Bachelor Happy Hour - Malik & Doug: Getting Real About ‘The Bachelorette’ and Run-Ins with Paparazzi | Happy Hour
Episode Date: April 17, 2026Today on “Happy Hour,” we’re joined by two more men from Taylor Frankie Paul’s season: Malik and Doug. Before we dive into our interviews, Charity and Rachel weigh in on the ne...ws surrounding Taylor Frankie Paul and no criminal charges moving forward against her. Then, we start our interviews off with Malik, who gets candid about the current pause on the show. He also shares about his life and his journey to the show; who knew your “Bachelorette” love story could start at Sexy Fish in Miami?! Next, we hear from Doug, one of the most talked-about men online right now. From his music career to being followed by paparazzi, nothing is off-limits. Tune in now, and be sure to subscribe to keep getting to know the men of The Bachelorette.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Council. Hello everyone. Welcome back to Bachelor Happy Hour. It's Charity and Rachel here.
Today is April 16th, and we have two amazing guests for you.
We have Malique and Doug.
We are so excited for you guys to hear from them.
But first, there has been so much happening in the world of Taylor Frankie Paul.
So we wanted to kind of touch on that before we get into the interviews.
And before we dive into that, we wanted to give a quick disclaimer that we will be covering some sensitive topics.
All right, Miss Rachel, let's get into it, shall we?
Where do we even start?
Charity went on what's the reality with our girl AD and had so many amazing points.
So obviously I want to get into your thoughts on all that.
But this week, the DA announced that they will not file any criminal charges against Taylor, Frankie Paul.
I think like to sum this up for, I guess, I don't know if everyone's been keeping up with this.
It's kind of hard not to.
It's everywhere.
I know.
But so obviously we all, I think the world saw the public video that went everywhere.
And that incident happened in 2003, which Taylor has already been charged against and was on probation.
So this hearing specifically was for the new charges that were brought against her that I want to say were brought up in February during that time frame.
So all of those charges has been.
dropped because there was not sufficient evidence for them to prosecute. So in Taylor's defense,
this is a big win for her because I think that's what most people were waiting on to hear or to see
really from this specific year in time frame of like what's going on. Now with that being said,
we still have a lot more to uncover in regards to Taylor and Dakota.
And specifically when I mentioned that, I'm referencing what's going to happen with their custody trial and obviously their child ever and how they're going to determine.
It sucks even say.
Like I hate saying this because I'm like, it's just such a sad situation.
Who's going to get custody rise over ever?
Which, yeah, I think we're all still kind of strapped in on the ride.
Like, we don't really know how that's going to go.
I feel like they both are wanting to kind of just at each other.
And like it's crazy even say may the best man win.
Like there is no best man in this situation.
Like I think, you know, ever should be in the best care.
And I want that to be, you know, both of them interchangeably.
But I don't know if that's going to be the case.
I literally don't know.
I have no idea.
I think that was so beautifully well said. Going into the 30th, they will be, like you said,
seeing who gets custody as well as having the restraining orders. And thank God for that.
It is so hard to every day open up my phone and see updates on this case because I just feel so bad,
obviously for the children and what is happening. But like you said, this is a win for Taylor.
in the sense that there will be no charges brought against her because she is, I guess I forget
this and I think maybe some people do still paying for the charges of that 2023 incident.
I think one of the biggest things when I think about this, when you were talking AD and you
said that if this were you, that the franchise would crumble.
And the fact that we are coming on Happy Hour and it is a win for Taylor, right?
We're talking about this.
but the fact that that is the reality is just very hard for me to comprehend after listening
to everything you had to say.
Do you have any takes that you want to share with the listeners who maybe didn't listen to
that episode?
Yeah.
You know, I feel like I've been very, like, vocal about my sentiments or tried to do it
in a way that was obviously very empathetic to the situation and Taylor's situation,
but also like acknowledge that, you know, there is a little bit of a double standard.
There is like, you know, and it's one thing if I could just go through this life and just be like,
no, like it doesn't matter.
I don't have that luxury.
A lot of other people have that luxury where they can just be like, yeah, they don't have
to think about it because it doesn't directly affect them.
But like, as a black woman, I'm like, this is crazy.
Like, it's very crazy to see.
And it's crazy to like go through the day to day and think about like, oh gosh, like, granted
I would never want to be in Taylor's shoes, but I'm like, if I was in Taylor's position,
like, what would that even mean for me?
Like, I can't even imagine.
And I'm not saying, like, what Taylor's going through is, like, by any means easy.
No, like, what she's experiencing is also, like, hell on earth.
But in the flip side, it's like, I just, like, the amount of coverage that's on this,
the amount of, you know, I sometimes, like, I just read the comments.
And it's like, grace, like, and, grant,
it. I'm all about grace. Like the amount of just, you know, I just see the tide and like the tone very
different than what it would have probably been if it was someone who looked like me or not even
looked like me, someone who maybe didn't even, you know, had the upbringing that I had or the
accolades. You know, there's all these things. And so, you know, when I sat down with 80,
I just was like acknowledging the fact that I'm like, I have to do my job so perfect. I don't have
room for mistakes. And like, that's a very hard position to be.
in and, you know, to go through life, almost feeling like you have to be perfect when I know I'm a
human being and I am with flaw. Like, I am not without that. So it's just, yeah, it's just interesting
to see, like, the discourse and, you know, how it switches. And, you know, I really have talked a lot,
like, to Rachel Lindsay about this. And obviously, as we know, like, she's very outspoken and a huge
advocate. But I think more than anything, I've, like, kind of leaned on her in this moment of just, like,
getting her thoughts. And she just has this unique ability to like eloquently sum up things in such
a unique fashion, but just like so powerful. And I'm like, that's literally it. Like she said it all.
And yeah, it's just, it's just hard. It's hard to wrap my head around. But I'm like at the end of the day,
like I have a job and that's to be here and show up. But like at the end of the day, yeah, I also want
support and things to turn around for Taylor. Like it's a weird position to be in, very weird position.
It's so wonderfully sad.
And I love that you have Rachel to lean on and that we got to discuss that here because
I think a lot of times it is so easy to get caught up and wanting to know the drama.
But at the end of the day, this is so much bigger than all of this.
It's beyond.
And to touch on another note is while this is all happening, while everyone is going through
what they're separately going through, Dakota is appearing on reality shows.
I just watched the unwell winner games, where he talked about Taylor the entire time and not well.
Not well.
So great network.
I, the fact that these opportunities are still being presented to Dakota when-
It's crazy to me.
Like, it's just mind-blowing.
I'm telling you, I would be X out to the depths of hell.
Like, this was Dotten and Dotten was like possibly accused of like getting like, getting
like, like, would crumble.
You understand.
Like, I don't think no one gets it.
Like, it's like, no, he would never recover.
I personally would never recover.
I might have, like, a sliver.
But, like, he would never recover as a black.
Like, it's just like, I'm so sorry.
Like, it is just, like, I'm like, oh, so you're going to go on another TV show?
Like, wow, this is all, like, this is crazy to me.
Like, no, and that's what we need to be talking about, right?
Right.
I really, I mean, I know we text and talk all the time.
And it's just, it is so hard to wrap my brain around.
The fact that this is happening.
Yeah. And at the end of the day, everyone is still like, how about everyone just goes and gets the help that they need and doesn't go on TV for like a second?
No, literally. I'm like, it's just okay to take a break. We can come back in like two years.
Just the beat, please. TV will always be here. Yeah. I will say though, I will say the wind, though, is that he got edited out of Vanderpump Villa.
So I'm like, thank you, Lisa and her team.
Literally.
For doing something correct.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
I think most people were excited to see like what went down there, but we don't need to.
Like that's what I'm trying to get.
Like, we don't need to see.
Like, we know enough almost too much that like the result of everything and everybody's
choices and behaviors resulted in this shit show.
So like, we're good.
We're good.
Yeah.
And I guarantee he's going to do something else.
We don't need to see it in the villa.
We already know from watching Mormon lives what happened.
Yes.
I just think I need a break from Dakota.
I need everyone to take a breath and deal with your custody hearing.
Yeah.
And I just like I shouldn't know this much information.
I know.
And that's the other hard thing.
I'm like, I also hate like, I mean, granted they are public figures, but I'm like, God, if this was like, if this was my life and all this was on display, I would you guys would never see me again.
And I don't mean that in like, you know, no, I agree.
Scary fashion.
It's just like I wouldn't, I would need to do everything to protect myself.
Like I wouldn't want to like, you know what I mean?
So yeah, I hope they can like just put all that aside and literally think about their child.
Like that's all that matters.
Nothing else.
Nothing else right now.
It's not about who wins.
Like your child is who needs to win in this.
Like that's it.
That's my.
Yeah.
I just really hope that like you said, they can think about ever because this is,
going to affect him for the rest of his life.
What is happening right now?
Forever. Yeah. And I really hope, I mean, both of them can really understand that beyond
what shows are airing or not.
And that this can come to, yeah, like you said, some sort of a good resolution.
But our thoughts are with everyone as frustrating as this time is.
We're thinking about the families and holding out hope.
On that transition, let's talk about.
about your amazing Coachella outfit because, dare I say, best dressed at Coachella,
for sure.
That black outfit.
No, you know what?
Tell us about it.
No, the black, like, it was crazy because I had my friend, you know Julia.
Yes.
Yes, she came over.
She's incredible.
And she was like, wait, she showed me the top at the last minute.
She was like, wait, I kind of want you to try this on.
And like describing how the top is like, yeah, everyone's probably like, how did your,
stay intact?
Yeah.
So it's literally like think like an underwire bra.
Okay.
The belt buckle goes over your boobs.
Sorry, this is crazy.
And then you tighten it.
And then you tighten it.
So I was like, oh my gosh.
But like the initial thought was like, what if like something like slips or pops out?
But I'm like, it was so tight in there.
And I was like, wait.
And when I like saw it with the.
I said, oh, this is, this is day one. Like, are you kidding me? Like, whoever does that, like, I'm not
kidding you. That's, like, probably my favorite look of all times. Like, I want to wear it around the
city of New York City. I feel like you should wear that when you're buried. Like, that might be the
best thing. No, actually. No, actually. Like, it was my best one. Tighten it in, in the casket.
Hello. I was deceased. But you know what? Even if they fell out, like, that'd probably be the
bottom of the headlines that came out of Coachella?
Honestly, there was so much going on that weekend.
What was going on?
Was there anything?
I was in a house with reality TV duos.
So I did not know who was going to be in that house until I touched it in the desert.
So I said, okay, here we are.
And I would have done.
And do you understand?
I mean, Tyler Cameron Tate, so that was crazy because he was like, wait,
I just did a podcast with you.
I was like, you sure did.
And then there was Layla and Miranda.
So as we know, Secret Lives and Mormon Wives.
Like, they were there and I was trying to collect.
But I actually love Miranda so much.
Like, she is literally just so chill.
She's so laid bad.
So sweet.
I mean, in my book, can do no wrong.
Like, I feel like she's just like, I don't know, like how to describe it.
She's like the type of person that makes herself like available.
to everyone, which, like, I feel like I relate in some capacity. But, like, she's just so, I don't know,
like, she's just someone you want to be around. Like, it's just good energy, very chill. Like,
she doesn't stress you out. You don't feel like, you know what I mean? Like, she's just a good person.
So, I had a great time with her. Um, me and her and Latia, we saw, um, young thug together.
How was that? It was literally the vet. Like, him, Justin and Subtronics, like, that was probably,
in my favorite sense of the weekend. So good variety there. I should have imagine. Oh my gosh.
Was there any tea that you heard in the house? Because you were in the house with some summer
house people as well. It was Jesse and Mia. But like Jesse, Jesse, Jesse Solomon. Yes.
He's a, he's a character. I don't really know how to describe him. I really do. I was trying to
get a read this weekend. But like I had fun with him. Like, yeah, he didn't really drop anything.
That was like super crazy.
Okay.
Definitely didn't talk about obviously what's going on with Amanda and West and Sierra.
So left that.
I'm trying to think what other tea did I get or heard?
Who else was there?
Oh, Shelley from Love Island and Clark was there.
Like literally royalty.
If I saw Shelley, like I don't know how to ask.
I was not normal.
I was like, hi.
Like it and it was like, I felt like such a thing girl, which I am.
But like I was like Trity like act normal like you can't act like a crazy person around her like she's going to be like yeah hey and like never come and talk to me.
But no she's like so chill too.
Her and Clark, sweet.
Clark is so sweet.
Oh my gosh.
Olivia was there live from season six of Love Island.
I mean, it was just such a stacked house.
I was like, oh.
And I didn't really know like night one.
I was like, okay, I don't really know how this is like this weekend's going to play out.
But it was such good like energy like amongst everyone.
And like we all just collectively like, you know, did our own thing but had like a good time together.
It was just a 10 out of 10 experience.
Like Tart and St. James know how to do a brand trip always.
I was going to say they might have a better casting lineup than half these reality shows because
the way I was tuning in to try to figure out what was happening in that house.
I'm a fan.
Let it be known.
I was literally replying to every single one of charity stories.
Like I was so good.
Trying to get the lot.
What is happening in the moment?
You need to be here.
I'm like hot, love, love, heart.
I can't believe you don't do Cotella because I'm like, Rachel, you need to be there.
I watched Weber's set from the comfort of my room.
And as soon as it was over, I went straight to bed.
And that was- She said, logged out.
And I said, I'm in my bed already.
It was amazing.
Honestly, that was the hardest night because it was hell trying to get in there.
Hell, trying to get out.
Yeah.
The worst.
Oh, my gosh.
But it was so many people.
It was great, but just so many people.
I was like, wow.
Yeah.
He really did his big one.
He did.
Oh, my gosh.
Okay, one more thing before we get into the guys, we have to talk about Vanterpump Villa.
Because charity is going to be on Vanderpump Villa.
I'm so excited.
I have heard all about this episode for like, it feels like a year now.
Crazy stories.
Yeah.
Can you tease anything?
Well, it'll be out by the time we.
Honestly, go go watch.
Tonight show you.
Like, it's on Hulu right now.
I cannot.
Wait.
We're going to see the Gesturad Renaissance.
Let me tell you one thing.
Yeah.
Me and Dottin were mom and dad.
So I just felt like I was on vacation with my children.
So I had a great time.
Nothing crazy coming from Terry Lawson.
Nothing too crazy.
Mine is like, I don't know.
Me and you might catch a little lap dance, but that's it.
Fingers crossed.
I better see one.
literally i was on vacation um mercedes jess sean you know you can't take shon any i love
sean but cannot take him anywhere without acting a fool um who else was there zavier actually was on
his best behavior i don't want to spoil it but like i expected him to be like crazy that's what i'd
have my money at right he did a really good job maintaining himself and then john b he got a little
he got a little frisky so okay i forgot job tune in right um the cast is very like we love the cast
um there was a little bit of drama but nothing like too crazy Maria oh my god how could I forget
Maria.
Yep.
Right.
Maria had her a little moment.
Yep, yep, yep.
That's everybody.
As she will and as she does.
Yep.
Yes, that's our girl.
Honestly, it's very like it's not what you would expect and I think like seeing like maybe
bachelor people in a different light different like.
producing style, it'll be good.
Tune in.
Everybody tune in tonight or tomorrow or this weekend whenever you have time.
Well, I for one, cannot wait.
I will be so tuned in.
And, you know, what else is there to talk about?
We honestly need to have like, we need to do like a recap once, you know,
everybody needs to come on.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
The girlies.
We need to have the girlies.
Yeah, yeah.
Because I don't think Fatonation has ever seen Just Jared Kiss
with.
tongue. This is going to be a new thing for everyone. That and something else. So I won't,
I won't share. Baby Jess, she's better not. She's literally going to kill me. It's about to air tonight.
You're going to see it. No, y'all will. She's going to kill me, though, for saying it on this podcast.
And that's okay. You live and you learn. I've been waiting for this to come out of her. So thank God that you
were able to bring this out of her, give her the Vanderpump Villa experience. And thank God, Dakota.
will not be on it. Thank God. Amen. That's all I can say. And you know what? With that being said,
I think it's time for us to get into our interviews with our lovely guys today. You think so,
Rachel? Yes, I think so. Without further ado.
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Get ready to hear from some of your favorite entrepreneurs and entertainers as they share stories about defying expectations,
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I'm talking to people like award-winning actress, producer, and director, Eva Longoria.
I think I had like $200 in my savings account, and my mom goes, what are you going to do?
And I was like, I'll figure it out.
We had a one-bedroom apartment for like $400 a month, and we all could not afford.
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I feel like it was a little bit unbelievable until I really start making money.
It's Financial Literacy Month and the podcast Eating While Broke is bringing real conversations
about money, growth, and building your future. This month,
hear from top streamer, Zoe Spencer,
and venture capitalist Lakeisha Landrum Pierre,
as they share their journeys from starting out to leveling up.
If I'm outside with my parents
and they're seeing all these people come up to me for pictures,
it's like, what?
Today now, obviously, it's like 100%.
They believe everything, but at first it was just like,
you gotta go get a real job.
There's an economic component to community striving.
If there's not enough money and entrepreneurship happening
in communities, they fail.
And what I mean by fail is they don't have money,
to pay for food. They cannot feed their kids. They do not have homes. Communities don't work unless
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on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
Hi, I'm Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO of IHeart Media, and I'm kicking off a brand new season
of my podcast, Math and Magic, stories from the Frontiers of Marketing. Math and Magic takes you
behind the scenes of the biggest businesses and industries while sharing insights from the smartest minds
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Cesario, financier and public health advocate Mike Milken, take two interactive CEO Strauss-Zalny.
If you're unable to take meaningful creative risk and therefore run the risk of making
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Sesame Street CEO Sherry Weston and our own chief business officer, Lisa Coffey.
consumers see the value of the human voice and to have that guaranteed human promise behind it
really makes it rise to the top.
Listen to math and magic, stories from the frontiers of marketing on the Iheart radio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021.
And I'm Conky, his best friend and business manager.
And we've got a new show called The 1021 Podcast.
I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became.
one of Twitch's most popular streamers.
We also love sports.
And with the World Cup right around the corner,
we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines
ahead of the big tournament here in the USA.
Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
All right, today with us for our guests,
we have 30-year-old tech exec from Brooklyn.
That's my neighborhood.
Welcome, Malik, to Bachelor.
Happy hour. Thank you. Thank you. I'm clapping, but I know if you can hear it, but I'm clapping.
I see it.
Malik, we are so excited to have you here. We have been starting off top of the episode, checking in with everyone, seeing how everyone's feeling.
What are your thoughts on everything that's happening? Yeah, definitely. So one, thank you for having me here.
Absolutely love this space. You got to create it for us. And then also before we get into things, Rachel, is one to extend my condolences to you and your family.
Thank you.
You know, definitely deep, deep, deep sympathies for everything that you may be navigating.
But yeah, I mean, in regards in relation to everything that, like, personally, it's happening,
I feel like the world, before, like, even getting to Bachelor stuff,
the world is in an absolute shit show right now.
Like, everything, it feels like it's in, like, flames and fire and, like,
where it's, like, all, like, waking up, like, everything's okay.
And that's honestly how I feel in relation to, like,
what actually's happening in, like, the world of Bachelor Nation as well.
like shit show left and right um i woke up today and i'm like you know what the fuck is going on
like i just i don't even know how to feel like day in and day out some days i feel like you know
things are it is what it is type of mindset just like move past it and in some days i'm like no actually
this is shitty and um definitely not like what we all expected um so i would say the best way to
put that in a nutshell i would say i probably feel like the most like disappointed um disappointed in
both like the situation, disappointed and the knee-jerk reaction of the powers that may be,
disappointed in the actions that Taylor herself did, which obviously got to hold her accountable,
but also extend grace to her, right?
Like, I can only imagine when, like, the world is literally coming down on you and you have,
like, nowhere to look or no one to talk to, right?
So I extend grace for her for that, but at the end of the day, like, still going to hold her
toes to the fire and understand that, like, we are where we are.
today because of things that transpired a couple years ago, which is unfortunate that it is,
it is blocking such a massive opportunity for her to tell her story in a way. And also for the guys
like myself to, like, have their space and the journey that we all committed ourselves to,
which is falling in love. That's so well said. And I want to ask, like, obviously, the feelings
are ever changing for you? How are you or what are you doing to kind of keep yourself, I guess,
occupied or grounded in these in these weeks yeah so i mean one thing about me i'm like consistently
busy and it's not like busy just to be busy it's like there's actually a lot of great motion that's
happening so i just wrapped up a hard 75 so like really big invested in my health yeah congratulations
i did that last year oh my god mindset changers soft 75 yeah all right you're covering some drinking from
ton of time it's fair i get it um but yeah for me like
like really like I committed 100% to it. My mindset has changed on just like the outlook of myself,
health, my relationship with alcohol, my relationship with like people and things in general.
So that has really grounded me. And I've kind of been on a launch pad of just doing that now like every day.
Having a, having a sip of a martini from time to time because you know.
That's exactly. That's all right. Exactly. So definitely a lot of that. I also just recently purchased a home in Jersey City.
So I'm like, congratulations again. Oh my goodness.
Thank you. Thank you. So like that's been a huge undertaking.
So talking to contractors day to day, I feel like an actual adult now, which is kind of crazy.
And yeah, spending time with family, spending time with myself, I just came back from a great chip in Florida with my God family, celebrating a birthday.
So that's been awesome. And spending some time like, you know, at the beginning of this year, I've been working through rehabbing my knee because something's happened earlier this year.
year. So I'm like focused on like getting back to full health. So that's been taking actually a lot of
my time. Like I'm in rehab like two or three times a week. But I'm almost at I'm almost on the men.
So hopefully a couple more months. I'll be back to things that I love, which I love running.
So I'm excited to get back to running hopefully soon. I'm like so many runners. I was like who do we
chat with already? That was Richard. He's a runner too. And I was like, run the marathon. I was like,
you guys are going to have to train me for the for the marathon. Oh, you want to run the marathon.
I want to do it. No, I have not ran. I want to do it. It's just like a goal of mine. I have a very,
I guess I can be honest, like an unhealthy relationship with running. And that's because I cheered
competitively like back in the day. So like I treat it as like, oh my God, it's this like chore rather
than like something that's therapeutic. And I just see kind of the like transformation. So
many runners have. I just got to get past that mental like block. So I'm like, all the runners help
me out here. We got you. I mean, my best advice.
for running is this to start, which is like, I know, like, I know. I'm like, that's the biggest part.
You really just got to start and just like run. Like that's it. And a good playlist, of course,
that helps you through. For sure. I'm going to get myself together.
I want to go into obviously your knee injury and kind of how you've been going through that.
Because, I mean, that sounds so tough, especially when you are so active and you have this lifestyle that you,
you know. But going back to what you said.
I don't know. I keep thinking about how mature your response was because we've talked to a lot of
the guys and it feels like everyone's just kind of like, oh, it's fine. And you are kind of the first one
that I've spoken to that actually is feeling that disappointment and expressing that. So have you
talked to any of the other guys that are also experiencing that? Yeah. I mean, again, I want to speak for
anybody. If I feel like we're all feeling in that dark space, like we're like, yo, like this has been
dragged on for too long. Like, we need to just release it. Like, what, like, what is holding us
bad? Like, there's absolutely nothing that's confining us right now. Obviously, like, something
did transpire. But the severity of, like, the show being completely halted right now is, like,
mind-boggling. So, yeah, I mean, it's hard to speak for anybody. I can only speak for myself.
I know how I feel day and day out. And it's hard to, like, shoulder, like, happiness and
joy when like such a big thing has been put on hold and honestly my life in a lot of ways like
you know i'm in my head constantly about like you know my rehab journey and things like that
and um so maybe some of it is like a little bit more emotional ties of like me rehabbing and
waking up every day and also tearing your ACL and navigating that in fucking new york city is the
absolute worst thing um so you even tear your ACL oh my god i tore my ace too i that is it's not
fine. Yeah, absolutely not. I mean, New York City is not equipped for
injured people. So, Mom, Donnie, you got to do something if you're listening because
like, there is not enough elevators. Like, there's too many dance steps. It's like too much. So
I feel like a lot of that has kind of given me perspective. Again, not even like rehab
with the show. It's like totally separate. But like just that that I'm managing on top of
managing my emotions towards the situation, towards the show, not towards the people like, you know,
the producers and everything like that because they have absolutely nothing to do with what has transpired
but like just a larger entity at whole like that I have nothing but to say like disappointment and
yeah being upset and how long have you been rehabbing your knee um start of the year so about like four
months going on yeah that's I mean I can't even imagine going through all that in New York City is
really like yeah yeah not not easy so I'm speaking of New York City yeah yeah yeah
The background of your apartment is fantastic.
No, I'm like, you have an epic.
It's so clean and pristine.
I appreciate that.
I'm, I'm OCD, like, in a lot of ways when it comes to, like, cleaning this.
So you're a clean, you're a clean man.
I'm a clean man, 100% through and through.
Like, my mom, like, growing up, she had us, like, cleaning baseball boards, you know?
So we were, like, every, every Sunday, Sunday you were scrubbing those white walls and making
sure, like, they were clean, like, you know, Lysol, all.
the things in the crib. So I think that obviously has transpired in my adulthood.
She raised you well. Okay, wait. We need to go back a little bit because I'm curious now to know
kind of your journey of how we even, I mean, you're here on Happy Hour, but how did you get into
the show applying for Bachelorette? Did you apply? Did someone find you? How did that work?
Yeah. I love the story. I would say, so it's funny, I was traveling for business and we can get into that
a little bit. So actually was in Miami, um, at sexy fish. If you guys have ever been a sexy
fish in Miami. So I was with a client. Um, and we were just having a dinner. It was very
fitting for this client to be in sexy fish, by the way. Um, I wouldn't naturally take clients
of sexy fish. No, I know. I guess this is a great story. I'm on the edge of my seat.
So, yeah, I had my phone and I just like started seeing like random Instagram things come through.
and it was this one like woman who was his liking photos
and then she randomly like commented on a recent photo that I just posted
and she was like, hey, like please check your Instagram DM.
I have an exciting opportunity I want to talk to you about.
And I kind of like, again, when you see things like that,
you're like, oh, spam, like, you know, who is a person?
What's going on?
So Malik, being interested, being curious.
I went to the hidden photo, found her DM and she was like,
hey, she's the casting producer for The Bachelorette.
They had just announced Tilly, Frickin' Taylor, Fricky Paul.
And she was excited for, you know, just talk to me more about the opportunity.
So I kind of like dissect that a little bit.
I was like, okay, Bachelorette, Tiller, Fricky Paul.
I know what this is.
I don't know who this is or what this is.
But like, bachelor, familiar.
Okay.
So I showed my client and we both like actually laughed for a little bit.
He was like, bro, like, what?
Like, no, that's not real.
And I was like, I don't know.
Like, let's see.
So the next day, I put her on ice for a little bit because, you know,
you got to put people on ice for a little bit.
You can't be too excited.
You can't be too excited, right?
You got to play like coin.
So we'll go up the next morning, went to the office and called her, text her, and I was like, hey, I'm available at such time.
We had a call, and the rest of the kind of history.
And I was like, wow, I'm here.
Literally, I felt like I was on a rocket ship and then I was placed on the mansion.
And the rest is kind of history.
So, yeah, that is how it all transpired.
Were you like a fan of, like, reality?
shows before?
Or is this, like, do you watch a lot of, like, dating shows or just, you know, reality TV
in general?
I mean, being a millennial, we are ingrained and we grew up on reality TV.
So whoever says, like, they have not, like, watch.
Jersey short.
Yeah.
Right.
Like, come on.
We've all, like, been around it.
So familiar with Bachelorette and The Bachelor Nation, for sure.
Have I watched as an adult or recently?
I have not.
Honestly, my first time watching a season through and through.
was when we were in that hotel experience.
I produced a came to my room doing a checkup, things like that, you know?
Yeah.
And she was like, hey, like, what we've been doing?
I was like, you know, I had my Bible there.
I had my book I was reading.
I had like some random.
I was watching Martin, I think, at the time.
And she was like, oh, if you want to, like, you should go to on demand and, like, watch a movie.
So I went to On Demand and I saw ABC or Hulu.
One of the two were on demand.
And I watched The Golden Bachelor with Mel Season.
I'm dead.
And that was my first time watching a movie.
a full like bachelor season through and through.
What a pure season to start with.
I know.
I was like,
you started with the innocence.
Exactly.
And I was like,
you know what?
If their experience is what that was,
like us millennial,
like,
you know,
younger folks,
like it has to be 10 times crazier.
So that introduced me to the format of like,
what a limo experience or that exit was and like all the different other things that
happened.
So I was like,
okay,
like actually now I know what I'm about to walk myself into.
So I mean,
here we go.
Oh my gosh.
It's so crazy.
So, okay, we found out it's Taylor.
Did you end up looking her up?
No.
So part of me was just like, bro, like, just take your time.
Like get to know her.
Like, you know, ask her the questions you want to ask.
I knew the car facts.
Like I knew like the very like high levels like mom, Mormon, three kids.
I didn't know the previously married, broken up and baby father.
Like I didn't know the amount of baby fathers, but I knew the basic facts.
But I wish, oh my God, I wish I would have done more research because I would have like, I don't know, I feel like you would have had more like things to like dive into like very quickly.
Yeah, more knowledge.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Which like some people did.
Some people didn't.
I was like, you know, I want to be on a blind date and I just kind of want to get to know her.
Like I just want to talk to her.
So yeah, now completely just wouldn't blind, which I don't know.
Some people recommend some people probably wouldn't.
But teach us.
I say, yeah.
I think the best way to go is to go in like that.
Like I don't want to know everything about you because then I feel like it kind of takes away from really what the process.
I hate saying that is about journey, whatever.
Exactly.
Exactly.
It makes a little bit more fun, you know.
And maybe sometimes I'll repeat myself and she's like, oh my God, that's so cute.
And I'm like, all right, but like, let's have fun.
He's like, yeah, I'm on a good role.
Have you?
Oh, sorry.
Go ahead, Rachel.
No, you can go.
No, I was just going to ask if he's dated anyone.
that was a mom or had children before.
Like, was this your first, like, experience with that?
Yeah.
So, so funny.
That actually was a big, non-negotiable for me for a very, very long time up until Taylor.
So she has changed my mind in a lot of ways.
And I was like, you know, for obvious reasons, you know.
But now, like, being older, I'm like, it's a possibility that she may have a kid or two
or three or four, you know?
And it's like, this being open to it has been a great learn experience.
So, no, not in the past, but definitely open to it.
moving forward. What was your relationship history? Like, have you had any long-term relationships?
Yeah. So I'm a lover boy, like, deep. Like, I love love. So I've had a six-year relationship.
Like, I'm talking about, like, middle school to, like, first, like, freshman year of college.
And then my previous ex, we were together for two and a half years. And we actually broke up,
like, six, ten months before committing to the bachelorette. And yeah, like, honestly, like, she would have
been the woman of my kids, the mother of my kids. She would have been my wife. She would have been
my fiance. All the things. I was deeply in love. But honestly, woke up and had to really sit
with my emotions and feelings. And there was a lot that I just couldn't rectify that this wasn't
right with our relationship. So decided to, you know, I felt a lot of therapy with this. So bear with
me. No worries. We love a man who goes to find out. Yeah. But yeah, I honestly,
I wanted to do right by her.
She's older than me.
I have a thing for older women.
Okay.
And it's not even like mommy.
It's not even mommy issue.
Some of my guy friends are like,
yo,
bro,
I think you have mommy issues.
I'm like,
no,
I just like a woman of caliber
that has like something moving for herself
because it's important.
That's important for me.
So she was three years older than me.
So I thought it would be like selfish of myself to,
you know,
just drag it on and truly not like be as happy as I wanted to be in life.
And kind of free her to be able to find her partner,
like,
to have kids, want to get married, have the entire life.
So I was like, this wasn't working for me.
I wasn't happy.
There was a lot of things that this wasn't meshing well on paper.
Resumey-wise, we were crystal clear that it was a go.
But like kind of water and oil in like the actual world itself.
So yeah, that was kind of my dating history.
And again, did a lot of work after that to figure out like my non-negotiables again, sit
with my emotions and feelings, understand what went right, what weren't wrong, both on her side
and my side of that.
And then I was open to the bachelor's,
like,
being like,
yo,
everything in my past
hasn't worked.
My ex and I,
we went to college together,
didn't date up until,
like,
our 30s.
So there was some gap in time there.
And that girls at bar
bars in the past,
parties,
like mutual friends.
I'm like,
that stuff is not working.
So enter the Bachelorette.
Let's go.
So that's kind of how I got here
in regards to,
like, my love journey.
Wait,
I'm curious.
Oh,
sorry,
Charite.
No,
I'm like,
we're eager.
We're like, yeah, yeah, I know.
What were some of those non-negotiables that you figured out that you need going into a relationship?
Yeah, it's a great question.
My biggest one is sociability.
Like, I'm a very, very social person.
My family is very social.
I'm half Puerto Rican, half black.
And, like, my Puerto Rican side, my mom's side, like, we are just like, you know, they're firecrackers, you know?
And, like, when someone isn't like that, they're kind of looking at you like, are you judging us?
Like, what is going on?
Like, you know, so having someone that can be immersed in that, be comfortable with.
that, be open to it, be a part of that life. I'm not saying I'm trying to be in the club every
weekend, but I'm definitely going to be around like friends and family often. And kind of bringing
those two worlds together is so important for me. So I feel like I was kind of trading off that
in my previous relationship. And it's an absolute like I'm not trading off that moving forward.
So that's my biggest one for sure. So this is a podcast about video games. Kind of. It's also about
friendship. Definitely. And chaos. Unavoidably. Welcome to its dangerous to go alone.
A podcast where we talk games, culture, nostalgia, and immediately go off topic.
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I think I had like $200 in my savings account, and my mom goes, what are you going to do?
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Okay, sorry, I do want to go back to the New York dating.
Charity, I'm like, I have so many questions.
We're like jumping over.
I know.
I'm just curious because obviously you said six to ten months was when you kind of had that
gap after leaving your previous relationship to, I guess, going on the Bachelorette.
Were you dating in New York?
Because obviously I have some friends here who explain dating in New York as a disaster.
Yeah, it's like actual horror stories.
And I'm like, it can't be.
It's New York.
I feel like New York is like, you know, there's every all types.
So I'm curious if you dated in New York and what was that like?
So I actually didn't date after my previous relationship.
I was honestly so exhausted for that relationship that I just like completely just like put a stop to it and I invested myself.
Spent a lot of time with my guy friends.
Like we traveled all summer, you know, had I want to say a hot boy summer, but I was definitely having fun in Europe.
Okay.
I had fun in Europe.
But as of New York and the States, like, no, I was just not in the United.
the right mindset and I didn't I didn't feel the need to like court or gone days it's it was just too
much like the pre-re relationship when I say I was exhausted I was at like my end in regards to like
dating in general yeah it sounds like it came at the perfect time for you walking in just having done
the therapy and the work I think a lot of people don't do that so I commend you thank you
you did talk earlier about when you're in the hotel you had your Bible is faith something
that's really important to you
going into a relationship, going into this experience.
Absolutely.
So I've dated both women who were definitely religious and some that weren't,
and there's a big difference.
Women that are rooted in their faith actually have this spark and desire of like just
mentally curiosity and like people curiosity and things like that.
So that to me is like very important for sure.
Grew up in the church, Sunday service, you know, Bible study on Tuesday.
I'm baptized as well.
So it's so funny.
I'm like Christian, but I'm like baptized in a Catholic church.
I don't know.
We'd be doing things.
I'm Catholic too.
I was baptized.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So yes, definitely any type of faith, like you could like obviously Taylor's Mormon.
So I was open to that.
Like we have some synergies in regards to believing in Jesus Christ.
So anything in that realm, but you can't be like anti-God.
Absolutely not.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Amazing.
Okay, let's dive into night one a little bit and tease us some things if we can get into that.
I know because I heard that you play a musical instrument.
Is that true?
You're musically inclined.
What can't you do?
I know, I'm like.
It is definitely true.
Yeah, I grew up like doing choir, being in band.
So you're a singer too?
The most well-rounded man.
Vocally challenged now, I would say, like,
these vocal chords have not been warmed up at all.
So, like, no, it's not a thing.
I feel like in choir, they used to always, like,
give us a pass.
Like, great job, sweetie.
You sound amazing.
No, truly.
You can't sing a couple bars for us right now.
Right.
No, no, no.
Like, the family would be like, bro, this is not a, like,
I don't do that.
So, like, I know my lane.
My lane is music.
I love reading music.
It honestly, like, it just taps into a different part of my brain
when you read music and play it.
So yeah, that was definitely a part of night one
because it's also been a big part of my life.
You know, my grandma, when she saw me play the instrument,
she was like, just know that whenever the time happens for me,
I need you to play this at my ceremony situation service.
So like that time has not come.
Thank God for us yet.
So I know I just need to like keep those chords like going
because I need to understand how to do it when it time comes.
But I can't say it.
I don't know if I can say the instrument.
So I'm going to keep that.
I'm going to keep that little teaser.
You can't say?
I feel like you can.
You think I can?
My family is it?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's a string instrument.
Yeah.
So I grew up playing the alto saxophone.
So, yeah, the saxophone.
And, yeah, it's a vibe.
It's a vibe.
I love a jazz.
Yeah.
I know.
I'm like, I love a jazz moment.
Yeah.
And New York City, you got to go to.
Django, you haven't been there.
No, I haven't. It's like on my list.
I'm like, okay, I have to like
say this now. Is it a jazz bar?
I was going to ask. Okay.
I don't know if you guys
remember the movie 17 again. You're a
millennial, so you probably do. Do you know that movie
with Tia and Tamara and
Taj? Okay. And there's like the
jazz scene. Ever since I saw
that movie, I was like, when I live in New York
City one day, I'm going to go to like a jazz bar and I
have not been yet, but I'm going to go to
a jazz bar and have me a time. Absolutely.
Absolutely. Thank you. I'm writing that one down.
Serenated.
and everything. And Dutton is your,
is your husband's name, right? Or fiance?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay.
Dotton. Yeah, yeah. There we go.
Yes.
It's a great, like, date night, you know, situation too.
Perfect.
Jango. I'm going to write that down.
We're going.
Hello.
Thank you.
So going into Night 1, what were the guys like?
What was the energy like there?
Yeah. Honestly, I feel like, like I saw black.
I had no idea what was happening.
I feel like.
Even when I walked in.
I remember everyone like getting up off the couch and they're like, so nice to meet you.
And I'm like, they're clapping for you.
I did not get a standing over.
Yeah, no.
The girls don't do that.
The girls are like, mm.
No, like we're all embracing each other like, yo, yo.
And I'm just like, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.
And you know, some of the guys are late 6, 8.
And I'm like, bro, Dan, you're mad.
You're like, you're like, not tall.
What's going on?
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
So that was some awkward interesting interactions.
But yeah, honestly, it was a fever dream.
Had no idea what we were doing.
Taylor herself, like she was nervous.
She had like some heating pads in her hand because it was cold as fuck outside.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Like embracing her, making sure her fur, makes sure everything is good.
And it's like starting to like warm up a little bit.
Like it was very like, it felt like a class reunion for people that I've known for 15 years,
but I just met them like 15 seconds ago.
I love that.
It was so crazy.
That's actually really good.
That's like such a good way to sum that up.
I love that.
It sounds like you guys have a good camaraderie.
Is that still to this day?
Are you still in connection with all the guys?
Yeah, yeah.
I love it, guys.
We check in often.
You know, I face time, some guys in time as well.
And yeah, I mean, I think the fire is just like, it's there.
And, like, we're just like, I know, we're like dogs in heat right now.
Not in heat.
Actually.
Some of them have some tongues out.
Oh my God.
That is hilarious.
No, definitely feeling it.
Okay, you have to also talk us through the food scene in New York because we heard
you're a bit of a foodie.
Yeah, yeah.
Oh, so I have like my Google Maps, nothing but like green flags everywhere, which is like all
my safe locations.
That's what I love to see when people open their phones.
I'm like, let's compare.
We're going to have to share the notes with charity.
And then when I come back to.
No, for sure.
So I live close to Fort Green.
So I'm like going to Fort Green area often.
And really depends on your vibe.
Like, wake up and understand what you're feeling.
What are you feeling in Brazilian?
What are you feeling, like, Chinese?
Like, you can go.
Adventureous, I love.
You can go anywhere.
Yeah.
Okay.
Well, we are going to migrate to our game, if that's cool with you.
It's called our hot seat game.
And so basically, it's just like rapid fire prompts.
It's just going to showcase a little bit of your personality.
So think quick, but make it fun.
Yeah.
All right.
Okay. Okay.
What's your daily screen time average? Be honest.
Honestly, because of everything that's happening right now, I've been so far removed from
social media because it's just like not good for my mental.
So my average screen time is probably like two hours.
I'm not going to hold you. It's pretty low. Like I'm not.
Ladies, this is a green flag, ladies.
Yeah.
Two hours is good. And staying off social right now, I feel like your entire cast state.
on social right now. Yeah, yeah, I know. And like, it kind of makes me, I'm like, damn, should I be doing
something right now? And I'm like, I feel like they know everything that's happening. Yeah, no, I can't. Even in our
group chat, when I see things come through, I'm like, I don't know how y'all are up at 1 a.m.
Like, it's just not me. For sure. I think you said the best thing is like for your mental health.
And like a lot of people will never like acknowledge like, oh, I feel like, excuse my language.
I feel like shit. But it's like, well, you're consuming all this stuff. And you know, you just sometimes have to
take a break and like pay attention listen to your body and honor that so yeah and there's way too many
false headlines out there like you know i'm just like we we are the closest to it and that's not
true so like therefore like just disassociate yourself a little bit yeah i know malik what's the craziest
headline that you have read during all this yeah i think the suing allegation was like the
craziest one that I've read. Like the guys are forming a alliance to like sue the network. I saw that. I saw
that one too. I was like, five people. Literally that's what I said. I was like, it's only five of
you guys. I'm like going through the list. I'm like, who can I see doing this? Yeah. That was wild. I'm like,
where is that coming from? Who are the five people? I kind of did my own like, you know,
process of elimination. I'm like, I'm not getting into five. I maybe got two, but like five is a little
crazy. So is it not true? Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely.
not true. Not true. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Misinformation is real, y'all. Don't listen to it. It is very real. As we know.
Okay, Rachel, the next one. Okay. The next one, you're going to have to explain.
We heard that you streak to naked on your college quad and we need this. All right. I'm like, are you a fraternity boy. That's my first. That's where my head first.
Okay. Are you? You are. So, one, yo to the noops.
So yes. So I'm a brother.
Cap Alpha Sly Fraternity Incorporated.
And I was on spring break with my older, my profites, we called on older brothers.
And it was me, like my like cohort of, I graduated 2017, so Syracuse, 2017 folks.
And they were just like, yo, do y'all have us like a senior bucket list?
And we're like, no.
They're like, yo, there's one that's passed down every class.
Like, y'all can't be the dweaves to not do one.
Like, y'all have to like do this in your bucket list.
So they sent us the entire like notes document of the senior.
your bucket list and it's like crazy we're all like gathered around a table mind you we're on spring
break as well and we're reading it we're like no way people are doing this like there was like effing in
conference rooms like climbing the water tower seeking on the quad and we're like you know what
we are committing ourselves to this y'all we're going to do it no way so we went back the campus
probably gathered a group chat of like 25 people at the time like group me was a big thing if
you all remember group me maybe some people so used it yeah yeah yeah yeah so we made
a group meet chat of like senior bucket list and the last like week of school before like you know
when it's like whatever like you're across the stage like what are they going to do discipline you um
so we we did it we went out after maybe um like 25 cent tuesday or whatever and just like effed up
went to the quad and like girls bras up guys like oh y'all was girls gone wow this was a group thing
oh it was a group thing it was like 15 of us drinking on the quad absolutely
Wow.
My gosh.
Peak highlight, peak highlight for sure.
No, honestly, I'm like, poor memory.
Absolutely insanity.
Yeah, and mind you, there also was campus police, like, parked on the side.
So, like, they put their high beans on.
I think they, yeah, it was kind of crazy.
We kept running, though.
Oh, y'all are some rebels.
Yeah.
Okay, the last one is, do you have a secret hobby that no one knows about?
Ooh, secret hobby that no one knows about.
this is such a good question um hmm i mean i honestly i watched a lot of youtube videos um like
a scary amount of youtube videos yeah i'm like please give me the category like it's i mean
i love music and entertainment so it's a lot of podcasts like i'm like the joke buttons at the world
and things like that problematic but like good for entertainment um and most recently i don't
want to say it because it's so bad but like maybe people would appreciate this i
I love pop the balloon.
Have you guys?
Ah, yes.
I have seen that.
No, it's insane.
Like, it is on, like, so, show drops, I watch it.
And I'm just like, you know, there's some.
There's some batch of people in America.
And this is why the dating pool is terrible.
Like, that's a reflection of the dating pool.
1,000 percent.
It's in hell.
Every time I see an episode, I'm like, this could, it just could not be me.
Like, it could not be me.
I'm screaming.
Are you, are you big into,
Sorry, I want to ask really quick.
Are you big into space?
Like, do you like space?
Like the rockets that just went up yesterday?
Yeah, because like my astronauts
like, he's obsessed with like space.
So he does like the YouTube videos on space.
And I was like, I'm waiting for him to say.
I was waiting for you to say something about space.
I just imagine dot in like astronaut cam like looking at all.
No, I actually can't.
No, it would actually be the best thing that happened to him.
Not me.
That.
No, it is fascinating.
Like I also love politics.
So, like, I watched some, like, you know, different snippets of them interviewing, like, the families of the astronauts that went up yesterday.
And, like, one, the dads was, like, he was crying.
And I'm like, yo, like, what a moment, like, to see your son, like, going to a rocket that's not land in, like, space.
Like, absolutely insane.
So parents have astronaut kids and our parents have us who go on.
Yeah, exactly.
So, I mean, look at that.
Yeah.
I mean, we're still fine in love.
We're finding love in different ways, though.
Exactly.
Exactly.
Okay, well, Malik, it has been such a joy, honestly.
All of you guys have been just top tier.
And it's been so fun getting to know you guys.
And this is only the beginning.
We'll have you guys back on happy hour.
Very, very soon, hopefully, fingers crossed.
But before we leave, is there anything that you want to share with Bachelor Nation,
words of wisdom, anything you have coming up for yourself?
Yeah, definitely.
So big advice, keep the faith.
I know it's like uncharted waters right now.
We're all navigating this.
And it's just like we just don't know what we don't know.
So keeping the faith, keeping the energy high, holding up everybody in the situation
is what I can always just ask of all of us.
In regards to things that I have going on, rehab.
We're going to clip it just that part.
I know.
I know.
They're going to be like a headline.
You know, is this guy in AA?
Like, what's going on?
So, yeah, I have a lot of that going on.
And, you know, as I mentioned, the house stuff going on.
Work is very, like, time consuming for me.
I work at a social media company that's, like, not the one that Taylor was, like, blown up on.
But, like, they're a competitor of that.
So I'm on the road a lot with clients and, like, meeting different, like, founders, CEO, CMO, stuff like that.
So that is just very, like, exhausting in my brain.
and just trying to be Malik.
That's all I can actually be is myself,
which hopefully comes through in every which way, shape, or form here as well.
So that's it.
And where can we find you on socials?
All right.
So social media, I just started TikTok, by the way.
That's been fun, interesting to navigate.
So socials, my handles are at Corona Poppy.
Corona K-O-R-O-N-A, Poppy, P-A-P-I.
There's some context there.
two so in college um one again my porto-euk inside we would drink a lot coronas so i would go to the dardies
of the pregames with lydia 12 pack of coronas and other girls were like okay corona poppy
i was like oh they had a ring to it mommy so yeah and then when i cross capa it sees go to k
so it became corona poppy so i love it everyone go follow corona poppy
yes absolutely bleak you are amazing it has been so awesome to talk to you
you and hopefully this is not the last we see of you.
Awesome.
Thank you guys so much for this space again.
I appreciate you.
Of course.
Thanks again.
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All right.
Today we have a 28-year-old lifeguard from San Diego.
Welcome to Bachelor Happy Hour, Doug.
We are so excited to have you.
How are you feeling?
For this one.
Yes, we have been waiting for this one.
Thanks, guys.
Yeah, I'm really happy to be here.
It'll be really fun to kind of share with you what I've been up to.
Yeah.
And what is that?
Uh-oh.
We'll get into all that, Richard.
We'll get it.
Okay.
Slow your horse says.
Okay.
We've been asking kind of just every guy that we've interviewed from you all's season,
just checking in with y'all's feelings about obviously everything.
And I'm sure you probably are feeling a lot.
So just kind of walk us through what's on your mind.
How have you been feeling over the past of these, you know, past few weeks?
How are you handling everything?
Yeah, it's been strange. I'll be honest. It's been really interesting. I think disappointed would probably be the best word that I can come up with just because you put your life kind of on pause and then you kind of want to get back to somewhat of like some normalcy and people come around me like my friends, hey, so what's going on? I can't tell you anything. I can't tell you anything. And then you wait for 90 days and then right up until that last second.
You know, the carpet and the rug just gets pulled out from under you.
And you kind of start to question, was that worth it?
You know, was it real?
You know, was any of this real?
So it's been disappointing, but I have a great, I feel really good about like where I'm going and where this whole thing is.
And really, my only concern is Taylor.
At the end of the day, the poor girl has been going through the ringer.
So I just have to be steadfast and just be her supporter at this point.
Yeah.
Doug, you were one of the first and for a while, the only person who spoke out and stood up for
Taylor.
What was the reason behind that?
Yeah.
I mean, I just felt like, hey, this is something that needs to be said, you know, in the time
of need.
Why are we attacking somebody when we should just share support and show love?
And so I just wanted her to know that, but I really just wanted America to recognize that this
is a time to actually, you know, care about somebody not throw swords at them and just really just,
you know, be there for somebody. We have been seeing your name pop up, Doug, quite a few times
on our social medias. And I'm sure the listeners are wondering, is there anything you want to
touch on for some of the headlines we've been seeing? Well, TMZ followed me to the beach,
which I thought was kind of crazy. TMZ followed you? Oh, wow. Yeah, it was weird. Yeah, it was weird. I didn't
think, you know, I don't know, I just left my house and I went about my normal Sunday. I went to
church and then I went to get some coffee with some friends and then I go to the local beach that I
surf at. I saw this lady shooting this long lens camera towards me, but I just thought maybe
there's something behind me, some like strange endangered species that she's trying to catch on
camera. No, I'm just kidding. But yeah, it was weird. And then I thought, well, that can't be for me.
I honestly just saw it and just thought that's weird, but I'm just going to keep on. And I lay
down again and I just kept doing what I was doing. She even caught some cool pictures of me surfing,
which I thought was awesome. Free photographs. What's up? But yeah, it's been weird. That's like
something that's happened that was strange. But other than that, I think it's just been people have
been curious, you know, my take on the whole thing. Of course, people are looking at the leaks and they,
you know, they think, they think. But yeah, I'm just sitting over here just kind of hoping that America
gets to see what I've already lived, you know? Okay. So let's go back a little bit because I'm
We have so much to talk about, but we need to set it up to go through this in chronological order.
So tell us how you got to The Bachelorette.
Like, did you apply?
Did you get nominated?
Yeah.
Yeah.
So my mom nominated me about, I think it was a year and a half ago.
Yeah, my mom nominated me.
I think it was because she knew that I had the emotional depth to go through an experience like that.
But also, she just wanted me to be with the right girl.
I think she found I was kind of just not really focusing on finding the right person.
I'm more of like I guess I was more career focused.
I would go to work as a lifeguard.
I would come home.
I would make music.
And I don't know.
I think she just really wanted me to see if there was something, you know, if there's
a woman out there that's just like men for me.
So she signed me up.
She told me she signed me up.
And the Bachelorette came calling and I say they found Taylor.
She looked kind of like my ex.
you go off of the photo at first. I'm like, oh, brown hair. My ex kind of looked like her.
I thought, well, she's beautiful. And then I thought, well, she's also kind of fiery.
And even though I'm quite reserved, I'm very passionate. And I'm kind of a spirited person.
And so we just, I looked at her. I saw that. And I thought, well, you know what? I don't know her.
And I think this is the kind of girl that people are going to judge. And if you didn't know me,
people are going to judge me too. You think you know somebody based on what you see. But until you really get,
get to know them. You don't really know anything. And so I felt like Taylor and I, we might have a shot.
Yeah. You mentioned your ex resembling Taylor. And we obviously have seen a lot of comments about how
you resemble Taylor's ex. So how has that been to read and see time and time again?
It's interesting because our initials are similar, right? Or the same. Yeah. Being done.
And he is who he is.
But, you know, it's funny.
It goes back to the same thing.
I don't know the guy.
Yeah.
I only know what I've heard about him, which I don't really love what I've heard.
So I hate to be compared to somebody who, you know, has treated Taylor like that.
However, I don't know him.
I can't judge him.
I just hope that people can see me for who I am.
That's really all I'm for us is to be treated differently.
So, but other than that, it doesn't really bother me. I've gotten past that. On the show, it got a little silly because the boys, the boy saying that. It was not just the boys. It was the show in general. It was the whole. You would bring him up. I would be there thinking, I'm right here, you know, kind of. And then, of course, as we went on with the show, I expressed clearly, you know, that there may or may not be some unfinished business. So you guys will get to watch that for yourselves and you'll be able to see what I said. Oh, so you express this to Taylor.
that you felt she was not finished with kind of things that were back at home?
It was just clear.
I mean, I don't know.
Maybe it's because, so I've been in toxic relationships, relationships before.
And I think you start to sense, you know, you start to get a little bit of information for me, but also, guys, by the way, I never judged her when I went into it.
I just took a lot of facts.
And I gave her the opportunity to kind of, you know, show me who she really is before I just kind of like had these blanket statements.
But as we went on, I started to recognize that.
maybe I was a little bit more willing to open up, more willing to express how I felt, especially
once we got further. And I kind of thought, you know, somebody that is really ready for something
in this situation may resemble the attributes that I'm expressing, right? And so over time,
I just kind of would, and you know how it is. Rachel, I know, it's her in charity, you also know
there's no phone. I'm sitting in my room at night staring at the ceiling with my journal. Yeah.
That's crazy. You remember. Yeah. I'm going over.
I'm going over everything constantly, you know.
It's just I'm turning the thing over.
I'm flipping that stone over a thousand times.
But neither here nor there.
Her and I had a wonderful connection.
But yeah, it doesn't bother me that people compare me to him.
Eventually, you know, who's to say?
Maybe we'll meet.
Whoa.
That would be crazy.
I have to ask.
Well, before we move forward, since you have so much resemblance,
do you feel like you had a target on your back just from the jump?
There was a point, Rachel, where I felt that they were targeting me.
Yep.
But not the guys.
Not the guys.
Not the guys, no.
The guys, at the end of the day, we all were there to see what happens.
So even if there were little, I don't want to call it envy or jealousy because at the end of the day, everybody had so much to offer.
Those guys are my closest friends now.
So we all had something great to offer, Taylor.
And to be honest with you, I'm pretty good at disarming.
you know, I guess you could say just because I know what that feels like having to move around
as much as I did, which we can get into, I moved around my whole life. So I've constantly
walked into people who don't know me and they judge me. So I'm very used to that. Oh my goodness.
Yeah, I think there's a certain point during this journey where it becomes evident that people
are judging me before they get to know me. So you guys will just have to wait and see.
Yeah. Okay. Well, speaking of, I guess, coming in or having preconceived notions about anybody, did you know that Taylor was going to be The Bachelorette? And when you found out, had you watched her on Mormon wives? Did you know anything of her, like, past before?
Yeah. So I didn't know anything about Taylor. I looked at a photo with her. A simple person I am. I didn't even research, didn't do any episode watching. Because at the end of the day, I felt,
I wanted to treat this just like any other, you know, season or also I wanted to treat it like a real date, like a real relationship.
You know, I wanted to kind of let her, like I said earlier, just show me who she is before I know too much about her because you know how it is, guys.
Once you start to think you know somebody, it takes so long for you to break down that wall of what you've already created in your mind.
For sure.
So for me, I just wanted to give her a fair shot.
So I didn't research anything.
I heard that she had, you know, two baby daddies and three kids.
And I didn't really know about the previous charge.
I had no idea.
I kind of went in blind.
But I did know that she was beautiful and I knew that she was very spirited.
And so I was in.
Yeah, definitely.
That she is mentioned, obviously, going in.
She does have children.
Is that something you want going in?
Were you ready to be a father and step up into that role if you guys were to end up
together?
Yeah, I mean, I think for me, it's always been very clear that I'm going to be a dad.
You know, it's something that you just know.
I love kids.
I don't know what it is.
I think maybe they think I'm just a big kid or just a kid that's just a little bit taller.
I don't know.
I'm very curious and it's just something I love.
And I also really admire Taylor in the sense that she's taking hold of her career while also mothering three children.
I just, I don't know, there's something so beautiful about that.
So I thought if there was a way that I could fit in the puzzle and be someone that the kids could trust and rely on,
then something that I would definitely be game for.
Beautiful.
Okay, take us to night one for a little bit, getting out the limo, coming into the house, seeing all the guys for the first time.
What was going through your head?
Yeah.
So, you know, there's that waiting period, right?
which you guys know about, you feel like you have blinders on.
I feel like someone gave me blinders.
And I was walking around and then they just pull it.
And you're out in front of the limo and there she is and it's lights, camera, action.
It's all, everything's happening right there.
And you just have to just rely on who you truly are.
There's nothing else you want.
100%.
You are just a neutral being, just living off of every,
and just going off of every experience you've ever had.
to get you to that point.
Luckily for me, I just kind of, I flubbed it, guys.
I'm not going to lie, I went up there.
I forgot everything.
Did you?
I forgot everything.
But that was the whole point, too.
It was funny.
It was just, I wanted just to look at her and to feel that moment.
Whoa.
Yeah, like I'm very, very much a eye contact person.
I want to be here with you.
No matter what's going on, I want to be here with you.
And we had a split second where.
I felt very comfortable with her.
She made me feel comfortable.
And I think I made her feel comfortable.
She even expressed, I'm so nervous.
You're nervous.
Look at me right now.
I can barely speak.
I don't even think I told her my name.
It happens.
It's really a common thing.
So I love that you guys shared a moment.
We've heard a lot from your other castmates about how the energy was walking into the mansion.
What was that like for you seeing all the guys for the first time?
Yeah, it was it was wonderful. It felt like I was a part of a team again, you know,
all just went through this experience of, you know, being staged and kind of being sequestered
away for a while. And then, you know, you do the limo entrance and you've been just waiting
on this limo entrance, right? You just been planning and hopefully it goes well. And then you walk in
and you meet a bunch of your brothers, really, you know. It's a bunch of guys that are going to be
close to you to share this experience with. So it was such a wonderful feeling. I just felt so
comfortable when I walked in there and saw a bunch of people that have gone through the same
thing that I just went through. And it just so happened that a lot of us had a few shared interests.
You know, there was a lot. There was a few men of faith in the house. You know, praise God.
And there were a couple athletes. And yeah, I just felt really good walking into the mansion.
Yeah. Speaking of shared interests, a lot of you guys,
also have very, very cool job titles and job descriptions. So I'm curious to hear about what you do
for work and how you got into that. Yeah. So, charity, it's an interesting deal because I never thought,
you know, as a kid, I would be an ocean life park. I, a little bit of a backstory here. I'm a Navy kid.
So started moving when I was about five and moved every couple years. I never lived in a state
longer than three years. So all over the country, lived a lot of my life in the South. Like before 10 years
old, I lived in Louisiana and Tennessee. And then we started moving back to the West Coast. So really
cool experiences. Thank you, Mom. Really appreciative. It was just such a plethora of culture,
you know, just to be thrown in that as a child. It was wonderful. However, my dad's from Huntington
Beach. And growing up, wherever we were stationed, you know, because my dad stayed at home so my mom could
go to work. So my dad would bring us to the beach every summer so we could be accustomed to the ocean
and to the sea. He loved the sea and he wanted his children to love the sea as well. And so that's
something to this day we all surf together. My dad, myself, my sister. And so yeah, so every summer we'd come
to Camp Pendleton, which is near San Clemente. It's in Orange County here. And so we'd camp on the beach
for probably two months, you know, so crab hunt, sandcastle, boogie board, eventually surf, but really just
body surf. So I always looked at the lifeguards. I thought, that's a cool job. That's a cool job.
But then eventually I thought, well, maybe not because I was always into basketball and football.
And I lived inland. You know, I was a landlock kid. So outside of the summers, I didn't really live
across, you know, near the sea. So about six years ago, I graduated college of Boise State
with a journalism degree. And I came down to San Diego, you know, to the original place that I was
from because I wanted to kind of restart. And I told my dad, I'm like, that's a lot.
I'm going to be a lifeguard.
He's like, okay, you know, you got to swim.
And so I started swimming.
I didn't swim in high school or anything.
And I just started swimming in the pool a couple days a week for like six months.
Took the test, passed the test, did the training, passed the training.
I'll be honest, guys, it's one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.
I can't even imagine.
It's just cold water, right?
And you just, you don't want to do it.
Your body says, no.
Your body rejects the activity.
But I think that was the thing is I've always chased my fears and I've always just.
thought if I'm afraid of something, oh, now I have to do it. So that's the whole story. And then I
became an EMT a couple years after that. And to this day, I just lifeguarded the other day. It's just
such a fun job, camaraderie, all of it. Oh my gosh. I love hearing this and hearing about your
background and your family and how you were brought up. I mean, I hope we get to know you more
on the show, but I do want to go into one of your other passions. There is a bit of a stigma in
Bachelor Nation around musicians. Oh, my gosh. I know. And we heard what.
I bet I've been musician yourself. Do you want to tell us about that? Yeah. So, you know, okay, so let me
let me break this down so you guys can understand it. And so everybody at home, you know, so here's
the main thing. So when you move around as much as I did, I had all this emotion inside. I didn't
know how to express it, you know, and basketball and football, I could show it physically. You know,
I could go out there and play as best as I could and I could dominate. But then when I come home,
I'm also, I'm a sensitive person. I think deeply and I feel deeply. And so,
I would put all my feelings into poems.
So started around like 10 years old, 11 years old, which by the way is really cool
because my parents kept all my own books.
So I'm able to go back and read these poems.
I'm like, damn, all right.
Go for it.
You're like, I was good.
Yeah, it was cool.
I mean, it's just, no, it's just little silly hymns, like talking about how a outy day,
but the sun will come out.
Some beautiful little things.
I'm thinking like, wow, man, you were a deep kid.
But yeah, so long story short, I started writing poems when I was a kid.
and then they just turned into songs probably like six years ago just started singing my dad has an
incredible voice my great-grandfather was a professional singer in australia oh amazing wow yeah so my grandma
she's from australia so her dad was a famous singer in the in the down-unda and then came on
so the singing is just in the jeans we just always sang truck you know my dad and myself and i have a pretty
high voice i didn't realize that it was okay to have a high voice
a guy probably until a few years ago.
Yeah.
And Justin Bieber, I was like, wait, I can be, I can be playing in the dirt like a farmer and
I can sing.
That's okay.
Best of both worlds.
Yeah.
Well, I just thought, is that all right?
You know, because when you have a high voice, you kind of wonder, is this, is this
masculine?
Is this all right?
And I started to finally realize like, no, it's okay.
It's a gift from God.
You have to use the gift from God.
And then this is like, eventually, like, I want to use this gift for God.
I want to sing in church.
Oh, wow.
But yeah, so guys, this is the whole thing with singers on the show or musicians at all.
I would hope America doesn't judge somebody before they get to know them.
You know, singing is just a, it's just something that you do.
If you learn that somebody was a woodmaker or a carpenter, you wouldn't say, oh, they're on the show to blow up their marketing business.
No, that's what they like to do.
So it's the same thing with me in music.
I just like to make music because it makes me feel something.
And that's just how I express myself.
So I hope people give me a fighting chance, you know.
Yes, I was going to say give Doug a fighting chance and everyone going to say sorry to Grant.
Party Girls is a banger, I will say.
It will be played at my Bachelorette.
Absolutely banger.
Doug, what kind of music is it?
What genre are you in?
I mean, yeah.
So, I mean, Rachel, I'm still developing my sound.
I'll be honest with you.
I think I'm kind of a mixture between Jason Maraz and Khalid.
Oh, I like.
Yes.
Great.
I was going to say, amazing.
Yeah, if I could pair those two, that'd be great.
Like, if they had a baby, I think that would be done.
Do you play any instruments along with that?
Yeah, so currently learning to play guitar.
I can't say that I'm great at it, but it's something that I'm learning.
And once again, it's a challenge.
So it helps me slow down.
I think, gosh, we live in such a fast world with content and keeping up with calls and texts
and likes.
And I think for me, it's just important to just kind of recognize, like, okay, it's you
in this little instrument, start.
focus and practice and just, you know, get in tune, no pun intended.
Have you, like, done performances any, like maybe around bars or is that something you're
aiming to do and what to do?
Yeah, that's something I would love to do.
Yeah, I haven't.
Just open mic night here and there.
I go up there and embarrass me, have fun.
Yeah, I would love to do.
I would love to just play for people.
I think that's the best part about music, right?
It's like, you don't even have to know their language.
It just makes you feel like your art or something.
And do you have like a stage name or do you just go like, it's just dug?
No, you guys know my, you guys know my stage name.
I actually don't.
I don't know your stage.
No, I don't.
I do think we have it.
Is it, um, wait, toned bone?
Toned bone.
You said it so well.
Okay, that's doing our research.
That was so well said, Rachel.
What's the meaning?
Yeah.
So, um, toned bone just means beautiful muscle.
Oh.
Oh.
Just means beautiful muscle.
So my dad came up with it a few years back.
Yeah, a few years back, he just, he's a word man.
This guy is so on top of the.
He's so smart.
He's constantly just hitting me with one-liners.
Our whole family or anybody, he'll talk to a stranger and hit exactly the business
idea that they need.
My sister was trying to come up with a brand name for her company, and he's like,
toned bone, because we're both athletes and we work out a lot.
My sister, of course, no, I'm not naming my brand toned bone.
But I heard it.
But I heard it and I thought, that's a really...
It works for you.
It's very cool, yeah.
That's an interesting name.
I just like things that are fresh and new.
But yeah, it just means beautiful muscle.
I love that.
You mentioned wanting to sing and perform in churches.
Is faith something that's really, really important to you, just in general and in your
relationships?
Yeah, Rachel.
I mean, honestly, that had a lot to do with me going on the show, too.
So I saw Taylor was either Mormon or...
ex-Morman. I knew that she had some foundation. I didn't know exactly what it was, but I did know
that she had a foundation. So yeah, I believe in God, a follower of Christ. And I, you know, I definitely
try to surround myself with people that feel the same way, you know, but I'll be honest with you.
It's been, it's not been a straight road. You know, it's all around, you know, I had to, it took a while
to get here. Let's put it that way. But now that I'm here, God has continued to deliver me. And I feel so
lucky to be able to count on him, you know, especially during this trying time while on the show,
but also just in general. You know, I got a friend and he's always there. That's beautiful.
Doug, we want to play a game with you, if that's okay. The game is called Hot Seat,
and we are going to be rapid fire questions and you just have to answer whatever comes to
top of the brain. So the first question is, what is the all-time best episode of Friends?
Oh my gosh, it's where Eddie moves in.
I'm not familiar with friends.
I'm such a bad millennial.
I was like, I was waiting for Rachel to be like, yes, I know that episode.
I have not watched Friends all the way through.
No, I think I am named after Rachel, but I do need to watch it.
So what's this episode when Eddie moves in?
Yeah, so Joey moves out.
Okay.
Eddie moves in and Eddie's crazy.
He's neurotic.
But Chandler is just looking for a roommate.
And Eddie starts dehydrating fruit.
Oh, okay.
And Eddie is just an oddball.
And he watches Chandler when he sleeps.
Oh, my God.
It's one of the funniest episodes because he can move out.
Because Chandler's like, you got to move out.
And he acts like, keeps forgetting.
And so the guy is squatting in Chandler's plays.
And so they have to convince him that it's he that's crazy.
It's honestly one of the funniest episodes.
But yes, that's my answer.
We will need to watch that one.
Absolutely.
Okay.
Your favorite food is pizza and your least favorite is cauliflower.
So we have to ask, would you ever try a cauliflower pizza?
That's really popular and on the rise.
Yeah, especially in L.A.
Yeah, cauliflower pressed.
I mean, I'll be honest.
I think I really had to dig for that answer.
I'll be honest with you guys.
Oh, is it that deep?
The cauliflower aversion?
Yeah, it's just not.
Well said, aversion.
long time.
It's just a, it's just a food that I just, I think it was just like most favorite and least
favorite.
I was like, what is my least favorite?
I can eat anything.
But yeah, I think cauliflower, I guess.
But yeah, I mean, I would put cauliflower on a pizza, but you got to roast that big.
You know.
Yeah, yeah.
Absolutely.
We did talk about earlier swimming in cold water.
Yeah.
We have to know what is your best tips for when your body is.
rejecting the cold water.
Head first.
Oh.
Head first.
Dive in.
Get the head into water.
Get the head.
And it's like I'm on, this is not just an analogy.
This is the truth.
You have to acclimate your body to the water right away.
So if you, that's why people when they wade in, they're like.
Yeah.
You got to go in all the way.
Get your head under.
And then as soon as your head's under, your body will acclimate.
So I would just say dive head first.
Okay.
It's a perfect way to end it truly.
This, I mean, this has been a great.
We have so many more questions for you that we can hopefully touch on sometime in the future.
But before we go, we will.
Yeah.
Fingers crossed.
Is there anything you want to leave Bachelor Nation with and where can we find you on socials?
Yeah.
I don't know exactly what I want to leave you guys with besides.
Yeah, you can find me on socials as just Doug Mason.
To all Bachelor Nation, thanks so much for the support thus far.
And hope you guys get to love and watch the journey.
and I yeah I guess it's it's been special and I hope I can share this journey with you guys
so you guys are awesome by the way I really appreciated the kind words I watched the
the whole cast announcement and charity I hope you're not I hope you're not squinting anymore at me
no I'm not squinting and Rachel I saw what you said I appreciate it thank oh gosh I'm like I can't
remember what I said but I hope it was good you were incredible whatever I said it was
kind of word.
Charity, though, she's like, I don't know.
I don't know.
I know.
Okay.
I remember this now.
You were like Rachel and I was like, but why?
I remember.
Yes.
And you have lived up to the expectation.
I was skeptical of a lot of the guys.
But I'm like, you guys have all been amazing.
Like, truly.
So, yeah, it's been such a joy talking to you guys.
But thanks again, Doug.
And yes, we will see you soon.
That's a wrap on today's episode.
Thank you guys for joining us today on Bachelor Happy Hour.
And to our listeners, make sure that you are rating, reviewing, and subscribed wherever
you listen to your podcast and make sure you're keeping up with us on Bachelor Happy Hour and Bachelor Nation.
See you guys soon.
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