The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - Almost Famous OG: Byron Velvick

Episode Date: January 31, 2026

When you’re a Bachelor Nation OG, sometimes it’s hard to share your experience unless you’re with someone who knows what it’s like, and we get to listen in as Bob Guiney reconnects with season 6 Bachelor Byron Velvick!Byron revisits his awkward night one in the mansion with a Bachelor twist that had never been done before! He reveals why his time on the show felt like divine intervention, and a major bonding moment happens between Bob and Byron when the reels come out and we get hooked on fishing!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human. In the middle of the night, Saskia awoke in a haze. Her husband, Mike, was on his laptop. What was on his screen would change Saskia's life forever. I said, I need you to tell me exactly what you're doing. And immediately, the mask came off. You're supposed to be safe.

That's your home. That's your husband. Listen to Betrayal Season 5 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Joel and Matt from HowTo Money. If your New Year's resolution is to finally get your finances in shape, we've got your back. Prices that are still high and the economy is all over the place. But 2026 is the year for you to get intentional and make real progress. That's right.

Each week we break down what's happening with your money, the most important issues to focus on, and the small moves that make a big difference. Kick off the year with confidence, listen to How to Money on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What if mind control is real? If you could control the behavior of anybody around you, what kind of life would you have?

Can you hypnotically persuade someone to buy a car? When you look at your car, you're going to become overwhelmed with such good feelings. Can you hypnotize someone into sleeping with you? I gave her some suggestions to be sexually aroused. Can you get someone to join your car? NLP was used on me to access my subconscious. Mind Games, a new podcast exploring NLP, aka neurolinguistic programming.

Is it a self-help miracle, a shady hypnosis scam, or both? Listen to Mind Games on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You know, we always say New Year, New Me, but real change starts on the inside. It starts with giving your mind and your spirit the same attention you give your goals. Hey, everybody, it's Michelle Williams, host of checking in on the Black Effect Podcast Network. And on my podcast, we talk mental health, healing, growth, and everything you need to step into your next season, whole and empowered. New Year, Real You. Listen to Checking in with Michelle Williams from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

This is the Almost Famous Podcast with IHartRadio. Hey guys, it's Almost Famous OGs, the podcast of goodness. And it's one of your hosts here, Bob Guinea. I hope you're doing well. And thank you so much for tuning and listening. We have a very exciting podcast today. I'm actually super excited because this is someone who came shortly after me in the lineage of the bachelor's over the years.

And was the first year they put kind of a clever twist on how they did this show, which we're going to talk all about that. Let's bring him in. I believe he would be Bachelor Season 6. It's Byron Velvick, Bachelor, pro-fisherman, and all-around, awesome dude. What's up, Byron? There he is.

Bob Guinea. How are you doing, buddy? Dude, I'm doing good. How about you? Oh, man, I am so good. Thank you so much for getting on the show with us. I really appreciate it. Hey, thanks for having me on the show.

I really appreciate the invitation. When they called you for the show, and I want to hear about all of it. I want to know how they found you, all that kind of stuff. But, I mean, you were already a big deal in the professional fishing world. So this had to be kind of a really cool situation, I guess, kind of bring in two major worlds together. I mean, it had to just explode for you, I would think. You know, Bob, it was surreal because I'm back east fishing. I'm on tour.

I'm a bass gypsy. I mean, I'm literally sleeping at campgrounds. And I'd never watched the show in my life. And I saw I had no clue what The Bachelor was. But I was fishing all the tournaments and won two U.S. Open Open. There's U.S. Open trophy there and another U.S. Open trophy there. That pinball machine is called Fish Tales. I had a fishing agent.

And after I won my second U.S. Open, she gifted me that pinball machine as a congratulations for winning my second U.S. Open. So I'm doing all this stuff. I'm a 40-year-old divorced bass fisherman. And my friends are watching The Bachelor and they're like, hey, you need to be on this show. And I didn't even know what they were talking about, dude. guy. So when The Bachelor called, they wanted me to send them pictures of me. You know, like, find out like, hey, I know, do you wear a belt buckle? Do you chew tobacco? I'm serious. They're trying to wrap their head around. What is a fisherman going to look like? You know, they're

expecting, they're stereotyping me as a fisherman and they're kind of apprehensive. I said, I got to go to Kinko, as you remember back in the day. Yeah, I'm going to have to drive to Charlotte, North Carolina. That's the closest town of this lake. And if you guys want pictures, I'll have to send them from Kinkos. That's funny. They're like, okay. You know what? They go, we need pictures of you. It was primitive internet. So there was no internet. Right.

We're supposed to have Wi-Fi. It was 21 years ago, dude. That's crazy. I was going to say, yeah, because I was 2004. You were two seasons after me. You were 2005 at least, right? I mean. Right. I think it was Jesse Palmer was right before me. It was Jesse. Was Jesse Palmer after you? Was there somebody else after you before Jesse? Yeah. So I was right. I was before Jesse. So I was 2003, 2004. and then Jesse, I think, was 2004, which means you were probably 2004 or 2005, somewhere right in there.

Because they were shooting them back to back back then. Right. You know, it was crazy. Right. Right. So when you get the call and they're like, okay, we want you to come on the show, is your family and your friends? Are they just like, what? This is crazy.

Well, I had never seen the show. And so my friends were excited. My two friends in Vegas that were friends with one of the girls that had some connection to the bachelor. And they said, hey, we're looking for the next bachelor. And they go, do you know anybody in Vegas? And so my friend Carrie and Jason are like, oh my God, Jason's best friend would be great. He's divorced, but he's on the road fishing. But he would be, every time we watch the show, we said this friend of Jason's Byron, my best friend with him and his care.

They'd have the bachelor watching parties on Wednesday nights. Yeah. And they're like putting me in the ring. And so they're telling the producers, the casting directors about me. And they're like, well, explain this guy to us. And A, I was divorced and I was much older than most of the bachelors. Dude, I was 40 when I did this show. Right.

Yeah. And at the time before you, I was the oldest at 32. Oh, no way. Yeah. Yeah. And you were on Trista. If I remember, you were on Trista's show first and then they brought you back and gave you your own show after.

Yes. Yep. I was like the lovable loser, I guess. You know, they were like, oh, that's pretty much. Lovable loser. Yeah. That's awesome. With me, they had the two guys.

They had me and Jay Overby and they did a rose. I remember that. Yes. So I didn't get that. I thought at the very. end, I was still going home. Like, I couldn't believe, Bob, when they were auditioning me, they, I'm going around fishing in my little astrovan or my little truck with my boat, and I get a call and they're like, hey, we need you in L.A. tomorrow. Can you get to the nearest

airport? I'm like, well, I'm in between tournaments right now. Bob, I was being abducted by ABC Brass as like aliens. Because I'm in my truck and boat. I'm staying at the worst hotels or campgrounds. I get on a, I go to the airport. There's a one way, I mean, there's a round trip, first class plane ticket waiting for me. Oh, my God. You know the deal? There's a limousine. There's a driver waiting for you.

Yeah, yeah. At the airport in Burbank and it's like, hello, Mr. Velvick. And I'm like, Mr. Velvick, like, my dad's not here. And then they have the little signage and they put me in there and take me to a penthouse. And I'm having sushi at sunset with the ABC people. Oh, my God. You remember, they're just vetting us, right? They're getting to know us.

And every time they ask me, they'd say, why are you? What makes you America's most eligible bachelor? I go, I'm not. You guys keep calling me. I've never seen the show. I'm not America's most eligible bachelor. I'm not even trying out for this thing. See, and I think, honest of God,

like when I talk about our era, because I believe you and I are of the same era of that show, I think we're the same guy. Like I literally said to them, I'm like, I'm not, you know, I remember even at my first rose ceremony, I remember saying to the ladies, like, ladies, look, if you go home tonight, you're welcome, because this is a disaster.

You know, you know, trust me, this is no one. And I was being honest, you know, I'm like, there's no, you know, we're not hot air balloon Dayton in Detroit. We're not taking a chopper into a, you know, volcano in Detroit. You know, we're going out, we're going out for dinner and maybe going to Windsor. You know, that's what we're doing tonight. To the casino. We're going to the casino.

Yeah, we're going to go to have some fun. But yeah, I love that you had that kind of mindset. I'm sure that's what made them love you. They kept scratching off the hard questions because they go, you know, all these 5,000 guys tried out for The Bachelor. and there's me going, I don't know. I've watched the Weather Channel. I watched Jesse Jane Wantsder Garage.

You know, I'm watching just a few shows. I go, this is a dating reality show. And they kept telling me, they go, do you want to find somebody? And I said, absolutely. Like, I was married and I loved being married. And I liked that feeling of that ring on my finger and having that commitment, no matter where I was in the country. I wanted that.

I go, they go, well, we're going to get you the cleanest dating pool. That's what Jason Carbone, my producer at the time. Yeah, yeah. My producer, Jason Carbone. He goes, we're going to get you the cleanest dating pool. We're going to vet these women. And they go, have you ever done a dating service? No, I go, I'm back east fishing.

I'm around the country. All I do is fish, man. But I'd love to have a relationship. And so to be 40 years old and they give that to you, Bob, is bizarre. What a gift, huh? And it was before dating apps and all that kind of stuff too. So, you know, now it's probably, you know, I guess people wouldn't be as blown away by having, you know, the choice of, you know, 30 people to scroll through theoretically, but you actually got to meet

all of them in person. I mean, well, to talk about that moment for a second with Jay, like, so you, you and Jay meet. I'm sure with the type of guy you are, you probably hit it off right away because you seem like that, like just kind of guy you make friends with everybody. I mean, was he, was it kind of crazy for him too? Because this was the first time they had done something like that with two bachelors and then the ladies make the choice, you know? So was it equally, you know, awkward for him? Or was it awkward? Or were you feeling like, oh, my God, I'm, I'm auditioning for these women. And then, you know, I mean, like, that has just been crazy. It's so weird, Bob, because it's like, I go, I kept saying, I go, I know I'm going to go home.

I mean, I can't believe I even got this far. Every single time they called me back. I'm like, my mom lives in Southern California. It's a chance for me to go, say hi to my mom. It's time the non-disclosure grant, but I go, I'm getting an all expense free flight out there to California, get to say hi to mom and see my friends, but can't tell them what I'm doing, can't tell them while I'm there. And Bob, and Bob, seeing Jay Overby at the end was weird because, you know, you go to the hotels. You remember when we're first auditioning, you see other guys at the gym. And you know they're probably there for the same reason you are, but you know across that line, right? You're like, there's eight guys, 10 guys, 12 guys at a hotel. You're like,

I think all these guys are trying out for this bachelor thing with me, right? It's crazy. And then Jay and I, we were night and day. Like, they had me in. as the city, the country boy, good old boy fishing, outdoor guy, and he was pure New York City. Didn't have a car, did not have a car, lived, ordered all his food, takeout, did not drive, you know, realtor from New York City. And it was too, they went polar opposite. They wanted, did you want the New York City slicking real estate agent or do you want the good old boy bass fisherman that's out in the middle of nowhere, you know, trying to catch a fish for a living? Well, the women spoke, right?

America spoke and I love it. I don't believe it when I got the most roses that night. Talk about it. That is crazy. Did you, have you ever talked to Jay since? Like, did you guys ever keep in touch after that experience? No, no, we never did. We didn't keep in touch after that.

We kind of went our separate ways. And we didn't have a lot in common at all because we really were two totally different people. Yeah. Well, obviously, right? I mean, it's like, you know, you guys just weren't. I couldn't imagine. if you had a list of like 20 things that you guys would have in common,

I don't think you would have gotten to like probably five, right, at that point because you guys are such polar opposites. If he doesn't have a car, he doesn't drive, he orders takeout as dry cleaners. I remember the last time I went to a dry cleaners, but dry cleaning and ordering takeout, I mean,

I'm, so we didn't mesh and he wanted a personal trainer for working out. I just work out, right? I didn't need a personal trainer. He wanted a personal trainer and, you know, I was like he had a lot more.

He made the people at the bachelor jump through a lot more hoops than I did. was my understanding. Like, dude, you are so chill and you're so relaxed and you're so, you know, I'll just make it work on my own. Like I can't believe you guys picked me. So maybe at the end of this, there's going to be somebody really special because as a 40-year-old, like I said, divorced bass fisherman, why would they take me over all of the different guys that really, really tried out and probably would have been a heck a lot better than I was on

this show? I don't know. I don't know about that, buddy. I think, I honestly think for me, personality really carries it and your personality speaks for itself. And at the end of the day, you got to be able to have a conversation with anybody. And, you know, you and I both know, yes, they, they find, because Carbone was my producer, and he said pretty much the same thing to me, right?

But it was interesting because they find amazing people, amazing women on those shows. But you probably realize that I say this a lot, and I get heat for it sometimes. But I hope you'll take it for how I mean it. But I used to always say at the time, they'd be like, you know, well, you're America's most eligible bachelor. I'm like, no, this show has nothing to do with me. I guess it's called The Bachelor, but it's about these 30 women who have never lost anything in their lives. And I'm like the, I'm the monkey in the middle handing out a flower.

And so you can hire anybody for this gig, you know. But when I used to think about it that way, and I would tell the new bachelor's that and I would get in trouble for it. They'd be like, we don't, we don't need to be repeating that. I'm like, it's true. It doesn't do with the guy, you know? That's so cool. It's so cool to talk to you because it's like I remember I did a game show a long time ago with one of the other. You don't get to talk to anybody that's had the same experience as you.

Like, this is really a neat moment because I'm actually talking to one of the few people that has walked that walk with me and that experience. And that's just, that doesn't happen to me because everybody just remembers you from the show, but they don't relate to what you and I lived in. It was nuts, man. It was nuts. And it was such a different time for the show, too. And so many people watched it because it wasn't diluted.

You know, there was a lot more people watching it because you didn't have all the channels you got now and all the internet streaming. stuff you have. So a lot of people were tuned in. And I'll never forget, Bob, we're on that private jet where, you know, when they fly you around and they're flying us back to see Mary's family in, Florida, Tampa. And Jason sits next to me and I'm looking down the window and stuff. And he goes, he goes, I got to have the talk with you. I mean, Jason Carbone, right? Carbone says, I got to have the talk with you. I go, talk. And he goes, you see all those houses down there on the plane? We're looking down. He goes, yeah, he goes, four out of ten or three out of ten or five out of ten,

whenever he goes, those people will know you. And for the next year, you won't go through an airport without being recognized. And I was like, whatever. You know what I'm saying? Like, he's telling you the tsunami of stuff that's coming at you. And you're just with a bunch of people shooting a show, but you're like, you don't realize what's coming. And he's like, I got to give you to come to Jesus that for the next year, you will

not walk through an airport without being recognized. And it was prophetic, man. Because if I'm at the Flying Jay getting gas in Midland, Texas, nobody recognizes you when you're on the road fishing. But once you go to a major city and you're at a restaurant or you're at an airport, you know what I'm talking about? Oh yeah. They look for, they look for familiar faces. And it was, Jason was right. It took over a year before you stopped just being recognized. I know. I actually, I cut my hair. I remember I shaved my head, like, brush cut style at one point because everyone was like, there's the curly head of guy.

And they either thought I was, they either thought it was, it was Bachelor Bob or Evan Marriott, the, you know, a millionaire, whatever, the guy. his name was Joe Millionaire. I was either, I either get one or the other, and I'm like, I got to cut my hair. But it was like one of those things where, you know, I still laugh about it to this day. My mom, you know, who, you know, our moms are always our biggest fans, of course. And my mom, I would go, I would go into a grocery store and I would walk around and grocery shop. This is, I'm talking like three and four years ago, not even, you know, not even back then when it was crazy.

Right. And I would be, no one would notice me, right? I'd be like, oh, I'm going to say, I'll go chicken tonight. Or maybe I'll do steak, you know. But if my mom is there, my mom would be like, oh, everywhere I go there. Like, aren't you Pastor Bob's mom? I'm like, Mom, that is simply not true. She's like, no, I'm telling you.

They recognize me everywhere. I'm like, Mom. Oh, Bachelor Bob's mom everywhere. I'm like, oh, God. From the hometown date. So she's living it. She's loving it. Oh, yeah, living her best life.

In the middle of the night, Saskia awoke in a haze. Her husband, Mike, was on his laptop. What was on his screen would change. Soski's life forever. I said, I need you to tell me exactly what you're doing. And immediately, the mask came off. You're supposed to be safe. That's your home.

That's your husband. So keep this secret for so many years. He's like a seasoned pro. This is a story about the end of a marriage. but it's also the story of one woman who was done living in the dark. You're a dangerous person who prays unvulnerable and trusting people. Your creditor might go up and good. Listen to Betrayal Season 5 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

New Year, new goals, and in this economy, a better money plan is more necessary than ever. I am Matt, and I'm Joel. We are from the How to Money podcast, and every week. We help you to spend smarter, save more, and make sense of what's going on out there. If you want 2026 to be the year you finally feel in control of your money, we're here to give you the tools and advice to help you make it happen. Listen to How to Money on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What if mind control is real?

If you could control the behavior of anybody around you, what kind of life would you have? Can you hypnotically persuade someone to buy a car? When you look at your car, you're going to become overwhelmed with such good feelings. Can you hypnotize someone into sleeping with you? I gave her some suggestions to be sexually aroused. Can you get someone to join your cult? NLP was used on me to access my subconscious. NLP, aka neurolinguistic programming, is a blend of hypnosis, linguistics, and psychology. Fans say it's like finally getting a user manual for your brain. It's about engineering consciousness. Mind games is the story of NLP. It's crazy cast of disciples.

and the fake doctor who invented it at a new age commune and sold it to guys in suits. He stood trial for murder and got acquitted. The biggest mind game of all, NLP, might actually work. This is wild. Listen to Mind Games on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey there, this is Dr. Jesse Mills, director of the men's clinic at UCLA Health and host of the mailroom podcast. Each January guys everywhere make the same. same resolutions, get stronger, work harder, fix, what's broken? But what if the real work isn't

physical at all? To kick off the new year, I sat down with Dr. Steve Polter, a psychologist with over 30 years' experience, helping men unpack shame, anxiety, and emotional pain they were never taught the name. In a powerful two-part conversation, we discuss why men aren't emotionally bulletproof, why shame hides in plain sight, and how real strength comes from listening to yourself and to others. guys who are toxic, they're immature, or they've got something they just haven't resolved. Once that gets resolved, then there comes empathy as in compassion. If you want this to be the year, you stop powering through pain and start understanding what's underneath. Listen to the mailroom on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite shows.

So you do the show, and I mean, back then, it was at its height of viewership. I think now, you know, obviously social media wasn't around back then. And so we weren't dealing with all that kind of scrutiny and stuff like that. But wasn't it kind of crazy to like, especially like you were already in this kind of elevated place, you know, with the fishing tournaments and things of that nature where people already knew you and knew you were so good at your craft. But it's like now all of a sudden you're walking around and you got everybody noticing you for something different. And they all got an opinion. They all got an opinion. Right.

So like everybody's, oh, you should have chosen Debbie. And you're like, you didn't even meet Debbie. You don't even know what you're talking about. But, you know, it was kind of. I sure it had to be kind of interesting. Of course, we have, you know, in common we have, you know, Mary, of course, who she was on my season. And then she came back because she saw you and was like, I need to meet that guy. And love Mary.

I thought she was wonderful. I mean, but it was kind of crazy. You were the first season that had two guys started off. And you were also the first time that they allowed anyone from a previous season to come back. If I'm not mistaken, our producers can check that. But I'm pretty sure because even on my season, which was only basically, one season prior to yours filming. I remember after my first rose ceremony night, I said, you know, I sent someone home who I

was right on the, just for me, I didn't get enough time to spend with it. By the way, I was really interested in, is there any way I could meet? They're like, nope, we don't break the rules for anybody, you know? And then your season comes along, and it's just a rule break in season. They got two guys starting it off and the women vote, and then you stick around, then they bring somebody back from a previous season who sees you and is immediately in love. And it's like, I mean, you know, God bless you.

because I think the show needed all of those wrinkles for sure. But that had to be crazy too. Like all of a sudden you have someone coming back who you hadn't really watched the show previously. So you probably didn't even know her from the show. Why they were there? Yeah, because you had two women come back, right? You know, the routine is that you have a date plan and you pick out, they kind of pick out the date.

They pick out the girl. You guys talk about it. And it's like every night there's when it's getting down towards the end, right? And then Bob, one night they're like, we're not picking anybody tonight, but you need to get dressed. And there was a, they had an Austin, Austin Martin, Austin Martin car waiting for me.

And I drove downtown, but nobody's in the car with me. I'm like, what's going on here? And I'd never seen the show. So I think the reason they brought these girls back because they knew I would have no clue who these girls are. Right.

Yeah. Come up an elevator. They come up an elevator. They come out. And I'm thinking, I'm thinking like this is like one of those other ambush reality shows, where they're there to tell me some dirt about the girls. Because it's down to the last 10.

There's 10 girls left. on the show. And then all of a sudden, they take me to the downtown nasty area, like Skid Row area, and there's this building that's all lit up and they have candles everywhere, the typical Bachelor set, and they have the elevator, and they have one of the producers dressed up like a bartender, and they sit me down in a chair, and they have a cocktail. I mean, I'm on a date by myself in the middle of the whole show, and I'm like, what is going on? Why am I on a date by myself? I mean, fancy car, beautiful set, and this elevator opens up in these two girls, are there and they're both beautiful, but I'm like, okay. And I'm thinking maybe the girls are there

just to tell me some bad stuff on the girls that are in the show. Right, right. Yes, that makes sense. And so, of course, the audience is like, oh, my God, it's Heather from whatever season and Mary from Bob's season. You know, so the joke was on me because they have to tell me they're what's called Bachelor All-Stars. And they go, we're Bachelor All-Stars. And I'm like, I have no idea what's going on. And they go, well, we're coming back on the show. And I'm like, do the 10 girls back, home know about this? They're going to know. Yeah, they're going to know.

It's going to be a sharpest back there. Like, you two girls are coming on and they had, they had, I think it was Heather and she was like an outdoor news girl and she worked in the fishing industry. And then Mary Delgado from your season. And I didn't know. So that was, that was wildly bizarre. And it was crazy. Oh, that was the first time they threw a like chum in the water to use some fishing terms

there, I guess. But first time they ever did that. Thank you, buddy. Thank you. Thank you. But it was, I had to, I remember watching, because I, at the time, I was still watching the show. Like, I don't really watch it as much as I probably should now. But it was like, I remember watching the show and I'm like, oh, my God, this is amazing.

Because I loved Mary, you know, and I knew Heather, but I didn't know her as well. But I was like, oh, my God, this is going to be so interesting. Because you had some great women on your season already. But it was like to bring that wrinkling automatically all the women are going to know who they are, right? Because they're probably all fans of the show. Like, I could only. imagine going back to that mansion with those with those ladies and tow so jason carbone he said the whole time they're getting to know me and i'm on the show they're thinking man married elgato would be a

great fit for this guy that's what they kept saying you know and so i'll never forget bob i get out of this austin martin you know downtown and jason grabs me he was always very dramatic with those big glasses and that ball yeah and he goes byron biron he goes this might be the night that changes the rest of your life he goes enjoy and i'm like i like i'm by myself. What are you talking about? Like, we're shooting B-roll here, aren't we? Are we shooting B-roll or something?

Like, there's nobody with me. And he goes, I'm just letting you know tonight, tonight that might change your life. Because he said, through the course of the show, he kept saying, Mary, Mary, you know, we should really bring back Mary. And it was, I think they were kind of, they were looking for a successful bachelor. You know, they were older and they wanted a successful show, a proposal and everything. I'll never forget the night that I let Mary go on my season of the show. and I don't know who was more heartbroken.

Me or Carbone? Honestly. Because he was like, he was like, I just think he's like, you know, honestly, for me, it was, to be really honest, I remember thinking Mary was more emotionally mature than I was to such a degree that she was ready for that next step and I was like uncertain. You know what I mean? And so I was like, I don't know how I feel.

And that's why I ended up dating after the show instead of proposing because I was, still at this place. Yeah, you were in your 30s. I mean, look at it. You were 10 years younger than me. So I had lived that life. I had dated. I'm like, I don't need to play that field or the rock star card.

Like, I'm not going to fall into, you know, I'm not going to come off the show and just start, you know, like, I've been there, done that. And I just, 40 years old, it'd be nice to have a great relationship. And that's where they, they did. Yeah, they said, this guy's legit. I proposed on the show and we lasted about four, four and a half years. Yeah, which is amazing. I mean.

Tried to make it work. They needed the show, and I think you're right, you know, I think from the standpoint of the show needed a proposal because if you think about it, they did not get one out of Alex Michelle, the first guy. Or did they? I don't think, I don't know if the theater didn't, but I know they didn't get one out of, they did with Andrew Fire. Or they didn't get one out of Aaron Burgey. They got one with Andrew Firestone. They didn't with me, right? And then Jesse didn't propose. and so they needed someone who was serious about it. Not that the other guys weren't serious, but it's like you get a lottery ticket. And I've said this a few times when talking about The Bachelor,

like you get this lottery ticket in life where all of a sudden, here are 30 women who all could be potentially great for you. You know, and it's like, but they might not be. Right. And so you're not going to know until you go through the process. And I was so excited when you and Mary, you know, ended up together on the show. and then, you know, obviously four years together, five years together by today's standard.

That's a great relationship anyway, but you go to a TV show. That's next level, man. That's like silver anniversary style, you know, from a TV show dating, you know, situation. And yeah, I mean, obviously you guys didn't end up getting married, but had a great relationship, had a great run together. I think, you know, when people look back at the show, they look so favorably upon your season because it was a return of someone who they loved from a season before. but it was also the women got to choose the guy. Yeah.

Because that's the other part about the show that is interesting, right? Like all these women get out of the limo. You know, most seasons, they don't know who it's going to be yet. Now they do pretty regularly. But back then, they didn't know. They get two guys, right? And now they got the ability to, instead of just hoping for a rose, they get to give the row. It was almost like the Bachelorette.

Yeah. First episode was The Bachelorette. The rest was a bachelor. You know, it's kind of neat. Right. Right. And what was cool, they actually, I saw something come up a years later. that said it was the most romantic proposal because I knew her mom and dad didn't speak English.

You know, they were from Cuba and they spoke Spanish and I told the producers and said, I'm going to learn. I want to know exactly how to say, will you marry me in Spanish? So her family, her mom and dad hear it, you know, without subtitles. They want her mom and dad to hear me and propose to her in Spanish. You know, and even now it kind of gives me some chills. I love that you did that. At the time, I'm like, I want to say it in Spanish.

So most importantly, her mom and dad or her hear it in their native language. and they can subtitle it, but I wanted it to be special because I went on that show, Bob, and I had a couple dear, dear, close people, one of which is my grandfather, you know, the real I was talking about. My grandfather always wanted me to have a great relationship and always kept asking my mom, when is he going to find a good woman? When's he going to find a good woman? And then my dear friend, Steve Oliver, I had like a brother of mine, Jeff Oliver, when they

both passed away shortly before this thing. And they both used to say, Jeff was a bachelor fan. And he always told his dad, Steve, my friend. mentor, he goes, Byron needs to be on the bachelor. Byron needs to be on the bachelor. And then tragically, he died at 20. And it was horrible. Died at 20.

And he was a bachelor fan. And my grandfather passes away. And then all of a sudden, they start calling me. And I'm thinking, this is like, I'm going to be weird here. But that's like divine intervention. I was just going to say divine intervention. I was just going to say that. There's something at the end of this experience where I'm going to take it very serious.

If they pick me and I become the one, I'm not messing around with this. I took notes at night after the dates. I would take notes back in my little room. Love it. My dog, Sabrina was there. But I was taking, I had a whole, I had all these diaries because I'm like, for you, you weren't in that place. But at 40 years old and being divorced, I was totally in that place.

Like, I was totally in that place. And my two people that were the closest to me that passed away, I'm like, this is happening for a reason. Yeah. The one is at the end of it. And I wanted so badly for the one to be at the end of it. And so, yeah, when I proposed to marry and those. you know, the beginning of that relationship, I was 100% convinced that this was our,

this was our destiny and the Bachelor, like Trista and Ryan, this show put Mary and I together. Brought you guys together, yeah. Because why else would I be on The Bachelor unless Grandpa and Jeff Oliver, you know, were handing me an opportunity to meet somebody. I wasn't going to meet him fishing. I wasn't going to meet him in the campground in Mississippi. I love that, man. Byron, I love that story.

I did not know that. I love that. I think that's so special, man. That shows, you know, why your sincerity really, you know, really showed through because you were in this right place of mind. And, I mean, you know, nothing like heartbreak to set you up for, you know, love, right? I mean, you had this heartbreak that really made you kind of do a gut check on yourself, where you were in your life. I love that. I absolutely love that.

Now, I saw Steve Oliver right after during that show. Steve was the dad. Steve was Jeff's dad. And right after the show, when we got to come out from under our, you know, NDA and everything. Yeah, yeah. And I gave him a big hug. And I said, you know, this is Jeff. I'm going to get emotional.

I go, you know, Jeff, that's Jeff making this happen. And we both had tears in her eyes. And we're just like, yep, that's Jeff and Grandpa. And they made, they made this happen because how does a guy get discovered, you know, out of the left field back east, just fishing professionally and get called up. And ABC turns him into The Bachelor. So to this day, I was like, that was meant to be something. Absolutely.

What a lifestyle. Yeah. And you know what? I think there's different levels of success for for relationships too. Like, you know, your relationship was a success, even though it didn't, you know, culminate in forever. It doesn't mean it didn't have a huge impact on your life and your heart and where you are today. And I think that, you know, we all meet the people we meet in life for for different reasons and for different times, you know. And good for you, man.

I love, I love that story. And I love hearing about your connection to your friend and your grandpa. It's, it was touching. It was touching. That's touching. Yeah. But the life experience, you know, you go, you go into this place for your life. we lose our anonymity and boy, you realize how pressure it is to be anonymous.

Like, you know, you go back, you know, when you finally get back to the point where people aren't recognizing you and I got, God, I really feel bad for Heather Locklear and, you know, or Brad Pitt or Janet Maniston or, you know, all those, all the people that lived under that light the whole time because. Forever. Yeah. Yeah. I can't imagine because I really enjoyed it when I finally stopped being, you know, I went back into fishing.

I didn't want to become anything else besides we'll go right back into professional fishing. and started doing TV shows on ESPN and all that stuff. And so it was a springboard for more fishing television, which is where my heart was at. Right. No, I love that. I love that. And it's what a better entree to, you know, go back to where you were, just going back with a little bit even more. Not that you'd already had huge success in your industry,

but now you go back a little more notoriety and maybe can bring some fans from other walks who didn't know about professional fishing or know as much about what you had done already and accomplished already. And now they do. And yeah, I love the whole thing, man. I think it's so awesome.

Now, I know you have a daughter, right? I do. Yep. And 13, 13 years old? She'll tell you, she's 14 and a half. And she's every good at that, she's got to say, she's 15. And every day I take her to school and every day I drop her off. And right now, the reason we're perfect at 1.30 is, you know, at 3.30, I turn into a dad

pumpkin again. I think she either has pole vaulting this afternoon or she's a polevolta or a volleyball player. So, I know, at 14, you just run them around to their sports. but I'm single dadding it. So full blown single dad and spend all my time, you know, now really just kind of working on some fishing stuff. I do the podcast. I work with my sponsors.

But everything is based here in San Antonio because my daughter goes to school every day, you know, six miles away from my house right here. I love it. In the middle of the night, Sasquia awoke in a haze. Her husband, Mike, was on his laptop. What was on his screen would change Saskia's life forever. I said, I need you to tell me exactly what you're doing. And immediately, the mask came off.

You're supposed to be safe. That's your home. That's your husband. To keep this secret for so many years, he's like a seasoned pro. This is a story. about the end of a marriage. But it's also the story of one woman who was done living in the dark. You're a dangerous person who prays on vulnerable and trusting people.

Your creditor might go up and good. Listen to Betrayal Season 5 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. New Year, new goals, and in this economy, a better money plan is more necessary than ever. I am Matt, and I'm Joel. We are from the how to money podcast, and every week we help you to spend smarter, save more, and make sense of what's going on out there. If you want 2026 to be the year you finally feel in control of your money, we're here to give you the tools and advice to help you make it happen. Listen to how to money on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What if mind control is real?

If you could control the behavior of anybody around you, what kind of life would you have? Can you hypnotically persuade someone to buy a car? When you look at your car, you're going to become overwhelmed with such good feelings. Can you hypnotize someone into sleeping with you? I gave her some suggestions to be sexually aroused. Can you get someone to join your cult? NLP was used on me to access my subconscious. NLP, aka neurolinguistic programming, is a blend of hypnosis, linguistics, and psychology.

Fans say it's like finally getting a user manual for your brain. It's about engineering consciousness. Mind games is the story of NLP. It's crazy cast of disciples and the fake doctor who invented it at a new age commune and sold it to guys in suits. He stood trial for murder

and got acquitted. The biggest mind game of all, NLP might actually work. This is wild. Listen to Mind Games on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A new year doesn't mean erasing who you were. It means honoring what you've survived. and choosing how you want to grow. It means giving ourselves permission to feel what we've been holding and knowing that it's okay to ask for help. I'm Mike Dolorotcha, host of sacred lessons. This podcast is a space for men to talk openly about mental health, grief, relationships, and the patterns we inherit, but don't have to repeat.

Here, we slow down. We listen. We learn how vulnerability becomes strength and how he's, Healing happens in community, not in isolation. If you're ready to let go of what no longer serves you and step into the year with clarity, compassion, and purpose, sacred lessons is your companion on your healing journey. Listen to Sacred Lessons with Mike Delo Rocha on America's number one podcast network,

IHeart. Follow Sacred Lessons with Mike Deloosa and start listening on the free IHeart Radio app today. Well, okay, so I know you, you know, you're not necessarily, you're not married any longer. Are you dating now? Are you, are you out there? And what's it like to be the former bachelor and to be dating? Is that, is that crazy? Dating isn't easy because when you have a minor child, it's difficult because you're focused on. It's like I always said, who really wants to see you when you have, you know, you don't have, I don't have anybody else sharing custody. And it's not like I have babysitters and, you know, people. So, so ultimately it's,

It's difficult. Dating is really difficult and challenging. And I knew early on when I, I had to quit my career and come home when the divorce started. And it came out of left field. In 2016, I had to leave a very lucrative job. Because by then I was doing television.

I had sponsors. I was making a, I had, because of The Bachelor, the TV thing exploded in outdoor programming. And then suddenly, I realized the wheels were coming off back home. And I had a five-year-old daughter at the house.

And I'm like, I got to go home. So I was in the middle of my, I was at the beginning of my, season. I had just finished Florida. I was on my way to South Carolina for the next tournament. And I finally got the wake up call that I got to call my sponsors, everybody, and drive home and circle the wagon and become a full-time dad. Or, you know, get into that thing with dad where it's like, so once you do that, Bob, it's not easy, man, because suddenly you got this

little girl. It's like, you know, it's, who are you going to bring into her life? I don't want to have somebody there just to help raise her. And I don't want to put put that on anybody. or have a relationship that's not worth anything except that my daughter loves the girl and the girl loves my daughter. So now you can't, you know, you can't even value how that relationship is because you're so busy saying, well, my daughter loves her. She loves my daughter. So even though this thing would have never lasted under normal circumstances, now I'm going to

let this thing or what if the girl does it like me and leaves and breaks my daughter's heart. There were too many moving parts. No. Yeah. You know, there was too many moving parts. So I said, I got to protect my kid. And dating with a minor child is not a. good, not a good, not a good situation. Yeah, I could imagine it'd be tough too. Like, you don't want to

be parading randoms in, you know, and, and yeah, I totally understand that. Dude, she didn't even know I was on The Bachelor. I kept it a secret until she was 12. Seven years. That's amazing. People would come up and recognize me. And you said this earlier, you know, when people come up and they recognize you, you, you hope they say, aren't you the fisherman? And then you feel this connection, right? But they go, aren't you? And they say, the Bachelor, you're like, oh. Because then they're going to ask you about the current show, which I haven't watched or the last season. And I go, I never watched it after I left the show. It's just sorry, but I don't have a podcast or anything. I had no reason to watch it. So people think that you're following the franchise. And I'm like, I was in and out. I was in.

I did the show and I was back to fishing. Yeah, you said that to me the other day. You're like, I didn't watch it before I was on it and I didn't watch it after. But my daughter's 12 years old, Bob, and she's had her little swim thing. And the coach is there. And the coach's daughter comes running out to the parking lot because the coach, my daughter's swim coach, tells her daughter, who's back from college, Byron's the bachelor guy. This little girl comes right out to the parking lot. I'll never forget it. She's like, oh my God, oh my God. She goes, my mom just told me you're the bachelor. And my daughter's 12. She goes, what? And the girl goes, you're the bachelor. I go, no, no, I'm a fishing guy. And I did a segment on that show. She goes, no, you weren't. No, you weren't.

You're Bachelor, season six. And my daughter goes, my mom watches that show. she says her mom watches that show we're not even together anymore and i'm like camber and so 12 years old she found out i was on the bachelor took seven years oh my gosh yeah you know what you're you're a better man than me i my my son i will literally take my son in both boys i have a seven year old and a four and a half year old and i'll take both boys to macdonald's playland right yeah and they'll be up there playing and the little you know a 15 or 16 year old kid work will come over with a tray with milkshakes and french fries on him and my son will yell from the playscate yeah that's him he'll take a picture with you i'm like in my youngest so my youngest will say

he's bob the builder bob the builder i love it so the oldest one knows the oldest one knows about the bachelor but's never seen it and then the younger one uh the younger one thinks i'm bob the builder so you know from that perspective i guess we both have done a pretty decent job of shielded him from some of that stuff. But yeah, nice shot, nice job, man. I love hearing that story. Yeah, I got a daughter that he doesn't need to watch it, you know, and I, I only found out just recently that you can actually see it online because I was always told you couldn't see the early episodes. Yeah, I don't, I didn't know that you could. I've never even tried now. I just found out last week that apparently they show up on Tubey or something like that. Like you can, I had no idea that I released their early episodes. And I,

I'm giving it away now and I'm sure my daughter's now going to go watch it, but she's never seen it. I have DVDs, dude. All I got are the DVDs. Same. Yeah. So my mom has them somewhere. I don't even know where they are. But you know what's crazy is when we were in the mix, we were doing so many promotions that I never really watched the show.

Like, truly, I've never sat and watched the DVDs. And now that I know it might be streaming, like, I never, ever watched the show. And a crazy thing happened. I don't know if you experienced this, but like maybe eight years ago or whatever it was, VH1 aired the whole franchise. Do you remember that? Yes. And so suddenly you were. probably getting recognized again. I was getting recognized again because VH1 was airing the Bachelor.

So it's like all of a sudden, people are like, hey, I'm watching VH1 right now and your seasons on, don't tell me who you picked. Like, don't tell me who you picked. Don't ruin it. Hey, did you ever have the experience? So I'm walking through an airport and people are like, hey, don't pick, don't pick Jennifer next week. Like the show is live. You're like, what? And they're like, I don't know why you gave Carat, Kathy, Rose, but don't pick Jennifer. She's no good. And I'm like, dude, that show was, this is not a live show. It's not in real time here. I'm not going to put on a suit next Wednesday and go back and give out more roses.

Yeah, that's funny. That is so funny. I did. I used to get it all the time. In fact, it was kind of interesting. You know, my season was, I think, I'm not sure how yours was at the end. But I noticed that they, at the time, they still liked to make it look like it was going to be the other person that you pick. So the edits toward the end were really.

pushing that relationship and then all of a sudden you propose to the other one so the crowd goes oh my god so i'll never forget the the next day after the finale aired and i chose a woman named estella and estella and i are on her way to the airport and uh in the in the on the radio they're like you know can you believe bob picked her i mean we thought for sure and i felt so bad i was like you know that's just editing right it's just that i was because i felt so bad because it was just editing i mean obviously she she and i had a great relationship and but i had a great relationship too with the, I mean, really my whole final four, but with Kelly Joe in particular and Estella, I felt like, I mean, it was just, it was so difficult, you know, at that time. But yeah,

well, man, it's so fun to have you on and nice to connect with you. I mean, I've heard just the nicest stuff about you forever. And it's so great, you know, when you meet somebody and you hear great things and it's all true. So I love, I love that I get to meet you, man. Thank you for coming on the pod. I appreciate it, man. I appreciate it having me on. And like I said, If anybody wants to cross over and check out a podcast, every week I do fish tails. You know, it's probably going to be boring to them unless they like fishing,

but it's kind of fun to do that. And it's keeping me busy. And I just appreciate you guys calling to have me on. And man, it's cool to talk to one person that lived it. It's been years, year. I think Aaron Bergey when we did a game show a million years ago, Aaron was the only other person I could talk to about the show.

Man, he's a great one too, isn't he? I love that. Cool, dude. Cool, dude. Oh, yeah. Absolutely love him. He actually, when I was still living out in Seattle, he and I connected. We ran into each other at the Kentucky Derby.

And he was like, man, we need to get together. And, you know, people say that kind of stuff all the time, right? And then all of a sudden he was like, hey, my wife and I are going to come out to Seattle. Can we, you know, can we get together? I'm like, stay with us. And he did. They did. They came and stay with us at our place.

And we just had the greatest time with them. And so I mean it when I say this to you, Byron, the invitation is open. If ever you're coming to Michigan, please, man, please keep my number. Give me a call and let's get together. And we'll have some fun and I'll show you around some spots over on the west side of the state, which I'm sure you haven't seen too much of yet. I would love it. If my daughter and I are ever out that way, you know, who knows where our travels are going to take us,

but I would love to check out Michigan with you. So same thing with you. If you come to San Antonio and you're going to see Riverwalk again, you know, we're not, we're 30 minutes from Riverwalk, so we'll come see you there. I will. I'm going to actually add. San Antonio to your contact to my phone because I want to

I want to make sure I reach out to you because I absolutely love that area. I think it's so cool and it's such a great area and you know, people are great down there. So yeah, but thank you, man. Thank you for joining us. Thanks for coming on the pod and, you know, like I said, my brother-in-law and his, I'll say his name, Phil Maher.

My brother-in-law, J.D. DeMara and Phil Maher, they are big, avid listeners of yours and they love the show. So when I told them, I'm not even kidding you, man. It was like they got it's like all of a sudden I told him I was talking to Elvis they were like so fired up you know they're like tell him we need to get him into walleye we need to get him into walleye though we got I'm like all right I'll let him know I need to have one of them on as a guest I could have Bob guinea's brother on as a nice full circle he will talk your ear off I'm telling you he's he's he makes us look quiet yeah that's a that's a good time bob I mean it's like every week we have a different guest why not have him on and say the the connection with this guy is it's bob guinea's brother I did bob's podcast and now I got his brother around talking.

And we do fishing. Like, I'm not joking around. Dude, I'm not, I will 100% do it because right now the sponsors are saying, yeah, we do a bunch of bad stuff. We did one saltwater guy who has a TV show. He used to be a guest on my show when I have a saltwater show on ESPN. So now he has a show on ESPN called Unfathomed. And so we've done a little bit of saltwater. But I would love to have your brother on fish tails if he's open to it.

He will lose his mind. I'm not joking. Like, if you text it and say, okay. And then I'll tie you in. I'll say, guys, this is cool because Bob had me on his podcast. We got to talking about it. And here's Bob Guinea's brother. Then let's talk to walleye.

Dude, I'm not joking. Okay, I'm going to text you. I'm going to text you right at the end of this so that we can connect about this because he would lose his mind. He would absolutely lose his mind. I would love it. And then I got my first walleye guy. It's my first walleye guy.

It's him. He will. He'll probably want to pull in his buddy, Phil because Phil's even more, more of an avid guy than Jay. I wanted to be like, You remember the Great White North, you know, the skit, loo-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-on-S-T-T-B? I want your brother and his friend. I want your brother-as friend in the studio.

And then it's going to be like the Canadian, like, you know, how you doing? Oh, well, good, Doug. Hey, hey, good dog, Dave. I used to love that show. Remember SCTV? Yeah. Yes. It was amazing.

Oh, my God. You know, they always say that's what led to Bill and Ted. That's what led to all, you know, everything. So, yeah. Bob and Doug McKin's. from the Great White North. I remember it. Your brother and his friend

are going to be Wallai guests. So this is a little reaction. Within the month, we're going to do a Wollack show. I'm in. Okay, I'm going to connect with you after the show. Thank you so much for joining us

on almost famous, the OGs. Ladies and gentlemen, a true OG, and a great, great, great guy, man. Byron, thank you so much, brother.

And let's definitely connect off air. All right, Bob. Thank you for having me on. All right, guys. There you go. Iron Velvick, OG, super cool guy, man. I love that dude. I hope you'll all, any of you out there,

fish or people, jump on his podcast, Fish Tales and make sure you check it out. Take care, everybody. Thanks for listening. In the middle of the night, Saskia awoke in a haze. Her husband, Mike, was on his laptop. What was on his screen would change Saskia's life forever.

I said, I need you to tell me exactly what you're doing. And immediately, The mask came off. You're supposed to be safe. That's your home. That's your husband. Listen to Betrayal Season 5 on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Joel and Matt from How To Money.

If your New Year's resolution is to finally get your finances in shape, we've got your back. Prices, they're still high. And the economy is all over the place. But 2026 is the year for you to get intentional and make real progress. That's right. Yeah, each week we break down what's happening with your money, the most important issues to focus on, and the small moves that make a big difference.

Kick off the year with confidence, listen to How to Money on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What if mind control is real? If you could control the behavior of anybody around you, what kind of life would you have? Can you hypnotically persuade someone to buy a car? When you look at your car,

you're going to become overwhelmed with such good feelings. Can you hypnotize someone into sleeping with you? I gave her some suggestions to be sexually aroused. Can you get someone to join your cult? NLP was used on me to access my subconscious. Mind Games, a new podcast exploring NLP, aka neurolinguistic programming. Is it a self-help miracle, a shady hypnosis scam, or both?

Listen to Mind Games on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You know, we always say New Year, New Me, but real change starts on the inside. It starts with giving your mind and your spirit the same attention you give your goals. Hey, everybody, it's Michelle Williams, host of Checking in on the Black Effect Podcast Network. And on my podcast, we talk mental health, healing, growth, and everything you need to step into your next season, whole and empowered. New Year, Real You.

Listen to Checking in with Michelle Williams from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.