The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - Radio Daze with Jason & Molly Mesnick

Episode Date: August 13, 2024

Ben is ready to recap this week’s episode of The Bachelorette, and we have an inside look from special guest stars Jason and Molly Mesnick! Molly & Jason share all the behind the scenes secrets from leading the radio show group date, and Molly reveals which of the guys she thinks Jenn is CLEARLY obsessed with. We hear who the producers consider the “villain” of this season and if Jason and Molly agree… but they also spill on who their favorite is from the season so far. Go deeper into this season of The Bachelorette, while also looking back to Jason Mesnick’s classic season, on a conversation you can only hear 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.

Now, hold up. Isn't that against school policy? That seems inappropriate. Maybe find out how it ends by listening to the OK Storytime Podcasts and 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. Have you ever wished for a change but weren't sure how to make it?

Maybe you felt stuck in a job, a place, or even a relationship. I'm Emily Tish Sussman, and on she pivots, I dive into the inspiring pivots of women who have taken big leaps in their lives and careers. I'm Gretchen Whitmer, Jody 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 Pippets, now on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Don't let biased algorithms or degree screens or exclusive professional networks or stereotypes.

Don't let anything keep you from discovering the half of the workforce who are stars. Workers skilled through alternative routes rather than a bachelor's degree. It's time to tear the paper ceiling and see the stars beyond it. Find out how you can make stars part of your talent strategy at tear the paperceiling.org. Brought to you by Opportunity at Work and the Ad Council. I was diagnosed with cancer on Friday and cancer free the next Friday. No chemo, no radiation, none of that. On a recent episode of Culture Raises Us podcast, I sat down with Warren Campbell,

Grammy-winning producer, pastor, and music executive to talk about the beats, the business, and the legacy behind some of the biggest names in gospel, R&B, and hip-hop. Personally, I started at Deathwell Records. From Mary Mary to Jennifer Hudson, we get into the soul of the music and the purpose that drives it. Listen to Culture raises us on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the Ben and Ashley I, Almost Famous Podcasts with IHeart Radio. Welcome to the Almost Famous Podcast. Today, we are joined by Jason and Molly, the stars of this episode, and stars within and beloved people, the goats within Bachelor Nation, some would call them.

here today to break down this episode of Jen, season of The Bachelorette. Jason Ehrlich calls you and asks you to host this date. Did you have any say in the concept of the date? No. I mean, you know, it's funny. They called up and they're like, hey, we're thinking about doing a radio show date. I'm like, oh my God, that's similar to what we did on the show, you know, 15 years ago. They're like, oh, really?

Like, they didn't realize it. The exact same date on our same day. So I was like, are you guys going to call the guy who hosted it, who Molly's former co-ho host named Bender, are you going to call him? They're like, damn, no. We, like, they had no idea. So luckily, like, we're able to kind of run through and make reintroductions to people. So not that we help plan it, but I think we helped get Bender on the show a little bit.

Yeah. Because they were going to use the other guy who's on there. His name is Jubil, who's a big kind of national guy. They were going to always him. And Bender loves this stuff. Yeah, yeah. Pick out of it. So I think we were able to piece some things together to make it more fun for everybody.

Yeah, but otherwise, no. We had no say. and you know I do want to kind of briefly run through the whole episode with the two of you because you have seen the whole episode at this point but to kind of finish the first couple thoughts on the date did they give you because I've hosted a couple dates for them they usually give you a little bit of a runaround on who the guys are

and what you should expect but it's not extensive the details have never like I've never been able to make sense of the characters until you watch the maybe the season back and like oh yeah that makes sense of what they're telling me How much prep did they give you going into that day on who was coming and what they were like? They gave us a rundown of all of the guys coming. They, I mean, the biggest thing they honed in on is that she was obsessed with Sam. So my recollection is we didn't get a rundown until we walked into the studio.

Yeah, like right before. And they have like just pictures of each guy. And this is like maybe an hour before we start filming. And we're like, okay, there's that guy. He's going to be sitting over there. That guy's going to be sitting over there. And like, but when they walk in, I think we know some of their faces. And then we talked to Jen a little bit before they, before we start rolling.

And that's where we kind of figured out, like, who Sam was and who of the other guys were. But it's surprising to me. And I don't know why it's surprising. I know how the show works. But they really were like, she is obsessed with him. She loves him. She can't get him out of her head. But then watching the season up to this point, they don't make it seem like that.

So editing is a tricky, funny thing, you know? Well, I mean. also told me, and I don't know if you remember this, and I'm not going to say his name because I don't want to, but they told me someone else in the group was more of like the villain that people were getting in fights with. And that's not at all how it's being presented on the show. Yeah. And I'm not sure your process of like how you want to go through the show. But I will say based on her conversation with us, producer's conversation with us, I can't believe it went the way it did. Like I thought she was all in on this guy and he was hometown days for for sure. And like I like watching it last, we just watched it last night. And I was like, I mean, I knew that at the end, like, he wasn't going to be the right fit. But I'm like, she loved this guy. And within 12 hours, he was gone or maybe 24 hours. He was gone. I was like, what the heck happened?

You were getting produced. How does it feel to get produced again? You're going to produce real hard. But she also liked him. Like, she walked in and we're like, okay, come on, just tell us. Who do you like? And she's like, Sam, Sam, Sam, Sam. And I'm like, okay, like, let's dig into Sam.

But at the same time, when we gave them, like, their alone time, the two of them to talk, we were still in the room, we both walked out. We saw her face change mid-conversation. Like, you could almost see the light bulb go off in her head where it's like, this guy ain't it. Interesting. Yeah. That's shocking. Okay.

I want to continue this conversation. But let's start at the beginning because we do have an episode to break down. And I don't want to keep you guys all day. Jen and the men are in Seattle this week, obviously, because we have Jason and Molly here. with us, helping break down this week's episode. Jason and Molly, hey, you live in Seattle. So this was just around the corner for you two. Yeah. Yeah, it's like old hat. Yeah. I mean, actually in the radio station where Molly used to work. Yeah. That's a super cool piece of information. I didn't think I realized that you did radio for seven years, but that was the radio station.

So it felt at home for you to go back and host a date there. Yeah. All the people in the building, my boss, who helped set all this up. Molly's chest bumping everybody as you want to keep the door. She's always the star of the show. Jason, no wonder you don't watch it. She's just kind of the goat. She's the goat.

We start out this episode with a scene of charity and Jen together. Charity is probably a breath of fresh air for Jen. I'm assuming. Jason, when you were The Bachelor, did any past Bachelors come on your season? No. No. When I was on The Bachelor,

the girl who was the bachelorette, no, no, when I was the bachelor in New Zealand, Deanna came. The girl who I was on the bachelor, she came, and I think they wanted to bring some drama into it. And she was just there for advice. But they made it look like she was coming to try to get me back. Yeah. It wasn't that. It wasn't that. It had nothing to do with that.

Well, we've mentioned that, Jason, you haven't watched a lot of this season, but Molly, you have. And so going into this episode, kind of what were you? looking forward to finding out about these guys before you got to meet him actually in person. I mean, obviously, Marcus has the first one-on-one date. That's somebody that, you know, I think the viewership has been very excited about since the beginning. I'm very intrigued by because he has been more reserved. So anybody else that you're really excited to learn more about this week? Um, gosh.

I mean, there's so many guys that I don't feel like they've developed very much. Like, we knew nothing about Spencer going into this. We knew nothing about Jeremy going into this. Like, they're kind of, the whole season has really been focused between Devin and Sam. So, I mean, yeah, I think I just, we wanted to know more about everyone other than those two. Don't you think when you were, also when you were in there, it was pretty obvious who the good dudes were? I mean, we'll get into our day. Jason and I walked away from it and we were like, okay, on the count of three, say who's,

your favorite was in the room. And we both had the same answer. Yeah, yeah. 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. What would you do if one bad decision forced you to choose between a maximum security prison or the most brutal boot camp designed to be hell on earth? Unfortunately for Mark Lombardo, this was the choice he faced. He said, you are a number, a New York state number, and we own you. Shock incarceration, also known as boot camps, are short-term, highly regimented correctional programs that mimic military basic training. These programs aim to provide a shock of prison life,

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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, like... What do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? I know it sounds like the start of a bad joke, but that really was my reality nine years ago.

I just normally do straight stand-up, but this is a bit different. On stage stood a comedian with a story that no one expected to hear. On the 22nd of July 2015, a 23-year-old man had killed his family. And then he came to my house. So what do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? A new podcast called Wisecrack, where stand-up comedy and murder takes center stage. Available now. Listen to Wisecrack on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast.

or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Dr. Joy Harden-Bradford, and in session 421 of Therapy for Black Girls, I sit down with Dr. Afea and Billy Shaka to explore how our hair connects to our identity, mental health, and the ways we heal. Because I think hair is a complex language system, right? In terms of it can tell how old you are,

your marital status, where you're from, you're a spiritual belief. But I think with social media, there's like a hyper-fixation and observation of our hair, right? That this is sometimes the first thing someone sees when we make a post or a reel is how our hair is styled.

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Listen to therapy for black girls on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Have you ever wished for a change but weren't sure how to make it? Maybe you felt stuck in a job, a place, or even a relationship. I'm Emily Tish Sussman, and on she pivots, I dive into the inspiring pivots of women who have taken big leaps in their lives and careers. I'm Gretchen Whitmer, Jody Sweetie. Monica Patton. Elaine Welter-A.

I'm Jessica Voss. And that's when I was like, I got to go. I don't know how, but that kicked off the pivot of how to make. the transition. Learn how to get comfortable pivoting because your life is going to be full of them. Every episode gets real about the why behind these changes and gives you the inspiration and maybe the push to make your next pivot. Listen to these women and more on She Pivot's now on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I do think the show has had seasons going back and forth.

and Ashley and I are always very critical, but also very celebratory for the show because it has brought us a lot of good things in life. I do think what we're seeing in some of the most recent seasons, not Joey's, I think Joey's was kind of an anomaly here. The character building of the contestants has been weak.

Yeah. Meaning we don't get to know much about any of them, but when we do, we get tied in because we root for them. Or, I mean, most of the time, we're just rooting for them. There's very few people from Joey's season we were ever cheering again. It's just you get to know their stories. Is that intentional that they're not doing the character stuff, you think, or the character

development? I would assume it's not because I think the show knows they want to do that. My assumption is that they don't have the contestants that actually have the ability to do it, meaning they're not as open, they're more reserved, they're not great in the ITMs, they're maybe a little more on edge. Typically, up until this season, I would have blamed it on the lead for not bringing that out in them. but I think Jen is bringing it out on them.

I don't think they're reciprocating kind of that response on here's my story. Here's what I'm dealing with. Here's what I'm looking for. It's just, I think it's hard. I don't even know. And like, Jen's,

Jen was awesome. We had a great time with her. But the producers also said like from their perspective, Jen was having a hard time getting, pulling stuff out of her. They thought Jen was being a little bit more close. And I, again, I only have one episode to watch.

I'm like, man, she looks great. Right. She's doing great on this thing. But like what they had said up to the point when we met them was it was more challenging for them. Yeah. Yeah, and that makes sense.

So good in the episode to see more of Marcus and, like, hear more of his personal family life. I mean, they just teed him up if he wants to be a bachelor. Like, holy half. I mean, I watched one episode, and I'm like, if he, the only reason he's not the bachelor is if he says no. Yeah. I mean, this episode.

Or if he gets chosen, but like, yeah. This episode was, it was, I'd say, I don't know how to, the adjective, maybe shocking to me because we don't know a lot about him, but we do know that he's served. He's a veteran. He's gone through a bunch of stuff, and he's mentioned that,

but he has been more reserved in every other moment other than when he's opened up at the very beginning of the season. This episode, he shares his story. And his story is one where I'm sitting here at my desk as I watch the episode. And I'm, you know,

I wrote a whole book on loneliness and why, you know, on connection. And I'm like, this guy has a story that so many people are going to benefit from. Because it's an incredible, story and he's come through it and now you see him on national television yeah i i hope again like i can't imagine going through something like he did but like that was the for me that's the reason to watch the show like the drama and all that kind of stuff i know people enjoy it but like coming

seeing a character or human like that that is accomplished and can come over so much stuff yeah he's awesome well the two of you could probably because i just just jodding down some notes the two of you could probably attest to this it's pretty wild to me and one of my favorites parts of watching the show at this point you know a lot of these people are a lot younger than me life has moved on for me but the thing that always this show does when it's good is it reminds me of the value of human story and that everybody has a story and I'm sure coming off of your seasons when you were on the show there were moments where you're looking around being like these are some incredible people and they've all been through something yeah and that's to me something special to

watch well and I know even thinking about like my story I know really the only reason that they wanted me was the single dad you know divorce guy and granted like i hope people like me other than that but i know like when we were going through casting for the bachelor and they were pretty transparent with me like who they were also considering but like i think it was the whole story of like this guy and his kid yeah yeah i mean and it's a relatable story yeah i'm sure at the time too that story was a little like uh shocking for them to want to put on because that hadn't probably been done before they're you know walking down a very easy line up until that point and you know it pushed the boundary a little bit but marcus's story just is heartwarming and he's obviously

getting the rose but as you said if he's not chosen and if he says yes to it there's zero chance he's not the bachelor right yeah i know i mean zero like i think his story and like again like he comes like i i think he's probably as authentic as he comes across yeah to to kind of crack open that story even more like how could you not love that guy yeah i love them everybody's got a root for him so he does get the rose he's moving on to hometowns he's a lock he's at the top of our list he's a favorite and then we have a group date uh we have a group date that uh jeremy is very he's very much hoping he doesn't go on because he's the only one without a one-on-one date up until this point i thought that there was a reason for that my mind was changed after his date but the group date

happens and the names on the list of the men who are going on the group date are Spencer, Jonathan, Sam, Devin, and Grant. And Jen says, I want a love that listens. Now, it's an interesting note card. I don't really know what that means. But Jason Amali, you do know what that means. And so what we find is that they show up to a radio station that you're both at, that you're hosting this date. And you've mentioned your two co-hosts that are in the room with you as well. What was your hope for this date? I mean, I know when you host a date, you obviously are kind of told, hey, this is how it's going to work and this was going to go on. But you also have some freedom to get something out of this date that you want as the host of the date. What were the two of you wanting for this

date? Well, I think first of all, this is a really tricky type of date because you are forcing these guys to express their feelings for Jen in front of one another. And it's not like they're doing it in a funny way where it's like a song or a dance or like a comedy show like they've done in the past. It was like you needed to share your real true feelings about her in a serious way with everyone else that lives with you in the same room. So I get that it could be really uncomfortable. Jen made the comment like, I feel like it's a who loves Jen competition more. And that's truly how it felt when we were in that room. It's like, everyone was trying to one up the next person.

I always like, like, my, my hope was, like, trying to figure out whether it was on camera or off camera, because, you know, we filmed for hours, right? And they give you 10 minutes on, on camera. So my hope was to find somebody who, identify somebody who was a good guy, right? Like, like, especially the era being so different now where people are trying to get more followers and Instagram and all that kind of stuff, like, to see, like, who looks at you in the eye when they're talking to you, right? Who isn't a complete douchebag?

Like who really cares? Who's not just saying what they think she wants to hear? Right. There was one very clear winner in that room for being genuine and how they spoke. No, you can tell. Who was it? Hey, let's have you guess. Who do you think we walked away and we were like, that dude is in this for real?

We love him. And one of the producers said the same thing. Afterwards, yeah. My first guess is Jonathan. Yep. Without a doubt. Without a doubt. When we would ask him questions, he wouldn't respond to us.

He would look straight at Jen and as if he was talking to her and no one else was in the room. It was amazing. And he's also those type of guys where if you're having a conversation, he'll ask you something where like, and I know you get to this with Sam. It's like me, me, me, me, me. Jonathan was the complete opposite out of editing, editing or not that was just like, hey, let me ask you a question. Super thoughtful, super good guy.

He was amazing. We walked away and we're like, he's awesome. So he was easily when you guys got in the car and you said, one, two, three, who's your favorite? Both of us said, Jonathan. Without a doubt. Like, not know, like, if they're attracted to each other and all that kind of stuff, but just, like, as good as you can meet.

Yeah. Because at this point, too, you're hosting a date, and there is no way for you to watch the episodes before. And so you don't, no matter what, you wouldn't have known anything about these guys leading up to that day because they're filming a show. I mean, we put a little bit, like, they were telling, like, where they just came from and that kind of stuff.

But other than that, we had, I mean, just their pictures on our, on our desk. Yeah. it was interesting that just the environment of the day where you have to kind of you know speak your love for her and there you've watched this season there's a lot of smooth talkers on this season yeah definitely right and so not knowing any of the backstory of any of these guys and how the first few weeks have gone i just kind of sat there internally smirking like god you're full of shit yes you didn't say it why Why didn't you say it? Well, I don't want to make anyone feel bad. And I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. But, like, if I would have learned that, I could see straight through some of these guys. But you were also, like, Molly's got an interesting perspective because she was a radio host.

She's hosting this thing. And you almost got back in the work mode. Yeah, maybe. So she was able to take her seven or eight years of experience on radio. There was two other radio hosts there. So they were in this position where it was very normal. And these guys, one, they think they're on a radio show. Yeah, right.

So they may be saying stuff outside of TV. They think they're live on the air in Seattle or going to be live on the air in Seattle. And they have no idea what's going on. So it was almost like it was three radio hosts against. Yeah, that's true. They're losing. Yeah. What was your role in that, Jason?

Like, you obviously were you. There was three radio hosts and you. Oh, you have no. Like, there was a like, you know, sometimes you have to re-report something and they don't like. So they had asked me to say something to all the guys in there and about who I'm picking. and all this stuff, and we shoot it. I'm like, fucking nailed that shit, right? I'm super pumped.

And they're like, hey, would it be easier if you do it again or Molly just says it? I was like, I know my role. Let's have her do it. You did a good job of talking. Like, normally I kind of take over and hijack interviews and all of that. Good job getting some words in. Yeah, I try to say five words total in five hours. Would it be easier for Molly just to do it?

Do you want to try that again? Jason, you're the best. Okay, well, obviously, the viewership is going to watch this date and see that the big storyline is Sam, right? These other guys, they did their thing. They played along. They answered the questions. Like, it was an awkward environment because you are asking all of them to express

their feelings towards Jen in front of each other, which I think is so unhealthy on this show and something you try to never do. But you two hosted a date that set them up for that. But Sam is really the storyline that comes. comes out of this. So when it comes to Sam, did you feel like as you were host of the show that it was an accurate portrayal

watching the episode back of how he was, or was it an inaccurate portrayal and editing really caused this whole thing to go a mess? I think it was entirely accurate. There was so much more that people didn't even see. um sam devon said it perfectly there's sam says so many words and he talks so much but it's as if nothing's coming out of his mouth like he just rambles and rambles and rambles and there was no meat to what he was saying and he couldn't really get his thoughts out what i will say is like

we're not going to sit here and bash sam like he's getting a really bad edit this season um i think this show and this environment either makes someone flourish or it makes them flounder. And I think he is maybe someone who this environment isn't good for him. I think he was more maybe wrapped up in the competition aspect of it and winning and wasn't really, like, allowing himself to feel. I disagree a little bit, meaning like, I think, I think the competition part of Sam for sure. And, but I think she was, she loved, like, we sat there and filmed for hours.

One of those hours was just, at one point, it was just Molly and I, uh, Jen and. Sam in the room and they were talking they were playing games they like that kiss that that they showed was like 15 seconds yeah super awkward to be in that room but like she was so it she is so attracted to him she was and I think yes the attraction piece of Sam yes Sam's like this former athlete there were things that Sam said that like they had to edit out they were so terrible we can't even talk about but I will say like I think and I can't figure out what happened because I would like if I didn't expect Sam to win but I expected Sam to get a hometown date for sure something else must have happened and I know there's the production aspect like they may have told

her let me give you an example they may have told her about something that really set her off and I'll give you one example that happened to me I remember I was on a date back in black and white TV with a girl who was on the show and I was it was they initially said hey we need you to go on a date with somebody that you know you're going to send home later that day so that was the plan. And I was like, okay, this sucks. This is how the show works. So I go on the date and halfway through the date, I'm like, I really like, she's awesome. And they're like, hey, Meznik, she's a full-time smoker. What do you think now? Right? So they knew that I had a kid and like, in like, you got in my head and I'm not picking somebody who smokes full time. That's not my

thing. So they got into my head and they knew that I was going to send her home because of that comment. I feel like there's something that was said that set her off because she was so, like before she walked in when Sam was before all the guys walked in, it was like, Sam, Sam, Sam, Sam, Sam, Sam, help me get to know these other guys better. But by the way, Sam, Sam, Sam, Sam. Yeah, I think it's more. Something happened that we came down. He doesn't give her anything.

He doesn't say, she asked him multiple times, but why do you like me? But why do you think you're in love with me? Why do you think we're compatible? And he gives just words, but there's nothing to us. I know, but that whole thing to me is like everybody's saying that. And if everybody's saying that, that's coming from somewhere. You're saying that because it was on the show last night also. But I felt that when we were filming, we're having an argument, Tom.

this podcast right now. No, this is good. This is, I like this. Let's go. When we were filming, the two of them had alone time and we were in there with him, we had earpieces in. And Sam, they would ask each other a question. Sam was rambling on for so long.

They'd be like, Molly, cut him off and ask another question. Tell him to stop talking and ask another question. He just kept going and going and going and going. But that could be also nerves. And again, I don't think Sam's near, again, I want to like, he's not nearly as bad as everybody saying. Like, he's got some stuff. I'm sure.

Like, and I think what he wanted more than anything is like, and maybe Jen's not the right person. He does want to be with somebody. He wants to get married. He wants that. And he probably saw it right in front of him. And it just wasn't working out for him. Well, but he's also foot in mouth moments where he's like, I thought it was going to be

Daisy or Maria. That was a point I was going to bring up where it's like, okay, no matter what we say about Sam. I'm not here to bash him. But like, there are some things that he was saying that you're like, hey, that's, there's just no way to get around what that you just. said that he thought it was two other people. And I will say, like, there are things that didn't make it on the air that will never,

ever be said by anybody. No, it's like, that was a moment where I was just like, oh, my God, I can't believe you just said that. Yeah, I mean, it cannot make Jen feel good. And so the timeline is this. You're saying that Jen came in and it's Sam, Sam, Sam, Sam, Sam is somebody you or two are going to look out for. And then was there a moment during this?

Because we're watching it as viewers and we're going, this is getting awkward. There are things that he's saying that. if we were dating, you know, I would have definitely been thrown off by or had a thousand questions to dig into or just maybe said, hey, this isn't working, like just got up and walked away. Was there a moment during your date where you felt like she realized this is maybe not the guy that I thought he was? Yeah, I saw it. I saw it. When she's, when they were having their alone time and he's talking and she finally is like, but why? But why do you think it's me? That's where I was like, she's on to him.

I, again, like, I know that that happened, but that's coming straight from a producer. Like, I went through this with you on the show, specifically. I had problems with you not opening up. And the producers are like, this is why I want to get it. Okay, continue. Yeah. Until she opens up because you were introverted. Yeah.

Right. And there's something about Sam, like, and again, I get it. Like, he's not the right guy for her. But those questions specifically are coming from somewhere else. Maybe. Okay. She don't like my perspective. I think these are great perspectives.

This is why the two of you thrived during your time podcast hosting together. 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 Podcasts on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. 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 into a comedy club? I know it sounds like the start of a bad joke, but that really was my reality nine years ago.

I just normally do straight stand-up, but this is a bit different. On stage stood a comedian with a story that... No one expected to hear. The 22nd of July 2015, a 23-year-old man had killed his family. And then he came to my house. So what do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? A new podcast called Wisecrack, where stand-up comedy and murder takes center stage. Available now.

Listen to Wisecrack on the U.S. Crack on the U.S. iHeartRadio 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. Shock incarceration, also known as boot camps, are short-term, highly regimented correctional programs that mimic military basic training. These programs aim to provide a shock of prison life,

emphasizing strict discipline, physical training, hard labor, and rehabilitation programs. Mark had one chance to complete this program and had no idea of the hell awaiting him the next six months. The first night was so overwhelming, and you don't know who's next to you. And we didn't know what to expect in the morning. Nobody tells you anything. Listen to shock incarceration on the IHeart Radio, app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

I'm Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, and in session 421 of Therapy for Black Girls, I sit down with Dr. Othia and Billy Shaka to explore how our hair connects to our identity, mental health, and the ways we heal. Because I think hair is a complex language system, right, in terms of it can tell how old you are, your marital status, where you're from, you're a spiritual belief. but I think with social media there's like a hyper fixation and observation of our hair

right that this is sometimes the first thing someone sees when we make a post or a reel. It's how our hair is styled. We talk about the important role hairstylists play in our community the pressure to always look put together and how breaking up with perfection can actually free us.

Plus, if you're someone who gets anxious about flying, don't miss session 418 with Dr. Angela Neil Barnett, where we dive into to managing flight anxiety. Listen to Therapy for Black Girls on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Have you ever wished for a change but weren't sure how to make it?

Maybe you felt stuck in a job, a place, or even a relationship. I'm Emily Tish Sussman, and on she pivots, I dive into the inspiring pivots of women who have taken big leaps in their lives and careers. I'm Gretchen Whitmer, Jody Sweetie. Monica Patton. Elaine Welterah. I'm Jessica Voss. And that's when I was like, I got to go.

I don't know how. But that kicked off the pivot of how to make the transition. Learn how to get comfortable pivoting because your life is going to be full of them. Every episode gets real about the why behind these changes and gives you the inspiration and maybe the push to make your next pivot. Listen to these women and more on She Pivots now on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. off. I do say there is a personality trait that I always watch out for every season. Anybody listens to this podcast knows what it is. It's my biggest pet peeve in life. It's somebody describes themselves by, for example, by saying you're a selfless person. I also am a

selfless person. I just don't think we as humans have the ability to actually describe ourselves in that way. I think we need to leave that up to somebody else. to say, hey, you know, you're a very selfless person. You are a selfless person. Jason, same to you. Same to you, Molly. So you guys can take that. You're the goat, Molly.

You shouldn't hear that. And so that always feels like during the show and the reason it bothers me is because it always does feel like it comes up in very important moments. And it does make the conversation more focused on myself than it does the other person. And that's really, outside of everything else, with the, you know, without doubling down on Sam, what really felt like to me, as a viewer, was most bothersome about this moment and your date was that everything did come back to himself at some level. It was never a curiosity or an intention of getting knowing Jen better. It was more of, I need to get the words in about myself

in this moment. Did you guys feel that way when you're hosting it? Yeah. I mean, that's a really good point. Like, you're like, hey, I'm really trustworthy and I'm honest person. Well, just be that way. don't you don't have to say it, right? That's actually a good point. Yeah, I mean, I think that's shown through. Well, the Sam, Jen, kind of fiasco is coming to ahead during your date, but then we obviously have another one-on-one date to get to before we go back to Sam and Jen as we finish out this episode, the podcast.

We have a one-on-one date with Jeremy. Jeremy is somebody that we really haven't heard much about. We don't know much about. And I really thought, quite frankly, that he was going home this episode. thought that was going to be a one-on-one date. Yeah. He's gone. What changed for, you know, for the two of you during this date to where you go, well,

okay, he actually is going to stick around. Yeah. I don't know if I had that moment because I, I, too, was like, well, we haven't seen him at all. So they're setting him up to be the guy that gets sent home on a one-on-one date. Like, that's why he's getting it. I don't even know if there was a moment for me. I was like, we don't know anything about this guy. They're not really talking about anything or not showing them talking about anything important.

so like I don't even know that's a good question it was almost like his when he was talking about his mom do you remember like maybe I'm making this up I thought I remember her saying like I'm pretty sure I knew who my three hometown kind of did like she was kind of getting to the point where she knew who their three were for the hometown dates but she didn't know her fourth when we saw her in person like I have this memory of like some kind of conversation around there and maybe it was just like I don't know who my fourth is so like and and he really earned that during the date maybe because I do like I remember that for my season I'm like I pretty sure I know my three but I don't know who the fourth is I got to really dig into this one I don't know I would agree I think that is probably common that you're like hey I've got a solid top three but the fourth is kind of you know out there however Grant seemed to be far in a way above Jeremy up until this week in every episode there was never a chance where he was not going to make the final four and I think most people's opinions yeah that was shocking to us we loved him when we met him. And Riley, that is Riley's favorite. She's like, if Grant's the Bachelor, I'm going on it.

Yeah. No 11-year-olds on the table. And then he was funny too. Yeah, he was a nice guy. I just don't know what happened there because he was such a favorite. They had such a good connection. He obviously opens up last week. He has a really sweet moment with Marcus where he's like, dude, I'm sorry, I have to tell you this. I just don't know how anybody else to talk to. But like, I'm in love with this girl. And Marcus is like, hey, it's all good. I got your back. I won't tell anybody. It's all. It's all. all fine. And then he's gone this week. And we don't really have a reasoning for it other than the fact that Jeremy does kind of sneak in with this unexpected rose. Now, their date was not

not great. It was a good date. They had a lot of really tough conversations about, you know, their faith systems, their faith traditions, where they come up in life, what they desire for a family, how they'd navigate that together. Those are very important conversations when you were looking to spend your life with somebody. But still, I didn't have. feel like that date pushed him to that place where I would be seeing him next week. But you know, can I tell you like by watching your first episode way midway through this season? Yeah. He was great. He didn't surprise me at all. I think he deserved to be there and we'll see what happened. Yeah, that's, he's a frontrunner. He's my favorite. Yeah, he's my favorite now.

It's actually an interesting perspective. Yeah. Yeah. Without any like backstory or watching this season that, you know, you come in, you're like, no, that guy's great. I don't see what I see what. Didn't show up on her date? He's my favorite now. So, you know, Jeremy does get the rose. So that means two people have the rose at this point. Marcus and Jeremy. And we're getting to the end of this episode where we see Jen come back into the hotel that all the guys are staying at.

Pretty fired up. And the confusion for me in this scene or in this moment for Jen is I actually don't know why she's fired up. Yes, it didn't feel like her and Sam were connecting. Yes, it felt like the day. date that you two hosted with Sam, it did feel like they were on a communication miss most of the time. But it does feel like to me when she comes back into the room to find Sam, or back into the hotel to find Sam, that like there's this like fire inside of her. Do you have any idea on where that would be coming from? Because for me, it feels like it should have just been

one of those moments where she's like, I'm just confused. Sam, we got to talk. But it feels like she's on a mission for something that's what i that's what i said like a producer in her chirping in her ear only because i've been there before yeah and you don't realize what what's happening at the time and i could be totally wrong i mean we got produced again and like we've been to this man that's what i mean like there's something like i just don't we're not privy to those conversations because like there's no way like she went from like he's my number one I'm not saying he was as number one but like number one attraction

like she can't get him physically to like being ousted and mad at him that quickly. I don't know. It did seem a little like jarring like whoa you're mad about something. Yeah. And I thought she was going to go and be like hey Sam you have a girlfriend back home. Like I thought that's what it felt like to me where like this was leading

up to big revelation but it wasn't. The two of them just had to talk. Out of there. Remember? Like she like storms out of there and she needs to cool off and I'm like whoa like this escalated quickly. something changed and you have to be right somebody got in her ear but it's not like they were getting in her ear and telling her something that wasn't probably true they were just for sure bringing to light stuff that she was not able to see up until this point maybe they told her what he said was she was in the room oh god stop referencing that because people don't know we'll never say it yeah it's just this mystery uh red it i'm sure if you go on red it in a couple days they'll find out what happened they're really good at it um they're really good at it um Um, okay, so she comes back out into the room. She has to cool off.

To summarize that whole long back and forth, it's just more of what was existing during your date. It's just the two of them, well, mostly he's just talking past her. None of it's connecting. Even when like you, you're like, hey, she's teaming you up for a very easy answer. The response was missing. And I am going to go back to what Jason said earlier because I do think this is true. And I feel for any person in this scenario.

Good. not the right environment for him. We're not going to double down on him and all the stuff that's gone on all season for him already. I feel like in this moment, what we really saw was that this dude is so insanely nervous, probably coming based on some way he feels about himself, because once the camera's on him,

and once the attention's on him, and once he's getting pushed a little bit, like he has that catch in his throat. He can't even speak. I noticed a nervous catch. There's something he was super nervous about. I mean, he's either allergies or nerves. Yeah, one of the other.

yeah allergies or nerves yeah it could be both but it did feel like to me when I watched this this dude felt pushed up against the wall

that he couldn't get out of he didn't know how to answer anything well he wasn't getting anywhere good his smooth talking had kind of come to an end so that wasn't going to work and he got very nervous and it felt like that's what caused

the massive disconnect to where he ended up going home because he had no way out like there was no good path for him forward no no still shot i like if he was sitting there wouldn't you have said 100% you get to hometown date i thought for sure 100% that's such a that's a very interesting perspective because you two were with him that week when you even left that day even after the fiasco that happened and even after their kind of conversation you two still felt like there's no chance he doesn't still get a hometown i felt 100% sure yeah i thought he'd get a hometown i mean like

i didn't know beyond that because obviously things yeah and whatnot but like i was like hands down like sitting in that room. I didn't know anybody else, Marcus's story. I knew she had a good date the day before. And she told us that, right? We didn't know any of that. But sitting there with the guys that we knew, like Grant, Sam, Jonathan, and then Spencer. And Spencer.

Yeah. I mean, and Spencer to me, like, I just remember going like the guys that when I was on The Bachelor, there's guys that made it to the final six or seven that didn't even know the battle. know her so like it didn't surprise me that there were people that weren't that close yeah yeah and he felt like so spencer who ends up going home at the end of this episode along with grant which was a shock to all of us here spencer to you during your day you felt like he's the one that probably is on the outside looking in it's pretty clear like kind of middle of the road he didn't stand out they didn't he didn't talk a ton and then watching the season he's non-existent i mean the two it only stuck out

The two people that stuck out to me where she wanted to ask, she wanted us to dig into Sam. And then she's like, okay, there's this guy, Devin, who looks like, Pete Davidson and like, I don't know if he's just funny or if I need to find out more, but can you dig into him? Because he's seen just like the funny guy. Yeah. Yep. And so Spencer was on the outside looking in, which makes sense because Spencer is going home along with Grant. Final thing I want to talk to you guys about before we kind of go on predictions for the rest of the season.

Spencer's last scene, as he says goodbye, he calls his mom. His mom is obviously very sweet. She obviously calls him baby. I think we've made that perfectly clear, which is fine. Moms can do what they want, how they want to do it. Outside of that conversation, am I wrong? You guys have been around the show for a while now in saying, yes, I do think Marcus is like teed up to be the next lead.

it felt like the show was trying to make Spencer that guy. They were trying to be something by showing that for sure. Like when I saw, I was like, they've never done this. This is weird. Why are they showing this? They're setting him up for something. But how could they set him up to be the bachelor now when they've been able to edit everything? And he's hardly in the show.

They know that they need backups. Yeah. They do need backups. They know that the first person might not accept and so on and so forth. We didn't even talk about all the girls coming to our house. Oh, yeah. that's a holy all those that were in town.

Trista Charity. They all came for dinner at our house. They all came over. Yeah. Wait, but not on the show. No, no, no, because they were in town

filming the day before. They all just looking out. And so we're like, why don't you girls all come over? So we had a rager at the mezzanick house with all the girls. Yeah. So they were really tired the day they filmed.

Was it fun? Oh, gosh. We had a blast. We had so much fun. I would have to catch myself every once to a while and be like, oh my gosh, I'm like 20 years older than these girls.

So who was? all there. Who were the girls that actually came over? Trista? Not Trista, obviously. Trista, Charity, Daisy, and Kelsey. And Riley had gotten into the season before, so Riley was super excited. Like, I just saw these girls on TV and now they're in my house. Yeah, Mom and Dad, you're so cool. Wait, why am I missing something where Daisy and Kelsey date were on this episode, were they? Yeah, they were. The wicked date. Oh, geez, goodness. Yes. That feels like, such a small, like, early part of the episode. Okay, you're right.

100%. Yeah. It was super cool because we obviously know Trista really well, but to get to know some of the younger girls, like, they were super cool. Well, they're, they're, and it's fun to see kind of this next generation because they are. They're very similar to how we all were coming off the show. They're excited. It's new.

But they're just great hangs. Like, they're a lot of fun to hang out with. So that's, that's special. And here's what's really cool. It probably meant a lot to them. like that you guys had them over. Like this means a lot to those contestants because you don't get those like really fun non like event moments where it's just like let's just go have fun at a house.

Yeah. Actually, Daisy who had reached out before after following just being so grateful. She's like that was so much fun. Thank you so much for welcoming us into your home. We love getting. Like she, she is as sweet as it gets. Oh. Same with charity.

Yeah. Oh my God. I mean, all of them. They're all nice. Yeah. Yeah. I don't think anybody shocked that Daisy's sweet. Her name's Daisy.

So it would be hard not to. You have to be nice. Yeah. To go back to the Spencer thing, I think, kind of, they need backups. And it wouldn't be shocking for the show as confusing it as it is to pick a lead who hasn't been shown a lot. Clayton, Zach, come to mind. Yeah.

Jen. Like, they have picked people who kind of fly under the radar during their season. And they kind of try to launch them up to be the. lead. I don't think it's a great strategy, but it is what has happened here as of recently. Sure. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So Ashley's not with us today. Obviously, she's momming it somewhere. Well, actually, nowhere in Rhode Island. They just went back to their home. And we do this every week at the end of this episode when we record. Top three. Now, it's only four people left. But who are your top three now moving into the final few weeks? In order from favorite,

two third okay um i'm gonna say favorite marcus me too gotcha jonathan me too do we have to have a third devon yeah and then jeremy i just i don't see it with jeremy because we don't really know him i yeah i i think marcus jonathan for sure and then i want grant to come back just riley and i love grand i want grant like some people come back once in a while let's do it okay i'm surprised Jeremy's not Jason's number one. He said he watched one episode and was like, I think this is the guy. I love it. Like the Jewish, the Jewish thing only goes so far, but like, I don't know. Well, that's, you guys have the exact same top three as me. I do think Jeremy's on the outside looking in. So I wouldn't be shocked. I would be shocked if anybody but

Devin, Marcus, and Jonathan move on then to the Fantasy Suite week. Jen has been fantastic. She's a great lead. She's carrying the show well. She's been a fun watch and we continue to want to watch her. Jason and Molly, thank you for coming on the show. Thank you for happiness. It means a lot that you spent this much time and that you hosted an episode. It's always fun to catch up with the two of you. And we really, really hope to see you back here soon. Hopefully when they come back to Seattle, you can host another date. I know here's some advice. When you have Jen on and I know you will at some point, she'll want to take a shot with you. Oh yeah. Shot o'clock. We got to see that with her. Jen likes it. What's the liquor of choice?

Well, none. I hate taking shots. For her, it's called alcohol. Jen had tequila? Yeah. Yeah, solid. Solid move. I love it.

Shot a clock. It's shot a clock here at the Almost Famous podcast. Until next time, I've been Ben. Just repeat, I've been. I've been. Then your names. Oh. Oh.

No, go ahead. So, completely. You guys are great. We'll talk to you soon, everybody. Thank you. Follow the Ben and Ashley I. Almost Famous Podcasts on IHartRadio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. My boyfriend's professor is way too friendly and now I'm seriously suspicious. Wait a minute, Sam. Maybe her boyfriend's just looking for extra credit. Well, Dakota, luckily, it's back to school week on the OK Storytime podcast, so we'll find out soon.

This person writes, my boyfriend's been hanging out with his young professor a lot. He doesn't think it's a problem, but I don't trust her. Now he's insisting we get to know each other, but I just want or 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. 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. Don't let biased algorithms or degree screens or exclusive professional networks or stereotypes. Don't let anything keep you from discovering the half of the workforce who are Stars. Workers skilled through alternative routes rather than a bachelor's degree. It's time to

tear the paper ceiling and see the stars beyond it. Find out how you can make stars part of your talent strategy at tear the paper sealing.org. Brought to you by opportunity at work in the ad council. 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 Welteroff. Learn how to get comfortable pivoting because your life is going to be full of them.

Listen to these women and more on She Pivots, now on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Culture eats strategy for breakfast, right? On a recent episode of Culture Raises Us, I was joined by Belisha Butterfield, media founder, political strategist, and tech powerhouse. for a powerful conversation on storytelling, impact, and the intersections of culture and leadership. I am a free black woman. From the Obama White House to Google to the Grammys,

Valicia's journey is a masterclass in shifting culture and using your voice to spark change. Listen to Culture raises us on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast.