The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - Happy Couples from Paradise: Brandon and Serene

Episode Date: November 24, 2022

Now that we’ve wrapped up this season of Bachelor in Paradise, it’s time to sit down with some of the success stories from the sand! First up is Brandon Jones and Serene Russell! Find out their plans post-Paradise and if they truly experienced “love at first sight”. And Ashley gets Brandon and Serene to spill their honest thoughts about the OTHER Paradise couples!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Brandon and Serene. Oh my gosh. Welcome to the show, you guys. It's so great to see you guys again. Jared and I had absolutely no doubts that you were going to live happily ever after and be the couple that had smooth sailing the entire way. Congratulations. Thank you.

Thank you. Oh, my gosh. It's so good to see you again. Oh, it's so good to see you. We have been telling everybody how like genuinely sweet as pie you two are it's like there's not like any sort of there's like there's like no negativity around you ever and um i can just yeah i can go on and on about just the bliss that is around you now let's kind of go that what's funny is that like usually we like dive into salacious stuff

but like with you guys there is absolutely no salacious stuff so i just want to like go like time by time throughout paradise and talk about like the happiest moments and like the biggest like heart flutters and all that yeah okay so let's talk about the the time you guys both first laid eyes on each other who who was down there first wasn't it it was serene right yeah so you're the first girl right yeah i was the first girl and honestly i was down there for like hours before anyone like told me to talk like romantic wait what yeah so it It was probably like six, five or six p.m. by the time someone had pulled me to talk and I was there that morning. And so when I went into the show, I was thinking like, I just really need someone intentional that is going to show me that they have interest in me because usually it feels like I have more interest in people than they have in me. And so I just wanted someone to really like show me that they were interested. And then this guy comes down. And it's like you. I'm going to talk to you.

Oh, that's so sweet. So, Brandon, was Serene on your list of ladies you wanted to see in paradise? Oh, most definitely. The funny part was, like, I kept seeing people go by, like, down to the beach. And I'm like, yo, like, once I get down there, like, everyone's talking to everyone. Everyone's probably coupled up. Like, I have to go just like, I have to bolt to the people who are on my list. Like, I got to talk to you.

I got to talk to you. I got to talk to you. And so a little liquid. courage and I came down the beach I was like okay I'm not wasting any time like hey let's go talk he was almost like the last one though like and he was someone that I was like okay like really want to meet him and so it was just really tough sitting there all day and then like no one's talking to me and then you just came right up and then when I'm being told it's like oh yeah everyone's making connections already everyone's talking about I'm like all right thanks Jesse I appreciate you

So when you saw her in real life, did you have a love at first, first sight moments? Oh, she was way more gorgeous in person than, you know, what I saw on TV. So, like, yeah, I'm pretty sure I just fumbled my words. I went, you know, back to my old self. I just got super corny and then somehow it worked. Serene, you talked into the past episode about how you felt he was intentional. And for you, it was. always like a serious interest but maybe not like love and you said that it grew with time

which I know Brandon saw as a compliment and I know you meant as a compliment but how does that kind of love differ from the past kinds of love you've had yeah I think with Brandon early on we had a lot of the serious talks to see like are we even compatible like do we want the same things in life. Obviously, we were attracted to each other and, you know, that that came super naturally. But for me, what really stood out was him opening his heart to me after kind of going through something super tough. Like, I wanted someone that would be open with me and I've tried really hard to remain open after, you know, any failed relationship. And so for me, it felt like we were coming from a place of understanding with each other. And like I said, he was just so intentional

with every little thing. Like every little opportunity he could show me that he cared. He did. And, you know, all the other stuff is there too. But for me, that's what was different. And that's what made it more of a gradual thing. Because it just felt like every day there was a little bit more. Oh, Brandon, you're also so emotional and I can't get over how sweet that is. how did all your friends and family would they think about you crying on TV out of love so much roasted like because i'm not like that but i just really my dream is that like you get that emotional and passionate about everything but also maybe no maybe i want you to like reserve that for the love of your life yeah he's someone special for that and then never like like say the date

that we went on when I teared up because I saw her. Like, I've never done. Oh, it was the cutest I ever seen. It's just like this show is capturing all those moments. It's like, yeah. See, but that's perfect for me, though, because I've always, like, had people try to play it so cool. And so the fact that, like, you wear your heart on your sleeve

and I always know what you're feeling is. Oh, it's because I know I'm not cool. And I just hope for the best. You're, like, the perfect combination of cool and uncool. that makes any sense you have swag that's the thing you have swag but you're also uncool which is the perfect guy

yeah it's like swag but dorky as hell yeah okay so I want to know the two moments serene when was the moment that you were like if this guy gets down on one DM saying yes oh gosh it's so hard to think of an exact moment like it really is just because everything was so gradual and we had those series talks like

very early on like what are you here for like no one wanted to leave the other person on I don't know maybe I think for me maybe in like my like in the moment whenever we came back from the beat or from the Vedanta when we were split up we had already said we were following in love and so we were both super frustrated and we're like oh this is kind of waste in our time like we have a lot to talk about still and um want to just like continue the growth that we've had and so i don't think that you like fully see it on the show but like the embrace was like crazy and he like I think we saw it it was adorable he like runs me down to the water and he's like did you go on any dates and I was like no did you and he was like I love it

You love you. Oh. It was just like in that moment where like we reconnected and I mean we both were secure in our relationship but in that moment like there was a lot more to the conversation than we got to see. And so I think maybe for me, it felt like a movie, the waves are crashing in the background. We were like half in the water. It was it was so cool.

And they cut it all out. But it was like we were, I was laughing and I was holding her and we were laughing. and I was like oh I miss you she's like I miss you too and I was like wait did you go on any dates she's like no did you I was like no I love you and you see other people yeah right oh you guys that's adorable Brandon when did you know that you were going to propose uh when she drew exactly what ring she wanted on an appion and said, if you see

Neil, let him know this is a... Oh, M.G. So that was kind of like a... Okay, yeah, like, I get the hint now. At what point was that? Oh, that was what, that was after the Vianta, yeah? After the split, yeah.

And, yeah, so we all got together and she just like, we were eating breakfast there really wasn't that much time left when that happened yeah and she was like she came up with a napkin she drew like it was like from the left side from the right side this is what it looks like yeah and you got what you wanted i did perfect gorgeous well brandon that's when you knew that she was going to say yes but when were you like i got to marry this woman oh when i got to marry this woman Oh, when I saw her coming from the date, like, I teared up. I was like, oh, I got to marry this woman.

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And we run a podcast called Emergency Intercom. If you're a crime junkie and you love crimes, we're not the podcast for you. But if you have unmedicated ADHD Oh my God, perfect. And want to hear people with mental illness, Psychobabble. Yes, yes. Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you.

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for this new season of Family Secrets. Listen to Family Secrets Season 12 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So we all saw your engagement coming for real, for real. It was like the least surprising thing of all Bachelor, nation like history basically um and i have to say i'm not sure that i've ever seen a couple that i felt so strong was going to not only get engaged but to be absolutely fine in real life than you guys yeah yeah yeah we're just we're just like this is the day we're like free we can go out

to dinner together we can like go walk in the park together like we've been waiting for this It's the stuff we want to do. We want to walk down the street together. So today's the first day you get to do that. What are the plans? Step outside. Literally, step outside. We'll just see where the day goes. Yeah, we're going to go on a date. We're going to go to dinner together. Yeah, like, walk in the, I don't know. I don't know. We're just so excited to just be in public together. Go to the beach, buggy board. I don't know. Anything. Okay. After your engagement,

Jesse walks up with a book, and I go, oh, God, they're going to try to make them get married right now. No, don't do this. As much as I want to see them get married, I want them to enjoy an engagement period, and I want these two to have their family and friends at their wedding. This is so unfair. Don't pressure them into this. Did you have any thought that you might do it, or were you just like, oh, heck, no? Like, I know Brandon, you mentioned that you called your mom, and she said, I'll kill you

if you do this. Did you call her in the moment? or were you like guess what funny thing they wanted us to do it was it was it was uh we both were like yeah we won't get married but like we're not getting married with you no we're not getting married without our parents like it's like jesse i love you but you're not my pops you're not my mom like i need my brother her family and then yeah i called my mom i was like guess what they just asked and i was like jesse came down with an ordained book like i was like i think about me getting married right now and she's like, I'll kill you.

The boom boom room wasn't really used by anyone else this year, besides Jared and I, which makes me feel incredibly awkward. But Bachelor Data, the Instagram account, has tracked this, and there's been no airing of boom, boom room use. Did you guys go to the boom boom room? No. Nobody did. Did you really?

And why is that with your cast? Because usually it's very frequently used. Honestly, I think for the whole, People wanted love. I think it was like very daunting and people were afraid of like how it would like shift things in the relationship or maybe how it would look. I think for like the whole cast, I think most people really just wanted to focus on the important stuff. Like just like really getting to know each other and not wanting to like add something else to the equation. I don't know.

I can't really speak for other people. Yeah. I think I think it was like. Also, people, we were the most certain after people were concerned to where like, yeah, I'll do it. But then does that halt my chances if someone else were to come down those steps? Yeah. But triangle, what I get in, would I be in a deeper triangle? I don't know.

I think, too, we saw a lot of, like, sticky situations in season seven that came. Sure, sure, yeah. Maybe people were like, yes, that way. Hands off. Yeah, yeah, definitely last season. it was a point of complication for sure okay now i got to ask you about the other couples what do you make of the whole johnny and victory situation how awkward was it to watch that show down at the reunion we actually didn't see it oh you didn't you did it you're aware of it

yeah yeah we're close to them i think ultimately we just want them both to be happy and if they're happier separately like we just it it is literally coincidence that I was closest with Victoria on the beach and then he was close with Johnny and we haven't really um so I think just both of us looking at our friends and seeing like okay like if you're deciding this isn't working for you then you know we want you to be happy we just want them happy um I don't think Greg should have been there I think it should have just been them too yeah working it out but other than that yeah we just want them happy we love on both so yeah what would you feel specifically about Greg being there uh I just I just I think he's

a great guy and everything awesome guy but I just I just think it was like a moment for them to like kind of have stuff out I don't think he needed to be there necessarily you know I can't speak on it maybe Victoria needed support or whatever yeah I'm sure that's what it was so um but I just think you know, in that moment, you know, if it were you and you had a new guy and I was there, it would kind of hurt me even more than what I'm going through. So, yeah. I'm just, I both of them, so. For sure.

It's a dagger. Yeah. When you guys sat down at that dinner with Victoria and Johnny before Fantasy Suites, did you feel like they were ready for engagement? Did you feel like they were on the same level as you guys? Um, I thought that they were ready at the time. Yeah, really. Yeah.

I think, you know, they had some more stuff to work out. There was a lot we didn't know about, like, during that time. Like what? Just like any, any, like, uncertainty. Like, I was like, oh, my gosh, Johnny's, like, head over heels for her. He's going to propose. Like, I didn't know that there was any, like, you know, you kind of seen his interviews. He's like, I don't know.

There's a big commitment. I know what she wants. But, like, am I ready for it? Like, is it something that, you know, anyone's ever ready for? like do people just you know so you like watch these thoughts play out in his interview and you know it kind of like makes a little more sense now but i think at the time we thought that they were ready and you know we spent time with them that was really cool we got to spend time with them like as a couple too after that and we thought you know we're going to be hanging out for years yeah

but yeah i thought i thought they were ready and plus she was changing johnny for the best like because I hung out with Johnny a lot and he was like I don't want to go home with that or I was like you I mean you don't have to you know what I mean so sad let's talk about Rodney and Eliza everybody was so distraught

about that breakup and then it looked like Eliza kind of wanted to get back with him at the reunion I personally was glad that he was like I wish you the best which is kind of like a passive aggressive phrase that was talking around a lot this season. What's your take? I think first of all, I didn't even cry during my

own breakup on Bachelor and I cried like when all this, I was like, like we all just love Rodney so much. So that was hard to watch. I think ultimately we we understood from the start like everyone has a choice. I think what made it so heart-wrenching is that he thought he was in the clear. Like, he had the rose and yeah thought we can move on from this like today's a new day and that's all he was talking about all day long so to just like watch that happen was really tough um that's part of the reunion i wish i got to see i think it's messy i think ronnie did an amazing job holding standing his ground yeah i think it's messy i don't think hey you leave ronie go to justin justin ended up not wanting to be with you then you try to come back to right i think it's messy

I think at that point you need to sit down, you know, work stuff out, heal yourself, and then, you know, that person will ride. And I think that's what Rodney's doing. So yeah, he's doing great. He's healing. We love him. All right. The final question that I want to ask you about is Tyler and Brittany. I love Brittany when I was there.

Really, like, felt a kinship to her. And something just seems to be missing from the explanation of her breakup with Tyler. you guys have any insight i think maybe it's just that they live in different places and have different lives like it's one of those things where you know it was great in theory but then you get to the real world and there are all these obstacles that you have to overcome as a couple all right well thank you guys so much please go enjoy newlywed yeah i'm going to call it newlywed bliss all right that's what it feels like newly released from the bachelor vault bliss on who's having Thanksgiving with who?

We're going to O KC. Yeah, he's going to my family. Okay, nice. All right, well, I hope you have the most magical Thanksgiving and family time and you guys just live it up. Thank you so much. Oh, we're so thrilled for you.

You have a good Thanksgiving, too. Okay, we will. Tell Jared, I miss them, too. Oh, we will, we will. I'll tell them. Thanks. See ya. Bye.

Bye, Ashley. Bye. Ben and Ashley I, Almost Famous Podcasts on IHeartRadio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Hi, my name is Enya Humanzor. And I'm Drew Phillips. And we run a podcast called Emergency Intercom. If you're a crime junkie and you love crimes, we're not the podcast for you. But if you have unmedicated ADHD...

Oh my God, perfect. And want to hear people with mental illness, psychobabble. Yes, yes. Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you. Open your free IHeartRadio app. Search Emergency Intercom and listen now. I just normally do straight stand-up, but this is a bit different. What do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club?

Answer, a new podcast called Wisecrack, where a comedian finds himself at the center of a chilling true crime story. Does anyone know what show they've come to see? It's a story. It's about the scariest night of my life. This is Wisecrack. now. Listen to Wisecrack on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Let's start with a quick puzzle. The answer is Ken Jennings' appearance on The Puzzler

with A.J. Jacobs. The question is, what is the most entertaining listening experience in podcast land? Jeopardy-truthers believe in... I guess they would be conspiracy theorists. That's right. They give you the answers, and you still believe. 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Super Secret Bestie Club podcast season four is here. And we're locked in. That means more juicy chisement. Terrible love advice. Evil spells to cast on your ex. No, no, no, no, we're not doing that this season. Oh, well, this season, we're leveling up. Each episode will feature a special Bestie.

And you're not going to want to miss it. My name is Curley. And I'm Maya. Get in here! Listen to the Super Secret Bestie Club on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast.