The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - A Hot Bachelor Q&A

Episode Date: April 8, 2025

Ben and Ashley are tackling your hard hitting questions! Find out Ben’s reaction to where he placed in the “Hottest Bachelors” bracket, we share some rumors of a celebrity for the next Bachelor, and we dive deeper into the Grant Ellis/Tyler Cameron drama!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. My boyfriend's professor is way too friendly, and now I'm seriously suspicious. Wait a minute, Sam. Maybe her boyfriend's just looking for extra credit. Well, Dakota, luckily, it's back to school week on the OK Storytime podcast, so we'll find out soon. This person writes, my boyfriend's been hanging out with his young professor a lot. He doesn't think it's a problem, but I don't trust her. Now he's insisting we get to know each other, but I just want her gone.

Hold up. Isn't that against school policy? That seems inappropriate. Maybe find out how it ends by listening to the OK Storytime podcast and the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, my name is Enya Umanzor. And I'm Drew Phillips. And we run a podcast called Emergency Intercom. If you're a crime junkie and you love crimes, we're not the podcast for you. But if you have unmedicated ADHD... Oh, my God, perfect.

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Unfortunately for Mark Lombardo, this was the choice he faced. He said, you are a number, a New York State number, and we own you. Listen to shock incarceration on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Super Secret Bestie Club podcast season four is here. And we're locked in. That means more juicy chisement. Terrible love advice.

Evil spells to cast on your eggs. 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. My name is Curley. And I'm Maya.

Get in here. Listen to the Super Secret Bestie Club on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Do we really need another podcast with a condescending finance brof trying to tell us how to spend our own money? No thank you. Instead, check out Brown Ambition. Each week, I, your host, Mandy Money, gives you real talk, real advice with a heavy dose of I feel uses. Like on Fridays when I take your questions for the BAQA. Whether you're trying to invest for your future, navigate a talk.

toxic workplace. I got you. Listen to Brown Ambition on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is the Ben and Ashley I, almost famous podcast with Iheart Radio. Hey guys, welcome to the almost famous podcast. Today, we are going to do a little Q&A Sush. Looking at this first bullet point we've got here, Ben, how do you feel about making the top four bachelor, hottest bachelors in histories? list on Reddit. I will say this. To be honest,

like this feels good. Like, I didn't realize I needed this today, but I didn't need this. I'm so glad. I mean, I'm looking at this bracket here. So, you know,

it's March Madness, you know, continuing into April. So the Reddit boards did a bracket with all the bachelors. And you, Grant Ellis, of course,

Jesse Palmer, and Joey. Yeah. Or the top four. You guys are going into the, you know, what is the top four called? The final four. The final four. You're the final four.

I went to, you know, I went to Syracuse. Back then, we used to be part of this all the time, but now, not so much. And it has, you have been eliminated when it comes to the top, the final, the head to head, is actually against Jesse Palmer and Joey. And Joey has won the hottest bachelor bracket. Overall feelings. Again, I didn't know I needed this today. I did. It feels good to me. I don't win many things in my life. I'm never like a top dog, but it's good to be considered at least not like the last place person. That would really hurt if I saw this. If you guys posted this and I had gotten knocked out in the first round by Colton Underwood, I would be so sad. First off, I'll say that's a tough matchup for me right off the back. Colton Underwood, you know, handsome guy, good looking. works out all the time so a tough matchup then I went on to a prince

and I beat a prince I would say this road to the final four was not easy for me Joey is a very attractive man I'll spend a second here talking about why he beat me one he's got the smile he's got the eyes

he's got the hair yeah he's got the hair I saw him on dance with the stars there's a reason why he danced with his shirt off the whole time even though he has insanely sweaty armpits, they still said, let that sweat show because he's a hot man. He's a hot man, and he beat me.

I also say this, Ashley. I said the same thing to my dad. My dad's a big Purdue basketball fan. They get beat by Houston last week. And I told him this, dad, you know how good it feels? Now, you got beat. That stinks. Nobody likes losing.

I don't like losing. I don't like looking at this losing. But you got beat by the potential national champion and the Houston Cougars. You could honestly be the second best team in the country. And I'll say that about this bracket. Joey wins the whole thing against Jesse Palmer.

I lost to the champion. And I had a tough road to get there. I feel good about my effort. I'm very thankful for the work that's put into this. I'd like to think my parents and my wife for her skincare routines. I'd like to think the show for picking me when I was 25 years old and kind of at my prime.

Like, that's, I'm not, I wasn't a 30 year old bachelor. I didn't start aging yet. I was just reaching my peak when I became the bachelor. But, uh, this is a wild bracket. It could have hurt me so bad. But instead, I'm going to tell my wife, I made the final four of hottest bachelors ever. That is amazing.

I'm so happy for you, Ben, and I agree with this. You are definitely in my top three or I just, I just say you made my top three. Hottest Bachelors list. That hurts. A little bit, Ashley. Goodness. You're like in my top 60.

You're up there. I know what my top four hottest bachelors are, but like I'm too friendly with all of you. So I'm just going to let you be in the top. I'm going to tell you that you're in the top three without ranking them one to three. That makes sense. Yeah, that's, that's, I'll take it, Ashley. And I appreciate you not crushing me. I thought for a second you're going to turn it and be like, yeah, this was a shock that.

you made the top four and then I was going to be like, oh, you and I, thanks, Ashley. No, it's, you know, and if we didn't work together, I would probably say that you were, well, I'm not going to, no, I'm not going to go further. I'm not going to go further. I'm going to stop yourself. You just, I just look at you so brotherly now. Yeah. But if I were to, like, not look at you brotherly, I wonder where you, you know, I'm just going to shut

the hell up. Here's what's impressive. And I think, like, we can love on each other a little bit in this moment and it's really good. Typically, when you meet somebody. you either like them less or like them more over time, right? They're either become more or less attractive to you over time after you get to know somebody well. And I would say after nine years of doing this,

I told just the other day we were talking about you and your time on the show because she was curious, she didn't see it. And I said, I'll tell you this. I think I love, appreciate, and more attracted to Ashley every year that we host a show. I don't know if I said those exact words, but it was the sentiment that was given. to her

and I'd say that's a pretty big deal for nine years doing this that is so sweet I know yeah well 100% you know I love those moments

where I'm like oh Ben Ben Ben is one of my best friends it's so sweet yeah it's so cool I can't believe it I still think

that sometimes it's cool yeah I think it's cool too we got a good thing going here Ashley let it stop speaking of hot people Victoria Fuller recently said she was on the short list to be the next Bachelorette before the pause.

Do you think she would have brought back viewership like we've kind of talked about for weeks now and what the show needs to do? Would she have been the right fit to lead the show? She could have been because, one, she is just so damn sexy. Two, she came from Peter's season, which is one of the greatest seasons of ratings over the past decade. The cast was incredible that season. It was great, great cast. It was the season that was going into COVID and then it just kind of like lost steam a bit. But that was a way to go out with the bang.

And yeah, she stayed relevant over the past five years. She's dated quarterback. She did the quarterback of the Titans. She's dated Greg Gripo, one of the stars of Bachelor Nation. I think that she brings a lot of interest. she is somebody that guys would want to date and yeah I can see her being like sassy as a mother of her yeah and I don't think that plays

my only critique would be I think they had such a good thing going with Latia that everybody would have been upset if it wasn't her and so it never would have fit Victoria Fuller though just in general being The Bachelor it would be great television I think people would view it I do think it would increase viewership, but I do also think that the fan base really was begging for Lettia to be the next Bachelor because she, out of anybody in years past, was like the prime candidate.

I mean, goodness gracious, they had a gift handed to them and they said, yeah, let's not do it this year. So you and I love Latia. Do you know what I've gotten from people who've come up to me as Bachelor fans just out and about in public? They were like, I can't believe it. this darker side came out of her when she was dumped. People kept telling me, like, I have heard from many people that they were disappointed. Yeah, come on now. Come on now. People were disappointed to see a different version of her come out. And I was like, oh, really? Because

I liked her more than ever. Yeah. No, I, yeah. I think a lot of people respected it and saw themselves in her. I think she had a related ability. And it's not like her character changed. She's still the sweet, but she protects herself. And we should support that, right? I mean, we should support women standing up for themselves. Get behind that. Let's go. Okay, next question is this.

I have a lot of feelings and thoughts on this topic. But Dylan Ephron is making headwaves right now, right? Every time I open on my Instagram, I feel like there's a new shirtless picture of him. there is a new article about, you know, his love interest, whatever's happening in his life. He's blowing up is the way to say this. And I don't know if that's what the kids are saying these days. But in my world, he's blowing up.

Would he make a good bachelor? Like, do you see those types of people being good bachelors or not? I still think that this is the route that they need to take to give the franchise a little boost. The amount of TikToks that would go crazy, the TikTok will go crazy if Dylan Ephron was the lead. We need that.

We need someone like this. Zach could make a little appearance on the show. Oh my God. That would be amazing. I'm totally down for a... I don't want to... Yes, I can call him a D-List. He was on Traders because of his brother.

So we need like a D-List celebrity who may be having a moment and not being currently D-List as the lead. I say D-List maybe would be okay. I do think the show is really made off of who they cast. And would they bring in to Dylan Effron, I do believe the applicants would be of all varieties and there'd be a plenty of applicants to go through. So I do think it could work if they cast it well. We just talked about Peter's season of The Bachelor. There's very few casts outside of the season that I was The Bachelor because I would

fight to say that was the best cast ever because I just think those girls are great. I would try to say that Chris Soles was but all good. Yeah, crystals also would be up there. There was a season there.

Let's just say this. There was a period of time where the cast was incredible from like the first to even some people going home on night one and we need to get back to that and I think that I think the issue is maybe not with the casting team

as much as the applicant aren't as many as previous years. And so as a result, the show suffers. So yes, I do think if Dylan Effron was announced with The Bachelor and they give enough time for people to sign up, we would see a lot of fun be had with who they brought to the show.

So I think it's a great choice. I just don't want to get into this. This is the celebrity dating game where celebrities are our leads. Yeah, I think that's unhealthy and it takes away from the ethos of the show, which has always been, right? to find true love.

We'll see if it ever works. Well, I think that people should pull more beckittiles. Like, why haven't we had anybody else be like, hey, I really feel something for this new lead. Can I join this season? Because I don't think we've had many leads where people have felt that way. Okay, so you know what? Get a Dylan Efron as the lead and then get a couple girls that were standouts during their seasons as part of the cast. Yeah, that's smart.

I don't think it's a bad idea. I like it. I like it. My boyfriend's professor is way too friendly, and now I'm seriously suspicious. Oh, wait a minute, Sam. Maybe her boyfriend's just looking for extra credit. Well, Dakota, it's back to school week on the OK Storytime podcast, so we'll find out soon. This person writes, my boyfriend has been hanging out with his young professor a lot.

He doesn't think it's a problem, but I don't trust her. Now, he's insisting we get to know each other, but I just want her gone. Now, hold up. Isn't that against school policy? That sounds totally inappropriate. Well, according to this person, this is her boyfriend's former professor, and they're the same age. It's even more likely that they're cheating. He insists there's nothing between them.

I mean, do you believe him? Well, he's certainly trying to get this person to believe him because he now wants them both to meet. So, do we find out if this person's boyfriend really cheated with his professor or not? To hear the explosive finale, listen to the OK Storytime podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hello, it's Daniel Official, writer Strong, and Wilfredel from PodMeets World. And we're bringing you Viva Las Content. That's right. We are back in Las Vegas, the city of sin, and giving the people what they want.

A full week of Y2K content. Wait, we're back in Vegas? Tell me why. Well, for the Backstreet Boys residency at Sphere, of course. We sat down with Kevin Richardson and A.J. McLean just minutes before they took the stage, and our very own Wilfredel basically became the newest member of the band. Boy band, please. Plus, the man who has the longest running comedy show on the strip joins us and gets his props.

It's carrot top, baby. And finally, we all L-O-V-E-Hur, Ashley Simpson-Ross, joins us to talk about her upcoming sold-out Vegas residency. It's a full week of nostalgic interviews you don't want to miss. Listen to PodMeets World on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. December 29th. 1975, LaGuardia Airport. The holiday rush, parents hauling luggage, kids gripping their new Christmas toys. Then, at 6.33 p.m., everything changed.

There's been a bombing at the TWA terminal. Apparently, the explosion actually impelled metal glass. The injured were being loaded into ambulances, just a chaotic, chaotic scene. In its wake, a new kind of enemy emerged, and it was here to stay. Terrorism. Law and Order Criminal Justice System is back. In Season 2, we're turning our focus to a threat that hides in plain sight. That's harder to predict and even harder to stop.

Listen to the new season of Law and Order Criminal Justice System on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine that you're on an airplane and all of a sudden you hear this. Attention passengers, the pilot is having an emergency and we need someone, anyone to land this plane. Think you could do it? It turns out that nearly 50% of men think that they could land the plane with the help of air traffic control. And they're saying like, okay, pull this, do this, pull that, turn this. It's just, I can do it my eyes close. I'm Manny.

I'm Noah. This is Devon. And on our new show, No Such Thing, we get to the bottom of questions like these. Join us as we talk to the leading expert on overconfidence. Those who lack expertise lack the expertise they need to recognize that they lack expertise. And then, as we try the whole thing out for real. Wait, what? Oh, that's the runway.

I'm looking at this thing. See? Listen to No Such Thing on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A foot washed up a shoe with some bones in it. They had no idea who it was. Most everything was burned up pretty good from the fire that not a whole lot was salvageable. These are the coldest of cold cases, but everything is about to change. Every case that is a cold case that has DNA.

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solve the unsolvable. Listen to America's Crime Lab on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. all right question for you okay do you feel like people take online drama too seriously like tyler unfollowing great well actually it was grant who unfollowed tyler and then grant recently like responded because tyler was like oh very interesting you unfollowed grant unfollowed me after i gave him a little shade about his finale and then grant responded being like he he posted like a whole video and he was like no dude i was i unfollowed you because what was the reason because you

shaded kendrick lamar yeah during the super bowl do you think that people are are making too big of a deal of the online drama i actually i think that people thought that really like how you ask you're like you're like i need to ask you a question and you ask the question and answer it yourself i was like wait a second i must add something oh my god that's hilarious okay well i actually think that Grants pissed off at Tyler for calling him out about that. That's what you think's happening? Yeah.

So we're talking about that scenario specifically? Okay, now first we're going to talk about this scenario specifically, yeah. And then we'll do overall. So what's your take on that? It's just very different than how I would handle these situations. And not that the way I would handle it would be right or wrong, but Caitlin Bristow is a good example, right?

Caitlin Bristow a year ago, right, came out publicly and was really upset about an interview we did on the Almost Famous Podcast with Jason Tardick, and it was Chris... I wasn't there. Yeah, you're scotch-free. The best friend in the world that would never do anything like this or ever engage in a show that would cause any controversy, Ashley, Ikenetti. So Chris Harris and I hosted this with Jason, and I honestly felt like it was a very very very fair interview with Jason. It didn't bash Caitlin. It didn't bash Jason. It was just getting

the story out there. And obviously we see in headlines right now with Caitlin kind of talking about that relationship once again with some issues she has with how he named the dog, the baby name that she wanted to have. We'll talk about that at a litter date. So what I did was immediately not go on social media. And maybe it's because of my discomfort with social media or it's that I don't want to open up a can of worms and explode an issue into the universe so that everybody feels like they have the right to share their opinion on it. So what I, what I do, I called Caitlin and I said, hey, Caitlin, I saw you said this. What's going on? Like, can we talk this out? Can we figure this out so that this doesn't have to be a headline any longer because I don't like them being

headlines. It does feel like, Ashley, and I say that to say it does feel like this next generation of contestants are more comfortable with the drama being aired out within the public sphere and headlines being made. And so I would say with my skepticism and cynicism towards what's happening with the franchise right now and trying to make sense of the generation behind us 10 years, whatever, growing up and what they're feeling and dealing with emotionally, is that this is a great grab for attention. And drama seems to be, the catalyst to keep people's names in the headlines because bachelor people don't have a lot of ways to keep our names in the headlines unless we're dating somebody new, we're having babies,

or we're causing drama. People aren't posting about us because they see us out having dinner as some fancy restaurant. No, they're posting about it because of the drama that's associated with the people that come from the franchise. And so I say that are people making a too big of a deal about her or are they playing into it too much? I don't know how to answer that because it feels like it works. It feels like drama is the thing that keeps people relevant. And I think that's a new thing because I don't personally want drama to be the way that people remember me, know me, or associate me with somebody else. Yeah, I'm scared of confrontation. So it's not my way either, says the girl who like had plenty of conversation on the show. But still, it's scary to me.

And I wouldn't handle it like this as well. But you are spot on. It makes headlines. So if you feel like you want a headline. Just go for it. Yes. I mean... Make that TikTok. Make that Instagram real. Exactly. Yeah. Make it because it works. And so I don't know if it's too big of a deal or not. It's working for what they want it to be. Yeah. I just think it's a very unhealthy path to go down. And it feels very heavy. And it doesn't feel life giving. So I mean, I think I would finalize it in saying this. For any listener out there, at what point in your life has having a dramatic confrontation with somebody caused you to feel more alive or free or more joy-filled? At what point has that ever happened in your life? And so why would you want to perpetuate these

situations to be lasting longer than they need to be in the public sphere? I think over time it will start to wear on humans. I think over time we'll start to see people get really upset in these situations. And then my final point is, at what point is too far, too far? Like, at what point does you not healing this issue become too much and it actually ends up hurting somebody personally? And that's something I don't think any human yet wants to do is actually hurt people personally.

I could make a joke by saying that my bad lands confrontation did put me on a track that helped my life but that's a that's a one instance type thing yeah you got lucky you got lucky but what happened to the other person they disappeared we've never seen them again actually you won she didn't goodness gracious my boyfriend's professor is way too friendly and now i'm seriously suspicious oh wait a minute sam maybe her boyfriend's just looking for extra credit well dakota it's back to school week on the okay story time podcast so We'll find out soon. This person writes,

My boyfriend has been hanging out with his young professor a lot. He doesn't think it's a problem, but I don't trust her. Now he's insisting we get to know each other, but I just want her gone. Now, hold up. Isn't that against school policy?

That sounds totally inappropriate. Well, according to this person, this is her boyfriend's former professor and they're the same age. It's even more likely that they're cheating. He insists there's nothing between them. I mean, do you believe him? Well, he's certainly trying to get this person

to believe him because he now wants them both to meet. So, do we find out this person's boyfriend really cheated with his professor or not. To hear the explosive finale, listen to the OK Storytime podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hello, it's Daniel Fischel, writer Strong, and Wilfredel from PodMeets World. And we're bringing you Viva Las Content. That's right. We are back in Las Vegas, the city of sin, and giving the people what they want. A full week of Y2K content.

Wait, we're back in Vegas? Tell me why. Well, for the Backstreet Boys residency at Sphere, of course. We sat down with Kevin Richardson and A.J. McLean just minutes before they took the stage, and our very own Wilfredel basically became the newest member of the band. Boy band, please. Plus, the man who has the longest running comedy show on the strip joins us and gets his props. It's Carrot Top, baby.

And finally, we all L-O-V-E-Hur, Ashley Simpson-Ross, joins us to talk about her upcoming sold-out Vegas residency. It's a full week of nostalgic interviews you don't want to miss. Listen to PodMeets World on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. December 29th, 1975, LaGuardia Airport. The holiday rush, parents hauling luggage, kids gripping their new Christmas toys. Then, at 6.33 p.m., everything changed. There's been a bombing at the TWA terminal. Apparently the explosion actually impelled metal glass.

The injured were being loaded into ambulances, just a chaotic, chaotic scene. In its wake, a new kind of enemy emerged, and it was here to stay. Terrorism. Law and order, criminal justice system is back. In season two, we're turning our focus to a threat that hides in plane site that's harder to predict and even harder to stop listen to the new season of law and order criminal justice system on the iHeart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts imagine that you're on an airplane and all of a sudden you hear this attention passengers

the pilot is having an emergency and we need someone anyone to land this plane think you could do it It turns out that nearly 50% of men think that they could land the plane with the help of air traffic control. And they're saying like, okay, pull this, until this. Pull that. Turn this. It's just, I can do my icecloth. I'm Manny. I'm Noah.

This is Devon. And on our new show, no such thing. We get to the bottom of questions like these. Join us as we talk to the leading expert on overconfidence. Those who lack expertise lack the expertise they need to recognize that they lack expertise. and then as we try the whole thing out for real wait what oh that's the run right i'm looking at this thing listen to no such thing on the i heart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts hi i'm jennica lopez and in the new season of the overcover podcast i'm taking you on an

exciting journey of self-reflection am i ready to enter this new part of my life like am i ready to be in a relationship am i ready to have kids and to really just devote myself and my time. I wanted to be successful on my own, not just because of who my mom is. Like, I felt like I needed to be better or work twice as hard as she did. Join me for conversations about healing and growth. Life is freaking hard. And growth doesn't happen in comfort. It happens in motion, even when you're hurting. All from one of my favorite spaces, The Kitchen. Honestly, these are going to come out so freaking amazing. Be a part of my new chapter and listen to the new season of the Overcomper podcast as part of the MyCultura podcast network

on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. All right, back to you here. Do you feel like the Bachelor franchise demands too much perfectionism from its leads? Now, we've talked about this a lot in the past, and you just brought it up with Latia on, you know, she stood up for herself, and then people say, well, we saw a new side of her.

Ashley, when the question is asked, do you feel like it asks too much, demands too much, perfectionism from its leads, and let's add in its top cast members? I was going to say that maybe there, I, of course, do not have the answers, but I do feel like the cast,

if you show more, like, flaws, more vulnerabilities, more relatability, you get really um you get a lot of likes like a lot of people will gravitate towards you the lead probably has less room to show flaws and if they do they need to like really talk it out i might be making this up at the top of my head but like i'm thinking that if you're like i don't know what to do like i'm very emotional about this that goes over well i think what happened with grant was that like he didn't show enough thought process it's kind of like in school when they're like show your work you know your math work like give us everything that you're thinking of and that is going to make you likable and if you're not giving a lot of your if you're not explaining a lot of yourself or showing enough emotion then that is not going to make you as likable.

So, like, if you're imperfect, show why you're imperfect. Is that my sense? Am I being crazy? No. I think what you're looking for is one of the characteristics of a lead has to be vulnerability and the ability to communicate your feelings and emotions at all points. Even if you're feeling crazy and you're like, I love two people. I don't know what to do about this.

I think explaining that, which the producers typically do a very good. job at getting that out of you along the way because it's not necessarily how we function in our normal lives but it is the ability to communicate what you're feeling internally and sometimes it's communicating things that you don't even know you're feeling internally until you start processing this stuff out and I think that is the mark of a good lead so perfectionism is an interesting word to use or to be asked here from one of our listeners because I don't I don't know how often the leads need to be perfect. Exactly.

As much as they need to be communicative. Communicative, and they are held to a different standard in an environment that nobody watching has ever been in. And so sometimes perfect within this environment of dating a bunch of people and processing a bunch of emotions and trying to filter through your way through this process, perfect looks different than what it would in the normal life. and so we don't even recognize the perfect choice sometimes until it's too late or until it's years later when somebody else does the same thing and we're like, wait, maybe that does make sense.

Maybe that is how this is supposed to go. Maybe those are the emotions you're supposed to be processing. And so I don't know if it's held to perfectionism, but I do know that criticism comes in and is unwarranted based on the environment that leads are trying to go through because nobody can relate with it. They can't see it and be like,

That's what I would do if I was dating 10 women at once. That's what I would do if I was dating 10 minute ones. They don't get it. We don't get it until you're in it. Yeah, totally. So well put, Ben. When you thought of that, when you were like giving yourself a standard in your head, when you were just explaining that, who was your standard?

Like, it's a standard to live up to when I was the lead? Yeah. Did you have somebody in your head when you were giving that answer? I mean, I think. I guess it's different for you since you actually were the lead in the lead. lived it. Yeah. Because for me, I was thinking about you and Joey. Yeah. And that's interesting. I think what, I think the two things, Joey and I've talked about this, the things that we came into as leads that were similar was one that we really believed it could work. So that was one

like foundational piece that I don't know if every lead has. We really were like, hey, this is a good opportunity for us to find somebody or at least to expand what we thought we wanted in somebody. Okay. So that was the foundation. The second piece was that both Joey and I's number, it was crazy. We were talking about this in Orlando. The number one thing we were most concerned about and most focused on. And I would tell every lead to do the same would be that the people that signed up for it left being happy that they did it. Might not find love, but they were glad that they came. They were glad that they went through it, that their life wasn't ruined because of this experience that they signed up for. that really kind of was the filter at which a lot of our decisions were made, a lot of the conversations were had was, I want you to be able to get your story out there because I want people to know you better and I want to know you better. So let's talk as much as we can in the environment that we have. Let's talk, let's share, let me ask the questions that are needed to be asked so that people can understand you better and I can get to know you better.

And then as a result, it kind of forces the lead to process those stories externally on a camera. and I think the viewers end up getting know the cast better because the leads know the cast better and they can explain it better. And I do think that's one thing we had in common that maybe separated us or differentiated us from others was just that mindset of we want to know the cast really well and is whatever time we have with them.

And as a result, the viewers got to know them really well too because we were getting things out of them that other leads maybe wouldn't. Yeah. I totally agree with you there. So well thought out, Ben. Well, Ashley, I do have a question for you, and I know we're going to be closing out here.

Yeah, one last one here for you. And then if any of these others that the listeners wrote in, you're interested in asking me, we can. It's a big question. I want your honest thoughts. Okay, so I need you to take a deep breath and get into your honest mode without fear of any. Confrontation.

Yeah, confrontation. Do you think Jason and Kelly would make a good couple? Absolutely not. Why? I don't know. No, you know. You know. Why?

Like, you don't have to, don't dig a hole on somebody's character right now. Don't throw them under the bus. But when you think about Jason and Kelly together, we just got to talk to Kelly in one of most raw, authentic, vulnerable interviews we've ever done where our hearts were torn, her story was shared, and we're like, Kelly, we want nothing but good things to come your way. So if that's the bucket that we're keeping Kelly in and you bring in Jason, why doesn't that relationship work? I feel like both of them should probably maybe date somebody like a little bit quieter right now because they both have had very public relationships

and like there's not a problem with that at all. But I think maybe Kelly being in the place that she is in right now, you know, she's very open about grieving the loss of her father in December. And I think that she just needs somebody like simple, not like simple-minded, you know, but like calm. And I think that Jason is just too out there right now. Like he's everywhere.

Yeah. I think it's a great point, and I think you're spot on, and it was a very nice way of saying this. I think both of them are huge personalities, and they're very much in the world right now on social media, especially. Jason is post often, strategically. It's what he does for work. Like he post strategically often, and it feels like two big personalities would have a hard time dating because what ends up happening is, like the cat in Jason scenario where their relationship becomes a social media like front and that their relationship becomes so social social media focused that the intimacy that needs to exist

within relationships is taken away because no time is private. Rachel Kirkconnell says it, right? Every time they went to dinner, what did Matt do? He was filming the dinner. At some point that becomes unhealthy. And so what happens, I think, in these relationships with huge. personalities like the two of them are, is they need the yin to their yang.

They need somebody that can support and stand back and they can do their thing while the other person is doing their thing and that I think those two things mesh better than the two of them trying to be so loud and so proud and so out there because that's who they both are. I think that's a mix for a very unhealthy relationship.

Yeah, a little yin-yang there. all righty well guys thank you so much for joining us we'll be back later this week with headlines and yeah headlines anything else we can tease yeah we're going to talk about gabby we're going to talk about the katelyn bristow scenario and in more detail um we're going to bring up yeah the gabby and clayton you mean yeah the gabby and clayton thing that just happened on a recent podcast will also be sharing some updates and relationships along with any more information we have on this Tyler Cameron Grant Ellis drama. So there is some big headlines sitting out there

that we're going to be talking about breaking down and possibly bringing on some guests to speak with us about. Hey, until next time, I've been Ben. I've been Ashley. See you guys. Follow the Ben and Ashley I, almost famous podcasts on IHartRadio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. My boyfriend's professor is way too friendly and now I'm seriously suspicious. Wait a minute, Sam.

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