The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - Baring All with Ryan from Chippendales

Episode Date: October 14, 2024

Did you love the Chippendales date on the Golden Bachelorette?? We’re going behind the cufflinks and talking to Chippendales captain Ryan Kelsey to get the inside story on what happened when Joan’s guys took the stage! Plus, Ryan shares the secret to a perfect Chippendales dance!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Hi, my name is Enya Eumanzor. And I'm Drew Phillips. And we run a podcast called Emergency Intercom. If you're a crime junkie and you love crimes, we're not the podcast for you. But if you have unmedicated ADHD... Oh my God, perfect. And want to hear people with mental illness, psychobabble.

Yes, yes. Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you. Open your... free iHeartRadio app search emergency intercom and listen now what would you do if one bad decision forced you to choose between a maximum security prison or the most brutal boot camp designed to be hell on earth unfortunately for mark lombardo this was the choice he faced he said you are a number a new york state number and we own you listen to shock incarceration on the i heart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcast

I just normally do straight stand-up, but this is a bit different. What do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? Answer, a new podcast called Wisecrack, where a comedian finds himself at the center of a chilling true crime story. Does anyone know what show they've come to see? It's a story. It's about the scariest night of my life. This is Wisecrack, available now.

Listen to Wisecrack on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Let's start with a quick puzzle. The answer is Ken Jennings' appearance on The Puzzler with A.J. Jacobs. The question is, what is the most entertaining listening experience in podcast land? Jeopardy-truthers believe in... I guess they would be Kenspiracy theorists. That's right. They gave you the answers, and you still blew it.

The Puzzler. Listen on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Everyone thinks they'd never join a cult. But it happens all the time to people just like you. And people just like us. I'm Lola Blanc. And I'm Megan Elizabeth. We're the host of Trust Me, a podcast about cults, manipulation, and the psychology of belief. Each week we talk to fellow survivors, former believers, and experts to understand why people get pulled in and how they get out.

Trust me, new episodes every Wednesday on exactly right. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. This is the Ben and Ashley I, Almost Famous Podcasts with IHartRadio. It's almost famous podcast. We are here today with a very special guest. We thought, hey, they're great at entertaining us. They were entertaining on last night's episode of The Golden Bachelorette. And so why not bring in a current Chippendale,

Ryan, welcome to The Almost Famous Podcast. Hey, man. Happy to be here. Ryan, so many questions for you. But let's start with talking about this show, the show in general. It feels like a new kind of theme of the Bachelor franchise where they're bringing in Chippendale to teach men how to dance. How do you hear about the call and why do you agree to come on to this crazy show? Yeah, we've been developing a relationship with the Golden Bachelor throughout this year that we've really enjoyed.

Yeah, I know a few of the guys, before I had done this particular episode, a few of the guys had flown out to do a few others. They've been to New York and a few other places. So I'm the dance captain for the show. I've been with the show for over a decade now. And my job is to teach and organize the show. So anyone knew that's coming in, let's say anyone. from, you know, just a new hire to one of our celebrity guests like Vinny G from Jersey Shore. When these guys come in and need to learn the show, it's my job to teach them.

And then it's my job to organize who's in what spot for the night where everyone goes, make sure everyone's running into each other, make sure all the tracks are covered. So when the old bachelor came and they're like, hey, we want to work with the chippinails and work with you guys and have a few of our guys, you know, get coached up. that's kind of my role in the show anyway and I was really excited to take the call and say yes so does it change anything for you when you hear hey these guys are all going to be 60 plus

or is it the same kind of strategy if you had a celebrity guest come on yeah it's the same kind of strategy it's usually age is much less of a factor than you know how familiar you are with movement and how familiar you are with your own body and how to get around and what your arm's doing while your legs doing something while your head's doing something. So it's more kind of getting familiar with people and how much they know their body rather

than if they're 20 or 40 or 60, you know. So if you were a critic, how do you feel like these men knew their body going into it? Good, good. You know, I'd say age always helps that, you know, a little more, the more time you have in it, the more you know about it. Yeah, good. The good and the bad, right? That can include like,

ah, knees not going well today or, you know, it's going to rain. I feel like my shoulder. But yeah, no, no,

these, those guys are great, man. You know, and different levels, you know, within that. But I,

you know, I tend to find, and I don't know the story of all these guys, but especially anyone that used to be like a former athlete, like if anyone played football or hockey or even like,

MMA or stuff like that, they tend to just carry a body awareness with them. You know, it's if you're, you know, even just in college for a couple of years, played defensive back, you know,

you're learning to turn your hips and run and move and put your hands up or, you know, definitely any sort of, you know, karate jiu-jitsu, any of that stuff, any fighting,

you know, you are learning how to use your body in multiple ways at once. And I can get, I can get a lot of dance moves out of that. It was, it was impressive to, I think,

the audience. In fact, I talked to a Bachelor producer today that said that this date was their favorite group date they've ever shot that it was the most fun. And I felt like as a fan now of the show, when I watched it, it was joy-filled. There was a lot of fun, a lot of commitment. And then I was also impressed that every one of these guys, at least from what we saw, just dove into this. Is that what you experienced while you were filming it? Yeah, yeah. That was, it was a really fun process because of that.

And I think you kind of hit the nail on the head there that I've taught for a long time. I've been not only dance captain here for a long time, I've been dance captain of the other non-review shows, like more traditional song and dance shows. I've taught a lot of dance to a lot of people. And I can do it. I know what I'm doing. The one thing I cannot teach and cannot put in someone is the ability to buy in.

but the ability to care right so um you know having someone be braver of especially you know it's it's think of any skill you've tried that was out of your comfort zone or a new skill um especially in front of people in front of uh people you're friends with competing against in front of you know these cameras that are going to be filming this for millions of people um it can be scary it can be scary to jump it can be scary by yourself but love with all that that other stuff going on so um these guys were just head first into the deep into the pool. And that's the one thing I can't teach. And that's what makes it fun.

That's what actually helps people learn quicker and get into it quicker is the ones that are like, all right, we're doing this. And every single one of those gentlemen had that. So that was very fun. Is there anything that we didn't see, I'm assuming you saw last night's episode, if you didn't, that's okay. But is there anything that wasn't shown that happened? during this whole date that you were like gosh i wish that would have been shown or that really

kind of was a good memorable moment for you so yeah full disclosure i have not seen the episode yet we did have a a chibbidale show last night while it was airing and and uh i just came in i afterwards spent a whole time of my wife and and i haven't gotten to it yet but uh but yeah i i there wasn't from my experience on the show i don't know i you know i'm sure a couple things on the how to read the floor but I don't think that because there wasn't like multiple locations or multiple sections of this like um you know especially compared to other TV that I've done it seemed pretty uh pretty honest as far as you know I almost didn't totally know in the best way I didn't totally know what to expect or what was going to go on you know they've tried me like

hey these are guys we want you teach me a couple moves even when I asked for framework of like well do you want like A B and C or D and F like you're like you do you do you have fun with it um so yeah once the uh the guys came in even the um the little intro number that you know the three classic guys did and then the three current guys did you know we we set that on the spot because i didn't know what the stage was going to be like what the room was going to be like um sometimes if you choreograph something too much in advance you get there the room is different and the time's different you got to redo it anyway so um you know the six of us all worked together and just set that up on the spot and then when the guys came in you know i

honestly met them and then you know there's three cameras around the room and they were like all right go so um i i assume what uh what was shown on tv is is uh you know pretty pretty straightforward of what we actually did um which was just coming in meet the guys everyone's having fun shake hands start learning a couple moves do do a little warm up um learn a mini routine and then uh you know we took like an hour or two when they all got to their costumes and then we got to come out as honest, uh, honest fans there and sit in the audience and watch it go down. Was there anybody that surprised or impressed you? Uh, I mean, for me, I look back. I think one, it was awesome to see Charles come out, uh, and do what he did, but also,

uh, his name's Gary, but I call him Goldie. Uh, he ripped off his shirt, uh, let that, you know, belly just get shown. It was awesome. It was just such a fun moment. Was there anybody else that, like, surprised you as you watched it back or as you were watching in the audience? Yeah. I'll tell you exactly to surprise me every single one of them. Okay. Awesome.

And not to get, like, too much of a cliche, diplomatic answer, but no, the amount of buy-in from all the guys, because it's, it's, that's something you learn pretty fast doing our show is that, you know, there's, you know, all of us are, you know, good luck and all of us in shape, but, but, um, there's even be different degrees of that, right? There's, you know, sometimes I'm, I'm, I feel like I'm in good shape and I'm standing next to someone that's six four, two 50, you know, 28 abs. I'm like, ah, um, but what matters more than that, your, your actual size, your actual stature or, um, you know, I feel like a lot of women and people that come to our show, you know, of course, they're here for fit guys, but they, they care more

about having fun and the experience, then you absolutely having every tiny little thing perfect. And when you buy it, when you have fun, when you let it loose and, you know, you're able to enjoy the moment, able to enjoy yourself, able to enjoy your own body

in a fond and comfortable way, right? Then that's when the audience, that's when the women, the customers, everyone at our show has the most fun. And that's exactly what those guys did, which was go out there I think a lot of people would rather when they're having when they get to dance from someone

whether it's at a professional show or it's just your partner in your room and you're having a good time I think you'd rather have them be in the moment than have every tiny thing be quote unquote perfect so that's what those guys did they're at their dancing they're living in their bodies they were shaking things they were sharing their joy with the rest of us

and that's absolutely the core principle that makes it good. Yeah, that's right. That's right. I know also this whole date supported staying up to cancer, and so I'm sure that also helped everybody go, hey, I'm just going to let this thing loose because it's for a good cause,

and it's a really fun experience. Imagine that you're on an airplane, and all of a sudden you hear this. Attention passengers. The pilot is having an emergency. See and we need someone, anyone to land this plane. Think you could do it? It turns out that nearly 50% of men think that they could land the plane with the help of air traffic control.

And they're saying like, okay, pull this, until this. Do this. I can do this. I'm Mani. I'm Noah. This is Devin. And on our new show, no such thing. We get to the bottom of questions like these.

Join us as we talk to the leading expert on overconfidence. Those who lack expertise lack the expertise they need to recognize that they lack expertise. And then, as we try the whole thing out for real. Wait, what? Oh, that's the run right. I'm looking at this thing.

Listen to no such thing on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, my name is Enya Yumanzoor. And I'm Drew Phillips. And we run a podcast called Emergency Intercom.

If you're a crime junkie and you love crimes, we're not the podcast for you. But if you have unmedicated ADHD... Oh my God, perfect. And want to hear people with mental illness, psychobabble. Yes, yes. Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you. Open your free IHeartRadio app. Search Emergency Intercom and listen now.

Hi, I'm Janica Lopez and in the new season of the Overcomber podcast, I'm taking you on an exciting journey of self-referferial. Am I ready to enter this new part of my life? Like, am I ready to be in a relationship? Am I ready to have kids and to really just devote myself and my time? I wanted to be successful on my own, not just because of who my mom is. Like, I felt like I needed to be better or work twice as hard as she did. Join me for conversations about healing and growth. Life is freaking hard. And growth doesn't happen in comfort. It happens in motion, even when you're hurting. All from one of my favorite spaces the kitchen.

Honestly, these are going to come out so freaking amazing. Be a part of my new chapter and listen to the new season of the Overcomfit podcast as part of the My Cultura podcast network on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Hola, it's HoneyGerman and my podcast Grazacus come again is back. This season, we're going even deeper into the world of music and entertainment. With raw and honest conversations with some of your favorite Latin artists and celebrities. You didn't have to audition? No, I didn't audition.

I haven't audition in, like, over 25 years. Oh, wow. That's a real G-talk right there. Oh, yeah. We've got some of the biggest actors, musicians, content creators, and culture shifters, sharing their real stories of failure and success. You were destined to be a start.

We talk all about what's viral and trending with a little bit of chisement, a lot of laughs, and those amazing vivas you've come to expect. And of course, we'll explore deeper topics dealing with identity, struggles, and all the issues affecting our Latin community. You feel like you get a little whitewash because you have to do the code switching? I won't say whitewash because at the end of the day, you know, I'm me. Yeah. But the whole pretending and code, you know, it takes a toll on you. Listen to the new season of Grasasas has come again as part of my culture podcast network on the Iheart radio app, Apple

podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. A foot washed up, a shoe with some bones in it. They had no idea who it was. Most everything was burned up pretty good from the fire that not a whole lot was salvageable. These are the coldest of cold cases, but everything is about to change. Every case that is a cold case that has DNA. Right now in a backlog will be identified in our lifetime. A small lab in Texas is cracking the code on DNA. Using new scientific tools, they're finding clues in evidence so tiny you might just miss it.

He never thought he was going to get caught. And I just looked at my computer screen. I was just like, ah, gotcha. On America's Crime Lab, we'll learn about victims and survivors. And you'll meet the team behind the scenes at Othrum, the Houston Lab that takes on the most hopeless cases to finally solve the unsolvable. Listen to America's Crime Lab on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Ryan, I have some rapid fire questions for you that were not given to me by anybody. They're off the top of my head that's more out of curiosity. Do you mind if I spend the next few moments and just shoot them your way? Fire away, my friend. How in the world do you end up being a Chippendale dancer? I never got asked because I am not the six foot. I am six foot four.

I am not the 28 abs type of guy. So I was never, you know, recruited, but I'm very curious. Very long story short, my entire, I'm Vegas born and raised. My entire family were performers out here in Vegas. My mom, when she retired, became a dance teacher. So I grew up in the dance studio. Ballet, tap, jazz, musical theater. I'm trained in all that since I was 12.

I did song and dance shows until I was 28. And I was doing a swing dance show at a different hotel in Las Vegas. and someone from Chippendales just, by happen since, saw that show. They wanted to recruit more train dancers because they were trying to get more, you know, conditioned choreography into the show. And so they found me there. They asked me to come over. Those two jobs were, those two shows were at different times.

So I was able to do both. Started a part-time, fell in love real fast. And I've been here for a decade now. How many nights a week do you perform? Six nights a week. how do you keep your body from feeling every single injury that exists in your life if you perform six days a week? It's all the simple answers you know.

Stretch, workout, and healthy diet. You know, the diet is not just for your abs and for your gut. It's, you know, your joints and your muscles. Thank you when you're eating well too. You mentioned something that I think our listeners could gain a lot of wisdom from. And that is to be in the moment and to, you know, just have fun or you said joy to experience that joy. I'm sure you have bad days. We all do.

How do you, if you're doing this six nights a week after a bad day, prepare yourself to go out on that stage and perform so that the people watching enjoy it and that you are experiencing some joy? well the good news is is my favorite place in the world is on the stage um and and particularly that stage so it's usually the other way around if i'm having a bad day i'm looking forward to it because that's the remedy for me um that's you know it makes me present you know puts me in the moment um it just look out there and see smiling faces i'm sure there's some form of ego involved in this where yeah all right people are cheering for the stage and that of course feels good but It really does warm me up to look out there and to see, you know, however many 150 people, 200 people, really forgetting about their bad day, right? Or forgetting about all the craziness in the world right now and they're just present as well.

So there's not a lot of prep. It's usually I'm looking forward to being like, all right, I'm lucky enough to have an able body that I get to use. And for some reason, all these people care. and then we get to have fun together for an hour and a half. It's one of my favorite questions, but this is your, you know, where you said your remedy, it is your focus,

it is your profession. We got to see it highlighted on the Golden Bachelorette. When somebody comes to your show, what do you hope they leave feeling, thinking, experiencing? I hope they leave feeling better, you know, even if it's just a little bit. I hope they have fun. Hope both sides have fun.

No, but it's that simple, right? I've seen, you know, families come. I love when, like, mother and daughter come or grandmother, mother, daughter. I've seen that combination. They have both family bonding time. I see quite often people who come either solo or groups of two will make friends with other groups.

And they literally walk out of there with new people that they've met in the show. And, oh, my God, we're all going to have trades together. We had so much fun at the show. You know, it's one of the clothes here in Vegas. So yeah, I, you know, moments like that are the ones I treasure. So I just, you know, I hope, you know, I don't know, the world is crazy and we all got personal battles going on and I don't know how to fix all that, but I do know that I can

create a little bit of light. So I hope that people get fun and joy and peace for just a little bit. The final question for you is you mentioned your wife, that you're married, does she come to your show? And when she does, because I'm assuming she does, I guess. if she doesn't that's even more of a curious response what is her typical like response when she sees you up there doing your thing so i'm really like dropping the w bomb hard right now because i got married two weeks ago so let's go yeah that's not thank you very much um no she's the best

and that's why we're married um so she uh she's a a current nurse but a former performer herself she did a few Las Vegas shows out here as well. So she very much understands the world, understands the industry. She might be the most supportive human that has ever existed. And yeah, she'll come to the show. I mean, it comes in waves. But, you know, when she's very proud of it, I'm very honored that she's very proud of it. So she has friends or family in town.

She'll pop by the show. She also, it's very fun for me that I'm very close to my management team. And my management team very much loves her. the guys love her too but but it's especially that the managers you know when she comes in to see my bosses light up and give her a big hug and you know they'll a lot of times she'll watch the show in the back of the room you know the bosses are there every night making sure everything's going according to plan and and she'll be back there with them just just cut it up and um so it's it's a a really joyous experience to have her there because it's you know i very much understand

that this could potentially be you know a landmine of a of a job for a relationship and um You know, I think the successful relationships I've seen at the show, it really goes both ways. You have really understanding partners and then, you know, being in the show, having, you know, making sure that she feels loved and supported and taken care of and that, you know, if I'm creating an atmosphere where the show isn't an issue, then that makes it easier as well. Congrats on the marriage, Ryan. That's an awesome step, awesome deal. And it's great to hear that you have a partner like that. It's just, it makes life so much more fun. Ryan, Chippendales, you crushed it last night.

Thank you for giving us what some would say is the most fun group date ever witnessed on the Bachelor franchise. If somebody wants to find you in Vegas, not in a creepy way, but to watch you perform, where do they go? Yeah, no, no, please come find us. We love sharing, like I said, sharing the joy. So we are performing at the Rio, Hotel and Casino. know. We are six nights a week. We have no shows on Monday, but we have shows the rest of week. 8 p.m. every night and then 10.30 as well on Friday and Saturday. Not only do we have the show's performance, there is a meet and greet in our show bar after the show every night.

So not only can you see us perform, but part of your ticket is you get to hang out with the guys after all the guys will be in the bar. So you can literally come see the show and then come talk to me and hang out any nights you want. But yeah, at the Chippendales at the Rio Hotel and Casino, Tuesday through Sunday. If you ever need somebody who can do 10 pushups in a row who's 6 foot 4 doesn't have an ab to show, but they're in there somewhere and I can move my body like one of those bullet machines at the car washes, you know, they kind of go like that. Just come in a call.

Dude, get out here. We'll get you some Cuffs and Colorado alerts immediately. Deal. Ryan, thanks again. I appreciate it. And good luck performing. And if anybody is out there listening, some of Ryan's advice is to be in the moment, to have a lot of fun. I think it's a good advice to take with us into the life.

Thanks, Ryan. Thank you. Follow the Ben and Ashley I, almost famous podcasts on IHartRadio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Hi, my name is Enya Umanzor. And I'm Drew Phillips. And we run a podcast called Emergency Intercom. If you're a crime junkie and you love crime, We're not the podcast for you.

But if you have unmedicated ADHD... Oh my God, perfect. And want to hear people with mental illness, psychobabble. Yes, yes. Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you. Open your free Iheart radio app. Search Emergency Intercom and listen now. Let's start with a quick puzzle.

The answer is Ken Jennings' appearance on The Puzzler with A.J. Jacobs. The question is, what is the most... entertaining listening experience in podcast land. Jeopardy Truthers, believe in... I guess they would be conspiracy theorists. That's right. They gave you the answers, and you still blew it. The Puzzler.

Listen on the I-Heart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Super Secret Festi Club podcast season four is here. And we're locked in. That means more juicy chisement. Terrible love advice. Evil spells to cast on your ex. No, no, no, no, we're not doing that this season. Oh, well, this season, we're leveling up.

Each episode will feature a special bestie, and you're not going to want to miss it. My name is Curley. And I'm Maya. Get in here! Listen to the Super Secret Bestie Club on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Every case that is a cold case that has DNA. Right now in a backlog will be identified in our lifetime. On the new podcast, America's Crime Lab, every case has a story to tell, and the DNA holds the truth.

He never thought he was going to get caught, and I just looked at my computer screen. I was just like, ah, gotcha. This technology's already solving so many cases. Listen to America's Crime Lab on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, I'm Jenna Lopez, and in the new season of the Overcomfit Podcast, I'm even more honest, more vulnerable. and more real than ever. Am I ready to enter this new part of my life? Like, am I ready to be in a relationship?

Am I ready to have kids and to really just devote myself and my time? Join me for conversations about healing and growth, all from one of my favorite spaces, The Kitchen. Listen to the new season of the Overcombered podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast.