The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - Paradise By the Dashboard Light

Episode Date: September 29, 2021

Ben and Ashley break down this week’s episode of Bachelor in Paradise, which was not a good look for Ivan. Was he just using Chelsea to get to Alexa?? Ashley has some thoughts. We catch up with Madi Prewitt who shares the real reason she decided to go on The Bachelor. You won’t believe why she turned down a trip to Paradise! And, we try to figure out Kendall’s mindset while she was on the beach with Joe this season.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Hi, my name is Enya Eumanzor. And I'm Drew Phillips. And we run a podcast called Emergency Intercom. If you're a crime junkie and you love crimes, we're not the podcast for you. But if you have unmedicated ADHD... Oh my God, perfect. And want to hear people with mental illness, psychobabble.

Yes, yes. Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you. Open your... free iHeartRadio app search emergency internetcom and listen now I just normally do straight stand-up but this is a bit different what do you get when a true crime producer

walks into a comedy club answer a new podcast called Wisecrack where a comedian finds himself at the center of a chilling true crime story does anyone know what show they've come to see it's a story it's about the scariest night of my life

this is Wisecrack available now listen to Wisecrack on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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, ah, 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. What would you do if one bad decision forced you to choose between a maximum security prison or the most brutal boot camp designed to be hell on earth? Unfortunately for Mark Lombardo, this was the choice he faced. He said, you are a number, a New York State number, and we own you.

Listen to shock incarceration on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast. podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 Wittmer, Jody Sweetie. Monica Patton.

Elaine Welteroth. Learn how to get comfortable pivoting because your life is going to be full of them. Listen to these women and more on She's. Pivot's now on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the Ben and Ashley I, Almost Famous Podcasts with IHartRadio. It's almost famous time, and we're here. It's a huge episode today. We have Maddie Pruitt coming on.

We also are going to do our regular Bachelor recap, and we're going to do Bachelor headlines. But to start, we want to also break down the rule for this week's Bachelor Bracket. Ashley, what do we got? This week's batch bracket rule is plus 10 points. If a contestant mentions they can see a future with another contestant, oh my gosh, this is the week for this. There's going to be a lot of this chatter. It's going to be great.

Hey, Ashley, a huge episode this week, massive stuff going on. I do want to mention that a lot of people out there are probably expecting us because Michelle's suitors have been revealed. They're expecting us to break down that. We're going to do that, Ashley. We're just going to wait until after Paradise because... Okay, great. Yeah.

Thanks, Ben. I feel like we're jumping the gun on all of these meet the contestants because, am I wrong in saying that they've released the new bachelor's contestants as well this week? We got a sneak peek. We got some photos. I don't know if they're official, but I'm like, guys, slow down. We're not meeting these girls until January. I really don't care.

Yeah. You know what? And I don't think our listeners do either. We have a lot to focus on it. And Paradise is that thing right now. We will do it for you. Just give us some time. Let's talk Paradise.

Let's focus for a bit. So let's start here, Ashley. This week's episode is a big episode. We obviously have the drama between Ivan and Aaron kind of rolling over to the start of this. Ashley, what do we got? Okay. So obviously, we know that Aaron is mad as usual because Chels, but it's okay because in this case, I feel like I'm kind of on his side.

Yeah, because he is going after Ivan because he kissed Chelsea after saying things like I am not here trying to get anybody's rose, like I've kind of been here, I've met everyone. And I understand why Aaron gets mad at this. Of course, I always feel like Aaron's a little bit too dramatic about it. But then Ivan says something to him like, I didn't even pull her. she pulled me she was one and wanted to talk to me and then we do that little flashback and we see that is not the case and Ivan was definitely lying and he was kind of lying to everyone so I'm like okay Ivan step off yeah what do you what do you think about that moment because I think it gets even

yeah juicier you become even more on Aaron's side later at the actual row ceremony well let's start by saying this could not have been a worse episode for Ivan I mean a fan favorite, a guy that has kind of walked without a lot of issues on this show, he has like just a few weeks left. And it feels like everything blows up for him at the beginning of this episode. Like everything kind of blows up during the process of it. This is my thought. Yeah, I think Ivan was in the wrong.

I think he admitted it. I think we have, anytime we have video footage of somebody lying, we have to dig into that a bit and say, hey, he messed up. Now, do I think Ivan's the worst human in the world? No. Did he do anything that outrageous that other people have not done on Paradise? No. Not really.

But he lied about it. Like he did, and he tried to point it on Aaron or point it on Chelsea. And I think that was unfair. I think it was a big mistake on his part. And obviously, we'll talk about it later, but Ivan's whole episode kind of was a big blowup. I do want to ask you this, though, because I've been a fan of her from the very beginning. I still am. but was Chelsea at all in the wrong during any of this?

Like, she kissed Ivan. She was obviously with Aaron. We see through the episode that she feels like her and Aaron are a thing, obviously. But did Chelsea mess up at all with the rules of paradise by kissing Ivan on that couch? Probably not. Okay. Why? Because she is kind of like in the position of being pursued.

Like I think she's the guys have the role. the guys don't have the roses so she is in the position of being pursued and I don't think things are like tight enough with Aaron for her to like not be okay with

talking to Ivan that's all I have to say about that I don't know I mean I don't think she was in the wrong I do think it hurt her relationship with Aaron I think he probably thought there was something happening. I think he probably thought that was a big day for them to kind of

enhance their relationship. And so when that happened, I do think it took a step back, which maybe it's giving the excuse for Aaron to why he did what he did during prom, which we'll get to in a little bit. But yeah, that also weird. It's just like kind of all related together. So let's just jump to the next big moment. Definitely. And that is when Wells says that he needs to talk to Ivan privately before the before the Roe Ceremony. And he says that they basically caught him

going to another contestant. Her name is Alexa. Her room, the night that they stayed in the hotel. We knew from those scenes from the next episode last week that something obviously went down for them to even show the fact they left campus

for a little while. We were thinking that possibly he had something with Chelsea, but actually he ends up seeing like a list or something on a producer's phone that tells him that this girl, Alexa, who he was interested in from the get-go, is in the hotel, and I guess awaiting her arrival to paradise, ends up spending some quality time with her alone. Noah, his roommate, totally must have known this because he left the room for hours, unless he said he was going to do an interview for a long time.

and then he has to admit this and to me in this moment the big like done done done is okay he really was using Chelsea he was really using her to get the rose so that Alexa would come down the next week and I'm actually shocked there were even any girls that came down this week I think normally they cut it off

with the new arrivals at this point yeah that felt a little bit like odd because you only have like a week to build this relationship and then have a sleepover afterwards, but we did see some new girls come up and some new people. But let's focus on this for a second because this was obviously a big moment in the episode. It was very dramatic. It was stretched out. It was played out. But Ivan's biggest mistake here, in my opinion, the reason he left is not, I mean, not necessarily pursuing Alexa. Because I think, you know, he was fairly single. He made some poor.

choices, but he was fairly single. I mean, I'm wondering if the big mistake and tell me if I just totally miss this is that he got on a producer's phone. I mean, I think like if Ashley, if you and I as friends, if I had my phone laying out and you got on my phone to research something within the, like that I had on my phone, like that's a big invasion of privacy, one that like you and I would have an issue with. So I think that to me stood out as like, hey, if he just went and visited Alexa, weird decision, not a great decision, not an end-all, be-all.

Like, he was pursuing a girly light. It was he broke the trust of the show. Okay, so this week, Ivan tweeted something that was kind of juicy for all of us, especially with podcasts. He said that anybody who gets me on, whatever first podcast I go on, is going to get gold. So my thought is that there's a little bit more to this story, and it's not in there. Interesting. I don't know whether he saw a list.

I don't know that he would actually go on somebody's phone. I think there's something additional to this. Well, yeah, I don't want to make assumptions, but I do remember something within this episode of him saying there was a producer's phone laying out and he saw it. So I was just thinking, hey, it sounded like from the show at least that he took a phone and was looking at it. But that could be, there could be more to that, which his story. there has been, and so we'll be interested here what that is. But a big

mistake, Ivan goes home. He tells the group that what happened, he dismisses himself, and so there is one more guy gone. So then we get to the rose ceremony, and Ashley, some crazy stuff happens. He says to Chelsea, just wanted to let you know, wasn't going to

accept your rose anyway. Yeah, that was weird. That was heavy. Yeah. Like, he was trying to be, like, the big man. And it was like the opposite of that. It was so gross. Yeah, you're right. I forgot that line. That's a good point, Ash. That was a weird comment. Don't worry. Don't worry. I wasn't actually going to be that low. Yeah. I wasn't going to accept your rose if you gave it to me. Yeah, that's weird. Any, yeah, so we get then to this rose ceremony.

Serena gives Joe her rose, not crazy and not shocking. Abigail gives no other rose, not shocking at this point. Marissa gives Riley the Rose, Mari gives Kenny the Rose, Becca gives Thomas the Rose, a relationship that seems to be really strong. Rumors, pictures have came out that they might still be dating. Who knows? But this feels like a relationship we don't get to see anything about. Like, I have no clue. Becca is one of my closest friends from the franchise. I haven't got to speak with her in a couple months, but it just feels weird that we haven't seen them at all. I don't know what's going on there. Chelsea gives Aaron the Rose. Tasha gives Ed her rose. Tia gives James a rose.

Blake, Dr. Joe, and DeMar go home. Anything shocking here? Demar. Yeah. Because, remember, did we see things? Do we both see things that weren't there? He kissed Marissa and we never talked about it because it never aired. What happened?

But it aired in a preview. Yeah. What was that? Did we see things? I mean, no, seriously, audience, let us know. Did we like get a cut that nobody did? Nobody else saw. Yeah, how was people not freaking out over this?

Like, Marissa and Riley feels so strong. They feel like they really haven't hit any roadblocks. They've had tough conversations, but every relationship does. And then we see this scene that shocked you and I, actually, like shocked us and said, we can't, we don't know what's going to go on. And then it doesn't ever get shown. So what happened? We got to get some follow up there.

I'm sure we'll have Riley or Marissa on the podcast or tomorrow here at some point. We've got to ask it that. point. What in the world were we seeing? Like, it was that just reimagining things? It might be the best way to ask that question because you and I both saw it. Well, the next morning, they wake up. Everything seems to be good. They're hanging by the pool. People are kissing. People are smooching. People are relaxing. It feels like the time that relationships are blossoming. Wells comes out. At this point, I'm glad to see Wells still in his bartender shirt, but he's no longer just a bartender. Actually, he is the host. Good for him. Which is great.

Because it feels like he's been the host kind of the entire time. I was going to say, he better be getting paid all season as the host because he's really helped out a lot. I know. All right. And then we get a new girl in, which again, I am shocked that there's new people. Might be wrong, but I always thought that there was like two groups of girls that come in and then two groups of guys that come in beyond the original cast. And they are just bringing people in and it's crazy. But Anna comes in and I'm kind of excited that Anna is there just because like she was such a splash.

personality on mat season. I think it would have been a waste not to have her in paradise. She you know, not a lot of guys are available at this point. And we see her talk to Thomas and he says no. Kenny, he says no.

But then James says yes, which isn't surprising because Tia has been pretty honest about the fact that she's not like 100% in on that. And I think he deserves to go on this date. And they definitely feel like they have more chemistry than he does with Tia. and Tia is bummed and I totally understand that but like also she knows that she's not

going to end up marrying James well and it's getting so late in the game that it's just like why why even like pretend like why even try with somebody that you know that's not going to happen with yeah yeah and at some point that question is going to be asked right I'm sure well as at the end of the probably the next episode is going to say hey if you don't see this becoming something serious you need to go home and they're going to have to have those conversations so it was ending soon anyways, we would a guess. Thomas said something during this part with, I believe was Anna, that was really, really good to hear. He said, Paradise is a place for redemption. And it put things in the perspective for me, right? Because I oftentimes have been the one

where people show up to the beach, and I just have the image of them from their time on the show. Like, it's hard for me to break through that, right? I mean, there's people like, there's people let show up that I'm like on the show you were mean or hey you really messed up or hey you lied or hey you had a girlfriend or whatever it was I carry that over to the paradise which I think is fair in a sense but Thomas said something there with Anna that was like no paradise is that place for you to be reborn again you know like to to have a redemption story to show people on the beach who you really are and so Anna shows up there for that and I think it really maybe I'm assuming that phrase from Thomas really gave her some confidence to like free herself up from

what she thinks everybody thinks of her. I think so. I think totally. When James and Anna go on their date, though, I'm like, what a date from hell. Yeah. This just feels hot and sticky. I mean, nothing's worse. I wish to, I wish, Tage was on that date.

Oh, yeah. Can you believe the obsession that the show has this season with just decorating people with food and like sort of sexual situations. Yeah. We had won the whipped cream with Marissa and Riley. Then we had, um, last week's taco thing with Kenny and Mari. And now we have the human churro with James and Anna. And it's just ridiculous.

And then they go on the, then the snakes are all over them. I was like, oh my God. Get me out of this date. But they, like, can they hit it off? And it goes well. Um, meanwhile, back at the beach, there's this Abigail thing going on with no. And Noah ends up saying that he's falling in love with her, having a really emotional moment, and he's not feeling anything from her. She winks at him.

And I'm like, yeah, I think that he has been ahead of Abigail in feelings this entire time. And I'm starting to feel like Abigail is going to be the one that soon breaks this relationship apart. We see later in the episode we were far, we were far from that. Yeah. Well, let's finish out that thought because that relationship is one that we and most people there thought were really strong. We thought it was going to last the superlatives at the prom, which we'll get to in a second, said they were going to last. And then it ends. Yeah, shocking that Noah does it. But I do think there's a lot of pain there. I think breakups are always hard. I do understand what Noah is saying, though, right? He had strong feelings, but he just can't get to a place. where she's his person. I think it's fair. I think it's a really hard breakup, especially at the end.

But I don't think he was in the wrong for doing it now compared to in a week. Okay, but I'm just so confused as to how he went from one night saying I've been falling in love with you to the other night and him being like sad about the fact that she didn't say anything back.

And then to the next night, he's like, you're not my person and I've been trying to make you my person you can love somebody but not be in love with them I am just really confused at the 180 here that being said I feel like he's also probably feeling a lot of pressure

like is at this point because it's are you going to get engaged or are you going to break up because that's kind of what it comes down to which I don't love I don't love that aspect of paradise but that's kind of what's encouraged and so I'm not sure what it is but I thought it was that

I thought it was that norm. We either breakup or get engaged. But then when he just kept saying, you're not my person, you're not my person, I was like, oh, he's really not, like, leaving a window open for this to, like, ever rekindle in real life. No, no, that was tough. And it was hard to hear. Breakups are always messy. Well, one breakup we never saw happen, but there was a relationship that was formed from it,

is our girl, Natasha, who so many have cheered for this season, loses Ed. I guess she's sick. Oh, yeah. You know, she's kind of out of the paradise scene right now, recovering. She didn't feel good at prom. She didn't go to prom, did she? She didn't go to prom. She was sick.

Okay, we didn't see her that, yeah. And so, Ed and McKenna form a thing. Are we feeling bad for Natasha right now? Do we feel like this relationship that got away, or do we feel like, hey, this was bound to happen? Okay, honestly not, because Ed and Natasha, we're not going to get married. There was no great love there. There was some good fun, but there was no great love.

And I did feel so bad for McKenna, who, and Natasha has had so many weeks and, like, opportunities. It's just not happening for her there. And that's okay, because it is going to happen for Natasha because she rocks and because she's beautiful and we have no worries for her. I just at this point think it's just not happening in paradise. And that's okay. But with McKenna, I'm thinking McKenna, she was at that VIP party weeks ago. This girl had to quarantine before that. And then she was in the hotel sitting there for at least, at least seven days between that party and entering here in Paradise.

And then she shows up and there's no guy there, single really, ready to wanting to go on a date. She gets denied by Aaron. I feel her so much in this moment because that's how it was for me going into Paradise Three. not only was like the whole Jared scenario on my heart very heavily, but there was legitimately only one person, and that was Daniel McGuire, the Canadian in the Speedo, that I had the availability to go out on a date with. And that was really hard, really, really hard. So when I saw Ed go down there and say like hey let's just have fun like even if you hate me if we hate each other let's just have fun i was like this is really sweet it's a really nice gesture from somebody who probably

who just knows that things with natasha aren't going to like end end up together yeah it was your take no i'd agree i think you said it best and i think you've lived through that experience so you can speak to it and i think that gives it a lot of legitimacy um i thought he was just being sweet i didn't really realized that there was like, yeah, that he liked her until later on. Well, we get to prom. Prom's a big deal. It's fun. It's exciting. People are asking each other on prom. Tia is super sad because she doesn't have a prom date. But prom looks fun. It looks interesting. Well, Tia's story changes. When she gets to prom, Aaron makes the move on her, as we said earlier on, out of nowhere. Shocking. She kisses her.

did not see it coming, wonder how in the world it even happened. But it is the big story of prom, right? Everything else is kind of just easy going other than Noah Abigail break up afterwards. Were you shocked? Shocked. Why would he wait so long?

I have no clue. Why would he wait until after that Chelsea drama was over, the Chelsea drama that he like kind of sort of resolved, right? Like he fought so hard in that moment to have, to be with. Chelsea? And then he goes in like a very passionate kiss with Tia. Seems like it came out of nowhere. And again, I don't think it's going anywhere. No. It's too little time left. I think he really just said like I'm going to, like he said, he said, I'm going to regret it if I don't tell you this

and make this move. And so he did it. He got out of his system and we'll see how much fun there is to have in the next little bit where it goes. So relationships are still forming, even though we're late in the game. Relationships are ending at this point, Noah and Abigail. The rest of the relationship seemed to be strong. We obviously see Kenny and Mari connect at a deeper level, thanks to the show. I think the show recognized they needed just a moment to kind of reevaluate where they're at. And Kenny gets voted best flirt or biggest flirt. We obviously get the Joe and Serena becoming prom, king, and queen. Which felt very right. Yeah. And I thought prom was fun to watch. I thought it was a good, good mix

up on the show to fill some space. I thought it was probably fun for the cast to go and just like dress up and shake it up a bit. It was an enjoyable scene. And the only thing I have left to add about this episode is that the rollerblading date seemed so much fun and it really wanted

me, it really felt like I wanted to take my skates out of the storage unit after that. Oh, there you go. There you go. Well, that's the episode next week. We obviously have a big long episode, three hours to watch. it's going to be exciting. It's going to be intense. It's going to feel very much like a soap opera, I would assume. But we're going to see more of these relationships continue. Some of them end. And we're going to be here to break it down with you. Well, hey, let's take a break here. Ashley, we have a huge episode coming up. Maddie Pruitt, on the line. Hi, my name is Enya Jumanzor. And I'm Drew Phillips. And we run a podcast called

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

Search Emergency Intercom and listen now. I don't write songs. God write songs. I take dictation. I didn't even know you've been a pastor for over. 10 years. I think culture is any space that you live in that develops you. On a recent episode of Culture Raises Us podcast, I sat down with Warren Campbell, Grammy-winning producer, pastor, and music executive to talk about the beats, the business,

and the legacy behind some of the biggest names in gospel, R&B, and hip-hop. This is like watching Michael Jackson talk about Thurley before it happened. Was there a particular moment where you realized just how instrumental music culture was to shaping all of our global ecosystem? I was eight years old, and the Motown 25 special came on. And all the great Motown artists, Marvin, Stevie Wonder, Temptations, Diana Raw. From Mary Mary to Jennifer Hudson, we get into the soul of the music and the purpose that drives it. Listen to Culture raises us on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hi, I'm Kurt Brown-Oller. And I am Scotty Landis, and we host Bananas, the Weird News Podcasts with wonderful guests like Whitney Cummings. the truly tough questions. Why is cool mom an insult, but mom is fine? No. I always say, Kurt, a fun dad. Fun dad and cool mom. That's cool for me.

We also dig into important life stuff. Like, why our last names would make the worst hyphen ever? My last name is Cummings. I have sympathy for nobody. Yeah, mine's brown-olar, but with an H, so it looks like brown-holler. Okay, that's, okay, yours might be worse. We can never get married. Yeah.

Listen to this episode with Whitney Cummings and check out new episodes of bananas every Tuesday on the exactly right network. Listen to bananas 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, until this. Pull that.

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

Those who lack expertise lack the expertise they need to recognize that they lack expertise. Tees. And then, as we try the whole thing out for real. Wait, what? Oh, that's the run right. I'm looking at this thing. See? Listen to no such thing on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hola, it's HoneyGerman. And my podcast, Grasasas Come Again, is back. This season, we're going even deeper into the world of music and entertainment, with raw and honest conversations with some of your favorite Latin artists and celebrities. You didn't have to audition? No, I didn't audition. I haven't auditioned in, like, over 25 years.

Oh, wow. That's a real G-talk right there. Oh, yeah. We've got some of the biggest actors, musicians, content creators, and culture shifters, sharing their real stories of failure and success. You were destined to be a start. We talk all about what's viral and trending

with a little bit of chisement, a lot of laughs, and those amazing vivras you've come to expect. And, of course, we'll explore deeper topics dealing with identity, struggles, and all the issues affecting our Latin community. You feel like you get a little whitewash because you have to do the code switching? I won't say whitewash because at the end of the day, you know, I'm me.

But the whole pretending and code, you know, it takes a toll on you. Listen to the new season of Grasasas Come Again as part of My Cultura Podcast Network on the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. The one and only light of, of the Bachelor franchise, favorite of all, including Ashley and myself.

She's a big deal. Maddie Pruitt's on the line. What's up, guys? Hey, Maddie. So we wanted to have you on because you have a new book out. Well, it's coming out on October 19th. Okay, and it'll be on Amazon. And it's called Made for This Moment.

So my big question for you is, how is this different than all the other Bachelor books that we're seeing come out? Is it even a Bachelor book? So I do talk about my experience, of course. But really, I just, I mean, I talk about my life as a whole, like, just like my testimony and the things that I've walked through. But I do think that for me, I, because I, that is a question I get asked a lot.

And for me, the book is really just to encourage and empower, especially like women, but really anybody, but especially the women, just to like figure out who you are and know your identity, know your worth, know your value. and know that you're made on purpose and for purpose. And so my heart is really just like encouraged and empower and meet people where they're at, but help them get to where ultimately like I believe God wants them to be and what he has ultimately for them. So really that's like how I wrote with it in mind.

So it's not like a bachelor tea book. I'm not like exposing anyone. It's like very, I mean, I talk about my time throughout the show and just like how it impact to me why I went on the show because that's like the most fast question I think I get but yeah why I went on the show and just kind of what led to that moment of saying yes to that and then kind of the experience as a whole and then since then and just what I learned throughout that journey and even though like obviously most of my readers aren't going to be going on reality TV shows or have had that experience in the past for me it was like okay but

so many people understood like even watching my life the most asked question that I got on this like coming off the show was like how are you able to stay true to yourself and stay true to your beliefs and convictions? Like, how are you able to be so confident and calm and just whatever, you know, throughout the time on the show? And so really, like, that's kind of what I wanted to speak to, to people. And just like meet them where they're at. And even though their external experiences may not be the same as mine, they may not be on a reality TV show.

They, you know, are still left with all the same inside feelings of just trying to figure out, like, who am I? What am I here for? How can I stay true to myself with all. these pressures around me in the world telling me this is who you are this is your label this is what you're supposed to do like how can i silence all of that out and really figure out for myself like no this is who i am this is what i believe and no matter what environment i'm in i'm going to say true to that and so i really wrote it for those people out there so it's it's more of a empowerment faith-based book but it does have my bachelor story in there what's happened mattie between your time on the show

and now that's made you go, this is what I want to talk about. Like as the, as silence has became more and as things have kind of filtered through and now you have like a perspective on what that show meant to you and the platform was handed, why was your response? I want to write this book to empower people. So the crazy thing is I actually had started writing a book before I ever went on The Bachelor and I graduated from Bible College and thought that my life was heading in the trajectory of like I'm going to marry a pastor, I'm going to be like, you know, just praying over people

and going on mission trips. Like I fully thought that was the direction God had me going in. And when I got a call from The Bachelor and felt like that was what I was supposed to do, it fully didn't make sense to me. I was like, this doesn't really align with like what I'm going for and the trajectory of my life and kind of the box that I put myself in and other people would put me in. So I don't really understand like what this has to do with anything. But I knew that I was supposed to go on the show. And I felt led to do it. I didn't know what it was going to look like. I didn't know it was going to be me and Peter at the finale, trying to figure stuff out. Like, I had no idea what it was going to look like, but I was open. Like, I was like, honestly,

like, yeah, if I find my person great, like, I don't know. Like, I don't know what this is going to look like. So I'm just going to see. And I really stepped into it, um, open handed, but knowing that it was kind of where God was leading me. And then when I came off the show and I had so many people asking me, like so many of those questions. girls just like opening up about you know through my testimony and my story they decided to save themselves for marriage and wait and and just pursue kind of like pure you know purity until marriage and I it was just so cool I was like wow like this is so awesome and so many people who are so afraid to like talk about these things or to have these kind of beliefs and convictions

you know now like kind of opening up and just saying that I was able to just encourage them And so I really just, you know, I came off the show and because I felt led to do it and because I felt led to go on it, I never really like made it about me. Like I didn't come off the show and I was like, oh, like I get to do all these things. Like it's all about this, all about that. It was like, okay, so how can I use this? Since I felt like this is where God was leading me now, how can I use this to like add value to other people?

Like, how can I take this and pour into other people? And like as soon as I got off the show, I was getting reached out to by a lot of different conferences, student conferences, churches, you know, like come and speak. at our events and stuff like that and at first I was kind of like surprise I was like oh like you want me to come speak and I was like okay like let's do it God like whatever whatever you have and so really like my mindset was whatever you have for me Lord like whether it's you know something everyone sees something no one sees like I don't really care like I just know that I have something inside of me that I want to give to other people and I know that I can help encourage

and empower other people to like show me what that looks like and so when i got up on the show you know some opportunities started opening up of just speaking and writing and i really just like jumped on that and just wanted to kind of think at it from the perspective of like what is our like what is my generation really struggling with and what do i wish like someone would have told me when i was you know 18 19 20 21 like and how can i just really encourage them and empower them and help them get to where they dream to be and so that was kind of my mindset when I came off the show. I love that so much.

I feel like your book's going to help a lot of young girls and guys out there. So you say that you were led to be on The Bachelor. You didn't feel led to be on Paradise? I didn't know. I didn't know if it was led to be on Paradise. I said, no, I'm sorry. How hard did they try to get you on the show, though? They were pulling all the cards.

And they swore to me that my husband, was going to be on there. I have not watched. So I have no idea who they were referencing. But yeah, I just, yeah, I didn't. I'm a person of like peace and I'm a person of like leading with what I feel like, I don't know, where God is taking me. And when they called, I was like, listen, guys, I was like, no. I'm so sorry. I'm not, I'm just not going there. Was there ever a moment? Like, was there ever a moment that you even thought about it? Be honest. I would say I was 99% no. So there was a one. There was a 1% because they were like, I swear, Maddie, your husband is there.

And I was like, hmm. And then I thought about it. And I was like, no, you know, if he's there, then he's my husband, then he's going to find me the organic way. And I'm going to just see how things play out. And I haven't watched the show at all. So I have no idea who like is even on it other than my friends that went on it. But yeah, it was it was part no for me. Ashley, I don't know.

Yeah, I don't know what you think, but I don't think he was there. I don't know that's what I was going to say I'm thinking about the cast he didn't go he didn't show he still I'm like I don't know who I don't know who they would be referencing but I don't know again I don't even know who I was on there yeah I don't see it maybe maybe Ashley has a better radar here than I do but I'm kind of like it comes to me I'll like I'll let you know that's good stuff Maddie it's interesting Ashley and I have mentioned on the podcast before but there was a moment I was standing up in in front of a church a few years ago, and it hit me. I was like, you know, because of a reality television show, now people want to hear what I have to say, which is so weird to me. Have you ever had that feeling? Like, have you, as this book comes out,

is it odd to you that your life's experience, your life journey has led to a point where now people are so interested, they're going to be so excited about this book for you and to read what you have to say. And it comes from this crazy show that we're laughing about right now. I've had I would say I have more of those moments when people come up to me like crying and I'm like oh I'm like no it's just me stop um I would say I have more moments like that I would say as far as speaking and writing and everything I always knew that like that was going to be some form of my life I didn't know to what capacity I had no idea that like it was going to be at the level that it is to where people know my face and care what I have to say. I think more than anything, though, it's been so humbling. And it's just, I've been so much more dependent on God rather than like, oh, like, look at me, hear what I have

to say. It's like, no, I actually know how broken and messed up I am. And like, apart from God, like, I have nothing good to give. And so it's been a very humbling experience through all of this. And like, and like, and people keep you humble. So I'm like, you know, anytime I've, I've had one moment of maybe not being humble. I'm like, well, you just put me right back down. Thank you. Um, so, you know, it's been, it has been very interesting in a lot of ways, but I think more than anything, I don't know, like my life verse and like kind of just how I live my life in general is just very much like, God, this life is not my own. And like I, I'm not going to do like use it for selfish reasons. So like literally whatever you want to do with my life, however you want to use me and

what that looks like is totally up to you and so you know for me when i thought i was going to live in africa and be a missionary like i was very okay with that but i'm like this isn't what i expected but god's use it in ways bigger than i could have ever imagined and so for that i'm just i'm grateful and humbled um and yeah and i just i think my biggest prayer is just like everybody who picks up the book like it's a transformative book like it's not just another book where you know they get some information or they get some whatever and and that's that God. It's like, no, I, I'm praying. Like, I've prayed so hard over every single person that's going to be reading this book. And I'm just like, I just pray that every person who picks it up

just feels so loved and just met where they're at and just know that, like, they were made for such greatness and for such purpose. And so, yeah, I mean, that's just my mindset, kind of as I go throughout my day. And I think anytime I ever do make things about me, like God humbles me real quick. So I just try and just live with that mindset of like, okay, Lord, like, you know, whatever you have for me is, is great. And it's been really cool having, I mean, like you said, like on stage speaking, my favorite moments are like after when I'm meeting with someone one-on-one and I'm like, pray, like I get to pray with them or talk with them and hear some of their story. And, you know, they talk about like how I was able to like, you know, they gave their

heart to Jesus because of seeing my faith or they decided to save themselves for marriage because I've seen my values and all of these things that it's like, holy cow, like, wow, like it's just humbling and just like, oh my gosh, God, like only you could use someone like me and something like the bachelor to bring glory to like your name and to like make people want to know you more. Like that's, that to me is just like the overwhelming sense of feeling that I get from all of it. Well, Maddie, we're fans of you here. Jess and I are fans of you in life. We're glad to support you on the Almost Famous Podcast. We hope the book's a massive success.

Again, it comes out October 19th, right? I don't want to get that wrong. I want everybody to, and it's called Made for This Moment. You'll be able to find it because Maddie's pictures on the front of it, and I think you can recognize this. Maddie, before we go, I do want to talk about one more thing that you have going on, and that is your new podcast. It's Maddie Pruitt, the face of sports fashion.

how do you talk about like fashion on a podcast when it's not visual because I and I really want to know this because you have the coolest style and like you're always just so perfect and just adorable and okay how do you talk about fashion on a podcast? So I partnered with the J-Boy podcast and they they do so much with like sports and really covering like everything that's going on in college football college sports and so it just has been really fun because I you know for me it's like faith is such a big part of my life but I also like having my hand and so many different things in sports being one of those. I'm like, Ben, yeah, like, I see the basketballs above your head and I'm like, heck yeah. I'm like, let's go. And I that's just like,

just such a big part of like my personality, my life, my upbringing. And so for me, when like J-Boy podcast, like reached out and was like, hey, do you want to like come on and kind of be like the face of like, you know, fashion sports and all these things. I'm like, yeah, sure, like let's do it. And yeah, it's been, it's been really fun. And I actually, so I partnered with this game make a tour line and they actually represent like all of like collegiate sports just colleges all over the u.s and so we came out with like a line of just like sweatshirts and hoodies and stuff like that so i get to talk about that a good bit um but yeah i mean honestly i'm like gosh my style is like comfort over everything like i'm like i'm usually in sweats and sneakers so i'm like i'm very but you

make it cool it doesn't look like you're in sweats it looks like you're in an outfit now who is the most stylish athlete in your opinion athletes yeah oh gosh um honestly i love um i honestly i don't really have excuse me i don't really have like a favorite i always love like looking at their stuff like before the games and stuff i don't really have like a favorite athlete i would say my style icon is Haley Bieber, but I'm like, she's not really an athlete, but she, I love the vibe. Yeah, I don't know.

I mean, I love, I feel like it's funny because every athlete shows up in something different. And so, like, sometimes I'm like, that's the most horrendous thing I've ever seen in my life. And then sometimes I'm like, hmm, good job. But, like, all of them just have stylus. So it's just whatever, like, their stylus puts them in.

But I always love just seeing, like, the new, like, trends and swag. And, yeah, I'm just like a big sweatshirt girl. And, yeah, like a cool jacket. I love, I love accessories. So I'm like, good jewelry, good jacket, good shoes. I'm like, that's a statement. Like basic shirt, basic pants, but like go all out with like the bag and the jewelry

and the, you know, all the things, the shoes. And the cute hair and makeup and all that. All right. You're speaking Ashley's language. You're speaking truth in her. She's like, I can wear sweatpants, sweatpants, sneakers, and look good. I'm in. Yeah.

All right, Maddie. You are so sweet. We love having you on. Good luck with everything. and you guys can get the book again, October 19th on Amazon. Thanks, Maddie. Thank you guys so much. I had so much fun.

See ya. Bye, guys. Hi, my name is Enya Emanzor. And I'm Drew Phillips. And we run a podcast called Emergency Intercom. If you're a crime junkie and you love crimes, we're not the podcast for you. But if you have unmedicated ADHD, Oh, my God, perfect.

And want to hear people with mental illness, psychobabble. Yes, yes. Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you. Open your free IHeartRadio app. Search Emergency Intercom and listen now. I don't write songs. God write songs. I take dictation.

I didn't even know you've been a pastor for over 10 years. I think culture is any space that you live in that develops you. On a recent episode of Culture Raises Us podcast, I sat down with Warren Campbell, Grammy winning producer, pastor, and music executive to talk about the beats, the business, and the legacy behind some of the biggest names in gospel, R&B, and hip-hop. This is like watching Michael Jackson talk about Thurley before it happened. Was there a particular moment where you realize just how instrumental music culture was

to shaping all of our global ecosystem? I was eight years old, and the Motown 25 special came on. And all the great Motown artists, Marvin, Stevie Wonder, Temptations, Diana Raw. From Mary Mary to Jennifer Hudson, we get into the soul of the music and the purpose that drives it. Listen to Culture raises us on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, I'm Kurt Brown-Oller. And I am Scotty Landis, and we host Bananas, the Weird News Podcasts with wonderful guests like Whitney Cummings. And tackle the truly tough questions.

Why is cool mom an insult, but mom is fine? No. I always say, Kurt's a fun dad. Fun dad and cool mom. That's cool for me. We also dig into important life stuff. Like, why our last names would make the worst hyphen ever. My last name is Cummings.

I have sympathy for nobody. Yeah, mine's brown-oller, but with an H. So it looks like brown-holler. Okay, that's, okay, yours might be worse. We can never get married. Yeah. Listen to this episode with Whitney Cummings and check out new episodes of bananas every Tuesday on the exactly right network.

Listen to bananas on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast. 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, do this, pull that. this. It's just... I can do 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 run right. I'm looking at this thing. Listen to No Such Thing on the I Heart Radio. video app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. My name is Ed. Everyone say, hello, Ed. Hello, Ed. I'm from a very rural background myself. My dad is a farmer, and my mom is a cousin.

So, like, it's not... What do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? I know it sounds like the start of a bad joke, but that really was my reality nine years ago. I just normally do straight stand-up, but this is a bit different. On stage stood a comedian with a story that. that no one expected to hear. The 22nd of July 2015,

a 23-year-old man had killed his family. And then he came to my house. So what do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? A new podcast called Wisecrack, where stand-up comedy and murder takes center stage. Available now. Listen to Wisecrack,

on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, guys, well, Ben had to jump off, so I am in charge of Bachelor Headlines solo this week, starting off with the fact that Claire and Dale have broken up again after a five-month reconciliation. I am pretty sad about this. I really, really wanted things to work out for her. I felt the second time was truly a charm, but it doesn't look like that is the case. They were last spotted together at the Grey Goose Suite at the U.S. Open on September 9th.

I think that was their last Instagram as well. But then fans started to speculate on September 24th. They were not together when he celebrated his 33rd birthday without a social media post from Claire. He also attended a wedding that Claire was in, invited to as his plus one over the September 19th weekend and she didn't go. It was his friend's wedding and he wasn't talking about his own personal life. She just didn't go with him.

So that is just really, really sad news to me. I'm sure over the next couple weeks we'll find out a little bit more about what unfolded. but until then that's all we got we have some more details from Kendall long though who broke her silence this week about her decision to go on paradise and what she was looking for from that experience so she said in the final chapter of my life wouldn't it hurt to look back and regret a story formed from pieces of others lives wants and desires i think she's referring to fans who thought that she should not be on the show and not do not have the conversations that you had with Joe there she goes but I do what feels right I say what I need to say I don't regret a single thing I recommend you all stop living vicariously as well it's very freeing initially I knew that Joe is probably going to be on the show because he was single and he's an active part of the bachelor world when I went on it it wasn't when I went on I wasn't interested in getting back in a relationship with

Joe, because if I wanted to, I would have done that the year and a half that we had been broken up. She says, I didn't want to do it publicly in front of everyone. So my goal was to just go there, get closure, and find love on the beach like I did before. So this is very interesting. And I think that we're going to have to really get into the nitty gritty on this when Kendall does come on this podcast and she's a fun of the podcast. I think she will come on because I really want to know why it seemed like when she got there, really she just wanted to be with Joe. We will find out sooner rather than later, I hope. Now, Ben earlier in the show referred to the fact that we didn't get to see a lot of Becca and Thomas's relationship and he did respond to a fan this week actually

who said it was sad that Bachelor in Paradise hasn't shown enough of this relationship. He said, some of our most beautiful moments were made with the little things and reliving those will always be enough for me. Ben also said earlier in the podcast that there was photos of them, possibly together that showed up this week. So maybe they are still having a little something something because this quote saying that like those memories will be enough for him kind of sounds like their memories that aren't over but you know maybe i'm looking into things too much then we have another headline from a current bachelor cast member marissa gunn who says that she and christian built a fast connection by going to the boom boom room she said we got back to the beach and we wanted to

continue our conversation so as two consenting adults we went into the boom boom room together which is fine she said that the conversations that came from that night in an air condition room really strengthened their relationship. It was nice because it allowed us more time together, too, and we were able to build a connection fast. And our last headline is Matt James celebrates Rachel Kirkconnell as she turns 25. He says on Instagram, happy birthday to my emergency contact. He posted a very sweet carousel of photos of the two of them together since they met in late

2020 on The Bachelor and he said be strong, be courageous and do not be afraid or terrified because of them for the Lord your God goes with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. And then he followed it by saying, happy birth. It's my emergency contact. I love you. So sweet. All right, guys, well, that is the headlines for this week. We will be back next week. And I realized there was something huge we didn't talk about. And that was the scenes from the next episode. Because we see Kendall come back right as it looks like Joe is meeting Serena at the engagement altar.

Now, my best guess is that she's going to be sort of kind of giving him the blessing to go forward. I don't know that he's going to appreciate getting a blessing from Kendall. But maybe this is like her real sincere closure moment. So we'll have to stay tuned and we'll have the answers to all of these speculations next week after a three-hour Bachelor in Paradise finale. Love you guys so much. Thank you for always being here for us. It means the world and signing off solo.

I've been Ashley. Bye. Follow the Ben and Ashley I, almost famous podcasts on IHeart Radio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Hi, my name is Enya Yumanzoor. And I'm Drew Phillips. And we run a podcast called Emergency Intercom. 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 got you this technology's 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. It's 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. What would you do if one bad decision forced you to choose, choose between a maximum security prison or the most brutal boot camp designed to be hell on earth. Unfortunately for Mark Lombardo, this was the choice he faced. He said, you are a number,

a New York State number, and we own you. Listen to shock incarceration on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Tune in to All the Smoke Podcasts. where Matt and Stacks sit down with former first lady, Michelle Obama. Folks find it hard to hate up close. And when you get to know people, you're sitting in their kitchen tables, and they're talking like we're talking. You know, you hear our story, how we grew up, how I grew up.

And you get a chance for people to unpack and get beyond race. All the Smoke featuring Michelle Obama. To hear this podcast and more, open your free IHeart Radio app. Search All the Smoke and listen now. This is an IHeart podcast. Thank you.