Off The Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe - Kaitlyn’s Bachelorette Reunion | Chris Strandburg: The Return of Cupcake with Roses, Receipts & a Tabloid Cover!

Episode Date: July 10, 2025

#857. He Drove Up in a Cupcake and Drove Off with Our Hearts! Kaitlyn is joined by the one and only Chris “Cupcake” Strandburg for a trip down memory lane through her entire season of The Bachelorette. From being the first kiss on night one to reminiscing on group dates in Ireland, Chris shares the wildest behind-the-scenes stories — including how he landed the iconic cupcake-mobile (yes, it involves Burning Man), hilarious moments from the Aladdin group date, and how Kaitlyn rode off into the sunset in two helicopters… while he took a three-hour bus ride back. He spills on Amy Schumer, almost being cast on Andi Dorfman’s season, and even shows up with actual Bachelor memorabilia!! Nostalgic, hilarious, and unexpectedly sweet — this reunion is one for the books.If you’re LOVING this podcast, please follow and leave a rating and review below! PLUS, FOLLOW OUR PODCAST INSTAGRAM HERE!Thank you to our Sponsors! Check out these deals!Quince: Go to QUINCE.com/vine to get free shipping and 365-day returns.Apartments.com: The Place to find a place! Better Help: This episode is brought to you by Better Help. Off The Vine listeners get 10% off their first month at BetterHelp.com/VINE.Splendid: Right now, Splendid is offering our listeners 20% off when you go to Splendid.com and use promo code VINE at checkout or when you shop at Splendid in stores.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS: (9:16) Chris reveals he was originally cast for Andi Dorfman’s season — and why he turned it down.(12:38) The full story behind the cupcake entrance that made Bachelor Nation fall in love.(23:09) Wait… WHO did Chris meet before filming? The wild “don’t steal my girl” moment with a future castmate.(41:12) Behind the scenes of the Aladdin Broadway group date!(58:41) Cupcake comes bearing memories: a dried-up rose, a mini cupcake replica, and an actual tabloid cover.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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You're listening to Off the Vine with Caitlin Bristow. Hey, Vino's, real quick, if you are listening right now, which obviously you are or you wouldn't be hearing this, can you hit the subscribe or follow button on whatever platform you're on? Please, that one simple thing helps more than you, even realize it allows me to keep growing on this podcast and making these episodes the best they can possibly be obviously for you. That's the only favorite I'm going to ever ask, okay? It truly means the world to me. Thank you. Now let's get into it. Hey everybody. Welcome to Off the Vine. I'm your host, Caitlin Bristow. And today we have the legend. You really did

have the most iconic entrance. Chris, aka Cupcake, is in the studio today. We go right back into 10 years ago. But then we unlocked some memories in our brain of other moments that you guys didn't get to see you, but you'll hear it here. I am so excited to see you. I miss you. We used to hang out in Nashville all the time when you lived here and then you moved your ass away. I know. What's going on? What are you doing? What's the cupcake life? I'm actually kind of changing chapters right now. Are you really? Yeah. Wait. You're not doing dentist anymore? I am, but I'm actually specializing. Tell me more. So when you graduate, dental school, you're basically licensed to do anything, including like fillings, crowns, veneers,

right, pulling teeth. He did my teeth. Okay. Beautiful smile. You did a great job. But I actually have, over the years, become really interested in orthodontics. Oh. So you can do that as a general dentist, but to really do it, like, right.

For me, I just wanted to go to a specialty program. Yeah. So that means I'm actually going to be going back to university for two and a half years. And so I'm leaving L.A. and I'm going to Oklahoma City. Shut up. Yeah. Wait, are you excited or are you nervous? Oh, I'm so excited.

Oh, okay, good. Yeah. No, the school is my top choice. Cool. It's an amazing program, very nice people. I've already visited a couple times and figured out where I want to live. And yeah, I felt right at home. It'll be great just to study and meet some new people.

And, yeah, I love the professors and everything. Wait, that's really fun. I always had this idea of doing a TV show called Caitlin Goes to College because I never went. And I'm like, it would be so fun. to like do something in business and like actually know what I'm doing and also go into like what I missed out in college days but then I thought about it and I'm like maybe 10 years ago if I would have came off the show and done that but turning 40 and going back to college to like film a TV show would be different like as an undergrad yeah I mean I yeah that'd be hilarious

it would be funny though right like rushing and everything yeah I'm like that's it wouldn't feel like a movie but I feel like I would take it too far on the other way I just party the whole time. This isn't going to be quite like that. You're basically working four or five days a week. You have maybe a half day of class and you're doing a master's research project too. So I don't think there's going to be a lot of partying. Are you prepped for tornadoes? Yeah. Well, you know, I did live here. Oh, that's true. That's true. And I've actually seen a tornado before. You have? Yeah. Where? I was in South Carolina. What was my first time in the South? And I was driving toward it, and it went across my path and lifted up like an earth mover and put it on

its side. Stop. Yeah. So I survived that. You're like a storm chaser. Yeah, basically. Oh, my gosh. Yeah, so I watched that movie Twisters this summer to prepare.

So I think I'm good now. My girlfriend lives there and she's like, do you have like an underground something? Nope. We're working on that. Okay. Okay. I need one here. I, the other night when the tornadoes were going crazy, we had like two or three warnings

and the dogs and I were waking up every two hours. to sirens like going to our safe place. It's so scary. Well, that's exciting. I'm excited for you. Thank you. That's cool. I always, like, even watching back, I'm like, oh, my little pointy teeth, the RIP to the pointy teeth that you.

Which I always thought were cute, but, you know. You did? Yeah. I thought, like, you know what's funny is I actually think I did until watching, you know when you watch yourself back and you get insecure about things that you would have never noticed before? Yeah. Teeth was one of those for me.

I always thought, like, cool. I have like fangs, like, vampire movies. And then I was like, help. Now, people always ask me about my teeth, and they always think I got veneers or fake teeth. How do you explain what you did to my teeth? I always try. Bonding? Yes, you got it. So it's that white material you just put over the top to change the shape.

Trink wrap. Exactly. Yeah. That's a great way to put it. But we didn't do any drilling. No drilling. Because for you, I think when you saw yourself on TV, you know, it's just maybe like it was a dramatic change between your canines and your lateral, the teeth next to it. Yes.

And so we just wanted to kind of soften how dramatic that looked. So we just added. It was, it's my, I mean, I've done a few things to my face. Not seriously, but, well, no, seriously. Like I have like Botox, fillers. I got a black, teeth by far what you did is my favorite thing. Oh, no way. That's so nice.

Yes, yes, it really is. I feel like it changed everything for me. And then it, like, I don't know. It looks like it's still my smile. Yeah. And just like more even. And I love that. I love that.

I want to talk to you about your reality TV resume because why did I not know this? You were on Janice Dickinson's modeling agency? Yeah. I had her on my podcast. Are you serious? Recently. We both know Janice.

No way. I didn't know that you did this. Yeah, I don't know if she would remember me. Maybe. She probably watched after, I don't know. I didn't know this. Yeah, this is kind of a crazy story. I was in undergrad.

Yeah. Uh, UCLA. I think I was 20. I just moved to L.A. actually. Yeah. I used to work at Abercrombie as the guy in the front. Of course you did.

Without the shirt on. Yeah. No stop. Dude, yeah, they pay you minimum wage, but they give you an extra hundred bucks if you took off the shirt. So of course I was going to do that. Yeah. I don't think we had those in Canada.

It doesn't surprise me. Cute. So I was out there, me and like, you know, the other model girl. And we were just chat. Suddenly this lady comes up to me like 11 out of 10 energy. She's got a cell phone. She's like, here, here, talk to my producer. She's like, we're doing a show and I want you to come try out.

you'll be awesome. So I'm like, this is my first contact with Hollywood. It was Janice. Oh, my God. Janice comes up to me. She's cold calling at Abercrombie in a mall? Yes, literally she was shopping at the Grove, right? So I was like talking to this guy on the cell phone. And he's like, hi, whatever. Yeah, you can come. We're doing this casting call on Saturday. I was like, great. And then yeah, she leaves. Look over to the girl next to me. I'm like, who is that? What was that? Stop. And the girl knew? Did the girl know? Yeah, she did. She's like, oh, she's a model. She's iconic. Yeah.

So I actually went and tried out. And then I got on the show. They didn't pay me. It was like we would go once a week. Yeah. And I was literally studying chemistry like in the back room. And then we'd come out and like put on underwear and like they'd film us. And then like a client would come and look at the models and see who they wanted to pick.

I probably got a collective of like 30 seconds of air time. But I think we filmed for maybe six weeks or something. Did we not talk about it? No. Was this before Bachelorette? Yeah. I mean, so when I was on The Bachelorette, I was like 28. Yeah. So this was like in L.A. like definitely a long time before that. Oh my gosh. I know. I didn't. That's funny that you, well, I guess you're not going to bring up on a reality TV show like because then people would think, oh, he's trying to be a reality TV star. Well, when I was talking to them for Bachelor, I was like, just so you guys know, like I was on this, but like I wasn't trying to. Yeah. Whatever. Yeah. But yeah, it was a lot of.

of fun. And actually, I kind of knew I wanted to be a dentist at that time. Like, that was my rough plan. But she introduced me to her dentist on the show. And we went and saw him for one of the episodes. And he did like a smile makeover on one of the models. And then after that, he and I became close. And he like helped me get into dental school. What the hell? So it was actually an incredibly like important turning point. Is that so weird when you think back on like what weird turns you took in life to put yourself in the position you're in today? Like had you had not got that job at Abercrabby. Like, it's, it's like cool. And then it's one of those things where, you know, when you get high, maybe you don't know, and you start thinking about outer space and you're

like, it's too much. Like, you can't wrap your brain around it. That's how I feel when I think about the like different steps I took in my life to be where I am today and like how a tiny little step could have put me in a complete different place. Exactly. Yeah. I do think about that because it was such a pivotal turning point and you can kind of connect how it all worked out. Yeah. It's the Butterfly, is that the butterfly effect? Yeah. My girlfriend signed me up for The Bachelor. Okay, so that's how you got on it?

Yeah. My girlfriend signed me up. What? Yeah. I didn't know that. Well, she signed me up, but she also made me do the work. So she'd come over. I was so depressed.

And she would like record me and I'd be like, okay, I got this. And I'd like turn it on. And then I would do, she'd be like, okay, you have to say this. And she'd ask me the questions. She was in radio at the time. Actually, she's still in radio. And she would ask me all the questions. And I'd answer them.

And it was for Juan Pablo. season. And, but I actually ended up getting on Chris Sol's season. Yeah, that's weird because I actually have somewhat of a similar story in terms of like, were we supposed to go on Andy Dorfman's? Yes. Stop. Yes. Yeah. Interesting. And at the time, I had just started in a practice. And I, like, I, like, I had never seen the show before. And I'm like, look, I'm here to establish my career at the time. I just graduated basically. And so I passed on it. Really? And then the next year, I kind of remember that part. I think we might have talked about it.

Yeah, yeah. But still, I want other people to hear it. So the next year comes around and they reach out to me again. And I'm like, okay, I'll entertain this. Yeah. I talked to my sister. Yeah. And she's like, you have to do this.

This is like, be so fun. This will be great. So I was like, okay, well, it'll probably not work out, right? But why not? Try. Right. So I went through the process. I did the applications.

Basically got up to the very last moment. Yeah. At the time I was working with, it's like a big. dental corporation. Yeah. So they, like, you're the dentist, but there's also like HR, basically. So I talked to my supervisor, if you will. Yeah. Shout out to Sheila. I was like, Sheila, I got to talk to you about something. We went to dinner. And I'm like, no way, right? And so I tell her, I have this opportunity to go on The Bachelorette. What do you think? It's fine. You know, I get it. And she's like, oh my gosh, I love it. Let's do it. She's like, I know the perfect person to cover for you.

like we'll make it happen yeah so at that point i had to go thanks Sheila thanks Sheila oh my god cutie do you still talk to Sheila um it's been a little bit um but she definitely is another one of those turning points in my life yeah yeah oh my gosh that's and not only did you go on my season you were the first kiss on night one that's right did you remember that did you know that of course I knew oh oh oh I was watching back and I was like oh damn I watched it back too and I was like yeah buddy that's so fun yeah it was it was good it's funny because i mean i didn't expect really to even vibe that early right right i thought we're just gonna be so nervous or whatever but you and i started talking i'm like this girl's so sweet i'm like i don't know if she's feeling it but i'm

feeling it so yeah i went in for it did you like do you remember that moment like do you remember or was it because night one to me is such a blackout but i do remember certain moments do you remember like being in that moment yeah because i looked at you and i'm like oh my gosh are we doing this? And I'm like, we're doing this. We're doing this. I'm like, there's a camera guy right there. There's a camera guy right there. Are we really doing this? Isn't that weird? And you called me out. You're like, you seem really nervous. And at that point, I was like, all right, buddy, you're either going to run away with your tail under or you're going in. So we went in. You went in. Isn't it crazy to think about how many people are behind the scenes of that show?

It is. It's crazy. And you become friends with them. And, you know, they're a part of it. You're spending so much time with them. Yeah. And they're funny. The camera guys are hilarious. Oh, yeah. And they're all like still there too. Oh, really? I love that. Yes. Yeah, it was the best crew. I mean, it's such a specific show that, like, is actually insanely hard, I think, to produce, right? Oh, my gosh. And so these are real experts that have been doing it for probably 20 years. I didn't realize the production that is the show. Insane. What was your, like, when you're walking out of the limo, first of all, you're dealing with a much different situation because there's two of us. But what was like, did you notice the surroundings? Were you like, oh, my God, there's like 100 people here and the camera crew and there's like no music. It's literally just like crickets. actual crickets, like, while you're walking up. Some people might remember that I had my own special entrance on the show. You got to practice earlier that day in the cupcake. Hilarious.

Because this thing had three wheels and very unstable. I mean, there was like basically a lawn chair inside, right? Yeah, yeah. And so I drove up the driveway a couple of times to get a feel for it. So at least the surroundings had been somewhat familiar. Wow, so you got to see the mansion before anyone else got to see the mansion. I did. I saw it during the day. Funny.

But when it's actually showtime, so I was in the cupcake for 30 minutes. Were you so nervous? So nervous. Right. I'm in my suit. I'm like sweating. I have lines to give that I'm like trying to be funny. And by the way, I'm driving up in a cupcake. How did this cupcake idea come to be? Backstory behind that, it's a husband and wife that are like artists.

And they make these to like compete in a race at Burning Man. There's a cupcake race at Burning Man. Wait, how cool? I love this story right now. This is iconic. Yeah, it's so freaking cool. So I think at one time I googled it and there was like a fleet of different cupcakes. But yeah, these were local artists.

And so they call them up. We get the cupcake. I'm like furiously writing down what lines I'm going to say. I'm like, how am I going to tie this in without it being totally, you know, crinsworthy? And for them to think that I'm like the weirdest guy and whatever. And so anyway, zooming in. Now, I'm sitting in the cupcake, it's night. There's other guys coming out of the limo. Yeah. And they're like, hold, hold, hold. And one of the production guys is like,

okay, as soon as I say cue cupcake, hit the accelerator and go in. That's what they said to you. Like you had a pedal and you're like, let's go. Yeah. Some people think I was like running under there like Flintstone style, but it was motorized. It was like a little electric thing that they put in there. And so yeah, I hit the pedal and we go in and I'm like, oh my gosh, this is happening. And I see you guys. I just start laughing. We were dying, like dying. Okay. So I watched this back, right? And you had made a comment that was kind of a little bit quiet, so I don't know if people heard it. What did I say? But I get there and I'm like opening the hatch. and you're like, I mean, you read about it, but...

You read about a guy in a cupcake, but until you actually see it. Did they air that? They did. I thought that was the funniest freaking line. I missed it, and I watched that whole... That's so funny. I mean, you read about it. Oh, my gosh.

So go back and watch that. You'll laugh. I am going to go back and watch it. I remember just like your big-ass smile pulling up in a cupcake and you were just like, you look like a little kid. Like, and then you got out and you were like, the striking hot man and I was like oh what wait this is like this is serious but I just will never forget that's like a moment of night one to me that's ingrained in my brain is your face in that

cupcake just smiling so big you'll never unsee that right I will never and I never want to unsee it I'm like scared I'm gonna get dementia later in life and forget that moment but please if I do just keep showing it to me because it was one of my favorite and I was like because I'm obviously looking for humor and fun and I was like that's funny I mean yeah like obviously I had a little bit of your personality from the previous season so I'm like she's going to get it right so but by the way before I forget I do have a little present for you oh my god stop you do not it's you know don't get too excited I am excited a little bit memorabilia yes stop the dogs are hyped stop it's literally the exact cupcake that you came out of too yes it's a two scale model

Oh. Wait, I love a thoughtful gift. That's literally your cupcake had candy corns on it, didn't it? Yeah. I was, if I'm honest, I probably would have picked a different cupcake. I was thinking maybe sprinkles or something. When I saw the candy corn, I'm like, this. She's going to think that I put these candy corn on there, like I'm willing to candy corn. Well, I mean, it was about a sweet tooth and it was more candy on top. But I'm just laughing because now I want to look up all these cupcakes that race for Burning Man and see what other cupcake you could have went with. Oh, I know. Seriously. If you were to redo a limo entrance, what would you do? If I were to redo it, I mean, you know, you had guys coming out there just looking so suave. I don't know if I could have ever pulled that off.

But when you're watching the show like prepping beforehand, you're like, man, how do you get out of the limo and just look so like amazing, like take your shot? They always get out and button up their little thing and do a strut forward. Yeah. So I don't know. I guess, you know, in retrospect, that was probably a good fit. I know we had the carpool, which was pretty funny. That was funny.

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the place to find a place. What was it like for you watching back? Yeah, so I kind of have watched back the first seven episodes so far. Have you done that before since it aired? Never. Isn't it weird? And you know what? I didn't even see the whole show the first time because I would like pace back and

forth and like step out of the room and so there's stuff I didn't see. People don't understand how serious it gets and how emotionally like invested everybody. is and just the like i don't know stress it puts on you and it's so real to people like it was i feel like our season two specifically it was more like people were there quote unquote the right reasons other than instagram it wasn't really there yet so i feel like not to take away from anyone else's experience when that they are not there for you know love but it just was so real and watching it back was so hard and you guys would do like watch parties because you were really good friends with sean yeah and so rewatching together

must have been kind of weird we yeah i mean at that point i'm like rooting him on and like yeah you know you did great buddy and stuff hard to watch back though it's it's hard to watch back and yeah it was stressful for both of us those monday like during the day that was always like oh my gosh what's gonna air like yeah yeah you're thinking about it and stuff i'm sure it was 10 times harder for you well i mean yes and no but i got the screeners so i got to like already mentally prepare and know what was coming and like yeah that's true but yeah for us i mean it was kind of right at that inflection point social media had started but like Instagram wasn't a part of the show like you're saying so we didn't really know what we were getting ourselves into right watching it back was

an experience totally disconnected from being there yeah it was its own thing yeah right and that brought up all these emotions so yeah when I was just watching it back like I didn't realize man I'm starting to feel something because like suddenly you're transformed back into the room when I was watching it to prepare I was like this is so silly like Why are these guys so wrapped up in this? You know, like, and I get that. Yeah. Because, you know, it is silly.

It's fun. Yeah. Right. But when you're there, if you are taking it seriously, you want to show your best self. Yeah. And if things don't go well, you're like, there are going to be a lot of people who think a certain way about me. And I don't want them to feel that way necessarily. And, you know, it is a transformational thing in your life that happens.

So watching it back is big. I've never heard of anyone doing a rewatch of their season and this, but I'm like, well, now I get it's a great idea. Well, it's a great idea, but I was like, I can't believe how much it is bringing up for everybody, which I don't know if Sean's going to do the interview or not, but like, I can't imagine making him watch. Because me watching back for him, I'm like, I feel really bad. I know. I know. It was, it's, I was like, oh, damn, I was really confused, but not. Yeah. Like, well, and that's the thing, at least for me watching it back, there's so much that I didn't know happened, right? Yeah. And so watching it back, I have secondhand stress for each of these people who I really like. Right. I'm like, oh man, you went through that. I know. Yeah, I'm having that too where I'm like having secondhand empathy for a lot of people. Yeah. Like when I bring back Nick, I'm like, you idiot. I should have just said, go fuck yourself. And like, it changed everything. Oh, what was your first impression of like, was there somebody in the room that stood out to you in the mansion where you you're like, no, tell the story about the haircut with Sean. Okay. So, yeah, that's right. So, yeah, we were talking about what's it like to actually start the show. And you were talking about the size of the production.

Yes. So I basically, once I walked out of the cupcake, you know, I'm kind of like blacked out. I don't know what's going on. And by the way, I slipped on some water. I was walking to the mansion too. Did you really? Yeah, I was like, oh, I almost died. Oh, I missed that.

As soon as I get in, they hand you like a drink full of alcohol, right? Yeah. And then it's like 20 cameras and all the lights. Yeah. And you're like, oh my gosh. And then there's all these handsome dudes staring right at you. And I think I showed up later. So the majority of people had already been there.

Yeah. And yes, one specific haircut stands out in the crowd because obviously it's distinct. Yeah. If you've watched it back, you know. But I had seen that haircut, but once before in my life. Yeah. So Sean and I moved to. Nashville about the same time. I was there 2012. I think it was there 13 or 14. And I was at this

bar and- Do you remember what bar? It was south. It doesn't exist anymore. But yeah, it was a fun place to hang. So I'm there, right? And I don't know if there's, it might have been a block party. Like, no block agency. It might have been that. Oh, Mark, yeah. Yeah, Mark Block. So- talked to them today, actually. Did you? Oh my gosh. Small world. I did one of the most out-of-character things ever. Okay, so first of all, I'm back there in the bar, and I think I was waiting for a friend. So I pull my phone, go on Instagram real quick, and a meme comes up of basically the haircuts that were popular at the time. You have like the man bun and they have the Sean haircut. And it's essentially a drawing of three dudes without a face, just the hair. And it's like,

watch out for these dudes because they'll steal your girl. And in the most out of character moment of my life, never go up to strangers. I look up from my phone and there's the dude on my screen that's going to steal my girl. And it's Sean B. And I walk up to him. I'm like, dude, this is you. I was like, don't steal my girl. And I walk away. Not knowing that you're about to walk into a mansion on The Bachelorette and he's in the group of guys dating the same girl. Exactly. That is so crazy. So yeah, I walk into the mansion. There he is again. I'm like, you're trying to steal my girl, bro. You had that dickhead haircut. Yeah. That's crazy. It worked. The meme was right. Hey, the meme was right. That's so, I think about that story often because I'm like, what are the chances?

I mean, Nashville was very small at that time and I feel like everybody knew everybody. And they, they took, now they take everybody from Nashville. I feel like goes on the show. I know. Seriously. That's like the hub. Yeah. Okay. So you walk in. Did you see him immediately or did it take some time? I mean, as soon as like my eyes adjusted to the lighting and stuff, and like I had a quick assessment of the room, but it was all kind of a blur. That was the familiar face that I saw. Funny. And did you go up to him right away? I went up to him. And did he remember? You know, he's kind of in the same fog. And I'm like, dude, do you remember me? I was like, don't steal my girl. And then it like clicked on him. He's like, no freaking way. You're here.

That's wild. And you know, it really is one of those things like you talk about like butterfly effect like you were saying in serendipity. Wow. Like that was. was crazy. In that moment, I'm like, I'm having chills just from that coincidence. I know. And weirdly, I'm like, okay, I think I'm supposed to be here. Yeah. Like the imposter syndrome went away. Yeah. I mean, not because I wasn't intimidated, but I'm like, something is happening right now. I totally get that. I get those feelings a lot like something will happen and I'm like, oh, I'm supposed to be here. Yeah. That's, I felt that way actually a few times that first night. Did you? I was like, yeah. Because, you know, I was also scared that I was going home.

but something just kept coming over me where I was like, these are my guys. Like this group of men are mine. You sensed it. I sensed it and I kept feeling like I was in the right place like with the right group of guys. I still to this day think I had the greatest group and I'm not just saying that.

Like I really think you guys were the most stand-up, incredible understanding, forgiving. Oh, love you, Katie. Good-looking men. Thank you. I really, I really, and people, other people say that too. And I've told that to every guy that I've interviewed so far.

I'm like, I still believe that. Yeah, I, you know, I wanted to ask you actually about this. And if you can't answer, that's cool. I'll answer anything. I agree with you. Like, these guys are the best guys so nice. And you don't necessarily know what to expect going in, right? But I would say the guys on your season largely did have kind of similar personalities.

Totally. Similar vibe about them. How much did you have a hand in that? Like, did you tell them, like, they just sensed like what would be a match? with you or? Yeah, I'm like, I'm trying to think because I think they, you know, you spend a lot of time with producers if you make it that far too. So you're like, they know me. They know all about my ex that broke my heart. Okay. You know, they know I love country music. They know I love humor. They know I love rap. They know I love a type of like a tall, strong, handsome man. Like I literally think about all the men that were on us. I mean, it's The Bachelor too. So they all usually are good looking. But I feel like they got a sense. of who I was for sure, but I had no hand in picking any of the guys. That's crazy. I said I wanted a Canadian on there.

I said, I don't care what you guys do, but make sure there's at least one Canadian. Absolutely. I understand that. And then, but that was it. No way. Yeah. Because that's, but that's how I kept knowing, like, that's how I kept feeling like it's going to be me as the Bachelorette because I was like, these are all my type.

Like, these are, every time I sit down with the next guy, like, there's a couple of chorus where I was like, you're clearly here for Brit. And that, like, makes sense. But, like, I would say 90% of you, even Jared, who didn't vote for me, I still felt was my, like, I was like, no, there's something about this guy that I'm supposed to, like, I have a connection with. He might not know it yet. Yeah. But I had a connection with him. Yeah, but I wish I got to pick. I would have picked all the same men, though. I wonder about that, though. Isn't that, isn't that so funny? Because the producers, like you said, like, they do know people well and they kind of knew you. The casting people are brilliant. Yeah. They really know how to cast for each

person. Because think about that. The hardest thing in life sometimes is just reading people and that's their job, right? It is their job. Well, if you think about it, I think that's why you didn't get picked for Andy's season because I think you wouldn't have gone as far with her. She's very different. And I think they wanted you to make it further than she would have kept you. Same thing with Juan Pablo. He liked big old fake titties and like blondes. And so they're like, let's hold. on to Caitlin for the farmer sees it, like whatever they were thinking, you know, in that moment. But I do think they cast specifically for that person. Yeah. And, you know, going into it myself, like, I didn't know who was going to be the Bachelorette. I found out by watching

Jimmy Kimmel in the hotel. Yeah. But I wanted it to be you. Yeah. But honestly, you don't know what somebody's going to kind of feel like in person. Yeah. And so I was nervous about that and talking to you, I'm like, you know, she's got a big personality and she can like carry a whole, like show herself. How am I going to connect with that? And then instantly when I met you, I'm like, oh, she's just a sweet little kindhearted person. And yeah, she can turn it on. Yeah, yeah. But yeah, we had that connection. And again, like, I felt like, okay, like, I'm in the right place. This is going to work. Yeah. We'll, we'll deep dive it, but I'll never forget you looking at me at one point. And you're like, if it's who I think it is, you're going to be just

fine because you like I think knew at that point like Sean was kind of it for me and I'll never forget that because I was like at that point Nick was already there but I don't know it was just like you were you were emotional but you were also like calm to me good you know our connection if you want to call it that so much of what you're going through is like crazy like not anything that you're used to or whatever but we had a connection that was something that I felt was real yeah And so that's when I could kind of be more myself, actually, is when you and I are there. So I wanted to give, I guess, my most heartfelt and honest opinion. Yeah.

And I mean, we can talk about more into how my thought process evolved about what led me to say that to you. Yeah. I would love to. But, you know, if you really care about somebody, I'm not saying like, I'm always this generous with my heart. Yeah, yeah. But I had gotten to know Sean. And I felt like that's who you were really into. And that's who I wanted, if it wasn't going to be me, that's why I wanted you to end up with.

Yeah. And I just, yeah. We were very close. Yeah. One of the most surprising things about Sean is that he's really, he's very different than how he looks. Yeah. He's, he's kind of a gentle introvert. Yes.

But when you see the guy with the hair, you think he's going to be. I thought, that's what scared me the whole thing. And that's what threw me off when Nick came in is because I'm like, oh, my God, he's probably a boy. And that's what I'm going to walk. walk into like I didn't trust my gut the whole time because I was so confused that I'm like what if I pick him and because he does look like your stereotypical your word of mine but he is he's different from he's he feels a lot but he has trouble expressing that yeah but like he is

more of an introvert he's a strong silent type yeah he is you know but you look at him you think he'll be very extroverted yeah almost like a salesman or something right Right. But he's not like that. And so I just, yeah, in that moment, I'm like, this is what I wish for you if I'm wishing you the best. Yeah. That's what I got. And I was like, you angel. I can't believe you remember that. Yeah, I do. I went back to the hotel and I had a Guinness with Harrison and I was sobbing. I was too. Just.

Oh, they should have shown me side by side you, me back at the hotel because I was doing the same thing. Yeah. Because I also felt like I was losing not just someone I was interested in, but a friend as well. And I was like, what am I going to see him again? Like, I was going to miss you. And so I went back and I'll never forget, like, Harrison was like rubbing my back and I was just crying, drinking to Guinness, watching golf with him in the hotel. And I was like, I was so worried about you.

Like, I'm like, oh, that's sweet. It's like so dramatic that, first of all, our date was so beautiful. We just get to take a helicopter from a castle to, what is that thing called? The cliffs of more? The cliffs of more. And we're just like, I almost fell into a cliff. Like, remember when I almost fell. right through like the middle.

That was scary. It was like a sinkhole. It was like grass and like yeah. That was scary. Yeah. But then to have to leave you and then circle around you in this helicopter by myself just being like, sorry. And I see you sitting on this cliff and I'm like, don't jump.

I'm just kidding. But it was so dramatic. I know. It was. And you know, this is, I've talked about this before. Maybe when I did your podcast way back when. But my favorite thing about that moment, right? So I'm on the cliff.

I haven't eaten in 15 hours. It's super cold. And they need me to stand out there so they can finish, you know, getting the shot of me going around in a helicopter. But, and you're in the helicopter flying away. But there's a second helicopter filming your helicopter. And I didn't get that helicopter. I was like, okay, that's my helicopter. We're going to part ways.

Oh, my gosh. No, I had to ride home on the bus for three hours. They didn't even get you a helicopter to go back. They were too busy filming you off into the sunset. The budget went to my second helicopter and then you had to take the bus. Caitlin demands two helicopters, cupcake going on the bus. That is so crazy. And then from there, okay, I always wondered this too because when I got sent home, I had spent a week in Bali and I was like, this is great.

And then I thought he was picking me and then I got dumped. And it was like immediate back on the plane, you go home. Was it, is that how that happened? Did you get to spend a couple days in Ireland? or was it like bus takes you to hotel, you grab your bags, they send you on a plane home. Yeah. Well, you know, you mentioned like kind of our friendship. So there's a couple of breakups that happen, right?

It's like this, but then all the guys who you have become friends with. Yeah. And I'm like, all right. And they think you're coming back. They think you're coming back. I think I'm going back to them. I haven't. I didn't pack.

You didn't? I mean, no. No. I didn't pack. I thought they made everybody pack before a one-on-one. At that point, no, I hadn't packed. Because maybe they knew I was like, I'm not going to send them home. I don't know.

Yeah, they didn't make me pack. So I'm like, obviously, I'm going to go back to the hotel, talk to the guys. Like, I didn't think that necessarily that was going to air. Yeah. But at least I'll get to like hug it out and then leave. No, I went to a different hotel. Yeah. They told me what it ended up happening.

So the guys all got together. They put my stuff together. And then Sean takes out a piece of floss and he like ties it up and drops it on my stuff as like a farewell wish. Goodbye. And they all wrote me a handwritten note, like saying like, All the guys wrote it on this piece of paper. Why does that make me want to cry? I know.

They're like, we'll miss you, blah, blah, blah. Well, because you were such a presence in the house of positivity and, like, funny and kind. Oh, thanks. And, like, that, like, you were my favorite on the, your Katie girl song. Like that, everything. I'm like, oh, you were such a light in that house that that was like, that's going to be missed when that is gone. And I remember that because there were certain girls being in the Bachelor Mansion, there's certain girls where I'd be like, why are we all upset?

they're leaving, like, don't we want to get to the end? And then there was other girls like, I'd hold hands with Becca Tilley. And be like, if she goes home, I'm going with her. Like, it was, you build such strong friendships there with certain people. It is such a weird psychology, right? Because you're in competition, but you're so close at the same time. Yeah. It's hard to explain. It really is. Had you ever been to Ireland before? No. I hadn't been to Ireland. And my grandmother was always like, oh, we're Scott's Irish. And so I'd always wanted to go. Yeah. And so of all the places that we could have gone, I mean, arguably, that was the top for me.

If you could go back and pick a date of the whole season that you had gotten to go on, which one would you have chosen? If I, like, could have gone on one that I didn't get to go on, hands down, you and Jared, after the Guinness Factory. Yeah, the cranberries. The cranberries, which I always loved, I mean, their music. Oh. You got to see her perform.

I know. Delores, RIP, I know. Heartbreaking. That, like, every time I think about it, I still go. go back and watch the video because Gina, my makeup artist, was just recording on her phone. And so she sent me this video of just like behind the scenes of everything. And I watch it. And I'm like, holy shit, that is cool.

Looking back, I'm so glad I had that with Jared because he's now still one of my great friends. He loved the cranberries. Like, he was so into it. He couldn't believe that he got to experience that. And it was just so memorable. Well, I mean, you talk about light and positivity. I mean, Jared is another level.

It's the best. Sweetest guy in the world. He really is. He's probably still one of my. closest, you know, friends from the show. I was going to ask who you still talk to. Yeah. I talked to Jared. I talked to Tanner a little bit. I talked to Sean. Yeah. JJ a little bit. Yeah. But I saw Jared after the date, actually. And that like late, late. Oh, because he, when he came back to the hotel. Yeah, yeah, it was late. And I was pretty jealous, but at one point, I got to

meet Dolores too. You did? Yeah. She was hanging out at the hotel. Oh, that's cool. So you know what? I mean, for what I ended up with, like, our date, plus still getting to meet her. I'm not going to complain. It was awesome. Ireland was so fun. Like, it was a little long. I was there for three weeks, which I'm not going to complain. But I was so ready to get out of there.

But it's because it was so emotionally heavy. Those three weeks were crazy. But Ireland was so cool. I feel like we got to do a lot of cool dates while we were there. We did. Yeah. I was wondering if I could ask you this. You can ask me anything.

I had heard a rumor while we were there that we were. that we were going to go to two other European countries, but it got canceled. I have no idea. Is that true? I actually don't. They don't tell me as much as you think they do. Yeah.

That's kind of annoying. So, yeah, because it's unusual that you would stay in one country for three weeks. Yeah. So maybe something production-wise happened and we had to stay longer. Because they definitely blamed me for why we had to stay so long is because I had sex before fantasy sweets and I ruffled feathers and now we're staying and we're changing the whole format. Matt. Maybe that's why. Just when in doubt, blame me for everything that happened. Oh, yeah, the Irish Wake Day. Okay, I loved your song. But how fun was that date to you?

Because Chris Harrison being like, Caitlin is dead. You guys are like, obviously she's not. But you walk in, you see me in a coffin. Were you guys like, what am I doing? Or were you like, this is hilarious? There was a weird energy when we first walked out. Totally. I agree. Because I remember laying there and being like, you guys, it's not, I'm not dead. Just so you know, I'm not dead. Just something about the context of that was very odd. And obviously, yeah, we knew it was a joke, but there was kind of a heaviness to it. Yeah.

But once we, I mean, ended up like, yeah, doing the Irish wake. Yeah. That was one of the most fun, that was probably the most fun group date, I would say, and one of the most fun moments of the whole experience. I agree. It was for me too. And then the Guinness Factory, that's so cool that we got to just go hang out on all levels of the Guinness Factory.

Like the places that we got to go and just have to ourselves, like, Met Museum. Oh, yeah. Just having that to myself with Jared. And then, oh, wow, Jared and I had a, had pretty special dates. You're telling me. Wait, that's funny. I just thought of that. I'll tell Jared this. He got to keep like a $2,000 custom fitted suit. I didn't even get to keep my dress. How did he get to? He did. Yes. I didn't get to keep any of my clothes. They gave us some like shoes and stuff. Swag bags, didn't they? Yeah. We got to see the New Year's Eve ball. Oh, my gosh. Okay. was awesome. That was so fun because also I was going to bring this up too. Remember, okay, so our,

what did we do before that? Aladdin. Yes. So we got to do Aladdin, which was so fun to do with you because you really appreciated that moment for me because I love theater so much and you saw me light up and you were so excited for me. And do you remember we went back to the hotel? We were sitting having a drink, just having, it was when you bit my nails. Oh my God, I just forgot that until right now. So that was the ABC put that on their website, but it didn't air. I wish we could go back and watch those. They were like Clorox bleachable moments. That's right. It was like a sponsored chlorox thing. And oh my God, I get so flustered when I remember things that I never remember. I just remembered the nail biting. What happened? How did you bite my nails? Okay. I know that

there was a lot more context leading up to that, right? I want to say you were talking about, okay, I just rewatched some stuff. Yeah. And at least one, maybe two other guys kisses your fingers or hand at some point, like pulls it up into, so I feel like maybe you brought that up or something. And we were joking around and... I remember telling you I'd bite my nails. Yes.

And I just pretended to mishear you and I'm like, oh, you want me to bite your nails? But I knew what you said, but you took, I think you didn't know that I was joking. And I went, okay, I like put my fingers in your mommy, bit my nails. I wish they would. Maybe we should cut this part. I don't want people looking that up. But they can't. I've tried to look up all the Clorox bleachable moments from that.

Yeah. And they don't because there was so many funny. It was like we got our own little bloopers at the end of each episode, but online only. And then we continued our night. And then we got to go see the New Year's fall. Yes. Which was so cool. That was awesome.

And I also remember going into like gift shops with Mew and Alon and getting like I love NYC mugs. Wasn't it like massively oversized? It was like this big of a mug and we were like taking pictures. That was a really fun night. That was such a fun night. Yeah. I mean I wanted to probably the most embarrassing moment on the show for me is my dance routine leading up to that. If you see what aired.

Yeah. I loved it. And the dude's roasting me like all the guys, especially Ben, Higgins, watching that back probably made me cringe more than anything else. Really? I mean, all the guys were pretty cringy during that. We were, we were. But here's the thing I wanted to bring up is at that point, I hadn't had a one-on-one date with you. And they're like, oh, now this is a competition for more time. Right. So I'm like, all right, I'm going all in. What do I got to do?

There was a choreographer there that was talking to us. And he's like, don't worry about your foot movements. It's all in the hands. So sell it with the hands. So I sold it with the hands. You really sold it with the hands. And then I was watching back and at one point, they cut to like the director. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, yeah.

You remember that? He said like, oh, he's really going for it or something. No, no. What do you say? Because I was singing a whole new world. And he's like, is he mocking it? Is he? No, I don't think he's mocking it.

I think he just doesn't know what he's doing. And it was so, I'm, there's something else that I remember that you were like, I'm blanking. You did something where I was like, it was actually really good, though. Well, they didn't show that if it was good. All the other guys, I feel, like, but like you, there was something that you did. I was like, oh, my God, that was really good. I can't remember what it was.

My brain will think about it. I miss my calling. But yeah, you missed your calling in that and comedy. Thank you. Because you're, you were actually so funny on the comedy date. Did you know you were going to be funny on the comedy date? Oh, my gosh, the comedy date. Yeah.

Yeah. So, yeah, like I said, I just rewatch that. That was that whole day. was locked in a bottle, so reliving that was interesting. It was so funny. First of all, Amy Schumer, when she met me, she's like, oh, this poor lad, she took me under her wing. Like, seriously, she was so nice. She was really cool.

She really liked you, and she hated JJ with like every fiber in her body. She hated JJ. Which at first, you know, he's got a certain exterior. I understand. He's lovable too. But actually, we ended up, I think, vibing a little bit, and we wrote some jokes down. She's like, you're nervous, just go with that and then turn it around. Yeah, yeah.

And it helped. Yeah, it did. Like, kind of pretending to be even more nervous than I was and then like coming back. Because it was kind of a bit. Yeah, it was a bit. You're kind of doing a bit. She helped me so much because she was like, if any of your jokes, because I didn't show my, again, they did on the Clorox bleachable moments they showed me doing my stand-up

bit, but they didn't show it during the season. And she was like, if all else fails, just blame it on Brit. And so that's what I do. Like one joke didn't land and I was like, I forget what I said, but I just blamed it. I blamed her. She's like, you can blame me and blame Britt. And she's like, so if all else fails, just like say something funny about Britt and then tell me, tell the audience I told you to say that joke. And that's what I did.

Did you have any singing dancing experience? No. Oh. I will tell you, though, this is embarrassing. I did take voice lessons after the show just for fun. Oh, same zies. I mean, in Nashville. Yeah.

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Okay, what's one thing you wish they had shown more about you? I guess I wish they would have just like, I mean, even the nail biting thing. Yeah. Like a little bit more time of us talking about our families and maybe. joking around just during the actual date because I got some air time like making jokes and stuff. Yeah. But I didn't feel like they showed a lot of our connection.

Yeah, I agree. I agree. That's, I remember you telling me like how well I'd get along with your sister, like certain little moments about family stuff. But I mean, that's boring to them. Yeah. No, it's all good. I mean, I understand.

And watching back, like, it makes sense everything they showed. But if I could have had like one more minute of air time just to give a little bit of context. Yeah. Yeah. What do you think you learned about yourself from being on The Bachelor? Because everybody comes out of there being like, that was a full-blown therapy, like a few weeks. What do you feel like you learned about yourself? In some ways, I did better than I expected. Yeah. You leaned in a little more than I think you thought you would. Yeah. I came out of my shell, I guess, a little bit more. If I had to go back and do it again, I would just relax a little bit. Yeah. Because I was nervous and I was very stressed about what was going to air. And I was maybe a little overly guarded. Well, because you also had a career to go back to. Like, I just went guns blazing on my season of The Bachelor because I was like, I have nothing to lose. Like my whole family and friends are going to be like, that's so Caitlin.

And then it's like, what am I coming back to? My restaurant job, I'll get another one, you know? Yeah. Well, you guys, some of you had a little more to be worried about with that, which I can't remember who it was. Somebody else said the same thing. They're like, I wish I wasn't so serious and worried about my edit. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. I didn't want to get, you know, necessarily caught up in drama. I didn't want to say anything that was going to like make my patients feel weird about me. you know, when they saw me coming back. Yeah. Do you think being Cupcake from The Bachelor at Hurt or Helped You Post Show? Oh, man. It definitely helped me.

I mean, it was awesome. People loved you. And you got, you had to practice out of it and like people would come to your, yeah, that's cool. I mean, I've gotten to do so many cool things connect, you know, because of that connection. Yeah. Even dentistry wise. Yeah. You know, so I went on like the show called The Doctors a few times.

Yes. Oh yeah. Or health prevention, which I never could have imagined doing before. So when do you go back home? So tomorrow I'm actually flying to North Carolina. Oh, right. You're going to see my sister. I'm going to see my sister.

She just moved out there. They live in a beautiful town. That's awesome. But it's hard being really far. Do you still get recognized as Cupcake? It's been a while. Yeah. But there was a time when it was.

You couldn't go anywhere, I bet. Like, especially in Nashville. Very surprising. Oh, my gosh. I couldn't believe the attention that season got, especially for the men, and like going out in Nashville with any of you guys. I was like, girls went apeshit for you guys. Like girls would be inappropriate to my fiancé while I'm right there.

I'd be like, guys, I can see your hand grabbing his ass. I mean, yeah, that must have been tough, honestly. It really was. Because what you were going through at the time, like that attention. Oh, God. Yeah. I was so dark. The thing about Nashville is really.

the perfect place to be because it is like the Bachelorette party capital. So I feel like that's kind of the people who watch the show. Yeah. And then so we're here and it's like people are coming to party. Yeah. So it was fun that we got to be friends after, you know, everything because you lived here, your friends with Sean. So we got to like, I'm trying to remember.

Was anyone else in Nashville that was from the show that we were friends with? Joe Bailey was close. I get to see him tomorrow. No way. Joe's going to be in this chair. Amazing. Tomorrow. What are you going to do tonight?

Um, tonight. So should we get the band back together? Me to you, Ben, Sean, go for a drink? Let's do it. A little group date? I would. Where do you want to go? I don't know.

The Henry. Roast Ceremony and Predator Stadium? Could you imagine? Wait, I've actually so down, but Sean would never. But I'd be like, you guys, let's get the band back together and go for dinner. Let's go. Ben is literally going to, what time is it? Do you still talk to Ben?

It's been a minute, but yeah, I've texted with him a little bit back and forth. Yeah. I could talk about this all day with you. I just think you were one of my, you were one of my favorite people still looking back to this moment and especially rewatching from my whole season. Yeah. I wanted to, I wanted to also say like, I was, when I was rewatching, there was a moment when Chris Harrison tells you that you're going to be the bachelorette.

Yeah. And it's like, who is the real Caitlin? Yeah. Because again, like you have a big personality, like, whatever. But there's another side of you. Yeah. And, you know, when you're doing a. podcast, you're not going to show like you're more vulnerable side necessarily. Right. But there's a

moment when Harrison is telling you that you're going to be the Bachelorette. Yeah. And it was just the most, the sweetest and most pure moment. I'm like, that is the Caitlin that I know. So if people want to know like what she's like in person, just watch that because you're like so humble and you're like, it's almost like you're wishing Britwell if she gets it. And then when when he tells you it's you, you're like so, you know, humble and you call your mom. Yeah. Yeah. So that was really sweet. thank you for saying that because I do feel like I have this on personality that I mean we all do right to a certain extent and like sometimes you know it's hard to share such like real vulnerable moments on social media too because in those real vulnerable moments you're not pulling up your phone you pull up your phone to entertain or to do something like so I try to like do a mix of both as best as I can but I do and I've talked about this a lot on this podcast is how misunderstood I feel by people really even still to this day I think like Sean I think still still misunderstands me and thinks a certain way of me. And so it's nice when people see that and acknowledge it. So thank you for even telling me that because. Yeah, you're welcome. Yeah,

I get pigeonholed a little bit as a psycho. I mean, I don't know. How many lives like yours have existed ever, right? Like there's no playbook for what you're doing. No. And that's what I said. Like I remember watching or being at the men tell all. And you're just facing 20 men who are like a little bit upset with you. And I'm like dealing with like just one shot fired after another. And I'm like, you guys, you try and do this. Try and date on national TV and not make a mistake. Like I fucked up so many times. I was so confused. I was so tired. I'd nobody to ground me. I literally went crazy. There is, you can ask Bennett. There was a moment I went crazy. And I was like going to quit the whole show. Wow. Because I was like, I actually can't do this anymore. Yeah. And just like, I'm like,

God, it's hard to be a contestant and it's hard to be the lead and, like, not screw up. I screwed up multiple times. Of course you're going to make mistakes, but I always thought that you were doing what you felt was like the best thing from your heart. Yeah. And you're always going to make mistakes. But if you had come in with like a certain agenda and to try to fake it, that would have been totally different, right? I was like, I'm surrendering to this whole process and what I feel. And I still like, I'd probably do it the same again.

I would just maybe not get so blackout and like not care because I would just, it was clearly like me numbing myself. And then that put me in really uncomfortable situations. I'd probably do that a little differently. But really, I think I do this still in my life. What happens is my, this is like deep, and I've talked about it before, but I do this with my therapist all the time where my intention versus my impact over all the time in life where my intention of something is to like have an honest conversation or,

be real about something or tell somebody about this person. Whatever I do, I always find myself in this situation where the impact of it, I'm like, no, no, no, no, that's not what my intention was. And then there's a headliner. Then this person's feelings are hurt or then this person was like, see, I told you you're like this. Like it happens to me all the time. And I'm like, that is also the world of podcasting, right?

Like I came from this show. I have a platform. People are paying attention. And you do get like pigeonholed into being a certain person. And I feel like I've always been pigeonholed into the spicy, like, really, like, outgoing, spicy, didn't give a, blah, blah, blah. But I'm like, there's so many different sides of me. And it's hard to represent on one TV show because you're a character.

But even on social media after, I'm like, I don't even, I still 10 years later, don't know how to navigate it. I know. It's so crazy. Because, and sometimes you think, like, well, the vulnerable side of me, maybe that's boring to people. I always think that. No, I'm not going to show that. And then when I do, everyone's like, thank you. for sharing that. And I'm like, oh, okay. But thank you. Just for all the kind words you said

and for being here and everything. I have a couple of souvenirs that I brought. Just for fun. Is it more cupcakes? No. But this is still fun too. So. Oh my God. Memorabilia. Merch? What do we got? One day when I was in Nashville, I was checking out at Walmart. I think I was getting like produce or whatever. I'm in the checkout line. And then I see this magazine. Stop. Oh my gosh. Can you believe that? Wait.

Me, Nick, and Sean right on the cover. Imagine my surprise. They're all in love with her. Oh. And then inside is like the best picture of the two of us ever. Wait, this is unbelievable. Last minute decision. Caitlin lets both finalists propose.

Fantasy sweet nightmare. How it almost ruined everything. All the details of 3.5 carrot ring and wedding plans. There's wedding plans? Oh, I opened right to it. Oh, Cupcake is a sweetie. Ever since he first showed up at the mansion behind the wheel of a giant cupcake, dentist Chris Stranberg, 28, has been willing to go that extra mile to make Caitlin smile.

Who could forget the adorably off-key singing? Oh, I thought you're wrong. During the NYC episode that earned him a Broadway walk-on and a rooftop makeout session with The Bachelorette. Look at you just making me laugh. You're probably biting my nails again. You're right, exactly. I think that was at the Guinness Factory date. That was, yeah.

I go by outfits. I like know what date it was from my outfit. Is Britt the next Bachelorette? This is hilarious. Nick's a bad boy. Sean's absolutely perfect. Oh my God. Right?

The magazines really turn on people because then he was shady Sean after we got engaged for a minute there. Yeah. Jared's the real deal. Joe's got Southern Charm. Cupcakes is sweetie. Ben has a big heart and Nick's a bad boy. Amazing. Isn't that awesome?

So yeah. Just how crazy that time was, right? How fun? How fun is that? All right, I got one more thing. Stop! One more memory. Wait, I love that you showed up with all this stuff.

I want to cry. Okay, so I just wanted to show this to people too. Which one is this? I don't know which one it is. I wish I did. Wait, this is crazy because it still has the magnet on it and everything. But how cool is that thing? 10 year old dried rose.

Oh my gosh. I know. Wait, that is so wild. It has the magnet on people always ask. How do you clip the, it was a magnet? Shout out to the art department, because that thing is, isn't that brilliant? How did you dry it? How did you make it last as long?

Like, it's still intact. So I think one of the producers tipped us off. Like, hey, you guys might want to save these. So we rolled them in toilet paper. And then it just absorbed the moisture. and preserved it. I'm gonna like pin it on you, but I'm too scared to break it. It's okay.

We've already done that before. Wait, that's so cool. Wait, I remember, I wonder what Sean did with him now, but I remember he had so many, like, lined up in a row. Yeah. And I remember being insecure, being like, are you keeping those because of special or are you just proud that you won? I thought it was like a, like a shrine for him who still knows. But oh my God. Yeah.

I had kept one of the roses. You can have this one. No, no, no, no. I have others. You do? Can I? Caitlin? Yes.

Will you accept this rose? I don't know. Absolutely. Can I really keep it? I'm going to put it. Yeah, you can keep it. I'm actually going to keep it in this podcast room. How freaking special.

What is, I mean, really you don't go through shit like that with most people and then remain friends. We were so lucky. I mean, it was very cool that you moved here and we got to kind of like have that friendship. Yeah. And watching back, there were stressful moments. But I'm like, wow, I'm so lucky. Like, this was so fun. Yeah.

It's, it's been quite the, quite the ride rewatching after 10 years. Because like you said, it's bottled up somewhere. Yeah. And then that's opening that bottle and it smells like a lot of tears. I cry, I've cried watching. Really? Oh, yeah. Yeah, there's a few moments where I'm like, oh, God, this is actually embarrassing

because I thought I was going to watch back laughing. I'm sobbing. Like, couldn't even hold it together. I was like, oh, my God, that moment was really crazy. Yeah. I mean, you didn't have time. You just had to. like pack it up and move on. Yeah. Yeah. And then they're on to the next bachelorette.

Yeah. You're dealing with your own shit. And then you're like, well, as if I'm going to go back and watch again. No. And then so 10 years later, I'm like, holy shit. But I do. I have a lot of grace for myself and forgiveness for myself. And I have a lot of forgiveness for how angry Sean was at me after because I'm like, I probably would be too. Yeah. I'm just watching it through such a different lens. But it's so nice to see you and have you on. Honestly, we should maybe try and like have a dinner or a drink tonight if it works out yeah let me know i'd love it but do you still have the same phone number i do yeah amazing i'll text you so but yeah thanks for having me on and crazy 10 years i know can you believe it you look the same thank you like maybe a little more jacked no

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