The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - Higgins Take a Knee

Episode Date: September 16, 2021

We’re still dealing with the aftermath of the Brendan/Pieper scandal. Has anyone ever come onto the show in a relationship and not experience backlash?? Kendall needs to face the hard truth about her relationship with Grocery Store Joe. We hear Ben and Ashley’s advice on what she should do next.And Ben’s knee surgery has taken a troubling turn. He reveals how it will affect his upcoming wedding! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Hi, my name is Enya Eumanzor. 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.

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this is Wisecrack available now listen to Wisecrack on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 guys. 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 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. Hey, I'm Kurt Brown-Oller. And I am Scotty Landis, and we host Bananas,

the podcast where we share the weirdest, funniest, real news stories from all around the world. And sometimes from our guest's personal lives, too. Like when Whitney Cummings recently revealed her origin story on the show. There's no way I don't already have rabies. This is probably just why my personality is like this. I've been surviving rabies for the past 20 years.

New episodes of bananas drop every Tuesday in the exactly right network. Listen to bananas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the Ben and Ashley I, Almost Famous Podcasts with IHart Radio. Hey guys, welcome to the almost famous episode this week, where we recap, Bachelor in Paradise. Why are we singing? Why are we singing? I don't know. It felt good. I don't know.

It felt good. Oh, thanks. Well, you were singing before, and so it just rubbed off on me. Ashley, I'm going crazy. I'm currently sitting in my basement right now. I've been down here for six days. I can't put weight. Okay, so here's a big update for my surgery last Tuesday.

They got in there. Yeah, I know. A.C.R. replacement, but then it got worse. So, like, I have this disease going on on my knee where my tissues eating at itself. and so it's like causing inflammation that like so they had to grind it off my like bone um and so oh no yeah and then my meniscus was super messed up which most people like hey i've tore my meniscus before but you want your meniscus so they stitch it up and they tell me i can't have any weight

on my knee listen to this for six weeks actually i'm that means you like cannot stand for six weeks without being on a crutch on a crutch um can't drive um i'm like kind of locked in uh didn't you have like a zillion flights i have a zillion flights i have two board meetings and then i also have a wedding coming up and this pushes me like app i'm going to be walking the official date of our wedding is two weeks after i'll be ready to uh ready to put weight on it again like i don't know what i'm going to do okay so basically when you are joking about walking down the aisle with a cane. It's not that funny anymore.

It's a reality now. Yeah, yeah. But, like, still super on brand for you, you know, wanted to host the elderly edition of The Bachelor. And, like, you can still do, like, this old school classic Hollywood charm thing with it. Like, I can see, like, Carrie Grant with a cane, right? I mean, I'm fine with it. And I know Jess is good with it. But, yeah, it was just a little more intense.

they expected than I expected. I'm feeling fine. And I get off, I think today's my last day on like pain medication. Like this is day six. And I've only taken one a day. Now I was like three for the first two days. And obviously my history of pain medication is not a good one. And so I'm down to one. And I think tomorrow I'll be able to just go to Tylenol, which will be great for me personally. And I'm feeling pretty good like mentally about it. But yeah, wild. You know what happened ash i'm so sorry i'm so sorry are you gonna need like a full blown knee replacement in a couple years i think so i think that's what's going on no yeah you know what i'm getting married though i'm i'm gonna just i'm just call i'm calling it in i'm just gonna do the best i can for

as long as i can uh jessica uh had to leave uh town so she can even be cake testing to cake testing and her uh wedding dress shop my mom has been out here uh helping me out a lot of lot, which has been super amazing and really good for us. I mean, I'm not very fun right now, but at least we have to hang out together and spend some good time together. Guess what? And then we can move on to the podcast. I don't know if anybody cares about this, but I woke up from my surgery and I told

the nurse, I said, hey, I don't want my mom or Jess back here until I'm, like, semi-coherent because I say weird stuff in my regular life, like, all the time. And I can't imagine what I'm going to say when I wake up from anesthesia. And so finally they came back. I still don't remember I'm coming back but the nurse decided I was good enough

for them to come back and the nurse goes hey Ben what would you like to drink? And I was like whiskey yeah I was like tequila soda and she's like no she's like we have apple juice we have orange juice

like tequila soda or nothing she's like we'll get you a water I said that's good hey we got a good podcast coming for you today super cool episode a lot going on in paradise a lot of things to follow up on

we're going to take a break here when we come back going to break down the headlines of this week and also break down this week's episode of Bachelor in Paradise, which is a good one. We'll be back with the Almost Famous Podcast. Imagine that you're on an airplane and all of a sudden you hear this. Attention passengers. The pilot is having an emergency and we need someone, anyone to land this plane. Think you could do it? It turns out that nearly 50% of men, think that they could land the plane

with the help of air traffic control. And they're saying like, okay, pull this. Do this, pull that, turn this. It's just, I can do my eyes close. I'm Manny. I'm Noah. This is Devin. And on our new show, no such thing. We get to the bottom of questions like these.

Join us as we talk to the leading expert on overconfidence. Those who lack expertise lack the expertise they need to recognize that they lack expertise. And then, as we try the whole thing out, For real. Wait, what? Oh, that's the run right.

I'm looking at this thing. See? Listen to no such thing on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, my name is Enya Umanzor. 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.

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, 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 your podcasts. 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 Overcomfor podcast as part of the My Cultura Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. 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

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podcasts. It's time to break down this week's episode of Bachelor in Paradise. You all watched. We watched. And we're into it. Like, we're into it. Ashley, we start out this with the cocktail party. I just want to start.

out from the beginning and say I'm really excited for Titus. I just like him as the host. He brings a good energy. I was questioning their host choices when it got announced. Just like it is like, it doesn't make sense and still doesn't make sense to me on why they chose who they chose. But I've actually kind of enjoyed the small, like segments with each host. Yeah. I think they could have utilized each host a little bit more they may have. We just may not have seen it because sometimes it's like wow you came on a guest host and like you literally had one scene beyond the

hello and goodbye scene but I also would think I think it's weird that didn't have a female host at some point but yeah they're fun I had a point that I was oh I mean yeah here's my point I am so tired of

hearing the little John are you looking for love I mean like I have I said this before probably just like we're looking for eligible old bachelors if you want to be on the new bachelor yeah and I'm like okay wow the stick is old it is and the thing with little john is like he's a brilliant dude who's a great host I feel like they could have utilized him in different ways other than just

repeating his like one thing over and over like they could have had him do a bunch of little funny but instead they just use the same thing over and over I get that yeah they could have been creative with it like every week there was something different he said because he's good like he has a lot going he's really good at this he just they just didn't like i think you made a good point good's like it's been fun they could have used utilized them more but here's diving into this week's episode this is where i want to start it there's one rule and here's where i uh as a alumni of the show and listeners you're fans of the show which now i am as well that's about that's kind of my title is a fan of the show

Ashley's a fan of the show. There's only one rule. And anybody can blame editing. That's a common excuse. And it can pretty much be thrown out there anytime anybody wants it. And it never sticks because you always see through that, like, excuse.

The one rule of this show is that you can't come onto the show in a relationship. And that's what I feel like. Well said. Yeah, which is what Wells said. I feel like that's kind of the theme of the last two weeks here is like, anybody that comes off of this and we're all watching them and we're waiting for their they're doing

these like responses on instagram of hey i'm you know i'm i'm either sorry or i'm not sorry for what i did but they blame it on editing it's like no no no let's just be clear you had a relationship coming into the show that's the only rule you broke it as a result those consequences they don't have to be terrible people don't have to hate you for it but like it's not okay yeah is that fair i agree okay yeah yeah it's totally fair and yeah i mean like back Bachelor nation can get really heated over and say like crazy things on these people's Instagrams. That's not fair. So I understand that these people like trying to like feel like they need to defend themselves. We'll get a little bit further into this during hot topics

when we talk about some of these apologies. But even like Piper said something during New York Fashion Week. So here's a teaser for you guys to stick around for headlines. And I was just like, I feel like you are continuing to lie. Like why can't you just at least at this? point you're going to come across way more likable if you just fess up and it'd be honest well and yeah we'll dive into this because i have some strong opinions on everybody's apologies um or statements or what have you calm and i get the people are mean and come on we're not for that ever like you don't have to like destroy these people because of the choices that they made to try to get some fame like that's that's that's that we can be upset about it they should leave the

show that you can even stop following them with which I think is was a really strong statement but you don't have to hate the human like that's never okay but we still have strong opinions on this okay let's dive in this episode it's the it's the cocktail party Ashley take it away all right so five girls are going to leave so many or so or so we think um so there's like a lot of pressure and the girls are saying like when you see them chit chatting that it seems like it's going to be Demi on the chopping block, possibly Chelsea, who I was a little confused by because I thought she did have a good date with Aaron. They talk about how Giacenia's on the chopping block. Tammy's going to get cut off, we think. And then DeAndra. Those are who the girls are

predicting are on the chopping block. But you know what just strikes me right then? What? What about Tia, who we definitely feel like isn't partnered with anybody? And what about Kendall, who we definitely haven't seen with anybody, but during the cocktail hour, we see them with guys. All the sudden, Tia is kissing James and Kendall is kissing Ivan. Where did that come from? Yeah. You know what? It's interesting because you would have felt like I understand that we haven't seen a lot from Tia. Like the Tia and James coupling up doesn't feel that interesting to me. Now, they're both interesting as humans and as characters but like that relationship felt like okay it probably yeah fickle it just blossomed out of nowhere but i'm surprised we haven't that the show didn't dive more

into kindle and ivan or at least and we see it later on one scene just needed one scene of them connecting that's it we had no clue but when i and again we're going to go to do this in chronological order when i first see kindle and ivan together i think in my mind wow This could work. Like, this is an interesting couple that feels like they have a lot of things in common. Totally, totally agree. It's interesting to me. Mm-hmm.

I know. I agree. So then the big thing that happens during this cocktail party is that is Brendan and Piper, right? They end up leaving because they're confronted by Joe and a posse of a lot of single girls saying, like, okay, really what you did was exactly like, what Chris did and they left yesterday. So I think it's kind of appropriate if you guys also escorted yourselves out. And then we get more into the logistics of like how many times they hung out. You know, Piper said they hung out 10 times. And Brendan said that they hung out like twice. And what he said, he clarified that they had hung out in like privacy, like two, two or

three dinner dates. And it's like that is a lot. That is a lot of personal private. time let's not downplay that two or three dinner dates uh plus the additional group hangs like that is a lot so uh he gets annoyed you know there's just more there's more annoyance like oozing out of their pores but everybody has good points and um the and then we see more like sketchy stuff from them because they're sitting on that bed piper and brendan talking about followers and money And she's like, I have a master's degree in marketing. I should be able to get, I should be able to get followers on my own. And it's just like crazy.

I've never. Okay. So a little sneak peek, we have Justinia coming on for her own episode this week. And you're going to really love that episode. And one of the things that Justinia brings up, a little sneak peek about it is like, you all know that you're being filmed and that you have a mic on. Like, everybody's aware. of this and they know that they're being filmed all the time you're never you don't have a place really to

hide and if you are hiding and you're saying stuff that's like intriguing to the producers they're going to find you and they're going to find a way to record you doing this they talk about followers and fame so much that it's it's like it's surprising to me of the lack of awareness about where they're at because i know and like i know during my time on the show you are cautious of what you're saying right like you don't want to come off incorrectly it's always something in the back of mind and yes you do get more comfortable as you go and you start to save things and do things that maybe you wouldn't have done at the first week but you're still aware and so if you know that like followers and fame which everybody at some level is intrigued by

I don't think I'm interested in and they're not necessarily motivated by it like I don't think Kindle is there on the beach right now, motivated by more fame. I think she had a legit, like, desire to figure some stuff out. So not everybody is motivated by it, but everybody's aware of it. Yet they're talking about it so much. And it's like, what, like, what are you doing? Like, stop. It's mind blowing.

My thought is probably that they may have been thinking if the camera isn't on us, like if there isn't a camera crew in the room, so listeners out there, like there are I can't I don't even know the number I'm gonna say five or six like big cameras that'll follow the cast around in Paradise but there are there are cameras launched to like the ceiling in every room

like you're constantly being recorded but my thought is that with Brendan and Piper they thought if like the camera crew wasn't there with the big camera they weren't being filmed and that they were relatively safe I don't know like how they possibly could have and my thought is also that

the producers saw their behavior without the camera crews in there and they were like okay we're not even going to put a crew in there we're just going to keep using the ceiling cameras to capture these insane conversations and when I say insane I'm like are they I mean inappropriate they're inappropriate because it does take away from like

I mean in the process of them doing this there is people in pain like the natasha's of the world you know people are getting hurt by their desire for fame and so it's inappropriate but not absolutely like crazy yeah i don't mean insane i mean at least they're saying it like distasteful it's distaste you know at least they're saying it like at least there's one thing about them at least admitting that this is where they're there now i do have to apologize because two weeks ago when i was on the podcast i took last week off obviously i did say that what we knew was going to happen Or maybe this was last week, actually.

It was last Monday. I said they were going to get more followers on this. I was wrong. Oh, you were so wrong. This was shocking to me that Bachelor Nation actually did the opposite to them. Like, I never saw that coming. I've never seen that happen. Like typically even the biggest of villains, the ones that shake stuff up the most,

still get more followers for doing that. I did not expect them to lose followers. I was wrong, and I have to admit that. okay let me look up what bachelor data has right now as like the what happened last week because you guys know we had bachelor data a girl who runs this instagram account come on our podcast a couple months ago we'll round the numbers a bit a bit it looks like natasha gained over 180,000 followers from last week's episodes uh piper went down about seven thousand and Brendan went down about 60,000. And these stats are from six days ago. I mean, that is wild to me, Ashley. Like, I did not see that coming. But Bachelor Nation spoke. They've obviously shared their piece. And this did backfire on them. Now, okay, back to the show. So we see the group coming to them. And I had mixed feelings about it.

I do think Joe's, and I said this a couple weeks ago, he's a wise dude. I do think his intentions by saying, hey, everybody's bad-mouthing them behind their back. I want to have this conversation with them. I think it was a great move for Joe. Like I think that was a respectful thing to do is say, hey, let's stop just bad-mouthing them. Let's actually go to them. Now, did it need to be eight people? That felt a little aggressive.

But everybody was interested. Everybody was into it. it got pretty hostile and i felt like um brend and piper both immediately knew that they were kind of pushed into a corner and i want to know what you think of how brenden responded to this conversation because there was a lot of i mean i know how i get when like a lot of voices are coming at me kind of like an intervention um yeah and like you get defensive yeah but like it got it got it got to the point where they just left and it felt like it was probably the best move for them to do but what would how have you of reacted if that like if eight people walked up to you on the

beach with that kind of attitude i mean it's easy to say that i would have just been like okay guys i get it we messed up we did we're sorry like you're right we did come here thinking that we were going to be together that's the best move i feel like maybe under the pressure and in the midst of the conversation, I would be defensive like that. It's interesting that when they did go off to have their own personal conversation, Piper said, I told you I didn't want to do this, which is just like further evidence to me that like it was kind of planned. Yeah. It was. Yeah. So anyways, they leave. They both are very upset in the van. But I do think it, it resettles the beach a little bit like I think the I really I really am watching this and feeling like most of the cast

are getting along here like we've kind of gotten rid of the the the hostility and the issues now and now like love stories are middle of blossom which happens most season but I do think it resettled the beach I don't think there was a lot of I think I think there was a big a big thing kind of sitting over like a cloud sitting over him with Piper and Brendan still being there and Natasha being so hurt and it felt like okay there's a breath but at this point in time i'm watching this going yeah but natasha's still the one going to get hurt of this like she's still going to go home because of all this and that's even sadder until we're at the rose ceremony and wells comes up and says you know i feel like there's somebody that he was really screwed over

and played and it just wasn't right so then he he has polly going to bring in the extra rose for natasha which I think was a great move. I think we all liked it. I want to know how Gisania felt about that. Did you get to talking about that with her? I didn't. It's a good question. I personally find that to be different

because Gisena had her time with Ivan and then she moved on. And then Connor B was interested in her and she moved on. Yeah. Yeah, I just, I feel like it was totally different. Like Natasha kind of had,

the reason I didn't ask Gisena is because of that. It was like, Can you really compare it to? Now, both are unfortunate. Like both, but like, Jacenia's storyline is a little more similar to, like, what happens in paradise. You date around,

you end up not finding somebody, whatever. Natasha was kind of like all eyes on Brendan because she thought he had only eyes for her for a while and then she gets messed over. And so she kind of like didn't get her shot. That's the way I see it. And so that's why it wasn't necessarily like comparable, but still unfortunate, but not comparable.

I was surprised, I wonder if you are, because I just look at Natasha and like I've you know we've said it but like I've been a fan of her you know during her time on the podcast and just like her time on the show I kind of see her like a little bit like on a pedestal like oh she's like really just incredible and she can do so well in this world and all this stuff I was surprised by her emotion to wanting to be there still like explain to me Ashley like why you think she was so emotional over still getting your rose and still being able to be around because for me I'm watching it be like Natasha you're going to be fine in this world like guys are going to like they have to be flocking for her I think that a lot of it has to do with just like the support of the friendships there and like people were happy to see her get that chance so I think like when you're surrounded by people who are like rooting you on that hard you get emotional that's a good point

that's a good point yeah because like how often life are you kind of like feeling kicked and pushed around and then you have I mean how many people are there so like 10 people go no like we want to find the best way to support you so good move on the show's part good move on wells's part um happy to see natasha's still there uh any shockers from that rose ceremony for you i think just i mean demi leaves i don't think it was shocking that demi left but at the same time she's such a figurehead and like to see like somebody like that leave at a rose ceremony just by like getting like quote kicked off is kind of always like a little shocking and and I think what Joe said was so right

like she puts on this tough exterior but she's like really upset so I think we'll miss the commentary from Demi I do appreciate the fact that earlier in the episode she was kind of the one that rallied the conversation that Joe and all the girls had because she was like you guys like Brendan and that's the reason you're not giving Brendan

as much crap as you gave Chris because you guys didn't like Chris so I'm glad that she was kind of the brigade leader there but you know she had a lot of she she had a lot of screen time and we're not worried about demi i'm not worried about demi in any sort of future context no but you're right and i think it's one thing like for any fan to know and and you obviously know demi even better than i do um but she puts on this tough exterior and then but she's she's so incredible and she is she's sensitive and she's sweet.

And we got to see more of that, I think, as Paradise continued. At the first, she kind of came in, had that tough exterior, you know, was Demi, and everybody knew of Demi. And then as time went on, she started to kind of like show just how much she cares and how much she wants to find somebody and how much she wants to find a partner. I'm sad to see her go. I enjoyed watching her experience. I wonder, and we'll obviously get her on here to the podcast, but I wonder if she's

happy she did Paradise this year. If you were to guess, what do you think? Um, I think she'll be happy that she did it. Okay. It may not be as definitive as like her past appearances. Yeah. You know? I wonder if we'll see her back.

I mean, that's a big question for me is hopefully she finds somebody in between now. But I wonder if this was kind of Demi's, you know, semi-retirement from the show because, you know, I don't, I don't know if we'll see much more. of her in the future, which would be sad. I enjoy watching Demi. She's very good TV. She's great TV. And she is oddly endearing at times.

Imagine that you're on an airplane and all of a sudden you hear this. Attention passengers. The pilot is having an emergency and we need someone, anyone, to land this plane. Think you could do it? It turns out that nearly 50% of men think that they could land the plane with the help of air traffic control. And they're saying like, okay, pull this, until this.

Pull that. Turn this. It's just, I can do it my eyes close. I'm Manny. I'm Noah. This is Devon. And on our new show, no such thing. We get to the bottom of questions like these. Join us as we talk to the leading expert on overconfidence.

Those who lack expertise lack the expertise they need to recognize that they lack expertise. and then as we try the whole thing out for real wait what oh that's the run right i'm looking at this thing listen to no such thing on the i heart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts hi my name is enya umanzor 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. Hey, sis, what if I could promise you you never had to listen to a condescending finance, bro? Tell you how to manage your money again. Welcome to Brown Ambition. This is the hard part when you pay down those credit cards.

If you haven't gotten to the bottom of why you... you were racking up credit or turning to credit cards, you may just recreate the same problem a year from now. When you do feel like you are bleeding from these high interest rates, I would start shopping for a debt consolidation loan, starting with your local credit union, shopping around online, looking for some online lenders because they tend to have fewer fees and be more affordable. Listen, I am not here to judge. It is so expensive in these streets. I 100% can see how in just a few months you can have this much credit card debt and it weighs on you. It's really easy to just like stick your head in the sand. It's nice and dark in the sand.

Even if it's scary, it's not going to go away just because you're avoiding it. And in fact, it may get even worse. For more judgment-free money advice, listen to Brown Ambition on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. The Super Secret Festi 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. Get in here. Today we have a very special guest with us. Our new super secret bestie is the diva of the people. The diva of the people. I'm just like text your ex.

My theory is that if you need to figure out that the stove is hot, go and touch it. Go and figure it out for yourself. Okay. That's us. That's us. My name is Curley. And I'm Maya. In each episode, we'll talk about love, friendship, heartbreak, men, and, of course, our favorite secrets. Listen to the Super Secret Bestie Club as a part of the My Cultura podcast network available on the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. 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. The 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. This week's batch bracket rule of the week is 10 plus points of a contestant is seen kissing on a daybed

on top of already existing kissing points. you guys i think this is going to be pretty easy i think the day beds are probably the number one spot for makeout sashes so good luck so at the rose ceremony like everybody kind of pairs up with who we think we're going to pair up deandra demi um oh we didn't talk about tammy we got to talk about tammy for a second yeah let's go back to talk about tammy that's a good point Tammy leaving, that poor girl, she, like, really thought that Thomas and her had something. But, like, didn't they only have, like, a little something, something for, like, two days before that Becca date? I felt bad.

It was so, I'm, like, the last person to say, because I'm the person who, like, falls in love at first sight, and I will be head over heels and obsessed. And, like, I will wail over you if I've known you even for a night. So I'm, like, the last person to, like, create doubt over her feeling. but I definitely think she misinterpreted things coming from him. And I don't think he did anything wrong. No, there's no hate on Thomas in this. No. He did exactly what everybody else does during Paradise is they're dating somebody.

Somebody else comes to the beach. They're going to date with them because they keep their options open. Like, I'm, there's no issue there. I watch that scene and I was, what comes to mind in my notes here that I wrote down was she just put all cards in the table. Like, she made the statement that I think I made to Jessica months into our relationship. Even if I felt it, she said, you're my best friend. I know.

I couldn't believe she said that. I was like, do I rewind? Like, that made my heart sink, like, not, there's no, like, I have no criticism here other than just, like, my heart sank because, like, that's such a strong statement. And, like, she obviously was, like, throwing everything out there for him and saying, Like Thomas, like, I want you to be it. And like he looks at her. He says, it's not it.

And she, they were on two different pages. But yeah, that was that was hard to watch, especially seeing her say that. Because if she means it, which I have to believe she did, she was, she was so off of what Thomas was feeling. And it just, it hurts. Oh, to say that he was her best friend makes me feel like, was there so many conversations that we didn't see? I don't know. I don't know, Ash. But it's worth noting, right?

To anybody listening is to, like, make sure you pay attention to that scene. And, like, I want to know how you feel about it, all the listeners. So please message us and email us and DM us about that because that was a heavy, heavy scene. That was sad. It was really sad. But I don't, yeah, she, like, put all the blame on Thomas. but it was very obvious from the things that we've seen that it just was a relationship that was lopsided.

Yeah, she put the blame on him, but, like, not, you know, that's not totally, like, out of the norm. Like, she was throwing her heart out there and he's like, hey, it's just not there. And so you're like, oh, no, come on. Like, you're the problem here. And, like, you just do that in breakups. Like, I mean, that's what that was for her.

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. And then, okay, so Deandra leaves, but, like, we kind of knew that was coming. and then it's just any of Lee's in behind you that was coming. And then, so Chelsea stays because Aaron ended up giving her his rose, which wasn't shocking to me.

And then it's the next day. The next day, little John shows up. He says, yeah. And then it's kind of like all happy, go lucky in paradise. The only thing that kind of gets shaken a bit is James. James, James. James sees Tia with this new guy His name is Blake, he shows up

We don't know who Blake is I have no idea who Blake is He's from Claire slash Chachio season From Indiana, I like him I like him Yep Tia was very excited Had her eyes set on him

Hoping that he was gonna be there So He's a good looking dude Very good looking And it seemed like he was into Tia Like right off the bat I was like yeah She's getting in this date

They go on the date They have a great time They talk about, like, soulmates, and they, like, are very honest about the connection that they're feeling together. So now James, you know, he's out of luck. And everybody else is, like, just, like, thriving, it seems, except for, like, Kendall, probably, who we're not really seeing much of. But Abigail and Noah, Serena and Joe, Kenny and Mari, Riley and Marissa, and Marissa, and Becca

and Thomas. They're all, like, making out and having a great time on the beach. meanwhile everybody is a little concerned with where natasha's going to find a man yeah so you have james and natasha kind of sitting off to the side right now i i want to say that this tia and blake thing um like you know tia's been around a while i've gotten to spend good time with tia like i was really excited for this moment because there was a connection there that like felt like right away you're like oh this is i think her feelings towards him this is how i take it but like her feelings towards him were stronger right away like she was pretty much like

I want to go on this date if he invites somebody else I'm still going to go on that date I'm going to be yeah and then they go on the date and she's sitting there and she just has these like these like the her eyes for him like you can read her eyes and see that like she's so into it and I get it these guys from Indiana like they've got something about him but I really enjoyed that that date and that moment for for the two of them especially for Tia. I thought Tia was just showing up to the beach because Becca was there and they're good friends

and she was just going to have a good time and then pretty much like peace out and no, you're seeing that like she really is into this. And then we have James. We'll talk about Natasha in a second, but you have James. And I'll be honest with you. When I saw James on his season of The Bachelorette,

I thought he was kind of just like a joke. Like I thought, you know, he's the guy that shows up the box and like... The guy with the overdone eyebrows. Exactly. Super slicked back hair. Yeah, I'm like, you know what? Like, he's fine.

But definitely not a dude that like I would probably want to kick it with. Not a guy I would see eye to eye with. I will say this again, I was wrong. Because I have enjoyed watching him during Paradise, open up, break down a little bit, become like vulnerable and sensitive and make fun of himself, but also just like care deeply. I've I've I feel that I've liked him a lot more now and I'm saying I see who this dude is and it shows me once again the lesson I have to continue to teach myself is you can't dislike somebody until you know their story and once you know their story it's really hard not to like him and I think like I'm liking James more but I do think his time has passed and I think it's almost like comedic watching him like I do in my evilness watch it like enjoy watching the scenes where he's sitting alone eating because it's like this is so sad that it's almost funny well this season maybe more than ever i feel like there are people that

are lingering far beyond like their due date okay yeah do you know what i mean okay like but i think james and ivan are like the two standouts for me there and maybe a little erin maybe he's actually kind of stayed relevant through every episode with like a new something something um but i don't know what it is whether they have more of a cast and there's more roses or just like the or like the way that the guys went first. There's just a group that has gotten lucky. I feel like. Yeah. And he's one of them. He and he's definitely one of them. Well, uh, that's that's kind of what I want to say is I want to make it clear that like I probably was too critical of James during his time on this and his season. Um, and in paradise as always, you learn a little bit more about somebody. I like him a little

bit more a lot more actually um but let's let's go on now before we talk about the kind the kindle situation because that's a big one that i want to sit on for a second yeah let's talk about joe showing up to the beach um a guy that we just absolutely love who's on the podcast who's an incredible interview really smart um very very caring um he shows up to the beach Ashley your first thoughts when he shows up to the beach? Like a breath of fresh air. I'm super excited to be there. I'm like,

now this guy is such a catch. He should have gone in earlier. I don't know why he didn't. And I'm thinking that he and Natasha, just on paper, sound like they would be pretty compatible. I feel like they have like similar levels of like emotional intelligence.

I feel like they're both pretty smart. They're probably good conversationalists. I just like felt that that made a lot of sense. and I was excited to see that vibe happening and he seemed so gentlemanly like too you know like everything about him was like oh what a catch what a catch and everything like kind of went downhill

towards the end but what were your first thoughts before we get to the actual dinner date part? Well I'm a big fan of Joe I'm assuming that the reason he should have played is because of work and he had to request that or whatever that's just my guess the thing about Joe that like I admire with him is his ability to care deeply about each conversation like he looks people in the eyes

but that's like you well and he focuses and that takes that takes not only like like you said it's it's an awareness and i was like natasha my thought right away was natasha needs this date with joe if for no other reason than to have somebody look her in the eyes and deeply care about her and where she's at and she's looking for and if it doesn't work like if there isn't chemistry that's okay but at least she's going to get a date where somebody listens to her and that's what my hope was and so then he asked her on the date we get to the date it feels like to me it's going fine it's not maybe like there's not like it's not fireworks but it's going fine and and she obviously had a lot to work through he's brand new to the beach

and then the big moment happens before we get there how cute was it when he tried to speak in Spanish and then when he took her bugged her bugged margarita it's that's he's a good dude and like I mean I don't think he's showing off his intelligence

but dang his intelligence is attractive like he speaks in Spanish I think when he was on our podcast he was talking about how many languages he spoke he speaks a bunch She's trying to speak a bunch. And then he takes her bug margarita. Like he's just a, if he's a guy that like if I had a sister, I'd be like,

you need to go on a date with Joe to know that there's good dudes out there. You know what I'm saying? Like, if it doesn't work, fine. But at least you're going to have a good date. And so that's the setup I want to bring into their conversation about Brendan. And so obviously, as we all know from Instagram and from the world, Brendan and Joe are very close. They're good friends.

They're best of friends. remember what he said to us on the podcast. He said, if you do go to paradise, who do you want to see down there from Bachelor Nation? And he said, Brendan. Well, so. And I don't know, Ashley, if it's a coincidence, if it's ironic, uh, because it is extraordinary timing that Natasha is kind of the one single woman on the beach and Joe shows up. And as soon as they start having this conversation, it can go one or two ways. It can either go, to a place of let's not really talk about it because there's so much here for us to process that it's like not really helpful or let's dive into it and try to work through it but it felt

like Joe's care for Brendan is so strong that as soon as she brought it up he pulled back and his intelligence and his his awareness all of a sudden like went away and he just was like I just, I just can't, I need to process this. This is so much. And he's like, we can just like, now take it slow. Like, it felt like all of a sudden, yeah, he felt like, oh, crap, I'm a part of a story that I don't necessarily want to be a part of or even knew I could become a part of. Yeah, it was really awkward. I didn't, I don't, I don't know. Um, I, the only way I can like, kind of talk about this is kind of like flipping it into my own like my own situation if my best friend screwed some guy over um but then ended up being happy in like whatever relationship

they ended up in would i have an issue dating the person that she screwed over well i don't know that it really matters i i don't think it matters to I don't think Joe knows how little it would matter. Like, I think at this point, he's only getting a taste of the information. And so I think he's thinking, I think from what he understood, is like maybe Brendan's going to be pissed at me.

Yes. Okay. Yeah, like, am I starting to walk into something that, and when I get off of this, I'm going to realize that I was a part of something that I shouldn't be a part of. And now I'm going to lose a friend. And I'm also just like,

this new relationship with Natasha is brand new. And I don't know if I'm like that into it yet. I think he had so little information, but enough to be scared. And that's, that was my take on it. I could be wrong. But it was, it was sad. The reaction was a little jarring for me because it seemed so immediate. Like, just like hit the tone just flipped.

And it was like they got up from the table and like the date was done. I'm sure they sat at the table for like at least an hour and it wasn't as abrupt as it seemed on TV. But it definitely seemed like, oh, they can't handle the awkwardness. I don't know. It was awkward. If I went that situation, I think I'd like continue on, be like, okay, let's change the topic to something lighter. We can always come to back to this later. Yeah. It was awkward to watch. It was weird to watch. And it was sad. But my hope is that, you know, this whole paradise season, it feels like it's set up. We're getting late into it. But it's set up for this like magical moment for natasha and it's still hope i'm still hopeful that like we're just

continuing to root for her and she's continuing to get like unfortunate circumstances and then at some point somebody's going to show up to the beach sweep her off her feet and they she just might enjoy like a week there like that's my hope that's what i'm kind of cheering for that's a hope for sure but i think at this point it's pretty oh wait there are two men coming in next week next episode so could if she could just have fun for a little while. We'll see. We'll see. But, okay, Ashley, the majority of our conversation today, I do want to sit down with you and talk

about Kendall and Joe, because I feel like now for the first time, we do understand that Kendall has been exploring something with Ivan. We see this Joe relationship just becoming magical. yeah um and so let's start with the good joe is somebody who obviously we're cheering for since the beginning he shows at the beach it's hard for him he meets serena and it feels very similar to kind of like the kind of like the kind of like the kind of like the kindle process with joe where it's like she doesn't fully know yet he's not fully into it yet and then all of a sudden they're like no let's do this thing and the more they get to spend time around each other the more

beautiful it becomes and serena's talking to wells and she said and and he has asks her like hey has there been the love word thrown around and she says not yet and he's asked if it's coming and she says it could be she is smitten with joe she's kissing his shoulder which is like the sweetest thing ever like that's just incredible um and we see this relationship becoming really something special she admits to jo that she's falling in love with him he says it back and for me there's just she says i think i like you more than you like me i mean how nervous are you for that moment i was like what this whole season i've been saying that's not the case i guess i was wrong i think her feelings caught up a lot in the past week oh but it's also actually you know

it's also everybody out there knows it's a way to protect yourself as you know you're about to say something that's so vulnerable you're like i think you like i like you more than you like me just to set yourself up for failure like you're you're expecting him to not say it back and so you're like okay at least i said that like everybody does it but that's when you also know just how real it is where she's like i want to say this to you and i need to protect myself because my heart is so much on the line right now and then she says it and he says it back to her and it's just like i don't know for me it was just this moment of like glee like it was a moment of like i'm watching this like this is so beautiful like we're seeing when this show works

like what it can look like and I was thinking about Kendall over there but I was also thinking like okay like this is real this is real I'm glad this is mutual now because I wasn't 100% sure that it was like on

they were on even playing field but then I'm thinking about Kendall over there who's watching it which sucks I would have removed myself earlier than Kendall did but you know those situations we were like it's painful to watch but if I'm not watching

then what's happening and I must be in the know so I see her dilemma on that So that's where we can transition then And we can sit on this for a bit Kindle I'm with you I wish you would have walked away quicker At this point

She has now become very aware That Joe is pursuing Serena And I think Joe has a huge heart And I can't imagine it's easy for him To be fostering this relationship with Serena In front of Kendall But he cares enough that he knows It's his only option

Kindle's watching this with Ivan sitting right behind her. I'm now beginning to feel for Ivan because he has to like, he's into Kendall and he's sitting there as she just stares at her ex-boyfriend and is watching this go down. And it's breaking my heart for her because there's no situation in life where this has to happen except here. And it sucks. So Ashley, how are you feeling about Kendall? during this whole scenario

you've already said you think she should have like earlier but she couldn't have so as she's sitting there like is her mind spinning and her heart just breaking yeah it's just like so broken it's like you were literally just watching a heart shatter

I feel like I don't know how she did it especially sitting next to Ivan I'd be like I guess she made the move that I would have made just like okay nope can't be next to you right now gross you're a very wonderful man but even if you're a brad pitt right now i would say gross you know what i

mean yeah uh it is it's so unnatural like it's so not supposed to happen to your heart like that it's hard enough to see your ex move on on instagram or to even like not even see a picture on instagram but to like see like likes and comment and like to in your in your head be thinking about like oh is that is that a thing and then you start imagining the thing and then like you might be totally exaggerating and maybe it's not but like to see it definitively in front of your eyes is like the most heartbreaking thing that somebody can see I get that and it's like you know we always say it like in relationships and breakups it's like you have to get that bandaid ripped off so you can start to heal like that you know you have a big wound yeah that wound is need stitches

yeah you're right and it just keeps getting deeper and deeper i'm also now realizing and we always kind of said it but like kind of came to the beach because she was in love with joe so much like i'm seeing that now like i'm seeing i always knew that she was interested in joe and she wanted to figure out like what was going on there if there was anything but they've been broken up for a year and a half and now this scene showed me that like she is really really into joe like she has not moved on. I know, and this is definitely the time where you have no shame, you just put it out there. You know, like you know that she's going to say everything unfiltered to him whenever they do have this upcoming conversation because you know it's coming.

And then he's going to tell her that he's in love with somebody else and holy crop, how do you do it? I don't know, but you're right. and I usually don't like to be a part of these conversations but I am I'm anxiously awaiting watching them have this conversation because I hope that out of it comes some healing I hope out of it though like I know it's going to be a lot of pain and I also I mean I guess selfishly and I'm hopeful for this conversation because I want to see Joe leave this beach happy

and I know that like as long as this is still existing he's going to, like, this is like the one thing that he needs to probably like remove and that Kendall needs to remove so that they can both move on. Mm-hmm.

And, you know, being in Joe's position isn't easy either because there's like a lot of guilt there. Yeah. Because like he still obviously loves Kendall as a person and just doesn't want to break her heart

but like also just knows that his heart is romantically elsewhere. Mm-hmm. Well, it was a big up We have a lot to come. In the sneak peek, we do see Kendall telling Joe that she never stopped loving him. We do see Joe comfort Kendall at this moment. So we're awaiting this. We obviously, we didn't talk about any about Kenny and Mari, but like we do see them go to the boom, boom room. We see them, you know, continue their relationship. And one other thing here, Riley and Marissa

are falling in love, but then Marissa is shown with another guy during the sneak peek. Can you believe? No, because we watch them whip cream off each other's toes. We didn't talk about that. And I have to say, that was the first time I was like, this show doesn't even feel PG-13 right now. This feels almost rated R. I was watching on the train with my dad.

I was watching on my phone. He was not watching, but he, like, glanced over, and I was feeling like I was watching something dirty in the presence of my dad. Yeah, you're feeling all sorts of ways. Like, he's looking off the thighs. And so I don't know what happens. But even past the Kindle and Joe situation, I am so into Riley and Marissa being together

that I'm very intrigued with what happens that she ends up moving. I mean, we see her with another guy. Like, Ashley, that can't be fake. Like, what's going on? So wild. And then Ivan's kissing Chelsea. how does this happen

and then there's a tropical storm that shows up and they need to leave the beach it's gonna be a wild next couple episodes we only have a few left I'm kind of sad about it being over I'm too I've kind of sad at the end of every episode I'm like I could use a little bit more and we don't feel that way very often

especially right now with the big shows we're like yeah we're ready to move on and try another season I'm with you Ashley I'm into this season more than I expected to be and so let's take a break when we come back we have some bachelor headlines that we want to talk about but so far ashley i think you just said it what would you rate this season of the bachelor

in paradise on a scale of a to f oh it's an a i'd agree i would agree it's an a well hey we'll be back we'll talk about bachelor's headlines in just a second imagine that you're on an airplane and all of a sudden you hear this. Attention passengers. The pilot is having an emergency and we need someone, anyone, to land this plane. Think you could do it? It turns out that nearly 50% of men

think that they could land the plane with the help of air traffic control. And they're saying like, okay, pull this, do this, pull that, turn this. It's just... I can do my ice close. I'm Manny. I'm Noah. This is Devon. And on our new show, no such thing.

we get to the bottom of questions like these. Join us as we talk to the leading expert on overconfidence. Those who lack expertise lack the expertise they need to recognize that they lack expertise. And then, as we try the whole thing out for real. Wait, what? Oh, that's the run right.

I'm looking at this thing. See? Listen to no such thing on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, my name is Enia Jumanzo. 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. 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your entire identity has been fabricated. Your beloved brother goes missing without a trace. You discover the depths of your mother's illness, the way it has echoed and reverberated throughout your life, impacting your very legacy.

Hi, I'm Danny Shapiro. And these are just a few of the profound and powerful stories I'll be mining on our 12th season of Family Secrets. With over 37 million downloads, We continue to be moved and inspired by our guests and their courageously told stories. I can't wait to share 10 powerful new episodes with you, stories of tangled up identities, concealed truths, and the way in which family secrets almost always need to be told.

I hope you'll join me and my extraordinary guests 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 podcast. The Super Secret Bestie Club podcast season four is here. And we're locked in. That means more juicy cheesement. 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. Get in here. Today we have a very special guest with us. Our new Super Secret Bestie is The Diva of the People. The Diva of the People.

the people. I'm just like text your ex. My theory is that if you need to figure out that the stove is hot, go and touch it. Go and figure it out for yourself. Okay. That's us. That's us. My name is Curley.

And I'm Maya. In each episode, we'll talk about love, friendship, heart breaks, men, and of course, our favorite secrets. Listen to the Super Secret Bestie Club as a part of the Michael Thura podcast network available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. It's now time for Bachelor headlines with our resident expert, Ashley Ikenetti. She knows everything and she's going to share it with us. Here we go. ABC taps one of Michelle Young's Bachelor at Suitors to be the next Bachelor.

And here's the crazy thing. Us Weekly can confirm. Now, we're not confirming, but Us Weekly has confirmed. wow guys we are not going to know who we are not going to know anything about this bachelor until he's already filming because if they go according to their regular filming schedule which starts in mid to late september um we we will not be meeting him until we will be meeting him until michelle's season premieres on october 19th so this guy is going to be filming for about a month before um we get to even get to know anything

about him which is interesting um so these girls who are going to be on his season are going in blind and wow uh you have to believe that like spoilers are going to get out there like we're going to get spoilers i think we're going to know who the guy is and then we're going to do a whole bunch of like social media research on him right like you and i'll be talking about him but like as far as like his presence on the show will know nothing about that this comes as a I guess. Tyler Cameron wasn't talks

but not not going to be the lead and then from Katie's season we had Michael A and

well Justin and I guess Andrew is possibly in the running and Greg who was like oddly rumored there to be

the bachelor for a while all of them not going to be the bachelor either well here's my here's my

thought I think this I think this is wrong. I think it's wrong because the girls didn't know what like they were going into. They literally did not go there for him. They went there to be on The Bachelor. I still think Michael A is going to be The Bachelor. I still think it.

I still think that like the show is going to find a way to get him to be the Bachelor. And this is all a rumor. That's my theory because none of this makes sense. And they need a Bachelor season to be very successful. successful. Like they need it. And I don't think this is the way to make it successful. Yeah. Unless this guy is so incredible that they know that we're going to be obsessed with him on the on Michelle season. Possibly. But I mean, I think everybody was kind of that way with Michael A. So let's let's, you know, back up the Brinks truck to him and figure out a way to bring his son to

filming and let's make this happen. Anyways, next headline is this. And this is a very serious one. I mentioned it a few months ago that one of my best friends in the world has been struggling with Lyme disease now for the last year and his body is quickly actually shutting down and he's in a ton of testing. He has a pit line in his arm. It's a really terrible disease. And I've seen him just really suffer with this. And so my heart breaks, and this is the headline. The Bachelor's Kelly Flanagan says Lyme disease treatment will be intense nine-month process. Now, Ryan Seder also has Lyme disease.

So this is the second Bachelor Nation person that we know that's came out recently. Ashley, can you read the excerpt of what's going on? But also, I just want to say from all of us, Kelly Flanagan, if you listen, I'm sorry. Like, this is really heavy. It's devastating. I feel so bad for her. It's so crazy that there's just no cure and like there doesn't even seem to be like a constant like a treatment that's that works for like a majority of people. You know what I mean?

Yeah. So but so McKellie is going to be going to Boston to be doing a whole bunch of tests and to try out everything she possibly can. She was at Fashion Week this week and she said this is going to be her last hurrah before a hectic nine months. She's just going to Boston to see doctors there and learn how to maneuver it. and it's going to be intense. She said there's going to be no carbs, no sugar, an oxygen tank for like 30 minutes a day, brain wave lasers. It's going to be extensive, but I'm ready to tackle it. She said, I'm pretty honest with people in terms of what's going on. I can't start this protocol, you know, and be like on 40 supplements a day and be on an oxygen tank and not really share that. I know that some people would want to be private about it, but if I can help one or two people even find their diagnosis,

and try to overcome it, that will just give me a good feeling. We're thinking about you, Kelly. I'm sorry. So much. If anybody has any information online, I know when I talked about it in the podcast, a lot of people responded to my buddy, Brandon, with some great insight into like different tricks of the trade because there's just like not a lot of research out there about it. So send your well wishes to Kelly Flanagan just as she enters into this process because

it's a hard one. next headline moving forward is you know as we announced Matt James is going to be on this upcoming season of Dancing with the Stars and Matt James says girlfriend Rachel has been practicing his Dancing with the Stars routine with him which is which is really cute it's very cute and her sister happens to be a dancer and she's been helping he says that he's been consulting with her about how he can improve the steps he says he's whipping her and she's whipping him

into shape. And Rachel also, like, kind of played with him this weekend on an Instagram joking about the fact that he's, like, not that great of a dancer. We'll see. But I'm sure that we'll be seeing Rachel in the audience, if there is an audience this time around, being supportive of her love, Matt. Now, I just got to throw a little disclaimer in here. One of my, one of the people that I love the most in this world. In fact, he knew about my proposal to Jessica before anybody else. Ezra Sosa was a dancer on the Bachelor Live on stage tour with me. He lived on the bus with me. He is a joy and a sweetheart. He was just announced as one of the professional dancers on Dancing with the Stars. So,

Ezra, you're going to fall in love with him, people. He's incredible root for him. He has a huge heart. I love him dearly. And he's been so great to me. I'm so excited for him. Ezra Sosa, follow him. He's great. Anyways, just wanted to say that. I'm so proud of him. Next headline is Bachelor in Paradise's Brendan and Piper lose followers, as we mentioned, as Bachelor Nation sides with Natasha Parker in a wild way.

So yeah, like I said earlier in the episode, Natasha ends up gaining about 200,000 followers and Brendan plummeted close to, you know, like over 70,000 followers. And then we saw how Piper was losing steam on social. Well, she posted a TikTok set to Lizzo's song rumors. And these are the lyrics to rumors. If you guys aren't TikTokers slash you don't know, the lyrics to Lizzo's song. It is, all the rumors are true. Yeah, what you heard, that's true.

Yeah, I F him and you, yeah. if you believe that I do had to cut some hose loose. Yeah. All right. So that is what Piper decided to post after last week's episodes. Just an interesting strategy. Yeah. Yeah.

And it's interesting because, you know, we saw Bachelnation kind of come out in support. And they rallied together. And it's wild because we do have a pretty big, like, viewership for Paradise this year. In fact, Paradise is bringing in. more viewers than this last season of The Bachelorette, which is fairly uncommon in like the history of the show. But it's, it's bringing in either the same or a little bit above each week. And we see this group of people saying, no, we're going to support who we feel is done right. And that's Natasha. Well, the next headline and it kind of rolls into it, Bachelor in Paradise's

Piper defends herself after Brendan Drama. It's a TV show, she said, well, I don't know if I can fully agree with that. Ashley, what do you say? Okay, there are kind of like two headlines here. We're going to meld into one. Because, yes, first Piper took to Instagram to say a gentle reminder that reality TV isn't real. That is a blanket statement that really often does not apply to the Bachelor franchise. Because whenever anybody asks me, is it real?

I'm like, I think it is the realest reality TV. there is out there. As somebody who's been apart behind the scenes of multiple reality shows, it's just... My life has been drastically changed. Like, my heart has been broken. My heart has been mended. I have, like, yes. I don't know what about it that's not real. There's moments that feel manipulated or, like, set up. But, like, as far as realness goes, and I'm not under contract,

like, I can't imagine a reality show being any more real. There's a baby in my belly because of this show. Hell yeah, there is. she continues to say an edited, produce, and cut down show isn't going to give you every single thing said and done. And an edited and produced show can't show you conversations that happened before filming between friends. I totally understand where she comes from when she says that. Yes. Have I been frustrated with the edit before? Uh-huh. Because there's been things omitted. But the things that people are angry about as far as like Brendan and Piper go. So much

of that is like what they verbatim said on camera. And you can't take that back. You can't say that that you didn't say that. Because we know you said that. And you can't tell us that there was a context missing from some of those conversations. Anyway, it just doesn't feel like I said earlier. Like you can, you can say, you can blame it on editing. And at times that's a worthy excuse, but it's not a holistic excuse. It doesn't fulfill everything. But when you say just to remind a reality till like the bachelor isn't real like that's just not true like it's not like you can't like none of these people are actors you can't fake tears you can't fake heartbreak you can't fake a baby in a belly like this is real stuff yeah and okay so then she continues to further dig herself a whole

in the next headline which is from her appearance at new york fashion week she's at a pretty little thing show and she says this it is what it is it happens I honestly try not to live with any regrets. I don't think I have any regrets. What happened happened and I'll deal with whatever happens next. She said, I was shocked to see everyone there, including him, Brendan, including every relationship that was happening. As new as it was to the viewers was as new as it was to me. Beforehand, Brendan and I obviously had been talking, but it wasn't a serious relationship.

as we both set on the show we didn't have a plan I have so much going on that I couldn't have put that plan together but obviously I liked him and I was excited to see him there but that was the extent to it

I mean that was not the extent to it you had she said she says I had no idea he was going to be there but yet she said but you saw him the day before he left yeah like I don't know what she's trying to do like you said like if they just admitted like hey they made a mistake or hey this is what their plan was then it's all good but like you saw him the day he left like you knew he was to get on a flight to paradise you knew you were going to paradise you were shown talking to him about like coming there and when you talk to your plan like and also the excuse of I had so much going on I couldn't have come up with a plan like Ashley you're one of the busiest people I know and you have a baby in your belly like you still have a plan like you can still talk to somebody

and be like, this is what I'm going to do tomorrow. You guys weren't creating mission impossible. It wasn't, you weren't Tom Cruise on a mission. I'm pretty sure it was a plan that could have honestly been devised in a 10-minute phone call. I just think this is like there at this point though, it's probably not even a story anymore, right? Like next week when I'm going to be talking about it, I just think they, like, there's a way out of this for them that was like respectful to all parties involved that, that like spoke some truth. I think at this point it just goes away. I think like I just think it's the wrong way to handle controversy

is to one blame everybody else and then to two come up with excuses that just don't fit the narrative that we've seen you telling and that's where everybody's getting frustrated and that's why everybody's kind of falling off and not following. But again, they're out of paradise. So we probably won't be talking about it much. But this is another big headline, Bachelor in Paradise is Chris

Conrad addresses his controversial exit, apologizes for blatant disrespect for Jacinia. So a different take, a different way to handle it. And he apologized to Jacinia. Yeah, this is a totally different, far more respectable take. He says, finally watch the episode and I feel like there are a few things that need to be said. First and foremost, I take complete accountability for my blatant disrespect towards Justenia and handling the situation poorly. After getting home from filming, he said he contacted

Jacenia privately to apologize, and he said that now I would like to reiterate my sincerest apologies to her now. My past behavior is not a reflection of who I am or who I want to be. It was never my intention to maliciously or purposefully hurt anyone on the show. I've been doing the work privately to work through my relationship and communication skills. I'm an awful communicator and I need it. I'm an extremely non-confrontational person and it's something that needed to be fixed and I'm glad it's been brought to light. Yes. So a different kind of apology, different way to go about it. And I think kudos to him for owning up to some of this and then hopefully now there's some healing that can be done. Well, that's all the headlines we have for

this week, Ashley. We're looking forward to next week. I feel like the controversy may be kind of behind us a little bit, but we've seen the teaser that it's maybe not, so we'll be on edge about it. But for this week, I've been Ben. I've been Ashley. Thanks for joining us. Great talking

to you guys. Bye. Follow the Ben and Ashley I, almost famous podcast on IHeart Radio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Hi, my name is Enya Yumanzoor. And I'm Drew Phillips. And we run a podcast called Emergency Intercom.

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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 Death World Records. From Mary Mary to Jennifer Hudson,

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