The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - Do You Want To Ride In My Mercedes, Boy?

Episode Date: September 14, 2025

Ben wants to play matchmaker, but before he can, he's got a lot of questions for Mercedes. From how important her faith is to how her most recent relationship ended poorly...Mercedes is laying it all out for Ben.Who is the most handsome Bachelor of all time? Would she kiss on a first date? We're getting PERSONAL this episode!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. 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. 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. It may look different, but native culture is alive. My name is Nicole Garcia, and on Burn Sage, Burn Bridges, we aim to explore that culture. Somewhere along the way, it turned into this full-fledged award-winning comic shop. That's Dr. Lee Francis IV, who opened the first Native comic bookshop. Explore his story along with many other Native stories on the show, Burn Sage, Burn Bridges. Listen to Burn Sage Burn Bridges on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 is already solving so many cases. Listen to America's Crime Lab 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. It's been and I'm back with another episode of our new favorite show, famously available, where I do a deeper dive and try to kind of play matchmaker for some great, absolutely fantastic, eligible single women. but before we start sending them on dates I got to get to know them so well I want to know what they're looking for today I'm joined by how I describe it a cloud of joy I don't know if cloud actually works there but a bundle of joy a bright light in our bachelor world contestant from Zach's season and bachelor in paradise contestant Mercedes Northup thanks for being back with us

Yes, I'm excited. We're podcasting today from the Verbo summer house in Lake Tahoe. Mercedes, it's beautiful. Oh, it's stunning here. This is my first time here. I love it. It's incredible. It's an amazing place to vacation to hang out.

Verbo offers last minute deals for private vacation rentals. Did you know that? It's pretty exciting. On the Verbo app and website, you can get last minute deals that are showing travelers There's nearly 300,000 discounted properties. They can do this in book within 30 days of check-in. Some amazing places, Lake Tahoe, obviously. Hilton Head, South Carolina, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, San Diego, Port of Iarda.

And I think today we're having this wonderful conversation about future love that I believe we're going to find you, Mercedes, in the most beautiful house, the most beautiful setting I've been in in a long time. Mercedes. Yes. Play a little game today with you. Okay. I'm ready. You're going to answer these questions for yourself, not for your future guy, pal. Obviously, we talked about you being on Zach's season.

That's how we know you are on Bachelor in Paradise. Yep. You are still single. When we caught up last time, kind of about dating, dating was a little bit slow. Yep. Very. Still slow. It's kind of shocking to me.

Yeah. Uh, it's, I'll be honest, it's very confusing. So at generous coffee, the, the company operate, we just not on purpose or for whatever reason, we just hired a bunch of like really great 25 to 30 year old like women at the beginning. There were people I knew or friends of friends or you know, daughters of friends of my families. And all of these women were single. And I've sat with them so many times in the midst of these conversations about future love and wanting to find a partner. And now, you know, five, seven years in, some of them have found that. But it's shocking to me always that people like you are single and that like you don't have people knocking down

your door. I don't get it. I really don't understand it. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I don't know. I just feel like the like dating today is just like awful and so I kind of I wouldn't say give up like that's not the right word because like I'm still very open like if someone like I've gone on random dates but I feel like I don't know it's just like my generation of dating is just like insane what are you running into well I live in Nashville yeah and the dating scene there is horrific like I feel like okay the way I explain it is Nashville obviously a ton of people come and visit like every single weekend there's a new and like girls come and they're like they're best you know i'm saying like they have the the new clothes and the out and like people are going there and like whatever so the men that live

there i feel like they have like just this constant flow of like women coming in so a lot of guys there are not wanting to like settle down where they're like very much just like having fun and in their like you know going out and doing all that stuff so i feel like because of that it's really really hard to find someone who's like genuinely looking to settle down in Nashville. Does that make sense? Yeah, it does make sense. I want to, I just kind of want to talk to you like a friend. Okay. For a second. Yeah. Like, do you feel like the, like it's kind of the grass is greener? Like you're beautiful, you're sweet, you're kind, you're joyful. Like if the right guy who's really wanting to find like a companion and a person to share life with who's serious about that would look at

you, I think on any day, be like, goodness, I'm lucky. Like, I found it. Yeah. But I do think you're, you're touching something that so many people are feeling that are living in these cities that are transient and focused around the bachelor parties and the bachelorette parties and the, the scenes downtown that it's not like guys are looking at you and be like, yeah, I'm not interested. It's just that they're, they're not slowing down for a second to think, wait, I might have found the person I could be with because tomorrow night I'm having fun going back out to some pool party. and I'm going to be with this new girl. Yeah.

And I do think I'm running into that as I talk to my friends about dating. It's just just like inability to just say life needs to slow down so I can commit to something. Yeah. No, for sure. I definitely think that's like one of our biggest like downfalls in my generation in dating is like it's just like the fast life. And like especially social media and dating apps. Like I think it literally has, which dating apps like they're amazing. I know like people have met people and whatever.

but I feel like because of that it's just yeah you just you just are fast like all the time like there's something new to look forward to and a lot of people don't like slow down and be like okay wait like you're amazing like I you know like let's like see this out yeah it's hard you kind of want to like for me and I've been in that world I mean I have I've come off the show and we you know I had the breakup and dated and it was fun and it was exciting and I remember telling my wife this right before we got married so excited to marry my wife. But I was like, it's going to be really weird for me. I've always been known as a bachelor. Yeah. It's going to be really weird to like identity shift. And so now that I'm on the other side of that, years later, you almost just want to shake people and be like, it's so much better on the other side.

Literally. Like this sounds fun. It sounds exciting. You're going to hit 35. It's going to be exhausting. Yeah. You don't want to leave your house. Like, it's so much better to have your partner there with you to build this life together.

and I wish I would have done it 10 years ago with her. I mean, we're just so new to it. Back to the game, because we do have some things to get to know you and kind of still try to figure out what this is going to look like and who we're going to set you up with. We've already mentioned your name. Your age. Yep, 27.

27 years old. If you could describe your physical appearance for somebody listening. Okay. Could you describe it for us, please? Like me? Yes. I feel so creepy. I'm like,

okay, um, I don't have dark hair, brown eyes, 5, seven. Yeah, yeah, that's enough. I don't know. I feel like I've never been asked. What's your shoe size?

Size nine, I got skis for feet. Yeah, you got some big feet on you. Beautiful feet. I just want to. to be clear. Welcome to Pretty Private with Ebeney,

the podcast where silence is broken and stories are set free. I'm Ebeney, and every Tuesday I'll be sharing all new anonymous stories that would challenge your perceptions and give you new insight on the people around you. On Pretty Private, we'll explore the untold experiences of women, of color who faced it all. Childhood trauma, addiction, abuse, incarceration, grief, mental

health struggles, and more, and found the shrimp to make it to the other side. My dad was shot and killed in his house. Yes, he was a drug dealer. Yes, he was a confidential informant, but he wasn't shot on a street corner. He wasn't shot in the middle of a drug deal. He was shot in his house, unarmed. Pretty private isn't just a podcast. It's your personal guide for turning storylines into lifelines. Every Tuesday, make sure you listen to Pretty Private from the Black Effect Podcast Network. Tune in on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast,

or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. 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. number, a New York State number, and we own you. Shock incarceration, also known as boot camps, are short-term, highly regimented correctional

programs that mimic military basic training. These programs aim to provide a shock of prison life, emphasizing strict discipline, physical training, hard labor, and rehabilitation programs. Mark had one chance to complete this program and had no idea of the hell awaiting him the next six months. The first night was so overwhelming, and you don't know who's next to you yet. And we didn't know what to expect in the morning. Nobody tells you anything. Listen to shock incarceration on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

I had this, like, overwhelming sensation that I had to call it right then. And I just hit call. I said, you know, hey, I'm Jacob Schick. I'm the CEO of One Tribe Foundation, and I just wanted to call on and let her know. There's a lot of people battling some of the very same things you're battling. and there is help out there. The Good Stuff podcast Season 2 takes a deep look into One Tribe Foundation, a non-profit fighting suicide in the veteran community.

September is National Suicide Prevention Month, so join host Jacob and Ashley Schick as they bring you to the front lines of One Tribe's mission. I was married to a combat army veteran, and he actually took his own life to suicide. One Tribe saved my life twice. There's a lot of love that flows through this place, and it's sincere. Now it's a personal mission. I don't have to go to any more funerals, you know.

I got blown up on. on a React mission. I ended up having amputation below the knee of my right leg and a traumatic brain injury because I landed on my head. Welcome to Season 2 of the Good Stuff. Listen to the Good Stuff podcast on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hi, I'm Janica Lopez and in the new season of the Overcover podcast, I'm taking you on an exciting journey of self-reflection. 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 Overcomber podcast as part of the MyCultura podcast network on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. If you look back now, obviously we know you from the show, and we're soon going to know you from a new show, this show.

What's the best thing that happened to you from being on this show? We've already talked about in the past your friendships. So I'm actually going to take that out of play here. Okay. You can't mention the other girls. Okay. The best thing that came out of it, honestly, putting myself, like, outside of my comfort zone, I feel like, I'm kind of, I mean, I always say I'm shy and then people are like,

what? Like, you're literally not shy. But I feel like I am kind of shy and going on The Bachelor and, like, doing these podcasts and all this stuff. Like, it really pushes me outside of my comfort zone. So I think that's, like, the best thing that's come out of it, the outside. side of the friendships. But like it really has pushed me. Um, and honestly, like my relationship, like I've really had to like lean on God a lot too. So I feel like my relationship

there has grown. So I don't know, just like growing as a person. I feel like the whole bachelor everything like it really pushed me to get outside and learn more about myself and just be better and learn things. I'm really interested in this. So going before you went on the show, like could you describe yourself then? Yeah. I was, I mean, I was always like in like the in the mix of people right like I was never like a home body like I love being at home but like I was always like going on and doing stuff but I was always just like kind of like in my shell like I had my few people that I was like comfortable with and I would be like completely me but then like talking to random people I'd be like oh my gosh like hi like and I would just get so in my head and then I'd be like oh my gosh I didn't say enough or like all this stuff and like now I don't really have that and I feel like it's because I've talked to so. many people that I've never met before and I had to have a conversation with them and like hold a conversation. So yeah, I feel like I was just a little more quiet before the show. I can relate with this. I don't know if you're like me, but there was many of nights

that even last night was a night. And it's been a while for me. When I'm in social situations, I'll go to bed, lights will turn off. I'll be laying on my pillow and I'll run back through every conversation I had in that day and if I made somebody feel if I said something that came off wrong and maybe didn't have a chance to clarify it or if I said something that was hurtful or if I embarrassed myself and I used to do that before the show especially every night of my life and it would it would wreck me to where I became antisocial because I'd be so much living in my own head. Yes. Can you relate with that? Yes, very much. Yeah. And the show kind of does push you.

I think it's because you kind of like dive in head first to a world where you're dealing with so many people that you just kind of have to say like, I don't know really what I'm going to say, but whatever I say, I'm sure we can clear it up at some point. And it does, but it makes it really hard to date because you're trying to be intentional. You're trying to be intimate. You're trying to be vulnerable during these dates. But you don't know how much you say. or how little to say.

And so I, for a large period of my life, I personally stopped dating. Not because I wasn't interested in like the idea of it. Yeah. But because I was so insecure or I lacked so much confidence in myself to do it. Yeah. Do you relate? Kind of.

Yeah. I feel like I always, so I was actually talking to my best friend the other day. And I was like, because we were just talking because we're both single and we're 27, whatever. and um i was like i feel like i have like one more heartbreak like i like i don't know why i feel that way but like i feel like i have one more heartbreak to like i was like i feel like i feel like i like i still have like things to learn about myself in relationships and stuff

she's like that's so crazy and i was like no but i really do because i think yeah i not i wouldn't say insecurity but i do think there's things i need to grow in to like fully like be in a relationship where it's like this is like end game you know like i think you know and i do therapy and all that stuff. But yeah, I don't know. I feel like, yeah,

definitely. I feel like the whole taking a break in dating, there's definitely a reason behind it. I just haven't like truly figured it out yet. We're going to get you back in the dating scene. I'm assuming you've had a serious relationship before in the past.

When I say serious relationship, I'm sure there's somebody that comes to mind. Yeah. Can you describe that relationship to whatever depth you want? Yeah. It was, um, a COVID relationship.

So I feel like, like those are like little weird in the beginning because you know you were stuck in a house stuck in a house with him right and I always think I'm like if it wasn't COVID would we have dated because we would have been going out and meeting new people and doing all these things but because it was COVID it was like okay like we're locked in I like you you like me like let's just ride this whole COVID thing out and I did love him we dated for a year and a half um and then yeah we we broke up when was it like February and it was not a great breakup and there's still like a lot of I don't have hate towards him but he like I don't know just not a great breakup and so I feel like that kind of turned me off from dating too because I was like literally that breakup it felt like I was like dying like that heartbreak like I was literally like heartbroken I wasn't eating like I couldn't sleep it was like a whole thing and I was like I never want to feel that again like I literally never want to feel that again. So that could maybe be a reason why I stopped dating too. Have

breakups always been really hard for you? Um, yeah. Yeah. I feel like I get like attached to like because breakups you're like losing someone, you know, like especially like being with them day in, day out, like sharing everything with them, you know, like your lives mesh together. Um, and then yeah, you just one day there, it's just not that anymore, which is like really hard for me to like, yeah, grasps kind of. So I feel like, yeah, I take breakups pretty hard. Yeah. I mean, I really dislike them. No, they're literally the worst. I'm like, I would never wish this upon anyone. No, but they teach you a lot too. They do. And I think one of the most beautiful things looking back at all of this experience is the things you learn from these serious relationships,

and especially when they end, you get some clarity on the other side. Yeah. So with the serious relationships that you've had, the breakups that you've had, the people that you've been on to meet, The final question about you personally, if you give me three requirements for your significant other based on what you've learned so far, at this point in your life, what are you looking for? Definitely someone who's family oriented. It's like my biggest thing. Because I'm like, I mean, I have a four-year-old brother and a 12-year-old brother.

Like, I need someone who can like be around family and enjoy family time. I think that's my biggest thing. And I grew up with a family that, you know, we had Sunday lunch every Sunday together after church. so definitely family oriented um i would say like religious is definitely a big one for me um or open to it or like you know um my third one hmm i don't know probably someone who just like genuine like i just want someone who like like i love volunteering and i want someone that's like yeah like it's a sunday afternoon let's go under I do this thing called under the bridge on Sundays and it's like the best thing ever it's

with homeless people but like someone who like would want to do that like with me so I feel like just someone who's genuine and yeah okay this isn't a part of our plan but I do think you get to know a lot about somebody by their passions and what you spend your time doing explain more of why you chose under the bridge as your volunteer so I got involved with it at my church. I go to Crosspoint in Nashville. Um, and basically under the bridge ministry, we go, it's like under the bridge and like the homeless people used to live there, but they can't anymore. So that's like where we meet. Um, but we go and we always do music. We worship together. And these people are literally like the best people ever. And like, I don't know, I, I fell in love

with it because these people are like obviously don't have a lot right but they're so happy and they're just so grateful that like we put this on and we worship and there's like always like a pastor that comes in and does a sermon then we feed them food and then if it's cold we'll give them blankets or socks or like whatever they need so yeah I just feel like being around those people is really like it makes my heart so happy because seeing how happy they are and how little they have like it's like very eye opening right because I think sometimes especially like in this life you can kind of get um caught not caught up in things but just like care about shit that doesn't matter right and it's like you take a step back and you're like oh my gosh like what matters is like having

roof over your head like loving people having a good relationship with God and like I don't know it's just I love love love love under the bridge it's really like changed my heart and yeah it also is very antithetical to the fast pace they were talking about at the beginning of this of the Nashville scene or any of these city scenes with the dating. Yeah. And the kind of the flash in the pan nights out, like moments like this on a Sunday, I'm sure under the bridge, it slows life down to where perspective is like reintroduced to what life is really like for so many people. Yeah. And it allows you an appreciation. And here's the cool part. You get to be where your feet are. like you're not thinking about a thousand other things you're not looking around being like

you know how how do i gain followers from this yeah you're just in that moment uh and i think that's such an like that isn't a those moments are beautiful because you're doing it for somebody else but i also think we just can't skip over that here because it's why you have the perspective of i want to find somebody i want to be intentional i want to commit to somebody because you've taken time out of your life to do that Yeah. I think it's taught you more than probably you even know or that any of us could even point to. Mm-hmm. Welcome to Pretty Private with Ebeney, the podcast where silence is broken and stories are set free.

I'm Ebeney, and every Tuesday I'll be sharing all new anonymous stories that would challenge your perceptions and give you new insight on the people around you. On Pretty Private, we'll explore the. The untold experiences of women of color who faced it all, childhood trauma, addiction, abuse, incarceration, grief, mental health struggles, and more, and found the shrimp to make it to the other side. My dad was shot and killed in his house. Yes, he was a drug dealer. Yes, he was a confidential informant, but he wasn't shot on a street corner. He wasn't shot in the middle of a drug deal. He was shot in his house, unarmed.

Pretty private isn't just a podcast. It's your personal guide for turning storylines into lifelines. Every Tuesday, make sure you listen to Pretty Private from the Black Effect Podcast Network. Tune in on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Hi, I'm Jennifer Lopez, and in the new season of the Overcomfit podcast, I'm taking you on an exciting journey of self-reflection. 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 Overcomper podcast as part of the My Cultura podcast network on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. 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.

Shock incarceration, also known as boot camps, are short-term, highly regimented correctional programs that mimic military basic training. These programs aim to provide a shock of prison life, emphasizing strict discipline, physical training, hard labor, and rehabilitation programs. Mark had one chance to complete this program and had no idea of the hell awaiting him the next six months. The first night was so overwhelming, and you don't know who's next to you. And we didn't know what to expect in the morning.

Nobody tells you anything. Listen to shock incarceration on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I had this, like, overwhelming sensation that I had to call it right then. And I just hit call. I said, you know, hey, I'm Jacob Schick. I'm the CEO of One Tribe Foundation, and I just wanted to call on and let her know. There's a lot of people battling some of the very same things you're. battling and there is help out there.

The Good Stuff podcast, season two, takes a deep look into One Tribe Foundation, a non-profit fighting suicide in the veteran community. September is National Suicide Prevention Month, so join host Jacob and Ashley Schick as they bring you to the front lines of One Tribe's mission. I was married to a combat army veteran, and he actually took his own life to suicide. One Tribe saved my life twice. There's a lot of love that flows through this place, and it's sincere. Now it's a personal mission.

Don't have to go to any more funerals, you know. I got blown up on a React mission. I ended up having amputation below the knee of my right leg and the traumatic brain injury because I landed on my head. Welcome to Season 2 of the Good Stuff podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. We're going to rapid fire kind of some like really tough dating questions. Okay. I'm scared. I might get creepy again doing this.

I don't know. but I'm going to kind of fire them at you, spend as much time on them as you want. Okay. They're just to get to know you better, to get to know what you're looking for a little bit more. Are you willing to be the primary breadwinner? Oh, God. I feel like. Be honest.

Be honest. Yeah. I mean, you can't go dating and lying. That's brutal. No, I don't want to be the breadwinner. Do you want to be a stay-at-home mom? Yes. It's like my dream. I like how Trista categorizes that.

I think it's a beautiful because I've seen my wife do this. She calls she calls herself the household manager. Yes. Which I think is such like a, like it's a perfect description for a stay at home mom. You're not just like a stay at home mom. No, you're, yeah. You're like managing a household. Yes.

No, being a stay at home, mom is like, it's a lot of work. Yeah. I'm like, yeah, that needs to be my only job. Would you date someone? that your family does not like. No. Uh, it depends.

It depends. It depends. Like, but probably not. No. What would be the, like, give me a scenario here.

I mean, if it's like over something stupid, like if it's like, oh, I don't like the way he dresses or like something. Like, I'd be like, okay,

like doesn't matter. But if it was like genuinely like, no, he treat like, I don't like the way he treats you. Then I feel like I would take that and be like, okay, like let me take a look at this.

but if it was like over something dumb i would be like it's fine that's fair family can be tough yes yeah my daughter will never date um i'm not gonna like anybody describe the like the physical like when you think about your perfect person to date like they're walking out the beach in tahoe okay shirtless shirtless what are they looking like yeah maybe um i like tall i like dark hair i like dark features and a nice smile. Yeah. I feel like the smile is like the biggest thing I look at. Good teeth.

They can wrap you up if they just give you that little grin. Right. I get it. I get it. If you meet someone and they want to date other people until you guys make it official. So if you're on your first date and they're like, hey, we're going to define the relationship. You and I are just like getting to know each other here.

But, you know, if you see me, tomorrow night out in Nashville with somebody else. Don't be mad. Are you cool with that? No. No. I would literally, I would crash out. I'd be like, no, you're going to respect me. Thank you. Just to make things less awkward here, I cannot be included in the next two questions. Okay. Can't even think about it. Okay. The question is of all the bachelor since the beginning, who is the most handsome in your opinion. Oh, jeez. The most handsome? Mm-hmm. I don't know. Why do I? I want to say Jesse. I think Jesse is so cute. How can you not think Jesse is attracted? No, and his personality is so great. Okay. I'm going with Jesse. He's like six foot four, two and twenty pounds. Solid jaw line.

Solid jaw line. I think it's a very fair answer. It's like a perfect male. I watch him on TV at times and like goodness crazy funny no and in person i'm like he i'm like how are you like he literally looks like perfect i'm like yeah yeah it's crazy i'm with you okay um okay so now you can't have jesse or myself oh geez of all the bachelors uh who do you think was the greatest guy like if we're taking physical appearance out of it matching what you're looking for in a personality who would be the greatest guy oh i don't know um i mean they all haven't sucked that bad no no i'm trying to like think of people the great like personality yeah i honestly didn't you really watched the bachelor before though we do have bob guinea with us right now

at the verbo oh he's hilarious yeah i love him i think a bob would love a shout out okay yeah all right we're going with bob i mean bob has out bob has one of the best personalities of anybody i've ever he's so funny he's so funny he's very sweet yeah he's very very very handsome man as himself. Yep. Okay. I'm going with Bob. A couple more questions here.

How do you feel about being set up? Um, honestly, I'm down to try anything at this point. So I feel like I'm okay with being set up. And do you believe you can be in love with two people at one time? Ooh. No. No. Okay.

Uh, would you kiss in the first date? yeah kiss only kiss only yeah i would do that i think that's fine yeah i'm no judgment i think it's great i like a good kiss um okay final question for you okay what is your goal from famously available um my goal is to learn more about myself obviously available um my goal is to learn more about myself in dating because I feel like I've like definitely pushed it off to the side and I'm definitely ready to get into the dating scene again. So I feel like yeah, learning more about myself in that way and then hopefully meeting someone. Never know. I meant what I said. Like no matter where this spits us out, somebody's going to be very lucky. They are. I don't know when. I hope you don't have

another heartbreak in front of you. But if you do, you'll get through it. You'll get through it. Um, I had a really bad heartbreak right before I found my wife. Really? Yeah. I dated somebody kind of in between for a period of time. They just weren't the right person. And it hurt really bad. I think it hurt us both really bad.

And then my wife came in like a month later to my life. And I learned so much. And at the time, I felt like nothing was ever going to work. And then as I started a date my wife, I was like, I know why. Yeah. You know, all this happened. But somebody's going to be very lucky. I can't wait.

to just see where this goes and to hear about your experiences. And then also to follow your story going forward. I think years from now we're gonna be sitting here being like, how cool is this? Yeah. You found it. So if any guys are out there listening

or any girls with brothers, cousins, friends, family members, Mercedes is a catch. We're lucky to have her. Thanks for coming on. Yeah, thank you. I had fun. 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. To give you the answers and you still blew it. The Puzzler. Listen on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It may look different, but native culture is alive. My name is Nicole Garcia, and on Burn Sage, Burn Bridges, we aim to explore that culture. Somewhere along the way, it turned into this full-fledged award-winning comic shop. That's Dr. Lee Francis IV, who opened the first Native comic bookshop. Explore his story along with many other native stories on the show, Burn Sage Burn Bridges.

Listen to Burn Sage Burn Bridges on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your 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. This is an IHeart podcast.