RomanceLandia and the Rise of Queer Romance

Vibe Check

SiriusXM

Society & Culture

4.9 • 1.8K Ratings

🗓️ 13 February 2026

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On this episode of Vibe Check, Saeed and Zach welcome Saeed’s longtime friend and romance expert Tanya Melendez to break down the rise of romance across every genre. From beloved tropes to what really separates a true romance from just a love story, they cover it all — including a deep dive into the TV show Heated Rivalry. Then, Tanya spills a little tea about what Saeed was like as a teenager. Plus, they share their picks for “the vibes are on, the vibes are off”.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Girls.
0:04.0	Girlies.
0:06.0	Grace? Trace. Trace girlis.
0:13.3	Oh my gosh. Oh, this is going to be so fun listeners because our third girl this week is my dear friend Tanya Melendez.
0:24.2	She has known me since I was 18 years old.
0:27.1	The wee little baby.
0:29.4	And we've been friends the whole time.
0:33.7	And she is now working on her dissertation at the University of Illinois and is a self-described pop culture junkie.
0:41.7	So let's get into this.
0:44.0	I'm going to do it.
0:45.3	I'm Saeed Jones.
0:47.1	I'm Tanya Melendez.
0:49.2	And I'm Zach Stafford, and you're listening to Vibe Check.
0:59.0	Thank you. I'm Zach Stafford and you're listening to Vibe Check. Listeners.
1:00.2	You can tell Tanya listens to Vibe Check because she knew the beat immediately.
1:03.0	Oh, yes, I did.
1:04.3	I know this song.
1:07.0	This is my jam.
1:11.2	Oh, I'm so excited.
1:13.1	Now, this is, we've been talking about you for so long. And Saeed's been like, we gotta get my friend in. We gotta get my friend in. And we have not met. Yeah, this is our first time meeting. I know. I'm so excited. Oh, yeah. And you live in Illinois. I'm a big fan of Illinois. the state that took me in after I left Nashville,
1:27.1	ran away from the south.
1:28.1	I went to school.
	...

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