The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - A Year without Paradise

Episode Date: February 13, 2024

Ben and Ashley break down the latest Bachelor Nation headlines! It’s looking like we won’t get Bachelor in Paradise this year… what does it mean for the future of the franchise?? We have all the details on Kaitlyn Bristowe opening up about her sexuality after ending her relationship with Jason Tartick. And… why did one of the strongest friend groups to come from The Golden Bachelor have a falling out??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 Podcasts and the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I just normally do straight stand-up, but this is a bit different. What do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? Answer, a new podcast called Wisecrack, where a comedian finds himself at the center of a

chilling true crime story. Does anyone know what show they've come to see? It's a story. It's about the scariest night of my life. This is Wisecrack. Available now. Listen to Wisecrack on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Don't let biased algorithms or degree screens or exclusive professional networks or stereotypes.

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careers. I'm Gretchen Whitmer, Jody Sweetie. Monica Patton. Elaine Welteroth. Learn how to get comfortable pivoting because your life is going to be full of them. Listen to these women and more on She Pivotts, now on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the Ben and Ashley I, almost famous podcast with IHartRadio. It's time for Bachelor headlines. We are here breaking down everything relevant in Bachelor Nation. The first one's a big announcement, one that we didn't know would be coming. One that we honestly didn't expect to happen, at least this soon.

but the bachelor's in their kind of like second part of golden years and well that throws me into the headline they've announced that the golden bachelorette will happen by the end of this year Ashley tell us everything it's happening in the fall the leading lady will be in her 60s or beyond we don't know who it is going to be yet isn't that what it's always been is that what the show I guess what they're saying is that they're going to to continue with the theme of 80s and 60s and older, not 80s. That would be a whole different show, to be honest. Bring that one on.

I like them all, but it's always been 60s and older, I think. Yeah. The new cast will be announced at a later date. This was one of, you know, their biggest successes as of late. The show The Golden Bachelor reached 43.4 million total viewers. after just 35 days of it on ABC and streaming platforms. And it ranks as the number one new unscripted series this season amongst adults.

So of course they were going to do this again. We were just waiting for the announcement, which Ben said, like we didn't know when it was going to be announced. The unfortunate news that I do believe follows this is that I don't think there will be a bachelor in paradise this year. I think this is going to take its place in the fall. I think it's a fair assumption.

I think we've had enough rumors upon rumors about what's going to happen to Paradise and I do agree with those that are experts that say it's never a good idea to take a year off of a show because we very rarely see it come back. So I am concerned that maybe Paradise is no longer. Do they announce that?

Do they come out with the announcement? Are they just like let it ghost out? I feel like they're just going to let the kind of ghost out until it's the summertime, and they go, yeah, oh, yeah, by the way, it's not happening. I don't know. I mean, I think at this point, we can probably assume it's not happening. Which is, like, really sad for me, okay? It's, like, really sad.

Yeah. It's sad. I mean, it's sad for me, too. I don't know how they're going to get people to keep coming on this show if there's not a paradise. It's so weird. Jade and I were talking about that. Could you just imagine, like, could you, I don't know.

I can't imagine signing up for the show and then knowing that, like, Like once my time there is done, it is done. For me, it was, maybe that's like signing up for the show. You're like, okay, that's fine. Of course. That's, you know, the way it used to be. But it's when you make all the friends in production and you have this amazing experience and you just want to do it all over again.

I was so happy to know that Paradise was going to be an option for me to just like kind of hang out with everyone again. I didn't care about the TV element as much as I did, like just this community that you build. Well, and I think there is still that thing that we've really enjoyed over the years. I mean, Sydney's a great example of this is it's usually a place for a redemption story. It's a different environment. It's more comfortable. It is kind of more laid back. And we usually see people who feel misunderstood or just don't feel like the bachelor works for them. They get themselves twisted up into a bad experience. Paradise is that redemption story. And that's something been, it's been

enjoyable to see over the years. And we'll see that right now. So, who knows if it comes back, who knows if it's still airing this year? We don't know, but it's with them filming Golden Bachelorette in the fall, it feels harder and harder for them to turn a paradise as well.

So, Ben, who's it going to be? Is it going to be one of the ladies from Gary's season? I hope so. I hope so. I hope, uh,

I mean, honestly, there's so many of them. I'd choose any of them, honestly, from the Sanders to the Kathy's, the Sousons to the, um,

Jones to, I mean, all of them. them. I mean, honestly, I can't think of one of those women that we watched on television this year that wouldn't deserve or be really incredible in this experience. Yeah, I agree. Yeah, that's kind of my thought. Well, next headline is this. This one got a lot of traction this week. I don't exactly know. It was all over my Instagram feed. Yeah, people really care still. And it feels like Caitlin Bristow makes our headlines every week. And it's usually about stuff that I don't really

understand why she's making a headline about it. And this is one of those. It says Bachelor Nations, Caitlin Bristow thought she was asexual after end of a relationship. This according to E-news, Ashley, I've listened to the interview. I'm still confused on why it's such a big deal. But maybe you can help me understand it. Because sex always makes headlines. Sex sells. Oh. They're getting good clicks on this, I'm sure. No, I think the only problem is, like, I think we have Sean and Jason out there being like, it wasn't me. Right?

I mean, at fair, I'd, I'd probably be that, dude. Yeah. Well, here's a thing, though. Because she doesn't say what relationship it was. It could have been a secret. Decade ago. Well, yeah, and is it a secret that in relationships, there's secrets to keep the fire burning? meaning that five, six, seven, ten, fifteen, twenty, forty years into a relationship,

you have to work at keeping things alive that, you know, when you first start dating or you first get married, you know, your like drive towards each other is a little bit different than maybe what it looks like 20 years from then or five years from then. So for me, I'm like, yes, like, okay, you're in a relationship for a long time. at the end of it, you feel like, I mean, if anything, I'd ask Caitlin, like, what are you doing to keep that flame alive? Maybe that's where this is missing. Let's say this. I feel like so many people out there would think this about themselves, but Caitlin's the one that says it out loud after you've been in a relationship,

especially if it's not going well. Well, I just think her word asexual might have been the kind of the point here that people are like, that's confusing. That's what I mean. Like, okay, fine. that word. If she said, hey, my sex drive has decreased as I've been longer in relationships, we'd all go, yeah, okay. Yeah, but you know, that's just like Caitlin and like, she worded that the way that I would like word it. It's kind of just like, you're chatting with your girlfriend. She's like, I was like feeling asexual. Sure. I'm not saying she did anything wrong here. I'm just confused on why it was all over my Instagram this week. Like, why were people so

shocked that it's because she said the word asexual and it's sex. Okay. So anyway, she's She thought she was asexual after this relationship was like coming to an end. She said at this point that she was at, I could have seen myself more with a woman. I actually thought to that than a man because I get it. I think women are hot and I could do that. And I was like, I guess this is it. And then I was fine with it. She also said that she felt the urge to explore a romance with a man again after going on

few dates. She was like, oh, I'd like to hook up. And she was like, oh, I would like to hook up like P and the V. And that made her realize that she wasn't a desert down there. This was all in a podcast that she did with Stossie Schroeder. Caitlin is very seasoned in media, right? She's been a part of the show for a long time. She's been a part of a lot of shows. She's a star from the show. She knew, there's no question in my mind. She knew that when she said I could see myself with a woman that this wasn't going to cause a headline. Oh, yeah. For sure, she's, she's not sitting there being like,

nobody's ever going to talk about this. Yeah, yeah. So this feels like, okay, great, like totally good, understand what she's saying. She's not saying anything that crazy. And she knew exactly that this was going to be a story. And look, we're talking about it now. 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, 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. Hola, it's Honey German, and my podcast, Grasasas Come Again, is back. This season, we're going even deeper into the world of music and entertainment. With raw and honest conversations with some of your favorite Latin artists and celebrities. You didn't have to audition? No, I didn't audition. I haven't audition in like over 25 years. Oh, wow.

That's a real G-talk right there. Oh, yeah. We've got some of the biggest actors, musicians, content creators, and culture shifters, sharing their real stories of failure and success. You were destined to be a start. We talk all about what's viral and trending with a little bit of chisement, a lot of laughs and those amazing vivras you've come to expect. And of course, we'll explore deeper topics dealing with identity,

struggles, and all the issues affecting our Latin community. You feel like you get a little whitewash because you have to do the code switching? I won't say whitewash because at the end of the day, you know, I'm me. But the whole pretending and code, you know, it takes a toll on you. Listen to the new season of Grasasas Has Come Again as part of my Cultura podcast network on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Hi, I'm Janica Lopez, and in the new season of the Overcomber 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 Overcomfort Podcast as part of the MyCultura podcast network on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. My name is Ed. Everyone says hello, Ed. From a very rural background myself, my dad is a farmer and my mom is a cousin, so like it's not like... What do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? I know it sounds like the start of a bad joke, but that really was my reality nine years ago.

I just normally do straight stand-up, but this is a bit different. On stage stood a comedian with a story that no one expected to hear. Well, 22nd of July 2015. A 23-year-old man had killed his family. And then he came to my house. So what do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? A new podcast called Wisecrack, where stand-up comedy and murder takes center stage.

Available now. Listen to Wisecrack on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Well, speaking of stories, another big one this week in Bachelor Nation. It's from the Golden Bachelor. Kathy Schwartz, friend of the podcast, been a part of this podcast multiple times. Now it was just with us in Monterey. She dodges questions about ASKN drama.

Asking. Well, yeah. Askin. That's their acronym for their friend group. Sure. That's great. Blame's natural selection. This according to Us Weekly.

Doesn't really feel like she dodged the question. It feels like she answered it. She sure did. So Askin is the friend group that she has with Nancy and Susan and April. Together, their first initial comes up with Askin. And they were like their own little like friend click. And something happened. There's a falling out with April.

So she said this. these are the quotes. We were a group of fearless women who took this on, and the fact remains, we're all women. This is what she said on our podcast, by the way. And she goes, as time goes on, you know people better. And I think that it's just a natural part of life. And I can honestly say that I am friends with everyone from the show. If there's someone particularly asking me about, Ben, what?

This is like from our show. I know. This was me last week with her. So why is this? So can you explain this? Has she said anything further from this? No. Again, she's really good at media too.

I tried to get it out of her. But at the same time, there is this, it wasn't a secret, I guess, to anybody there, that there was drama going on on social media with April. She had, April had definitely said things or posted something. Hana can speak to it a little bit more because Hannah and I had. talked about it before I sat down with Kathy. Hanna, what was happening on social media with April?

And can I just butt in just here for a second? I thought we were trying to get Kathy back on the podcast to talk about this, but you guys had already talked about the drama? Again, I'll explain everything here in a second. Okay. Thank you. Hannah, get on here. Yeah.

What was the drama with April and the Askin ladies that we never fully got an answer to, but it was one of the prep things that you and I had talked about before I said out with Kathy. Oh, right. Yeah, there was drama about the whole trip that they took to St. Martin.

Somebody, for some reason, April didn't go to St. Martin. Right. And she is like saying on social media that like, sorry, I have a life, I have a job, I have to make money, I have to like make my grandchildren a priority. And then,

and then she also kind of added it and like maybe I don't want to hang. out with everyone. I don't know. Everyone. It was like, it was kind of undertone. It was undertone kind of jabs at these women for going on this trip, even though April was invited. And so when Kathy was in Monterey and we sat down for the interview, it was something I wanted to talk about. But it's also one of those issues that, um, I don't want to talk about if Kathy isn't comfortable talking about it. Meaning I'm not going to- I think Kathy's comfortable talking about. all of it. It didn't feel like it. So I laid the question out there as you read in this,

you know, kind of breakdown. And she kind of dodged around it. And it wasn't worth me digging into being like, yeah, but tell me honestly. Because Kathy's a friend of the show, I want to respect her for giving us the time to even sit down with her. And I think she said enough, right? She said enough to make it make sense. Hey, natural selection or, hey, you know what? We hang out with the people we want to hang out with, things happen. So I think we can pretty much tie those two things together where April is upset and the ladies are saying, you know, sorry about you. And they'll all move on just fine. I just didn't want to dig in and ask, you know, more pointed, direct questions if Kathy wasn't willing to share stuff. She had the opportunity. She easily could have been like,

you know what? Yeah, this is what's happening and these girls are mean. She didn't. want to talk about it. She didn't even tell me she didn't want to talk about it. But we got enough to say, hey, you know what? These other girls are fine. They're doing great. Whatever's happening with April. April is kind of sharing about it on her social media. So there is a rift in the asking group. It's now just skin. And I think all of them will move on probably in any given direction. It is unfortunate because you would love to see these golden ladies just be really close friends forever. But life is life. And no matter how old you are, things happen. And I don't love that things are being shared. Like, again, it feels a little bit like the lay conversation this week

where it's like, I want to make my grandkids a priority. And it's like, so you're assuming that these other women don't? Well, how do you know that? Are they not allowed to take a trip for a week away? Like, so yeah, it's very passive aggressive. Well, here, here's the passive aggressive. line here. So she said on Instagram, before she did the whole thing where, like I just said, like I have to pay for a leak in my roof. I have to visit my grandkid. I have to go to, you know, go to work. She introed all that by saying, for all the folks from Texas and Pennsylvania that are daunting me about why I'm not going to St. Martin, although it's none of your business, there are only three people who I knew I canceled, who knew I canceled, but karma never sleeps.

That's the shady part. It just, it feels, again, it feels like so many storylines that we're covering right now in Bachelor Nation. It feels like something said that you have no context for it. It doesn't really need to be a thing, but I'm assuming we will get Kathy back on here to maybe talk about it further once this, you know, kind of smoke settles and everybody's moving on. Right now, Almost Seamus does have the exclusive interview with Kathy. You can go back and listen to it, actually. It's a great interview.

This is just a small piece of it. And Kathy says what, as much as she wanted to share without making this a bigger story and there's wisdom in that, right? Can't we, I mean, from this bachelor season alone, can't we all agree that there's wisdom and sharing just enough to not make it a bigger issue than it needs to be? Yes. Okay. Hey, that's all the headlines we have for you today. Again, it's a two-part week with The Bachelor. We will be breaking down both episodes, episode four is out, episode five will be out.

Obviously, we have headlines. So much happening in Bachelor Nation. And the headlines won't ever stop. I have a feeling, you know, it's wintertime. People start acting crazy in the winter. We'll get more headlines next week. We'll be talking about all of this good stuff. Anyways, hey, until next time, I've been Ben.

I've been Ashley. See ya. Follow the Ben and Ashley I, almost famous podcast 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. 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. I just normally do straight stand-up, but this is a bit different. What do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? Answer, a new podcast called Wisecrack, where a comedian finds himself at the center of a chilling true crime story. Does anyone know what show they've come to see? It's a story.

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

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