The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - Landing in Paradise with Rachel Recchia

Episode Date: July 22, 2025

Former Bachelorette and Paradise contestant, Rachel Recchia, joins Ben to recap episode 4 of Bachelor in Paradise!More Goldens have arrived, and things are heating up! But how do we feel about seeing the Goldens take body shots?? Ben has a hot take about Kat and Dale’s quarrel, and we try to get to the bottom of “deaded it”. Plus, some couples are sharing their hearts, while others share their gum, and we’re breaking down every dramatic detail on the Almost Famous podcast!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. 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. 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 Overcomfit 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. What would you do if one bad decision forced you to choose between a maximum security prison or the most brutal boot camp designed to be hell on earth? Unfortunately for Mark Lombardo, this was the choice he faced.

He said, you are a number, a New York State number, and we own you. Listen to shock incarceration on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the Ben and Ashley I, Almost Famous Podcast with IHart Radio. Welcome back to Almost Famous. It's Ben. I'm here, and I have an incredible co-host today. And we have a lot to break down. Bachelor in Paradise is happening. Episode 4 of Paradise has just aired a few minutes ago, and we're here right now to talk about everything we saw,

experience, think, and feel. And we have not only a former paradiscer, but one of America's favorite bachelorette. Along with now, I think I'm going to call a reality star, because I don't think we can just consume this within the Bachelor world. Rachel Reckia, thank you for co-hosting with me today. Hi, Ben. Thank you for having me.

I'm so excited. I have so many thoughts. Oh. A lot to go over. I have zero doubt when Rachel comes on that she's going to have thoughts. Oh, I'm prepared with my notes always. So much to say. When I ask for a co-host, Rachel is my top choice.

But Rachel, before we jump into this together, because we're on the same team today, I do have to interview you for a second. Of course. I expect nothing less. Now, it has just come out that on August 1st, there's a new Netflix show called The Perfect Match that you're going to be on, along with Clayton Eckerd. Who would have thought those two names would be back in the same sentence? You did. Yeah, somebody's going to try to bring that back.

If somebody's going to try to make that happen, Rachel, I know you well enough, but I'm not going to claim to know your. ins and outs in dating and your lifestyle choices. I know you well enough to know that I like you and I appreciate you and I respect you and I get excited anytime we're going to be on the same trip together because I know you're a good time. I watched the trailer for the perfect match. It looks. I'm going to say the word sexy promiscuous. Yes, very out of my element. Netflix is very sexy it's like too hot to handle temptation island and then randomly like there's bachelor people there but i like to you know i try to step out of my comfort zone a little i think i did that so yes the show is very different i think from what the bachelor audience is used to i don't we're not

going to spend a ton of time on this i think it's going to be a great show i'm very excited to watch it we're going to be breaking it down actually right here on the almost famous podcast oh god okay so I can't wait to hear your thoughts. I'm actually kind of scared, but it'll be good. Yeah, I mean, I'll, I'm going to say it like I feel it. We're going to protect you. I was going to say, you better say nothing bad about me. I don't know.

I was an angel the whole time. I was an angel. I did nothing wrong. Did you feel, I mean, I feel like I would have felt this way. But, you know, being the lead on such a huge franchise like The Bachelorette, do you feel more hesitant kind of going on these other shows when somebody's like, get in a bikini and let somebody take a body shot off of you, which I only say that because we just saw that during this episode of Paradise.

Yeah. Like, would you feel a little bit more reserved than others? Or do you feel like you just still dove in? Well, I definitely dove in to the best of my ability. I don't think The Bachelorette is something that ever held me back, but I still do have a job as a pilot and a teacher. So I definitely keep that in the back of my mind. And I never did anything really that the audience hasn't seen me do.

Like, if I kiss a bunch of people, they've already seen me kiss 32. So nothing too bad. But, no, I was really excited to, like, jump in. And I hope you guys enjoy it. And I can't wait to hear the thoughts. I can't wait to watch it. Last question. I only know you, and I won't even say who it was, to date one person post-bachelorette

or have any type of fling with them. Is this show about finding love? Like, do you go on to it hoping that you find your perfect match? Or is it more of, hey, it's a good time. Let's just do it. Well, I think for the most part, like a lot of people just go on for, it's like paradise, kind of like the vibes. But our season, actually, we have an engagement and a baby, multiple engagements. So it's like this season was supposed to be a fling.

And when you go into it like that, I think that's when serious things happen. So after I and see. you could be engaged right now you could be a child I don't know you anymore I know you do you do I don't know but yeah no this is definitely their most serious season

that's why I think they brought in bachelor people and people from more serious shows because they wanted that kind of vibe and they got it but still sexy well we're going to be excited watching in August 1st on Netflix perfect match with our girl Rachel and Clayton

who knows there could be a new a rekindled fling happened, which would be even more mind-blowing, which I'd have so much to say, and I probably wouldn't protect Rachel at that point. But Rachel, let's dive into paradise. Let's dive in. Yeah, enough about that. So many thoughts. I want to know your opinion on this season, too. And that's where I want to start. I want to start with kind of the overarching, let's like regroup, catch up. It's episode four. The Goldens are now on the beach. We're seeing relationships deepen. We're of seeing relationships start to dwindle and fray overall you've been in paradise you've watched yourself in paradise my thoughts have always been this i i don't hate the modernization i do i do not like

the location i will say that it's very confusing for me compared even four episodes in it's hard for me to track where people are at what they're doing i miss people just being on the beach lounging swimming, chasing whatever they were chasing. I miss the bugs. I miss seeing like really beautiful people smack bugs off their faces in the middle of the night. I love that. I think it's a great element of the show that people enjoyed. I don't now.

I'm getting used to the kind of the filming and how it's edited and the modernization of that. I don't hate it as much as I used to. But I will say this. I am still four episodes in discombobulated while watching the show. because I don't feel like I understand what's happening and where people are kind of like mingling. And as a result, I lose touch because I used to love it when somebody would walk down the stairs of like the cabana room. And I would know that like, hey, there's significant others making out with somebody in the pool and they're going to walk right up on them. I miss that part of it.

I don't know what this resort looks like. Right. It's almost like as a viewer, you could walk around the old villa and know exactly where. everything was. Yes. I'm so happy I was on Paradise before this. Like no shade. Well, I'm going to probably shade a little bit.

But I, like you said, everything has to be updated, right? The way we were doing stuff was a little bit behind. I think we could have still done an update in a Bachelor way. What I don't like is it feels like it's trying to be not the Bachelor anymore. And that's where I feel like it's just not, like, doing well for me. I don't like the dream sequence thing that they're doing, this little, like, I don't know. I like the editing. I like that they get to have, you know, AC that's great for them.

I like that they're eating on camera. Amazing. But it's just a lot of change at once and a lot of change with the Goldens coming in and with the cast. I feel like getting the short end of the stick of six couples total. Like, how do you find options in that? And now the couples are all locked in because there's no one there. I don't know. No, I'm with you.

I'm tracking. I agree with everything. They've slowly eliminated the dream sequence more and more. I can tell that they're listening. I hate it. Yeah, to the audience being like, this is just distracting from the show. I personally, Rachel, you might hate this. I loved watching you have bugs.

Like, I loved watching people have crabs while they're trying to use. their morning constitutional. I loved seeing like the most put together social media influencer who's always like looking clean and nice sweat through their bikini and how I agree. Like I loved it. I thought that was the best thing. I miss seeing the people on the beach looking so disheveled and then the new fresh person coming down.

You could tell who's been there the longest. Now everyone looks fresh. Yeah. Like this isn't fair. No. Like, you need to look dirty and you need to have bugwights on your face and sand in your bed. That's paradise, eating French fries, like surviving off brown fried food. It's just definitely not paradise.

No. And I think from a viewer's standpoint, one of the things, you know, as the show became more influencer focused, and as people came off the Bachelor and Bachelorette and made their own name for themselves by doing whatever they did on social media, and as everybody comes back home and they are beautiful people, who, you know, can take a beautiful picture and mark it up. I think it was the thing saving the show for those same people to have to go to the beach and for the viewer to go, yeah, you're still pretty. You're still look great, but you're also very human.

Yeah, genuinely. And like Sam's story last year or two years ago was so good. Like she didn't poop for what, 10 days? That's amazing. That's so good for the show. That's what I was saying. And I think the reason last year I feel like got so much hate was because it was, in tandem with the golden, the first golden season.

So people were like, this is so stupid compared to the golden. I'm like, that's the point. It's been stupid. Every single season, you guys are just forgetting it. And now I'm like, it's kind of not as stupid anymore. It's kind of just like I'm watching couples lock in day one. And now I feel like everyone kind of knows how to play the game. I feel like that's what I'm watching.

Watching people try to produce themselves. Yeah. Some things did surprise me. Like the Jeremy and the Susie, that was wild. I loved that. but some of it is just like, okay, you guys know how to do this and I'm watching you play a game. Yeah, let's dive in.

Let's dive into this episode. We have all the couples, all the people on the beach. We had the same entry that we've had as the last episode with a lot of winking. It's cute. It's great. It's fine. It's fun. Everybody looks awesome.

It's a cool way to do it. We kind of started this episode. We started out slow with the water aerobics. and oh you missed the whole jonathan and april butling and purring yeah okay go ahead and talk about that i do think actually you're right that does play into kind of the big rose ceremony moment so i do think this is a foreshadowing of what to is to come i mean just kind of crazy like i think paradise is like even for me i feel like i when i was there i had a lot of connections like whatever i wasn't the

most solid but I hate this constant pushing of this golden and young narrative I feel like we're seeing the peak of it right now like I feel like this is where it's coming from and I'm just not into it I don't like it I mean I don't I've never liked it I won't say that I wouldn't be interested if April and Jonathan actually made out I would be like wow that's crazy not a great I don't want to see it. Like, we can make TV in so many other ways. Like, I don't know. It does make me uncomfortable.

And one of the reasons is, and you've been around them with me, we know so many of these golden ladies. I don't know as much of the golden men because their season happened and we haven't done as many things together. But I know so many of the golden ladies well. I respect them so much. And they are such motherly figures. Like, they sent Winnie.

my daughter, like a huge gift when she was born, you know, and it's an incredible gift that she still plays with. So sweet. Like, when we're together, they're so, like, encouraging and such good listeners to see those same women on the beach and to know, just in my mind that they're going to be pursued by somebody my age or younger makes me uncomfortable in so many ways. And I don't think viewers want to see it. Now, again, I'm a hypocrite because I did say at some point during this episode, I think April would be really down to make out with Jonathan. And it would honestly feel a little different for me because I know April as well. And I know she'd be really down to like probably make out with Jonathan. Totally. So like that doesn't feel as weird

to me, but that's a one-off scenario. I love April having her like share moment. Like, I do, but I also am like, okay, if you had rules reversed and this was cat iso and captain whatever, this would be not okay. So, like, I'm trying to put it in that perspective where, like, I do get age gap relationships, no problem with them. But, like, I don't want to view the goldens in this light. Like, I thought they were there for advice. And I love that they're, like, being crazy. doing body shots like I love that but it's making me look at them different and I don't want to I want to keep this image like Santa Claus in my head of them like you're perfect you're like my wife

she watches the golden show because there's a purity to it that she loves and she can like invest into these people and be like I just want to see you thrive and find your everlasting love but the switch would be like she doesn't I think view them in the way of you just want to hook up like you just need to get late again interesting thing though april you could tell me if i'm wrong april's like strutting around in a bikini she's looking good she's carrying it well like yes she looks great she's showing it off like she is she is there to she's definitely the one with the like youngest energy now we do have other relationships obviously uh you did the water aerobics were just was just a good filler nice and fun um we're gonna kind of skip through

this episode you stop me rachel wherever you think hey there's a big moment i'm really bummed and i hate when the show does this and i feel like they've done this more over the last five years than ever before i feel like they haven't completed story and i and so i invest into a story and then there's like a twist that i don't even see coming or understand that's a twist it just feels like i missed out on something and i felt like that with the rj natasha scenario i know that maybe she had mentioned hey like he's funny or whatever and it didn't feel like the connection was as strong as maybe he sensed it was. But in my mind, watching this episode and watching everything so far,

they had something good enough to continue on with this potentially, you know, leave this beach together. And so, well, spoiler alert, like she doesn't give RJ the Rose. He goes home. What happened? I know. I want to say, I do think Natasha was very openly interested in Gary. and the thing about the Golden's

is I feel like they're not like I need to get a rose they're like I'm interested in this one person like kind of tunnel vision and they don't really want to give, am I wrong? Like I kind of felt that way watching Leslie and I'm like,

I feel like once they like something they kind of just go all in which is respectable. I feel like Natasha which is more into Gary. I liked margin more but there was more potential there. Yeah, I mean it felt like there was actually something that.

I never saw the gory thing coming. 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.

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. Rider 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 new 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.

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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. 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.

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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 Ed. 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

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Listen to Wisecrack on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get. Get Your Podcasts. You mentioned that it feels like people nowadays are playing the game more than they used to. It sounds like what you're saying, too, is the Golden's just haven't played the game. They don't know how to play the game. So they don't know to stay open and to kind of date around. It could also be because they know what they want. Yeah.

Like maybe it's like it could be either. But yeah, we're watching game players versus like. newbies like we've never seen anything like that before it's like the old school paradise back in the day where it just started and you had that's where you had a lot of the like like weddings coming from because people would invest right away and that was one of the things the show struggled with it got boring because all these couples would couple up and they'd be like no to you and i to the end and it was beautiful but it was kind of like the middle of the season got so boring because everybody was just like enjoying each other's company on you know the beach right and it seems like

the stage the the golds are in well you mentioned this you know gary's showing up gary levinson shows up he's a big personality he's full of a ton of joy he's from jones season obviously of the golden bachelorette uh you know those big personalities will always stand out on the beach he seems in very he comes in very confident I did not see the Leslie relationship happening. I didn't either. I was going to say that. I wrote no chemistry.

She likes to dance. Leslie could love anyone when she's dancing. Like, that's what I got. Yeah. It just felt like it missed it the whole time. Now, the show did a good job. Like, with the rain and the dancing and the dips and the twirls, it made it look beautiful.

But it just never felt like the whole time I watched it. I said, I feel like I'm not watching what they're trying to communicate. to me. It feels like it misses it. A hundred percent agree. Even, you know, they, like, usually you can tell during the conversation. The dancing part, like, it is what it is. But during the conversation, you can usually tell if there's chemistry or not.

And I watched this and it did. It felt like two people on a first date that would leave being like, hey, I think you're great. Yeah, like two friends set them up. They're both hopeless romantics. I think they're similar in some sense. But I just, like you said, I did not get it. any sort of chemistry with them.

I want to keep on Gary for a second. Rachel, you know, he's this huge personality. I think Bachelor Nation has always known him as this bubbly, kind figure. And I think he is. I'm not going to say, I don't know him. I'm assuming he is. We saw Gary after the Rose ceremony, after Natasha gave him the Rose, we saw this, I would say, an other side of him, not the bubbly, welcoming, like, come give me a hug, good morning type

a person. He is either really into Leslie and really nervous about ruining whatever is happening there, or he is really not into Natasha and giving her the cold shoulder. So I say all this, if you'd a comment on it, and also for me to ask the question, because you've been to Paradise, I haven't. Why would he say yes to her rose if he wasn't at all into it? And it's so hard to watch them again, like you said, because they are not playing a game. And even when he accepted Natasha's rose. He was like dancing up there and like you said the first thing I thought was okay well we missed

something like they're clearly getting on so much better. I think Leslie was like okay well we had the date so it's the right thing to do to give him the rose like she's thinking in that way but the morning after Natasha comes up she's like oh you guys had like a chance to talk and he definitely

was disappointed that he was matched with Natasha and you could see it and I think Leslie was disappointed as well with her day, so I'll be interested to see what happens with that. It seems like I expected Gary to either decline the rose and hope that Leslie gave it to him or if he did accept the rose the next morning to be very brutally honest with Natasha and say, hey, I know last night played out the way it did. I just want to be honest with you.

We don't have something here. I'm very interested in Leslie and kind of free her up to not stand there and do the thing that I've been stuck doing so many times, which is, you know, you stand by their side and be like, so what are you having for breakfast? What are you? What are you into? And then ignoring you and you feeling about as, you know, an inch big, that's such a terrible feeling.

I think we could say the same thing for Leslie, though, because Kim wrote that amazing, like, no, or the poem, the ending was weird because he said, I think you're my number one until something changes, which was not romantic. but she still sat there and was like oh thank you like why didn't she say something and kind of cut it off so I think it'll be definitely interesting because we're watching definitely two people who I don't see have chemistry find their way back to each other maybe I don't know yeah it'll be interesting that's a storyline to follow other storylines to follow some quick hits here Kathy's you know body shot big deal love Kathy she's amazing she's amazing she's amazing

amazing. And she's so good on TV. Definitely didn't know how to do a body shot. I loved the way she did it. And I love the way she got like right on top of him. And everyone else there being like, oh, the young people would never do that. Because they're so cautious of like image. But like I love Kathy. She's bringing something to the beach that I will be so disappointed if we do not get her for the whole season. I'm with you. Kathy would be the one to get me into trouble if I was on the beach with her.

Like she would be the one to be like, hey, Ben, let's go rip shots at the bar, even though she supposedly has never taken a shot in her life. I looked like she did that one pretty easy. Yeah, I have a hard time believing that she has not tipped them back. Her with the champagne and the hot tub, like, I love her. I love her so much. She's great energy. The only thing that could have made it better was Susan being there alongside of her because the two of them are absolute clown show and the sweetest, most Karen. great women.

And I'm so glad so far that we have not seen Kathy with a younger man because that would have broke my heart in so many ways. I just don't think she would. No. I really don't. No, she's too, she still sees her. I mean, she is. She's a mom.

She has kids our age. Like she just could never go there. We've talked about the Leslie and Gary Day. We've talked about Natasha and Gary. I think it's time if you're okay with it, Rachel. To dig into what I find to be the most non-shocking, I guess, part of the show, which is this cat and Dale blow up. I wanted to talk to you about that. It's not shocking to me.

I don't know where we have forgotten things along the way. I don't know where we thought things would be different now than it was. But there's so many parts of this that I had to write in my. notes, don't be too judgmental because there's so many elements to this dynamic that just makes me cringe and go, what are you thinking? Okay, I'm interested. I think we might have different opinions on this. Okay. One, I'm with Kat. This dead it thing. This dead it thing is very confusing. It's very odd to me. Ben, I had to chat GPT. Dead it. I had to look it up. My question to you, Because I'm typically less likely to be in the know on cool new things happening in this world.

I've always been slow when it happens with that. And so this deadet, I'd never heard of it. I'd never, like, thought of it. I think I knew what it means, meaning like it's over, move on. However, if that's, is that what it means? Let me be clear. I actually know. I guess it kind of means like we took care of that.

Like it's over. It's like early 2000s slang is what it says. I'm like, when has anyone ever used that? And so many times, not only with Kat, he did it in the bedroom. He did it in his interview. Like, I mean, I didn't get to see enough of Dale and Claire's season, obviously, because he was gone in a day. Yeah. But now I'm seeing Dale, I'm like, what was wrong with you, kind of?

100%. Well, that was my point. Okay, so let's sit on the dead it because he does. does kiss somebody else. I don't even have a problem with that. It's paradise. It happens. It's part of it.

You do what you got to do. I think they should kiss more people. I think that I'm with you. Stay open. Go kiss. Go have fun. See what fits. See what doesn't.

And then at some point in the season, it feels like a natural, always a natural transition to be like, hey, you know what? I don't want us to leave alone. I want you to be here with me. But at the start, I'm always confused at the

relationships that are like, nope, you and I only. I think it's very fair. However, by saying that, I also will say that I think both sides need to be very open and honest about that, that they're kissing other people, that they're dating other people, that they're still into each other. It's a very weird dynamic. It felt like to me in the course of this argument that Dale was wanting to end it or thought they had ended it without actually asking if the other person involved was okay ending this conversation and moving forward it felt like he was almost forcing it being like hey it happened it's over you got to be okay with this move on when cat's sitting there and and i will say my criticism the cat is she gets very upset very quickly and she doesn't

clearly communicate that hey i don't want to move on from this because i am hurt by this i thought we had something more than special and i'm hurt so she didn't i won't say she did that perfectly, but it felt, I don't want to use the word manipulative because I know that, but I've already used it. It felt like a forced closure to a scenario that the other person had not signed off on closing. I agree. And to be fair, I was on Bachelor in Paradise with Kat. The way Catherine Isoh would blow up on a drop of a dime, I'm seeing such a mature I'm so proud of her. I've messaged her. I was like, I just watched the episode. And I was, I didn't know who I was watching. She was like so clearly telling him that she's upset not because of the kiss, but because he wasn't honest. And she wanted this open communication. And I think he was upset, I guess, because of the timing. Like they kept arguing about the timing and that in his world, they keep things so close and they don't say their relationship problems. I'm like, first of all, Dale. You lied on camera because you said you guys kissed once.

Why? She's going to see this back. Do you not think there are cameras here? And second, it was kind of giving, like you said, not manipulation, but I think when people tell their partner, we need to keep this between us. We're not supposed to be talking about this. It's giving like, you know you're wrong

and you just don't want her to go ask other people because they'll tell her you're wrong. Like he wants to kind of just never have this discussion. Again, it's not fair to cat. 100%. And that's why I was hesitant to use the word manipulation. I don't exactly know what it was. More than just it felt like he tried to control the narrative that at this point should not have been controlled.

It didn't need to be, it didn't need to be an issue. I think if the two of them sat there and said, hey, I'm hurt by this. And he said, I did this, but I'm still very interested in you. And what that kiss led me to was to know that I still want to come back to you. I think this gets a lot easier. He could have just been like, listen, it was day two. Like, I'm sure if someone else wrote your name down that you would have also done it, if not, that's okay.

But I chose you. This is what I did. Like, I'm only interested in you. And then maybe you have the conversation of we're keeping this closed now. We're not going to see other people. It's a perfect time for it. But like you said, he got angry. He told the boys about it.

He got mad at her because of the timing of it. And then it carried on into the next day and that night after the rose. It felt like he was trying to say the same thing. If he came up with a better argument, I think I'd get more on his side. But it felt like he was saying the same thing the whole time. It felt like even when he was talking to Gary at the bar, he was doing this thing where it's like, and we just come from different places. And I'm wanting to ask him or I wish Gary would have asked him.

What do you exactly mean by that? Because coming from different places doesn't change the fact that somebody you care about is hurt. When somebody you care about is hurt. If you care about them, you spend a little more time listening and trying to figure that out and coming up with some solution or at least walking through it. Or an apology or ownership to some degree. He took none. None.

None. I think, yeah. Like, he wasn't even meaning like I think we come from different backgrounds. I think he kept using that word. What I think he meant is in my family, we don't talk about our relationship problems with other people. And you did this in front of a camera and you're doing this before a rose ceremony. And I think that's what he was saying.

That's what I got and that's what I wrote down. I'm confused. I will say this whole thing, mostly Dale's reaction. Now, I do think Kat from your time on Paradise to now, like, just there's a big difference and how the response looks and I will say also she didn't perfectly communicate that she was hurt

and say how she was hurt but Dale's response to her is at this point and I think we'll get more clarity as the season goes on at this point it's nothing short of confusing to me and also it feels

like he's protecting something like defending himself in a way that doesn't it doesn't fit it doesn't feel like he's properly or intelligently defending himself so that she has clarity it just feels like he's like no stop talking about it you're hurt it's over we'll all move on but then she tried to move on like right after rose she was like he he ha ha he was like no no like he got mad about it again like we're missing something with dale he's not being honest to the camera with how he feels and I think that's why interviews are so important like To be honest, if you don't want to be honest with Kat,

but now we're all confused, like he said. I'm, we haven't seen, obviously, the episode just came out. It's always interesting to see the viewer's response. I'm assuming the viewer's response is going to be very much in kind of feeling like we're feeling where it's, hey, this felt unhealthy, it felt weird. It didn't feel like the start of a good relationship, which we'll skip forward like we have all episode here.

Why would she give him the rose then? that's a part that confuses me. I think Kat has grown so much, like, truly, but I think at the end of the day, like, Zail is probably the only one that she really is, like, sexually attracted to and interested in, and she, in her mind, like, I think kind of likes a little bit

of, like, the drama and toxicity. Like, not to a full extent, but I think there are some couples that kind of like that a little bit. And I think Kat could be one. I'm not trying to speak. for her, but I know couples that love to fight and then get, like, be fine after. Yeah, fight and then ravages. Yeah, literally, I think Kat has a little bit of that vibe.

Yeah, that makes sense. I mean, it does. It just, it's, it's unfamiliar to me. Like, you know, I walk a very safe line. I'm like, I don't want to fight and I don't want to have to figure out how to make up if we do fight. So I watch this and I feel uncomfortable. And that's why. I had a lot of shock, honestly, when she gave him the Rose.

It also feels like a decision now watching the previews for future episodes that she will, I don't regret, but that probably wasn't a great decision. It's just going to cause more drama and turmoil in her life. A couple couples that have no drama and turmoil, Alex and Andrew seem to be clicking around really good. I love them. I love Andrew personally. I love Alex. I think she's so different than, like, a lot of people we see on reality TV.

She's very refreshing. I see this as a couple. 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 think it's a problem.

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 Danielle Fischel. Rider Strong. And Will Ferdell 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, They 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 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, pull that, turn this. It's just, I can do it my eyes close. I'm Mani. I'm Noah. This is Devin. And on our new show, no such thing, we get to the bottom of questions like these. Join us as we talk to the leading expert on overconfidence. Those who lack expertise lack the expertise they need to recognize that they lack expertise. And then as we try the whole thing out for real. Wait, what?

Oh, that's the runway. I'm looking. at this thing, see? Listen to no such thing on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A foot washed up a shoe with some bones in it. They had no idea who it was. Most everything was burned up pretty good from the fire that not a whole lot was salvageable.

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behind the scenes at Othrum, the Houston Lab that takes on the most hopeless cases to finally solve the unsolvable. Listen to America's Crime Lab on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Now, I just want to bring something up. Okay. You can disagree with me. Please do. You feel it.

I think she's a lot more into him than he is into her. I think Andrew is very nonchalant. Okay. I've seen him, like, be, not, like, personally, but, like, I know. him I feel like and I think when he's into people he's not very like I don't know it's super forward I feel like he likes to like hang back a little I think he's also a little bit burned from his time with Teddy in Paradise and I think he's trying to like not seem all in too soon because he did get that edit of like he couldn't get over Teddy and they met so fast

so I think he also has been here enough where he knows what he's doing and thinking about that and thinking about things he's more hesitant yeah justin as well i think you see with like these seasoned you know paradise people like they're kind of a little bit more um hesitant to like make a big move that's that's fair and that i that would answer a lot of my questions i just see her kind of like saying things like i go to bed at night excited to see you the next day and he goes that's sweet and i'm like that dude like it's a big comment yeah i think He's just playing it a little safe. I do think he's into her.

But we will see. I hope he is. I love the couple if it works. Yes. Jeremy and Bailey, we barely see them. I don't like. I love her. Not into it.

He still hasn't told her what he did. That is grounds for absolutely never talking to him again. And she's watching this right now for the first time. Do you think she will ever know until she watched it back? I don't know. And I'm just a little bit also upset with Alex because isn't that your best friend? Like, I would be sprinting to Jill's room to tell her. Like, that is an insane thing to know and not tell her.

Yeah, you're right. We don't see a lot of in this episode. We do see them swapping gum. Yeah. And sunburn and just talking, no. The IHeart team really wants us to talk about the idea of them swapping gum, sharing gum, making out gum goes another person's. mouth. I have never experienced that. It's honestly something I would not do with my wife. If I mean, if her gum fell in my mouth, I'd be like, hey, this is yours or I'm throwing it away.

It's not something I particularly am going to enjoy. It's not something I'm going to be cool about. Or would I give it back to them or share it with them any longer? My wife and I would not be It's just gum is a bacteria-ridden substance that is meant to do clean up whatever it is that's going on in your funky mouth at that time. And the way they passed it, like it wasn't even like a, they were like mouth to mouth. And then she goes, there's no flavor to it. So you're just chewing this piece of gum that is all the food. He just ate stuck to it with no flavor. Like, and then passed it back.

You're not into it either. No, I think it's absolutely repulsive. And I also am just so mad at him that anything he does right now is making me pissed. Oh, so he's like, he's your villain number one right now. Yes. Are you, the way he just did her so dirty, like you went on a date. You almost gave her rose to Susie. She goes on a date and you have, when he's talking to Shabby in the corner, call her up right now.

I was like, you're nuts. You're crazy. Shoot or shoot. Come on. I'm sorry. I know we haven't talked about last episode together. I'm just like, no,

please keep going. This is good. I'm not over it. Like, I'm sorry, Jeremy, like I met him once, like seemed like a good guy,

but that was just crazy. And then to be cuddling with her on the couch, sleeping, passing gum back, like, no. And then you still haven't told her. Yeah,

I mean, so let's play this out. Listeners, I think would appreciate this. He never tells her. Let's just, let's just play it out that she doesn't ever know that he said the things he did

and then also went after Susie the way. he did she they're still together let's say at the end happily they better not be do you get upset like i love her she's an angel baby like she's like the queen of the beach like all the boys love her like i hate that for her like i don't know i just think it's so disrespectful yeah i it's weird too because it's not i mean i think you come at it from this place of protection because you love some of these women, you know some of them, you care about them, you've been there. The show isn't making it as big of a storyline as I think they could, meaning it doesn't

feel like they're lighting the switch to blow this thing up. Like they're kind of just secretly being like, yeah, Jeremy did what he did. And I do feel like it's a big deal. At least, as we said at the beginning, if he wanted to date other people, fine. but I think Paradise has always been best served when communication is honest and open and we should hear him have to tell Bailey I'm still into you and Susie's out of my mind

and I don't want to pursue her any longer or we need him to tell her hey I haven't stopped thinking about Susie since the moment she left and you and I are not going to make it but we should see that conversation have to happen I think he said it at the road ceremony I think to Jonathan he goes I'm second-guessing my decision now. I hope that Susie stays and takes this rose.

And Ann, on top of, like, you calling her right after that, like, this is a huge story. And you do make a good point. The fact that they are not blowing it up does make me maybe think that they're together because when they protect a couple of that's together. Yeah, I mean, that's... And so the great part will be the after show if we have one.

I know. Because I genuinely don't know. I only know Jill's, like, little world. Yeah. Like that. So I hope they ever gained them. I'll be front row. Let's talk about your girl, Jill.

Let's give her a moment here. Obviously, Jill and Ashley are good friends. You love Jill. And Jill is one of those people that I think, if I was on the beach with her, she would be like a safe, fun, just like one of those people that light up a room and bring positive moments to any, situation she's in i want her so badly to find love on this beach it does it feels like she gets pushed aside i don't know why it does it feels like these guys don't i've done some live events with jill she's gorgeous she's funny she's witty she's smart smart she's engaging i don't get why

one of these guys isn't like that's my girl like that's it genuinely it's funny because watching back i told her i'm like i feel like she would have hit it with Kyle from the very beginning of the season, the one whoever was like, who's Kyle? And, like, he just seems so, like, smart and mature and down to earth. And I feel like Jill needs, like, an intellectual guy. That's funny. And I think a lot of these guys on the beach, I would say Justin would have that too, but they're also such good friends.

Jill knows two guys that are on the beach currently. Yeah. I don't think they gave them a recipe for success with only having six couples. it's too little too little but it's still even with that i mean i'm with you i even with that when ashley told me that jill was coming back to paradise my first thought was goodness i hope this one works i thought she was engaged when she was there i'm like oh she's engaged i had a feeling i had a feeling i hate it i hate it but her story isn't finished no but she's with sean yeah so i already know her like i without knowing if i watched that happening like all right so

she's in a dark place right now. Love you, Sean. He knows I love him, but he even took her rose and said, I love the opportunity to be here next week. Oh, yeah, it's brutal. You're pissing me off. Yeah, that's brutal. And so we'll follow her along.

We're going to pause here on the breakdown of the show. We still have a few things to get to the rose ceremony. Jonathan's moment trying to figure out if he's going to stick around or not. our girl Hannah Brown she's a bachelorette just like you were she was announced to be in paradise she was given a title really before this whole competition thing

starts with this season I thought we'd see a lot of her to me it feels like they hired her on for a position that they don't know what she was going to do and they're trying to throw her into the most random scenarios and it just doesn't fit it's weird to see Hannah Brown in the background

of paradise passing out champagne and making like doing some like random interview we're not even seeing interviews of her i'm seeing so much of wells which i love wells like his interviews are incredible like i think he's such a crucial part of paradise but hannah is known for being outspoken and funny and crazy and we're getting none of that like not even an interview clip not even her going up and like laughing with the girls like i feel like they're not utilizing her at all. She's so funny. It's very odd to me.

It's felt odd when they announced it because, I mean, I love Wells. I love Hannah. I think she's great. But I was like, hey, Wells is enough here. Like this beach doesn't have room. There's only six couples for everybody. What is Hannah going to be doing? And the show, you know, had some fancy title like Champagne Hostess or whatever was or

bubbly hostess. And then we watched this season. And my thought is, why is she there? And that's not because it's the diss on Hannah. It's just, what is she doing? Yeah, I think there could have been, like, so much utilized because I think we needed some feminine energy. We have Jesse.

We have Wells. Wells gives the best advice, but I think Hannah, in a girl chat, Hannah leading dates or meeting them on dates, I think there could have been so much more. And she's so funny and chaotic. Yeah. They're definitely just, I think, fumbling with Hannah a little bit for sure. We should see Hannah on every day.

We should see her in every day, at least stopping by the table and, you know, doing the random funny, here's your two champains, how are you guys doing? Right. Saying something ridiculous and leaving. We should at least see that. We're getting none of it. It's very odd. I think the audience sees it as well. I've seen a couple TikToks about it.

And like everyone was so excited. And now it's like, I want to see my girl. And I see her teaching Leslie how to use a. megaphone. That's all I saw. Yeah, passing out maybe one champagne. So sad.

I know. I want to see more. All right. In closing here, Rachel, I should ask you first. Any thoughts that we haven't covered before we get into the Jonathan Rose ceremony scenarios?

Anything that you felt that stood out to you? Nothing really. I feel like we kind of went over most of it. I do love going into the ceremony. I do love the, footage from the rooms of everyone talking, kind of like the hitting camera, I think it's giving

a lot of insight that normally like when you're in front of a big camera you don't get. So before there was ceremony, like cat crying and having that moment and I did like to see that. So that's good. That's true. I mean, yeah, and you see it even with the guys when Nancy comes in and Gary's talking about, you know, how well endowed she is. And I don't think they know they're being filmed and I love that because you genuinely forget I experienced this for the first time and I'm like oh my gosh like you literally just like you're filming so much you forget that there's something in the corner yeah it's good to have those moments it's really good because you're going to get

the more like authentic like very loose hey there's six guys in a room talking about what girls they're into conversation and not so put together the put together gets old exactly I want to see Gary be like, I noticed something about Nancy and all the guys are like, I did do. I think it's funny. I think it's, you know what? People might not like it. I think it's, it feels a lot more like my real life than anything else that's happening. Agreed. Now the rose ceremony. Okay. So we're in the rose ceremony now. We obviously have to mention the easiest. 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. 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 Will Friedel 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. December 29th, 1975, LaGuardia Airport. 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. Imagine that you're on an airplane and all of a sudden. sudden you hear this.

Attention passengers, the pilot is having an emergency and we need someone, anyone, to land this plane. Think you could do it? It turns out that nearly 50% of men think that they could land the plane with the help of air traffic control. And they're saying like, okay, pull this, do this, pull that, turn this. It's just, I can do my eyes close. I'm Mani. I'm Noah.

This is Devon. And on our new show, no such thing. We get to the bottom of questions like this. 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. Hey, Siss, what if I could promise you you never had to listen to a condescending find bro, tell you how to manage your money again. Welcome to Brown Ambition. This is the hard part when you pay down those credit cards. If you haven't gotten to the bottom of why you were racking up credit or turning to credit cards, you may just recreate the same problem a year from now. When you do feel like you are bleeding from these high interest rates, I would start shopping for a debt consolidation loan, starting with your local credit union, shopping around online, looking for some

online lenders because they tend to have fewer fees and be more affordable. Listen, I am not here to judge. It is so expensive in these streets. I 100% can see how in just a few months you can have this much credit card debt when it weighs on you. It's really easy to just like stick your head in the sand. It's nice and dark in the sand. Even if it's scary, it's not going to go away just because you're avoiding it. And in fact, it may get even worse. For more judgment-free money advice, listen to Brown Ambition on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Rose, uh, of the whole season so far is the spencer. and Jesse Rose, they seem to be never shown because I think they're just one of those

quiet, steady couples. They are one of those couples to go back on what we were talking about at the beginning that maybe would have the conversation of like, hey, I'm so into you that it would crush me if you date anybody else and they both reciprocated those feelings. And they could like be the, the Jade and the Tanners, the Ashley and the Jared's, like those couples that just work forever, which is fun to watch. I have always been in the camp of I know they might be boring. I know they might not have drama.

I want to see more of them because honestly, I watch this show not only to see people make fools in themselves and to say things like dead it, but also to see love come out. Like to see love actually work from the show. That's what makes this show so great is there has been real relationships happen and new humans being born. And we don't see enough of them, I don't think.

No, they completely cut it. It reminds me of like Brandon and Serene and those couples that like do genuinely make it, at least for like some like portion. But yeah, it's like the only time you see them is when they're doing like their couple advice for people. Like you never genuinely see them talking. And we know like being on the show, you have so many conversations that don't get like shown. And I would love to see them having like deep conversations about like family and what they're looking for.

Even if it's for a second. I agree. I would like to see more. I want to cheer for them and root for them, but it's hard to, and you don't see them. Here's the rundown of the roses this episode. Prisa gives her rose to Brian. That's not a shocker at all. At this point, it seems like they're a very steady couple.

Bailey gives her rose to Jeremy. Alex gives her rose to Andrew. Natasha gives her rose to Gary. We've spoken about how big of a moment that was and kind of confusing and what that led into. Leslie then gives her rose to Kim. We'll stop here to talk about Kim for a second. Kim at first April thinks Captain Kim is very into her and that was missing the mark. He is, he's perfect for the show.

He's not made for reality television. He's such a good watch, so serious and so direct that I love to watch him because he makes every moment a little awkward. And he's so confident about it, even if he's so wrong. He didn't have Leslie's Rose. If Natasha doesn't give her rose to Gary, Gary has Leslie's Rose. So when he said, I'm going to be getting Leslie's rose,

and I'm not going to be pursuing anything with April, he was so wrong. He got lucky. And then he wrote it in his little poem again, that he was so confident and he knew. I'm like, oh, my goodness. Yeah, no, he definitely is not meant for TV. But, you know, we need all kinds of characters.

Oh, I think he has nothing wrong about him. He's not hurting anybody in the process. I respect his honesty, but goodness gracious, he just has a way to make things a little bit weird. Yes, agreed. And I appreciate it because I am right in that camp. Kathy gives her rose to Keith. It feels like a friendship is forming between Kathy and Keith. Jess gives her rose to Spencer, not a shock there.

Jill gives her rose to Sean. Is she happy to give her rose to Sean in this moment? Or is this begrudgingly like, I have a. nothing else to give. I feel like at this point, Jill is so mad at Jonathan, that anything that, you know, can work besides that, she's kind of just like, all right, I'm going to give us a chance and pray for men tomorrow. Like, that's a vibe I got.

I think she was definitely invested in Jonathan. And that did confuse me. So I think this is more of a, we both know we're just like waiting for something better to come along. Fair enough. Kat gives her rose to Dale. We've talked about it. it's very still up in the air in that relationship it's a good relationship to have in paradise

because it does bring drama i don't love the path that the previews seem to put this relationship on it feels like it just gets more hurtful and more sad and i don't want it for either of them but after cats last time in paradise and how she publicly said how much it hurt her i don't want more pain to come. Paradise should be kind of that like resurrection show where you reinvent yourself, you give yourself a better light, you come out of the ashes and you say, hey, I know what you think I am. I'm somebody different and it feels like Pat or Cat is on a path. Kind of walk down a similar lane that she did two seasons ago. I think she is from what I've seen getting like a redemption arc and she hasn't been as crazy. Like you guys have, cat was wild.

out my season. And so I, again, don't wish her pain with this Dale situation. But if it keeps going down this path, I do think she kind of might be the victim in it. But again, we'll wait and see. April gives her rose to Jonathan. Jonathan is sticking around based on the generosity of April. There was no romantic communication for this rose being given. She just really likes this guy and thinks he's the best and has straight up told him, hey, if you, if I was younger, I'd jump your bones. And I think what she's really saying there is you deserve your chance.

And so he's sticking around for another week, which is good for the show because he kind of has that Andrew Spencer first season of Paradise vibe where you're like he's a nice guy, he's attractive, it feels like he's going to friend zone a lot of people. Well, so with Jonathan

it's like, okay, I think there all comes a time where everyone needs to be like, all right, like maybe this isn't for me. It feels like Jonathan is not giving anyone a chance. You can't just like Alex and then like no one else for the rest of the time. And then take a rose from a guy and like all the golden women were saying, now we're down a guy.

We have three men. So you took that rose and you're still not open to giving people a chance. I hope we see more next episode. Hopefully he goes on a date and it opens up, but I'm not seeing it. Yeah. The golden men that go home, RJ, C.K. Jack go home. it is the question I want to mean it does seem like the show is now in a weird position it just doesn't feel like the show wanted to be in this position it seems from a production side to be a very unbalanced moment where there is so few golden men when you ever when you have so many people women and men going we need more men here like this isn't looking like we wanted it to there has to be more golden men coming I would expect right

hopefully I mean but we've already gotten two golden women arrival like it's truly not fair I think for them or the young cast like how small this is like it feels like they all got the short end of the stick I actually wonder and this could be a real problem if the show had a hard time get convincing men from the golden to come on and they had their like group and they had pictured out hey this is how we're going to make it through And then the Jonathan scenario threw them off. And they don't have, like, anybody else hanging out the hotel. Why didn't they, like, send a young person down? Like, why didn't they send Leah down with the road? That's a great. That could have been, like, an incredible, like, oh, my God. Like, Leia knows what she wants.

Or, I mean, she's the only one we've seen that's coming in, like, this week. But it just seems like an easy thing to do instead of putting. But they wanted that age gap, gross. I think that's what it was. I think they did. I think the show knew it would cause enough of an upster to make the press and the headlines and to make people possibly tune in and go, what kind of chaos is happening on this show? Agreed.

You know, obviously they bring in Nancy. So Nancy's one more golden woman. She's a hot commodity. We see every man on the beach kind of go, I'm into that. Heads are turned for Nancy. I'm here for it. I've said on the podcast before, Nancy's from the same place I am in Indiana. She grew up in the same lake.

And I know Nancy's family really well. I know Nancy. I love watching Nancy in Paradise because these men are trying to flirt and be like, is it breakfast in bed? And she's like, we're not sleeping together. And I'm like, that is very on par. I love her. I'm excited to see who she hits it off with.

It's tough. I think it's going to be hard in Paradise for Nancy, especially with only three men left. Now, you mentioned Leah. coming to the beach. You mentioned Nancy coming to the beach. We have really towards the end of the episode, for me, it was a lot of filler space to kind of figure out who's going to stay together

and who's not. And obviously the Dale and the cat scenario is the overarching storyline to the end of this episode because they kind of split ways once again after the rose ceremony to say this isn't working. We see Gary kind of turned down Natasha. Natasha is kind of out on her own looking to see who she could possibly connect with, which is just brutal, I think, to watch any of these Golden's feel lost.

I know. I don't want to watch them be sad. That's why I love the Golden Bachelor. I don't want to seem, and they do seem sad. It's hurtful, no matter what age, especially if they're not dating as much as like we are. This is their one chance to really go down and meet people who are willing to, like, date and, like, to see anyone get hurt, it's so sad. If I was them, I'd almost be in the mindset at this point, too, like, hey, we have, like, four more days together here, like, doesn't look like any of us are getting roses. Do you girls just want to party? Like, let's just go have fun around.

And I would like to watch that. I'd like to watch them not have to do rose ceremony and then be in the champagne lounge with Hannah Brown and having fun. Well, the kids have the drama. And then we just get, like, glimpses of them part. like that's what you want and having the most like beautiful judgmental conversations about everybody dating like they kind of commentate it that's what we need it'd be amazing because we get kathy just you know unveiled with enough champagne in her to loosen her lips natasha

saying what she says Hannah brown guiding the way that's good tv yes it should be completely separated and they just don't have to worry about going home and they can make their connections organically and then at the end we'll see if there's couples. I love it. Faith Martin also arrives at the beach one more golden girl, six golden women, three golden men, which leads us to the previews

for the next episode. Previews don't tell me much, but Rachel, really I think the most interesting part of this and where I think I've always wanted your opinion on, is this money element added to paradise? First question, do you like it or not? I think, again, going back, like, it's too much too soon for me.

Like, it is. And maybe it's because I've been there and I just hold this show in such a high regard. It feels like they're like, all right, let's change every single thing and see what sticks. And I just don't like it. I don't like that they're changing to try to be other shows. I'm with you. It does. I think we talked about it a few weeks ago.

It does feel like they're too late, one, it's not revolution. What The Bachelor always had was this kind of upstanding above reproach content that made us all go, love is possible, even in the wildest ways. I really, now I'm four episodes in, I really hate, I don't like the money element. I think it ruins this show to me. It is distracting to me. It also makes me question everybody's motives, which going back, the beautiful part about Paradise was it was relatable. because we knew your motives have to be pretty pure to stick around in a place that is so uncomfortable only with the hope of finding love.

Now you have air conditioning and money? No, genuinely. And I think it's, okay, whatever. Like it said it's going back to the OG bachelor pad days that I want to see every single person knowing that when they walk in. I want to see how they act different knowing that. But now I have, like, I don't know. It's just too much too soon.

and I don't like it. I think it's so unnecessary. Bachelor is fantasy. Like you said, it's this love and it's this, it's, oh, gee, it's the first that, it's the first dating show and now it feels like you're trying to be like everyone else. Now we're like lost everything that we've had. And then Paradise was our one, like, funny, humorous, like, got to have the cheesy intros and we don't have any of it now.

Nothing is the same. There's no Bachelor to it. It was an escape to laugh with and at people. and then go, I like you. Like, at the end of paradise. Let's get married. Yeah, it's amazing. Like, it had so many good elements.

The money to me, Rachel, distracts from all of it. I also, I don't know, I don't know the why. Because if the why was to intrigue viewers, one, they saved it for way too long in the season. You've lost all the viewers if money was going to be your, big, you know, catch them all. And kind of like you said, we don't know how people are going to respond. It could break up really beautiful relationships. Half million dollars is not nothing. Like it could definitely change the dynamics of the Spencer's and Jesse's if all of a sudden

a half million dollars is on the table and they have to decide between each other after a few weeks of knowing each other. I just don't know the why. It hasn't been clearly communicated to me why this money exists and what it's for I would I would be less upset with this season and I still am watching it and I'm still intrigued I'd be less upset with this season if I didn't have this kind of cloud over the whole thing so far being like but when is the money going to be introduced and what's that going to do because it feels like a whole different season than me and people are not going to be coming down to the beach anymore like that's the point of paradise I want to see bombshells.

I want to see people like breaking out and breaking up or staying together like, okay, now there's no more bombshells and we have all these instable, like, or whatever, couples, like Dale and Cat, yeah, they're going to be competing. They're fighting. Like, Jill and Sean, who are not, like, how did we get to this point where we don't have solid couples? Jeremy hasn't even told Bailey.

And now we're going to play for half a million dollars. Like, I don't like it. And are the Golden's doing these games? I have no idea. Like I said, we have not. We have not gotten any communication on what this many means. We're four episodes in. What, at episode five, they're going to drop the bomb and be like,

oh, by the way, you've been here the whole time, and it hasn't been ideal, but you're here for a half million dollars. It feels so odd to me. It feels like they wanted to do this, and they were trying to land a sponsorship. And they finally landed a sponsorship last week. They had some sponsored date by the movie. and they're like, okay, now we can offer a half million dollars. Without it, we didn't have it, but now we got a half million to offer these people.

Yeah, I feel like, yeah, it's just too much. It's too much change for me. It feels like they're trying to be Love Island in a way, but the challenges from the preview didn't even look like Love Island challenges where it's like, let's test chemistry and get drama going. It was like they were like doing these survivor challenges. Like, why am I watching Tribal Council and like a Love Island ending? where's the engagement?

It's like, where is Neil Lane in this preview? Like, this is not The Bachelor. I don't like it. I don't want to see Rachel Rechia stand on one leg for 30 minutes and see if she survives it. I don't want to see it. It's not interesting to me. Let's switch out Jesse and Jeff Probst. Like, I too much at once, too much at once.

And maybe I'm coming from like being old in the franchise and like I want things to be the same. But no, no, no, I don't like it. That's the best part about having a podcast. is if you are wrong and people don't agree with you, they'll tell you. But they also, I think we're speaking to most listeners and watchers right now from most of the polls and the comments and the feedback that we've received. People are feeling very similar to how we are right now about this season. Rachel, as we close up here, any final thoughts based on the preview based on what we've

talked about that we did not cover. No, I'm glad we got a chance to talk. I'm glad we're on the same page. This has been great. All right. I love to do this with anybody that has a big moment. First off, congratulations. Anytime you're asked to be back on television,

it is a big deal. It means you are sought after. Why should people starting August 1st on Netflix start watching perfect match? Well, it's going to be great. There's never been anything like it before. it's like the dating Avengers, all your favorite people from across reality universe are coming together. And it's actually different than any other season they've done.

So it's going to be exciting. And I'm on it. And you're on it. I was hoping you would just say, like watch it because I'm here. You can watch Rachel and Clayton, August 1st on Netflix, perfect match. Rachel, thank you for coming on, Almost Famous. Talking about Bachelor in Paradise, episode four, we will be talking to you again soon. and also the Almost Famous Podcast

will be breaking down the perfect match every week and talking about all we see, experience, feel, and do. It's going to be great. So if you're into Rachel and all these reality stars coming together to see if love can be formed,

make sure you tune in to the Almost Famous Podcast. Rachel, thanks for joining us. Thank you. Follow the Ben and Ashley I, Almost Famous Podcasts on IHart Radio 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. 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, Ash. 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. Hi, my name is Enya Humanzor.

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

Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you. Open your free IHeartRadio app. Search Emergency Intercom and listen now. Every case that is a cold case that has DNA. Right now in a backlog will be identified in our lifetime. On the new podcast, America's Crime Lab, every case has a story to tell. And the DNA holds the truth. He never thought he was going to get caught.

And I just looked at my computer screen. I was just like, gotcha. This technology is already solving so many cases. Listen to America's Crime Lab on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. about the scariest night of my life. This is Wisecrack, available now. Listen to Wisecrack on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast.