The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - In Depth: Chris Soules

Episode Date: December 21, 2019

Former Bachelor, Chris Soules, sits down with Ben and Ashley for his first In-Depth interview since the tragic events of 2017. "Farmer Chris", as he was known as the 19th Bachelor, became a fan favorite on Andi Dorfman's season of the Bachelorette. Our own Ashley Iaconetti was introduced to Bachelor Nation when she dreamed of winning the final rose on Chris' season of The Bachelor. Soules season introduced us to Becca Tilley, Kaitlyn Bristowe, Jade Roper Tolbert, and Carly Waddell Bass who all became significant and notable members of the Bachelor family.  Chris shares stories and memories from his time on both shows and, for the first time, tells us what the future looks like for him. 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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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 Festi. Club on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Do we really need another podcast with a condescending finance brof trying to tell us how to spend our own money?

No thank you. Instead, check out Brown Ambition. Each week, I, your host, Mandy Money, gives you real talk, real advice with a heavy dose of I feel uses, like on Fridays when I take your questions for the BAQA. Whether you're trying to invest for your future, navigate a toxic workplace, I got you. Listen to Brown Ambition on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. 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, available now. Listen to Wisecrack on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is Ben and Ashley I, almost famous in depth. Born in Arlington, Iowa, and as a fourth generation farmer, has three older sisters. We know him best as The Bachelor on season 19 of The Bachelor. He was also on Andy Dorman's season of The Bachelorette.

he i would say ashley you can tell me if i'm wrong here if i remember right andy dorfman's season was one of the first seasons of the bachelor i ever watched and chris soles who is our guest on the in-depth episode this week this month i don't know how often we do this whenever somebody cool comes in uh we do this it wasn't a surprise choice maybe to be the bachelor but a little bit shocking right you were on this season what was your reaction when chris souls was announced as the bachelor Totally. I think the two people that commanded so much attention that season were Josh and Nick, but they definitely weren't going to pick the device of Nick to be the bachelor at that time. And then Josh had obviously won. So I think that a lot of people are questioning who would be the next bachelor. I know Ari was on the minds of the producers as being a possible bachelor. And I think it came down to him and Chris. And I was in the casting process. I was in the top 50 or maybe they had asked me whether. or not, you know, I wanted to be one of the 30 women. And I said, I'm going to have to wait for

the bachelor announcement because I knew it was between the two of them. And I thought, if it was Ari, I don't, I don't know if I'm down. So I waited until they announced Chris that morning on Good Morning America. And then I sent in my application, not the application, but like the final paperwork. It was kind of shocking because there were so many names thrown in. And Chris Solz rises above the top, and he's also sitting next to me right now. Chris, welcome to Almost Famous in Depth. Thank you for having me. That was flattered, actually. It's a new story to me. Oh, you never heard that? Oh, yeah. I feel like I've shared it here before, but I definitely was like, I'm not going to go on if I'm going to have zero interest in the person, and I was like,

Chris is cute. Yeah, well, my impression from the outside looking in was that once the girls knew, that I was going to be The Bachelor, that they weren't going to show up. I don't think that was the case. It was pretty much what I thought. Literally, during the limo entrance, they stopped the limos. And Chris is like, that's it. There's 15 girls. That's it.

I'm like, I'll take it. Yeah, so if you guys remember on our season, on his season, we had 15 limos that came in, and then they kind of pretended like that was it. and that it was going to be a weird season with only 15 girls. And that kind of got me nervous. It was like, oh, wow, the attention is going to be on this relationship immediately. And then they gave us about an hour, hour and a half to have time with you. And then they introduced 15 new girls among us.

And they let them all roll in. But it was still, you know, the 15, I was like so thankful for it. I actually thought this is like I've dated three girls in my life. And, you know, this is more attractive women that I've been around, you know, in my, pretty much my whole dating life. So, yeah, the 15, I was more than flattered for, and then they bring in 30 at the end of the day. We were very happy to see you standing there.

I will always remember pulling up in that limo, and I think we were all like, oh, my God, like, you just looked great. Was that out of excitement? No, out of excitement, as in, like, I'm married now, so I don't want to, like, go overboard with how I felt in that moment. But we were all very impressed by you in every way. Oh, well, thank you. You still have that effect on people, don't you, Chris?

No, no, they, uh, it's, those days are over and getting old. And thank you for, you know, bringing me along on that journey with you and leading me to a whole other crazy chapter of my life, including happily ever after. That's what's been really special. There's been so many girls have had really great relationships as a result. Jade's wife or Jade's mom actually thanked me for, for going on the show and, Getting her to go on. Grandchildren.

And then, you know, when I was at their wedding, which was awkward. Not awkward, but it was special. And originally, like, going and doing that was, like, an ex-girlfriend. You know Tanner was not keen on the idea. I didn't know that. He was not. But then once you were there, and obviously, he was like, okay, this guy's cool. I get it.

Yeah. We became buds. Yeah, now you're a good guy. Yeah. Yeah. What, Chris, what was your first reaction of Ashley? Do you remember that night? I mean, I thought she was beautiful

I mean that was really You really don't get much more than that The first night I just thought she was Absolute Smoke Show I remember a scene and before I pass this Definitely blushing Yeah This is great

These are my favorite moments And these are like my if you ask my friends Like they just named it the later I never put my finger on it I love to be an instigator of awkwardness Like the fact that I can sit amongst something so great. You do do that.

I love it. It's fantastic. So I'm going to ask you this. It's going to go down so many avenues now. Yeah, this could be really fun for me. We have a lot to talk about, obviously, during this in-depth episode, Chris. People, it's not a secret what your life has looked like in the last two and a half years. It's not a secret who you are in your career.

I mean, you were the Prince Farming. Your life is, I don't know if it's felt like this, and we're going to get into this later, but your life is very visible and transparent to the public and has been since really you were The Bachelor or on The Bachelorette. You know, for us to have you here is not only a big deal for us because Ashley and I have made it very clear,

we love you. You've been a friend of mine since the moment I was announced as The Bachelor. I remember you came up to the car that I was driving up to the mansion in when we kind of filmed the pre-stuff. Then you walked over the car and you just had this warmth

and this um this kind of you looked in my eyes and you're like you can do this thing kind of feeling and then i remember you say that to me because you're so nervous and i remember somebody you pulled up in a leather jacket he he is he's a good looking dude he has an aura about him and he walks past my car and i'm like you got to be like this is who i'm coming after like this is who i have to follow is prince farming but you do you you you you have a love ability and comfort about you and I'm so thankful that I know you, Chris, and I hope through the whole podcast today, our listeners will get to know you again. So let's start at the beginning. Ashley and I have a lot of Bachelor stuff to talk about.

We'll get into your life today and over the last few years. I want to start with this. Then I'll throw it to Ashley. There's a scene that is memorable in Bachelor Nation where you and Ashley had your first kiss. You're sitting on, I don't know if it's actually the first kiss. We need to explain this. You really are doing the opportunity. Jumping right in, there we go.

This is not on the rundown. No, no, here's the thing. Here's the thing. So you're sitting on this like railing. Do you guys remember this? No, that was not our first kiss. Okay, it wasn't. Not the first kiss.

I don't know what I was thinking then. And this is where this is all going. At that point, I was like, this thing could work. Like this relationship could work. I remember watching as a fan saying this game could work. At what point did you realize that Ashley needed to go home? Boy. you're really jumping in at what point I mean I thought the whole time Ashley was fantastic I was so nervous you just you just kept crying

there's a lot of times where yeah yeah there were a couple times where it wasn't about you and I just didn't kind of question your mental health and stability cry or move Pisces And, you know, some... I haven't seen Ashley cry since you met Jared, honestly. You met Jared? Married Jared. So in my head, I'm thinking, all right, my lifestyle is full of, like, kind of rough and, like, stressful things. I work, like, 15, 20 hours a day during harvest and, you know, whatever.

So I'm literally thinking, okay, how's this going to look in northeast Iowa? and if we're in paradise we are literally in a mansion in you know i know it's emotional it's not because it was a bad day it was emotional or whatever was going on but that's that slowly started to click in my head that you know that probably isn't quite cut out for the lifestyle that i'm in it's that's what he said in the badlands he said like i don't think our lifestyles are compatible and I was like but you're giving Brit a chance and look at her she's L.A. Barbie but she really now like probably she's a very calm lifestyle and um hello she's pregnant so Britt Nielsen is pregnant guys yeah so Ashley did you agree with Chris's yeah I mean not in that very moment but like two days

afterward yeah you know but I'll always remember on our first group date I had like a I won the tractor race so I had like an extra 20 minutes with him and he talked to me about harvest season for like 20 minutes and I was like wow this guy loves his job and I have no idea what he's talking about. I could Ashley just sneer with a smile on her face. Yeah I just smile looking pretty him. I was wearing a bathing suit in a belly chain. Okay. You know what though? I bet I watched that as a fan on TV before I even knew I was and I was like oh that's style like Ashley I can age she's the she represents style. Oh, thanks. I mean, I had some pretty dope outfit. Yeah, always looked spot on. Thanks. Well, thanks for clarifying that. I really have always wondered, you know, I met Ashley as a

friend first. So when we started this podcast, we really met each other, and I met Ashley as a friend, and as a friend, I was like, I love this person. We can get along. Jeez, it's been two and a half years. I wondered, though, from your perspective, as somebody from Iowa and you met Ashley for the first time, what that reaction was, because I remember watching on TV. I was a fan of both of you for, I mean, still in, but like just a fan from as a viewer standpoint, you forget that. I came in after you. Yeah. So I watched you both in my home.

I remember the scenes that you're in and now look at me here. I'm just sitting in the middle of some blushing and awkwardness. Sometimes I do that too with Nick because I watch, you know, Andy season and I was so obsessed with Andy season. And I think about like all the feelings I had about Nick being like, you know, a villain and stuff. And now for him to like give a speech at our wedding. It's like, that guy who I watch on TV be like such a cur? Yeah.

Well, you know, when we were at Jaden Tanner's wedding, meeting you as a friend afterwards. Yeah, that was fun. It was so much fun. Yeah. And, you know, our meeting first was physical attractive attraction for me. Well, it's okay. You know, that was, you know, you really don't get that much time. You get to know each other to a certain extent.

But yeah, and then going to just getting to know you as a friend. and yeah she is really cool and didn't really have that opportunity because emotions were so intense yeah especially for you yeah i mean it was intense for me obviously but for everyone i shouldn't even say just for you but look you cried a lot yeah i get it i get it you wore your heart on your sleeve and and uh it was just made it uh really challenging but i mean i was a difficult contestant far difficult more difficult than i thought i was you know that i came home from taping that season and I was like, you guys, I did such a good job. I was going to be so cool.

It's like, I'm going to be my best self. And then, like, I watched it. I was like, this is not how I thought I was. I wanted to add one more thing. But, yeah, at the wedding was definitely when I first started, like, talking to Chris as a friend. And I'm like, this guy's awesome. Like, I feel like I got to know you more in that day than I did, like, on the entire season.

100%. Yeah. All right. Yeah. So I guess that's all I have to say about my time with Chris. Bachelor. Hey, this has been great for me. I really enjoy these moments. But we're going to take a break. When we come back, Ashley, Chris is going to just grill you on everything Bachelor World Dance with the Stars, your friends from the show. You're going to have to really pull back

some memories. Let's get nostalgic. And I'll take over leading you up to today. So, hey, let's take a break. And we'll be back with Chris Souls. As most of you know, I'm hosting the Bachelor live on stage with Becca Kufrin. Kicking off in Mesa on February 13th, this is going to be an awesome evening. For Bachelor Nation, and we're heading all over the country, seriously, we're not just going to the big cities. We're going everywhere. If you're in the audience, it is going to be so much fun to experience what you love from the TV show in such an intimate and live format. Plus, you're going to have a say in the Rose ceremonies for the...

first time ever. And if you're looking for love, one local bachelor in each city will have the chance to meet 10 sensational women on stage for the beginning of a new journey to potentially, hey, find some love. How does this happen? Well, Beck and I will guide the bachelor and help him find the woman he's most compatible with through three different group dates and challenges that allow of women to showcase their personalities. There's going to be the first impression game, a hometown scenario where the ladies reveal what life would be like beyond the final rose and yes and even the fantasy suites now is the time to get your tickets to come see becca and myself live on stage and hear us share our stories from our experiences on what life is really like at the mansion

and a behind-the-scenes perspective on the whole show so go visit bachelor live onstage.com and get your tickets now this is the perfect night to grab your Bachelor Monday Watch Party crew and go have a blast in your hometown. I really hope to see you there. My boyfriend's professor is way too friendly, and now I'm seriously suspicious. Wait a minute, Sam, maybe her boyfriend's just looking for extra credit. Well, Dakota, it's back to school week on the OK Storytime podcast, so we'll find out soon. This person writes, my boyfriend has been hanging out with his young professor a lot.

He doesn't think it's a problem, but I don't trust her. Now he's insisting we get to know each other, but I just want her gone. Now hold up, isn't that against school policy? That sounds totally inappropriate. Well, according to this person, this is her boyfriend's former professor and they're the same age. It's even more likely that they're cheating. He insists there's nothing between them. I mean, do you believe him?

Well, he's certainly trying to get this person to believe him because he now wants them both to meet. So, do we find out if this person's boyfriend really cheated with his professor or not? To hear the explosive finale, listen to the OK Storytime podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. 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, psycho babble. Yes, yes. Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you. Open your free IHeartRadio app. Search Emergency Intercom. And listen now. 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 it my eyes close. I'm Mani. 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 Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. My name is Ed. Everyone say hello. From a very rural background myself, my dad is a farmer, and my mom is a cousin, so like, it's not like... What do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club?

I know it sounds like the start of a bad joke, but that really was my reality nine years ago. I just normally do straight stand-up, but this is a bit different. On stage stood a comedian with a story that no one expected to hear. Well, 22nd of July 2015. A 23-year-old man. had killed his family. And then he came to my house. So what do you get when a true crime producer

walks into a comedy club? A new podcast called Wisecrack, where stand-up comedy and murder takes center stage. Available now. Listen to Wisecrack on the IHeart Radio 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 Overcomper podcast as part of the MyCultura podcast network on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. So now I've been reflecting on this. And I got so annoyed when they put that I was from Wayne, New Jersey on your season, because I just grew up in Northern Virginia. I was like, I lived New Jersey for like a year before I was like, put Northern Virginia. But now I see why they did that because like it was the perfect opposite to your Iowa farm guy was like the Jersey girl with the big eyelashes.

Oh. All right. let's talk about some of my friends on that on that season you had a season where so many girls came out with marriages me carly jade um katelyn had a very long-term engagement and um is there anybody oh you know that julia is marrying and she's engaged to evans brother so in some way they wouldn't have met if it weren't for you too Whitney Whitney Whitney obviously got engaged to you. And, you know, subsequently?

You think that she would have not been with her husband today if... Oh, I didn't say that. I guess I wasn't referring to that. But, I mean, there's just a lot of girls that have actually gone on to have successful relationships. And I don't know if has that anything to do with me, per se, but... Well, we want to thank you. Well, yeah. Again.

Just, well, you're welcome. Thank you for joining me on an adventure. How do you look back on that season? that season of TV, but also that season of your life. You're six months engaged to Whitney Bishop. It was an incredible experience. I mean, getting to meet to so many great people. I mean, a bunch of great women, all of you.

And then, you know, producers and people that I have lifelong relationships with, Ben, you know, it's changed my life, quite frankly. I look at the experience was overwhelming and, you know, nothing I ever felt like. I would ever experience in my life, you know, going on The Bachelorette was in itself something I never really thought would happen. I can still remember the day that the producers called me after my sister had submitted me and thought, well, there's no way they're going to consider me to go on this show, but I'll go through the casting process. So humble. This is, these are true thoughts. I mean, you are the perfect, like, thought for like a bachelor, a bachelor producer.

They're going to be like, farm, handsome farm guy from Iowa. Come on now. Perfect. That was not my headspace. I was thinking, who's going on the, you know, it's supposed to be these guys in the city that have cool careers. I don't know what, I never really watched the show, so I didn't really know what they were after. But I know my challenges in dating were always a result of, like, being a farmer. You know, I always felt like, go to the bar and meet a girl. She's like, what do you do? I farm.

And then it's like, well, I live an hour from here. When I'm going to see you again, I don't know. could be never uh so that was always a challenge in my life and and meeting people was was a big you know it was very challenging because i was living in the middle of nowhere and and so having the opportunity to to just be around such really cool people and and uh meeting all these great women and it was overwhelming and uh every day was like a a gift you know waking up i was like pumped you know i think i read an article by chris harrison that said i was the hardest working farm or hardest working bachelor that he's ever had uh because i was just a pumped for the

opportunity and and uh and it was just exciting you know it was not work for me it was it's a lot of hours ben you can relate and uh just uh in being able to meet such incredible women that that uh you don't have the opportunity to meet on a daily basis in what in the career path that I am involved in. So yeah, it was great. I don't know, what else I can say. Ashley and I've talked about a lot. And I wonder if, I think out of anybody,

you would be the one to answer this. Because Ashley and I've kind of bounced back and forth and we've talked about it and discussed it. But the question really comes down to me when I'm hearing you talk and when Ashley and I've talked about it, did you realize that you had so much to offer a partner, like that you were desirable, not only because you're a good looking guy, but you do have a great job.

You can support a family. You are considerate. Like, you do have these things to offer. But before The Bachelor, did you realize that you had those things? Or was this kind of a new wave in your life where you realized for the first time, holy cow, like, I'm desirable. You know, I always felt like I had a lot to offer to a certain extent, but I always felt like there was like that baggage. I always felt like I had a, like I was had, you know, like. I had the level of baggage of being in the middle of nowhere, Iowa.

And, you know, I made it very vocal. And the show made it very upfront that was always a huge concern of mine. And having that as something that, you know, whatever I had to offer was discounted because I had all this, had something that nobody really wanted was being in, you know, in a small town where there's nothing to do to speak of. And I find, you know, love the place. I love everything about it, but I do, you know, find it tough to be single and young in that area. So it was, you know, whatever I thought I had to offer, which is nominal, but I thought it all, you know, I was always, I was insecure, actually.

Yeah, I was going to say that. Very insecure about that. So it sounds like you're insecure about, you know, dating there, but you did have three relationships, like you mentioned earlier. Can you tell us about those relationships briefly about how you met those girls in Arlington? Were they in Arlington, Iowa? Yeah, actually, when I say three, I'm probably including Whitney in that. Okay. So the two before the show, I dated a girl for seven years.

We started dating at the University of Iowa State, where I finished up my last two years of college. And when I got there, I'm like, I got to find a girlfriend. I got to marry this girl and lock it down because otherwise I'm screwed when I get back to Arlington. and there's nobody there. So I tried to do that. And we dated through college. And then once we graduated, she got a job and it ended up taking her to California.

Of course, kind of by choice, kind of by like choice. Kind of by choice because she didn't want to be in Iowa or because she maybe didn't want to be with you forever? No, she wanted to be with me, but she didn't want to be in Iowa. Okay. Yeah. So she, she, um, excuse me, a little bit.

So she took this job out in, out and, have I'm the first one that the verb done? Probably not. No, we've done some weird stuff on the thing. I'm not like laughing at a judgment. I'm just laughing like, yeah, good. We're comfortable. Yeah, we're getting more comfortable as we go here. But yeah, so she ended up moving.

Moving out to Monterey, California for three years, we did long distance. And finally, the deal was she was going to come back, and I'd have to move away from the farm about 45 minutes to a normal-sized city. And buy a house and do all that. So she came back and, yeah, so then we... She came back where? She came back to small town, Waterloo. Okay. But why?

why to be with you yeah oh okay so then what happened so we moved in together okay and then um you at that point we've been together for five years probably how old were you at this point 24 I guess in 24 so yeah so we dated and then uh it was sort of like now that she's back here it's kind of like well it's just time to probably put a ring on it yeah it was in that uh we did that Oh, you did get engaged. I'm sure I knew this at some point. Yeah. Yeah.

So, anyway, that was all maybe a little rushed and it just didn't work out. So there was about seven years of being together that relationship ended. And so I was single for a little while and then got into another six-months relationship roughly. maybe else that was more like i don't remember where'd you meet her um at a bar okay but i mean like in around arlington no so i was so i stayed in waterloo after our my previous relationship so waterloo has a significantly higher population than arlington i'm only saying this because you have been talking about how like there's truly no one to date in your city or your town and And I think it's, I think listening to all of this, I'm realizing all over again because it was very evident in the moment, but I haven't thought about it for years, how much you truly wanted to find a wife from this process.

Like there was no doubt that Cristles was there for the right reasons because all you wanted to do, the right reasons, I always talk about how much we hate that phrase. But all you wanted to do was come out, do the show, and then bring the perfect wife and start a family in Arlington, Iowa. but you had no other ambitions of getting into Hollywood. Absolutely none. Absolutely none. It was a, that was 100%. You know, like after I got done with The Bachelorette, you became sort of, you know, you start getting people on social media

and all over the place sending letters. And, I mean, I've got letters stacked foot high of people that wanted to meet me. I'm like, dad's like, well, what do you? you need to go on the bachelor for you got all these girls that are reaching out to you i'm like i'm overwhelmed how am i supposed to narrow this down how am i supposed to fly all over the country and meet you know random letter writers that you know i can't do that so i think this is a good way to facilitate that process okay and um because he was scared because i was leaving during harvest and so i was scared because i was leaving during harvest and so cute and uh that was my biggest

concerned with the whole thing was leaving Harvest for the first time. That's what we talked about on the tractor. Yeah, that's all I could think about. You were like, I can't believe I'm not here for this part of the year. Scared the hell out of me. Scared the hell out of me. But it's been, it was a good thing because they ended up hiring my cousin to full time to take over.

He was the only one who I felt like actually could help facilitate a very intense time of the year. And he did a great job and he's been working for me ever since. So, but yeah. I feel like I got kind of lost in a conversation, but anyway. We like that here, but I do want to just flag something. You know, I talked about how you would did it and you wanted to go right back to Iowa, which seemed like something that Whitney was totally down to do,

but then you decided to do Dancing with the Stars. So why did you decide to, like, indulge in the Hollywood sparkle for a little while? Is it because, like, because it was such a cool opportunity, kind of like The Bachelor, and there's a lot of money in it if you get far. And then, you know, it's something to tell the kids someday, right? Yeah, for me, it was, I mean, being paid was important. Yeah. That was important to, you know, to offset, like, my time actually back at the farm.

And, but I really loved the idea of the opportunity. Just kind of, like, my competitive spirit. You know, I grew up being an athlete, I've always been, you know, something I've always been passionate. about and uh yeah it was just an exciting opportunity to put yourself out there in a weird way and i think going on the bachelor gave me like a little little uh insight to you know there's a little bit of adrenaline involved to you know being involved in something different that you know at that point i spent 32 of me years in my life farming and being in ag real estate literally nothing else

and my first time being in L.A. was landing there on the first day of casting, you know, so it never lived in another city. I've never lived in another state, you know. So it's like I kind of had my hallway pass to, you know, roll with it a little bit. And I thought, why not? You know, I was funny because when I was talking to, like, I had some representatives or like meet people that were helping me with, like, media and all that stuff, some PR people, and they're from Iowa, and they're like, I'm like, I got an offer to do Dancing with the Stars, and it just went silent on the other end, and they're like, because they're thinking, you know, this guy just needs to come back and farm, which is what I really wanted to do, but then I'm like,

it's going to get paid this to do this, so, I mean. Yeah, just going to the Stars is a lot better money, you guys. than The Bachelor, just letting you know. And then I have one more question before I throw it over to Ben. Obviously, Dancing with the Stars can't ruin single-handedly a relationship. It did not ruin Nick's relationship with Vanessa that was already not going to work out. And, like, your relationship with Whitney wouldn't have worked out whether you did Dancing with the Stars or not. But do you think it accelerated the breakup?

No, I think it actually gave us a better opportunity to transition and actually be, get to know each other in real life you know we were able to come she she came out and she lived there she lived here in L.A. and and uh it really was a lot better than her coming to to Iowa in why is it that because it just would have been like really rough for her to live in Iowa during the winter and have been so cold and she would have been uncomfortable and then she would have been like oh wow I really want to get out of this well yeah I mean it's hard to put in perspective uh what what what it's like where I'm from. I mean, it's not, it's a great place.

I love it. But it's a great place to raise a family. It's not necessarily a great place to date, you know. There's not, you know, Rod and Cals is a bar restaurant that serves really great, deep-fried. Do you think rotten cows? Riding Cows. Oh, okay. I was like, if they named a restaurant, rotting cows.

I'm sorry, I must not be enunciating, rod and cows. But there's just not a lot of places to socialize. You know, most everybody is older and married with kids. And not that that's a bad thing, but there's just not a lot of young people and things to do, period. So it puts a strain on any relationship, I think, especially a new one when you're used to living in Chicago. That's always been my concern, always. And so it puts a lot of pressure on the relationship for it to be like, I'm not. I'm only what I can be, you know, and so it's like you can't, like if she wants to hang out

with her friends, she's going to be tough to meet friends, you know, in Arlington, Iowa. Yeah, and she did have friends in L.A. Yeah, yeah, and she had friends in L.A., and she has friends in Chicago, and then we could have kind of done long distance, like, back and forth, but just committing to that, that being in her, she were living in the same apartment, she could have things to do during the day while I was dancing and doing what I was doing, which is, and it's just a job at that point, you know, so it's no different than normal life, only you're actually having social things to do, and you can not have that stress of being like, Chris, when are you going to

come home? Because you're working, and I have nothing better to do than worry about how long you're going to be working. Have you dated anybody since, Whitney? Nothing serious, no. I've not really had a girlfriend. I've been on some dates, but I've never had some. serious girlfriend i know you're getting asked all the time welcome back to the the bachelor world obviously

you're spotted with andy dorfman um in new york city is there anything there she's been a great friend uh for a long time actually i mean we've we've hung out a few times we hung out after charlene and andy's wedding and um yeah just a great friendship she's super cool um and and and we can have cool conversations and and uh but no i don't think there's anything like romantically that there, but it's a friendship. I mean, what do you think it is that, and I mean, how many years has it been now since Whitney? 17, I think. Feels like it.

Really, it's been, what, five years? I think so, five or six, feel, yeah. What is it, why haven't you dated in five years? Well, honestly, I think you can relate to this son, Ben, but, Like that first couple years, a two, three years after the show, it's like, okay, that didn't work out. That relationship didn't work out. Now you have this whole different world that's just thrown at you, like put right up in your face. And then you have no time to even think, you know, and I've rolled with it to a certain extent and tried to a certain extent and tried to make the most of all those opportunities, whether it was charitable or financial.

I did as much as I could to build on those opportunities and felt like that was the right thing to do, you know, and relationships weren't top of mind. And, you know, obviously there was... I feel like it was the top of your heart, though. I feel like it still truly was your first number one priority. It was. I mean, it still is. It just like it became really complicated after your life changes.

really becomes complicated at that point i really didn't even know really what i was for a person that i wanted to be with right i spent my whole life knowing i'm i want to get from a to z you know and then i went from my life went from a to like some other planet that i didn't recognize right yeah so now i'm like regrouping and like what what does my career look like now i don't know what I'm even going to be doing tomorrow or in the next three years. I knew I basically, as soon as I was born, I knew I wanted to be a farmer. I was either going to be a farmer or playing the NFL. And even if I was going to play in the NFL, I was going to be a farmer outside, you know,

because I'd have money to be able to be able to be your post career too and your spring stuff. Exactly. So I knew I was always a very goal-oriented person. And then I felt like I had an established lifestyle that I knew I could bring a, wife into and we would be able to go that direction and have kids and all that stuff but then throw the bathroom there and it just changed everything you know and so you're sort of regrouping and figuring out you know what how do you even be somebody when you don't really know what your general life is going to look like for the next 10 years in that time did you ever think that

maybe it'll be best for me to not live in arlington and like to not live in iowa to like really give a city, city life a shot? For a while, I've always kind of thought it would be nice to be able to have like dual citizenship, you know? Yeah, yeah. Have a place where I can afford to eventually afford to have like a home in a city

and also have my farm and be able to jump back and forth. On your season, I was like, it's okay. If we do end up together, I'll just have to take monthly trips to New York. Did she tell you this? No. I was like, that's aggression.

The internal plan. That's what I told Andy. I told her that. And she's like, well, I know we can do back and forth and we can do long distance and this and that. When did you tell Andy this? I'm kidding. It was on her season. It might have been off camera.

But yeah, on her season. And she didn't buy it, clearly. But, I mean, yeah, that's always sort of been, as my life has evolved, I've realized that, you know, the women that I'm attracted to aren't. necessarily from you know small towns generally and not that that's anything wrong with that but like want to live just want to live in small towns right I mean I want them to want to live in small towns but you know that the I want somebody who wants to have I kind of get out of their comfort zone a little bit and then come back to a small town and then still have that dynamic of wanting to be in a city for a little while and I like being in cities every once a while you know

but I like having, still like having that farm as well. Chris, before we wrap up the whole, you know, Bachelor saga, I just wanted to know, like, just straight up, why didn't it work out between you and Whitney? Because we know that it wasn't because of dancing with the stars. What was it that you found out about each other after you left the show that you were just too different? Yeah, you know, I've been asked that a million.

times and what's that no it's it's fine uh and i don't know that there's really a single thing you can put on that i think that you go through that whole process and it is a fairy tale environment you know it and uh you don't necessarily get to learn uh you know what what type of uh interaction you're going to have together in real life i think that as much as anything like just uh waking up and be like wow this is real you know and then uh you take it one day at a time and feel like if there's that chemistry or if it's not there it's not there and you move on and i felt like uh she's super great girl a ton of respect for i mean i'm glad i chose her honestly i felt like that was logistically and uh for me when you talk about

even having a chance to make it work at that time she was the person that was the one and and uh and i think you know you kind of get caught up in all of all of the with the cameras and the pretty dates and all of that but after that you really then you get to figure out if there's chemistry there and there was to a certain extent I think just as a friendship sort of level and I think we were in a friend zone for the most part interesting well you did just say logistically you felt you had the best chance did that mean that emotionally that you were possibly with somebody else maybe Becca because I know a lot of people watching that finale and they thought his mind is with Whitney she's the smart choice for his

lifestyle and but it seems like Becca is the one that is just not ready to jump into this but the one that he's ready to jump in with and that's the you know that's a million dollar question you know how do you even decipher I mean I care deeply for both of the girls right so and I think that's the I mean sitting here with the guy that said he loved two girls on all right now this is not create awkward situations for you too so i mean i was i was i mean those those feelings are real i mean those feelings are real so um i made the best decision i could with the information at hand you know that's kind of that's life in general and uh you know and then it's um you go through the whirlwind of of the show and then you

wake up to the whirlwind that is life and it changes so you figure it out and at that point we did the best we could and and then it wasn't there okay real last question after you ended things with what needed you ever think oh maybe I can take it slow with Becca and date her in real life because you were both single at the time I can't say it didn't cross my mind okay good yeah I was going to say you're lying to yourself yeah um you know there's a the level of like kind of crossed that path and we went down that road and and for some reason it didn't happen and for whatever life happens for reasons and so I felt like you know she's a fantastic person super attracted to her and and uh think a lot of her family and there was yeah so many

great things yeah you and her dad have a nice little camaraderie yeah her dad and her brothers and you know still talk to talk to all of them and uh yeah so it's like But, you know, I think there's just, everything happens for a reason. You just keep moving forward. And, yeah, that's the best answer I can give to that, you know. There's a lot here I want to touch on, Chris, because, I mean, you have, I think some of the stuff that you say, I don't know if the listeners know this or not, but some of the stuff you've pointed to are the things that you and I most shared in common. It was my first time to L.A. for casting. I come from a super small Midwestern town.

like this was overwhelming for me nobody got it like everybody's confused by it and then we end up here and our life seems to kind of explode take some turns makes massive changes and for the most part they're unexpected changes and that's what I want to talk next with you is some unexpected changes that have happened both of our lives that have caused our past to no longer look like they did five years ago before we get back with that stuff though I want to take a break and we'll come back with Chris Souls. My boyfriend's professor is way too friendly, and now I'm seriously suspicious. Well, wait a minute, Sam.

Maybe her boyfriend's just looking for extra credit. Well, Dakota, it's back to school week on the OK Storytime podcast, so we'll find out soon. This person writes, my boyfriend has been hanging out with his young professor a lot. He doesn't think it's a problem, but I don't trust her. Now, he's insisting we get to know each other, but I just want her gone. Now, hold up. Isn't that against school policy? That sounds totally inappropriate.

Well, according to this person, this is her boyfriend's former professor, and they're the same age. And it's even more likely that they're cheating. He insists there's nothing between them. I mean, do you believe him? Well, he's certainly trying to get this person to believe him because he now wants them both to meet. So, do we find out if this person's boyfriend really cheated with his professor or not? To hear the explosive finale, listen to the OK Storytime podcast on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. 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.

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like you. And people just like us. I'm Lola Blanc and I'm Megan Elizabeth. We're the host of Trust Me, a podcast about cults, manipulation, and the psychology of belief. Each week we talk to fellow survivors, former believers, and experts to understand why people get pulled in and how they get out. Trust me, new episodes every Wednesday on exactly right. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. catching up with Chris Souls, talking about his life on The Bachelor, his decision to be the bachelor, going on and dance with the stars, his past relationships. All of these things, Chris, and tell me if I'm crazy, but I've known you for years now. You're a friend of mine. We've spent in the last couple years' time together. All of these things that we talk about,

these questions are you, right? Okay, let me speak to this clearly. Here's what I found out, I want you to tell me if I'm wrong. When we talk to you about The Bachelor, we talk to you about your relationships. When we talk to you about dancing with the stars, we talked about all these things. It doesn't, we don't get to know you as a human any better because I feel like there is this level to you. It's like, yeah, this has all been a blessing in a sense and it's great, but it's not me. This is not me. And so we say these things.

We talk about these things. And I sit here and listen, I go, but this isn't the friend I know. You're just answering these questions. Like, I want to dance with stars to get paid. Of course you did. Like, who wouldn't? I went on the Bachelor to hopefully find a wife. it didn't work out but your life has so much more depth behind that and one of the things that

is consistently marked to you since I've known you is a level of insecurity beyond what I can imagine you you carry this insecurity with you if it's where you're from or that you're just a farmer and honestly as a friend I've never been able to ask you this but I wrote it down as I was hearing these questions where does that come from you know I think past relationships quite honestly just like you know yeah I think past relationships I've just always known that the hottest girl in the in the bar is not going to be interested in the farmer or going and visit in the you know they want the guy that's got a Wall Street job you know that's my always been my like not that I'm always been interested in the hottest girl but

you know kind of like the one you're most attracted to right the one I'm most attracted to do or the person that has all those dynamics that's not, you know, that's got like A to Z, like everything you want, and she's driven and she has a, you know, she wants a career, you know, those kind of things are, you know, I feel like every person wants to marry up, right? Yeah. And the perception of a farmer in marrying up, I mean, my sister's all married everything but a farmer. My first serious relationship, the one for seven years, she told herself that she would never marry a farmer because her dad was a farmer. So, you know, and we had to do long distance. We did

all of that. She wanted, you know, so I think, I think it's relationships. She kind of created that. All my buddies moved away from the farm. You know, all my best friends, they're in cities with their happily married wives and great families. And, you know, so I've seen, as I've grown up, wants to get the hell away from the farm. I stuck there because I love, I'm passionate about the business that I'm involved in, which is farming. And, but I work with, you know, the guys that I work with on a daily basis are 50 plus years old, generally speaking. I mean, they're starting to be some younger guys that are getting in, but the women that I run into are at the courthouse and the USDA office, which is a government office, and they're all, you know, generally speaking

in their 50 plus so you know a lot of people meet people in life through work or whatever or you know going out for dinner going out to for a drink or whatever there's not really those places to go where I'm from and so it's just very tough and I've got all my sisters are in cities and you know I've had that experience and been been to you know at that point prior to my experience at in The Bachelor had just enough taste of it to know that the girls that I want to date are more like my sisters you know they don't exist where I'm in the you know vicinity of where I'm at right so um is this a narrative that you is this a narrative that was proven true to you at some point is it just consistently like hey in the back of your mind you're thinking at some point

when I say I'm a farmer and this is your passion yeah and you're a good farmer like you're you're a terrific farmer you run a great operation for me you know it's interesting because what you don't know is i sat in that card that day and what i'm talking about is when we pulled up to the bachelor mansion the day before i became the bachelor and we did this pre tape thing where chris comes in and gives me advice i think sean low and meznik was there as well and i sat there and i go if i could only be chris souls and i'm not saying that like i meant that because you had something tangible that you were good at you had a skill set you could talk about you had the swagger and the looks you pulled up in that car you got out in your leather jacket and i was like

i'm a software salesman and i'm not even good at it like and i know it and so it's interesting to me and i want you to break that down that i can sit from a distance walking into the same place as america's bachelor right it's not true but it's promoted as the most desirable man that's single you know in the country and i can sit across the table from crystals and go if only I had what he had. I don't, I shouldn't be sitting at this table. And you're looking around going, if I only had what maybe I had because I was a software salesman in a big city. You know, I'm super proud of what I do and I love what I do. I think the insecurity is more on a level of, well, it's hard because a lot of people don't understand what I do and it's

hard for them to appreciate, you know, what it is that I do. So a lot of people get just lost in like the word farmer and they're like, well, well, why aren't you wearing suspenders and have a piece of straw hanging out of your mouth? You know, that's kind of what happens when people hear the word farmer. And, like, it's so much more than that. It's super dynamic. Our business is super technical, but it's hard to relay that message because it's like most people, unfortunately, they're at like a first grade level on what farming is, you know,

And I feel like I'm talking to a first grader when I'm explaining what we do. So it's like, and then by the time I, you know, sort of, you know, like you, I'm sitting here explaining to you what harvest is and what it's all about, Ashley. And, you know, it's like, it doesn't, nothing really is clicking. And I'm like, Ashley's just happy to be there. You run a business, though. It's not just, like, out in the fields. You run a big business. Yeah.

Yeah, it's a full-on business. I mean, I, right now I do a lot of stuff from my cell phone and my laptop. top and have employees and we do I feel like I could farm all over the country without actually being there so it's it is a business I mean it's a super technical business super complicated but people don't understand that it takes about takes a while to really fully gain that knowledge and and I'm I'm very proud of what I do and and but it's it's I think the insecurity is not is you know people's lack of understanding that's one thing after the show. I really made a concerted effort to just help educate people because it

finally had a platform to sort of educate people on what we actually do and how important it is to our culture and our country and because it's there's a lot of, we're 3% of the population as farmers. That's a lot. And, you know, when this first country was first founded, almost 100% of the country was actually doing their own farming. They were, or subsistence farmers. And so we've gone from 100% to 3%. Okay, but when I said it was a lot, it's still three out of every 100 people are a farmer.

Yes. I mean, that's what that's... That math adds up. I still feel like you don't run into three people out of 100 that are a farmer. Not in L.A. Or in New Jersey. You got to go to those flyover states there, Ashley. Yeah.

You'll realize what I'm talking about. That's where the district. disconnect is and I would say that 3% is probably inflated because there's a lot of people that are sort of hobby farmers and don't necessarily do it for a full-time career I got a garden would you count me as a farmer you know you're a gardener you see my garden I've seen it I'm gonna say no it's cool it's gardener you're a gardener and security sits at both sides of the table they then Chris we're gonna switch gears here for a bit it's not a secret that we're gonna talk about the incident that happened on April 24th of 2017. We're going to walk through this really slow because, Chris, one of the things that Ashley and I desire to do is for you and us together just have a conversation about what's going on. I can imagine it's drastically changed your life.

We've talked this whole podcast about all the things that have happened to you in five years, The Bachelor. The Bachelorette, Dance for the Stars. I mean, your life exploded to an unforeseen place. How has April 24th affected you in your life from that point to today? Yeah. It's been a tragedy. A tragedy that two families were.

were caught up in an unavoidable situation that, you know, the words can't really describe how challenging it has been, I'm sure, for both my family and the other people involved. And the lows have been really low, but we're, we've stuck together as a family. and both families, I feel like are having an opportunity to heal and as much as humanly possible from something that you really can't 100% heal from. And I know that, you know, that first six months was probably one of the lowest points in my life and something that I'll I'll never forget

and I still struggle to to move on from something I think about forever every day and we'll think about forever and can't say enough how much I could take that evening back I think

both parties involved wish that even hadn't occurred. But life is about not what the tragedies that you've been through. It's what you do afterwards and how you move forward. And all you can do is pray and work hard and focus on being a better person. And I guess that's the whole focus on, it's been my focus in the past two years and we'll continue to do that and um and uh appreciate the the little things in life and and try to uh try to get better you know it's been two years since uh we've heard from

you chris and and ashley and i both uh truly want to want to say that uh we're thankful that you're here today, but I'm imagining that this is not a conversation and a topic you expected to be having in your lifetime. What has two years been like having this kind of define, in a sense, most of your life? Yeah, you know, you always hear about the fatal accidents, you know, and you hear about that happening to somebody and think about how, how that could impact. impact their lives and how it is going to impact their lives for the rest of their lives and they've got to think about that and you think that'll never happen to me

and he'll never be involved in something like that and and uh you know that's i just you know you feel horrible for them and you feel like how are they going to live with that how are they going to deal with that you know and uh you know whether it's the family that's dealing with the loss of a loved one or the person that was actually involved in the accident that resulted in a fatality, you know, how they're going to mentally manage that. And, you know, how do you move on and how do you, how do you, how do you, how do you, how do you, how do you, how do you, how do you, how do you, how do you, how do you, how do you, how do you, how do you, how do you, how do you, I think you know that's that's how i felt the last two years and um how do you even how do you even know

what to feel i mean it's you got to wake up every day you can't just stay in bed i mean i can honestly say there was a period of my period of after the accident that i didn't want to get out of bed didn't want to there was no hope left in life for me it was i thought it was you know that severely depressed and scared and you know just there was no there's nothing left to live for you know so you but you took one day at a time luckily have a family that's super supportive and friends that they gave everything they could to keep uh you know keep my head in a in a relatively good space and but uh i mean there was i'm not going to lie it was obviously there was a not obviously but there was moments where you didn't think it was worth waking up and you thought

you know it's maybe maybe you know the worst things that you ever could possibly think i've thought And, but that, you know, and when you mention something that defines you, that's the horrible thought that, you know, this, if I let it, this could define me. But I don't want to let this define me. It's a part of my life. It's a tragedy that happened. But, I mean, I think the people that know me the best know that it is. what defines me and those are the people that I, you know, that I, that I have been standing beside me throughout, throughout all of this. So having the mental strength to not let it

defined you and, and hopefully as time goes on, there'll be closure between myself and the Mosier family and that I feel like that day will come and there's only one one guy out there that can truly judge us and I feel like that at the end of the day that's where my head has to be. The tough part about podcasts are you know you can listen to the voices of the people talking all the time right um but there's i say here and i don't know i'll try to paint a picture for the listeners but um when there's uh i had chills um when you said the word you said a couple things there one was uh fear and i when you it's very it's very few times in life when you sit across from somebody that you can tell has actually been scared about like scared and throughout this podcast

today throughout this this conversation i don't i think ashley and i are going to claim that we can relate um we're not going to or it's impossible for us to relate i don't want to claim any really anything except that um it's been two years of hurt and we understand that for you and for the other families involved and for your family and your friends and for people near you like it's been two years of this what would have life looked like a year and a half ago for you for me you know it's hard hard to actually paint a true picture um you know just the will to the will to really get out of bed um just if there's just feel like uh there's no reason to be around um you don't have you're stuck in limbo

with constant legal interactions um that you know the thoughts of of the accident still, you know, that never go away. You have just everything hanging over your head. It felt like a million pounds on my shoulders. Just not being able to focus on anything. And really not having, not feeling like you have any motivation. to be anybody or do anything, you know, it's just constant pain in your heart and your head and not being a good peace and person to be around, angry at myself, angry at, you know,

feeling like I let everyone in my life down and, you know, and caused, a lot of pain for a lot of people you know why are we angry at yourself i mean it's just it's how can you not feel that inherently you know angry at myself because something bad happened and it's caused a lot of pain and i'm the one left to i'm still here you know you know i mean it's There's nobody been in a, I can probably, if there's anybody been in a fatal car accident and the wishes they were not the one that died as a result of it, I think they're a liar. It'd be a lot easier. A lot easier.

I can't, I mean, I just, uh, uh, and the worst. is just having the, so I can take it, right? I can take it. I mean, I'll take it. I don't have any animosity towards all the BS that was said, but I mean, it's the fact that my nieces and nephews, my family, and their family, Mosher family, had to, you know, just had to deal with so much more than anybody should have ever had to deal with and thinking about all of that is, you know, it's a heavy, heavy thing on ways on my heart and my head and, you know, knowing that I'm, I like to think I'm a good person and always do the right things and I still know in my heart I did the right thing and all the right things and

a lot of people jumped to judgment and were quick to assume horrible things and that just weren't true. So it's a made a bad situation a lot worse for. for everyone you've mentioned a couple times now the support and the foundation of the people around you have you felt and this is a two-sided question have you felt Bachelor Nation

not only the people involved in this world I know you've been able to spend some time with Ashley and Jared here recently and we were able to get together but Bachelor Nation as a whole and then also the reaction kind of from the masses have you felt supported or have you felt isolated I can say I felt a lot of support.

I mean, I think I felt way more support than I have the alternative. I mean, there's been plenty of people that jump to the conclusions that weren't true. But I felt I felt way more support than I have not. Really, there's a lot of people that stuck by me. and, you know, there was a lot of misinformation that got out there right away, which created a narrative that was really tough to get past. And I can only imagine how I'd react if, you know, even one of my best friends who I've known my whole life, literally when they didn't, he's like,

I didn't know what, yeah, I know that's not Chris, he would not do that. And, you know, he didn't even know what to think. based on the headlines. And imagine being a fan of somebody and then seeing some of the headlines that were out there. And so I'm super grateful for the sport that those people that did stick in there and sort of waited to hear the rest of the story

and have had overwhelming support means a lot. One of the things that it just confused me about the whole situation as a whole and of really any situation nowadays because Ashley and I do this show and headlines and headlines and we read these headlines and we comment on the headlines Oh, headlines are the worst.

And oftentimes Ashley and I find ourselves getting into trouble because the truth of the story is not in the headline but the reaction in the story, the narrative is created by that headline. Clickbait these days. 100%. As you see these headlines roll through,

I mean, I'm not going to read them to you, but with a quick Google search, you can see even recently like hey you know you since the accident chris soles shows up on the red carpet like even today these are the headlines out there and you've seen them this isn't a secret to you right what is your reaction especially initially as you wake up to seeing this across everything yeah i mean i can't even explain going back to that afterwards uh it at the the headlines and the narrative that they were was being creative was you know i've never been one to read my own clippings whether it's good or bad throughout the best self i wasn't i mean i

just never i never bought into the fame of the bachelor i honestly and never bought into you know i just always knew i was who i'm same guy that went on the show that that that i am you know before and after. So, you know, then having that, the horrible feeling of not being able to turn on the television without seeing some reenactment of something that wasn't even close to being true and, you know, the headlines being everything but true. And, you know, people, you know, people that wanted to be your biggest fan when you were on top were the first ones to jump and just carry on a false narrative and it was pretty sad, you know, watching, you know, watching politics and all the stuff that happens today and how they, you know, how they carry

on the narratives with certain things on either side is, you know, going through what I've gone through, whether it's good or bad, it's, you lose a lot of faith in, in journalism today. I mean, it's just kind of sad. And people's attention spans are that of which where the headlines are there. And I feel like what actually happened will never really truly be something that will be carried in people's memories as a result. It's the initial report. And then the rest is like, Chris, you know, whatever. He's that guy that got an accident and did that.

And, you know. Well, I think it has to lead us to the question then. This is your first time really speaking in two years, one of the first times, at least. If this is a narrative you see coming across your screens and this is a narrative you're hearing, why does it take you two years to tell your story or tell these story? Well, you know, we were in litigation for two years, so it was, there's lots of things that go, you know, specifically advised by my attorneys that, you know, just got to get through this. and does that hurt i mean

how do you how do you sit in how do you sit in this time and like you said once a narrative is created narratives created um how do you sit for two years no matter true or false in in silence right well you know for me it's like the people that love me know me people that love me i'm able to tell they know that they're they're able to tell they're to read through the more you read and if you pay attention to if you read the full stories and read everything that happened and understand if you followed the court case if you understand everything that was involved in the court case you know exactly what happened and if if if the

only thing you care about is the headlines and that's and you're going to judge me based on on just the headline then I guess maybe that's you're not that important to me in my life I mean, I've never been a, I've only became a public figure because I was on a dating show that I wanted to find a wife, you know, and I went on a dancing show because I wanted to have fun and dance and, and it was, there was some financial incentives to go along with it. But if I end up not being able, if certain people don't like me based on a few headlines at this point in my life, I'm going to stick with the ones that know me best and are willing to take the time to understand what really happened. I mean, two years is a long time, buddy. Are you, I can't imagine two years what you're hoping for then at the beginning of this. as soon as the incident happened and you were advised hey like let's let's focus on litigation let's focus on the process this thing then stretches out for two years

just ending here a few months ago was there any angst or just was there anything inside you just starting to get upset with how long this was being played out then because the longer last the the the longer it becomes I mean a farther away it becomes and then the narrative is just continuing to be created right now it's uh it was it was painful just to you know painful for i'm sure both sides just the how long it had to have been drugged out and really my focus wasn't my focus wasn't like i want to get back in the spotlight and have everybody think i'm think you know the narrative really became less important to me it was you know, the mental health of my family, the mental health of myself, the mental health of

their family, and letting this be put to bed and let's all understand what really happened here and what's the just result and let's move on so we can all move on with our lives. It's not to be like, this is over. I want to tell the world that, you know, that I'm, that this is just an action. accident. That's not my motivation. My motivation was to be able to give on with my life and work and let everybody move on emotionally, you know. Speak that a little bit more. I mean, what were you hoping for in the last two years? I mean, I think to have reality put back into place. I mean, I think even local law enforcement got caught up in the headlines instead of understanding what really happened, you know, because they had to do investigations to figure out what

really happened because they read their own press clippings a little too close, and so it took a long time for that to happen. And it didn't help that it was having it be such a high-level, high-level publicity-wise situation that it everybody had to be extra careful and and to handle it with a lot of a lot of detail and you know a lot of people told me if this wasn't you we've been it's been over a long time ago Chris let's take a break here I think a lot of people out there listening I probably have a lot of different thoughts but I think one common theme would be Chris it's been too long And we're glad that you're back.

And we want to hear your story. So you mentioned earlier in the podcast about, you know, you had to explain farming to girls you were dating. You always felt like it was something you had to, like, get over. Now do you feel like you have another, yet another thing to explain to people when you first meet them and hit it off with them? Is that worry you? Do you feel insecure about that? You know, it's funny. I mean, that's a great question, actually.

I feel like a lot of people that are interested in dating or understands what happened, actually. I don't feel like I've never really had that awkward judgy moment where they're like, what happened, da-da-da. I mean, I feel like if people really want to know exactly what happened, the information is legitimately everywhere. And it's super relatively transparent what happened. So I've never had that, honestly. I don't, I think that whether they're afraid to ask or they just, or they don't know about it.

I don't know. I've just not, no, I've not had that conversation. And I have, it's something I don't, you know, like I don't bring up personally. So, no, I have not had that be, I mean, someday, it's, it's not something I'm afraid to talk about with somebody that's special, right? It's a lot easier, not a lot easier conversation, but somebody I care about or I'm interested in dating. I mean, it's not a, it's not something of a really exciting topic, but of course I want to know what happened and not, it's not fun to talk about, but I'm absolutely transparent with what happened, and I have nothing to be ashamed of, I feel like, personally, I just, it's a horrible, tragic thing that I wish wouldn't have happened. You recently came out to LA and you're living here for a little while, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah. So I've got a place here right now. So just kind of I've got, this is my second, not my second home for here and there for the wintertime, part time. Good time to be here. Yeah. You've made a couple public appearances. You went to Jingle Ball. We saw you Jingle Ball.

How was it just kind of coming out and like living your life? out of Iowa for the first time in two years. How nervous were you? Were you nervous? Yeah, I was super nervous. So my publicist talked to me into doing it. I actually was, I mean, of course I wanted to go to the concert. I was really, you know, a concert sounded fun.

Then she's like, and you got a red carpet. Yeah. I'm like, I'll just go to the concert. I'm good without the red carpet. I don't think that's a really good thing for me at all. She's like, you are for sure going down the red carpet. I'm like, well, okay, I'll give this a shot. Like, I don't think anybody's going to want to take pictures of me anyway,

so I'll just walk right down, and that wasn't the case. So, yeah, it was super nervous. You know, I used to, that was like old hat to me. I was like red carpet, whatever, big deal. I can just knock that out of the park. But it was a really weird out-of-body experience. to go back down and do that again. You know, it was kind of felt good.

It felt weird, but it wasn't, but it was scary a little bit, you know. We walked a couple minutes after you, and from the vibe that I got, it seemed like everybody was happy to see you. Yeah, I mean, I was happy, I was happy to see a lot of people that I haven't seen in a long time and I used to enjoy that you know just enjoy those just talking you know and it was easy it came easy and it sort of came easy again like riding a bike I guess but yeah it was it felt kind of good and somebody's asking me like well when did you decide to come back out in the spotlight I'm like really just wanted to go to a concert but I guess you know now I'm talking to you

So this is considered a spotlight. I don't know what the defining of a spotlight. I don't really know. But it was nice. It was refreshing. It made me feel like maybe I didn't have to hide in the closet again, you know. Chris, we end every in-depth episode with the same thing. No matter where you come from, no matter where you've been, where you're going to,

we do the same thing to any of our guests because each one of our guests, we believe, has a store to tell. so we leave it with you to close you gotta imagine there's i don't know how many people out there listening one person i bet your mom will listen to this she's a very supportive mother um to a million people it's been two years since they've heard from you um send them off and then uh we always close with the same thing that we do in every podcast but this is your this is your stage to tell any of the listeners what you want as we say goodbye to you wow this is a big stage i didn't wasn't ready for this ben you kind of throwing me off my game ben not only likes to create awkward moments we give people stages when they're not prepared

oh gosh i mean the obvious is uh it's been two years and uh i have gotten an immense amount of support from a lot of Bachelor fans. I mean, I've, it's been a really tough, I'll be the first one to admit. I can honestly say that, I've been through a tough, tough situation where I don't know, you know, I don't know how you actually would have supported me after, you know, for a certain period of time with the headlines that were out there, but people stuck by me. And I've gotten countless letters and countless prayers, whether it's through direct message or actual written letters, just, and I feel the support from many people in Bachelor Nation and the people, fans from Dancing with Stars, you name it, and then just personal friends and people

that surround me and care about me, and I can't thank everyone enough for all of their support. I don't know if it's always deserved to a certain extent. I'm just, I'm, I'm completely humbled by, you know, throughout my whole experience, the fans that came out to support me because I'm a farmer or whatever. And then going through one of the, the absolute worst periods of my life, to have people stick behind me has been humbling. I'm really, really grateful and hope to be able to be supported in the future and do some things to help everyone in this. That has supported me, I don't know, learn more about agriculture, something like that. We'll see.

He loves farming. Chris, we end like this. follow our lead this has been the Almost Famous Podcast in depth with Chris Souls

I've been Ben I've been Ashley and I'm Chris I've been Chris I've been Chris We'll see you later everybody I didn't

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