The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - Ben Sets Mercedes Up On A Date!

Episode Date: December 7, 2025

Ben is setting Mercedes up on a blind date for Jingle Ball, but before she heads out, we check in with her to see how she's feeling. Ben is giving intel on who the eligible single guy is and what Bachelor Nation stars will be tagging along for the evening. But we all want to know...will Mercedes kiss on a first date???See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. I know he has a reputation, but it's going to catch up to him. Gabe Ortiz is a cop. His brother Larry, a mystery Gabe didn't want to solve until it was too late. He was the head of this gang. You're going to push that line for the cause. Took us under his wing and showed us the game, as they call it.

When Larry's killed, Gabe must untangle a dangerous past, one that could destroy everything he thought he knew. Listen to the brothers Ortiz. the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Stefan Curry, and this is Gentleman's Cut. I think what makes Gentleman's Cut different is me being a part of, you know, developing the profile of this beautiful finished product. With every sip, you get a little something different.

Visit Gentleman's Cut Bourbon.com or your nearest Total Wines or Bevmo. This message is intended for audiences 21 and older. Gentleman's Cut Bourbon, Boone County, Kentucky. For more on Gentleman's Cut Bourbon, please visit gentlemen's cuthurban.com. Please enjoy responsibly. Hey there, Dr. Jesse Mills here.

I'm the director of the men's clinic at UCLA, and I want to tell you about my new podcast called The Mail Room. And I'm Jordan, the show's producer. And like most guys, I haven't been to the doctor in way too long. I'll be asking the questions we probably should be asking, but aren't. Every week, we're breaking down the world of men's health from testosterone and fitness to diets and fertility. We'll talk science without the jargon and get your real answers

to the stuff you actually wonder about. So check out the mailroom on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite shows. What up, y'all? It's your boy, Kevin on stage. I want to tell you about my new podcast called Not My Best Moment, where I talk to artists, athletes, entertainers, creators, friends, people I admire who have had massive success about their massive failures. What did they mess up on? What is their heartbreak? And what did they learn from it?

I got judged horribly. The judges were like, you're trash. you got on the show. Check out Not My Best Moment with me kept on stage on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, everybody. It's Chuck and Josh from the Stuff You Should Know podcast, and it's that time of year again when we knuckle down to do our annual holiday episodes. We collected our best past classic holiday episodes and compiled them into a 12 days of Christmas toys playlist that the whole family can enjoy. That's right. Maybe you missed it the first time we detailed the history

of Beanie Babies, Monopoly, or Yo-Yo's, and a whole lot more. So listen to the 12 Days of Christmas Toys playlist on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. IHeart Podcasts bring you the ultimate Summer of Love Tree. This is Famously Available. I'm your host, Ben Higgins, back with you on Famously Available. And today is an exciting day because we're all on the journey listening and staying tuned. for the journey of Boston guy, Boston man, I think we called him. And now, hopefully we get to be on a new journey with Mercedes because today we are setting Mercedes up on a date. Let's talk about

it with the star herself, Mercedes. Mercedes, you're in Los Angeles right now, getting ready to attend IHeart's Jingle Ball, correct? Have you ever been to Jingle Ball? No, I haven't. I'm super excited. It is awesome. It is an incredible event. You're going to have a blast. It is one of those moments. I don't know if you have many of these anymore. You do a lot of cool stuff. But it's one of those moments you're like, hey, this is really fun that this show that I was on allows me to do this kind of stuff in my life. While others are out there, like probably like friends of ours are out there in the audience paying for their ticket sitting up in the nosebleeds you're going to be like a rock star i know i'm so excited i'm definitely feeling very blessed to be in the situation that i'm in

for sure it's super fun and i'm pumped that you're there and i'm pumped that you're there with i heart but we do have to talk about what's happening tonight but before we dig into the nitty gritty the details of jingle ball and you're not only going with friends but there's other reasons why you're there our listeners are curious did you ever hear from Boston Man again after our final kind of conclusion interview

not a thing he's in my like so which is like really annoying but no like communication yeah I'm like get out like if you're not talking to me get out of here right I mean it's just yeah it's like that I mean, I feel like when I was single and trying to do my best at flirting, I would never claim I was great at it. That would have been a way to like initially flirt, would have been to just like go and like somebody's pictures, do it enough. And then send him a comment and be like, hey, what's up?

Well, that's how it started too. Like, because, you know, it started on Instagram. So it's just like, yeah, he's just still liking, which I don't know what signal he's trying to send doing that. How do you feel about all this now? I'm honestly, like, very over it. I feel like I'm at peace with everything. But the, there's definitely still mixed signals. And I also, it was all so confusing.

It didn't make sense. And I definitely think like something happened. Like, I went a little FBI. And me and my friend. And I think there was another girl. Mm-hmm. Okay. Which, again, disappointing.

Yeah. but as we've talked about totally fair right yeah no absolutely it's just like if that was the situation like just let me know rather than being like making up other excuses you know i agree with that i do think there is a level mercedes where you are an understanding human that's why i'm so excited for you to find somebody that appreciates you uh the word that comes to mind is like a cool girl, but I feel like that diminishes actually who you are a little bit. Like you're better than just a cool girl. Um, you could have handled it if he would have openly communicated with you. I don't, I think people get nervous that the person can't handle it. Yeah. That's true. And so you can,

you wanted the open communication. You gave him every ability to openly communicate, but I think that's a great quality that you have is you could have handled it and like understood and maybe even gone back at them a little bit and then be like, hey, you led me on or whatever. But at least you could have the conversation without it, like, absolutely blowing up. Yeah, no, for sure. But that's in the past. On to better things, right? Oh, speaking of better things, we got so many better things.

You are at Jingle Ball and you are going on a date tonight. I don't know how to feel. How do you feel? I'm excited. It's like a full-on blind date. Like I asked for his Instagram and they told me no. And I'm like, it's a full on. Because I have his Instagram right here.

I'm looking at it. You do. Stop. Give me some hints. Okay. You may give you a few hints. Yeah. He is, he is very handsome.

Okay. Like very handsome. And he is in good shape. Like physically fit. You can tell that man. Goes the gym. Works out. Takes care of himself.

Takes care of himself. Love that. I will tell. you what, do you want to know what his bio in his Instagram says? I don't think you can search that, right? No. Okay. It says between living the dream and chasing it. Okay. Is that it? That's all the, well, he's also, um, no, that's good. That's cute. He also sits in the C-suite, which means he is the C-O of a very, uh, a very, uh, respectful. company.

Okay. Well, good. Sounds like he has it all together a little bit. Yeah. Athletic. What's his hair color? Dark? Yeah.

Yeah, it's dark. It's dark. It's like a dark brown. Okay. And I will say there is not an obnoxious amount of shirtless picks on his Instagram, which is a good sign. There's a few, but it's like they're respectable. Like, hey, we're at the beach kind of thing.

But like, there's no like, me. selfies and his without his shirt on, which I think is a good sign. That's a very good sign. Green flag, green flag. Yeah. How do you feel about tattoos? I like tattoos. Good.

All right. That's fair. Mercedes, is he nervous? Yeah, a little bit. I mean, it's like a blind date. But I don't know. At the end of the day, I'm just really excited. And I love that, like, I have all my friends here, too, with me.

I want to talk about that tonight at Jingle Ball with you you have Katie and Zach Katie is a great friend to you Justin Glaze Grant Ellis Jonathan Johnson Joan Serena Jess Gerard

and Gabby Elnicki are going to be there as well with you Gabby and Jess and Katie and you've done trips together you're great friends it's going to be a blast but I do think, you know, in some of the dates we've set up already on this show with other people, there has been this kind of balance between when you're there with friends,

how do you give them attention and enjoy the moment with them while also giving your date attention and, you know, seeing if there's anything there. How do you plan on doing that? Yeah, honestly, I was talking to Jess about that because I'm like, I'm going to see you guys having fun and be like, I want to be with them. but then also, like, I'm on a blind date, so I have to, like, figure out how to do it. I don't know. I hope he's, like, just because Zach's going to be there, too.

So, like, I hope, like, we can be, like, in a group setting, too and, like, all hang out and see how he, like, just jumps in with my friend group and how everything works. But obviously, I'm going to, like, have, like, make sure he feels, like, welcome and seen. So, I don't know. I'm just going to have to, like, figure it out in the moment, I think. Yeah, it is a balance, though. It's 5.23 p.m. One of your kids is asking for a snack.

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He has x-ray vision. How could I not follow him? Honestly, I got to follow him. He can see right through me. Listen to Crimless on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Dad had the strong belief that the devil was attacking us. Two brothers, one devout household, two radically different paths. Gabe Ortiz became one of the highest-ranking law enforcement officers in Texas.

32 years, total law enforcement experience. But his brother Larry, he stayed behind and built an entirely different legacy. He was the head of this gang, and nobody was going to tell him what to do. You're going to push that line for the calls. Took us under his wing and showed us the game, as they call it. When Larry is murdered, Gabe was forced to confront the past he tried to leave behind and uncover secrets he never saw coming. My dad had a whole other life that we never knew about.

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visit gentlemen's cut bourbon.com or your nearest total wines or bevmo. This message is intended for audiences 21 and older. Gentlemen's Cut Bourbon, Boone County, Kentucky. For more on Gentleman's Cut Bourbon, please visit gentleman's cut bourbon.com. Please enjoy responsibly. Hey there, Dr. Jesse Mills here. I'm the director of the men's clinic at UCLA Health.

And I want to tell you about my new podcast called The Mailroom. And I'm Jordan, the show's producer. And like a lot of guys, I haven't been to the doctor in many. years. I'll be asking the questions we probably should be asking, but aren't. Because guys usually don't go to the doctor unless a piece of their face is hanging off or they've broken a bone. Depends which bone. Well, that's true. Every week, we're breaking down the unique world of men's health, from testosterone and fitness to diets and fertility and things that happen in the bedroom. You mean sleep? Yeah, something like that, Jordan. We'll talk science without the jargon and get you real answers to

the stuff you actually wonder about. It's going to be fun. whether you're 27, 97, or somewhere in between. Men's health is about more than six packs and supplements. It's about energy, confidence, and connection. We don't just want you to live longer. We want you to live better. So check out the mailroom on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite shows.

I think there's nothing more attractive in a human. I remember this when I met my wife. on some of our first initial hangouts with groups of people. One, her desire to introduce me to people. Like, that was a big deal. Like, I could tell she was excited to introduce me to people.

But also, when she hung out with my friends, her ability to kind of be her own solo human and mingle without meaning to stand beside her and, like, coach her up. Or, you know, it was cool to look off and look in the crowd and be like, oh, there's Jess talking to one of my friends and they're having a blast.

Like, that's a big deal. to me. Yeah. And I also think like that, yeah, I would agree when that when someone can like go off, not do their own thing, but be able to like hold themselves and not have to have you like right there all the time. I think that's very attractive for sure. It's super, it's going to be a super fun evening. I, I have high hopes just that the date's fun. I think this is a good guy. He's obviously handsome. He, I will say, uh, he is very excited for tonight. He is. Have you talked to him? Uh, yes, we have here at the show. Um, he is very excited. Um, and he hopes that, you know, this could be a fun evening and maybe more dates to come, but we'll have to see how tonight goes

first. Yeah. Now, you do have a big friend group there. Is there anybody specific that you really hope he wins over? Or is there, is there anybody in this friend group that we just mentioned that you feel like will be, uh, a tough win for him? him. No, not a tough win. I feel like everyone, I feel like maybe Jess, if I had to choose one, I think she is like Puerto Rican and she's a little sassy. Yes. And she, yes, she's, yes, she's sassy and but she also like, I don't know, like she's always like telling me like Mercedes, you're not good enough. They're not good enough. They're not good enough. You know what I'm saying? Like they're all. She just thinks I'm like way up here. So I feel like if I had to choose one person,

it would be Jess would be like the hard win. But even she's just going to be like. have a great time and talk to anyone. So it'll be fun. We're going to set up some wing women for you. And it's not people in your immediate friend group. We're going to be talking to them here very soon. And they're going to be there spying, giving me all the insights tonight on how things are going. But also, their really only job is to accurately depict who you are, which is somebody great.

And so they're going to make sure that everybody, knows you're great. Hopefully not to an annoying extent, but if that's even a thing, are you, when you go on a first date, this is your second first date in a few months. I mean, goodness, we've really picked up steam here. I know. Do you pre-plan questions? Do you think through what kind of things you want to ask him or are you just going in and

winging it? I just going and wing it. But honestly, I feel like I should have some questions, especially if like, I don't know because I feel like this is like a different situation too but I don't know usually I just go in and wing it and just like feel the vibe and like I kind of just like follow

their lead like on where they want like depth wise you know like what they want to talk about just kind of follow their lead so is there anything specific that you'll be paying extra attention to I mean I gave you a lot of info I'm going to give you a little more info

towards the end of this show about him but is there anything that really is going to stand out to you right away. No, not really. I think the big, especially in this situation and like going into like with my friends, I think it's one thing that I'm going to really look at is like how we interact and how he just like jumps in.

I feel like that like says a lot. Okay. Here's some more information on him. Okay. He's 30 years old. Okay. He lives in Los Angeles. How does that feel so far?

Age great. Um, L.A. I mean, that's fine. I'm here all the time. Like you, he's been on reality television before. The Bachelor? Not saying what show. No. Oh, no. Okay. If he was on The Bachelor, would that be a problem?

No. No, it wouldn't. You can't tell me what show? No, because then I'll look him up. Dang it. I'm not going to tell you what show. It did feel, I mean, if I'm honest, Mercedes, it felt like your initial reaction was this is a problem. It's not a problem because I'm very open. But like if you sat me down and asked like my perfect whatever, like being on reality TV probably wouldn't.

But that's also like kind of shallow of me because I've also been on reality TV. So like it doesn't actually matter. I don't, I don't care. I'm glad we just talk through that together. That was good. He's a mortgage broker. Okay. And co-owns a music distribution label.

Okay. So maybe he visits Nashville, too. He's in music? I bet he's heard of Nashville at least. He's definitely heard of it for sure. He's passionate about music and makes his own. Plus DJs for fun on the side. I think that's great.

And it's a side hustle for him. This is not, he's not like. So he's a mortgage broker? Is that what you said? A mortgage broker and co-owns a music distribution label. Music is very, something he's very passionate about. And so tonight, I'm only telling you this to help you is obviously tonight is all about the music at Jingle Ball and the celebration of the seasons. And so this could be a great evening for the two of you because you're just,

listening to the thing he loves. Yeah. No, for sure. I'm excited. And also, I think green flag, like, no matter what it is, if you, it's so crazy, because I actually was just talking about this with some of my guy friends because they're like, what's something that you want in a man? And I was like, I want him to be passionate about something outside of his job.

So, like, he has his job, but then you have something that, like, you're super passionate about in love. So my wife and I were just talking about this at lunch, like, an hour ago on how our marriage operates and we love each other so much she's the coolest but we run like two separate lanes sometimes right she has her own deal i have mine i'm i try to stay as familiar with her deal as she does mine but there's days where she's at work and i have no clue you know the thing she's doing but it's awesome that we get to come together and talk about it yeah at the end of the day it it helps us i think stay very healthy as a couple we also can stay very curious about

each other because things are always changing and it's nice to have somebody like that you that you know something that she's passionate about that I can get behind now my final question for you is if you had a goal for the end of the night what would that goal be and let's let's say this date goes well that it's going let's say well but there's still like some questions on how well what would be like an outcome that you would at the end of the night with all your girls like giggle, scream and shout and be excited about. I think just like looking back of the night and being like, oh my gosh, that was so fun. I think like that's my number one priority is just like having fun, getting to know him tonight. And then obviously like best kiss scenario is we like vibe. And then maybe there's

another date. Another date. That's great. Okay. Mercedes, I'm pumped for you. Have a blast at jingle ball. it's an incredible event, an incredible evening. It is full of just like the coolest moments of, you know, artists and getting to meet people, have fun with your friends, have a great time on the date itself. I do have one challenge for you. My challenge is very easy. My challenge is to introduce him to the group of bachelor people right away to make sure he assimilates and he's familiar with people, even though it is your first date, you are probably, I'm assuming the only other person he would even know. And so you're like his sidekick as well tonight. I definitely want to make sure he feels like welcome and like safe and can talk to anyone. So definitely we'll be

doing that. Have a blast. This has been famously available with Mercedes. We're going to follow this date now throughout the week. We're going to get interviews from friends of Mercedes, maybe even the person she's going on the date with. And then we're going to be talking to Mercedes herself. So stay tuned to famously available. We're getting started this holiday season with some cheer, I believe. Can't wait to catch up with you, Mercedes. Have a blast tonight.

All right. Thank you, Ben. Bye. History Gabe didn't want to solve until it was too late. He was the head of this gang. You're going to push that line for the cause. Took us under his wing and showed us the game, as they call it. When Larry's killed, Gabe must untangle the dangerous past,

one that could destroy everything he thought he knew. Listen to the brothers Ortiz on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Stefan Curry, and this is Gentleman's Cut. I think what makes Gentleman's Cut different is me, being a part of, you know, developing the profile of this beautiful finished product. With every sip, you get a little something different. Visit gentlemen's cut bourbon.com or your nearest total wines or Bevmo.

This message is intended for audiences 21 and older. Gentleman's Cut Bourbon, Boone County, Kentucky. For more on Gentleman's Cut Bourbon, please visit gentlemen's cut bourbon. Please enjoy responsibly. Hey there, Dr. Jesse Mills here. I'm the director of the men's clinic at UCLA, and I want to tell you about my new podcast called the mailroom. And I'm Jordan, the show's producer. And like most guys, I haven't been to the doctor in way too long. I'll be asking the questions we probably should be asking, but aren't.

Every week, we're breaking down the world of men's health from testosterone and fitness to diets and fertility. We'll talk science without the jargon and get your real answers to the stuff you actually wonder about. So check out the mailroom on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite shows. What up y'all? It's your boy, Kevin on stage. I want to tell you about my new podcast called Not My Best Moment, where I talk to artists, athletes, entertainers, creators, friends, people I admire who had massive success about their massive failures. What did they mess up on?

What is their heartbreak? And what did they learn from me? I got judged horribly. The judges were like, you're trash. I don't know how you got on the show. Check out Not My Best Moment with me kept on stage on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, everybody, it's Chuck and Josh from the Stuff You Should Know podcast, and it's that time of year again when we knuckle down to do our annual holiday episodes.

We collected our best past classic holiday episodes and compiled them into a 12 Days of Christmas Toys playlist that the whole family can enjoy. That's right, maybe you missed it the first time we detailed the history of Beanie Babies, Monopoly, or Yo-Yo's, and a whole lot more. So listen to the 12 Days of Christmas Toys playlist on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast, guaranteed human.