbc10 studios. windchills in the 20s. 27 degrees, what it feels like in philadelphia. that's with a 10-mile-per-hour wind. winds have been stronger this morning. 35 degrees. and making snow in the .pocono mountains, look at the snow blowing through the mountains. winds gusting to 30 miles an hour. this is camelback. they're making snow. 23-mile-per-hour wind gust miswilmington, this wind is going to stay with us this afternoon making for a colder day today. and like yesterday, some clouds will be blowing through. but we will get enough sunshine to see temperatures warm from the middle 30s in philadelphia to the l

jeff rossen from nbc news.on't need to answer your question. >> reporter: are you trying to rip her off? >> no. >> reporter: they drive right off. their company later telling us they have a flawless customer service record. but watch this next repairman. he is about to do something we've never seen before. >> how are you? >> good. >> reporter: when our homeowner goes inside, our cameras capture this. he walks to the trash can, holding his fly, lingers a bit and zips up his pants. when he returns, he doesn't even inspect the door sensor before telling her this. >> the sensor is no good. you need to replace the sensor. >> reporter: his price? $410. why were you going to charge her over $400 for the new sensor when it's not even broken? you didn't even check it. but this last repairman is about to break the bank. whistling while he works. and within minutes, he has some dire news. >> what you need is a set of light sensors. >> i definitely need those? >> reporter: yep. >> but that's not all. >> reporter: these pul

. >> yeah, there's always trouble when jeff rossen's around.here's always sure to be troubling following. >> exactly right. somebody's not going to come out of that smelling like a rose. >> never. see you at 7:00. thanks, guys. >> all right. >> see you guys later. >> bye. >>> now your nbc 10 first alert weather with meteorologist bill henley. >> got a pretty good start to the day. look how nice and clear it is. this is a live view from here at the nbc 10 studios. we are now about a half an hour away from sunrise this morning. we'll see a lot of sunshine. we'll also see a pretty good wind. it's picking up a little bit. it's just at 8 miles an hour so far at philadelphia international. a windchill of 37 degrees. but overall, it is warmer. it's going to be windier this afternoon. still some clouds blowing through the pocono mountains. this is the view from the french manor this morning. could be some scattered, light rain showers in the pocono mountains. the rest of the area will stay dry. we've been watching for fog, just some light fog right now

jeff rossen revisits one of his recent talked about undercover investigations to see if anything hasearned their lesson? probably not. >> and then from the ebola crisis to the disappearance of a passenger jet and the passing of icons we're going to look back at some of the biggest news stories of the year and how we covered them. >> this half hour with actor steven collins addressing allegations that he molested young girls, in a people magazine exclusive interview the former seventh heaven star admits to inappropriate behavior. nbc's stephanie gosk is here with more on that. good morning to you. >> good morning. steven collins calls it inexcusable, five occasions with three different underage girls. in a 1,000-word statement the actor describes the incidents but also says he has never done and has never wanted to do anything like it since. >> wish i could call the whole thing off. >> steven collins used to be known as the pastor and father on "seventh heaven." details of his personal life have taken over head lines and his image, he writes in 1973 he exposed himself twice to a prete

. >>> and coming up, they're back, as jeff rossen has told us. so have they cleaned up their act?or this one. a "rossen reports" follow-up that you have to see after a team exposed some top retailers putting returned underwear back on the rack as new. will they do it again? >> it happened. >>> well, and the year of fun we've had here on "today" from "sharknado" to the spas of sochi. of course, plenty of games and gaffes. >> lots to take a look at there. >>> let's start this half hour, though, with the most popular podcast ever. serial takes an in-depth look at a real-life murder. every aspect of that case that happened back in 1999. and millions of listeners are gearing up for today's final installment. here's peter alexander. >> reporter: it's the heavily anticipated finale of an unlikely national phenomena. >> serial, one story told week by week. >> reporter: millions breathlessly waiting to listen to the latest clues into a 1999 baltimore murder. >> wood lawn high school students. >> something's not -- doesn't make sense here in this case. and so it really is just me trying to

. >>> just ahead -- >> hi, i'm jeff rossen.f you have fur coats on your christmas list, you may want to check it twice. is it real or is it fake? the country's biggest retailers advertising one thing and then you get something entirely different. we're testing it out and we have the results you need to see, coming up. >>> plus, misconstrued. amid new allegations, bill cosby's attorney speaks out on bill clinton's remarks on how the black media should cover his scandal. but first, this is "today" on nbc. >>> all right. coming up on trending, candid camera. the surprise marriage proposal in a photo booth, you're going to love this little story. >> very cute! >> and night at the museum ben stiller stops by and weighs in on hollywood's response to that sony hack. >>> and everything you need to wrap up for your holiday shopping. we have a gift idea for every age, even bacon lovers, gift ideas under 50 bucks. >>> and the all-important travel weather forecast, a real mess coming next week. >> don't sound so happy. >> the gift that kee

. >> last month nbc investigative correspondent jeff rossen teamed up with a microbiologist and theyutely necessary. there are some things you can pack and bring with you or even just keep in your suitcase at all times. >> you open the door, you have four things you say in your bag that are important. what are they? >> travel size disinfectant spray, disinfectant or alcohol wipes, some plastic freezer bags, that will be important, and then slippers or extra pair of socks. >> they have slippers sometimes in there. >> they do. you may want to bring your own and toss those into the wash. they minimize the amount of contact between skin and germs. >> most people go on vacation so they don't have to clean the place. they're sick of having their own house. let's go on a vacation and -- >> this time of year, you want to prevent any illness, any -- just -- >> so true. walk into a bathroom and they have those cups that are there. >> yes. >> and they're inviting, put your toothbrush in it. >> if they're not the disposable kind, all you need to do is take the glasses or mugs to the sink, run ho

wait until you see what jeff rossen and his team have cooked up for you this time. >>> a little song, dance, you know the rest. don't miss our look back at the fun we had in 2014. but first these messages. surface: so's my surface, it's just as powerful. mac: you can you write with a pen? surface: you can say that again. surface: i really like my surface pro 3. mac: hey what's that, is it a kickstand? surface: touchscreen too, it's pretty slick, man. mac: it comes apart i see. surface: it's got a usb. mac: i think i like your surface pro 3. surface: no seriously where can i get one. is a really big deal.u with aches, fever and chills- there's no such thing as a little flu. so why treat it like it's a little cold? there's something that works differently than over-the-counter remedies. attack the flu virus at its source with prescription tamiflu. and call your doctor right away. tamiflu is fda approved to treat the flu in people 2 weeks and older whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. before taking tamiflu tell your doctor if you're pregnant, nursing, have serious health