The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - Almost Famous Adventures: What “Broke” Gary Levingston on the Golden Bachelorette??

Episode Date: January 30, 2025

Our Bachelor Nation OGs Bob Guiney and Andrew Firestone keep the party going in Pebble Beach with one of the breakout stars from the Golden Bachelorette… Gary Levingston!   Gary opens up about what he learned about himself after being on the show, and we find out what he REALLY wants now that the cameras are off.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Hold up. Isn't that against school policy? That seems inappropriate. Maybe find out how it ends by listening to the OK Storytime podcast and the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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.

To give you the answers, and you still blitzers. The Puzzler. Listen 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. Listen to shock incarceration on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Kurt Brown-Oller. And I am Scotty Landis, and we host Bananas, the podcast where we share the weirdest, funniest, real news stories from all around the world.

And sometimes from our guest's personal lives, too. Like when Whitney Cummings recently revealed her origin story on the show. There's no way I don't already have rabies. This is probably just why my personality is like this. I've been surviving rabies for the past 20 years. New episodes of bananas drop every Tuesday in the exactly right network. Listen to bananas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the Almost Famous Podcast with IHeart Radio.

Almost Famous to OG's Pebble Beach Edition. I believe we are calling this Golden's After Dark. Golden's Unleashed. Is that what it is? Golden's gone wild. Golden's go crazy. Oh my God. This is amazing.

We're going to do a spin-off, the Golden's Gone Wild franchise. I feel like we're Joe Francis reincarnated or something without the purviness or something. But Gary, man, thank you, Gary Livingston. We've had you on the show before. It was an absolute pleasure.

You had my much better-looking co-host, Trista there that day. That's okay. Don't get me wrong. His baby blues, he is a sharp-looking man. Yes, he is. Trista Sutterney. I don't even think this thing's plugged in.

indeed sorry tristo true story no it's it's great to have you back thanks man thanks for having me now have you been on a bunch of these like golden adventures or is this the first one um you know i stopped counting i just go where i'm needed and wanted or requested uh this is not the first one uh but i sure hope it's not the last one because the journey has been absolutely fantastic oh my gosh it's been a fun well you were such a standout on the show too everybody loves you You're affiliated with your church back home. I know that. Yes.

I'm trying to think of all the things I remember about you from my last interview. Tina Turner's godson or grandson? Yes. Yes. Yes. Godson. Godson? Yeah.

So I had heard a thing about Tina Turner once that I thought was pretty spectacular. I had heard that every time you drive past an orange and white barrel on the highway, that Tina Turner invested in those barrels. Have you heard this story, too? I've never heard of that. Oh my gosh. My dad told me this story. He's like, you know, Tina Turner.

And I'm like, really? and my dad was like not one to necessarily make things up and he was like yeah apparently she took some money from you know one of her albums and invested him and making these orange barrels for the road and so every time you drive what are you talking about like the construction barrels the actual the big water tanks yeah the actual uh what he calls it who is doing his facts fight Tina Turner I don't know wait okay so I hope my producers dig deep how much room is there on the edit room floor for this nonsense you're talking about this is a mess We did deep here and almost in the COGs. Yeah, look, I've heard of a lot of investments in particular real estate she's done, but that's the first time I've heard she's invested in some blocks with water. I want you to check it out with your family. Let me know what you find out.

Let's get back on track here. Thanks, Andrew. Thank you. That's why he's here. Keep us guided. Keep us focused. Like those orange and white barrels in the freeway, I'll keep you on the lane. See you there?

Every time I look now, I'm going to be like, uh, no. No, no, no. He needs to get paid as much as Tina Turner because the rumor was that she made billions of. I wouldn't doubt it. I mean, there are every place, especially in the city where the off and on-ramps are, so. So they want you to turn? So do we start, should we do the intro one more time? Now that we've got all his bullshit out.

I know, be honest, I think this is going spectacular. Oh, my goodness gracious. All right. So let's touch base real quick. So you were on, of course, Joan's season. Yes. You come on. How do you end up on the show?

My wife actually told me I had to ask this question of everyone. You know, that's an interesting question. And I fought it and I fought it. One of the casting directors came to my church. And I go, are you new? And I'm like, I'm Gary. She says, I'm Sheree, one of the assistant casting directors. I said, I will escort you to your seats.

As I'm escorting her, she hands me this paper that says, golden bachelorette application i go i'm i'm not doing that that's not me do it what it was i had no idea but i said i'm too private i'm i'm very personal i'm very private person i'm not going to do that but over the course of the next three months or so we befriended each other yeah and so we became good friends and i was supporting her on um one of the casting calls and i saw some of the guys that were going up on stage and I thought this is not going too well this I got to go up and at least help her with what she's trying to accomplish here and that's get some guys for the show not intending to be one of the guys and the next day they go you're number one in the

running we're going to push you through we really like you we got to get you ready for the executive producers the it's it's just like this world win of things start happening and that's and that's that's how it happens. There's the power of yes once again, right? Being willing to say yes to something that was kind of crazy. See what happens when you're a nice guy and you try to help someone out? There you go, buddy. You help you do your seats.

But I think that the people that end up on the show that don't intend to be on the show. Right. That are there by circumstance, by, you know, a little bit of luck or fate or whatever else and don't have any preconceived notions of it, I think, end up. not only being the most authentic, which is one thing, but having the most maybe personal experience on it as well, because again, it's just like it either you could take it or leave it. It's not something you're sought after and desired. Absolutely. And so you go in there with no expectations and I think the outcome just becomes so authentic. Yeah. Which is what I think drives the audience

and the experience for everybody. And you know, it's an interesting point you make because for me it was more of a spiritual journey. Joan was beautiful, but it was more of a spiritual journey for me. And so I was very comfortable being the man that I am, not the man that I used to be, which was protect, guard, don't let your walls down to, I don't really care anymore. If I get emotional, I'm going to get emotional,

if I feel vulnerable. Only if I feel safe, I'm going to do that. that because we're human right and so when we can be comfortable in our own skin being who we are it was it was easy and so that's what came out and i'm i'm really happy to see that the edits uh came out to be just that which was um you know he's he's a nice guy and and um i haven't heard anything now i will tell you so you know that's one of the things i was going to say to you was I always used to say the same thing you were saying right now, like,

oh, it was just the, you know, the benefactor of really good editing, right? But, you know, to be truthful, I mean, and talking to you in the past as I have. And, you know, we even mentioned, you know, you popped in to make sure everything was cool for a guy to come in. You know, you're just a thoughtful person. And I think that kind of, that kind of, I don't know how to say it, but it predicates, you know,

you entering a room. Yeah, sure. You're like, oh, I love this guy. And you walk in. It's energy and, you know, I mean, you've had such great positive feedback. your son Blake's gotten great positive feedback. I have some Blake as well, by the way. I don't even know if I shared that with you, but I do.

Amen. There you go. I love it. I love it. But, I mean, you've gotten so many wonderful things. Yeah. Come as a result of that show. More so, I guess, because there's maybe just a little more of an eye on you, right?

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And it's interesting, again, the Coachella Valley, where I live in Palm Desert. And me, I'm not sure if it's the hair thing or if it, but I get noticed every. everywhere I go now, but it's all good and fun, even though I'm keeping things in perspective, but it is a lot of fun as a result of the show.

So, yeah, it's been a great run. So you talked about being, like being vulnerable. Was there a moment that you remember in your experience, whether it was on the show or after the show or maybe the cameras weren't even rolling where you had that vulnerable moment that broke you? Yeah, it was the first night. when they rolled the television out and they had our kids say,

we miss you, good luck, and all of that. And my daughter came on with my grandson, and it hit me because up to that point, we had been sequestered, there was no phones, there was no internet. I hadn't talked to anyone, and my daughter and I talk twice a day, every day. So when I saw that, it hit me. me. And that was probably the most vulnerable for me that I can recall. And it was a very touching moment because my grandson, who's on the spectrum of autism, right? And to see him say hello, pop, and buy, and I love you. And it was just a very, very powerful moment, man. It really was. So

That hit me. My boyfriend's professor is way too friendly, and now I'm seriously suspicious. Well, wait a minute, Sam. Maybe her boyfriend's just looking for extra credit. Well, Dakota, it's back to school week on the OK Storytime podcast, so we'll find out soon. This person writes,

my boyfriend has been hanging out with his young professor a lot. He doesn't think it's a problem, but I don't trust her. Now, he's insisting we get to know each other, but I just want her gone. Now, hold up. Isn't that against school policy? That sounds totally inappropriate. Well, according to this person, this is her boyfriend's former professor, and they're the same age.

It's even more likely that they're cheating. He insists there's nothing between them. I mean, do you believe him? Well, he's certainly trying to get this person to believe him because he now wants them both to meet. So, do we find out if this person's boyfriend really cheated with his professor or not? To hear the explosive finale, listen to the OK Storytime podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. 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 Authrum, 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.

My name is Ed. Everyone say hello, Ed. Hello, Ed. I'm a very rural background myself. My dad is a farmer and my mom is a cousin. So, like, it's not, like... What do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club?

I know it sounds like the start of a bad joke, but that really was my reality nine years ago. I just normally do straight stand-up, but this is a bit different. On stage stood a comedian with a story that no one expected to hear. Well, 22nd of July, 2015. A 23-year-old man had killed his family.

And then he came to my house. So what do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? A new podcast called Wisecrack, where stand-up comedy and murder takes center stage. Available now. Listen to Wisecrack on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. And that's one of those moments, too, that I think people, you know, they always say the power of television, right? Like if you're genuine, it shows through.

And I think, you know, that's why people loved this cast so much. And we talked about age-appropriate casting, which was something that I thought was a big value of this show because I was worried, especially on Gary's season when he was The Bachelor. Yeah. I was worried they were going to have, you know, a slew of, you know, age-appropriate women. and they were going to throw in a couple 40-year-olds to just piss people off, right? Because that's just, you know, what you come to know with this show over the year. Right. And then when the guys come on, and it's the same thing, it's age-appropriate casting.

It's like everybody's, this guy that you would love if they were in your hometown. Yeah, absolutely. You know, yeah, they've had experiences that have led them to be available now. And should they get back out there? How do you feel after being on the show about getting back out there and about putting yourself out there from a dating perspective? Um, it's, it's added a level of confidence. Um, it's allowed me to be a little more selective. I shouldn't say a little. It's allowed me to be more selective. It's allowed me to say, um, that's not what I want and not waste anyone's time with just trying to figure out if that's what I want. I have a list of things that I want and I'm sticking to that and I'm not afraid of running from those things. So it's at a layer of confidence in my world of, I'm not going to settle for, just having fun, I really am looking for a wife. And proud of that. So I think one of the things

that Bob and I can both relate to is that even though the outcome for both of us wasn't happily ever after, it was such an introspective learning experience because you're in that moment and you're like, yeah, when you're talking about it, you're answering those questions. And you're, you know, you're being vulnerable and you are putting yourself out. You're, you're all also asking yourself a lot of questions about what it is that you want that makes you happy. And I felt like I came out of it and I wasn't a different person. Yeah. But I had like, I'd answered a bunch of questions that probably were hanging otherwise.

Yes. And it like narrowed my focus of what I wanted for myself and a partner and family and life and all those sorts of things. Did you learn things about yourself through it? Totally. You know, the younger Gary probably wouldn't be able to answer that with a straight face. Yep. But the man that I am today, it did allow me to really go deep and to say, I know what I want now.

And I'm not afraid of that. And it is what it is, but I'm comfortable being, again, in my skin, whether you like me or not. But, you know, I'm comfortable in my own skin. And I'm happy with the questions that I have for my next person, whoever that might be. Yeah, I love it. I love it. And you've almost been kind of like, kind of metaphorically stripped down where you're like, listen, I'm so vulnerable now. You've seen all of it.

And now, like, you know, it's almost like going to breaks down that like being embarrassed or anxious. And you've already seen it all. You've seen the worst, the best, everything. And this is, you know, this is kind of my path. Yeah. Here's the new package. or I even knew but the improved. Yeah, totally, totally, totally.

Again, a big piece of it is when we reach a certain point in our lives. And I've got a lot of rubber on the road that has met the road, right? I've had some great experiences. I've traveled globally and had a chance to do it at a very high level of of royalty, you know, with my godmother, another uncle who was in the music business. My other uncle was with the L.A. Dodgers for 17 years. So I grew up in Dodgers Stadium, right?

And I'm sitting next to these Hall of Famers. But as a little guy, they're just like you and I talking right now. They're your uncle's buddies. Not realizing until you get older and you're like, that was Don Drysdale. Right. Oh my gosh. That was Sandy Kof. or that was, you know, Willie Davis or whoever.

So now, with that behind me, I think it's helped me to also remain grounded in being the man that I am. And I'm so happy to have been on this journey and to still be on it and now sharing it with everyone. Yeah, I love it. I love it.

And it couldn't happen to a nicer guy. Thank you, man. So it's always a pleasure. Thank you for joining us on the show. Are you playing golf tomorrow or what's your point? I am playing golf. He's where he got his golf shoes on. Oh, very good.

Yeah, he does. I saw that. Were you out here? No, he came in. This is like the intimidation tour. He came in. He's got his Jesus piece out right there and his cross out. He's got to kill them.

He's got Tiger Woods on his feet and the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ around his neck. Oh, my gosh. I'm winning, baby. I can't lose. Even before you. It doesn't matter what I can't lose. Come on, guys. You're winning before it even if you're winning.

We, we, we, we, it's us. We are winning. I hope you're in our for some. I do, too. That'd be a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to it. Well, it's been great having you, man. Thank you for joining us on your almost famous podcast.

We appreciate it. It's going to be a long couple of days, just so you know. Okay. Buckle down. I'm ready. I'm ready. It's a big show. Let's make it happen.

All right, buddy. All right, guys. Have a great week. Take care. My boyfriend's professor is way too friendly, and now I'm seriously suspicious. Wait a minute, Sam. Maybe her boyfriend's professor is way too friendly, and now I'm seriously suspicious. just looking for extra credit.

Well, Dakota, luckily, it's back to school week on the OK Storytime podcast, so we'll find out soon. This person writes, my boyfriend's been hanging out with his young professor a lot. He doesn't think it's a problem, but I don't trust her. Now he's insisting we get to know each other, but I just want her gone. Hold up. Isn't that against school policy? That seems inappropriate.

Maybe find out how it ends by listening to the OK Storytime podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Let's start with a quick puzzle. 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 IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Kurt Brown-Oller. And I am Scotty Landis, and we host Bananas, the podcast where we share the weirdest, funniest, real news stories from all around the world.

And sometimes from our guest personal lives, too. Like when Whitney Cummings recently revealed, her origin story on the show. There's no way I don't already have rabies. This is probably just why my personality is like this. I've been surviving rabies for the past 20 years. New episodes of bananas drop every Tuesday in the Exactly Right Network. Listen to bananas on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This is an IHeart podcast.