The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - Infamous: Tino Franco

Episode Date: April 30, 2025

We’re pulling back the curtain on The Bachelor franchise and looking beyond the rose… and its thorns. Ben and Ashley are getting to know Tino Franco, for the real story behind his engagement to Rachel Recchia and his journey after it ended. Plus, Tino shares his side of what went down at After the Final Rose.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. 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, luckily, it's back to school week on the OK Storytime podcast, so we'll find out soon. This person writes, my boyfriend's 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.

Hold up. Isn't that against school policy? That seems inappropriate. Maybe find out how it ends by listening to the OK Storytime podcast and the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, it's Daniel Fischel. Writer Strong. And Will Ferdell from PodMeets World. We are back in Las Vegas and giving the people what they want, a full week of Y2K content. Tell me why. Well, for the Backstreet Boys residency at Sphere, of course.

We joke and say this is our second marriage, but it takes a lot of communication. Plus, it's carrot top, baby. And finally, Ashley Simpson-Ross joins us to talk about her upcoming sold-out Vegas residency. Listen to PodMeets World on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. December 29th, 1975, LaGuardia Airport. The holiday rush, parents hauling luggage, kids gripping their new Christmas toys. Then everything changed. There's been a bombing at the TWA.

terminal, just a chaotic, chaotic scene. In its wake, a new kind of enemy emerged, terrorism. Listen to the new season of Law and Order Criminal Justice System on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, my name is Enya Yumanzoor. 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.

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. Ben Higgins and Ashley I bring you infamous.

Sometimes roses are red flags. Hey, guys, welcome to another episode of Infamous. Sometimes roses have red flags. Today, our story continues with Tino Franco. You remember him as Rachel Rechia's short-time fiancé after her season of The Bachelorette. Welcome to the show, Tino. How's it going? Glad to be here.

We're good. How are you? Couldn't be ready. Great. So we wanted you on Infamous because, you know, your story, as so many are, are unique um you were one of the instances in which you kind of had broken up before hitting the after the final rose couch or you were in a very strange spot in your relationship when you hit that couch was did it what didn't we see is what this show wants to cover no i think um you guys saw everything really anything you need yeah what do you mean

everything you need there's there's not a whole lot like to really expand on I mean I don't I don't like love how everything went down I don't like that you know I heard her feelings and kind of let down

the group but you know I think we can all agree I got a pretty noteworthy punishment for it and we all I think are better off that that relationship ended when it did what was the punishment Well, after the final rose, they had one of the guys who got eliminated come out and ask her out in front of me. And at that point, we had already been broken up for a little bit.

So I was kind of like, well, you know, this is none of really my business. I mean, we already broke up. So I don't know why I'm here, but I think the fans took some pretty heavy offense to it. It certainly wasn't like a nice thing, even though it. It's not like it was like, you know, actively my, somebody I was involved with. I think at that point, we hadn't talked for a month. Well, one of the hopes of infamous, Teno, is to get on and let the contestants tell their story, knowing now, you know, production, the team of producers at the Bachelor and Bachelor

have switched over. If you went back today, you would know very few people that are still on the show working from behind the scenes. And so Infamous is here to explain the situations that feel confusing to the audience or feels like the whole story wasn't shared. And that's why we wanted to bring you on today, because I know that your hope coming off of your season, even with everything going down, was to kind of have that redemption moment, to share your side of the story, to get people to see there was two, there's

actually three ways to it. There's the truth. There's Rachel's side and there's your side. But what you're saying off the bat here is that the audience saw what they saw and it's all true. So what Rachel was upset about, what the audience was upset about is the truth, the situation for you as well. And they just are fine being upset. Yeah, I guess, like it's, forgive me, I'm a little bit like, I haven't been doing podcast lately

or like really thought about any of this in fact like most of the time I say no like the few times people want to have me on but as I told Hannah anything for Ben Ben you took so many of my calls I still owe you big time I mean so the situation was really tough

and looking back on it like it's hard because like I really really don't want to like I want to to avoid any cast of blame. I want to make sure I own my side of it. And the fact of the matter is, you know, whether or not it was crystal clear, you know, we were together head over heels when I did what I did. Which let's just say it out loud. You kissed a girl out at a bar one night when you were with Rachel. Okay, you were at a house party. Sorry. And the, I think you guys

had an unclear, undefined relationship from what you felt. And she was more of like, no, we were together. Yeah. And, you know, please edit me as to protect me from getting sued when I say things like this. But what I think the audience might not understand that us three would is there's a huge time gap in what they see versus when things happen. right so whether or not you know there was the moment which there should have been and we can circle back to things I would have done differently later whether there was a crystal clear

defined moment we are not together you are free to do whatever you want which there wasn't but there were moments you know that um I think somebody who's in a heightened emotional state which I certainly was, could have taken to be that this relationship had no future. And it was feeling like it was waiting till said after the rose to just kind of announce, hey, we're not together, you know, and we're moving on, which at the time, as ironic as it is, because, you know, after the final rose that I had to suffer through was absurdly humiliating. I found that to me, oh, my gosh, that is the most humiliating thing. It was.

That could ever happen to me. No, but the, just the idea of getting there, right, and me going up on stage, having not done anything stupid, and her going, yeah, I got to know this guy, and he's not for me, sounded like beyond hell on earth. So then I went on to overreact in the way that I did. And, you know, whether or not, like Ben said earlier, there's my, half her half and then the truth I think

there's like certainly her side and whether it agrees with mine or not I hate that I made her feel that we were concrete in this relationship and I did what I did

now my version or my feelings at the time certainly weren't in a line with that but I hate that I made somebody feel like that so the reaction in that part by the show because they were probably acting in a manner

that they thought reflected the crime I understand like I mean it's the worst thing ever I've been cheated on a long time ago and it's literally the worst thing ever and I hate that I ever made somebody feel like that

I kind of went on some tangent Ben so reel me in oh so like details details right of what the audience might not have seen So whether there was that conversation of, hey, you know, we're done, done, F and done, right, there was this waiting period. And to me at the time, it really felt like, you know, I was just really in jail of this situation with, you know, public perception and the relationship kind of not being reflective. So I'm watching, you know, myself on TV, there's other realities outside of what was going on, real life's going on, new jobs.

There was just too much, I think, going on, and I just really slipped up and not using it as an excuse. I learned from it, you know, I take myself out of situations where I could ever really act out in the same manner. And I've really, you know, life and God have really rewarded me for that. My boyfriend's professor is way too friendly, and now I'm seriously suspicious. Oh, 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. Hello, it's Daniel Fischel, writer strong, and Wilfredel from PodMeets World. And we're bringing you Viva Las Content. That's right. We are back in Las Vegas, the city of sin, and giving the people what they want. A full week of Y2K content. Wait, we're back in Vegas?

Tell me why. Well, for the Backstreet Boys residency at Sphere, of course. We sat down with Kevin Richardson and A.J. McLean just minutes before they took the stage and our very own Wilfredel basically became the newest member of the band. Boy band, please. Plus, the man who has the longest running comedy show on the strip joins us and gets his props. It's carrot top, baby. And finally, we all L-O-V-E-Hur, Ashley Simpson-Ross, joins us to talk about her upcoming sold-out Vegas residency.

It's a full week of nostalgic interviews you don't want to miss. Listen to PodMeets World on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. December 29th. 1975, LaGuardia Airport. The holiday rush, parents hauling luggage, kids gripping their new Christmas toys. Then, at 6.33 p.m., everything changed. There's been a bombing at the TWA terminal. Apparently, the explosion actually impelled metal, glass.

The injured were being loaded into ambulances, just a chaotic, chaotic scene. In its wake, a new kind of enemy emerged, and it was here to stay. Terrorism. Law and Order Criminal Justice System is back. In season two, we're turning our focus to a threat that hides in plain sight. That's harder to predict and even harder to stop. Listen to the new season of Law and Order Criminal Justice System on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, and I'm the host of the on-purpose podcast. And today I'm joined by one of the greatest athletes of all time, Novak Djokovic. The world's number one male tennis player. He's won 14 grand slams in a glittering career. Novak Djokovic! You've been through so many injuries, losses. Oh, I always heard himself. What has Novak Djokovic done?

What goes through your mind when you lose? I just want to be left alone. What has it taken to become Novak Djokovic? It's a consistent practice. It's prayer work, mindfulness, meditation, conscious breathing. It requires more responsibility from you on a daily basis to prepare yourself for the biggest battle. When you reach your 30, you start counting your days to your retirement.

I'm 38 this year. How far can I go? How long can I push my own limits? Listen to On Purpose with Jay Chetty on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Have you ever wished for a change but weren't sure how to make it? Maybe you felt stuck in a job, a place, or even a relationship. I'm Emily Tish Sussman, and on she pivots, I dive into the inspiring pivots of women who have taken big leaps in their lives and careers.

I'm Gretchen Whitmer, Jody Sweeten. Monica Patton. Elaine Welter-a. I'm Jessica Voss. And that's when I was like, I got to go. I don't know how, but that kicked off the pivot of how to make the transition. Learn how to get comfortable pivoting because your life is going to be full of them. Every episode gets real about the why behind these changes and gives you the inspiration and maybe the push to make your next pivot.

Listen to these women and more on She Pivots now on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. the time period in between you felt as if you and Rachel were probably broken up, but like you weren't really allowed to do that yet, is how you felt? That's probably the closest thing. So I felt at the time and like, do not know if this is accurate, you guys would have to ask her. It felt to me like, hey, I really want to break up with you, but I don't want to be the bad guy here. So let's just limp our way over to after the final rows and then we'll cut. it there. And she was probably like, no, we're going to be together until after the final

rows. And then we can cut it off there officially. Yeah. Yeah. And like, I mean, in hindsight, shit, I probably should have done that and hit under a rock for two months. But for some reason, when you're, you know, feeling insecure, you're feeling a million different emotions, you act out. The interesting thing here, Tino, if I remember right, it's been a bit. One, this story probably to your kind of own liking and strategy you've kind of kept quiet like you said you don't say yes to interviews

you kind of did the first week of runs after the show then you've kind of gone off and done your own thing you've stayed in the same job but I remember this season kind of during the show that you were taking accountability for these choices that you made you know I don't I think you can say yes maybe

you guys were broken up maybe this isn't as you know, much of a cheating scandal as it seems on television because of the time frame because of the conversations that were happening behind the scenes, but you've taken accountability for this being a bad decision because you're in still within the bachelor world at the time. Like the, you know, the fans haven't caught up with your life story yet. It was a bad decision that I didn't feel right about. It was close enough to cheating that I wanted to come clean about it.

and I think I got it in my head because there were two folds to you know my self-destructive path here right I did what I did and then I with nobody like I don't think a single person from the Bachelor franchise

ever told me I should have told the truth or complain about it to this day but I'm glad I did because when I look back on it still I feel like I can really hang my hat on, like, you know, I did something I didn't like and I came clean and I took a nasty punishment for it, but I wanted to kind of have that, like, at least like self-image of myself like that, you know, if I do something wrong, I'm willing to take accountability like Ben said

and take the punishment for it. And, you know, that was more important to me than kind of getting the sugar high of, I don't know, maybe a couple thousand more followers and some brand deals. The time has now passed. And infamous is about getting the sides of the story that felt, you know, chaotic, ugly, unfortunate, out there. And sometimes they stay that way. The stories are still unfortunate, ugly, and chaotic. But you've had time now removed. You've already mentioned the decision making that you would have, you know, maybe if you had hindsight, said, no, I won't go to a house party and kiss a girl because of the show still going on. But I'm more interested in the emotions now, a few years removed from the show, that you still

experience based on that decision and based on that finale and based on this show that so many people watched yeah i mean i've i've actually like gotten off of social media entirely um well yeah i mean for the most part but no instagram right and that was for better or worse a constant reminder of that experience of the show of the all that um rarely do i ever get recognized now like it's more surprising when it happens than it doesn't now um so it really has gotten to allow me to walk away really cleanly. I think the experience really made me appreciate and be

grateful and see how blessed a lot of us are in our daily lives. Because you suffer through that dopamine spike that very few get to experience. All three of us got to go on some pretty exceptional adventures. And it kind of showed me a side that is for some people, and I actually found a new value and a new love for kind of the simplicity of my life before. Hence, I went back to my job and got to, you know,

go and find extraordinary value in the things that I love. I found my way back into my faith, which was more recent and more related to, you know, health issues within my family. But I think it really just overall made me a really grateful person and I've even gotten to the point like you're touching on Ben that I actually and I don't want to sound like a cheeseball when I say this but it's true and I tell people this all the time I think what happened at AFR if we all remember it correctly being a little bit brutal

I really think it was a blessing in disguise I think God looked at me and saw somebody who was truly sorry and going through and said, look, this is going to hurt and you're not going to see why for a little while, and then it's going to become crystal clear

one day instantaneously that this was something I did for you. And I believe that with every ounce of my heart right now. It's interesting. So many people could relate with that, just not even from having a bachelor experience, so many people could relate with this. this season of being, you know, some would say like John on the Cross in the valley, you know,

in the valley and walking through this and then looking on the other side and, you know, kind of rising up and saying, I've learned so much. The learning so much is such a vital thing. I mean, it's my take for infamous. Ashley and I disagree on this and that's great and that's what makes this show amazing. My take is editing is never an excuse for a contestant to use. hers would say editing can be really bad based on our own personal experiences too she felt like her edit wasn't fair i felt like my edit was amazing um i felt like it was great like for half of the season and then we broke up and boy i i remember it differently yeah but the production side is very intriguing now from your perspective we could go in you know the decision was made

stuff has happened now. We've came clean on that. I want to know how the show supported you because obviously it felt like the world was coming down against you. Oh, this is going to be a quick question, huh? Yeah. I want to know how the show came around you

from a production standpoint, knowing that this was going to get really bad for you for, you know, as long as you let it. No, you can't get, I mean, maybe, I don't know. baby i don't i'm not the one suing you figure out a way to say this without getting sued how did the show come around you was it good or ben's like be a word master like me i don't know if they paid you nick and ashley to be nice to me but that was about it i mean you know i will say um the one person who i think you told me to call ben i don't know if we can name him or not but um he was an

EP. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Although he probably was the orchestrator of that miserable thing, he was the one person who reached out after. And there were a couple who actually apologized and he said, that was too much and I'm sorry. And I thought that was at least very classy, I guess. Like, it's like, yeah, hey, sorry. I tried to shoot at you at you and I missed. clipped your shoulder a little bit and I'll say like sorry about that. Did you feel like it was genuine? Yes, I did. But like, you know, he also was kind of like, how do I make it up to you? And I'm like, dude, I'm not signing another flipping thing. You slide across the desk. There's no way.

How do I make it up for you? Come to paradise. Yeah, exactly. He's like, name of price. And I'm like, there's no price. There's no price. Well, now that that person is probably gone. Would there, would there be a chance? No. I knew that. That was. was the easiest question ever it would have been a no anyways because um you know i just like life is just too good to kind of risk it all with that again but um like i i have been blessed to find um the person i'm going to spend the rest of my life with so um i mean i i don't have this yet but i'm working on it and uh yeah she's so exceptional there's there's no other way how does she feel about this whole thing you know she's supportive she wants me to fire back up the instagram and see if we

can get a free trip and I'm just kidding but I'm just like no it takes more than it gives from my experience like some people have turned it into something like really amazing but I just I like my day job I was like we'll just have to say my boyfriend's professor is way too friendly and now I'm seriously suspicious oh 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. Hello, it's Daniel Official. Writer Strong. And Wilfredel from PodMeets World. And we're bringing you Viva Las Content. That's right. We are back in Las Vegas, the city of sin,

and giving the people what they want. A full week of White 2K content. Wait, we're back in Vegas? Tell me why. Well, for the Backstreet Boys residency at Sphere, of course. We sat down with Kevin Richardson and A.J. McLean just minutes before they took the stage and our very own Wilfredel basically became the newest member of the band. Boy band, please. Plus, the man who has the longest running comedy show on the strip joins us and gets his props. It's Carrot Top, baby. And finally, we all L-O-V-E-Her, Ashley Simpson, Williamson Ross joins us to talk about her upcoming sold-out Vegas residency.

It's a full week of nostalgic interviews you don't want to miss. Listen to PodMeets World on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. December 29th, 1975, LaGuardia Airport. The holiday rush, parents hauling luggage, kids gripping their new Christmas toys. Then, at 6.33 p.m., everything changed. There's been a bombing at the TWA terminal. Apparently, the explosion actually impelled metal, glass. The injured were being loaded into ambulances.

Just a chaotic, chaotic scene. In its wake, a new kind of enemy emerged, and it was here to stay. Terrorism. Law and order, criminal justice system is Back. In season two, we're turning our focus to a threat that hides in plain sight. That's harder to predict and even harder to stop. Listen to the new season of Law and Order Criminal Justice System on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, and I'm the host of the on-purpose podcast, and today I'm joined by one of the

greatest athletes of all time, Novak Djokovic. The world's number one male tennis player. He's won 14 grand slams in a glittering career. Novak Djokovic! You've been through so many injuries, losses. I always showed himself. What has Novak Djokovic done? What goes through your mind when you lose?

I just want to be left alone. What has it taken to become Novak Djokovic? It's a consistent practice. It's prayer work, mindfulness, meditation. conscious breathing, it requires more responsibility from you on a daily basis to prepare yourself for the biggest battle. When you reach your 30, you start counting your days to your retirement. I'm 38 this year. How far can I go? How long can I push my own limits? Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your

podcast. Have you ever wished for a change but weren't sure how to make it? Maybe you felt stuck in a job, a place, or even a relationship. I'm Emily Tish Sussman, and on she pivots, I dive into the inspiring pivots of women who have taken big leaps in their lives and careers. I'm Gretchen Whitmer, Jody Sweeten. Monica Patton. Elaine Welteroth. I'm Jessica Voss. And that's when I was like, I got to go. I don't know how, but that kicked off the pivot of how to make the transition. Learn how to get comfortable pivoting because your life is going to be full of them. Every episode gets real about the why behind these changes and gives you the inspiration and maybe the push to make your next pivot listen to these women and more

on she pivots now on the iHeart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts we do want to talk about your girl but we um also just just want to um go back to the passage for a little bit longer now when ben talks about the edit and i had a great edit i mean like I looked great. I was genuinely, I did a great job, I think. There was a few episodes,

right? There's a few episodes. And to me, it was just that it was more or less so missing context. Sun Edit, it just was missing context.

And I feel like you could probably relate to that. Was there any scenes that would have made that didn't air that you like wish dead? There was a, um you know okay so now i'm really going to sound like i'm pandering's but i don't care i mean

what are they going to do dm like some random account dm you guys oh tell dino he sucks he's pandering because i don't have an instagram but um honestly gun to my head i wish they showed more i mean this is going to sound like such a pander but i wish they showed more of rachel because she was so much cooler that season than it was like reflected you know you said that back in the day yeah like I mean I actually like I thought they did a super disservice to me and her like I think it was like twofold where they were trying so hard to make me look bad or or that's just how I looked you know I got to I got to play devil's advocate here and avoid you know getting the call from the lawyers but um I thought it did a real disservice to her and I thought like they they cut out a lot of really cool shit that um you know we did and that would have benefited her at it more. But they were, you know, I think they can only show so much. And they were like, well, we're not going to show this guy in a good light.

So they showed the other ones, but it like kind of didn't do it justice. You said that back in the day. I remember you talking very highly of her, which was always a very unique position for you to be in. Because you didn't want to destroy her. No, I don't think you're friends. I don't think she wants to talk to you. I don't think you're like reaching out to her. I think we're better off.

I think we're good. But I remember you saying you don't want to destroy her because you don't have any desire to yet you want to protect yourself. How do you do that in the face of national television on a hot seat knowing that the live finale was going to come at you hard? So how do you do all this? And what ended up happening and tell me if I'm wrong is you sat there and you took it and you said if I can get out of here, the quick.

or the better and everybody hates me it's better than the alternative which was to try to place blame everywhere else was that your mindset going into that finale totally and like we ended up getting into it on the stage and like you'd have to ask her but i'm sure there were some like you know birdies in her ears saying like oh he's going to come out swinging you better you better be hot and boxing gloves on And, you know, I just was like, look, and I know that because I was, I had the same birdies that were saying, you better get out there and go ham and tell your side of the story. And I was like, look, I just don't, I don't really see any purpose in that. I don't think that will do either of us justice. And at the end of the day, the production for better or worse, invested a lot of time and energy in me as did she and it just didn't feel right to go

up there and kind of cowered my way through and placed the blame game and I know up there somehow we got into an argument so I feel like maybe she thought I was trying to do that but I mean it really wasn't my intention I think I rewatched it and I was

like I guess I could have said this differently and that's what triggered it but I really like I think I said something along lines of like I'm sorry it felt like I was you know blaming you I was really trying not to do that and that's what started it up because I think it's always hard to hear like I'm sorry you felt this way but like I was trying to say like it felt this way you know I don't know um but it was I was I was trying to get out of there and like my goal would be to like everyone walk away

being like well you know you're sorry you know like we can you know like he like i would have loved it if people were like well you know rarely do we get tv contestants who actually like come clean and take their punishment like that well i remember the way i felt was like yeah whoops and not whoops but yes he effed up definitely but i left watching that finale being like just kind of like so sympathetic for you because it was it was so embarrassing that the they brought even on stage to ask her out and um i was just like oh this play is just oh no no it felt so just felt so demoralizing i think it saved you and i think in a twisted way i think that was their thought. I really do. I think they thought they were going to do that. And I think when I got

that call apologizing, they thought they had the hooks in for like a light, you know, like somebody who'd be still involved with all this stuff, not just, you know, doing it because I adore you too and appreciate you too. Um, you're very sweet. But no, I think, I think it genuinely confused them when I said like, no, there's no way I'm doing anything for you guys again. Um, because I think it's so like every person from my season was in the group chat talking about

can't wait for paradise and I was like are we for real here? Like I'm not, you know, I just had a bad experience. I'm not going. Yeah. Well, kind of like Infamous does,

the hope is that Paradise is a redemption story. I think you would have got it, Tino, but it does sound like you didn't need it. Because you mentioned a second ago as we close here that you have found somebody that you're hoping to spend the rest of your life with. Am I wrong in making it that clear? She might listen.

Yeah, my goal is to, no, we're spending the rest of our lives together. Amazing. If I still got to convince her, you know, I'll keep working on it. But I think it's definitely more than reciprocated. And I was going to pull her up on Instagram, but you don't have one. Can we know who this is? Like, is this a secret? Sorry, it is.

Maybe she'll post about me and you all see it. But, yeah, I tease her all the time. How long have you been together? She's like, you don't have an Instagram. How long have you been together? We're coming on two years pretty soon here. Okay, two years together. Yeah, well, not that soon, but, you know, about a year and a half in, yeah.

Is there a rank? Not yet, but it's been designed. Yay, let's go. Does she know this? Yeah. Yeah, she's so good to me. It's like, I feel like blessed every day. And she knows all of this, right?

We're not going to, like, release something here that she's going to be like, wait, what's happening? Yeah, I want this to be the first time she hears it and gets all embarrassed and flusky. Oh, good. No, I tell her every day. Okay. That's amazing. You know, we love Rachel here, and you may have made your mistakes on the show and with the whole experience. But I just feel like you're a very sweet, sweet guy.

And she's a cool girl. She was putting into a really shitty situation. largely because of me, you know, and I haven't watched anything since, but I think she's kind of shown everyone that, it seems like, and, you know, that's good. I have no, like, thought of her ever, unless, like, somebody brings her up. And if they ever do, and they say something negative, I'm like, hey, you know, you guys didn't see the right person because she was really rad. I would not have gone to the length's idea. if she was not super rad.

It's just, you know, sometimes you lose the luck of the draw of how it gets all played out. That's true. We love Rachel here, but Tino, we're very happy for you. We're thankful that you came on here.

Thank you for giving us the time. In summary, here's what happened. Tino's owned his decisions. He had a really terrible finale that a lot of us felt where it was unnecessary. The Avan situation in a lot of ways, I believe, did kind of save Tino

because it took the focus off of him and made it this weird, awkward moment. Are they going to date to me? Yeah, it was very weird at every level. But Tino, out of all of this, out of all of this, the thing that's always been impressive that should not go unnoticed is that your hope and your desire and what's happened is you did not want to throw Rachel under the bus and blame it on her.

You also wanted to take the ownership for the decisions made. And I think that shows a lot of character. I don't think it's done a lot on reality television. It maybe didn't make you the most famous person of all time. But what it did do, as you said, is it taught you a way of life that will pay off in so many great ways. Yeah. As a whole life comes. Yeah.

So well put. Yeah. Tino Franco, thank you for coming on infamous. Appreciate it. For you too. Appreciate it, man. Thanks, buddy. Until next time.

I've been Ashley. And I've been Ben. We'll talk to you soon. Follow the Ben and Ashley I. Almost Famous Podcasts on IHartRadio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. 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, luckily, it's back to school week on the OK Storytime podcast, so we'll find out soon. This person writes, my boyfriend's 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. Hold up. Isn't that against school policy? That seems inappropriate. Maybe find out how it ends by listening to the OK Storytime podcast and the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hello, it's Daniel Fischel. Rider Strong. And Will Ferdell from PodMeets World. We are back in Las Vegas and giving the people what they want, a full week of Y2K content. Tell me why. Well, for the Backstreet Boys residency at Sphere, of course.

We joke and say This is our second marriage. But it takes a lot of communication. Plus, it's carrot top, baby. And finally, Ashley Simpson-Ross joins us to talk about her upcoming sold-out Vegas residency. Listen to PodMeets World on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. December 29th, 1975, LaGuardia Airport. The holiday rush.

Parents hauling luggage. Kids gripping their new Christmas toys. then everything changed. There's been a bombing at the TWA terminal, just a chaotic, chaotic scene. In its wake, a new kind of enemy emerged, terrorism. Listen to the new season of Law and Order Criminal Justice System on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, my name is Enya Humanzor.

And I'm Drew Phillips. And we run a podcast called Emerald. 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. Hi, I'm Jenna Lopez and in the new season of the Overcomper podcast, I'm even more honest, more vulnerable and more real than ever. 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?

Join me for conversations about healing and growth, all from one of my favorite spaces, The Kitchen. Listen to the new season of the Overcombered podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast.