The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - A Weight Has Been Lifted (Bachelor in Paradise Episode 10 finale recap)

Episode Date: September 3, 2025

We’ve finally made it, Ashley and Ben are breaking down the season 10 finale of Bachelor in Paradise! Who were the strongest couples this season? Were the confrontations and accusations from cast members helpful or harmful? Why was the prize money situation…so confusing?  Ben and Ashley don’t hold back on their opinions when it comes to this packed episode! 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.

Now, hold up. Isn't that against school policy? That seems inappropriate. Maybe find out how it ends by listening to the OK Storytime podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Why are TSA rules so confusing? You got a hood of you. I'll take it all! I'm Mani. I'm Noah.

This is Devin. And we're best friends and journalists with a new podcast called No Such Thing, where we get to the bottom of questions like that. Why are you screaming? I can't expect what to do. Now, if the rule was the same, go off on me. I deserve it. You know, lock him up. Listen to No Such Thing on the.

iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. No such thing. 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.

And want to hear people with mental illness, psychobabble. Yes, yes. Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you. Open your free IHeartRadio app, search Emergency Intercom, and listen now. I'm Dr. Joy Hardin-Brand-Brandford, host of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast. I know how overwhelming it can feel if flying makes you anxious. In session 418 of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast, Dr. Angela Neal-Barnett and I discuss flight anxiety. What is not normal is to allow it to prevent you from doing the things that you want to do.

The things that you were meant to do. Listen to therapy for black girls on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What would you do if one bad decision forced you to choose between a maximum security prison or the most brutal boot camp designed to be hell on earth? 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 IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the Ben and Ashley I, Almost Famous Podcasts with IHartRadio.

It's the Almost a Miss podcast, and we are here with the legendary, mysterious. Ben, Ben White in the world. She hasn't been seen a while. Ashley. You haven't been seen it. a while, sir. What are you talking about? I missed one week. Yeah, I know. And then I was here last week, so I've been around. Oh, you've been around. We just flip-clopped. Let's just forget. I understand the first two weeks of the month. I was absolutely not present. But now we're in

September and we have a fresh new start for the new school year. Who knows what you've been up to? You've been up to something. I don't know what it is. But you're hanging out with these big A-list celebrities now, like Chris Harrison, posting all over your Instagram and Lauren Zima. So you, Chris and Lauren Zemer are just budding it up in Newport. I don't know if you flew them out there on your private jet or what, but what was going on this morning? Oh my gosh. We had so much fun.

That was yesterday. We just all posted it today. Chris and Lauren were here doing this day with a couple stay with a couple of other friends down in Watch Hill in the real fancy pants area of Rhode Island where Taylor Swift has her house. And they were able to come and hang out with us yesterday, Monday, Labor Day. And Jared, of course, had to work. So we went to Audrey's to get lunch that Jared could, like, hang with them for a brief bit.

And then I took them on a little trip to Newport, got a drink on one of my favorite lawns, outlooking, like, all the sailboats and the bridge. That's where Jess and I've been, right? That place? You guys, yeah, well, for my rehearsal dinner, we went to the resort next to it is the exact same view. Castle Hill Inn just happens to be, like, a little bit more, like, open and friendly to the public during the day. like they have a bar that's always open out on the lawn and um but they're like the exact same aesthetic then i took them to our wedding venue rose cliff because lauren is really into the gilded age on hbrio so we drove by a co-o mansions we got out of the car for that one because it's where we got

married and they couldn't go to our wedding because of respectable reasons yeah and unfortunately and they're like oh we so regret it we really should have made it happen they're so sweet um but I'm glad that I was able to show them around. It was just really fun. It's really, and they got to meet the kids. Chris and Dawson were so cute with donuts. Yeah, I saw that video.

He really is wonderful with children. Lauren was texting me. She was like, you don't need to have your nanny come to hang out with them. Like, Chris is going to be good with them anyway. And he was like actually like, so good and so entertaining to them.

Not that that's like surprising, but it was really adorable to see somebody who's like so like iconic. in our lives, just interact with our children, you know? Has he met Winnie yet? Have they met Winnie yet? No, I don't think he has. Yeah.

No, he has not met Winnie yet. He will someday, hopefully. But they've been very supportive to Winnie. They sent her some clothing that makes me almost cry when she wears it because it's so cute. So you're hanging out Chris Harrison. You've been around. I'm assuming also you've watched the finale of Paradise. Yes, I have.

have it's a big deal the finale of paradise do we talk about your Italy trip first yeah if you want to know about it yeah you guys went to Italy with the whole family two years ago was this just the three of you the three of us and then uh one of jess well jess jess's uh made of honor and her husband came with us as well okay so how was it traveling the two of you with um a seven month old. It was actually amazing. Everybody told us that this was the time to do it. They're probably right. Yeah. Yeah. A long time ago. And so we planned this trip before we knew that Jess was even pregnant. Oh, crap. Wow. Yeah, we bought it. We bought it in like one of those nonprofit auctions. And you have a couple years to use it. So we booked the dates. Once we found

out she was pregnant, obviously we started like talking. Are we going to bring money to Italy? She'll be seven months at that point. And because of just breastfeeding and because of Winnie's ability to travel, we decided to bring her. And I'm so glad we did. It was a blast. And we went to this small little town in Italy called Cortona. Cortona is in Tuscany in the mountains. It's gorgeous.

It has so much history. It's up on the top of a hill. It's really hard to travel in and out from. And so we had a really slow trip, meaning, And Jess and I would wake up early with Winnie. We'd take her down to the same coffee shop every day. We'd sit at the coffee shop and people watch and have a cup of coffee and some type of baked good.

And the owners of this coffee shop, probably in their 60s, Jessica speaks pretty much fluent Italian. If she was here, she would say, I don't speak Italian fluently. And I would say, no, you 100% speak fluently. That is so cool. And so we would, we talked to the owners every morning and they just fell in love with Winnie and they would take Winnie around the square that we were at and introduced like to other business owners. So cute. So it's just really fun. And then in the afternoons we'd have like a cocktail and a lunch and then go for a hike. It was a really fun just like slow trip.

Oh nice. I like it. So you weren't like trying to hit a whole bunch of spots. It was literally like let's just make Italy our home for a week. Yeah. I like that. Because with with a seven month old, we figured getting on the train and going through all these places would be difficult. And it was and we made the most of it. Cortona has incredible restaurants. Some of the most Michelin recognized restaurants per capita of any place in the world. Absolutely insanely good food. Uh, insanely good drink. We did a good wine tour. And when he was just a little trooper. She slept through the night every night. How? Like, how that child you have? The time change? She slept through the night. Every night. Jessica and I didn't sleep through the night. Uh,

when he did. How did you keep her on the schedule? Just, As soon as we got there, we're really starting with the plane ride. Jessica got her on schedule. So it started to nap at the normal times. We put her down at normal times. We would try to keep her awake by doing some kind of like stimulating activity

until a certain time of day. And then we put her down. And from eight to seven every night, she would sleep. That's so rude. Do you know that I got to celebrate my first couple days of Hayden's sleeping through the night this week at 13 months? He slept in the night for the first time.

That's wild. I mean, yeah, it's not anything we've done right or wrong. Yeah, she was, like, born like that. Some kids are and some kids aren't. It's just, like, you get either or. Yeah, and we got a good one, which scares me for the future. But she was great, and she has some teeth popping in right now. So, cute.

So is she eating solids? Like, was she able to, like, really pound some pasta? No, she's not eating salads. But what she did start doing, like, we would give her, like, hard pizza crust. So she would nod on it. Just, just her eyes would roll back in the back of her head. She was so happy. We had a great, Jessica explained it like this.

You go to Europe, usually if you're from the United States, for a trip. You want to see things. We did go to Florence. We were in Rome for a day. So we did bounce a little bit. But we were in Cortona for six days. This was definitely a vacation. It was slow.

It was relaxing. I didn't do any work. We just chilled. I usually had some type of like alcoholic drink in my hand by noon. It was just a wonderful week of just hanging out. That's what we did when we did Italy and Greece for our honeymoon. We legit did nothing except like stroll around the streets that there were around us to shop and eat. And that's all we did.

Our itinerary was just to do nothing but eat and like walk. Yeah. Oh, I would tell anybody. If you're in Italy, go to Cortona. It's a really cute town. It's where under the Tuscan sun was filmed. Oh, no way. Oh, okay.

So everybody knows how beautiful that is. Yeah. So it's the same, it's the same town that, and the author still lives there. We went to her house. It still sits right outside of the town. We can walk to it. It's actually the house they filmed the movie at is the author's house. She spends half the year there and then half the year, North Carolina.

Yeah, great trip. We're back. I feel like we're kind of on the schedule of every parent with kids in school. School starting. If you're a mom or dad out there listening, you know that the kids are getting back in the rhythm. So are we here at the Almost Famous Podcast. We have a big week ahead of us. We're talking about the finale of Bachelor in Paradise today.

And then I will be heading to L.A. Tomorrow morning to speak with some of the contestants about their experience. in paradise, what life looks like now for them, what their plans are for the future. It's going to be a lot of fun. It's going to be a little contentious because we did, I think, in all love and fun, kind of like joke with some of these contestants. So we have a lot of good questions to see if they're actually mad at us or not. Yeah, like Jeremy's going to hate us.

Jeremy is going to be a good one. I want to talk to him. Dale, are you talking to Jeremy and Dale, who both have given shit? Yeah, but I mean, I feel like. both of it was in good fun. Jeremy, like, if he's going to be mad at me, and I will tell him this, and so if he listens, he will hear, if he's going to be mad at me for questioning his choice of swapping gum, and he's actually going to be mad at me about that, then like, please do, buddy.

Like, I really want to have that argument. And for you to take it personally, there was no personal attack on you. But you know that we were, like, hard on him about just trying. Trusting him in general with Bailey and Susie and feeling like he was making the right choices. Who wasn't? Yeah, I guess he wasn't. Who wasn't questioning it?

I think we have a lot to figure out and I think we have a lot of things to dive into. I'm excited to talk to these people. So tune into the Almost Famous Podcast thread because we will be breaking down these interviews in the week to come. But today we do have to focus on the finale of Paradise. Everything has led up to this moment.

obviously we start this episode with a pretty full villa still or a pretty full resort. We start this episode with Kathy and Keith still there. We have Dale and Kat. We have Jeremy and Bailey. We also have Andrew and Alex.

And then we have Jess and Spencer. All of them are there at the beginning of this episode. Ashley, they're talking about who they're going to vote to leave, essentially. Dale tells Jeremy that he is voting for Bailey

this feels like something that Jeremy does not enjoy he says he doesn't enjoy he feels like it's a he trusted Dale to not vote for him I just I want to kind of start this out with this conversation actually because I don't love Sean's

way of communicating through Paradise I'm going back to Sean and building the Parliament of Paradise well I mean that we're not there yet but you're just talking about him in general we're already there we've been past that that was in last episode where he builds this kind of group of people to walk through paradise with him in a trusted environment I don't love how he does it but there is strategy and so outside of everything else I can question his intentions I can question the way he communicated I can question all of those things but one thing I didn't dislike or take offense

to with Sean was that he was trying to strategize his way through Paradise and everybody was like at this everybody kind of felt like strategy was not important in this game at that point in time but it now all of a sudden as soon as Sean's gone strategy becomes vital to each couple continuing on at the resort and I and I felt like when when Dale told Jeremy that he was going to vote for Bailey, Jeremy was almost wanting to say, but our strategy has never been that. I thought we had a pact, which is pretty much similar to what Sean was trying to do. Yes, yes. Well, I mean, okay, so just to like back up and look at a larger point of view, we know Kathy

and Keith are leaving. They're like basically saying they're voting themselves off. Now, but they're still going to get a vote into who's going to be leaving with them. And I really just think it's a game of who you like the most. I don't think it's that deep right now. It's just like, who do you like the most? And with Kathy and Keith, they're like, who do we think could use the money the most? And we know that Andrew and Alex are safe, which Andrew and Alex being my favorite.

And Bob and I talked about this so much last week. I'm really, really happy that they're safe and cruising through this. And then it's a matter of just like, okay, you have to vote off one couple that you just don't like or that you just don't think belongs anymore. I thought that Bailey and Jeremy, being that he had like his past and that they weren't saying, I love you yet, were the ones that made sense to leave. Yes, I understand that Dale and Kat also haven't really said, I love you. But they have said, you feel like home to me, which to be honest, is pretty close to I love you. I mean, I think there's no standard.

This is a new paradise. Yeah. We've never seen this format before. We don't know what the right reason for voting somebody on or off is. If I was there, I would be voting for the person that I felt like could beat me in every competition, which unfortunately is every guy there other than probably key. But I don't believe that because I don't think that you would have voted somebody truly in love like Spencer and Jess or Andrew and Alex off, even if you knew that their physical strength would beat you. I do because I think at this point it turned into a game. I think Paradise, when they offered money, Ashley, this became a game more than it was about love.

I want it to be about love. I watch it for love. It's not a coincidence that the two that have said I'm in love are the two last one standing. However, I do think like, honestly, the show, production, whatever you want to call it, lucked out with the fact that truly Dale and Kat lost that physical challenge. Because if Dale and Kat had won that physical challenge, then they would have been standing there in the quote finale. 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. And 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. Imagine that you're on an airplane and all of a sudden you hear this.

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. Do this, pull that, turn this. It's just, I can do 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 run right.

I'm looking at this thing. Listen to no such thing on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, my name is Enya Humanzor. 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.

And want to hear people with mental illness, psychobabble. Yes, yes. Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you. Open your free IHeartRadio app. Search Emergency Intercom and listen now. Your entire identity has been fabricated. Your beloved brother goes missing without a trace. You discover the depths of your mother's illness

the way it has echoed and reverberated throughout your life, impacting your very legacy. Hi, I'm Danny Shapiro. And these are just a few of the profound and powerful stories I'll be mining on our 12th season of Family Secrets. With over 37 million downloads, we continue to be moved and inspired by our guests and their courageously told stories.

I can't wait to share 10 powerful new episodes with you, stories of tangled up identities, concealed truths, and the way in which family secrets almost always need to be told. I hope you'll join me and my extraordinary guests

for this new season of Family Secrets. Listen to Family Secrets, season 12, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Everyone thinks they'd never join a cult.

But it happens all the time to people just like you. And people just like us. I'm Lola Blanc. And I'm Megan Elizabeth. We're the host of Trust Me, a podcast about cults, manipulation, and the psychology of belief. Each week we talk to fellow survivors, former believers, and experts to understand why people get pulled in and how they get out. Trust me. New episodes every Wednesday on Exactly Right.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Okay. have to put you on to these leggings that I've been obsessed with lately. They're from this brand called Tona, and get this, the designer behind them also created Lulu Lemon, so they know what they're doing. These leggings are next level. Think buttery soft, super flattering, and very comfortable, but they're also very supportive in the right places. So I started wearing them when the kids and I go out to play, and now I'm basically living in them 24-7. And here's what makes them even better.

With every payer you buy, it helps fund a mental health counseling session for a teen in need. Isn't that so awesome? Tona is on a mission to end teen suicide and self-harm, which we think is so important and so incredible of them. So we partnered with Tona to give you 20% off your order and free shipping. So head to tonaactive.com, that is t-o-n-a-active.com, and use code iHeart for 20% off in free shipping. This challenge is such a crucial part to the show. I wish the show actually would have communicated a little more to us how crucial that challenge actually was.

I think there is still a lot of confusion on my end as a viewer of is winning this challenge actually going to give you pretty much a free passed to the money. To the finale. I mean, that's the finale. I mean, I know we have a voting like this room of judges voting on people still, but you're past that. If you won the challenge, you don't get voted upon. And so I wish that the show would have heightened that a little bit more. That challenge is so vital to getting through not only the judge's criticisms, but also it gets you a free pass to no other eliminations because you're going to be there on the last day able to make the choice between love and money.

I didn't know that with this challenge. I thought it was a great challenge. I enjoyed it, but I wish the contestants would have had in their back of the mind. I'm not only doing this challenge to win. This is also the challenge that is going to secure me

at least whatever was in those envelopes, a large sum of money. I like the way that the couple that won, Alex and Andrew, were the ones that nobody was talking about physical strength with. Yeah. I don't know if the game was rigged or whatnot,

but like I was really shocked to see Dale being the first one to like drop out. I know it was a partnership thing with him and cat, but it was like, wow, that was early on for them in what I expected. I don't think legally, Ashley, they can rig any of these games because money is on the line. Yeah. Okay. So they didn't make it as far as I would have thought they would have. That's just my thought. I don't, I mean, legally, if it's a game show with money on the line, you cannot rig it for a certain outcome. And so no, I don't think they rigged it. Who knows why?

All these guys are big and strong and you know, athletic. All these women are strong and athletic. Our producer is reminding us that it was a total combined weight and Alex being the smallest and lightest girl may have

made a little bit easier on them. Yeah. Could have. It definitely could have. It was a great game. I enjoyed watching it. I'd like to see them do it a little bit longer. Have to hold on for like the six hours and, you know, they're sweating and crying and all those things. But that didn't happen.

Really quickly in this episode, Ashley, to no shock to the viewer, Kathy and Keith are going home. I want to point out at this point, one of the main reasons that they're going home is because they kind of advocated now for the last two weeks to go home. Keith is ready to go home. He wants to get out of there. He has a flight to catch to get with his girls back home.

I think it's a wonderful thing. Keith is an upstanding gentleman. He has been throughout this whole process. The relationship that he and Kathy have had has been not only fun to watch, but also very pure and very, like, enjoyable and endearing. But I want to point out that Keith wants to go home. He wants to eliminate himself pretty much

to get back to his life. I'll pause that thought there because I'll come back to it here in just a bit. But Keith and Kathy are going home, which leads us to the couples that Remain. Alex and Andrew, Jess and Spencer, and Kat and Dale. Bailey and Jeremy and Jeremy go home as well. They get voted off the resort. Jeremy's emotional about this, I think, for multiple reasons. I think he really cares about Bailey at this point. I do believe he does. And I think their relationship will be tested, but also I do believe they're a couple that actually really likes each other. I think the Susie drama is behind them. but also let's be honest you're saying goodbye to at this point what they believe is a half a million dollars yeah i think that's that would make you emotional to be honest with couples like bailey and jeremy

where they like like each other and they should totally date out in the real world but like maybe they're not going to get engaged anytime soon it's the money that really would make me be like wow i'm actually, I could see myself being pretty darn frustrated, getting eliminated. Would you get that far to like the, the semi-finally? And then you just, yeah, you're just not going to win it. It sucks. So let's continue with going to the fact that Andrew and Alex end up winning the weight challenge. And it's just a quick, it's like just a speed, basically to eliminate everybody else.

They don't know what's going to happen. but they meet again for at dinner time to which this parliament walks in and this is all the couples that have basically been eliminated with in the past i'm gonna say like actual recording time five days four or five days and this is when the big announcement is made by sean and alicia alicia alicia whatever you want to call her they keep calling her different things sean called her alicia so i'm going to call her alicia since they're like supposedly dating. He dropped this bomb, which is kind of a bomb, but it's like, honestly, it was just his delivery was so bad of it that like we all just ended up not liking Sean Moore and feeling fine about Kat. You think that's how most people reacted? Yes.

What do you think? I don't know. I'll have to wait and kind of go back through Twitter. I don't think his delivery was great. I do think it felt harsh. I do think because there was no conclusion on. if she did this or not people are going to be critical

of Sean because it did feel like they came into and I think he said it right if you take shots at me and you miss it's going to come back to bite you I think there was an intention to get even here yeah they like went home and did homework

I just don't think that shows well I don't think people respond to that well I don't think Kat comes out of this unscathed because we've seen the rumors of her having a boyfriend during the show and all those things. I don't think she comes out of it unscathed, but I don't think Sean or Alicia comes out of it

looking like they were the knights in shining armor. No, they so obviously wanted to get revenge. And it was like, what are you really trying to get revenge on? You guys just look really petty. And like you look like you kind of just want to ruffle feathers. It was like they were getting a high. off of just making somebody look bad and that was kind of shay can you imagine the flight down there though like when they get the phone call hey we're going to be judges uh we need judges for this week

or they're already there or they're already there whatever whatever i'm just whatever is leading up to this moment and the two of them talking about it and like the excitement yeah that was grossy that's what it felt like they were like okay let's call so-and-so at home and like try to like put these puzzle pieces together so we can really deliver a bomb and they thought that everybody was going to go against Kat but that's just not how it went because their delivery was so because it was just like so kind of that so but let's let's also explain what it is for those of you who haven't watched it they say that cat has brought a computer in and we had heard rumblings of something along these lines over the past few weeks not on the show but like off the show people talking about this

because Alicia has been saying stuff like this, or insinuating that she does not like Kat at all. So they say that Kat brought in a laptop, an iPad, whatever, and she has been corresponding with an ex of hers, who like she still seems serious with, flirty with, whatever, and is writing love letters via email to him. Now, it looks, they're delivering this message that cat knows exactly where it's going and she knows it's not

going to be good i know that there's got to be some truth to this she says it's not as bad as how she's making it sound she does admit that she went in without um thinking that she was going to find love so she kind of like kept her connections back at home she's making it seem like it wasn't like a committed relationship that she was leaving it was just somebody that she was continuing a conversation like continuing a situationhip with the way that dale handles this being like i'm going to stand by her side right now i can't tell whether that's truly dale just being like wow like he's a good stand-up guy and he's going to stand by his woman or he's like the camera's in front of me i'm going to do everything that i can to look like a knight and shining armor in this

situation it could be a combination of both but he does a great job He looks like he's showing a lot of loyalty and dedication to cat and I applaud him. I applaud him. I think it wouldn't have been easy to stand there and defend her, especially when he said, I don't care what happened last Paradise

and they said, no, this is happening right now. And you saw it on his face. Yeah. I think it hurts the ego. I think it's a shock. I don't know how anybody responds to it well, but he did.

And I have to give him that credit. It is interesting that she, won't talk to Dale about it on camera. Yeah. To me, it does hint at, yeah, something is there and that it seems like such a difficult, maybe giving the benefit of the doubt to the situation, maybe such a difficult story to kind of unpack that she doesn't feel like she could do it fairly on camera. And so she wants to talk to him off camera away from it.

It doesn't look good. I don't think on anybody, but it is the shocking moment of the episode where all of a sudden, I'm sitting here in my seat going, goodness, not everything has changed, but they're going home. There's no question to me that they're going home. You can't. Yeah. But Ashley, I do want to know, I do know the judges voted on the couples, but Sean and Alicia were really the only moment we saw where there was like an inquisitive nature to these judges. I think the show hoped that the judge would come in and really speak into each of these couples,

interrogate these couples, figure out what couples are there for the right. Reasons or not. But we really only see Sean and Alicia do what they did and then they're done. Sean even says it.

I'm done. This is all I came here for. I think that that ruffled so many feathers that they didn't even need to have the conversations because it was kind of like the obvious choice is that Cat and Dale probably do not deserve quote quote to be there anymore because like,

you know, they may not be as authentic as a couple as we thought. It's a very pivotal point in this season and I think it doesn't it definitely goes notice because the show focuses on a lot. It's going to be a very

controversial moment also for this episode. I think the viewership has a very, had a very strong reaction to Sean and how he handled himself on the episode that he was then let go on.

I'm assuming there'll be a similar reaction to this situation but like I said I don't think either of them come out unscathed it did feel I don't know

I don't know if there's a better way to do it I'm sure the show wanted them to do it in front of everybody else but it did feel really weird having it done in front of the peers and not at least one on one I also though

think Sean's hurt he thought he this is still the situation I don't get he thought that cat and himself were best friends good friends yeah that's also weird why was he so offended by this but like she's like i don't think we were that friend like friends he would say he would have died for her i think it was his exact quote this is like so strange because as a viewer of people who have had two seasons together i didn't even remember that they had another season together like that they were there together i knew that they were both

in paradise before but like no there's no monumental friendship there's been lots of guy girl combination of friendships like throughout seasons of paradise where you they leave and you're like wow like that's so cute that like sister brother relationship

that wasn't one of them well let's add it to the list of questions that we're going to ask tomorrow I'm going to step in there and I want to ask Kat or Sean why you thought you were such good friends and if you weren't such good friends why did you believe it Sean

and Kat if you were such good friends why did you say you weren't we're going to talk about it tomorrow we'll bring it up with them will be there in person with the cast of Bachelor in Paradise. Ashley, the remaining couples after Kat and Dale are then voted off are Andrew and Alex, Justin Spencer still. That's it.

That's it. That's our finale. That's our finale. The question that's weird here is that all of a sudden, now that it's the two of them, Jesse comes out and he's like, so, oh, I guess he had said this earlier. He said this at the night before. where he was like... Oh, sorry, let me interrupt you.

Yeah. I had a point earlier. And I need to make sure I hit on it. Yes, please. My point to keep going home. I feel bad for the guy. Why? Because he had to show back up.

Oh, yeah. Oh, that was... I thought when you said, make note of that for later. I was like, son of a gun, the poor guy. He's got to say the entire freaking series. He literally voted himself off

to get home early. And then he has to be there until the end. I feel bad for the fella. Anyways, all right. Sorry, keep with your thought. No, worthy of feeling bad for him. So it was, actually at the parliament night that Jesse goes one of these couples if you decide to have two

couples go through the finale because there's a choice of just having Alex and Andrew being the only one in the finale because they were safe if you choose to bring another couple to the finale we're going to now put the pot prize down to 20 to quarter of a million versus half a million and it's like sir wait what like this This seems like a tease. Yeah, this got really confusing for me. It's like they were making up these money rules as they went. I wrote out all the notes on how this game was supposed to work.

And it still doesn't make sense to me on how somebody was actually ever supposed to win $500,000. No. If for some reason they decided that that couple last standing because of the wait challenge was going to have the $500,000 to win, I guess that that was the only. It just didn't. I literally wrote out each. each thing on, okay, here's what Jesse said at how the game would work.

Yeah. And it still doesn't make sense. I don't know how somebody gets $500,000. It's still a mystery to all of this. No, it would make, the only thing that would have made sense is like, the parliament wouldn't have sent another couple to the finale. And then if there's only one couple in the finale, that person,

like one person standing there could have chosen to take the $500,000 and leave. but that they would have still, I think, been given the situation like you have 500,000 or you leave. No, I am. You're not making sense. It's too confusing. What we were told this whole season is there's $500,000 that you can win at, you know, at the end of this. That $500,000 is a mystery. It still is to this day.

No, Ben. You're being silly. You could have done it. They could have done it, apparently, if they decided not to send another couple into the finale. Who decided this? the parliament they decided to send another couple aka jess and spencer into the finale how would they have decided not to they said that you could decide not to they said you could vote no one to go through and then just leave andrew and Alex there i bet if you ask Kathy Keith faith all these people if they understood that rule they would say I had no clue that existed like I didn't know he says there's an option not to say that he says there's an option not to say anyone else to the finale. We all knew that that wasn't going to be a thing.

I really don't know, Ashley. Either way, it's confusing. 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, him, 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. And 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 I heart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. 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. And want to hear people with mental illness, psychobble. Yes, yes. Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you. Open your free IHeart Radio app. Search emergency intercom and listen now. 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 Devin.

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. Listen to No Such Thing 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 cheesement. Terrible love advice. Evil spells to cast on your ex. 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 divo of the people. 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 Michael Tura podcast network available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you guys. get your podcast. Your entire identity has been fabricated. Your beloved brother goes missing without a trace. You discover the depths of your mother's illness the way it has echoed and reverberated throughout your life impacting your very legacy. Hi, I'm Danny Shapiro. And these are just a few of the profound and powerful stories I'll be mining on our 12th season of family secrets. With over

37 million downloads, we continue to be moved and inspired by our guests and their courageously told stories. I can't wait to share 10 powerful new episodes with you, stories of tangled up identities, concealed truths, and the way in which family secrets almost always need to be told. I hope you'll join me and my extraordinary guests for this new season of family secrets. Listen to Family Secrets Season 12 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So we have two couples remaining. They get to choose. There's $250,000 sitting in front of them. They can choose love or money. There's about 3,000 different variations of how this could work out if they both choose money, if they both choose love. love if one chooses love with there's well you know what those caveats were for they wanted to show that the show was still about love in the end because if both couple if both people in the couple

said i'm taking the money it they wouldn't have had the option to have the money that they couldn't have the money so they were just trying to be like listen you can't go out in the real world and be a couple with money that's what they wanted to avoid they wanted to avoid people saying like, hey, I'm going to choose the money, but then we're going to get back together in real life. I understand this, Ashley. I do. I get it.

I'm just saying, this is no longer a wine drinking show. At this point, we're doing way too difficult math for anybody won wine deep. They lost me at the, they've lost me, I'm still in on the show. I get the show part. I don't understand the money part and how you actually get the money. Either way, these couples get to decide, let's keep it easy between love or money. Big, really, like, dramatic moments where we get to see the flashback of their relationships. We get to see each person kind of sweating it out.

We see the man of the relationship stand up and wait to see if his partner also chose love. Both men, Andrew and Spencer, chose love over the money. To me, that's a very obvious choice because there's no shot that this show would penalize somebody choosing love. If these people were thinking through it strategically at all, you would say there is no chance that Bachelor in Paradise would give me $0 when there was $500,000 supposedly on the table if I chose my relationship over the money.

That would be absolute death sentence to the franchise. You're saying that like there's no way that I'm not going to make some sort of money if I choose love. Yeah, there's no way. There's no way. I was going to say in a little bit of an opposite way. If you choose the money, then you'll never make any money off social media because you'll be hated. Yeah.

Unless you're Alex. I think Alex could have chose the money and everything and then like I get it. Yes. All right. So this is what I was thinking, especially knowing that Jess and Spencer were like on the engagement tier and the two of them were not contemplating engagement. I was thinking Andrew kind of, I think Andrew was 50-50. on whether or not she should have taken the money or not. Because I think that Andrew knows that if she chose the money,

he wanted her to relief that burden that is her student loan. She said it was in the six figures in debt. She was six figures in debt. So I was like, you know what? Andrew being Andrew, so sweet, such a good guy, he's probably like halfway rooting for her to pick the money and then like he's just going to call her in real life. He would do that because he would.

do that. I think he would. I do. I just don't think, yes, I think you're right, Ashley. I think Alex could have got away with it. I think we all would have understood. I would have been happy and sad at the same time because all of a sudden Alex is debt-free and Andrew and Alex are going to be dating by the time we do our finale recap, which again is happening this week where we're going to be sitting down with the Bachelor and Paradise contestants here at the Almost Famous podcast asking them all the questions that you want to know. Ashley, they both choose. love both couples choose love then we get before we get into the very emotional scenes that exist between the two couples there is a lot of um laughter and joy and i think um lightheartedness to them

both choosing love i think it's solidifying their relationship we have this envelope scenario where as the celebration ensues jesse comes out and says hey once again let's make this a little bit weirder a little bit more complicated for all you watching not only have you said no to $250,000 there's a chance you could still win the $250,000 because it's here on my plate

a platter with an envelope I want to know who behind the scenes here at this point is going I got an idea we're going to present them with a platter of an envelope and they're going to have to choose it that's going to be how

the fans really want to see this play out why not just give them the $250,000 it was already there we know he has the cash in front of them. Exactly. Give both couples, $250,000,

let them walk home free. Instead, they're choosing an envelope. I don't understand what's happening. I don't get how we got here. Just too stereotypical and just too expected for them to be like, because you chose love both of you, we're going to give you the money.

We're going to take away $60,000. We're going to save this, though. Thanks for, thanks for letting us fuck at this one. That was the weirdest part, is that they just took like a matter of tens of, thousands away from each of the check. It's very odd to me.

I don't understand why. I thought there was going to be a balance. I thought there was going to make some sense there. And then like the fact that, um, Jess and Spencer get like 40,000 more. Is that because like they took the plunge and got engaged? Oh yeah. They did get an extra payday. There was like a, yeah, there was like a benefit to winning the challenge.

Yeah. I forgot that. So now the show walks away with giving out what? Like I think one made 120, another made 190. they've now distributed $350,000 $350,000 and they had 500,000 pot supposedly Yeah, so where does that go

Where does that go? I want to know who gets the bonus Jesse Wells, Hannah Who here got the bonus? Hannah wasn't even in the episode Ashley, she doesn't get paid for it. Was Wells in this episode? Yeah. No, he was good. He said he wanted to go home.

Yeah, well we I actually I don't understand And anyways, they open up an envelope, really exciting for both of them. They both are making over 100 grand. That's nothing to scoff at that's very exciting for both couples. It is life-changing in so many ways. I am not mad at them for taking money. I am not mad at the show for paying them money.

I am confused by the show still at what this $500,000 was and for and how you would actually ever get it, or if it was always this carrot dangling in front of you as these poor people ran through the journey that, is paradise. Can we make fun of one more thing? Do you think that each check of all three on each platter had the same number?

Or do you think it was like they actually had good or bad luck in choosing the envelope that they did? I think it was all substantial. I mean, I think Jesse said, these checks all have a substantial amount of money. It would have been hilarious. He said up to 250.

I don't know if I believe that one. I think that all the checks were the same. It would have been hilarious if they open it up. it's like 10 grand just to see like I want to see somebody's real reaction to like

giving $10,000 for going on a show what a great accomplishment so many people would be but I think there'd be a little bit of a oh yeah so you guys got a real bargain on this one we do see Jess and Spencer

get engaged and here at the almost famous podcast we celebrate love yes congratulations guys very very happy for you yeah big deal we're also like really curious about the fact that just that morning seemed to not want to say yes but she did that always kind of

makes me weird like i don't love how the show the show typically portrays somebody feeling that way yeah exactly i don't love it i don't think that it's even authentic like there could have been some editing to that they're usually probably it or like they're you know they have you say can you believe that you're getting engaged so or like soon after meeting someone and they're like no i really don't know that i ever expected that they're like that you know that i ever expected that I would do this and then it's like but I would love to yeah I don't love it I wish we could have just celebrated them I was worried that she was going to say no actually to engagement and she didn't it didn't feel like there was a question in her mind the two of them are happy and

healthy and living their best life but says that they're taking it slow in the subtitles or who doesn't you should I mean this you took it you took it real fast already let's slow it down to like a pace he wanted to take it fast because he wanted to have kids in the next two years yeah well maybe we'll have a Paradise Baby I would love to see more yeah like you know I

so far the Paradise Babies have been absolutely gorgeous beautiful babies yours included Tanner and Jades so many others but I'm hoping there a couple that we can celebrate

for years to come Ashley this is the finale of Paradise we started out this journey critical not necessarily of the show, but we liked what it was. We got to see taste of the previous paradise this season with the camping trip and those types of things. I loved it. I wish they would have spent the night

out there, but that was a different episode for a different time. We got used, I got used to at least, the modernization of how they were filming it. Yeah, got used to it for sure, but I also think they toned it down. I think that they went into the editing room and we're like, okay, let's make it a little slower. I think they listen to us. I think they listen to the almost famous podcast and they said,

okay, this is what they're asking for. Let's do it. And I think it benefited them in the end because that's just what we do here. We benefit people. As Paradise closes

with another season, I have three main takeaways. My first one is this. I overall enjoyed it. It was not a brutal watch for me. I did enjoy it. My second one is this. and it's kind of two parts.

I think Jesse Palmer is doing a great job hosting this show. I love Chris Harrison. I am obviously very loyal to my buddy and who I think is one of the best hosts of all time. But I think Jesse Palmer is doing a great job. But Wells Adams should be the host of Paradise. It's clearer to me than ever before. There was nothing Jesse did this season

that Wells couldn't do. And I guarantee you Wells is so much cheaper than Jesse will be. So if you really want to find $500,000 extra, I think there's a way to do it. I think Wells, again, my third takeaway is this. Where was Hannah Brown? What was she doing there? I felt really, feel really bad, especially not seeing her, not being in this episode, made it clear that they sent her home before this episode.

They didn't even say goodbye to her. The girl has been planning a wedding. She had a book launch, and they, like, brought her in there for absolutely nothing. She spent three weeks. That's not a, me saying that is not a knock on Hannah Brown. I love Hannah. I'm just saying why was she there? Why was she there?

Because they wanted to make a role for her just because her name is so big but they didn't really carve out enough of a role for her. And I just feel like I felt bad because she gave a lot of time to it. Ashley, what are your three takeaways? My three takeaways, I think very much like you. I felt it was enjoyable.

The first two episodes were jarring. I started getting used to it. The third episode, whether or not, like, that is because they toned it down because of feedback or whatnot. I did get into it. I've enjoyed it much better than the previous Bachelor season. I don't think they'll do it this way again. They might use the same resort.

I think that we have two pretty solid couples in Alex and Andrew and Justin Spencer, for sure. I could see at least one of them ending in marriage. And then the game. Gameplay, I think that they can find a happy medium. I think gameplay was actually really fun whether or not like the money prize. I think the money prize shouldn't be in it. But I think like to show strength in couples, gameplay was good. This has been another season broken down by the Almost Famous Podcast.

Paradise is over. But it doesn't mean we're done here at the Almost Famous Podcast. Again, we're going to be with the contestants from Paradise, asking them all the questions that you want to know. So please write us. We will be asking them. We've been honest here about our feelings on Paradise and the contestants and kind of their journeys. We promise to always do that. And we hope that these contestants will actually speak to us once we see them in person tomorrow. Make sure you tune in to the last episode because the Bachelor did announce something big, the cruise ship. You can listen to the episode that's already been posted to find out

who's going to be there, what this crew is about, how long it's going to be, where it's going to be stopping and why you, yes, you should consider coming and getting a sun tan alongside the likes of just listen to the last podcast. We'll tell you who's going to be there. Hey, this has been the Almost Famous Podcast. Until next time, I've been Ben. I've been Ashley and I will see you next time. And so will Ben. We love you. Thanks for listening to another season of us recapping. Bye. Bye. Follow the Ben and Ashley I, Almost Famous Podcasts on IHart Radio 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. 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 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Why are TSA rules so confusing?

You got a hood of you. I'll take it all! I'm Manny. I'm Noah. This is Devin. And we're best friends and journalists with a new podcast called No Such Thing, where we get to the bottom of questions like that. Why are you screaming? I can't expect what to do.

Now, if the rule was the same, go off on me. I deserve it. You know, lock him up. Listen to No Such Thing on. the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. No such thing. Hi, my name is Enya Humanzor. 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. And want to hear people with mental illness, psychobabble. Yes. Yes, yes. Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you.

Open your free IHeartRadio app. Search Emergency Intercom and listen now. I'm Dr. Joy Hardin-Brandford, host of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast. I know how overwhelming it can feel if flying makes you anxious. In session 418 of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast, Dr. Angela Nealbarnett and I discuss flight anxiety. What is not a norm is to allow it to prevent you from doing the things that you want to do. things that she were made to do. Listen to therapy for black girls on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Your entire identity has been fabricated. Your beloved brother goes missing without a trace. You discover the depths of your mother's illness. I'm Danny Shapiro. And these are just a few of the powerful stories I'll be mining on our upcoming 12th season of family secrets. We continue to be moved and inspired by our guests and they're courageously told. stories. Listen to Family Secrets Season 12 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast.