The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - Almost Famous: A Guide to Grant's Women

Episode Date: January 10, 2025

Ben and Ashley give a play-by-play of the women vying for Grant's final rose and share who they think will make the final four, who's going to stir the pot, and who will be the biggest heartbreaker. They also give their listeners some great resources on how to help the victims of the LA fires.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

The Puzzler. Listen on the I-Heart. radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I was diagnosed with cancer on Friday and cancer-free the next Friday. No chemo, no radiation, none of that. On a recent episode of Culture Raises Us podcast, I sat down with Warren Campbell, Grammy-winning producer, pastor, and music executive to talk about the beats, the business, and the legacy behind some of the biggest names in gospel, R&B, and hip-hop. Professionally, I started at Death World Records. From Mary Mary to Jennifer Hudson, we get into the

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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-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 a norm is to allow it to prevent you from doing the things that you want to do, 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 IHeartreport. Radio 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 Famous Podcast. We are here today to do an episode. We do every season, which is Breakdown the Women. Coming on the next season of The Bachelor, which is right around the corner. But before we do, we have to, we want to speak.

of the obvious. This has been a confusing week. Words haven't quite been able to be wrapped around the devastation in Los Angeles. It felt like you woke up one morning and the news broke and then it just continued for 24 hours. In all 24 hours, I think so many of us were just that don't live in L.A. We're sitting watching, texting friends that do live there. And then obviously if you're living in the Los Angeles area, from the friends that I've talked to, it felt like hell on earth. And it was chaotic, devastating, confusing, sad, disorienting. And Ashley, it seems like most people kind of still sit in that place because there's still so much yet to be known. Yeah, I wouldn't say it's over yet or that anybody feels like in the clear. I think that L.A.

is a place, well, for me, it was my home of five and a half years, a place that I still feel so alive in every time that I land there. It is just, has like an energy and an excitement. And for me, a sense of comfort and home. And it's so crazy to see what's happening. It's really, to me, just like, it's, it still feels unfathomable. Like, I don't even know. It's just really hard to feel real. I know that the people that are there right now, it feels so real, so apocalyptic. And I'm so glad that everybody is listening to these warnings and getting out of their house. That is one thing that I think people are doing, you know, that people are really listening and getting them out of their house and valuing that what's most important is their

lives, their safety. Yeah. We obviously have lost a few people in the midst of this fires, but as actually said the life is so much more part i listened to an interview yesterday with a 91 year old who lost his house i saw him too palisades um and obviously the you know adjectives we used earlier seemed to be true there but at the same time uh he's still standing um and he will be able to continue on and um share this story um teach people uh in the midst of this story and also continue to live life like you said actually the lives are so much more important but that's not to you know at all downplay the importance of somebody's home and their sentimentals and all their belongings and it's just absolutely devastating we have probably i don't know if i shouldn't speak for you but i feel

like we have probably more friends that live in l.a concentrated than any other place in the country so we've just we've been thinking about them and checking in on everybody It's crazy. One of the Bachelor producers, she texted me. She was like, the kids are just so scared that their toys are all going to be gone. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, that's a real thing, right?

And right now, people are probably today going to start going back towards their homes. The rebuilding process is so difficult, right? I've heard a quote a few years ago, and it kind of relates to personal and also the material things in our world. But the destruction of something is quick and somewhat easy, right? It happens in a blink of an eye. The rebuilding is what gets to be the most difficult. And right now, yes, we can sit here and say, hey, the fires are out. You know, there's always still the risk of more fires to come. But now people are going to have to go back and see and process and try to understand how do we get going again. So with that, as we transition into this episode, I do want to

share a few resources. Obviously, the Red Cross is currently on the ground in Los Angeles trying to set up shelters and to give support and relief wherever needed for essential items. Also, as I've spoke about on the podcast before, I've had the privilege of sitting on the board of Project Hope, which has invested into disaster relief really since the hurricane. a few years ago in the U.S. I got a message from the CEO last night that Project Hope is on the ground and Project Hope is going to invest not only in the shelters, but also alongside other organizations and psychosocial support, help, and care. So if you're out there in the Los Angeles area, you're listening and you're saying, I feel alone or I need this. If you have a need,

don't hesitate to reach out. Those are the two organizations that I would recommend, Project Toppe and the American Red Cross. I'm sure there's many other aid organizations on the ground in your area. Ask for help. Help is necessary right now. Even if you feel like you can do it on your own, even if you feel like, hey, I'm just going to plug through this thing. Getting support and help right now is necessary because then here's the other benefit.

You can tell others where they can get good support and help because you're going to have to do this together. But we feel for you. We're with you. And however, the almost famous podcast can help, which is based out of L.A., we desire to be there in whatever ways are needed. Now, maybe a brief reprieve from all the difficulty that is surrounding your life, we are going to break down Grantswoman that are coming on this season of The Bachelor today. this is an episode we do every season where we give our... It's Ben's favorite and my least favorite.

We're going to say a bunch of things about people that aren't true. We have no clue who these people are. This will be our unsolicited opinions based on a sentence that we have about them, their names, and their Bachelor pictures that can range from well done to what in the world were you thinking and why did The Bachelor do this to you? And that's what we do every season. And so if you're listening to this and you're thinking, hey, I am now going to judge this person all season based on our opinion, you should not do that. That would be a really bad decision on your part.

But you should go on to the website that we're going to be using today and also just give your unsolicited advice and opinions about the women coming on this season. We're using the today's show's website. It's today's show.com or it's today.com. and you can probably just Google Grant Ellis's Bachelor contestants from the Today Show and you can follow along with this list. You may be like, why are you using an NBC website? Well, guess what, guys? Very weird this season. ABC on the Bachelor part of their website, not listing the girls at all.

There's a press release and they have like a group. They have a picture of all the pictures. and then they have their mini-bios. We don't have one of those long paragraphs. We used to have like thick paragraphs on each girl which really helps us judge them further. Not

much this year, so we're really going off Looks Alone. And yes, as Ben mentioned, we're going off to the Today Show, but it's also in alphabetical order. And if you want to see as much of the girls as possible, go over to The Bachelor's Instagram where they have

a couple carousels of their photos. Ready start? Let's do it. All right. First person we have is Alex. Oh yeah. Okay.

So you know how I do this. I give the info and then he gives the judgment because I as a girl cannot give the judgment for girls. She is a 27 year old. It's so much healthier when a guy does. Yeah. It goes over so much better. Oh my gosh.

It's really a lose-lose here. So she's a 27-year-old. pediatric speech therapist from New Brunswick, Canada. She's a big animal lover after growing up on a farm. She likes cooking competition shows and she's fluent in French. Ben? Here's my one thing. I noticed this recently asked my wife about it. Baggy jeans are in, huh?

Yes. You don't like them. Guys hate them. Yeah. Doesn't make sense to me. I mean, and I don't say that from like, oh, I love somebody in tight jeans. No, I like tight jeans personally. Like, I wear them.

So does Jared. And I'm like, Jared, I would love tight jeans to never, ever come back into style. So many millennials want their skinny jeans back. I'm like, no, you guys, what we have right now, they're soft. They let us breathe. They just let us breathe. We don't have indents on our legs when we take our pants off. But yeah, what's up with you guys?

Like in straight leg? I work out. I want people to see my quads. Then wear some yoga pants, Ben. Don't put it past me. Anyways, Alex, what I'll say about Alex is this. I think Alex is going to be a catch. She's fluent in Spanish, watching cooking show competitions.

No, she's fluent in French, not Spanish. Sounds a lot like my wife. She watches the great British bake-off and is fluent in Italian. I love that Alex grew up on a farm, and she's a pediatric speech therapist. I only know a few speech therapists in my life, but the ones I do know have an amazing heart. patience and care. So I'll say this about Alex. We're off to a hot start.

I would be shocked if Alex isn't around till at least the final four. Okay, so Alex stands out to me the most in the preview for the season because he's on the piano singing a song to her and she goes like, well, I'm not really used to guys writing music for me. Yeah, I like Alex.

She's shown a lot and why is her face look so familiar to me? I don't know. She's pretty. Yeah. Allie Joe is the next. All right. Allie Joe is an easy, an easy judge by the picture. But first off, 30 years old, boxing trainer.

She's from Jersey. It's not surprising based on the picture. And she likes the beach. She wishes she could go to Dubai one day just to go shopping. Yeah, Ali, honestly, I don't know, Ali Joe. She scares me just from the picture. Like not, and like, whoa, you're a scary way. She's a beautiful human.

And she looks like she's in great shape. Yeah. And she looks very kind. But if I read her by, She's a boxing trainer from New Jersey. Like, that sounds like a movie set up, right? Like, that's a character in a movie where I'm from Jersey, I'm a boxer, and I would be like, yeah, you, you intimidate me. Maybe you would be the better way to say that.

Her top choice is what says Jersey to me. It also says, it says like Teresa, Judy, Gigi. She's got these beads, you know, from the housewives. Oh, I didn't know who. Yeah, I don't know who that is. But you know her now. Yeah, I know her now. And I get it.

Allie Joe, I think, will be the one, if I'm guessing, because she has a lot of confidence, will probably be the first, hey, may I interrupt you for the third time person. Really? Yeah, that's what I get. It's the vibe. Oh, and doesn't she remind you of,

what's your name, Amber Thiessen, Tiffany Amber Thiessen, who I know you love? Yeah, yeah, really does. Wow, you have a good call. Huh. All right. Next one is Alicia. Alicia. She's a 29-year-old interior designer from Tampa, Florida. However, she won Miss California in 2020. Dang. Continuing with the beauty queens in the cast.

That's a massive win. Like, there's a lot of people in California. Yeah, that's true. That is a little bit harder than no shade to our love Hannah Brown or Hannah G, but Alabama. I mean, I mean, that's a big state. Yeah. A lot of girls who want to be pageant queens there too. A lot of electric votes in California. Well, I don't know of a beauty queen, honestly, that hasn't gone a long ways on a season. That's so, so true.

We have Kalin, Hannah, and Hannah. Those are the ones that stand out to me. Mari, Miss Maryland. Yeah, they go really far. So my guess is she's a final four contestant too. I mean, that's not good. We're in three people in and I say we have two final four contestants. This Alicia is going to break Grant's heart.

That's my guess. All right. Let's move on to Bailey. Bailey is a 27-year-old social media manager from Atlanta, Georgia. She has a toy poodle and she's looking for a guy who's funny, thoughtful, and family-oriented. Who isn't? Yeah. That is going to be like the third.

three adjectives that nobody would ever be like, nah, would rather not someone funny, thoughtful, and family oriented. Yeah, I mean, that's a little basic, right? And it's also a little concerning to me, right? If that's, well, if that's what, like, her statement. So you are obviously married with two kids and you, like, if you were looking and dating and you'd met Jared, you're like, I just love Jared because he's funny, thoughtful, and family oriented.

you'd be like, well, that dude sounds like so boring. Like he has nothing, like you, there's nothing uniquely different about him. I hope most people who are looking to be a partner forever would have those three things about them or at least something associated with it. And so I'm just a little concern that Bailey, based on how little they put into her bio, comes and goes very quickly. Plus, she has a toy poodle and no judgment towards poodles. I know a couple poodles that are decent. Anytime I see toy poodle, I don't know why.

It could just be from my upbringing. I get a little concerned. Ben, this has got to be Ben's like, you know, most classic on the surface judgment of somebody thus far. Bailey, we're sorry. You're totally fine. And everybody should want somebody thoughtful, funny, and family-oriented. You're not like on the wrong path.

Just maybe like think about it a little harder. 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. Shock incarceration, also known as boot camps, are short-term, highly regimented correctional programs that mimic military basic training. These programs aimed to provide a shock of prison life,

emphasizing strict discipline, physical training, hard labor, and rehabilitation programs. Mark had one chance to complete this program and had no idea of the hell awaiting him the next six months. The first night was so overwhelming, and you don't know who's next to you. And we didn't know what to expect in the morning. Nobody tells you anything. Listen to shock incarceration on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get. your podcasts. My name is Ed.

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

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

Listen to Wisecrack on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast. or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. Right now in a backlog will be identified in our lifetime. A small lab in Texas is cracking the code on DNA, Using new scientific tools, they're finding clues in evidence so tiny, you might just miss it. He never thought he was going to get caught, and I just looked at my computer screen. I was just like, ah, gotcha. On America's Crime Lab, we'll learn about victims and survivors, and you'll meet the team behind the scenes at Othrum, the Houston Lab that takes on the most hopeless cases, to finally solve the unsolvable.

Listen to America's Crime Lab on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Adventure should never come with a pause button. Remember the movie pass era? Where you could watch all the movies you wanted for just $9? It made zero cents, and I could not stop thinking about it. I'm Bridget Todd, host of the tech podcast, there are no girls on the internet. On this new season, I'm talking to the innovators who are left out of the tech headlines, like the visionary behind a movie pass.

Black founder Stacey Spikes, who was pushed out of Movie Pass the company that he founded. His story is wild, and it's currently the subject of a juicy new HBO documentary. We dive into how culture connects us. When you go to France, or you go to England, or you go to Hong Kong, those kids are wearing Jordans, they're wearing Kobe's shirt, they're watching Black Panther. And the challenges of being a Black founder. Close your eyes and tell me what a tech founder looks like. They're not going to describe someone who looks like me

and they're not going to describe someone who looks like you. I created There Are No Girls on the Internet because the future belongs to all of us. So listen to There Are No Girls on the Internet on the IHurt Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Culture eats strategy for breakfast. I would love for you to share your breakdown on pivoting. We feel sometimes like we're leaving a part of us behind

when we enter a new space, but we're just building. On a recent episode of Culture Raises Us, I was joined by Volisha Butter, field, media founder, political strategist, and tech powerhouse for a powerful conversation on storytelling, impact, and the intersections of culture and leadership. I am a free black woman who worked really hard to be able to say that. I'd love for you to break down. Why was so important for you to do C? You can't win as something you didn't create.

From the Obama White House to Google to the Grammys, Malicia's journey is a masterclass in shifting culture and using your voice to spark change. A very fake, capital-driven, environment and society will have a lot of people tell half-truths. I'm telling you, I'm on the energy committee. Like, if the energy is not right, we're not doing it, whatever that it is. Listen to Culture raises us on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Beverly is a 30-year-old insurance saleswoman from Howard Beach, New York. Her parents been married for over 30 years, and she wants to have a love story like theirs.

Also, big fan of Titanic and the Princess Diaries. So, Beverly, let's chat. I think Beverly is a star. I do. I think Beverly will be one we talk about for months to come after this show. I don't know if she's necessarily for Grant. I don't know enough about that yet. But I think Beverly is going to fall into that America's sweetheart category.

Um, mostly, mostly I say that because, uh, she mentions, I just really, I have this thing when people on the, going on the show and they mention their parents marriage. It just, it might, it's not like a, a foreblown conclusion, foreblown is it? No, for gone conclusion. Mm-hmm. That they know what it looks like to be in relationship. But it, I know this. They know what they want in a relationship.

And I think that's a huge start when you come on. the show. I agree. Carolina is next, and she has princess vibes written all over her. Love her dress. She's a 28-year-old public relations producer from Puerto Rico. She speaks English, Spanish, French, and oh my God. Carolina, let's really talk. Her childhood crush is Joe Jonas. Who is your adult crush? Joe Jonas. Joe Jonas. Is it still Joe, join us for you? Yes. Oh, goodness.

I love that she wants to get roasted. So she says at the end that her dream is that Nikki Glazer would roast her. At the Golden Globes, which interesting, because Nikki Glazer just did her first Golden Globes. So like, did she foresee the future when she filled this out? It was announced a while back that Nikki Glazer is going to be the host. What I appreciate about that is I think she's going to be very strong. Now, strong is an amazing quality. she's from Puerto Rico

she's got that going she's staring deeply into the camera in this picture like it looks like she's looking through your soul and if she's okay getting roasted I have a feeling

that she has lead characteristics like I maybe don't love the whole like being around everybody all the time and sharing this dude with everybody but you give me

the lead and I will make I will make magic happen So my first thought with her is she has leadership qualities just from seeing the picture, seeing her bio, and knowing that she's okay if Nikki Glazer would just roast her on stage. I would love if she's like eliminated night one and we're totally wrong on that. Yeah. Not really. I actually want her to be around.

I want her to be around. Okay. Chloe is next. She's a model 27 from New York, New York. She grew up in the Midwest but decided to move to New York to be covered. a model she loves you've got mail and when harry met sally and she likes to watch them while sipping on a dirty martini yeah i also could get along with collie yeah chloe seems great because i love a good dirty martini uh chloe chloe's gonna have a hard time on the show why because uh it's like a two shot minimum and nobody wants it like a two shot per hour ben uh so you could drink a

martini an hour i guess or like yeah i'm pretty sure you're dunzo yeah that's be good. Yeah, I guess that makes sense. After probably, honestly, an hour, but definitely two. Yeah, so she'll be fine. She's got a Midwesterners do great on the show. We don't have a lot of them anymore. We just have a select few every season.

But if you have a Midwest background and you come onto The Bachelor, I just feel like there's a different mentality you take coming into it. But I could see Chloe not relating with a lot of the women because of her Midwest background, which could be a little isolating. We'll have to watch as that as that continues, but that's my first thought is it could be a little isolating because there could be some drama going on, and Chloe's like, I don't get it. I don't understand. I'm just going to sit my martini, my shot and a half martini.

I'm going to sip a shot, a cold shot. That's pretty much what she's going to do. She's going to take a shot. She doesn't even want like any water getting in her way or whatever the heck they put in there, not water. Christina is next. I just said that there was a martini had water in it. You guys, you know what?

I'm not very much of a bartender. Okay, Christina. 26-year-old marketing director from Fargo, North Dakota. She's a daredevil. She wants to jump out of an airplane. She'll do a bungee jump date. And when she's in the mood for something less intense, she would like to go on the lake or plan a wine night with friends.

So far, all these women. Like, even the one I was most critical. of Bailey just because she's had, you know, three characteristics about a future partner that were not wrong. They just were not like very insightful. It feels like we got a good group, Ashley. Well, they're also giving us smaller bios. So, you know, they're really just giving us the good stuff in one sentence. I understand that. I do understand that. I just, I think usually we can tell from the pictures and the bios, even if we just get a sentence, even if we didn't have a buy it. We'd be like, whoa, what's happening here? So far, we're, you know, seven people in and I'm like,

ah, this is a good group. This is going to be fun to watch. It's a good group. I like her. She's a girl's girl. She's going to have a lot of friends in the house. She's going to be, I see her like a Hannah G type, right, where she is not main character, but we know of her. She's around a long time and she comes off of the show and just people like her. There's not like a, there's not an issue. Also, I think she thrives on group dates, which will be to her detriment at some point because she's going to give it her all. She's not going to be scared of any group dates. I also, though, want to mention that this is a good survival tactic to say that you love the bungee jump and jump out of planes and snakes and spiders because then the show will never do

it to you. Exactly. She looks like Kirsten Dunst. This is my, this is my forte is a celebrity comparisons for the girls. Kirsten Dunst, that's a good one. Dina, she is a 31 year old attorney from Chicago. She is one of 11 siblings and she describes herself as mysterious. You know, she doesn't look mysterious to me. She looks like I'm going to, I'm going to judge her. She looks like a shister. Yeah. And you know it. Yeah, she does.

Like some, there could be some drama behind the scenes here. And she's obviously smart. She's an attorney so she can, she'll know how to manipulate. She can use her word. Use her words, well. I don't love Ashley, quite honestly, the combination of attorney and mysterious. I feel like that's a bad combination. I don't know how that.

Kelly Flanagan, like. but Kelly Flanagan went well. It did go well for Kelly Funnian. And she was absolutely mysterious. Still is. Absolutely an attorney. Yeah. Still is.

You, though, I do want to make this correlation. You have, you know, a sibling. I have none. 11 siblings. Don't you think you would find yourself mysterious if you had 11 siblings just because you have to kind of operate within your own, you know, head all the time because there's just no way that anybody's really ever. going to get to know you that well your parents are never going to get to know you that well yeah

well we'd have to ask nick that's a good point yeah nick has done that and nick i would say is mysterious mysterious okay next step we have ella she's a 25 year old luxury travel host luxury travel host do you think she just owns an Airbnb i mean that would be an amazing way to say i would actually have so much respect for her if she owns an Airbnb and calls herself a luxury travel host. It would be awesome. And honestly, I know I've mentioned this before. And I think Grant has I mean, he came out with some of his philosophies and theories and, you know, they make sense. But Grant is a day trader. So they've both probably inflated what they've done day to day. And I respect it. Why not? You're on national television. You know, let's go.

Oh. Well, she also is saying that she loves to have family and friends over to eat and watch basketball. Do you think that she said this on purpose because Grant is a former European basketball player? Yeah, I think she's really smart. I think she knows exactly what she's doing, which scares me for her on this show because even if you think you know how to conquer the show, the show will come back and conquer you. It's just like a thing that always happens. They'll watch basketball on a date and she won't know what she's talking about. And it will just crush her. Like, they'll be like, well, you know, she'll be like, I love basketball. They go and watch it.

And she's like, that's a good touchdown. And if you're like, yeah, you're like, we're done. Basketball is like the simplest sport, though. You can't really mess it up. No. Okay. Jenae is a 28-year-old account coordinator from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Represent Colorado.

They have both played professional basketball overseas. So she does know basketball. Like, I have no fear. He knows basketball. This is a different girl. Now, she is going to be like, you know, what's her name? Ella is going to be like, hey, I love basketball. And then Jane is going to be like, hey, guess what?

I played like alongside him overseas. Yeah. I was in the same area. We can relate on that. I think she's going to be around a while. They have a lot to relate on. They obviously have this background. They can have fun together.

I mean, I don't know how often couples go and play pickup with each other, but I do know couples to shoot baskets together, which I imagine will be something. something about the entry or intro package will be the two of them shooting baskets on the mansion driveway, which has been done over and over and over and over again, which is fine. So many times. But, you know, I feel it. It's like a fun thing to do with somebody you're dating or, you know, it's somebody you're married

to because Jared and I go hard. If we're at an arcade and there's the dual basketball, we get so competitive. Yeah, good. It's so much fun. a great workout because, you know, I must continue to try to beat him. And I have beat him a couple times. And wow, it's actually not no, it's really not good for us for me to be. You're not a good winner. You're not a good winner, are you? I'm a good winner. What do you mean? You think that I'm like, shove it in his face? Yes. No, he doesn't take, like, being athletically put down well.

Because, like, athletics is his thing. Yeah, he's an athlete. My name is Ed. Everyone say hello, Ed. I'm from a very rural background myself. My dad is a farmer and my mom is a cousin. So, like, it's not like... What do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? I know it sounds like the start of a bad joke,

but that really was my reality nine years ago. I just normally do straight stand-up, but this is a bit different. On stage stood a comedian with a story that no one expected to do. 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 As. Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. Shock incarceration, also known as boot camps, are short-term, highly regimented correctional programs

that mimic military basic training. These programs aim to provide a shock of prison life, emphasizing strict discipline, physical training, hard labor, and rehabilitation programs. Mark had one chance to complete this program and had no idea of the hell awaiting him the next six months. The first night was so overwhelming, and you don't know who's next to you. And we didn't know what to expect in the morning.

Nobody tells you anything. Listen to shock incarceration 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.

Right now in a backlog will be identified in our lifetime. A small lab in Texas is cracking the cup. code on DNA. Using new scientific tools, they're finding clues in evidence so tiny you might just miss it. He never thought he was going to get caught. And I just looked at my computer screen. I was just like, ah, gotcha. On America's Crime Lab, we'll learn about victims and survivors. And you'll meet the team behind the scenes at Othrum, the Houston Lab that takes on the most hopeless cases to finally solve the unsolvable. Listen to America's Crime Lab on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Adventure should never come with a pause button. Remember the movie pass era? Where you could watch all the movies you wanted for just $9? It made zero cents, and I could not stop thinking about it. I'm Bridget Todd, host of the tech podcast, there are no girls on the internet. On this new season, I'm talking to the innovators who are left out of the tech headlines, like the visionary behind a movie pass. Black founder Stacey Spikes, who was pushed out of Movie Pass the company that he founded.

His story is wild that it's currently the subject of a juicy new HBO documentary. We dive into how culture connects us. When you go to France, or you go to England, or you go to Hong Kong, those kids are wearing Jordans, they're wearing Kobe's shirt, they're watching Black Panther. And the challenges of being a Black founder. Close your eyes and tell me what a tech founder looks like. They're not going to describe someone who looks like me and they're not going to describe someone who looks like you.

I created There Are No Girls on the Internet because the future belongs to all of us. So listen to There Are No Girls on the Internet on the IHurt Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Culture eats strategy for breakfast. I would love for you to share your breakdown on pivoting. We feel sometimes like we're leaving a part of us behind when we enter a new space, but we're just building.

On a recent episode of Culture Raises Us, I was joined by Volisha Butterfield, media founder, political strategist, and tech powerhouse for a powerful conversation on storytelling, impact, and the intersections of culture and leadership. I am a free black woman who worked really hard to be able to say that. I'd love for you to break down. Why was so important for you to do C? You can't win as something you didn't create. From the Obama White House to Google to the Grammys, Valicia's journey is a masterclass in shifting culture and using your voice to spark change.

A very fake, capital-driven environment and society will have a lot of people tell half-truths. I'm telling you, I'm on the energy committee. Like, if the energy is not right, we're not doing it, whatever that it is. Listen to Culture raises us on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Juliana is the next contestant that we have. Juliana is a client service associate. Yep, she's 28 from Newton, Massachusetts. She was raised in a big Italian family.

She's looking for a relationship like her parents who are high school sweethearts. She likes listening to Frank Sinatra and dreams of opening a dog-friendly bar. That's a cute idea. Yeah, it is a cute idea. From Newton, Massachusetts, Italian family. That's a great quality to have. It's loving, it's fierce. I think she's going to do very well in the house

because chaos is something she's very comfortable with if you grew up in a big Italian family. She does have a tattoo on her hand that you can see. I wonder what it says. I can't really spell it out because it's one of those thin, small tattoos, but obviously if you put it on the top of your hand, it's something important to you.

It looks like it says only love, but I also can't read it well. I mean, what a better phrase then for The Bachelor. Maybe she got it for the show. one date, Grant looks down, and he's like, what is your tattoo saying? She has only love. And he's like, wow, you want love too? I want love. Let's get married. Kelsey is a 26-year-old interior designer in Brooklyn, New York. Hey, Ben, no shade to Kelsey or anyone saying interior designer, but do you think it's like one of those occupations they give them if they don't really have an

occupation, which like, seriously, it's okay, I was like that person. I said, freelance journalist because I was really a, you know, a broadcast journalist, recent graduate who didn't really have a job, just an internship when I signed up. So, you know, and this, this seems to be one that's popular these days, interior designer, aka, I make my apartment look cute. Which is such a good quality to have, right? I mean, goodness, a nice, I wish they would give in a little more detail. Like, some of these, again, I mentioned it with Grant. Account executive. What the heck is an account executive? Yeah, but I want to know, like, are you working in finance or are you an account? Because being an account executive or an interior designer, I want to know if you're doing residential,

commercial. I want to know, like, if you're doing restaurants, because there's a whole vast array of things you could do, which maybe the hope is during the season, Grant will ask them those questions. Okay, you're an interior designer. What exactly do you interior design? Because, yes, this is a legitimate and amazing job if you're actually doing it. But we don't know right now just from, I mean, I wish now if I went back in time, I don't know what my job would have been, but it would have been something incredibly sophisticated and overarching and not a lie. Yours was a little bit of a exaggeration, right?

Because it said software salesman and really you were writing pamphlets. at a software company? Yeah, but yeah, the show, because the show spoke it into existence for me because as soon as I got off the show, they moved me into sales. Well, of course you could be sales and those charming person ever.

But yeah, when I was on the show, I was a user manual writer. So that would have been a wild job. Software user manual writer. I would die. Can you imagine? Seeing Ben on those dates being like as wonderful as he was and like such a leading man character and then like that as your your lower third

how amazing would that have been to like have somebody else break down art my like this season i was on the cast and they're like he's a user manual writer this dude sucks oh my gosh i love it all right also Kelsey um she likes a vacationing in martha's vineyards so whatever she's decorating she's doing well at yeah she's fine um We have Kylie, retail manager in Wilmington, North Carolina. Okay, so she is 26 and she has a golden doodle. How do you feel about that? It's a safe option.

If you, you know, if you want a dog that you know is going to be high energy but decently well behaved. And not shed. And not shed. Get a golden doodle. I get it. I mean, it's a very, but it's like a very easy option today. Yeah.

Her favorite movie is Pearl Harbor. So, girl, let's talk. let's have like a girl's movie night with these women because oh my goodness gracious we have a lot of the same movies in our top echelon you would have loved to be on this season yeah something that stands out to me about kiley is she lived in uganda for four months i want to know one why and two what she learned from that experience uh anybody she's 26 years old so she did this at a relatively young age um i want to know more about that because I think it's going to make her make a lot more sense to all of us if you know for whatever reason she moved over there so respect anybody that lives overseas or away from the

US for a period of time in their life Uganda is an interesting choice I love Uganda but you don't you just don't hear a lot of people saying yes I'm moving to Uganda let's uh I'm getting your help on this one Lydia Lydia Lydia uh she is a 31 year old venture capitalist from Salt Lake City. Now, now we're talking. Now we're talking about a job title. Okay, so venture capitalist is definitely different than what he does in day trading. Right, Ben? Oh, yes. Like, okay. Not even the same. I mean, I guess the same like umbrella, but not even close to the same thing. But you think, you think they'll bond over this stuff? Finances. I don't know Grant's ability to speak. Money? Yeah, yeah. We didn't hear a lot about it on last season.

but I'm guessing he has enough of the foundational like wording and understanding to be able to relate with her a little bit. Here would be my concern. He gets a little over his skis because being a venture capitalist, I don't know if she has her Series 7. I don't know if she actually is educated and qualified for this position or what role she has in within her VC. However, I would imagine that her understanding of capital markets might be a little more than his. And so he should just probably try to learn a little bit first. But I'm guessing he has the foundational ideas to be able to relate with her. Ben, the way that they have this photo of her, she's basically at a desk.

And she's leaning her arm down. And then she has her one arm up on her chin. It looks more like a headshot for a financial advisor website. The producers are like, hey, you're smart. Let me take a picture that makes you look smart. I think she's I actually like right as of right now

I think she's the winner Really? Yeah I mean I think They're gonna have enough to relate with She's a fan age Close and age Phantom basketball Like obviously athletic

Because she doesn't just mention That she likes watching basketball and football She also says water polo So like you're not lying about liking watching Or like participating in water polo That would be a random draw And so I have a feeling that she

if I had to vote right now she'd be my winner like she's the one at the end has the most to relate with him on they like each other and I mean goodness what a gorgeous couple they would be okay so Ben

that Ben picks Lydia as his top choice I will still be thinking about this as we continue speaking of going from a confidence pose to a very uncomfortable looking pose Natalie I mean this is just terrible

back in her stool. Like, why would they do this to her? And trying to hold her upper body up. She's a 12, she's a 25-year-old Ph.D. student from Louisville, Kentucky. Her parents married over 30 years, wants a relationship like theirs. She enjoys watching rom-coms and cheering on her football team, the Seattle Seahawks. I mean, I can't even like accurately judge Natalie because I can't get past the fact that they put her in this position for this photo. Again, if we look up at any of these other photos, we're like,

all right, this makes sense. It's a good power position. They're standing up. They're cropping it well. They have her at a desk. Then they're like, hey, Natalie, sit there and take a picture where your hands are doing something they've never done before as you've sat in the desk. And it looks like you're sliding out of your chair and that you're trying to like smile and hold your whole core together just to keep yourself. This is an ab workout. It's an awful picture for her. For those of you who aren't looking, it looks as if she should be sitting with like a large

armchair, nice tall back and she's on a stool. Poor girl. We'll learn more about her. I think she's probably a sweet girl who's probably a little awkward. I think she's a little awkward. She's not winning. Well. They wouldn't choose this picture for a winner.

No, but I think she's going to be like that funny like she'll make us laugh because she's consistently saying interesting things that make us all giggle, but we're all thinking. She's a good narrator. Yeah, that's my... They keep her around for being narrator. Yeah, that's a good way to put it.

Okay. Nisi is a 32-year-old pediatrician. Why is this cast so smart? Some good ones in here. Blythewood, South Carolina. She splits her time between four different hospitals.

And when she isn't working, she likes to try different coffees. Yeah, generous coffee is her favorite, I heard. I like that. That's a cool little hobby, trying to view coffees. Why not? I like it.

I mean, I'm in coffee. You're in coffee. Yeah. Parisia. I hope I'm saying your name right. You're not. She is a... Okay, well, how is it?

I don't know, but you're just not. I know you're not saying right. It's Paris, uh. That's how it's spelled, guys. Paris, uh. 29 years old, a pediatric behavioral analyst from Birmingham, Michigan. What's an analyst? A pediatric analyst?

You said analyst, I think. Well, you know, I'm a little nasly today. I just want to know what an analyst is. It sounds like an interesting. Analyst! Seems like an interesting job. Pediatric behavior, though. I mean, that's a hard job.

That's something. I wonder she works at like elementary schools or she works at, you know, more of like a hospital setting. Anyway, she has a rock collection and, well, like many of us can spend hours scrolling TikTok. Yeah, not for long. Isn't it like, isn't TikTok going away or something? Yeah, it's like, we got like a week left of TikTok. I don't know.

I don't think it's going to go. I think we're going to, I think TikTok's going to survive. Okay. Well, the, I don't know much about this situation, but. Have you been watching the show on Apple called, um, shrinking? What, what is it about? No, I haven't. Okay, so shrinking is, Jess and I have been watching it.

Uh, one of the ladies in it, one of my favorite characters has a rock collection. and she does it mostly for her mental sanity. But she gets really like sad and downtrodden as she looks at her rock collection. I don't know why necessarily other than it's just a very like therapeutic experience. So when I see that she has a rock collection, I say it makes sense because this girl has an incredible amount of empathy and she spends her whole day helping make people better. And so I'm guessing that she loves some time in silence and just a distraction and a rock collection helps her to ground you. Yeah, to ground you.

Yeah. It's grounding. Okay. Well, we have to get, we have to hurry up because Ben only has a few more minutes here and we have a few more girls. Radhika is a 28-year-old attorney from New York City. She's from a close-knit Indian family and she wants to share her family traditions with her future partner. Yeah, I like everything about this. I think she's going to be a really fun character this season. I can see her being full of joy. I can see her being kind of the mom in the house because she likes to cook with her mom. And anytime there's somebody that provides food within the mansion, everybody loves. Everybody appreciates.

It's kind of a, if you want to tip on how to make friends, provide them food. And if she knows how to cook and she's willing to do it and she enjoys doing it, I think she's going to be one of those characters this season that comes on the podcast that we enjoy talking to. That's interesting. It makes us laugh. I see her, though, top eight. Okay. I don't see her going super far either, maybe a little bit before then.

But I find her just, and I'm not like really adding a lot of opinion to this, but I do feel like through her eyes I can vibe this. so I need to say she hasn't found herself in dramatic situations in her past it's been very fun but something about this but something about this show is going to bring out her um desire to defend others and sometimes that might get her in trouble this is what I can tell by her face okay Rebecca is wow Rebecca is a superstar Beyonce vibes Beyonce energy she's a 31 year old ICU nurse from Dallas Texas. She wants somebody who will travel the world with her and enjoys animals and playing Scrabble. Rebecca, you are more than your bio. You have far more power than that. This picture is one that stands out to you, right? Yeah. Yeah. It's a picture that can go one of two ways,

Ashley, for me. Either she is a fierce and a force to be reckoned with on this season and she's there to the final four or drama you know surrounds it because it kind of gives me the like i'm staring into your soul vibe again and that always is one that like for me that picture can go one of two ways like i'm confident that you can see into my soul and either you're going to destroy grant's soul or you're going to heal it and mend it and help him find love uh i don't know yet but i think she's going to be a character we talk about all season so watch out for rebecca she's going to be one that we know. Mm-hmm.

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. Right now in a backlog will be identified. a small lab in Texas is cracking the code on DNA. Using new scientific tools, they're finding clues in evidence so tiny you might just miss it.

He never thought he was going to get caught, and I just looked at my computer screen. I was just like, ah, gotcha. On America's Crime Lab, we'll learn about victims and survivors, and you'll meet the team behind the scenes at Othrum, the Houston Lab that takes on the most hopeless cases, to finally solve the unsolvable. Listen to America's Crime Lab on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. Shock incarceration, also known as boot camps, are short-term, highly regimented correctional programs that mimic military basic training. These programs aim to provide a shock of prison life, emphasizing strict discipline, physical training, hard labor, and rehabilitation programs. Mark had one chance to complete this program and had no idea of the hell awaiting him the next six months. The first night was so overwhelming. and you don't know who's next to you and we didn't know what to expect in the morning

nobody tells you anything listen to shock incarceration on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts My name is Ed Everyone say 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. The 22nd of July 2015, a 23-year-old man had killed his family. And then he came to my house. So what do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? A new podcast called Wisecrack, where stand-up comedy and murder takes center stage.

Available now. Listen to Wisecrack on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Adventure should never come with a pause button. Remember the movie pass era? Where you could watch all the movies you wanted for just $9? It made zero cents, and I could not stop thinking about it. I'm Bridget Todd. host of the tech podcast, there are no girls on the internet.

On this new season, I'm talking to the innovators who are left out of the tech headlines. Like the visionary behind a movie pass, Black founder Stacey Spikes, who was pushed out of Movie Pass, the company that he founded. His story is wild, and it's currently the subject of a juicy new HBO documentary. We dive into how culture connects us. When you go to France, or you go to England, or you go to Hong Kong, Those kids are wearing Jordans, they're wearing Kobe's shirt, they're watching Black Panther. And the challenges of being a Black founder.

Close your eyes and tell me what a tech founder looks like. They're not going to describe someone who looks like me and they're not going to describe someone who looks like you. I created There Are No Girls on the Internet because the future belongs to all of us. So listen to There Are No Girls on the Internet on the IHurt Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Culture eats strategy for breakfast. I would love for you to share your breakdown on pivoting. We feel sometimes like we're leaving a part of us behind when we enter a new space, but we're just building. On a recent episode of Culture Raises Us, I was joined by Volisha Butterfield, Media Founder, Political Strategist, and Tech Powerhouse

for a powerful conversation on storytelling, impact, and the intersections of culture and leadership. I am a free black woman who worked really hard to be able to say that. I'd love for you to break down why it was so important for you to do C. You can't win as something you didn't create. From the Obama White House to Google to the Grammys, Malicia's journey is a masterclass in shifting culture and using your voice to spark change. A very fake, capital-driven environment and society will have a lot of people tell half-truths. I'm telling you, I'm on the energy committee.

Like, if the energy is not right, we're not doing it, whatever that it is. Listen to Culture Raises us on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Rose is next, and she looks innocent, but she won't shut up. I know these things about her. This is just now I'm putting in my two-sentzance biz on appearance. She's a 27-year-old registered nurse from Chicago. She is a self-described terrible dancer, big fan of Julie Andrews. and Formula One Racing.

Love it. Love it. She knows what she likes. Two wildly opposite things. Formula One Racing and Julianne. Come on. Let's go. I like that bio.

It's fun. It's interesting. Here's a comparison. This is like this I think will make Rebecca make more sense. Rose does not have the ability to stare into my soul. Like she doesn't. Like this picture is very innocent. It's very like, hey, I'm just happy to be here kind of vibes.

Where Rebecca's like, no, I belong here. yeah but rose like she's a little bit of a nuisance can you see that can you see her like kind of being like oh i know i look like sweet but like like like like like like like a good commentator no not a commentator she's getting into things she's like the sidekick character to the villain oh she's she's robin what's wrong with me why he's just pouring out i have no idea it's i love it i'm great i'm just gonna sit back seraphina's next actually another baggy jean look she looks great these baggy jeans love this look i don't even just it's like it's just a thing that happened so fast we went through that like yoga pant phase like two years beyond this is like

been happening for two years well that's about my timeline on fashion is two years behind so i just love a crop top with baggy pants that way it shows off my stomach which is a better part of my body than my legs except for maybe not after two children but anyways 29 year old associate media director from new york city she loves watching gray's anatomy she loves dancing spontaneity and books trip out books trips okay she likes to books she likes to book trips on a whim i thought she liked book trips i was already that very weird book trips yeah like like like book clubs yeah i mean that's cool too um yeah you know what you book trips on a in when you're single or you don't have kids, I'm assuming.

And so when I read this, I'm like, yeah, but that's going to have to change. You and your partner are probably going to have jobs and responsibilities start to increase. And obviously, then you enter kids in this scenario. Like, how exciting would it be for you, Ashley, for Jared and you to wake up tomorrow morning? And he's like, you know what, let's book a trip for tomorrow. Like, you would love that. But it's just not an option anymore. And so I say all this to say, when you're ready for a committed long-term relationship,

I think those things, if they are your favorite things to do right now, my hope is that you can find something different or a due way to compromise that as you do enter into relationship. Next up is Savannah. She's a 27-year-old wedding planner from Charlottesville, Virginia. She is ready to turn these girls, I tell you, she's ready to turn the plot of the wedding planner into reality I want to

like I need to have a hang with them I love her You would fail so bad on this season Ashley Why? Because I just became Make friends

You'd make so many friends And all you'd want to do Is talk to him about movies And every time The guy would come in You would be like chatting about some random movie You're talking about that day

When he goes hey how was your day You're like it was great We talked about the wedding planner He's like I could care less Like honestly like that sounds awful She's so cute But I don't think she's gonna go that far Uh, the reason I think that is because she's talkative is in her, is in her bio.

She's loyal, caring, and talkative, right? Loyal, awesome. Caring, amazing. If talkative is in your bio, if that is one of the top three qualities that you give yourself, um, it's probably not going to work on this show. Mostly because you'll have very few instances where you can actually talk to the lead. And you're going to get really frustrated with that. which means you're going to be the one that's like, I need more time.

I need to interrupt. I need to talk to him more. And unless you find that outlet in the women around you, which is very rare and not always healthy, you're going to get frustrated. And I see Savannah getting very frustrated being on the show. What an analyst, Ben. What an analyst. What an analyst.

Vicky, very, very pretty like her. She also feels very comfortable on camera, 28-year-old nightclub server from Vegas. She used to be an NFL cheerleader. She still likes football. Dreams of living on a vineyard in Italy. Well, that's nice. Who doesn't it? Again, that would be great, right?

If that would work out. We've had other nightclub servers from Vegas on the show before. The twins. The twins. and they did great big personality is really fun to be around really nice to be around obviously made a name for themselves and then found themselves married with kids post show vicky i'm guessing that's your your lot too like you're going to do great you're going to be awesome here uh you're going to be a character that we laugh watch and enjoy and it and brings joy and hospitality of those around you however

i don't know if grant and this season will work out but i have a feeling that will come very soon after. Whenever I see nightclub server, I'm, like, stressed because they have to work so late. It's like, why am I stressed for her? That's a good point. Like, her working hours, like, don't start until 10 p.m. Yeah, I went and visited the twins once in Vegas.

And I remember they took us to the club that they worked. And they're like, yeah, we'll get there around like 10.30 or something to get, like, dressed and started. And I was like, that's insane. Like, I was planning on being back in my hotel. hellroom by 11. So this isn't working out. Zoe is our last contestant. She's a 27-year-old tech engineer and model. She is, she looks very pretty. I see her modeling. She's from New York City. A lot of New York City girls this time around. She was the first female wrestler to compete

on her high school team before attending Duke, where she got her degree in mechanical engineering. son of a biscuit some people have it all don't they they do you just look at her and you're like oh yeah like you've got everything like what what are your insecurity Zoe like what keeps you up at night about yourself because right now you're pretty

you're smart you're athletic you know how to boat I mean it doesn't I guess say sailing which would be really cool I like that she added eat tacos in there like that's the one thing out of all this I can relate with herself yeah like i can relate with that like oh yeah i like to eat tacos too that sounds cool um everything else i'm like they just yeah she's another top four for me so i think that rounds out

my top four i don't remember everybody i said but i know i've now used my four top fours when i've mentioned them throughout the show okay so now it's my turn i do add zoe into my top four as well I think that Alex our number one girl is the winner and I think I'm just being swayed by her appearances

in the preview but Alex Zoe do I add Alicia? I had Alicia in mine Alicia is tempting scroll in scrolling

scrolling scrolling Carolina I would like to add her let's add Carolina and then Janae the basketball player I do think Rebecca will be

I don't know if there's a villain from this season but I think Rebecca is going to be the one in my vote that is going to I just have to say that she causes the other women to get jealous I think she's first impression rows Target on back and ultimately as we've seen

in past seasons, it doesn't get handled well. And she stares at somebody like she's doing in this photo and it frightens them. And for whatever reason, she's bullying me.

And she's like, I didn't say a word. And they're like, yeah, but you looked at me that way. And that's just how powerful that gaze is. Producer Hana,

can you weigh these down our predictions so that we can follow along during the season and you can remind us throughout, be like, you were wrong on that, wrong on that.

So my top four is Zoe, Alex. I'll just put Carolina in it. Carolina, Carolina. Carolina. Carolina. It's definitely Carolina. Why am I calling her Carolina? She's not a state. Spelled like it. But she's from Puerto Rico. I think it's Carolina.

Let's add in. Okay, this is so weird because we didn't really talk about her a lot, but like there's something about her that I'm crossing her picture and I'm like, she needs to be worth noting. Neesey, the pediatrician. Okay. Good pick. Good pick. So, all right, those are my four. And then my troublemaker is, my troublemaker is actually Rose. I figured you'd say that. That's fair. Yeah, that's fair. Yeah, that's fair. You had that vibe from the beginning. This is going to be a great season. We don't always say that after we kind of break down the cast. We've said it in the past where we thought, hey, who is this cast? Like, do they not have anything else to offer? I think we said it about Jen's cast. We were like, this,

This doesn't feel like it's going to work. And, well, it didn't. But hey, she's with Shasha now. And look, if it weren't for her being The Bachelorette, she wouldn't be with Sasha. It works somehow, some way. It just doesn't work on this season. I think this cast is going to be fun to watch.

Confident. They're beautiful. We're going to get emotion. Grant, I think, will be a great lead. I'm excited to watch this season. I don't know anything about Grant. yet, though. And that's my problem still. I don't think he's going to be a bad lead. I don't think he was a bad choice. I think it is a weird thing they're doing when it comes to how they're

introducing us to these bachelors. Have they not learned a lesson yet? Where if we don't know the bachelor, it's really hard for us to get into the season. And so my hope is instead of just saying, oh, he's so good looking, he's so attractive, because of course he is, we actually get to know the guy a little bit before this season starts. And so I'm still waiting for that because I don't feel like I do yet. You think that you were going to get to know them before the season starts? Well, like maybe first episode. I'm saying like before we actually get into the dating thing. You remember how they used to do like bonus episodes like that? Like meet the bachelor or like meet the cast and there would be like a little like half an hour or something. Am I making this up? I think they used

to do this like back of the day when the show used to be like super duper popular. Do you disagree with me that like I have nothing against Grant? Put it on Hulu guys. You don't have to put it on the real show. Just like throw up like a 30 minute thing about like Grant's life. I know you have that footage from when you do packages. Yes. I just don't know them yet. And so it's hard for me to get into this right now. With Joey, we knew. I mean, that was one of the reasons that he had the most successful season in, you know, many years was because we knew him going into it. We saw his heartbreak. We saw his journey. We saw who he was. We saw how excited he was to find somebody. And so we went into the season and be like, yeah, that's Joey. We saw his transfer. like you said, his glow-up into The Bachelor. With Grant, we don't know anything yet. And I think I'm excited to watch the season because I think the cast is going to be great. But I feel like we should have learned our lesson

as fans, viewers, and as a show that the cast can carry a season just fine when it comes to entertainment. But the cast can't make people view it, like watch it. Right. So, so true. Are we going to have another? We need to be invested in the lead. Zach season.

We need to want him to, yeah. You know, was Zach, I know Zach, he's a nice guy, but we don't, we didn't know him. Yeah, this is, Grant is not just Zach, because Zach got further. Grant is like Clayton. Yeah. Because he was like seventh, eighth. Yeah. And it didn't work because we never got to know Clayton, really.

They just kind of threw us into a season. It was like, watch this guy date. And we're like, yeah, that's cool. We just don't know this guy. Like, is he good guy? Yeah, except he did like mess up so bad that it was entertaining. you're not wrong anyways this has been the almost famous podcast

we've broken down the women that will be on this season of The Bachelor The Bachelor is right around the corner we're excited to start watching it It's been a great off season so far Again we wanted to pause at the end To talk about the fires Within the Los Angeles area

And if you're somebody who lives in Los Angeles As so many of our listeners do Do not hesitate to reach out for help If you're somebody looking to support people within Los Angeles. There are some great ways to do it from a public perspective when it comes to great organizations already on the ground. I know of two reputable, impactful, effective, and efficient organizations, Project

Hope, and the American Red Cross. You can just Google their names. They're both on the ground already, helping provide shelter, care, essential items, and mental health support to those. affected by the fires. But here at the Almost Famous Podcast, we are thinking about you. We're thinking about the team.

Some of our team was affected by these fires and had to evacuate. We know this is a chaotic, confusing, and very sad time. So if you're listening, we're thinking about you. And we're sorry. So until next time, I've been Ben.

I've been Ashley. Bye. Follow the Ben and Ashley I, almost famous podcasts on iHeartRadio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Let's start with a quick puzzle. The answer is Ken Jennings' appearance on The Puzzler with A.J. Jacobs. The question is, what is the most entertaining listening experience in podcast land? Jeopardy-truthers believe in...

I guess they would be Kenspiracy theorists. That's right. They give you the answers and you still blew it. The Puzzler. Listen on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Culture eats strategy for breakfast, right? On a recent episode of Culture Raises Us, I was joined by Belisha Butterfield, media founder, political strategist, and tech powerhouse for a powerful conversation on storytelling, impact, and the intersections of culture and leadership. I am a free black woman. From the Obama White House to Google to the Grammys, Valicia's journalism.

journey is a masterclass in shifting culture and using your voice to spark change. Listen to Culture raises us on 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, 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-Bradford, 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 a norm 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. 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. This is an IHeart podcast.