The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - An Unnecessary Tell All (The Golden Bachelor Season 2 Women Tell All Recap)

Episode Date: October 30, 2025

It’s time for the Women Tell All on Mel Owens’ season of The Golden Bachelor! But did we really need this? Do we even remember some of these women??Ben and Ashley try to find parts of the ...Tell All they liked, but we end up hearing plenty of ideas that could have made this more than a “filler” episode. We still have hope for the finale, but is Mel a man in love… or a man in lust?? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 This is an I-Heart podcast. Your time and energy are precious. And the people you date should honor that. That's why everyone loves Bumble, today's sponsor. It's built for intentional dating, helping you connect with people who genuinely respect your boundaries and your heart. And because so many of us want to feel safer when meeting someone new, Bumbo gives you peace of mind with options like photo and ID verification.
Starting point is 00:00:24 So you know the person you're talking to is who they say they are. If you've been thinking about dating again, take this as your sign. Start your love story on Bumble. Hello, America's sweetheart Johnny Knoxville here. I want to tell you about my new true crime podcast, Crimeless, Hillbilly Heist, from Smartless Media, Campside Media, and Big Money Players. It's a wild tale about a gang of high-functioning nitwits
Starting point is 00:00:51 who somehow pulled off America's third largest cash heist. Kind of like Robin Hood, except for the part. where he steals from the rich and gives to the poor. I'm not that generous. It's a damn near inspiring true story for anyone out there who's ever shot for the moon then just totally muffed up the landing. They stole $17 million and had not bought a ticket
Starting point is 00:01:15 to help him escape. So we're saying like, oh God, what do we do? What do we do? That was dumb. People do not follow my example. Listen to Crimeless, Hillbilly Heist on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. I live below a cult leader, and I fear I've angered her.
Starting point is 00:01:36 Wait a minute, Sophia. How do you know she's a cult leader? Well, Dakota, luckily it's I'm not afraid of a scary story week on the OK Storytime podcast. So we'll find out soon. This person writes, my neighbor has been blasting music every day and doing dirt rituals. And now my ceiling is collapsing. I try to report them, but things keep getting weirder. I think they might be part.
Starting point is 00:01:56 of a cult? Hold up. A real life cult? And what is a dirt ritual? No clue, Dakota. Find out how it ends. Listen to the OK Storytime podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Cal Penn. And on my new podcast, here we go again. We'll take today's trends and headlines and ask, why does history keep repeating itself? Each week, I'm calling up my friends like Bill Nye, Lily Singh, and Pete Buttigieg to talk about everything from the space race to movie remake, to psychedelics. Put another way, are you high? Look, the world can seem
Starting point is 00:02:32 pretty scary right now. But my goal here is for you to listen and feel a little better about the future. Listen and subscribe to here we go again with Cal Penn
Starting point is 00:02:40 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Chicago. A white woman's murder, a black man behind bars for a crime he didn't commit. 90 years
Starting point is 00:02:54 to killing somebody I have never seen. The crime. Crying Wolf Podcast is the story of a corrupt detective, two men bound by injustice and the quest for redemption, no matter the price. Listen to the Crying Wolf podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the Ben and Ashley I, Almost Famous Podcasts with IHeart Radio. Hey guys, it's the Almost Famous Podcast. We are together and we are breaking down the golden bachelor women tell all episode but hey ben yes is there anything to break down and i'm not
Starting point is 00:03:33 making fun of the show i'm just like this was the most wasted money ever is it wasted money is are the live shows more expensive you think yeah because they have to rent out that studio and then they have to um fly in all those ladies pay for the hotel for all those ladies it's expensive and there was nothing nothing i mean it was air yes okay We're going to get into that. Before we do, we want to tell everybody happy Halloween. If you celebrate that kind of thing, it is Winona's first Halloween. I'm dressing up for the first time I bet in 25 years. Oh, that's so you to have not dressed up for 25 years. Yeah, it is. I mean, I literally, I haven't. I didn't dress up much as a kid either.
Starting point is 00:04:18 I had never not dressed up. Did you know that? No. Never not dressed up. What's your most iconic look? well the one that is iconic to me is like my custom made jasmine costume i had a custom made one when i was little and then when i was 21 i got another custom one made and man oh man were they worn so many times there was so many years where it would be my fallback and then it would be like great in addition because there was also so many years in my 20s where it was like such an
Starting point is 00:04:49 Instagram thing that, like, I needed to have multiple costumes for the plot of it all, right? Yeah. So, yeah, that has been so well worn. And it was great when Dawson was going through his Aladdin stage, like, two years ago, phase. And then when Jared and I got together and I finally got to have a couple's costume for the first time of my life, so excited. This is the only year where I guess since Dawson's had, like, sort of an opinion, like, I have had less of a compulsion to dress up for myself. Are you going to dress up, though?
Starting point is 00:05:25 Yeah. But it's for the first time ever. Like, I don't have, like, any connection to my costume. And that is because I'm being a Power Ranger. I'm being a Pink Power Ranger because Jared has got Dawson into the Power Rangers. I was not allowed to watch the Power Rangers when it was really popular when we were in kindergarten. Because of the violence? Yes.
Starting point is 00:05:51 And I have stuck with that, taking my mom's motto, and he's not really allowed to watch it either. He has seen, like, a couple episodes on planes, like, as, like, a special treat. And then Jared has shown him the movie, which Jared claims is far tamer and, like, less bizarre than the show a couple times. But he's actually, like, never been, like, go watch Power Rangers. which is great because it's usually not allowed but he just loves like the martial arts of it and he loves playing it and he loves his action figures he loves his power ranger action figures i grew up liking the power rangers a little bit yeah i never got that into it but it is a little weird i think it was a little creepy for me yeah weird i think you as a pink power ranger is a great
Starting point is 00:06:45 costume by the way. I think it's going to fit you. Really? Yeah. I just hope that we can make some video where it's like really nostalgically like it looks like a VHS tape for the 90s. Yeah. And then it'll feed my creative juices. But everybody is going to be one. Jared's going to be the Green Ranger or Hayden being the Green Ranger. Or one of them's blue, one of them's green and Dawson's the red one. I feel like you're defeated. I am. I am defeated because you know what? This is me. This is the first time there's like an activity. where being a boy mom has been like, oh, well, I have to be a Power Ranger for Halloween, whereas I'm always dressing up as princesses or like Taylor's way after something like that.
Starting point is 00:07:24 And it's okay. Somebody said something to me on Instagram when I posted that we were going to be Power Rangers, and they were like, the fact that, like, you are going along with, like, his choice of costume is an example of how you are a great mom to him. And I'm like, that's so sweet. I'm going to remind myself of this on Halloween as I'm dressed as a Power Ranger. It's a testament to you. in your commitment to make sure that your sons have a good time.
Starting point is 00:07:48 I'm dressing up for the first time as the beast. In 25 years. It's the beast. Oh, so you're going to be like the little, like the adorable dad. There's this TikTok gone viral of a beast walking down the road with his little bell. And he's gigantic and she's so tiny. So who's Jess going to be? A bigger bell.
Starting point is 00:08:07 Oh, so two bells. That's cute. Two bells. She bought everything. I even seen my costume yet. That's so cute. So are you going to go take her trick-or-treating because it's kind of a weird age? Okay.
Starting point is 00:08:18 We're going to take her early to show our neighbors because they just love seeing Winnie. And so my parents have come out. They're going to pass out candy at our house. We're going to take her around and say hi to the neighbors. Obviously, Halloween falls on a Friday, so it's a big party in our neighborhood. It's going to be a blast. Have I ever told you before we get into the breakdown what happens in my neighborhood? I think you said that it's just like wild.
Starting point is 00:08:42 It's wild Halloween neighborhood. But this is no lie The elk curd That lives like amongst us around us Oh yes I know all about this How they just walk down the street They walk down the street after everybody leaves And eats the candy
Starting point is 00:08:57 And they'll like be walking past the kids Like the hurdle you can have the street Eating pumpkins and candy And the kids will still be trick or treat It's crazy I've never seen anything like That is so cool I love that
Starting point is 00:09:14 imagery. Can you please record that? Yeah, I will. I'm not very good at recording stuff, but I will, if you ask me to, I'll remember to record that. Please, that's such good visuals. It's so fun. It's so great. It's hilarious. We're excited for it. It's going to be a good year. I'm just excited. I mean, Winona just breaks my heart every time, and she's in a little princess costume. I don't know what I'm going to do, but I'm going to be so proud of her because she's beautiful. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh, Ben, this is so cute. I could talk about this forever. The fact that I also just casually in our dress-up box downstairs have a full-blown beauty and the beast set is like, I just have one. Of course I do.
Starting point is 00:09:53 A full-blown beast costume in the basement. Jared and I once stupidly, I think this was last Halloween, went upstairs to wake up Dawson from a nap, dressed as Bell and the Beast on Halloween, thinking that he would think it was cool and, no, petrified. Yeah. Yeah, he's not scared of anything, though. It's so weird. He goes to the Halloween store and he's like all the scary animatronics, not phase at all. Hayden, petrified. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:10:28 So, yeah, he's, he's never been scared of things like that, too. I don't know. My sister, so we're going to my sister's house for Halloween. Because she's like in the Arlington paper every year for being like one of the houses to go see. because she has insane decorations outside. She goes back and forth between scary dolls, clowns, and then like a graveyard. And besides that, that's like all the shed can handle. Like the shed is basically dedicated to, you know, to Halloween decor.
Starting point is 00:11:04 And she has so many checkered traders. So I'm really excited. I know you have a lot of men in your life. but I want to remind you that I am frightened of clowns. Like I have a massive... That's the theme this year. Good. Good. It's so...
Starting point is 00:11:21 It is really scary. I'll send you videos. There's nothing about clowns. It makes sense to me. All right, as we close up here, Ash, doesn't make any sense. What candy is your favorite that your boys will get possibly trigger training? Okay.
Starting point is 00:11:35 So, like, my favorite candy in general is Cadbury Chocolate. I love Cadbury. chocolate. I think it's more high scale than any sort of Godiva or anything on that level. But it's Halloween candy. I do love a Tutsi roll
Starting point is 00:11:52 and I'm always excited to see you know, them get Reese's Twix, Snickers, Milky Way. Those are some classics. You just name the whole bag of candy that I bought. Like literally that's the whole bag. No candy. I don't want the fake dyes.
Starting point is 00:12:08 I mean, I do like Twizzlers. and I do like Starburst. So basically, all the good ones. That's my taste. What about you? I'm a sour guy. Anything sour, I will eat up in a second, but I'm not a candy fan,
Starting point is 00:12:23 but I will eat a lot of sour candy. You're not a candy fan. What do you mean by that? I don't like candy that much. Wow. You know that like Jared and I both cannot go to bed without having dessert. I really can't finish a meal
Starting point is 00:12:36 without having a piece of chocolate. I have a mini dessert after every meal. I don't eat dessert. Jessica thinks it's odd. I'm a fruit fan of dessert. So, like, anything fruity, so if they have, like, a blueberry crisp, I might get it. A peach cobbler could see myself eating it. But that's all, that's as far as I go.
Starting point is 00:12:55 Wow, Ben. That's good for you. Like, I'm happy for you about that. But, like, all of my desserts have to incorporate chocolate, even, like, pies. Like, no thank you unless it's chocolate cream pie. No, it's not like I made this conscious decision. for my health. I do a lot of other things bad for my health. It's just I, I don't know. I've never loved candy. It's not a sugar guy. Never have been. I don't, I don't drink soda, so. Wow, good for
Starting point is 00:13:20 you. I love, I just love a Coke. But I eat a ton of chips. Are you salty guy then? Yeah, you know, I, my favorite food in the entire world might just be chips and dip. Yeah. That's my ultimate weakness. I can, I can pound a bag of cheddar and sour cream ruffles in one day pretty easily. Yeah. I'm more of like a taco dip or chips and salsa or chips and I guess it's like a tostito, but a really hard, crunchy one and put it in queso. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I do want to share one more thing that's unrelated. I'm going on our first Disney cruise next week. I've been on 19 cruises, 18 Royal Caribbean, very loyal to royal, then been on one princess. I was in seventh grade. And what did I say in seventh grade? I cried when I saw the dining room because it wasn't grand enough, okay? That fits. Yep.
Starting point is 00:14:16 Checks out that I have been me for that long. And no offense to Princess Cruise Line. I'm sure they're fine. Yeah. So then we were going on a Disney cruise for my dad's. It's kind of in celebration for my dad's 70th birthday, which happened two weeks ago. he hasn't been on vacation since 2018
Starting point is 00:14:41 he has not been like away on vacation yeah but me he worked through COVID I remember that yeah I mean he takes vacation like he's off weeks at a time but he doesn't leave like the house yeah he likes to like be at the house and then in work at the house you what I mean like he likes like work on the house when he's off so we're very excited
Starting point is 00:15:05 and he actually really wanted to try Disney I hope it's a blast. 70th birthday. What a deal. The guys got 40 years left. I would hope so. I mean, his mother is 102, so I am trying to not get excited that he may have 32 left. Oh, it's the sweetest thing. That's one of the sweeter things that said. I had no doubt. We often think we know our type in dating. Tall, funny, a certain job. But the research shows we're usually not the best predictors. of who will actually make us the happiest. As we often say on the Happiness Lab, our minds lie to us about all kinds of stuff,
Starting point is 00:15:45 and that definitely includes the kinds of things we need to be happy in a relationship. That's why it helps to stay curious. On Bumble, features like shared interests and prompts make it easy to notice right on someone's profile initial sparks of compatibility, like a shared love of cooking, or the same nostalgic TV shows.
Starting point is 00:16:04 Shared interests and prompts lets you showcase your personality right on your profile, and connect with people who get your vibe. And with photo and ID verification, you can feel confident the person you're talking to is real, so you can date with a bit more confidence. When you treat dating as exploration, instead of sticking to a rigid type,
Starting point is 00:16:22 you open yourself up to happier, more meaningful connections. So maybe your type isn't tall, dark, and mysterious. Maybe it's Love's podcast as much as you do. Stay open, stay curious, and let yourself be surprised. Download Bumble today. Here we go. Hey, I'm Cal Penn, and on my new podcast, Here We Go Again, we'll take today's trends and headlines and ask,
Starting point is 00:16:47 why does history keep repeating itself? You may know me as the second hottest actor from the Harold and Kumar movies, but I'm also an author, a White House staffer, and as of like 15 seconds ago, a podcast host. Along the way, I've made some friends who are experts in science, politics, and pop culture. And each week, one of them will be joining me to answer my burning questions. Like, are we heading towards another financial crash
Starting point is 00:17:12 like in 08? Is non-monogamy back in style? And how come there's never a gate ready for your flight when it lands like two minutes early? We've got guests like Pete Buttigieg, Stacey Abrams, Lily Singh, and Bill Nye. When you start weaponizing outer space, things can potentially go really wrong.
Starting point is 00:17:31 Look, the world can seem pretty scary right now, because it is. But my goal here is for you to listen and feel a little better about the future. Listen and subscribe to Here We Go again with Cal Penn on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The forces shaping the world's economies
Starting point is 00:17:50 and financial markets can be hard to spot. Even though they are such a powerful player in finance, you wouldn't really know that you are interacting with them. And even harder to understand. Donald Trump's trade war, 2.0, is only accelerating the process of D.D. which in a way is jargon for people turning away from the dollar. That is where the big take from Bloomberg podcast comes in to connect the dots.
Starting point is 00:18:15 How unusual is a deal like this? Unprecedented. Every weekday afternoon, we dive deep into one big global business story. The biggest story of the reaction of the oil market to the conflict in the Middle East is one of what has not happened. Katie, you told me that ETFs are your favorite thing. They are. Explain that. Why is that the case?
Starting point is 00:18:36 and unpack what it means for you. Our breakfast foods are consistent consumer staples, and so they sort of become outsized indicators of inflation. Listen to the big take from Bloomberg News every weekday afternoon on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I live below a cult leader, and I fear I've angered her. Well, wait a minute, Sophia. You know she's a cult leader.
Starting point is 00:19:02 Well, Dakota, luckily it's I'm not afraid of a scary story week on the OK Storytime podcast, so you'll find out soon. This person writes, my neighbor's been blasting music every day and doing dirt rituals, and now my ceiling is collapsing. I try to report them, but things keep getting weirder. I think they may be part of a cult. Hold up, Sophia, a real-life cult? And what is a dirt ritual? No clue. But according to this person, contractors are tearing down the patio to find out what's going on with their ceiling, and her neighbors are not happy. Well, she needs to report them ASAP. She did, and now they've been confronting her in really creepy ways all the time. So, do we find out if this person survives their neighborhood cult or not?
Starting point is 00:19:45 To hear the explosive finale, listen to the OK Storytime podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up everybody? This is Snacks from the Trap Nerds podcast, and we're bringing you the horror every week all October long. Kicking off this month, I'll be bringing you all my greatest fear-inducing horror games from Resident Evil to Silent Hill, me and Tony bringing back fire team on Left for Dead 2, and we're just going to be going over some
Starting point is 00:20:10 of the greats. Also in October, we'll be talking about our favorite horror and Halloween movie and figure out why black people always got to die further. The umbral reliquary invites any and all fooling, brave enough to peruse its many
Starting point is 00:20:26 curiosities, but take heed. All sales are final. Weekly horror side quest written and narrated by yours truly with a full episode read and a commentary special and we will cap it off with horror movie battle royale jason versus freddie michael myers versus the aided thing with the little tongue muster october we're doing it halloween style listen to the trapners podcast from the black effect podcast network on the i heart radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast
Starting point is 00:20:53 actually we are here to break down this episode it was the tell all Again, as I said last week, you and I both are going to be very clear, transparent, that a lot of this has missed for us. But we can't come in here as negative nancies. People don't listen to us to be negative nancies. They don't listen to us to just simply complain. So we'll get that out of the way off the top. I'm confused on why they did a tell all, first of all. I don't know why they thought it would fit this season.
Starting point is 00:21:29 The cast members weren't that well known. And in fact, some of them getting announced, and maybe this is just me, could be, but it's kind of my job. And I feel like I try pretty hard to get to know the people on the show. There were people getting announced that I had no recollection of, could not remember their names, was looking them back up on ABC's website when they were saying, here is so-and-so. And I'd say, yep, never seen her before. I don't have any idea in there. Like, she made it to week four. And I'm like, still never saw her before.
Starting point is 00:21:59 The tell-all was an interesting choice for this season. I just don't think it was necessary. I don't think it fit. I don't think it resonated probably with the audience. And that's why I asked you off the beginning, is it really cheaper? Because it had to be a strategic move to say, hey, let's fill an episode. Let's get this time slot going. But let's not spend money on the travel, on the food, on the crew.
Starting point is 00:22:22 But maybe, maybe I'm wrong. You know, I would rather them use this as like, honestly, do a freaking 40-hour, 40-hour, 40, God, no, not 40-hour. 40 minute episode of just bloopers or things we haven't seen before, like a behind the scenes of the golden. Like that would be so much more interesting if they needed a filler episode. They also, I think that they could have dragged it out. Like there could have been some part of the season that they didn't crunch down.
Starting point is 00:22:55 Like there was a couple episodes I feel like that had two rose ceremonies in it. Like we didn't need that spread it out. so that we could have had that in this slot. Yeah. Either way, Ashley, let's dive into it. The big storyline coming into this tell-all was going to be Nicole and how the ladies handled Nicole what they would say back to Nicole. I honestly felt like coming out of it, it was tame towards Nicole in a way I did not expect.
Starting point is 00:23:23 And maybe I thought, maybe I was just like building myself up because if they're going to do a tell-all, unfortunately for Nicole, they're doing a tell-all because they think they have content grand enough to show her getting talked to by the ladies and Mel, it felt tame to me, good, bad, and different. It just felt tamer than I expected. Do you agree? I thought Debbie was kind of came at her. Debbie was all like, you, what was the word she used? She said, you didn't empower us. You dismissed us. And I thought that was pretty intense. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:24:04 Okay. So you have that example. Any other examples? Oh, no. That was the only moment of the episode. Like, that was the only moment of the episode that got at all confrontational. Yeah. So as I'm saying, I thought it was pain.
Starting point is 00:24:16 I thought anything, you don't need to be bullying and mean to somebody. But I thought it was a great moment to have a conversation about, hey, you called the last cast not that attractive. You said you wanted to be an influencer. or these are core things that the golden was never supposed to be about. Nicole, why would you say those things? Like, at least we could have gotten into that. They should have had Kathy and Susan speak from the audience. Yeah, or Joan came on the show.
Starting point is 00:24:47 Joan came on the show and was very honest about her feelings towards the comments made. And Joan is a very kind and very thoughtful person who doesn't speak out on this stuff. often. I don't know, Ash. So we had that moment. And then, honestly, we kind of get into Mel. I mean, the ladies in general was just, like, happy they were there. They love Mel. Mel, you're so great. There's one more thing about Nicole. I think it was because she wasn't very not, she was not very confrontational back. She wasn't really trying to defend herself. She at one point said, I'll do better. She's like, I'm sorry. Do I think it's genuine? Like, not really. but like I think she had a good PR move
Starting point is 00:25:30 or like a good publicist talk to work. Yeah, I mean, I feel like that's something that somebody says to just dismiss the argument. It's my same concern with like people these days being like, I'm going to do me. Or of course, like, I'm going to be persecuted and hate it on my four ideas.
Starting point is 00:25:48 Like, it's like, no, like listen to why you're hurting people and respond with maybe... your reasoning and then talk about like why you said this thing you said I would have appreciated this moment more if Nicole was like you know what guys yeah I want to be an influencer and I didn't mean all the mean things I see like that would be so much like clear to me and I'd be like hey at least she's honest you've done that your whole life Ash it's one of the reasons I love you is you you don't you're not mean to people I think that's one thing you have going your way you're very kind human but you've never hidden this idea that you're like no I want to be on TV like really really bad. Like, I love it. I love being on TV. I think it's the, at least I, like, I respect it and I appreciate it and I support you in your pursuit of that because at least you're honest about it. I'm not desperate about it. The opportunity comes to me. I'll say yes. I never said you're desperate. I never said you're desperate, but you're honest with age, I can take it or leave it. It's not true. Yeah. I'll probably take it. I tell you.
Starting point is 00:26:57 I was going to say, you found yourself in the desert of Australia for nothing. Hey, that was a lot of, that was another, that was a lot of cash. I just, I appreciate the honesty. I did not feel like I got the, I'm going to do better. If every time Ashley, you and I joked with each other and I was just like, you're right, Ashley, I'll do better. It's like, well, the conversation's done. Like, what are you going to say back? Like, I don't believe you?
Starting point is 00:27:24 Like, you can't say either. It's hard to say anything back to that. So she said the thing, that gets people to back off. I know. It just frustrated me. I went to see more, I guess. All right. Well, then we have Cheryl joins Jesse on stage.
Starting point is 00:27:39 She gets emotional watching her time back on the show. She doesn't, there's not much to talk about here. She does have her son in the audience with her grandkids. That was cute. But I was also like, how did they hide this? Was there, were they sitting there the whole time? And then do they take them out or would they take them out when she came on stage? It looks pretty well settled.
Starting point is 00:27:58 Is it really that much of a surprise to have your family in the audience? No, I mean, that's the thing is, like, it's not that big of surprise. I had buddies in the audience when I was on the show. Like, it's not my parents were, of course, there. I would have loved that my grandparents there. I mean, I frequently have my parents' best friends who, you know, they're my pastor and his wife, like, there. Like, I don't think it's that big a surprise.
Starting point is 00:28:22 And it's something you want to share with people. it's a fun moment for these women like they're on live television and their families are going to watch them talk on live television and dress up and look all beautiful and pretty i think it's great that your family's there i just don't think it's that big of surprise uh it's not that like shock factor surprise that we've seen in the past yeah she's like okay calm down now Yeah, like, have you not seen it? Yeah, it hasn't been months? Ten years? Like, are you, like, I don't know, you probably talked to him yesterday. Like, what's wrong? We're just finding something to complain about.
Starting point is 00:29:01 I know. Well, because there isn't a lot here, Ashley. So let's just talk about it, honestly. There isn't a lot here to talk about. There's emotion watching it back. Cheryl gets emotional. Debbie gets emotional. People are wishing more time with Mel.
Starting point is 00:29:16 Mel comes out, and the ladies just pretty much say how much they liked him, how great he was. There isn't any confrontation, even after watching it back being like, hey, Mel, like, did you actually ever want anybody? There was nothing that we've been asking. And if you have a live show, my hope is that the show has listened to the viewership enough to answer the questions that the viewers are asking. And I think there's very clear questions right now. the viewership is asking. Why did you pick him? Why did you pick him?
Starting point is 00:29:50 Mel, were you actually ever really that into this? Nicole, why did you say you wanted to be an influencer? And why did you call the last cast not that attractive? They should have had Kathy and Susan host this chat. It would have been great. They would have said some weird stuff. I love them.
Starting point is 00:30:08 They're great. They would have pulled everything out of everybody. They've been like, no, not enough. And we didn't give you those vibrators for your skyatica. we gave you those vibrators for other reasons. Also, if they have heard so many complaints about Mel, they could have used some of this time, if not the whole hour, like I was saying,
Starting point is 00:30:28 to show like a whole bunch more in-depth moments with him, at least building up to some, at least so that you could build up his, the feelings that you have towards him, going into the finale, and also kind of defend their choice. Yeah. Now I'm just left to think,
Starting point is 00:30:45 you didn't have any footage. They didn't. I mean, that's the thought. It's like they could have, they kind of threw Mel into the bus during hometowns. You would think the live show could be the opportunity to kind of like bring him from the ashes. Like, rise him up and say, okay, no,
Starting point is 00:30:59 this is the guy that we didn't show. Here's some funny moments with Mel. Here's some intimate moments with Mel. Here's some moments that we caught Mel crying in the corner when he didn't think cameras were around. We didn't see anything. And then he gets on stage. and I think
Starting point is 00:31:16 you know it feels like okay melby on stage feels like what the season has felt like so far it's saying the right things at the right moment we're not saying anything at all and saying them quickly and
Starting point is 00:31:31 concisely and leaving a lot of room for interpretation it doesn't get me fired up for this finale it doesn't and so you know you look at the way the show set this up it's It's obviously planned. These people are professionals.
Starting point is 00:31:47 I mean, they have Jared Freed in the audience. Well, I'm down for Jared Freed to be there. He always makes me laugh. And I did really like that clip that they showed with him where they were showing all the one-liners he was trying to give to Robin. And Robin didn't laugh at any of them. And that was like the most relatable moment because my mom wouldn't understand Jared's Freed's humor either because he has the most millennial
Starting point is 00:32:13 humor. I think he's hilarious, but again, what does it bring? Like, did it make the show? It makes me laugh for a second. Okay, good. Good. That's all we need. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:32:27 I mean, he's funny. He is, and he's good on the show. He's good for the show. I just don't see, like, out of everything they could have done here, that was, like, that was one of their big attempts. It just felt, like, it just feels like we're. We're not rising up. Here's my complaint.
Starting point is 00:32:48 All these other shows are going on right now, and they're crushing it. New creative ideas. They're always rising to the occasion. The Bachelor has every opportunity to rise to the occasion and compete with these new shows coming out. And it feels like time after time again, they just fall a little short,
Starting point is 00:33:04 and it frustrates me because I believe in the show. Yeah, I know. I still think the show could be good. I know. The finale is actually two, hours so now i'm again being like okay why didn't you just air hour one of the finale leave us on a good cliffhanger and then do another hour it'd be great yeah i mean that that the finale is two hours it has to have some context that we're not seeing like it's going to be dramatic emotional it's
Starting point is 00:33:34 going to pull it our heartstrings maybe a little bit i i am still holding out hope actually we have we have two hours left and i'm holding out hope to the end of the season helps us us understand what we've been watching the for the last you know eight to nine weeks yeah do you agree yeah of course I agree but like I'm kind of hopeless at this point to be honest I'm just I'm not going to think that this engagement is going to last at all who do you think he gets engaged to I think it's Cindy I think it's Cindy too yeah I think so and she'll be really happy yeah and I'm really happy for her but I'm really sad for when it's not not necessarily going to work out.
Starting point is 00:34:16 But maybe we know more. Maybe we don't know. Maybe we just don't know. We don't know enough. Enough. Okay, friends, real talk. You are worth the weight. We've all been there, giving our energy to connections that didn't honor ours,
Starting point is 00:34:35 and watching friends do the same. And honestly, we all deserve better. That's why Bumble is built for intentional dating. safety is such a big deal for us all, especially when meeting new people. And Bumble gives you the peace of mind with options like photo and ID verification. That little extra step means you know the person you're talking to is who they say they are, with their real photos, and they are ready to show up authentically. And once you feel safe, you can actually focus on what matters, finding someone who gets you.
Starting point is 00:35:05 With shared interests, it's easy to see right away who vibes with your passions, whether that's true crime podcasts, yoga mornings, or weekend hikes. So take a pause, affirm your worth, and protect your peace. Bumble helps you create safe, meaningful connections, the kind that truly respect your boundaries, your energy, and your time. Thinking about dating again, take this as your sign. Start your love story on Bumble. Here we go.
Starting point is 00:35:33 Hey, I'm Cal Penn, and on my new podcast, Here We Go again, we'll take today's trends and headlines and ask, why does history keep repeating itself? You may know me as the second hottest actor from the Harold and Kumar movies, but I'm also an author, a White House staffer, and as of like 15 seconds ago, a podcast host. Along the way, I've made some friends who are experts in science, politics, and pop culture. And each week, one of them will be joining me to answer my burning questions. Like, are we heading towards another financial crash, like in 08? Is non-monogamy back in style? And how come there's never a gate ready for your flight when it lands like two minutes early? We've got guests like Pete Buttigieg,
Starting point is 00:36:16 Stacey Abrams, Lily Singh, and Bill Nye. When you start weaponizing outer space, things can potentially go really wrong. Look, the world can seem pretty scary right now, because it is. But my goal here is for you to listen and feel a little better about the future. Listen and subscribe to Here We Go Again with Cal Penn on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Big Take podcast from Bloomberg News dives deep into one big global business story every weekday. A shutdown means we don't get the data, but it also means for President Trump that there's no chance of bad news on the labor market. What does a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich reveal about the economy? Our breakfast foods are consistent consumer staples, and so they sort of become.
Starting point is 00:37:03 outsize indicators of inflation. What's behind Elon Musk's trillion-dollar payout? There's a sort of concerted effort to message that Musk is coming back. He's putting politics aside. He's left the White House. And what can the PCE tell you that the CPI can't? CPI tries to measure out-of-pocket costs that consumers are paying for things, whereas the PCE index that the Fed targets is a little bit broader of a measure.
Starting point is 00:37:32 Listen to the big take from Bloomberg News every weekday afternoon on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I live below a cult leader, and I fear I've angered her. Well, wait a minute, Sophia Adia knows she's a cult leader. Well, Dakota, luckily it's I'm not afraid of a scary story week on the OK Storytime podcast, so you'll find out soon. This person writes, My neighbor has been blasting music every day and doing dirt rituals,
Starting point is 00:37:59 and now my ceiling is collapsing. I try to report them, but things keep getting weirder. I think they may be part of a cult? Hold up, Sophia. A real-life cult? And what is a dirt ritual? No clue. But according to this person, contractors are tearing down the patio to find out what's going on with their ceiling, and her neighbors are not happy.
Starting point is 00:38:19 Well, she needs to report them ASAP. She did! And now they've been confronting her in really creepy ways all the time. So do we find out if this person survives their neighborhood cult 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 podcasts. What's up, everybody? This is Snacks from the Trap Nerds podcast, and we're bringing you the horror every week all October alone. Kicking off this month, I'll be bringing you all my greatest fear-inducing horror games from Resident Evil to Silent Hill. Me and Tony Bringing Back Fire Team on Left for Dead 2.
Starting point is 00:38:54 And we're just going to be going over some of the greats. Also in October, we'll be talking about our favorite horror and Halloween movies. and figuring out why black people always gotta die first. The umbral reliquary invites any and all fooling, brave enough, to peruse its many curiosities. But take heed, all sales are final.
Starting point is 00:39:17 Weekly horror side quests written and narrated by yours truly. With a full episode read and a commentary special. And we will cap it off with horror movie battle royale. Jason versus Freddie. Michael Myers versus the 80 thing with the little tongue muster. October, we're doing it Halloween style. Listen to the Trapner's podcast from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your broadcasts.
Starting point is 00:39:44 This is our tell-all episode. Usually we feel like these are either so great or just miss the mark. Every season that they do this. But this is a tell-all episode of The Golden Bachelor. We got the previews for Antigua next week. Antigua's beautiful. We see some sweet dates. We see some sweet moments.
Starting point is 00:40:10 I don't exactly see the iconic moment that will make us be put on the edge of our seats and make this season memorable. I don't see it yet. I hope it's there. He's holding an engagement ring. I still in doubt that he's going to propose. This just doesn't seem like a man in love to me. me. And as we even saw last week, he said, like, he's not there yet. So how do you go from being not being in love to being like, I'm going to get down on one knee? Yeah. You can't do that.
Starting point is 00:40:42 You can't, you actually can't do that. So your vote is he doesn't get engaged at all at the end of this. I think the smart choice would be not to get engaged. I mean, I oftentimes say that the smart choice would not be engaged. I'm with you on that. But like right now, like, I actually don't even think he's like very much in lust because sometimes I think that like a lot of the leads are confused and they're like oh you know bachelor bubble lust love but there's something that I'm feeling intensely I just like don't even think he's feeling intensely so I think it's best for him not to do this I'm with you I think they should go out of this and be a happy couple and try to make this work in the real world for as long as they can yeah and you know how my argument is as of last
Starting point is 00:41:25 season like you have your kids just date just date have a lot of fun travel the world um do you think pegs are next golden bachelorette she's cool she's cool as a bachelorette i think it would need to be debby especially after this season this episode yeah this made me like this episode that that was a moment where i felt where i was just like i'm really sad this lady's never been married that's what she still really wants and her wearing the white wedding dress I won a Bachelorette who's never been married in her 60s. Yeah, I think that's beautiful. Let's hope for it.
Starting point is 00:42:04 We're voting for Debbie. This has been the almost famous podcast. We've broken down the tell-aw. We'll be back breaking down the finale. Look for, as you listen and watch, look for those memorable moments. Also, let us know if this season is relating to you in any way, If you're enjoying it, if you're sold out on a cast member or Mel in general, we want to hear from you so that we can get behind your thoughts and also learn from you.
Starting point is 00:42:35 So continue to listen to everything coming out on the Almost Famous Feed. Until next time, I've been Ben. I've been Ashley. Bye. Follow the Ben and Ashley I, Almost Famous Podcasts on IHeart Radio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Johnny Knoxville here. Check out Crimeless. Billy Heist, my new true crime podcast from Smartless Media, Campside Media, and Big Money Players.
Starting point is 00:43:00 It's the true story of the almost perfect crime and the Nimrods who almost pulled it off. It was kind of like the perfect storm in a sewer. That was dumb. Do not follow my example. Listen to Crimless, Hillbilly Heist, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Chicago, a white woman's murder, a black man behind bars, for a crime he didn't commit. 90 years of killing somebody I have never seen. The Crying Wolf podcast is the story of a corrupt detective, two men bound by injustice,
Starting point is 00:43:38 and the quest for redemption, no matter the price. Listen to the Crying Wolf podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. I live below a cult leader and I fear I've angered her Wait a minute, Sophia. How do you know she's a cult leader? Well, Dakota, luckily it's I'm not afraid of a scary story week on the OK Storytime podcast. So we'll find out soon. This person writes, my neighbor has been blasting music every day and doing dirt rituals. And now my ceiling is collapsing.
Starting point is 00:44:10 I try to report them, but things keep getting weirder. I think they might be part of a cult. Hold up. A real life cult? And what is a dirt ritual? No clue. Dakota. Find out how it ends. Listen to the OK Storytime podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Cal Penn. And on my new podcast, here we go again. We'll take today's trends and headlines and ask, why does history keep repeating itself?
Starting point is 00:44:36 Each week, I'm calling up my friends like Bill Nye, Lily Singh, and Pete Buttigieg to talk about everything from the space race to movie remakes to psychedelics. Put another way, are you high? Look, the world can seem pretty scary right now. But my goal here is for you to listen and feel a little better about the future. Listen and subscribe to Here We Go again with Cal Penn on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Big Take podcast from Bloomberg News keeps you on top of the biggest stories of the day. My fellow Americans, this is Liberation Day.
Starting point is 00:45:12 Stories that move markets. Chair Powell opened the door to this first interest rate cut. impact politics, change businesses. This is a really stunning development for the AI world and how you think about your bottom line. Listen to the big take from Bloomberg News every weekday afternoon on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast.

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.