The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - Golden Tears (The Golden Bachelorette Week Four)

Episode Date: October 10, 2024

Ben and Ashley are back with another glimmering recap of The Golden Bachelorette! How do we feel about the Chippendales date?? Is there a double standard for dates like this? Ben reveals that he gets incredibly emotional during every episode, but he hasn’t bawled his eyes out yet. We love this group of men!  Plus, is it a deal breaker that most of these guys can’t cook?? Radio | Digital | Social | Podcasts | Influencers | Data | EventsSee 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. When your car is making a strange noise, no matter what it is, you can't just pretend it's not happening. That's an interesting sound. It's like your mental health. If you're struggling and feeling overwhelmed, it's important to do something about it. It can be as simple as talking to someone, or just taking a deep calming breath to ground yourself, because once you start to address the problem, you can go so much

further. The Huntsman Mental Health Institute and the ad council have resources available for you at love your mind today.org. Tune in to All the Smoke Podcast, where Matt and Stacks sit down with former first lady, Michelle Obama. Folks find it hard to hate up close. And when you get to know people and you're sitting in their kitchen tables and they're talking like we're

talking, you know, you hear our story, how we grew up, how I grew up, and you get a chance for people to unpack and get beyond race. All the Smoke featuring Michelle. to hear this podcast and more open your free iHeart radio app search all the smoke and listen now the U.S. Open is here and on my podcast

Good Game with Sarah Spain. I'm breaking down the players, the predictions, the pressure and of course the honey deuses, the signature cocktail of the U.S. Open. The U.S. Open has gotten to be a very wonderfully experiential sporting event. To hear this and more listen to Good Game

with Sarah Spain and IHeart women's sports production in partnership with deep blue sports and entertainment on the IHeart Radio app Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Brought to you by Novartis, founding partner of I Heart Women's Sports Network. I was diagnosed with cancer on Friday and cancer free the next Friday. No chemo, no radiation, none of that. On a recent episode of Culture Raises Us podcast, I sat down with Warren Campbell,

Grammy-winning producer, pastor, and music executive to talk about the beats, the business, and the legacy behind some of the biggest names in gospel, R&B, and hip-hop. Professionally, I started at Deadwell Records. From Mary Mary to Jennifer Hudson, we get it. into the soul of the music and the purpose that drives it. Listen to Culture raises us on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the Ben and Ashley I, I, Hot Radio. It's the almost famous podcast. We are here breaking down the golden bachelorette. This is a great episode, but Ashley, I wanted to start because this episode

will come out probably the same day, that Florida is affected by Hurricane Milton. And I just wanted to take a second and say, you know, obviously there's nothing a human can do, but we're thinking of you and we're actively working on ways right now to help raise funds that are going to be essential to the recovery and kind of cleanup efforts. And we'll be talking about that more here in the upcoming days. But we're thinking about all of you because we are recording this the day before Milton has hit. but this will come out on the day it has probably hit so scary so awful i feel so bad for everyone it's a it's a really scary thing obviously my parents are uh in sanibel florida

they're not there right now they've uh they drive out they fly out uh they were going to go down monday and uh sanabel has had a mandatory evacuation so they stayed kind of outside uh in Indiana waiting for this to pass, and then they're going to go down as soon as the hurricane passes. But all their friends are, you know, away, obviously two years ago. This kind of area was struck. Fort Myers, Sanibel, that area was struck by a hurricane, leaving just devastation everywhere. It's a really hard thing to process. And so this one, obviously, is going to go probably all across central Florida. Yeah. And it's going to affect hundreds of thousands of people. And it's just a very kind of sobering and a very scary thing as this as this you know monstrous storm

sits in the ocean and everybody's just kind of waiting to see what so scary it's saying that they're saying it's like the biggest hurricane to hit in the u.s. in record history could be yeah it hasn't hit yet obviously when we're recording this it hasn't hit could be and it's going to be devastating. So our thoughts are with you. We're not doing this to get praise or admiration, but we are finding ways for the almost famous listeners to contribute to the efforts of cleanup. Obviously, I sit on the board of an organization called Project Hope that does disaster cleanup, one of the top disaster cleanup organizations in the U.S. They're already there kind of waiting to be responsive. What do they do? Where do they go while they're waiting?

Just hotels that seem to be safe, more inland, higher up. And then as soon as the hurricane hits, they'll deploy and send all resources available. They'll partner with other organizations. It's kind of the cool thing about NGOs, you know, being competitive is not exactly helpful or useful in these moments. And so they'll partner together to do as much as they can. And we'll continue to talk about it here at the Almost Famous Podcast. But to switch gears, we do. have a golden bachelorette episode

to break down. This was a good episode. Ashley, you said it before we even started. You said this was a good episode. Yeah. I want to hear why. There was everything in it.

There was humor with that Chippendale's date. There was, well, I think the other, I think the other component that made it the best for me was that I think there's a clear, clear front runner in China. now. And I'm happy that she might be finding her person. So I think there was love and lightheartedness. Yeah. The Chippendales comes up a lot during the Bachelor franchise. It is

interesting me how often it comes up. I do think it is fun with the Golden Show, though, because it isn't that it doesn't feel as risque. Is that, am I wrong on that? Like, it just doesn't feel as poignantly awkward. It's way more funny and less guys trying to actually be sexy. Yeah, exactly. It's fun.

It's funny. The show wraps it up with a good cause. Caitlin Bristow is there to guest host this date. We're going to actually have Caitlin on the podcast to break down

what exactly she was experiencing while this Chippendale's deal is going on. This might have been the most fun day she's ever been a part of. So I like to know about that. I'm sure.

I'm sure. That is weird that we just had a Chippendales day on Jen season, and here we are again. But yeah, it works totally different with Golden. I couldn't help but think, though, about the double standard, because if they ever had women do this, they'd be canceled. It wouldn't fly. It just wouldn't work. But this played. It was funny.

It was good. And again, we got to give credit to this cast. We were worried to be on. Maybe I was worried. I should speak for myself here and say, I was worried before this golden season started on how they would find a solid cast of men to go on to the Golden Bachelorette. I thought it was very important also that they had a good cast from season one that kind of led into future seasons, that it kind of set the standard to say, no, we need

this is the type of guys we're looking for. This cast has blown it out of the water, meaning they've agreed, not just agreed to everything, but they've twisted everything to make it their own, right? you don't, if you have a Chippendales date, it's not like some guys are going to feel comfortable going up there and being super sexy and doing a lap dance. Some guys are just going to want to shake their booty a little bit. Some guys are just going to walk a strut down. The only thing that is a necessity is to just do it. However, you want to do it. And these guys have done everything asked to them and they've made their own. I think they are a blast of a cast. And it's sad every

week to see any of them leave because I like watching them together. It was amazing to see how fast it got to be that rose ceremony where like you didn't know who was going to be eliminated because a favorite of yours and Jones was going to be eliminated

not just one but multiple and we definitely see that at the end of the episode then I can't I can't believe how sweet their friendships are too. The men, not to go to the end of the episode but like the way that these men just love each other.

We can learn from them. They're finding, you know, they're like, I found love through this with my friendships. And like, I guess it's, it's definitely in a certain age group where there's probably, probably have fewer male friendships. You know, you probably lose a lot of friendships along the way.

And these guys are finding this really like necessary and special in their lives. It's something that we can learn from. And I hope that they learn also that friendships are important. It was something, you know, was always implemented in me as a child from my parents was friendships are important. They're valuable because long term, like, friends, you know, stick together. They stay. They get to know you. They see you through your ups and downs. One of the moments that every episode has had a moment where I've teared up. I haven't like

bald yet or like really like cried. Every episode has had a moment where it's maybe take a like a deep breath breath and a step back. Okay. We're going to skip, I'm just going to skip because of your point to the end. The guy that goes home who had a one-on-one date. Dan? Dan. Yeah, I was like a little bit shocked.

Yeah, shocked by that, right? We'll talk about kind of our feelings towards it. But he says these words. He goes, I live alone. I know. Oh, man. Oh, that really hit me too. It hit me.

It hit me. And it also just right away said, you know, Jessica, is so supportive of me having male friendships and, you know, participating in hobbies. And she's hoping that I say, you know, I don't say yes to those hobbies too often to where I'm always gone. But it just, like, showed me how appreciative I am

for a spouse to say, hey, Ben, stay connected to your friends. Because at some point, like you, you know, Dan's sitting there going, this is so much fun for me because I had people around. And now I don't. And I'm going home to be alone. Oh, I like. Can these men just, like, get together and have, like, a frat?

Can they live in a frat house? It's called Golden Bachelor in Paradise, which we're excited about. Ashley, so this Chippendale's date, we both thought was fun. It was interesting. They owned it. They did it. We'll talk more about it, I guess, with Caitlin. Mm-hmm.

We're going to really dig into it. My name is Ed. Everyone say hello, Ed. From a very rural background myself My dad is a farmer And my mom is a cousin So like it's not What do you get when a true crime producer

Walks into a comedy club I know it sounds like the start of a bad joke But that really was my reality nine years ago I just normally do straight stand-up But this is a bit different On stage stood a comedian With a story that no one expected to hear Well 22nd of July 2015

A 23 year old man had killed his family. And then he came to my house. So what do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? A new podcast called Wisecrack, where stand-up comedy and murder takes center stage. Available now.

Listen to Wisecrack on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A foot washed up. A shoe with some bones in it. They had no idea who it was. Most everything was burned up pretty good from the fire that not a whole lot was salvageable. These are the coldest of cold cases, but everything is about to change. Every case that is a cold case that has DNA right now in a backlog will be identified in our lifetime. A small lab in Texas is cracking the code on DNA.

Using new scientific tools, they're finding clues in evidence so tiny. you might just miss it. He never thought he was going to get caught. And I just looked at my computer screen. I was just like, ah, got you. On America's Crime Lab, we'll learn about victims and survivors. And you'll meet the team behind the scenes at Authrum, the Houston Lab that takes on the most hopeless cases

to finally solve the unsolvable. Listen to America's Crime Lab on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What would you do if you'd do if you'd be? 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 aimed 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get to. your podcasts.

I'm Dr. Joy Harden-Bradford, and in session 421 of therapy for black girls, I sit down with Dr. Ophia and Billy Shaka to explore how our hair connects to our identity, mental health, and the ways we heal. Because I think hair is a complex language system, right, in terms of it can tell how old you are, your marital status, where you're from, you're a spiritual belief. But I think with social media, there's like a hyperfixation and observation of our hair. Right, that this is sometimes the first thing someone sees when we make a post or a reel is how our hair is styled. We talk about the important role hairstyles play in our community, the pressure to always look put together, and how breaking up with perfection can actually free us.

Plus, if you're someone who gets anxious about flying, don't miss Session 418 with Dr. Angela Neil Barnett, where we dive into managing flight anxiety. Listen to Therapy for Black Girls on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast. or wherever you get your podcast. Get fired up, y'all. Season two of Good Game with Sarah Spain is underway. We just welcomed one of my favorite people and an incomparable soccer icon, Megan Rapino to the show, and we had a blast.

We talked about her recent 40th birthday celebrations, co-hosting a podcast with her fiancé Sue Bird, watching former teammates retire and more. Never a dull moment with Pino. Take a listen. What do you miss the most about being a pro athlete? The final. the final, and the locker room.

I really, really, like, you just, you can't replicate, you can't get back. Showing up to locker room every morning just to shit talk. We've got more incredible guests like the legendary Candace Parker and college superstar AZ Fudd. I mean, seriously, y'all. The guest list is absolutely stacked for season two. And, you know, we're always going to keep you up to speed on all the news and happenings around the women's sports world as well. So make sure you listen to Good Game with Sarah Spain on the I

IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. The group date rose goes to Chalk, who then has his moment where we've kind of been anticipating that we saw in previews where we wondered why Chalk was going home. As soon as this date is over, Chalk gets a phone call that says that his mother has passed away. Could you imagine could you believe? It was something obviously we've never seen on this show

before. It was this is the moment that I pretty much cried and I don't, I'm not like you, I haven't cried too much from this season. They're all very emotional storylines, but this was just like, this poor man

is finding out that his mom died while he's on the Bachelorette. Oh my gosh. And the night before, the group date, he asked Joan about how her mom was doing. And they were talking about how concerned they were about both their moms being sick. And then the next morning, he finds this out. And I was led to believe that he was just gone. Because they didn't have, they didn't show any part of the conversation in which she was like, well, will you come back when you're done with

dealing with things? Like, how are you feeling about possibly coming back? And then midway through the episode. She was like, I really hope Chalk is coming back. I don't know what I would do if Chuck doesn't come back. And then I was like, well, I'm glad that door is open. I know. That he come, he's a frontrunner because he can come back. Right.

So do you think that Joan well, Joan's situation was a little different because her daughter was having extreme postpartum depression. So that's more of like a long term thing. I mean, obviously with his mom, there's the very long morning period that he's going to go through. But

he kept bringing up how he was prepared for this to happen. He knew it was going to happen soon, which probably makes a difference. And his return was speedy. They kept talking about how it had been like a week. But you and I know that wasn't really a week. That was like two days. Yeah, it wasn't a week. I'm sure if we look back and we pulled some Bachelor historian in, they would say, yeah,

so-and-so is left and so-and-so is left, and I've never known anybody to leave and come back necessarily. I can't remember it at least. I'm not going to say it hasn't happened. I just can't remember it. But it does make me feel like chalk is a front-runner because the show let him go and let him come back, which means that he interacted with the outside world, which means people knew he was still around. And I think it was important to see him come back. I think it's important for Joan. I definitely think it puts him in kind of the frontrunner category. But we feel for chalk here. This was emotional. This was real. This was heartfelt. And it's relatable to so many within this age group who are probably dealing with the same stuff. And so the people that are watching

this and watching Jones' journey with these men are saying, I've been there or I'm there right now or I'm close to being there. And that's tough. I can't imagine it. And the men were very supportive. I was going to say it was probably a good group of people to be with when that happened because so many people in that group could relate. I'm really wondering, like, how the conversation went with the producers when he left, like, if they were like, so chalk, listen, we understand that you probably, like, you know, like, you got to go. This is a bad.

This is a, you have to go, but you are somebody that Joan really wants here. So, like, how comfortable do you feel coming back very quick? Yeah, I'm sure. Because they definitely didn't want him to like miss a week or two. Do you know what I mean? Like a full week, they want him to come back at the rose, the appropriate rose ceremony

because then he, I don't know that these guys would have actually made it a big deal if he skipped a week or two. But just to be clean about it, they had him come back very quickly. So it seemed fair. Yes. I mean, I think it's important for, for everybody that he comes back quickly.

I think it's important for him, just because you are going to miss out a lot. And there's relationships that every day are building. So Chalk at this point leaves and comes back. He still has the rose. That is something now that is there. There's a one-on-one date that comes up this week. It is kind of at an odd time. I'm sure this is one of those moments as the lead where Joan is like,

I just got out of a conversation with somebody I really care about. And somebody I actually feel like I need to spend more time with right now because they're hurting. And now I'm going to go on a one-on-one date and have to switch gears and have that joy and have that focus and have that intention. That is a really hard thing for her to transition into. And at some level is where I think she thrives because she can compartmentalize. It's a great moment for the viewers to go, Joan really had to compartmentalize here to be the best version of herself for this date. It's not easily done. But she did it. She did do it. She did a great job and she had more of a connection with Jordan than I imagine she would.

Jordan to me is like a cool guy. His voice, I mean, this might be a weird comment, but his voice sounds like a young guy. Yeah, it does. Even like some part of his face really looks younger than his age. His general vibe is youthful. Yeah. But yeah, I think a lot of it is in his voice. And they went ice skating.

She was able to kind of put the chalk stuff a little bit in the back of her mind. she felt like this was romantic at ario speedwagon which was cool I felt more I'm glad I from both your man um what's his name guy

guy how could I forget guy's name um and Jordan both of them I needed to hear their background stories to feel more connected to them because they were a little bit more delayed in us getting to that point and I feel

more connected to them for sure I feel more of a connection with between her and Jordan. And based on the scenes from the season, guess what? He totally makes it to hometowns. Yeah. Did you see that? They're in Chicago. I don't really watch the scenes from the next episode.

I feel like there's spoilers. I kind of like glaze through them. I swear I get all my info from. Well, that's why you're here and that's why I'm here. My name is Ed. Everyone say, hello, Ed. I'm from a very rural background myself. My dad is a farmer, and my mom is a cousin.

So, like, it's not like... What do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? I know it sounds like the start of a bad joke, but that really was my reality nine years ago. I just normally do straight stand-up, but this is a bit different. On stage stood a comedian with a story that no one expected to hear. Well, 22nd of July 2015, a 23-year-old man had killed his family.

And then he came to my house. So what do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? A new podcast called Wisecrack, where stand-up comedy and murder takes center stage. Available now. Listen to Wisecrack on the IHeart Radio Act. 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. 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 I-Hy-Hawks. Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A foot washed up a shoe with some bones in it. They had no idea who it was. Most everything was burned up pretty good from the fire that not a whole lot was salvageable. These are the coldest of cold cases, but everything is about to change.

Every case that is a cold case that has DNA. Right now in a backlog will be identified in our lifetime. A small lab in Texas is crows. tracking the code on DNA. Using new scientific tools, they're finding clues in evidence so tiny you might just miss it. He never thought he was going to get caught,

and I just looked at my computer screen. I was just like, ah, gotcha. On America's Crime Lab, we'll learn about victims and survivors, and you'll meet the team behind the scenes at Othrum, the Houston Lab that takes on the most hopeless cases, to finally solve the unsolvable. Listen to America's Crime Lab on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, and in session 421 of therapy for black girls, I sit down with Dr. Othia and Billy Shaka to explore how our hair connects to our identity, mental health, and the ways we heal.

Because I think hair is a complex language system, right, in terms of it can tell how old you are, your marital status, where you're from, you're a spiritual belief. But I think with social media, there's like a hyper fixation and observation of our hair, right? That this is sometimes the first thing someone sees when we make a post or a reel. It's how our hair is styled. You talk about the important role hair stylists play in our community, the pressure to always look put together, and how breaking up with perfection can actually free us. Plus, if you're someone who gets anxious about flying, don't miss Session 418 with Dr. Angela Neil Barnett, where we dive into managing flight anxiety. Listen to Therapy for Black Girls on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your

podcast. Get fired up, y'all. Season 2 of Good Game with Sarah Spain is underway. We just welcomed one of my favorite people and an incomparable soccer icon, Megan Rapino, to the show, and we had a blast. We talked about her recent 40th birthday celebrations, co-hosting a podcast with her fiancé Sue Bird, watching former teammates retire and more. Never a dull moment with Pino.

Take a listen. What do you miss the most about being a pro athlete? The final. The final. And the locker room. I really, really, like, you just, you can't replicate, you can't get back. Showing up to locker room every morning just to shit talk. We've got more incredible guests like the legendary Candace Parker and college superstar

A.Z. Fudd. I mean, seriously, y'all. The guest list is absolutely. stacked for season two. And, you know, we're always going to keep you up to speed on all the news and happenings around the women's sports world as well. So make sure you listen to Good Game with Sarah Spain on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. This state doesn't, like, blow me out of the water. It does feel like it's a start of something. To me, it does feel like he's kind of the cool guy. She does have another one-on-one date with the person I've been super high on the whole season, Guy. Now, here's my take from this date with Guy. Okay. The connection is not as good as I thought it was going to be.

I do not think now he is a front-runner. Okay. But he reminds me of one of my favorite people to ever be on the franchise. He reminds me of somebody who I just love being around. And that's Cupcake. Chris Tramberg. Okay. Okay. Another doctor. Another doctor, but their personalities are similar. That is so true. They have like a certain gentleness about them.

A gentleness, uh, a, do you obviously know they're insanely intelligent, but they're also like, and I don't, this is going to sound awful. And Chris, if you listen to this, I'm sorry. They're, they're so smart and so intelligent, but they have these areas. of their life where they know nothing about, which here we see with Guy, right? Like, we see this with Guy. He doesn't know how to cook. He can't even peel, you know, he can't even cook a dinner at any level. But yet they're kind. They're considerate. They have an intentionality about them. And they care so much to do so well. Does that make sense? Yes. It all makes so much sense. And the parallel is unbelievable. You're so, so right. But there is like a certain

like sweetness. Gentle is really the word that comes to me while still being fair. Yeah. While still being masculine. And they're both super strong. Like they both have huge arms. Oh my God. Yes. Yeah. That's that's a great parallel. So guy seems nice, but I don't I don't still see him in the top four. I don't see him in the top four, which means that he'd be like a limited next week. It's so crazy how fast this goes. Yeah, this, definitely, this date took a step back for me. I wanted to see how he was like with Joan. It felt, um, it felt uncomfortable at times. It felt like the two of them weren't connecting. I just think, not that there's anything wrong. I just think there's guys in this group that Joan feels so comfortable to be around,

which we'll get to in a little bit, our top threes at this point. Um, but after this one-on-one date, obviously guy is still around he's still there well that's why i feel like the golden again like i mentioned last week is a little bit different because you keep people around because like you really like them as people you as we see at the end of the episode she's like saying that she loves these men like she says to charles when he leaves like i love you but like it's just not romantic for with a lot of them i get it and they're not going to push the romance like i feel like with you guys like tell me if i'm wrong but like you kind of kiss girls that you probably wouldn't have kissed in real life.

I don't really know. I know some bachelors have said this. Yeah, I mean, I'm sure because you're in this like your real life or your world is that group. And so there's kissing that happens because you're on a date with them and because you want to see if there's a connection there, right?

Yeah. So I don't know if I would or wouldn't have that was a different season of dating in my life. I was 25 and just really excited to be there, so I don't know. Maybe I would have. But I do think there's a love and I get that. Like there was a lot of women on my, on the season that like I had a love for because they agreed to come and I knew their stories, right? Some people that come to mind, like the jubilees of the world, right? There was an amazing story that like and just heartfelt intentionality she came to the show with. When she left, I was like, I don't want to see you

leave. But I have, I mean, we have to because this isn't going to work for us romantically. But for you to be here is a joy to me. I think Jones experienced the same thing. The problem is, I think she feels that with every single one of these dudes because they're all so great and they've been great to her and they're great to each other. Yeah. And you're like, why? Like, every week you see this, the experience itself, the environment, getting smaller and smaller. And you're like, gosh, can I just start over with these dudes? Like, this has been so fun. I think they're having fun. They're having a blast. They are really, I think they are falling in love with each other as much as they're falling in love with Joan. And it's very sweet for us to see. If it were happening on the regular

show, we'd be like, oh, these bros need to concentrate on her. This is boring. We need some drama. These guys got to fight. Every time we see the guys like just enjoying time with each other on the main show, we're always like, um, hello, focus. You are not here to bro out. Anyway, okay, I have to mention since you said that guy has gone down on your totem pole, guess what? Guess, guess, Beth? Keith has for you as well? Or Guy has gone up on yours? No. Mark is down on my totem pole. I think he's going to get eliminated next week. You're crazy. Wait, really? You think I'm crazy? You're absolutely crazy. Wait, no. And this isn't like in the typical way I call you crazy. This is like, you're just like, this is a bad take.

really yeah this event do you know spoilers no I don't know spoilers Ashley but like goodness gracious if he goes home I don't know he's been getting less and less air time and they haven't like

you think so he is absolutely crushing it this dude and Joan are definitely together oh okay okay I hope you're right I hope you're right okay

um the the rose ceremony eliminates more guys than expected. And the reason why is they got to be traveling next week. There's no shot that they're not traveling because they eliminated way more guys than they actually needed to for the format. But they, you know, airline tickets are getting expensive. I don't think so.

I think because next week we get down to four. So it's just a natural cut down right now. Okay. I thought there would only be two eliminated. There was three, three of our favorites. Goodness gracious, I'm going to miss these guys from Dan to Charles. Charles, Charles, the heart and soul of the show along with Goldie, who is just a presence of kindness and joy and hope. And I'm sad to see all these guys go because I think they were making, like three of these guys were a part of making this show great.

Without them, this show wouldn't have been what it is. And so I'm sad to see him go, but I get it. It's time to move on now and be more focused on romance than the joy and the fun of the house. Well, we do see Gil leave. So Gil, the problem child of the show. Yeah, yeah. Gil, the problem child of the season with the restraining order goes home. And then let's just say with Charles, who again is just the sweetest man, he goes home.

She says, I love you. You changed my life. Oh, of course. course. And finally, we have to mention Keith's awkwardness where he gets through this rose ceremony by the skin of his teeth. He really was word sality. Word sality, nervous man during this cocktail party. I was not sure he being the first impression rose getter was going to make it further. There's just a lack of comfort between the two of them right now, which is why I think Keith will go home before Mark goes home, which makes me believe.

leave Mark will be there longer. I like Keith. I just think there is a lack of comfort. I think next week my top three going into hometowns. At this point, it would have to be Jonathan. It would also have to be Mark. My third is a tough one right now. Why? There's chalk. Good point. I guess chalk. Chalk, Mark, and Jonathan would make my top three going into hometowns. Ashley, do you disagree with any of that? Sort of. Because I actually weirdly think that Jonathan might get eliminated next week. I think he's so hot and he's like very romantic and swoony. But I think that she feels like she's missing something with him. And I'm also saying this because the scenes from the next episode do not show him a lot. Okay. So who are your top three?

I'm going to throw Jordan into my top three because I remember wasn't hometowns just top three? or something like that with Golden? I think Jordan's in it. So you think it's Jordan, Mark, and Chalk? Jordan, Chalk, and, yeah, I guess we'll say Mark, but, like, I'm, he's, he's, oh, you know what? Pasquale. Pascal. Pascal, man.

He's getting far. No, there's no shot he makes it farther than Mark. So that's why I think there's no way Mark goes home. All right, fine. I'll put Mark in there because, just because that was my name. initial gut, but I am worried for him. All right. Well, we made sure that we didn't talk too much about the Chippendales date because we really want to go through it with Caitlin Bursow since she was there firsthand. And we've made this wish come true. We'll have a separate episode breaking that down

with her as well as getting into her personal life because duh. It's interesting. So until next time, I've been Ben. I've been Ashley. See ya. Follow the Ben and Ashley I, almost famous podcast on IHart radio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Let's start with a quick puzzle. The answer is Ken Jennings' appearance on The Puzzler with A.J. Jacobs. The question is, what is the most entertaining listening experience in podcast land? Jeopardy-truthers believe in... I guess they would be Kenspiracy theorists.

That's right. To give 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. Smokey the Bears. Then you know why Smokey tells you when he sees you passing through. Remember, please be careful. It's the least that you can do.

It's what you decide. Don't play with matches. Don't play with fire. After 80 years of learning his wildfire prevention tips, Smokey Bear lives within us all. Learn more at Smokey Bear.com. Only you can prevent wildfires. Brought to you by the USDA Forest Service,

your state forester and the ad council. Tune in to All the Smoke Podcast, where Matt and Stacks sit down with former first lady, Michelle Obama. Folks find it hard to hate up close. And when you get to know people, and you're sitting in their kitchen tables, and they're talking like we're talking. You know, you hear our story, how we grew up,

how I grew up, and you get a chance for people to unpack and get beyond race. All the Smoke featuring me. Michelle Obama. To hear this podcast and more, open your free IHeart Radio app. Search all the smoke and listen now. The U.S. Open is here and on my podcast, Good Game with Sarah Spain. I'm breaking down the players, the predictions, the pressure, and of course the honey deuses, the signature cocktail of the U.S. Open. The U.S. Open has gotten to be a very wonderfully experiential sporting event.

To hear this and more, listen to Good Game with Sarah Spain, an IHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Brought to you by Novartis, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports Network. I was diagnosed with cancer on Friday and cancer free the next Friday. No chemo, no radiation, none of that. On a recent episode of Culture Raises Us podcast, I sat down with Warren Campbell, Grammy-winning producer, pastor, and music executive to talk about the beats, the business,

and the legacy behind some of the biggest names in gospel, R&B, and hip-hop. Professionally, I started at Debtwell Records. From Mary Mary to Jennifer Hudson, we get into the soul of the music and the purpose that drives it. Listen to Culture raises us on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast.