The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - A Golden Premiere

Episode Date: September 20, 2024

It’s the premiere of first season of The Golden Bachelorette! Ben and Ashley are here to recap every dramatic moment as Joan Vassos begins her search for love!  We go through all of Joan’s guys and try to make early predictions on who will steal her heart.  Will Ben and Ashley be as excited about The Golden Bachelorette as they were for the Golden Bachelor?? Ashley has a shocking observation about the differences between the main franchise.  Plus… is The Golden Bachelorette more of a “soft rock” show?? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Let's start with a quick puzzle. The answer is Ken Jennings' appearance on The Puzzler with A.J. Jacobs. The question is, what is the most entertaining listening experience in podcast land? Jeopardy-truthers believe in... I guess they would be conspiracy theorists. That's right. They gave you the answers, and you still blew it.

The Puzzler. Listen on the I-Heart. radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I just normally do straight stand-up, but this is a bit different. What do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? Answer, a new podcast called Wisecrack, where a comedian finds himself at the center of a chilling true crime story. Does anyone know what show they've come to see?

It's a story. It's about the scariest night of my life. This is Wisecrack, available now. Listen to Wisecrack on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. How serious is youth vaping? Irreversible lung damage serious. One in ten kids vape serious, which warrants a serious conversation from a serious parental figure, like yourself. Not the seriously know-it-all sports dad or the seriously smart podcaster. It requires a serious conversation that is best had by you.

No, seriously. The best person to talk to your child about vaping is you. To start the conversation, visit Talk Aboutvaping.org, brought to you by the American Lung Association and the Ad Council. I'm Simone Boyce, host of the Brightside podcast, and on this week's episode, I'm talking to Olympian, World Cup Champion, and podcast host, Ashlyn Harris. My worth is not wrapped up in how many things I've won, because what I came to realize is I valued winning so much that once it was over, I got the blues, and I was like, this is it. For me, it's the pursuit of greatness. It's the journey. It's the people.

It's the failures. It's the heartache. Listen to The Bright Side on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Have you ever wished for a change but weren't sure how to make it? Maybe you felt stuck in a job, a place, or even a relationship. I'm Emily Tish Sussman, and on she pivots, I dive into the inspiring pivots of women who have taken big leaps in their lives and careers. I'm Gretchen Whitmer, Jody Sweetie,

Monica Patton, Elaine Welteroff. Learn how to get comfortable pivoting because your life is going to be full of them. Listen to these women and more on She Pivots. Now on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the Ben and Ashley I, Almost Famous Podcasts with IHartRadio. Welcome to the Almost Famous Podcast. We are getting started with one of the most anticipated. and one of the most excited seasons that Ashley and I've ever entered into.

It's now the time for the Golden Bachelorette. This is something that we've waited for that for a part of our life, it was just a dream. And now we're actually in it. The season is airing and we're here to break down episode one of this season. It's Joan's season of the Golden Bachelorette. Ashley is with me. Ashley, hello. Your thoughts, feelings, emotions as you enter in.

and you turned on your television to watch this beautiful episode. I was really excited to watch it. It was just as captivating as I hoped it would be. And I was really sad that there was a rose ceremony at the end of it.

Because I thought that they really made us so emotionally connected to these guys so quickly. After we watched the video of their families doing shoutouts, I was like, oh, there's no way

that they're going to eliminate any of these guys. They're going to have Jesse come in and be like, guess what? There were a ceremony tonight, but there was. And I will say, they did a good job of not really eliminating anyone. They didn't highlight anyone who was eliminated. So the guys that did leave, I didn't really have any impressions of. You couldn't have said it better.

Let's start from the beginning, Joan, as our golden bachelorette. Fantastic choice. Now it just feels like the obvious choice. There are so many incredible women on the last season of the Golden Bachelor, but it just feels now with everything that Joan has, beauty and grace. It's grace. I was going to say that. She has wisdom.

You can tell even in her time with her family and her interview, she's slow to speak, quick to listen. Seriously. She has a story to back her up. She's gorgeous. I think it was like the obvious choice now. it feels that way. Now, again, I want to preface it was say there was some amazing women and there are some other obvious choices that she could have picked. But Joan in this role fits.

Yes. She's, it's like when she enters on into camera, especially in the moments where she is the bachelorette, it's captivating at some level, right? Like it's like almost a show stopping. Like it feels like she glows. somebody said it was like royalty and it does feel like that she has this composure and it's the elegance in grace it's like a it's like a grace kelly thing yeah she's very calming and um she just seems like no drama she seems truly like there for you be being like over the top no no i don't think there's enough that we could say about joan that would even fit who she is i think if you met Joan in person, which you and I have gotten to do, you would be as captivated and you

would sit there and be like, I could talk to you for two hours because you have a lot of wisdom. Yeah. And she is slow to speak, quick to listen. So Joan is a great choice. She shines. I think she is a, in a sense, like she almost looks like the savior of the show. Not that the show needs saving right now. I think it's in a fine place. But it just feels like she's going to thrive in this role. It's incredible that they found somebody like. her to lead this. And then with that same breath, I'll say it's incredible. They found so many incredible men to do it as well. Yeah. And I love the way that the guys are very much the way that the women were at first. There's a camaraderie. They want to be friends. They're there to have

fun together. There's not going to be any sort of, and I don't feel like there's going to be any sort of animosity they go in there and they're like bros and there's just so much less tension and I really think that has to do with perspective and talked about it on Gary's season. It's just like these people, they just they've lived more life. They know what's important and they know like if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. Yeah, I think it's a good lesson learned for all of us as we watch it is as you get older, what what do you trend towards and it's not the drama and the fighting and the competitiveness. It's the camaraderie. It's the community. It's the shared respect. It's the mutual support. We've seen it with both seasons now. And I'm sure there's

going to be some animosity. There's a bunch of people living in the same house together for, you know, the next few months. Things will pop up that annoy you about somebody else and maybe we'll hear about that. But the level of drama compared to other seasons like The Bachelor or Bachelorette will be a lot more minimal. It won't be a highlight. They can't make it a highlight. We've been, there's been some bad moments here for production, I think, over the last few weeks when it comes to Jen's ending. And then obviously, with the missed opportunity to tell Devin not to even come on the show, you know, those things. You know, we've talked about that. We've been critical. I will say this episode specifically, and I'm hoping it continues for the rest of the season, was so well done. It was an incredible episode to watch. We got to learn so much about these contestants and such. a short amount of time. And as you said, the reason that we are so captivated, so intrigued and so into these people was due to how they set up the show. And it was absolutely incredible. I didn't want a rose ceremony either. In fact, I don't know how she's going to have rose ceremonies

because it feels like they should all just hang out together and just continue on their merry way for the rest of time. And I have to give credit there and say this is just a really good episode. This is a good, well-done episode from the storytelling perspective to the arc of the episode to helping us get to know these contestants a little bit better. It felt so good to watch. I do have to say that maybe it's just easier to create this closeness that we feel towards them because they have these paths, you know, like they're telling the story of their deceased spouse.

They're telling the story about their kids. And when we watch packages and stuff with the. The Bachelor, Bachelorette, it's kind of like, Hi, I'm so-and-so, I'm looking for love, you know? Well, of course, there's like a lot of depth and stuff, but I just think that there's something about people already having these families formed that probably make you feel like they're just mushyer. They don't come across ever as like victim stories or like, oh, here's my sap story.

Which, of course, I, you know, I feel for all of the ones that we've seen in the past. it's not to discredit them it's just that like we're like the cast as a whole because they all have like they just they just seem like they have like more depth at this age which is I'm perhaps yeah I don't know do you know what I'm saying

well I'd hope they have more depth they have some more years okay so like I just think that it's maybe it's where I am in life seeing packages about like these dads and their kids just makes me feel really oh yeah i think part of it too actually is just a change again i'll go back to how the show is made and i think it's a change in how they storytell and what used to happen on the show is kind of through those entry packages we get a taste and a at a piece of the bigger story

from these contestants and now what we're doing is we're waiting until those one-on-one dates kind of as they sit at the cocktail part or they sit at a one-on-one like dinner for the contestant to actually open up and tell their story. And a lot of contestants do have a story and they do have depth. But to show, for whatever reason, on the Bachelor and Bachelorette, wait until those one-on-one moments to tell the audience. And they used to, in the entry packages, give us a taste of that story. And so we go into it being like, hey, I want to learn more about that person because I know they have a story to tell. And we kind of anticipated when they would expand on it more with the lead.

And I think that's what they're doing with the Golden Bachelorette. More upfront storytelling. It's more upfront storytelling. They don't wait until the end. They get us at the beginning. And so the whole time now, we're going to be captivated by each one of these contestants and go, you have such a story. And yes, not all of them got to tell Jen on night, or Joan on night one.

Not all of them got to expand on that story on night one. But our hope is that they get to at some point throughout the season and we get to learn a little bit more. But like, okay, so what I was really trying to say is like, look at you and me going into The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. Like, we had nothing really. I mean, yes, you had some things. You had some traumas.

But like, you didn't have anything that you were like, you know, you were like, oh, you know, like my wife passed away or like, you know, everything was just kind of like, oh, I am looking for a spouse. Like, you're just like fresher. Yeah. Yeah, and I will say... I'm not describing this well. No, you're doing fine. I will say that when we're on the show, though, there were some stories that, like, other men on The Bachelorette that had,

and they would share that with us, you know, kind of as we sat in the hotel or sat in the house, and it was just us. The lead wasn't there, and they'd be like, yeah, you know what? Like, my mom passed away, like, two months ago, and it's been really hard for me, but she always wanted me to go on the show. And Caitlin wouldn't know that story yet.

And so when they had their one-on-one date, I will say one of the cooler moments was when they would have their one-on-one date and the guys would be, you know, be kind of sitting around. We'd be like, hey, you're going to share that with her tonight. And they're like, yeah, I am. It's going to be hard because, you know, I don't really want to cry on national television. We're like, hey, you just got to go through it. Like, just do it. Like, she needs to know this. You need to, like, talk about this. And it was this cool moment of support. So the stories have always been known way before the lead maybe even knows them. And I think that's such a fun part of this goal. Golden's show so far is we know these contestants better already than most of the contestants on Jen season because we've heard a lot of their stories. I just want to clarify, it doesn't mean that you have to have a sad story to be a great contest. No, but you all have a story. Everybody has a story of some level at some capacity. Yeah, you don't have to have a sad, sappy background. Just knowing their stories. Like, I just want to know their stories. Yeah, exactly. The Super Secret Bestie Club podcast season four is here. And we're locked in.

That means more juicy cheesement. Terrible love advice. Evil spells to cast on your ex. No, no, no, no, we're not doing that this season. Oh. Well, this season, we're leveling up. Each episode will feature a special bestie, and you're not going to want to miss it. Get in here.

Today we have a very special guest with us. Our new Super Secret Bestie is The Diva of the People. I love the people. I'm just like text your ex. My theory is that if you need to figure out that the stove is hot, go and touch it. Go and figure it out for yourself. Okay. That's us.

That's us. My name is Curley. And I'm Maya. In each episode, we'll talk about love, friendship, heart breaks, men, and of course, our favorite secrets. Listen to the Super Secret Bestie Club as a part of the Michael Thura podcast network available on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. My name is Ed. Everyone say, hello Ed.

Hello, Ed. I'm from a very rural background myself. My dad is a farmer and my mom is a cousin. So, like, it's not like... What do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? I know it sounds like the start of a bad joke,

but that really was my reality nine years ago. I just normally do straight stand-up, but this is a bit different. On stage stood a comedian with a story that no one expected to hear. On 22nd of July 2015, a 23-year-old man had killed his family. And then he came to my house. So what do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club?

A new podcast called Wisecrack, where stand-up comedy and murder takes center stage. Available now. Listen to Wisecrack on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast. or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Dr. Joy Harden-Bradford, and in session 421 of therapy for black girls, I sit down with Dr. Afea and Billy Shaka to explore how our hair connects to our identity,

mental health, and the ways we heal. Because I think hair is a complex language system, right? In terms of it can tell how old you are, your marital status, where you're from, you're a spiritual belief. But I think with social media, there's like a hyperfixation and observation of our hair, right?

That this is sometimes the first thing someone sees when we make a post or a reel is how our hair is styled. We talk about the important role hairstylists play in our community, the pressure to always look put together and how breaking up with perfection can actually free us.

Plus, if you're someone who gets anxious about flying, don't miss session 418 with Dr. Angela Neil Barnett, where we dive into managing flight anxiety. Listen to therapy for black girls on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. I'm Simone Boyce, host of the Brightside Podcast, and on this week's episode, I'm talking to Olympian, World Cup Champion, and podcast host, Ashlyn Harris. My worth is not wrapped up in how many things I've won, because what I came to realize

is I valued winning so much that once it was over, I got the blues, and I was like, This is it. For me, it's the pursuit of greatness. It's the journey. It's the people. It's the failures. It's the heartache. Listen to the bright side on the IHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. How serious is youth vaping? Irreversible lung damage serious. One in 10 kids vape serious, which warrants a serious conversation from a serious parental figure like yourself. Not the seriously know-it-all sports dad or the seriously smart podcaster. It requires a serious conversation that is best had by you. No, seriously.

The best person to talk to your child about vaping is you. To start the conversation, visit talkaboutvaping.org. Brought to you by the American Lung Association and the Ad Council. The show did a great job at that. These men are as incredible as we thought they were through their pictures. there is depth, there is handsomeness, there is this like swavness to so many of them. And then there's the big personalities. There's the fun personalities. There's the personalities that you just love to have on these seasons because they make everything a little bit better. And just having

them there makes it a little more fun to watch. So there is a great group, I think, of men on Jones season at every, you know, at every level. And before we get it, into the guys that really stood out to us. Let's talk about, well, let me just make my own little comment. You know what this show has been missing for so many years? The soft rock. The soft rock hits, like the one that we got from Phil Collins slash, I'm not sure if it was genesis or Phil Collins.

In the beginning of the episode, those old jams really give you some feelings. And they used to do that all the time. And now they've eliminated it, eliminated it, but they bring it back for the golden part of the franchise and I think we need to infiltrate more of that music into the show into the main show I love it so much okay guys um the first guy out of the limo he's um he's quite the character it's pasqual Pascal Pascal he's the Frenchman and normally I'm not like swooned by a French accent but he has it like he's totally got it and he owns a salon slash meds ball, which just tracks so perfectly for him.

Look, they're not going to get married. He's not going to get super duper far. I don't see them having a deep, deep connection, but he's a really fun character for us. I also will say some of the people that stood out to me, I'll just name some of the names here. Obviously, Keith, who ends up with the first impression rose, Mark, who obviously you probably just. Mark, he gets better and better the more we see him. Goodness.

Ashley just really is. The fact that you don't understand this is like funny. No, I understand it. I understand it. I go back to my comment weeks ago that says this show is going to be a problem because all these handsome older men are going to come out there and all these 18 to 45. Yeah. And all these girls are going to be like, goodness, gracious.

Their DMs are about to get dangerous. I mean it. I'm worried for these guys. They're going to be like, I don't even know what a thirst trap is. And now, of a sudden, I'm getting pictures I never, I don't want to see. Listen, can we just talk, do you want to talk about Mark now or later? We'll talk about Mark later. I really like Michael, just because he was nervous, and I understand that.

Michael, Michael, nervous? Yeah, that was cute. I'm trying to put a place to the name because a couple of them said they were nervous. I know Jordan was super, Jordan was very subconscious about his nervous entrance, which I saw the stumble, but it was like no big deal. No, it's fine. The final person that I'll bring up just after night one that stood out to me that I just love and I want to hang out with and it just feels like so many of my best friends because

they just seem to make life a little bit more fun is Jack. Jack has to get some credit here. Jack is an amazing commentator. He has huge, just awesome energy. He has confidence. He has swagger. And he is hilarious. I want to know more about.

Jack, I want to see more about Jack, and I hope Jack's around a while. Just because he, I feel like what I like in Jack is he's not the type of guy that would just say yes to going on this. Like, he took a little convincing, and then he got there, and he's going to make the most of it. Like, you know, when we talk about on this show? You think it took this man a little convincing? I think he was like, TV is for me. Sure. Maybe that's true, too. But, you know, when we give the life advice segment, and we talk about be where your feet are, it's such a good piece of advice, just be where your feet are at all times. It helps you stay present. I feel like Jack's saying would be be where my feet are and then make it the best. And I think he's just going

to make this so much fun. It might be annoying to some people because he probably is having such a good time just being there. But I don't care. I like it. I also like I loved how he cooked for her. So he's a caterer. He cooked for her for their one-on-one time. That would have won me over for sure. and then he's saying Sinatra coming out of the limo and he's like, well, there are my two talents singing and cooking. Yeah, he's really fun. I again don't think that they're like

going to be end game, but he's a great character for us to watch. Love it. And okay, so for me, I liked Chalk, who has the weirdest name, but brought her chalk noodle soup, chicken noodle soup because she's known for her chicken noodle

soup. And he just had a really nice calming demeanor. Yeah, sure. I also, of course, loved Jonathan, who is a haughty. He is the one who's divorced. He has two kids. His kids look at the younger side. He's 61 at the same age.

He just seems like full package. What about Guy? He's a pretty handsome man. Guy's kind of weird to me. Guy is he's the ER doctor, right? Yeah. He's a little, he's a little, yes, they're all handsome. him. He's very good looking.

He's a little awkward right now. We'll see it. Keith, okay, we'll talk about Keith. He comes in with the station baggage with the luggage strapped on top. He is from Jose, California. He's been a single dad for 12 years. You were talking earlier about how his wife had problems with addiction. So it let him be like just the primary parent for the past 12 years. Has three girls. And again, liked his demeanor and obviously so did Joan as he got the first impression rose um there is a warmth to him i see him getting pretty far there's a lot of girl dads in this bunch there was the guy from florida was another girl dad that i really felt

connected to i'm his name is slipping me right now but oh dan dan loved dan uh and he he adopted his first child and was a single dad for 14 years really i really liked him but yeah let's see anybody else before i can move on to you know my favorite mark who actually to be honest dan and jonathan are up there with mark for me but i think that mark is just hold up hold up let me pause here this i just want to take a second for all the listeners and highlight my just the best co-host possible for the last eight years did you do you hear what she just did she goes is there anybody else, Ben, before we talk about Mark? And then she just starts talking about Mark.

She just starts going, she cannot help herself. Literally, she, she like brings it up like, hey, is there anybody else that really stands out to you, Ben, because I really have this person I want to talk about. And then she just goes, but by the way, Mark's amazing and he's awesome. But there are some people that shocked me that kind of got it to. It's just absolutely incredible when Ashley, she's just so easy to read. I know you want to talk about Mark so bad. I just want to pause you on that because I think Gary and Charles K also are like would stand

out to me from this episode. I think they'll be around a while. I think they're going to be big characters this season and I really like them. Now, Ashley, the floor is yours. You can take your next 20 minutes and talk about Mark. Well, Ben, I want to mention that Gary is the life of the party. I enjoy watching him as well. He's going to be a big deal.

be so fun and when his daughter came on screen with his grandchild adorable that whole segment was so so sweet yeah you can't do that to me yeah i know it's just rude it's so evil yeah you can't make me cry watching this show like that's it's so stupid for me to still be crying watching a bachelor show at this point in my life yet somehow they got me again and when like that came up that little segment happened, like, there's just tears of joy coming down my face and like tears of sentiment and love. And it's like, this is, I literally sat here and they're like, this is the stupidest thing. Like, the show can't keep doing this to me. Sentiment is a word that I should use more often on this podcast. It makes a lot of sense.

The Super Secret Bestie Club podcast season four is here. And we're locked in. That means more juicy cheese. Terrible love advice. Evil spells to cast on your ex. No, no, no, no, no, we're not doing that this season. Oh, well, this season, we're leveling up. Each episode will feature a special bestie, and you're not going to want to miss it. Get in here!

Today, we have a very special guest with us. Our new super secret bestie is the diva of the people. The diva of the people. I'm just like, text your ex. My theory is that if you need to figure out that the stove is hot, go and touch it. Go and figure it out for yourself. Okay. That's us.

That's us. My name is Curley. And I'm Maya. In each episode, we'll talk about love, friendship, heartbrates, men, and of course, our favorite secrets. Listen to the Super Secret Bestie Club as a part of the Mycultura podcast network available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. My name is Ed. Everyone say hello, Ed. I'm from a very rural background myself. My dad is a farmer. and my mom is a cousin, so like, it's not like...

What do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? I know it sounds like the start of a bad joke, but that really was my reality nine years ago. I just normally do straight stand-up, but this is a bit different. On stage stood a comedian with a story that no one expected to hear. Well, 22nd of July 2015, a 23-year-old man had killed his family. And then he came to my house.

So what do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? A new podcast called Wisecrack, where stand-up comedy and murder takes center stage. Available now. Listen to Wisecrack on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Dr. Joy Hardin Bradford, and in session 421 of therapy for black girls, I sit down with Dr. Afea and Billy Shaka to explore how our hair connects to our identity, mental health, and the ways we heal. Because I think hair is a complex language system, right? In terms of it can tell how old you are, your marital status, where you're from, you're a spiritual belief. But I think

with social media, there's like a hyperfixation and observation of our hair, right? That this is sometimes the first thing someone sees when we make a post or a reel is how our hair is styled. We talk about the important role hairstylists play in our community, the pressure to always look put together, and how breaking up with perfection can actually free us. Plus, if you're someone who gets anxious about flying,

don't miss session 418 with Dr. Angela Neil Barnett, where we dive into managing flight anxiety. Listen to therapy for black girls on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. In sitcoms, when someone has a problem, they just blurt it out and move forward. on. Well, I lost my job and my parakeet is missing. How is your day? But the real world is different. Managing life's challenges can be overwhelming. So what do we do? We get support. The Huntsman

Mental Health Institute and the Ad Council have mental health resources available for you at loveyourmindtay.org. That's loveyourmindtay.org. See how much further you can go when you take care of your mental health. I'm Simone Boyce, host of the Brightside podcast. And on this week's episode, I'm talking to Olympian, World Cup champion, and podcast host, Ashlyn Harris. My worth is not wrapped up in how many things I've won. Because what I came to realize is I valued winning so much that once it was over, I got the blues. And I was like, this is it. For me, it's the pursuit of greatness.

It's the journey. It's the people. It's the failures. It's the heartache. listen to the bright side on the iHeart radio app Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts Okay, but Ben, that video segment it would have been great for the opening of episode two

like hey guys, you made it through the row ceremony now let's see who's missing you back at home you've been gone for a few more days but it was like hey guys you just saw everybody uh like four hours ago five days ago you know because they're in the hotel for like four or five days uh let's show this video right before i eliminate like five of you yeah that was tough but it was all for the storytelling okay yeah so so um mark is it okay if i talk about mark right now uh yeah so he's 57 so they really made that an exception for him because it was kelsey's dad they also told

totally made that exception because they want him to be the next golden bachelor if he is not the winner of this. And we see from the scenes in the next episode that at some point, Jones says, I love you, Mark. But my theory is that, I mean, she could say this as like an endearing thing in her top three or whatnot saying, like, I love you because I love you as a person. I love you, but you're not the one. I don't know that they would really put that in there if he really was the final one. So I'm actually going to say that he might not be the final one,

but he's definitely going far and he's definitely going to be the next Golden Bachelor if he's not the winner. Ashley, do you find him handsome? Of course. He is so handsome, but it's his demeanor, Ben. I know I keep using that word. There's something about his presence,

But there was a couple guys that had very similar presences. But it's the combination. And I also just trust him because he's Kelsey's dad too, you know. We feel like. When you see Mark on television, do you just get a little like tingly? No. You mean tingley in the heart? Just like giddy.

Yeah, warm. Warm. Yeah, he's warm. Yeah. He's like he tingly sounds a little dirty. Oh. Is that what you're referring to? No, goodness, no.

Oh, okay. I thought you were trying to get dirty for a second. Goodness, Ashley. We've done this for eight years. When it was the last time I tried to get dirty? When it was the last time I was trying to say, you have to say something that weird. I was like, giddy.

I don't know. No, he's, no, I just, I just, you find, he is a true diamond in the rough. Not that this is a rough batch. It's definitely not. They're all golden diamonds in the rough or whatever, but. Yeah. But he is, he's a TV star, guys.

He's a little, he's a Nicholas Sparks character in like an older. Oh, it's like Knights of Rodanthe. If you guys remember the one with Diane Lane and Richard Gear, it was like the Nicholas Sparks older version. And it's, it is pretty much better than a lot of the other younger versions of his mind stories. But yeah, okay, bye. Before you say something weird, let's continue on.

It is an incredible group of men. I'm so excited for this season. don't, I don't just say that to say it. I think this is going to be an incredible season of emotion. It's going to be an incredible season of story. It's going to be incredible to see the arc of Jones journey. And I'm really excited is the wrong word here. I'm very happy that Joan is given the space to be honest about her emotions along this journey, that she's struggling now and she feels guilty, I think that's probably going to be very relatable to many. And I also think it's just a very real feeling.

And I'm really excited that she is taking the space to say it, you know, because I think it gives these men, whoever are left at that point, a chance to step in and not console her, but speak with her about it, ask her questions about it, give her confidence within it. I think that's going to be a really powerful time whenever that episode airs or however long that kind of feeling exists for her. But it's a real feeling. And what you and I always talk about on this show is we want authenticity and we want genuineness. I think we got it from Jen. I don't think we got it from anybody else on her season. I think those two things were very much missing. But I think when it comes to this journey with Joan, authenticity and genuineness

are going to be there the whole time, which I think the Golden Show needs. Because obviously, the last season of the golden did not end well, did not go well. And I think Jen feeling like she can, or Joan, feeling like she can admit this and talk about this publicly with this group, this group of men will build even a deeper connection with whoever she ends up with at the end if she ends up with somebody. So I'm very excited. Ashley, here in the final minutes, let's talk about the scenes for the rest of the season, your thoughts, your predictions, your feelings. Okay, so besides the I Love You, Mark, what stood out was, well, Gary makes an appearance,

which I wasn't sure we were going to see, just because his story did end kind of odd. I also thought that it was interesting the way that there's somewhere in the season where she's like, maybe I'm not ready for this, maybe my person isn't here. I'm always going to feel like this inkling of guilt about dating anyone after my husband. husband, totally relatable phase that she seems to go through. But it does seem that she ends up with somebody because she goes up until this point in life, I'd only loved one person. And now I love too. So I think that she does end up with somebody in the end. But I'm sure they're going to try to make it seem like she doesn't. We don't see any like engagement preview. Because I ruined it

for him. They can't keep showing it because I know who it is. Remember with Devin? I said, oh, that's definitely Devin. Yeah, that's right. Yeah. They did that. You're arguing at that. Yeah. I'm going to say I would really love her not to get engaged. I just think that it's like after the passing of a spouse of 33 years to get engaged to somebody after six weeks, four to six weeks of knowing them. I just think it's nice to actually not. And especially after we saw what happened with Gary and Teresa, let's just make them a really happy couple.

couple you would be okay with that so you would still celebrate yeah okay cool uh final comment i have agreed with everything you said is where in the world are they at the end of this season because where the clouds are yeah the pool is above the clouds yeah where is that in the world that was cool that was the coolest they could why haven't they done this they just found this place now they should always have a finale in the clouds it's amazing It's going to be such a fun season. I cannot wait to keep talking about it with Ashley. I think just the excitement towards this golden show

has not at all gone away from me, and I know I hasn't gone away from Ashley, and this is going to be just an incredible season. Again, so happy for Joan, an incredible choice. I will say this with confidence. We should all just 100% get behind Joan. I know that maybe some people were jaded after the last season, knowing Joan being around Joan

it's going to be incredible and it's going to be something special and we should just celebrate the fact that all these men showed up and that she showed up for our entertainment and also for their love story. So until next week

when we break down the second episode of the Golden Bachelorette, which we're so pumped for, I've been Ben. I've been Ashley. Bye. Follow the Ben and Ashley I almost famous podcasts on iHeartRadio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

I just normally do straight stand-up, but this is a bit different. What do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? Answer, a new podcast called Wisecrack, where a comedian finds himself at the center of a chilling true crime story. Does anyone know what show they've come to see? It's a story. It's about the scariest night of my life. This is Wisecrack, available now. Listen to Wisecrack on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Let's start with a quick puzzle. The answer is Ken Jennings' appearance on The Puzzler with A.J. Jacobs. The question is, what is the most entertaining listening experience in podcast land? Jeopardy-truthers believe in... I guess they would be Kenspiracy theorists. That's right. They give you the answers, and you still blew it. The puzzler.

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