The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - Did Mercedes Fall in Love at Jingle Ball?

Episode Date: December 22, 2025

Ben gets one-on-one with Mercedes to recap her blind date.    Will there be a second date??See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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where PCs are up to 35% off. That's Lenovo. Thank you.com. Hey, I'm Nora Jones, and I love playing music with people so much that my podcast called Playing Along is back. I sit down with musicians from all musical styles to play songs together in an intimate setting. Every episode's a little different, but it all involves music and conversation with some of

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Listen to Nora Jones is playing along on the Irish. Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. Toys playlist on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Who would you call if the unthinkable happened?

My sister was y'all 22 times. A police officer, right? But what do you do when the monster is the man in blue? This dude is the devil. He'll hurt you. This is the story of a detective who thought he was above the law until we came together to take him down. I said, you're going to see my face till the day that you die.

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Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. IHeart Podcasts bring you the ultimate summer of love treat. This is famously available. Hey everybody, it's famously available. I'm your host, Ben Higgins. It's the final conclusion to this date that we've been tracking. At least we think it's the final conclusion uh we were there when they met on the pod for the first time we talked to him after the date and i've talked to my trusted spies of the evening now it's time for me to connect with the star herself mercedes hello hello let's hear all about it oh my gosh we have so much to talk about we're so much to talk about let's start from beginning uh in all transparency i have to Bryce. I have talked to our spies. You are the final chapter to this first date

conclusion. Walk us from the beginning. I mean, we've talked to you in the setup, but let's start with when the two of you first met each other. Walk me through that. Yeah, I mean, obviously, so Deanna was podcasting with him, and then they were like, all right, Mercedes coming. It felt like I was like on a game show. But I walked in and, like, initially, like, so cute. He's very attractive. And, like, right off the bat, you can tell he's super personable and can talk to literally anyone, which I love. And, yeah, I mean, like, right off the bat, I felt, like, super comfortable.

I wasn't, like, super nervous. I mean, I was nervous, but, like, not, like, anything crazy. So I felt super comfortable in the beginning. And it started super good. your outfits were matching we've covered this on all well now three uh interviews we've done uh was that exciting for you yeah i mean we were both wearing silk looking good i mean it definitely wasn't like uh oh my gosh we're matching like i don't know i mean it was funny like yeah but i know we were both wearing silk it's so funny a little unexpected both wearing silk black silk uh to be

exact um you were looking stunning no questions asked uh you were looking absolutely gorgeous he is a very handsome man um but i there i want to go back to the time that we talked before the day when i mentioned he had been on reality television you did take a step back you you acted like it wasn't a thing but it felt like from your reaction and maybe it was was it was it an actual thing Um No No not really I mean I like like like I said when we were on the podcast

When I first like initially think about it I'm like oh like TV But I'm like but I've been on TV And I also know so many great men that I've been on TV So it was like I don't know I think like for a second I was like oh But then I was like no it doesn't actually matter But then he told me he was on he was on Foy Island

And I was like oh But he was like one of the good ones So it's fine Yeah, F Boy Island was actually created by and produced by a former Bachelor EP, Alon Gale. Yeah, that's what he was saying. I didn't know Alon, is that his name? Yeah, he's a great guy. You missed that on a great chapter of the show.

We've mentioned also people have brought out to us that he was a complete gentleman to you from the beginning. He gave you his coat when you were waiting for an Uber because you were cold. you got in this sprinter van together then kind of after that and it was a long drive from your perspective how did that drive go? It was good

I mean like we conversation with him was really really easy and honestly I wouldn't say deep is the right word but like I did I don't know he like got me to open up in ways that I don't usually open up right away

so I was like kind of cool But, yeah, the conversation was really, really good. I wasn't expecting to be, like, side by side for an hour. No, that's intimidating. Yeah, for sure. But, no, it was great. Like, the conversation was good. And he, like, kind of told me about his life, his L.A.

And then, obviously, I talked about Nashville and Iowa and our families, and he told me about some stuff that he's been doing. So we definitely got to, like, know each other in that ride, for sure. There was a depth you said to the conversation. I'm very curious what kind of things he got you to open up about that you didn't expect to open up about on a first date. Yeah, so we were talking about our moms and how, like, moms are amazing. And then I was like, yeah, my mom had me when she was 16. Like, she's like the best thing ever, whatever.

And then we just kind of like went down that path. And I don't usually talk about my biological father to a lot of people just because it's like, a whole story. But I did with him. And so, I don't know, I thought, yeah, I just, like, opened up. I don't know. It's, like, very rare of me, especially on first date, so. I mean, and I'm sure then, I mean, you had friends around you, you're in a Sprinter van. They probably know more about you than most. Their first reaction, especially to the two of you having these kind of conversations, well, like, what were they thinking? Well, I don't think they heard. Like, it was very much like us two in the conversation when that was happening like i like they turned around gabby and uh jess

were in front of us and they turned around and had like some conversation with us but i would say most of the car ride it was just like me and him talking so they yeah like they they weren't necessarily like listening in yeah creeping in okay and and diana ted told me that she sat right behind you and she was kind of watching the body language on the sprinter van ride she mentioned that the body language was really good that you guys were you know sharing mutual friends you were talking you were laughing and then you arrived to the actual event where there was a lot of your friends there we had taught we have talked about this before how did you introduce him to people did you even need to or was he that good socially that you just kind of let him do his thing yeah he's

definitely good like on his own um but i did introduce him to to like Katie and Zach, obviously. But he met most to everyone in the sprinter band. So that was nice that like before we got to the event, he kind of knew everyone. The only people in my circle, like Joe and Serena were there, but I wouldn't say I'm like close to them. So I didn't like go up to introduce him.

Does that make sense? Just because I'm not like super, super close with them. Like I've maybe talked to them a few times, you know? So like there's definitely people I didn't introduce him there, but like I knew, but I just wasn't close with. Um, but I think he did really good of like just enjoying the concert and hanging out and like after the concert. Well, we'll probably get into that, but he hung out. Yeah.

We're going to get into that. The, um, if we pause then at this moment, you've put yourself back in the place where you've entered the venue. He's met the people. You had the car ride together. How are you feeling about this first date? Good first date. Um, like in that. moment, I was like, okay, this is going really good. But I will say, Ben, like, I don't think I was

ever at a point where I was like super excited about him, if that makes sense. That makes sense. And I think it definitely is a thing on the first date, right? He can be attractive. He can be a gentleman. But if the chemistry and the spark isn't there, it's noticeable. You can't fake that. I'm curious, can you help me understand why? yeah um i mean i can't pinpoint it exactly but i do think like our lifestyles are a little different um and just like in i don't want to like i don't know

i hold on how do i say this okay basically like when we were talking in the sprinter van he had said some things that um and they weren't bad by any means like i think this guy is great. I just know the way that I live my life and the way that he might be living his, like doesn't really align. I mean, from what we know about you, and we've done some deep dives on you personally, you are a homebody. That's been to your benefit and to your demise when it comes to dating, right? You get very comfortable at home. You have some really deep, loyal friendships. From what I understand about you, you aren't like a go-outer, right?

Like, that's not like a thing that you seek after anymore. You're getting to the age where, you know, you're more likely to go to bed by 9.30 than you are to stay up till 2 a.m. Is all this right? Yes. Okay. Yeah. And there's no judgment there. That's been my life for 36 years.

But, I mean, knowing him and I just, you know, chatted with him the day, at, you know, 2 a.m., he's still working. You know, music industry is different. Like, there is a pace to that. is that what you're kind of talking about? Yeah. Yeah, because he told me, I asked him, I'm like, do you, like, go out in L.A. a lot? And he kind of said that, like, you know,

I kind of have to for work. And he basically told me that he does go out, which, no hate. Like, if you want to go out, go out. I just, like, don't know if my lifestyle would align with that, you know? Yes. I understand. Yeah.

And I think that's a very fair, you know, you know, critique or being intuitive to those things because you are, you know, potentially dating somebody. You don't want to be pushed into doing things later at night than you like to. But I would like to push back on you a little bit here. Yes. And say, I mean, I have never been a late night person, but I did enjoy going out a lot more as a single man than I ever did once I met my wife. Once I met my wife, all I wanted to do was find reasons for us to be home. Yeah.

So I do think that slows things down quite a bit. Well, and I feel like I've definitely been like the girl that goes out. Like I've had my time doing that. I just think in past relationships, like you just said, it does like when you find someone and you like want to be home, you want to do all that. And then so I did that with my ex and then I like was the going out girl again. I just feel like recently, especially, like, I've been really, like, diving into my faith, too, and I feel like that's why I'm not out. And I will say, like, even after, like, we went to another bar.

You know what I'm saying? Like, it wasn't like, oh, it's 10 o'clock. Time to go home. Like, it was, like, we still went out, and we all hung out, and it was great. But then, like, once we went home, he went out after that. You know, and I'm like, ooh, could not be me. Sorry, I'm going to go to bed. It's 1 a.m., you know?

I do want to get your. opinion on this. Kathy Deanna and I did speak about this. I always had a philosophy when it came to dating, no matter how much fun I was having, that I was going to go home like at the top of the evening, you know, when things were at its best, at least on the first date. Maybe not after that, like kind of a ride or die, you know, second, third date. I'm out with you for as long as you want to be out for. But I have always quote George Costanza when you. you leave the party, like, in the middle, on top. Were you a little bit, like, frustrated that he decided to stay?

I don't think frustrated is the right word? Because honestly, his, like, him being there, like, wasn't affecting anyone. But I did feel, like, because we were, like, on a date. I didn't want to like hurt his feelings being like hey like I'm gonna hang out with my friends so he just like kind of came along like it wasn't no I wouldn't say frustrated I don't think that's the right word but

I did like after was very much like when we went to the bar after the jingle bell I was very much like okay like dates kind of over now we're just like hanging out as like friends like I'm with my friends I'm gonna give them attention and like you know so

Did you feel obligated to kind of also entertain him? Or at this point, was it just, hey, you've met my people. Let's do our thing. Yeah. I did feel like a little obligation. But I think that's just me as a person too, because he doesn't know anyone from Adam. And like, I don't want anyone to ever feel like uncomfortable. So I did feel an obligation.

But like I said, he held his own very well. And he like, like, it was me, Jonathan. Who else was there? Jess, Gabby, and Justin. It was us six. And the vibe was great. He got along with everyone. He could keep up with conversation.

So I didn't feel too much. Like, I had to, like, be like, okay, come on, which was nice. If a Lenovo gaming computer is on your holiday list, don't shop around. Just go directly to the source, Lenovo.com. It's your last chance. to score exclusive deals on the gaming PCs you want,

like the Lenovo Legion Tower 5 Gen 10 gaming desktop and Lenovo Locke gaming laptop. So avoid all that shopping chaos and price comparing and just go directly to the source. Lenovo.com, where PCs are up to 35% off. That's Lenovo.com. I'm investigative journalist Melissa Jeltson. My new podcast, What Happened in Nashville,

tells the story of an IVF clinic's catastrophic collapse and the patients who banded together in the chaos that followed. We have some breaking news to tell you about. Tennessee's attorney general is suing a Nashville doctor. In April 2024, a fertility clinic in Nashville shut down overnight and trapped behind locked doors were more than a thousand frozen embryos. I was terrified. Out of all of our journey, that was the worst moment ever. At that point, it didn't.

occur to me what fight was going to come to follow. But this story isn't just about a few families' futures. It's about whether the promise of modern fertility care can be trusted at all. It doesn't matter how much I fight. Doesn't matter how much I cry over all of this. It doesn't matter how much justice we get. None of it's going to get me pregnant. Listen to what happened in Nashville on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Who would you call if the unthinkable happened? I just fell and started screaming. If you lost someone you loved in the most horrific way.

I said through you were y'all 22 times. The police, right? But what if the person you're supposed to go to for help is the one you're the most afraid of? This dude is the devil. He's a snake. He'll hurt you. I got you. I got you. I got you. I got you. I'm Nikki Richardson.

And this is The Girlfriends, Untouchable. Detective Roger Goloopsky spent decades intimidating and sexually abusing black women across Kansas City, using his police badge to scare them into silence. This is the story of a detective who seemed above the law until we came together to take him down. I told Roger Golooski, I said, you're going to see my face till the day that you die. Listen to the girlfriends, untouchable, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Have you ever listened to those true crime shows and found yourself with more questions than answers? And what is this?

How is that not a story we all know? What's this? Where is that? Why is it wet? Boy, do we have a show for you? From Smartless Media, Campside Media. and big money players comes crimeless.

Join me, Josh Dean, investigative journalists. And me, Roy Scoville, comedian, as we celebrate the amazing creativity of the world's dumbest criminals. We'll look into some of the silliest ways folks have broken the laws. Honestly, it feels more like

a high-level prank than a crime. Who catfishes a city? And meets some memorable anti-heroes. There are thousands of angry, horny monkeys. Clap, if you think, she's a witch. And it freaks you out. He has X-ray vision.

How could I not follow him? Honestly, I got to follow me. He can see right through me. Listen to Crimless on the IHeart Radio 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 cause.

Took us under his wing and showed us the game, as they call it. When Larry is murdered, Game is 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. Like my mom started screaming, my dad's

name, and I just heard one gunshot. The Brothers Ortiz is a gripping true story about faith, family, and how two lives can drift so far apart and collide in the most devastating way. Listen to the Brothers Ortiz on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Before the day started, we did get an interview with you where he did mention that at the night, if it went well... he'd be giving you or asking or, you know, agreeing to,

I don't know how you want to say this to not make somebody sound like a creeper, a kiss. We do know the night did not end in a kiss, but it did end in an exchange of numbers. That seems like a good sign. Yeah. Well, he had my number before. He got my number on the bus.

Okay, so he got your number on the bus. So he went in early and said, before anything else happens, let me make sure I get the number. Yeah. Smart. It's good. It's good. It's a good play. But yeah, no, didn't end in a kiss. And then he texted me and he was like, I really wanted to kiss you.

And then he invited me like, out. And I was like, that was when I was like, I was honestly asleep when he sent it. It had to be pretty late. Jingle ball isn't like an early night. And then a bar hang afterwards. Well, I think he texted me at like 4 a.m. Oh, my goodness. And he was so good.

That's what I say. Like, yeah. He had a late night. Mercedes, we got to get on. honest here with you though he told us he would like to get together again he said he'd come to Nashville to do that would you say yes to a second date I don't know I feel it's not that it's like a no but I don't know I don't know honestly like I haven't talked to him like at all like we haven't been texting or anything it's not

Not like a 100% no, but it's also not 100% yes, if that makes sense. I just think like, but again, the situation, like it was a lot, it was kind of like a, not a regular first date. But honestly, my gut is being like there's no like really chemistry there, if I'm being 100% honest, which I hate saying that because I don't want to hurt his feelings. And like, it has nothing to do with him. there's just like sometimes there's just no chemistry you know you've mentioned to us that you would rather somebody be straightforward yeah than play along with the game right so being straightforward is is good here uh that is something you want people to treat you like and so you know i would think you would want to do the same to them yeah i i do want to ask though why not a second day i mean

the chemistry the connection all those things but it is a first day and i'm always a a proponent of if the first date wasn't tragically bad like consider a second date just because first dates are awkward they're weird people are nervous yeah you know this this especially was uncomfortable yeah and so why not a second date just given that context yeah i don't know i mean i feel like which maybe this is like wrong of me but I just feel like if I don't feel like excited and like and not saying I wasn't excited

to get to know him that's not the right word but I just I didn't leave the date being like oh my gosh I want to see him again you know and I feel like that says a lot and I don't know if I can like pinpoint one thing of like why exactly but maybe I'm wrong maybe I do like need to give people more than just like

one chance to like Especially because, like you said, like, the situation was like, not weird. Weird's not the right word. But, like, he was around a bunch of people. We went to a concert, like, on a podcast, you know? So, like, there are, like, things that played into it. Yeah, I'm not. I definitely don't want to push you to have a second date.

I just think I want to get inside your brain a little bit on your reasoning. Because on paper, if you write everything down, you're like, yeah, that was a good date. Like, it was fine. It was a good first date. It went fine. Are you talking to anybody else? Is that what kind of plays into this? No.

No one else. But I will say, which is bad. But I did kind of compare it to my last date, my last first date. Because my last first date, I was like, oh my, like, so excited, you know? And I was like, I want to see him again. And I just don't feel that this time. But maybe like comparing is not a great thing to do. well and i mean if i'm honest just following along with your journey it wasn't like boston man treated you

great uh at the end um but i i understand what you're saying the first date there is there was a spark like my first date i will say there was a spark there was a desire to talk again there was an excitement and i've also had first dates where there was a spark there was the excitement and then maybe the next day i was like not as much If a Lenovo gaming computer is on your holiday list, don't shop around. Just go directly to the source, Lenovo.com. It's your last chance to score exclusive deals on the gaming PCs you want, like the Lenovo Legion Tower 5 Gen 10 gaming desktop and Lenovo Lock Gaming laptop.

So avoid all that shopping chaos and price comparing, and just go directly to the source, Lenovo.com, where PCs are up to 35% off. That's Lenovo.com. I'm investigative journalist Melissa Jeltson. My new podcast, What Happened in Nashville, tells the story of an IVF clinic's catastrophic collapse and the patients who banded together in the chaos that followed. We have some breaking news to tell you about.

Tennessee's Attorney General is suing a Nashville doctor. In April 2024, a fertility clinic in Nashville shut down overnight and trapped behind locked doors were more than a thousand frozen embryos. I was terrified. Out of all of our journey, that was the worst moment ever. At that point, it didn't occur to me what fight was going to come to follow. But this story isn't just about a few families' futures. It's about whether the promise of modern fertility care can be trusted at all.

It doesn't matter how much I fight. It doesn't matter how much I cry over all of this. It doesn't matter how much justice we get. None of it's going to get me pregnant. Listen to what happened in Nashville on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Who would you call if the unthinkable happened? I just fell and started screaming. If you lost someone you loved in the most horrific way.

I said through shot 22 times. The police, right? But what if the person you're supposed to go to for help is the one you're the most afraid of? This dude is the devil. a snake, he'll hurt you. I got you, I got you, I got you. I'm Nikki Richardson, and this is The Girlfriends, Untouchable. Detective Roger Goloopsky spent decades intimidating and sexually abusing black women

across Kansas City, using his police badge to scare them into silence. This is the story of a detective who seemed above the law until we came together to take him down. I told Roger Galuski, I said you're going to see my face to the day that you die. Listen to the girlfriends, untouchable, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Have you ever listened to those true crime shows and found yourself with more questions than answers? And what is this? How is that not a story we all know?

What's this? Where is that? Why is it wet? Boy, do we have a show for you. From Smartless Media, Campside Media, and Big Money Players, comes Crimeless. Join me, Josh Dean, investigative journalists. And me, Rory Scoval, comedian, as we celebrate the amazing creativity of the world's dumbest criminals. We'll look into some of the silliest ways folks have broken the laws. Honestly, it feels more like a high-level prank than a crime.

Who catfish is a city? and meet some memorable anti-heroes. There are thousands of angry, horny monkeys. Clap if you think she's a witch. And it freaks you out. He has x-rayed 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 cause. Took us under his wing and showed us the game, as they call it. When Larry is murdered, Gabe is forced to confront the past

he tried to leave behind, and uncover secrets he never saw. saw coming. My dad had a whole other life that we never knew about. Like my mom started screaming my dad's name and I just heard one gunshot. The Brothers Ortiz is a gripping true story about faith, family and how two lives can drift so far apart and collide in the most devastating way. Listen to the Brothers Ortiz on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If we were to quantify the success of this date on a scale of 1 to 10, keeping in mind that this was a first date, what would be the number you'd put on it?

I would say a 6.6.6.5. That's actually better than I thought you were going to say. Oh, really? Yeah. No, because, like, it went good. Like, the conversation was good. And that's why, like, it's confusing because it really, it was a good first date. And I, like, I enjoyed getting to know him. But for some reason, I'm not. not like, I need to see him again, you know? One of the best things about first dates or dating in general is it helps you kind of figure out what you're actually into and what you're not into. I know, and that's what's tough about because I'm doing this podcast because, like you know, I haven't dated a lot. So, like, this is me, like, going into it and, like, figuring out, like, you just said,

what I like, what I don't like and all these things. So, I don't know. I'm glad I have you to, like, help me figure it out, though. well and part of this is that like like I have the receipts I have the memories of what has worked what hasn't what you've said you wanted but maybe you said you wanted and you found out you didn't want so give us I only want to uplift Bryce here yeah because I do think he took a big step I do think he was kind it sounds like to you what things about Bryce stood out to you that you want to find in somebody like what qualities were attractive and then I am going to ask on the back end of that what things maybe you weren't as in favor of yeah

good qualities he didn't let me open a door he was like always holding my hand like when I was getting in and out of the sprinter van so very much a gentleman which I love and then he was very very like

I don't know like he made me feel like in a with all these people he made me feel like I was kind of the only girl in the room like he like kept like being like oh my gosh like you look so beautiful or just like complimenting me and just making me feel seen and like especially in being in a room with so many people

he made it like a thing to make sure that I knew that he was interested in me which I really really really loved super easy to talk to and anything that stood out to you outside of obviously your different lifestyles that you didn't maybe or maybe you weren't as attractive to so

he me personally I feel like when I'm dating someone you also kind of have to like what I remember when I told you you're like who's going to be the hardest person to win over. And I said, Jess, he forgot Jess's name like three times. And I'm like, oh, bro. So I was like, I think that was like really unattractive because it was three times.

And it happened to Gabby too once, I think. But it's just like, okay, like you are getting to know me, but also like my friends are really important too. You know, like you can't like just dismiss them. Yeah. But yeah, when that happened, I was like, oh, like that's kind of icky. it is I would say from my perspective though and he and I are different people

I would have just been very nervous maybe he wasn't maybe he's smoothed I just would have been very nervous for this date there was a lot of things that would have made me anxious right beautiful people full on a bus a beautiful date that he's having I could see myself being

overwhelmed and unable to really be myself self um trying to like adjust to whatever was happening yeah for sure and i imagine a lot of men will feel that way when they go on their first date with you i mean i guess i say all of this mercedes to say you will be an intimidating in the best of ways person to have a first date with um they're going to walk into the room and they're going to be like goodness gracious i don't want to mess this up give me the best shot i got what do i have to do what do i have to say whatever um and that's just kind of from the male thought process, what happens during this?

That's also why I think the thing that stood out to me the most was he didn't bounce when things were good. Yeah. I don't know what he was hoping the evening brought. Yeah. And what the late night evening entailed. But that's also one of my reasons, always was one of my reasons for leaving as soon as I knew the out was open, not because I wanted to leave.

Right. But because I knew I had done what I needed to do to at least get my foot in the door for maybe that second date. Yeah. No, for sure. I feel like he was, he was really nice. So there's, there's really nothing like bad or like, but that's the only thing that I could think of was the Jess thing. Obviously, I don't know if this goes to a second date or not. That's your decision to make. You just got to let us know if it does. Or I guess either way. If we were to set you up again here soon, some qualities that you necessarily, like you really want us to look for. I think it's been clear somebody of, a shared faith is very important to you. Yeah. You've brought that up before.

I think as you date seriously, it's probably going to become more and more of a focus. Anything else that you really want us to kind of, and this isn't talking about Bryce or not talking about Bryce. We're talking in general. Anything you really want people to pay attention to. Yeah, someone, I think being family oriented is really good. I also think, like, I want someone who's like,

which I've said this before. but also has, like, a passion outside of their, like, job. Like, I feel like I want someone who finds, like, it exciting to, like, go volunteer or do things outside of, like, what they have to do in life, you know? I do. And, I mean, I think that's one of the things that my wife and I've talked about recently in our life is one of the things that's made our marriage most successful is our ability to talk about our passions at dinner outside of just, like, the job that we have or. each other we love each other very passionate about each other yeah but it's really fun to hear about her desires for xyz and her to hear about my desires for golf um but she does it and it's fun and i i think that's those are all great things uh they are mercedes i want to just say i'm appreciative to you

for going on this date and trusting us are you upset by any means that you went on the this first date. No. Not at all. I had a great time. And he's seriously like so, such a good person, super nice. Like, I had a great time with him. I just don't know right now if it's like I want to go on a second date.

But I don't know. I don't know. I think like I need like a few more days to like kind of think about it to be honest. That's fair. That's fair. Just keep us updated. We'll follow along with you. We don't go that far.

Mercedes. Keep us updated. keep informing us on all of your dating life. We appreciate you jumping on here and talking about it. And we also appreciate you going to IHeart's jingle ball, which is always a fun time. You had a fun time there, at least. Yeah, it was so much fun.

We had a blast. That's great. Continue to listen to Famously Available. There's a lot out there right now about this first date with Mercedes and Bryce. We have the spies. We have Bryce. We have the pre-date conversations. Some very helpful episodes.

to kind of get a glimpse into what a first date is like for so many. I also just think it's very interesting to follow along. We'll see where the Bryce, Mercedes, friendship, relationship, acquaintances go. We'll keep you updated here on famously available. Until next time, I've been Ben, and we'll talk to you soon. Don't shop around. Just go directly to the source, Lenovo.com. It's your last chance to score exclusive deals on the gaming PCs you want,

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involves music and conversation with some of my favorite musicians. Over the past two seasons, I've had special guests like Dave Grohl, Leve, Mavis Staples, Remy Wolf, Jeff Tweedy, really too many to name. And this season, I've sat down with Black Pumas, Alessia Kara, Sarah McLaughlin, and more. Check out my new episode with John Legend. I feel like, in a lot of ways, our careers are paralleled in some ways, but they just never intersected for some reason. I know. We should take it slow with just ordinary people. We don't know which way you go.

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