The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - S4 #4 - Getting Into it With Arie

Episode Date: January 23, 2018

Ben & Ashley are joined by the man of the hour, Arie Luyendyk Jr! The Bachelor gets grilled by Ben for not returning a text, he dishes on some of the girls that have been sent home, and he endures a round of rapid fire questions from Ben & Ashley. After that, Brandon from Lanco calls in, to talk about performing for a date on the show. And if that wasn’t enough, Becca Tilley hangs out and helps answer some listener e-mails! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast with IHartRadio. Wait, I think I'm Ben. Oh, I think I'm Ashley. Who are you? I may or may not be Ashley. And this is the almost famous podcast. Ben is in a hyper mood today. I love it.

I just, I'm excited for this podcast because I finally, finally get to talk to Ari. Ari is on the show today. It's so crazy. I don't know how this happened. But I'm really excited for people to see Ari or to hear Ari without it being on TV, you know, because they select what they choose us to see of Ari on the show. But today, Ari gets to be his complete self, no editing. I'm so excited. These Bachelor people are untouchable.

And somehow, some way, we got the actual Bachelor himself on this podcast. You know, Ashley, I'm a, I have something, an issue with Ari, though. Can I talk you about it? Yeah. Okay. So every Bachelor sent me, which has been one. Yeah. I have reached out to and talked to at least at some point, either before the season started or during the season.

I reached out to Ari on two different occasions to offer him just, hey, I'm here. You know, I've been through it. I know you're going to get hated on. This podcast will probably hate on you at time. But we're all in it together. We're all going to get through it together. And I have never heard from him. Hmm.

Do you think he read it? I know he read it. Oh, because it said read? Oh, yeah. So I am not happy about it. I'm not. I'm really, really upset. You're like in Tom Cruise mode right now.

You're like about to jump on a couch. Before we bring Ari on, And Ashley, I want to ask you, how is life? Give us one of your biggest updates on what's going on right now for you. Okay. There was something very exciting. Oh, yeah, okay. This is what I wanted to talk about.

In February, in like two weeks, I have this new digital show coming out. It's called The Story of Us. And you're going to get to see me interview. I think it's eight different couples about how they met, their first kiss, how they proposed their wedding day, all. that good stuff because I've always been fascinated by like how we met stories because it's so amazing that like you know you just run into somebody at a grocery store or you match with someone online and then you end up spending the rest of your life together so I just say- Or meet on winter game. Yeah. You never know. Yeah. You never know. It's so crazy. So I am always been fascinated

those stories and I get to tell them. So I'll send you guys links and all that good stuff when it actually comes out. What about you, Ben? What is one thing to update everybody on? Yeah. Well, first off, Ashley, congratulations. I know this is something you're passionate about. You're great at it. I actually, I watched the Golden Globes episode that we co-hosted together. And your segment alone with the chef was really good. So I'm excited to watch this. I'll be the biggest fan of this show for you. So one thing that I'm really excited about is obviously generous coffee is still pumping. I am sitting in my office right now. And as soon as this podcast is done, I am jumping on the phone to try to secure a couple more clients for generous. been a really good experience. And I'm also going on my, I'm taking a group of people to Honduras to see some of our coffee farms next month. And some of those people are from The Bachelor. Yeah. Which is really exciting. And then finally, this last Saturday, a few nights ago, my first episode of First Look aired. And it was called Breaking Ben. It aired after S&L on NBC.

and I was so excited about this project. I really want to do this more. I guess I had a lot of fun with this show and I felt very alive doing the show. And so I'm hoping that everybody that listens to the podcast also goes out and looks into watching the Breaking Ben episode of First Look because it really was something that I enjoy doing.

Can you watch it on YouTube? You can Google it. So it's on the internet. You can just Google Breaking Ben First Look. It will pop up with a link to the episode. episode. So anyways, that just aired and we'll see where that takes me. If it doesn't take me anywhere, I'm really glad that I got the opportunity to work with that show, because it just show me that I do actually kind of enjoy hosting, which makes sense because we have a podcast.

Yeah. You are great on TV and you're great at like getting out of your comfort zone. Not many people can be as comfortable getting out of their comfort zone as you do. Well, one of our first guest is definitely out of his comfort zone right now. Absolutely, he is. He, I mean, Ari is going to come on to this podcast. And we're, let's just be clear. I want this to be a time for Ari to tell all the fans out there because he has a lot of them, who he is.

I want to ask him the questions that helped him dig into a little bit more of himself than like, like Ashley was just saying, then we see on television. This podcast is meant for all of you, all of you listening to get to know the current bachelor better because I hear nothing. but great things about him, and I'm excited for him to show us this on the podcast today. So with that, I would love to bring Ari Lyondyke, our current Bachelor, is on the phone. Ari, you out there? I'm here.

How are you guys? Hey. Ari, thank you for coming to the podcast. We appreciate it. I just gave you a round of applause by myself, I think. I'm so excited to have you on. But before we start, you and I have to have a little conversation. All right.

Go for it. I was just telling our listeners that every season since mine, Bachelor, has reached out to me. One season. Ashley? Okay. I'm very upset, and I just need to get this off my chest. I have talked to going into the Bachelor or during the Bachelor, and Ari, I've reached out to you twice and I've never heard anything. Why is that? You not like me?

I didn't even know you reached out, actually. But I did come to find you at Winter Games, but you were already gone. I wanted to have a chat. Oh, he left that morning. Oh. Yeah, you know, I think I reached out. I DM'd you. I messaged you on Twitter and I also tried to get your number.

So I'm not that mad, but I felt like I was chasing after you. I felt like I had a crush on a girl, more than this case on you, Ari. And I was trying so desperately hard to get your attention. and I never got it. And so I'm glad that you decided to come on the podcast because now we can talk. Yeah, I didn't go with you. I just didn't know. Trust me.

Okay. Well, I'm here for you. Ari, I just got off the phone last night with my aunt, Aunt Cindy. We've talked about her on the podcast before. She's a huge Bachelor fan. And Ashley and I've tried to break down this season and break down you and your performance as a Bachelor with the limited knowledge that we have. I don't think you've probably listened.

If you have it, we'll fill you in. as we go here. But my aunt is a huge fan of yours. She really loves you and she means it. So at least, Ari, you have one fan in Carmel, Indiana. Oh, I love it. I love it. I know. I have to have some love from Indy, though, because of the 500, obviously. And I have listened to the podcast, and you guys have been kind of hard on me. Not going to lie. I know, Ari. I know. We have been so, so hard on you. I do want to say that I was definitely a fan of you being The Bachelor and I really liked you in person for reasons that people will find out when watching the Winter Games,

even though we didn't really get to have like a really private chat. I do want you to be here though so that people can get to know your personality beyond what they've showed on the show. You tweeted last week, maybe a little frustration. You said that it's something along the lines if it's unfortunate that you guys didn't get to see a lot of deep meaningful conversations.

This episode four was the first episode I started feeling like, okay, I think his personality is coming out. I definitely think that. So it's a good time for you to be here. But I want to go back to that tweet. What is the most frustrating part of watching this back for you so far? I just got to say, you know, obviously the first few weeks, I was pretty uncomfortable being in this role.

And I think that showed a little bit. But I did have some really great conversations and some awesome moments. And, you know, there's things I get chosen that they show and things that they don't show, obviously. And so it was just, you know, I think the storyline was a little bit more on the physical side of things. And that was hard to watch for me. And, yeah, so Tahoe was great, though, because I was finally very comfortable. The group day was so much fun. And that was sort of the first location where I was like, okay, I was feeling.

good in the role and I was having a blast. I really think it shows. And I'm not just saying this because we're talking to you today. Thank you, Ashley. I appreciate that. I, you know, all right, okay, let's start. I want to be clear, okay? There's three friends talking right now.

We have you on the podcast. First off, thank you so much for coming on the podcast. This is huge for us and really exciting. So I have to give you all the credit for being willing to talk with this. But I want you to try to let your guard down a little bit because I know how it is to be in your position. and you're nervous and everything you say is being criticized. Every move you make is being criticized. You say one wrong thing, and the world erupts.

And it feels like the world erupts. For this podcast, if you can, and I don't want to set you up for anything. I'm not going to ask you, Ashley and I are not going to ask you anything that puts you in a weird spot to just talk to us. Because this experience is hard, and it's weird. And like you said, for the first few weeks, you go from being, I guess you're never that normal. You're a race car driver, which is pretty cool in itself. and I was just a software salesman, but you go from being a very normal guy

to being The Bachelor and having all of these women in front of you and all these emotions to kind of handle and manage, honestly, Ari, like how hard was it for you? I think the first few weeks just sort of seeing who's there for you, who's really genuine. I think that was the biggest thing for me.

I think it's just been, the show's completely different than when I was on it five years ago. I think it's a lot larger. I think there's more that goes into it, obviously being The Bachelor. You know, you're running the dates. You know, you sort of, you see what's going on behind the scenes with how many producers are involved. And I think that's a little overwhelming at first.

So for me, it was more about getting a connection started with women that I felt that were very genuine. You know, some of those choices might have not been popular, I think, those first few weeks. But, you know, those are the people that I connect with. But yeah, it's difficult. I think there's just so much more to think about. You know, I think that first night, I remember, you know, being like, okay, I have to stand on these marks. And, you know, if I'm talking to someone and there's shade in their face, I have to sort of position myself so the lights in their face so that, you know, they can pick that up on camera. And those things threw me.

I think those things I was thinking way too much about the little nuances about being The Bachelor and not just enjoying the conversation and being loose. And so that took probably a week, and then then I was fine. It was just that first night, obviously, with all those nerves and those little things that I had to think about. Those are things that I wasn't really comfortable with. You know, I'm going to ask you a few things here, Bachelor, the Bachelor, and then I want to throw over to Ashley to kind of talk about this season. But for the next few minutes, I really want to Ari just kind of let the listeners out there and the fans of the Bachelor know and kind of dive into the things you just said because it is hard.

You do, I mean, the things that aren't shown is you are a normal guy who is who's really trying to find love. And I think that's what I admire most about you is even, even myself, I throw in this category where I can tell that you are passionately trying to pursue somebody to spend a life with. But at the same time, there is a show being made. And so you're dating and you're carrying a show. And so you do have to keep in the back of your head, okay, I'm putting shade on this person. It's not going to look good on camera. Let me turn, but also stay involved in the conversation. also stay aware of what's being said, that isn't an easy transition to get into.

And I think all of us need to give you a little grace because you took some years off. For me, it was a little easier because I went from one season to the next. Yeah, I think that's, you know, that's why that progression is a little easier just because, you know, you're sort of, especially, you know, for the women, I think, it's a lot easier too because, you know, the bachelor raft in March and then they're straight into filming. So for the Bachelorette, that is. And that is, you did it used to being in front of camera, you used to the whole environment, and then when you're taken away from that and five years are moved, it is a bit of a shock

to the system at first. But I think the experience, you know, is incredible, and I think it just took me a little while to warm up to it. All right, 100%. It is one of the coolest things that anybody can ever do. And one of the most beneficial things for a lot of reason. And I hope, and tell me if I'm wrong, for you, you are happy, correct? And so we can carry this conversation with the knowledge that you have said, I am happy and whatever that means, correct?

Yeah, I'm so happy. I'm so happy. Good. I'm really happy. So that's the best part, which Ashley and I are thrilled for you. My final thing I want to ask you about, my biggest critique of you, and I want to talk to you about it man to man, okay? Okay. All right.

And I think it is one of the hardest things about being a bachelor is you are also now responsible to allow everybody to feel welcomed, everybody to feel cared for, everybody to feel valued. And I know you said it multiple times that you're really thankful that the women showed up to try to date you. And that's a huge deal to you. I feel like it's been very clear watching the show who you're into and who you're not into. Do you feel like, and as a result, it's a critique of mine because not that you should lead anybody on. There's a good balance there, but the women that you weren't into and that you said goodbye to, I knew way beforehand. and I think they even could tell, which for you, just explain that to me.

How was that for you? Yeah, no, watching it back, I see that too. I think that's something that I wasn't really aware of. I think that I am the type of person that I definitely wear my heart on my sleeve, and I think I have a really bad poker face. Like, if I feel a certain way, it's going to show my body language. And that's something that is just a very apparent now watching it back that I wasn't really aware of. But, yeah, I mean, that's just who I am.

You know, I'm, if I'm uncomfortable or if I'm in a situation where I don't feel like it's going anywhere, then it's hard for me to act a different way. Yeah, all right. I feel like what's interesting is that my biggest critique of you so far has been what Ben just mentioned, and it just seems like in an awkward situation, you sometimes make it more awkward. But the funny thing is, I'm basically critiquing myself because I would have been the exact same way. I cannot hide what I'm feeling and I can't pretend to like someone that I don't.

And I think there's, you know, watching it back, yes, I do see that. But I think it'd be a lot worse if I could just put on a face and, and act as though I was into that person. I think because I'm doing it more natural way, it's letting them know that right away. I don't know. You know, it's hard, but that's just the way I am, I guess. I honestly, I think, it makes complete sense. I watch it and I see how you're handling situations. I do think there is a level there where you could maybe make the women that you aren't interested and feel a little more like, hey, I'm happy you're here. But again, you're genuine and you're authentic. And as I watch the show, I'm learning to see you in that life. You know, I didn't know you

on week one. Ashley didn't know you on week one. And so the question we always asked was, who is Ari? We don't know him yet. And what I'm seeing is the Ari that I watch in week four is the Ari that is authentic and genuine. And now, I can honestly say for the first time, I am really excited to see how this plays out for you. And I mean, I'm excited because I know what it's like to be in this situation. I know how good it can be. And I know how great the final results can be for you. And I want this to end in the best way possible. So I'm happy you're happy. And with that, I'm going to throw it over to Ashley for a little bit because now she's going to dive in to this season and exactly what she thinks, which Ari, hold on for a little bit.

Yes, I'm excited. Okay, so, Ari, we do want people to get to know your personality a little more, and I'm glad that we're starting to see it with episode four. But let's go with a little speed round of questions to get you warmed up right now. Let's do it. What is your favorite dessert? Ice cream. What kind?

Chocolate ice cream? Vanilla ice cream with chocolate. With chocolate sauce? Yeah. Sprinkles? Yeah, sounds good. actually it's his dessert let him move on okay okay okay I like a detail I like to build a picture what's your best concert ever um motley crew my buddy is Vince Neil and so I go to all the Molly

crew crew who uh I got in trouble on this podcast once talking about my experience at a motley crew concert and I am not going to bring it up but I will tell you sometime in private because it was quite interesting. You can go listen to an early episode. I had an experience with Tommy Lee. With Tommy Lee? It was a little scary. That's funny. I'm more

I'm more buddies with Benz. But yeah, Tommy's crazy dude, for sure. Crazy. Who's your celebrity crush? Kate Beck and Sale. Oh, such a good one. Respect. No hesitation there. No. That's great.

I saw her out to dinner a couple months ago, and holy moly. That woman is 44 years old, and she looks far younger than me, and she's striking. Yeah, she's beautiful. Hey, can I make a comment real quick? Yeah. Caroline, the woman that you sent home this week looks a lot like Kate Beckinsale. I know. She was very much my type.

We just didn't land on the conversation. conversation. Yeah. I really wanted it, too. We, yeah, I think we had a lot of times where we sat down and it just, I could feel that there was like a disconnect. And, you know, she was so beautiful. And it was, it was hard to send her home. And that was, that was a tough goodbye because I did really want that potential there. Yeah. She does. Anyway, sorry, actually. Did you ever think that you would like a pixie cut as much as you do on Becca? No, she's the first girl at date with short hair. Wait, please tell me you all saw Saturday Night Live on Saturday. I did. It was so good. Oh, my God. She's all, I have short hair.

Something you've never seen before. I know. Isn't it crazy? For the first time in my life, I'm like, should I get a pixie guy? Yes. You learn a lot about yourself, obviously, in watching those things. And I do say, I love that. Oh, my God.

And I love how after every conversation, they're like, I love that. She's all. I like this. That's amazing. Ari, what's your favorite movie? Oh, that's a tough one. Forced up. Oh, good one.

It's like a million times. Good one. That's definitely in my top ten. Drink of choice. What did they get you when you were The Bachelor? What was your drink to go to? Usually red wine. And if that was kind of after, if I needed to stay awake, then a red bovol vodka.

Okay. if this was your last meal and you could eat anything or actually one time oh yeah sorry to interrupt no please no please one of the producers sam created a new drink it's called the sam grea and it's red wine with red bull oh interesting that sounds terrible it sounds terrible but try it's actually really good hey ari did you drink a lot as the bachelor like how often do you have a cocktail I would say that I drink pretty regularly, but not a lot. Maybe one or two drinks in the evening. You really don't have the time.

You don't have the time to really enjoy a drink because you're having these conversations and you obviously want to be as sharp as you can. So it's different than being on the other side of things where you can have a conversation with that person and then you can relax a little bit and have some drinks and hang out with everybody else. I think as a bachelor, you just have to be way more cognizant. you know, keep it to a few drinks in the evening. Yeah, I agree.

I never really did. I don't have the energy either. Anyway, sorry. Plus you wake up really early and, yeah, you know how it is. You're on this schedule. That's kind of insane. Yeah, it's a while. All right, all right. What's your last meal? You can be as elaborate and have as many dishes as you'd like.

Oh, my last meal. Oh, man. Or just a regular binge eating Sunday. Yeah. Yeah, it would be like pizza with ice cream, with like tiramisu afterwards, and then like a cappuccino. Sir a sweet guy. I am. I'm a big sweet guy.

Which girl was best dress on night one? Who? I would say, I would say Crystal just because the red really popped out. And as you bring up Crystal. And then I was just going to move on to the real... Let's talk about it for a second. Wait, my most important question about Crystal, what are you thinking, Ari watching now,

seeing her behind-the-scenes interviews and with the girls? Is it changing the experience you had one-on-one with her? You talked about this in your blog this week, right? Yeah, I mean... You know that blog you wrote, right, Ari? Yeah, that blog that you spent a lot of time on. So I would say that watching it back, it is, I mean, obviously a whole different experience. I'm getting to see so much more of Crystal and what that whole situation is.

And I think this episode in Tahoe, you kind of see some cracks in our relationship. And next week, it really sort of kind of blows up. And some drama happens. But, you know, it's just different now watching it back. I'm getting to see all these conversations that I didn't know that were happening. I'm getting to see the ITMs where they're chat. chatting about me and it's fun. But it's also a little bit shocking

and revealing that time. So now... It's not to her voice is sexy or annoying watching it back. I mean, I don't think it's that bad. I know you guys think it's terrible, but I often found it to be

soothing. As he said. But she does carry out the valve quite long on the show. And if you guys are engaged, Like, there is no hard feelings here for us. We want to be a big fan of Crystal. So just so you know, if you guys are happy together

and you're happy couple right now, just know we're huge Crystal fans. I'm quite certain they're not. Also, you just said it implodes next week. But it explodes. But, you know, that doesn't mean you can get over that. You know, I think sometimes a little conflict in the show, I will have to say it's good if you get through things together.

Yeah, I mean, I think she's going to stick around a little bit longer than just next week. I'm torn on Crystal because there are things I like and things that are annoying me. But she posted on her Instagram that she's, you know, getting bullied and stuff like that, which I get that's, it's really hard when people are mean to you on the internet

or mean talking about you. But I don't know she's setting herself up a little bit for it because she is a bit sort of condescending to the other girl. Yeah. Yeah, but I think she's, you know, I think that's the thing. I think looking back on it, it is, you're seeing it from a different perspective, but our relationship, at this point in the show, is going really good. We do have some conflict next week. But, you know, ultimately she wasn't there to, I know it's so cliche to say, I didn't come here to make friends, but she put our relationship first and that caused some conflict.

And I think that there is something to be said about something who kind of fights for the time that you get together because you do have such limited time. Well, let's talk about the rose ceremony from this week because I'm all for it. She can grab you first. She can grab you 20 times during dates and parties and all that. I don't care. That's fine. But I did think it was a little unfair to stop the rose ceremony to have time with you because all I thought was, well, don't they all want to do that? Yeah, that actually took me back.

I don't really know why she did that, to be honest, because that week wasn't a hard week for us. You know, our group day was really, really fun, and she was on that little group with me during the hike. And so I just feel like she saw other relationships forming, and she had that early one-on-one. So it was probably hard for her to really adapt to being on these group days. Um, you know what, Ari? It's so weird. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He has a Bachelor blog each week, I think.

He talks up, yeah, isn't that so weird? He's a, he's a big fan. He doesn't for the Hollywood reporter. Big fan, but he, like, really picks it apart culturally and psychologically. So he brings up Crystal and says she's not a villain for trying to put her relationship first, because you can always say, I'm kind of just playing devil's advocate and saying what he said he goes she's not putting their relationship first she's putting winning first what do you think about that did you have any fears about that just girls wanting to win and not necessarily

wanting to be with you yeah 100% 100% and I think with time too you can really realize you know who's there for you and who's there to just be there and be on the show and to see how far they can get I felt like there was some of that it's tough you know it's really hard to really see who's there for you. I think that's one of the most difficult things. Also, too, it's like you brought up the bullying stuff, and I do hate seeing that. You know, I hate how people are so cruel online. You know, I'm obviously, I took the role. I knew that it was going to be a part of it. And I feel like some of the women on the show, they come on for this experience. And I just feel so unfair to really bully them online. I just hate seeing that. No, but what's interesting is there's such a fine line

between what people interpret as bullying and what is funny, like Saturday Night Live. Because people, I got a lot of emails because people didn't think I was nice enough to Annalise because I made so much fun of her for her bumper car drama and her dog fears. And so I got all these hateful emails, except she was over at my house for dinner that night. So she was cool. Do you know what I'm saying? So sometimes you're just, the show is made for us to make fun of it. Like, come on.

Yeah, you have to have a sense of humor about it. like a sense of sense and then you have to have like a be self-aware about it you have to be self-aware about yourself oh and you learn so much about yourself walking yourself back I say I say so many things I'm like really wow I say that way too much I have I have a list on my phone are you of statements that you've made you made I know what I mean and another one is So I love it. There's a lot of likes going on, too. There's a lot of like, like, like, like, like, like.

I've noticed that myself lately. I really need to cut down on the likes. I'm really trying to make a cognitive effort to do so. Hey, Ari, this is an interesting question. I just came up on top of my head. Day one. Okay, so for me, she does say so herself. It's just like so rare.

I'm sorry, it's not on my list here, but it's just super random. So my first week on The Bachelor with Chris Souls, I put myself in his top three. I thought the attention I was getting and just the order of the roses, I was like, I think he likes me in his top three or four. I quickly fell from that, like, boom. But I want to know if the three girls

that you were most concentrated on and thought that you were going to really have something with in week one, ended up being the same girls that you felt that way about midway through and then towards the end. Did it change? Did your favorites change? Yes, they changed for sure.

Annalise was actually in my top three the first night. Whoa. Yeah, she was very, I could tell she really wanted to settle down. I could tell that she was serious about finding someone. She's very genuine. And then I think everything sort of got to her. And I think she put a lot of pressure on herself. And I think that affected her negatively.

And that really, you know, I think the whole experience is very difficult for her. But she was in my top three. And so, you know, that's one of those relationships that obviously didn't pan out. But, yeah, it was very interesting looking back because I wrote down at every rose ceremony sort of, you know, the order of where my feelings were at, let's say, in the house. And, you know, how it was feeling going into the rose ceremony. And so, yeah, reading that back was very interesting because there was a whole different, I painted a whole different picture of that first evening to how it ended. And I did think with long. haired Becca on the Rachel Zoh date, my notes on that were I am pretty comfortable watching

them. It was a comfortable date with like minimal awkwardness. Yeah, she, you know, the reason I picked her for the first date is because our first conversation is flowed really nicely and I could have sat there for a lot longer than, you know, the 10 or 15 minutes that we talked. And I knew that I'd be very comfortable on that date just because she was so confident in front of the cameras and she really didn't, you know, let the experience sort of make her nervous at all. And so I needed somebody who was like that to sort of help me through the first couple dates. And so that first date was selected just based on the fact of how comfortable I was around here. That's awesome. Hey, Ari, did you keep a Bachelor diary? Speaking of you writing a list before he chose ceremony.

Yeah. No, I tried to write stuff down, but it was so hard because the days were really long. So some of the first few weeks are it was pretty sparse but yeah for sure no i wrote everything down i wrote i did the same thing kind of look back on things i love reading my bachelor diary it's so embarrassing it's like i knew him for you know 10 days and i was like i really picture myself marrying him i'm not surprised actually that you fell head over heels for crystal um Ari i want to just i don't know man the man here we have a lot of listeners out there that email us, really deep and heartfelt questions about relationships and about life. My last thing, and a lot of our listeners have these vulnerabilities and insecurities

that they express with us, and they kind of live by carefully through. It feels like The Bachelor to kind of relate with people and relate with the Bachelor. What were some of your biggest insecurities going through this experience? Go back, you know, the few months to when this was filming and when you were dating and when you were thinking about, you know, the process. What were the hardest things going through your head? oh man um well i think right off the bat like no secret i think people were maybe expecting a different bachelor so i had to navigate that i had to see you know who was there for me and who

there was general you know who was interested i think i had to sort of let's hold up let's pause here was that hard for you ari i mean i was like oh my god that was so hard okay so hard i mean think about you know i know that it seems let me back up a little bit i feel like in the last five years, you know, you guys have all built a relationship together because there's more than just two shows. There's three, four shows now a year. Everyone in Bachelor Nation sort of hangs out together. They all know each other. So when I was chosen, I really hadn't kept touch with anyone in recent years in the franchise. So I really felt like an outsider. And I still feel that way. I mean, if I kind of read into the social media comments and I kind

feel like, you know, sometimes everyone's kind of getting up on me a little bit just because they don't know me. So they're trying to get to know me through the show, which is highly edited, and they're showing, you know, more of the drama and obviously less of the romance in the beginning. And so for me, like going back to that time in September when we started shooting, I had that first evening, and I was, you know, obviously very nervous because I was worried that people would be disappointed that it was me. You know, that's, you know, that's a very, you know, that's a very real thing. So, you know, I had to sort of prove myself in a way and sort of let the women that were there know who I was.

And it was a little refreshing in a way because since I didn't watch my season or many of them didn't, they had a fresh perspective on me. And so that was cool, too, because I felt like it allowed me to get to know them more naturally. instead of them having a preconceived notion of me. And, you know, things that are written in the media, they're always kind of hurtful to hear. I mean, I let those things kind of slide off my back pretty easily, but, you know, going into it, I think I had to combat a lot of bad reputation

just because I'm a man in my mid-30s that isn't married. But, hey, you know, you're going to date and you're going to have failed relationships, and not every relationship is going to end well. And I think you just need to know who you are, and be confident in what you want. And then that's sort of how I entered the whole experience. Man, I think that is spot on.

I love that you shared how difficult it was for you because I know the insecurity that I felt. One of my biggest was I thought I was the wrong guy for them. Like, I was confused, like, how are they going to choose me to be the bachelor? And for you, it was very public that you weren't supposed to be the bachelor. And yet you carried that role and you've carried it well. And we're in week four, and I think the best is yet to come from you. I want to switch gears a second here, because this might be speaking on everything you just talked about, speaking on the bowling part, and also relating it back to what people are saying on social media.

There's one thing that's really rubbed me the wrong way, and one thing that I have gotten very protective of you about, is a tweet by Jeff Holm. Can you share it with me a little bit of the insight as much as you feel comfortable? about what is going on there because he said something that was really difficult for you to kind of combat on Twitter as soon as you were announced. Yeah, I mean, I think Jeff and I haven't spoken since Sean's wedding. I think that was four or five years ago now. And obviously a lot happened in that amount of time. I don't really feel like he knows the man who I am.

And I don't know why the shade's been thrown. I could really dive into this. But, you know, he lives with Robbie. He still hangs in the Bachelor circle of friends, which is fine. I just don't see why he had to come after me and be so negative. You know, when his own relationship didn't work out, I feel like it's unfair to judge. And I feel like I feel more disappointed than anything because I don't really feel like it's a warranted attack on me. I think that's what I was trying to get it.

Yeah, I was going to say, do you get it? I mean, is it coming from any place? No, I think, you know, we had Sean's wedding, you know, he brought a date. I felt like he handled the situation badly with his date, and he didn't treat that person right, and I spoke out, and then he got into a fight with myself and a few of the producers. And that was last time we talked. And I just felt like in the moment, I had to stick. up for that person that he brought instead of him, and I felt like he thought that I chose

the wrong side. But in actuality, I just felt like he was treating that person in a negative way. And so, I don't know. You know, I think maybe there's a little bit of jealousy. I was going to say, that's what I was going to say. It seems like a lot of this is coming from jealousy. There has got to be a reason why he hasn't been on any spinoff shows, especially since I do believe that is something he's desired. Yeah, I mean, I don't know. I don't know. can't speak to that. I can only speak to my experience. But, yeah, I haven't talked to him in so long. So it was surprising to hear about, well, you know, I want to think. A real Bachelor mystery right there. Yeah. I mean, to sum it up, man, I, I know that we've critiqued you. We will continue to

critique you on this podcast. I'm going to warn you now. It's all, it will never be, hopefully, attack on you personally, because I don't know. It's all going to do. And, Horace, like, we talk about, we have to talk about what we see, not about, like, what we can guess happen behind the scenes. Like, we, we know that there's probably more to this, but we have to talk from a fan's point of view. Yeah, totally. And if, you know, if I say dumb things on camera, then you're more than welcome to make fun of me. We don't, yeah, we don't need your permission, are we got a podcast bill on making... Is 22 too young for a 36-year-old? Oh, wait, wait. Ben has one more thing to say. And then, and then we're going to get into that.

I really do want to say this to you. I think it is incredibly inappropriate for anybody when you get announced as something that is really going to be a good experience for you or hopefully one. I think it's inappropriate for anybody to speak out. And at that moment, throw shade at you because you can't defend yourself. And I think that's the thing that hurts me the most, being that, is I know what it feels like when your character is in question and you feel like there is no reason why.

and yet you're now in a public spotlight that everybody's talking about it and you can't answer to everybody. And so I hope the listeners this podcast defend you and also understand that any critique of you, this is a show,

but you're doing it in an authentic way and I want to have your back in this because I think that was incredibly unfair and I want to say that publicly. It's ridiculous. So Ashley, you can finish out here with your final bachelor questions. But Ari, you've been great.

Thanks for coming on today. Yeah, thank you. Appreciate it. Hey, Ari. So we could not get through this interview without asking you probably the hottest topic going on around your season right now, which is the 14-year age difference between you and Becca. Have you dated anyone that young before? And how much of a big deal do you think it is? Like, I actually think people are making it too big of a deal. I think the fact that she's 22 is what makes this even a topic.

I think if she was 30 and you were 44, no one. wanted to really think about it, right? Yeah, totally. I think, you know, it did shock me that she was 22. And I think you see on the episode that I'm pretty tormented on. Yeah, definitely. Your reaction did not hide how you felt. Which I liked.

I know. I really expected her to be in her mid-20s, even though that she looked so young. Just because the conversation with her, we always have these really great conversations. She's very intelligent. She's very mature. And she really read me really well. She seemed to really know a lot about me in those few conversations that we had. And so I always still really connected her.

So when she said to it was 22, there was a real inner conflict there for sure. But I couldn't deny the fact that there was a lot of feeling towards her. and at that point in the show, I was probably mostly, the most connected to her, and that made things really difficult for me. You had to love the way that she challenged you. And she was always like, you, I'm what you want because you know I don't need you. Yeah, I know. But she said things like that all the time or she would, you know, we'd have a, I'd be like,

we can't just, you know, we can't just sit here and kiss. We need to have a great conversation. And she would say, we'd have this, like, comment. conversation and then she was like okay we've done now you get to kiss me yet you know she'd say little things like that I like her sexy you think she's too young to be the bachelorette um if you know you don't choose her of course come on guys let's just play the game yeah I mean that's kind of yeah that's a little further discussion further down the line but yeah she's just very bold she knows who she is and you know that was very attracted to me

My only hard part with her is I like her, and I think the age difference is fine. It's just when she talks about, like, her past relationships. I keep thinking, like, at the prom. Like, do you know what I mean? Like, I'm like, s. Yeah, I mean, yeah, her longest relationship was two to three years, I think, at that point. In eighth grade. Hey, it's longer than mine.

She was in eighth grade. All right, all right. We'll get you off the hook on that one. We will get you off the hook on there. But we will get you on to another. topic that's also cringeworthy, I'm sure, for you to talk about. You went into this season known as the kissing bandit. That was your ultimate skill.

And now you're getting some flack about it because I guess everybody is just like, oh, he kisses every girl that way. Now it doesn't have anything to do with his emotional connection to her. He's just a very romantic and passionate kisser. So how do you respond to that? I mean, I think that was what was so frustrating watching the second episode back, episode three because it was all about the physicality and about Annalise not getting her kiss. So I think it was edited in a way that showed me kissing everyone. And it left out

some really awesome conversations that were really pivotal to my experience. And that was disappointing. But I think that's just part of watching the show that's, that's edited like that you know you're you it's like reading the most amazing book you've ever read and then watching you know the movie version which is still good but leaves out a lot of really important details oh i love that analogy yeah so i think that that's that's like the thing that kills me when i watch it because i'm like oh i wish they showed the moment when this happened and they instead they showed you know just me like um you know making out with someone in front of a fire and i'm like It kills me to watch it too, trust me.

Oh, we totally relate to that. Ben and I know about missing out on some of your favorite moments, not making air. But, I mean, I think, yes, yeah, I am a passionate person, and I do kind of lead with some physicality. But I think you're going to see a lot more great conversation, and it's going to shift more towards that. Funny how girls are, like, getting on your lap. Like, we've never seen so much straddling so early on in a season. Yeah, you didn't see that with me. I kept, hey, Ari, I kept the two feet on the floor rule for my season.

There was no parallel laying. Well, Ari, we do. Two feet on the floor. Yeah, this is what it is at week four. I can't wait to see what a week seven brings. Oh, man. Ari, we are so thankful for you coming on. And I am so excited for our listeners to hear this.

They are truly going to get to know a whole different side of you. You're so much more lighthearted and fun and easy to talk to. And it's funny because I think the past couple weeks we've been saying like Ari doesn't seem that easy to talk to you, but you're such an open book. I love it. No, well, thank you guys. Thanks for having me on. Of course.

Thank you so much. And we hope to have you at the end of the season, maybe with your winner. Your love, not your winner. Sounds good. All right. Bye. All right. Hey, thanks, Ari.

Bye. All right, thanks. See you. You know, we've talked about youth. We've talked about age. Yes, we have. Both have one thing in common. All people of any age do have skin.

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Go to Bioclarity.com and enter our code famous. BIOClear Today, we all want clear skin, and we're telling you a way to do it. It's that easy. Everybody, we have a second extremely special guest for this podcast. He is a part of a group that sings my favorite song of the year. I'm not kidding. I listen to the song all the time. The first time I heard it, it made me tear up a bit.

Brandon from Lanko, are you in the line? What's up? Here I am. Hey, Brandon. You are our first musical artist who has performed on the basketball. Yeah. Yeah. That's so cool that you've come on to talk to us.

We need to know how do you, like, do you know anything about the date before the actual couple walks in? Do you know which girl is on the date? Do you know, you know, if they're going to dance? Tell us everything. Right, right. Yeah, so they, I mean, kind of way it works is like that day we got there and, uh, having the day they let us know who it was going to be and who was on the date that day.

that day. They didn't really tell us details. I think they gave us some details of the day, but like nothing too specific. I really honestly, they just didn't trust us to, like, not spoil anything. But we knew that, you know, we knew who it was going to be, and we knew that pretty much the way they set it up. It was cool because they set it up

in a way that it was natural for us as a band where we pretty much, you know, they tweeted out that we were going to be, there was going to be special guest, Lanko, and then performing a show, and also they said it was going to be for a for The Bachelor, and so it was a pretty natural environment. We just played a show, and then they waited until the end for us to play. They had a play Grace Love Story last, and then at that moment, you know, they told us,

all right, they're going to walk in, the crowding part, they're going to dance, and it's going to be a moment, and pretty much it's all the way of their moment is on your shoulder, so don't screw it up. Oh, no, they didn't say that, but then you're like, oh, man, this is like the finale to their date. All right, no pressure. Here we go. But it was fun. Is it as romantic as it seems on TV, or is it a little more forced and awkward because, you know, an entire crowd of hundreds of people are watching you interact with somebody you've just been on a first date with?

Right. I mean, I see, honestly, they seem to be having fun with it. It seemed natural. I could imagine that would be awkward for anyone, even if it wasn't your first date, that might be awkward. But, I mean, I think that, you know, their attitude, they seem to just kind of be having. fun and enjoying the moment and, you know, just, I don't know, just kind of living in that moment. And they seem to be pretty focused on each other. So that was cool.

And the more natural they were, you know, the more comfortable of baited for everyone else and us playing. So it was cool. Yeah, I think it's a huge deal that you came onto the show, man. It is special. I know how special it was for me I had on my very first date of the season. I had one of my favorite singers at all time, Amos Lee, there. And it's something I'll never forget. And I look back on, and I'm a huge fan of you all.

I'm a huge fan of Lanko. Let me be clear here. Brandon, some Lanko is on the phone right now. Your song, the song that made you really popular is incredible, but your music since then has been great as well. So I was really excited to watch you on this week's episode and see you help out the batch a little bit. So thanks, ma'am. Brandon, is greatest love story? Is greatest love story your story?

Yeah, it is. You know, I mean, it's the cool thing about songwriting. is songwriting is really kind of a, it's always a combination of both observations and experiences. And Greatest Love Story is kind of a perfect example of that for me. I grew up in a pretty small town where, you know, a lot of my friends with Data Grove High School and then where I am from, the Nissan factory is there. And so a lot of times girls are girls college and the guys would just go straight to work at Nissan. And then it was kind of that, you know, was the girl going to come back during the summer or whatever it was.

or, you know, if she graduated, she's going to come back home. And so I kind of have that inspiration from it, just seeing my friends go through that. And then I am recently married as a few months ago. Congrats. Thank you very much. And, yeah, you know, but we, my wife and I met in college. I mean, I'll still you. I was like 19.

So we met in school, but then she moved away, and we, you know, we broke up, took some time apart. And then in that time apart, kind of found, you know, what, was. what each other meant to the other person and kind of saw how important we were to each other and that, you know, that person balances you out and, you know, then we end up getting back together and, you know, that was years ago now and now we were married as of last September. So, you know, it's kind of those two things. And really, I think that the reasoning of the song Greatest Love Story, that's why I was really happy for, you know, successful single off our album is because it's a story, but really

the point of the song is just, you know, my favorite line of the song is. I was what you want, if you're what I needed, we could meet in between. Because at the end of the day, I think that love is, no matter how much you have in common, love is two completely different people coming together and finding the strengths and weaknesses in each other, and kind of creating that balance and balancing each other out. And love is compromised. And that's all the only is what the song, Greatest Love Story is about so. And I think it's a very appropriate song for anyone trying to find love or who knows anything about love.

Brandon, what was cool about them using the greatest love story as the song is they kind of made it the theme of the day. you know, C.N. is talking about how she never really got to watch love stories with girls who look like her. And they kind of gave her in one date and one, you know, segment of the show, her own little love story. Right. Absolutely. And I think that, you know, I think that love, you know, can come across in so many different ways. And, you know, I think that's a beautiful thing. I think that, you know, for her to be able to have a love story. I think everyone has a love story out there, and I think that, if anything, love is unpredictable, and you never know exactly when it's going to happen or how it's going to happen. And ultimately, you know, long-term, you know, true love, I think, really takes work.

But, you know, the beginning of any great love story is, you know, you never know who it can happen to or when it can happen. And it's, you know, it's something that anyone, anyone can be right out in the corner for anyone. Wow, that's awesome. Hey, what's next for Lanko? what's next lanka well we just uh we actually just this past week and released our uh our debut album called howley anite amazing again congratulations thank you very much um greatest love stories on that and then we have a new single out we just leave um that's called born to love you which is another song you know it's kind of a steak way out of great's love story um it's the nearest single off that album and then we're uh we're tour

and all this year you know we're out on tour right now with an artist named chris young and then another our name, Kane Brown. And then way this year, we're going on the road with Dirk Stently and Brothers Osborne. Amazing. So we'll be coast to coast playing a different arena. So it's going to be a fun year. You guys are killing it. We have one last question for you before you go.

Who should Ari pick? You know, are you a big Bachelor fan? Did you get to interact with him at all? Yeah, yeah. No, yeah, we got to interact with Ari. He was a, you know, really nice guy, really cool down to earth. I will say that we got to interact, like, after we did our segment, after we did our song, we were all kind of, you know, after the crowd left everything, they were there, and we were all

kind of, you know, kind of the end of the night for everyone. I will say, he was a little preoccupied. He was still kind of on his date, but he was really down to earth, and they were really nice. I'll say this, the one thing I know about love is that it's unpredictable, so I'm not even going to start to make any predictions. All right, all right, very smart, man. Thanks for being with us, Brandon. Absolutely.

Thanks for having me. And for everyone listening, if you want to ask Lanko any questions, they're going to be on the Bobby Bones show, the Iheart Radio Bobby Bones show. You can go to Bobby Bones.com, and they're going to be on with Cody Allen, and you can go to CMTCody.com if you want to send your questions. Cute.

I love Lanko. Amy and Ashley, I am a huge fan of their music, and I really mean it. That Greatest Love Story, I think, is one of the best songs in the last year. basically because it's such a relatable song and if you listen to it, I always seem to get sucked up in the story that it's telling. And so I'm a huge Lanco fan and I mean that. And so hopefully, Amy, you can hook me up with some Lanco tickets this year somewhere. Well, she could have, but she walked out of the room. I'm sure you'll end up seeing them. You know what I'm going to wear when we go to a Lanco concert? I have zero idea, Ashley, but I hope it's something. It's something from Latote. So you may or may not. know I am obsessed with Olivia Colpo like you know I've talked about this before she's such a girl crush well she actually has a line with Leto and one of the shirts that I got from her line it's

so freaking cute and it makes me feel really good about myself because I kind of feel like a little bit like Olivia in it but anyway I want to talk to you guys about Latop besides Olivia's line of it which you should totally check out for the new year if you want to change up your style a little and you want to be a little more adventurous with their clothing leto is the perfect way to have someone help ease you into figuring out a new style to try. Latot is a one-time box of stylists selected fashion handpicked just for you. It is conveniently delivered right to your door. The stylist will help you find looks that you love in the styles and sizes that fit you just right.

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You keep the items you love, you return the rest of it unworn. You'll only be charged for the pieces that you keep. It is that easy. Just enter our code, almost famous, and feel fabulous with style selected fashion delivered right to your door. Actually. Yeah? I think we need to take a second, because we jumped right into Ari. We went right into Lanko. This next, next segment. I need to hear you break down this week's episode. Oh my goodness gracious. Okay. So in this episode, Ari went parasailing with Cian and you know what's funny is I went parisailing on my best friend once and parisailing with her even was awkward because you've never heard silence the way you've heard it when you're up in the sky like that. Have you,

have you been to parasailing? Yeah, it's wild. Hey, and I'm glad you mentioned this and you start here. I want you to explain this whole episode with here is my here's my big thought right now coming out out of before Cian should be the next bachelorette. I like Cian a lot. I think she's great. I think she fits

so many of the categories that could be a bachelor. I feel like her as a lead would even shine even more. I really, really I believe that Tia and Cian are giving me the two most bachelor at vibes right now. All right. Well, hopefully we get to know her more, but I got great

fives from her from this date. It was the first time we saw Ari have a good sense of humor. This was what I'm talking about when he really seemed to start warming up in episode four. He seemed really comfortable with her. It was nice banter. It was fun banter, but also a meaningful conversation. And then they had the Landcoe date. They had a good dinner, very vulnerable conversation. And I just like her. She's like relatable. She's pretty. She seems really smart. She is really smart. She's from Yale, right? Is she the Yale girl? girl yeah so one of the ivy league schools yeah yeah it was yeah so then our the group date was like one of those adventure dates where they almost pee they almost drink their pee which i honestly

i have to say i probably would have drank my pee if it was gonna really get his i know they didn't actually drink me but at first he was like this is part of survival you have to drink your own and i think i would have done it if i were on the bachelor because you know never know what they're going to judge you for. You know how sometimes they're like, oh, she wasn't adventurous to drink her own pee, so I'm going to eliminate her. It's the weirdest thing ever. I think it's the grossest thing I've ever seen. I really thought she was going to. I was going to be so upset with it. That's so funny. I would intentionally not drink my pee to be judged as the only smart one there. I don't think it, okay. I know you can drink your pee and that doesn't

kill you, but I'm not thinking of it. All right, all right. They looked crazy when they were about to drink it. I was like, why is this happening? So I wonder how long that hike was that they had to go on before finding that nice little cabin with the hot tub. Beautiful. It's very nice. But also definitely the makings of a horror movie, am I right? A whole bunch of bacheloretts walking around by, quote, by themselves.

They were out in the wilderness. There's probably houses everywhere in the house in Tahoe. And it's not like they were in the wild tundra. It was probably like a quarter mile. Right. I know. There's like people everywhere. I know.

So then Crystal was dramatic at that group date, which we already talked to with Ari. You know where they were. They were literally, remember when we went to the concert, you guys? Yeah. Yeah. That's where they were. They were literally right there. Oh, really? So they didn't go adventure much. I mean, they did, but like, it's all right there. They just went across the street up into the, you know, ski hill of heavenly probably. That's funny. Right. They were like right there. And then the second one-on-one was with Becca. And again, really think she's cool girl.

Like, she's really cool. Like, I kind of have a girl across. on her I wish I could be so sassy and just like feisty and smart and challenging like that everything that Becca is is the kind of thing that we get described as the ideal woman for a guy like guys guys love that right Ben yeah I well I'm very attractive I told you since we won I thought Becca's banter was very very attractive yeah then she revealed her age and which I loved Ari's reaction like we talked about before it was so authentic he was like oh wait That's creepy. Oh, God. Oh, no. You're not ready to get married. And I know that this has been something that we've talked about so much on the almost famous podcast about age and marriage. And everybody is like, oh, you know, you can be ready at any time. Some people are ready at 22. Some people aren't ready until 32. What do you think about Becca's age? Do you think it's creepy for him to be dating a 22-year-old? Or are you just like, no, she's actually more mature than your average 22-year-old? Actually, I feel very strongly about this.

The way she carries herself, the way she puts Ari in his place, her confidence that she shows tells me that she is ready to date Ari to be with Ari or to be with a man that is intentionally trying to get married. I have zero qualms with Becca being interested or claiming that she's ready for marriage. I think her age isn't an issue. I think she's wise beyond her years. and she's the first person woman on the show

to really put Ari in his place and she's done it consistently and I think that's important in her relationship so I'm a big fan of Becca and Ari together I just need to throw her out there that at 22 I also said

I was ready to get married and I wasn't well now looking back I wasn't but I totally thought I was then well Becca's not you actually okay I know but were you ready to get married at 22 you probably said the same thing you probably were like oh yeah I am

and then you probably were born. Actually, I was on the Bachelorette at 24. So it wasn't that far. You're 26. Let's not be dramatic. No. Oh, you're 25. You were 24.

Oh, my God. You were 24 going out of 25. No, you were 26 as the bachelor. Don't tell me how old I was. You were 26 as the Bachelor, but you were 24 slash 25. I know. I know, you're right. You did.

You turned it on the Bachelorette. Okay. Okay, wow. Little baby Ben. Look how young he is. He's so. Young. All right. Well, that's interesting. And, oh, yeah, but you know what, Becca's family. She comes from a family of people who have been married really early on. So it's just tradition. And maybe she truly is ready because it seems like successful marriages, too. I mean, I think this is the thing. And this whole episode to me, Ashley, said one thing. It was kind of setting the foundation for the storylines going into the rest of this season. It's, hey, Becca's young. Is she going to be ready for marriage or not?

Is there going to be an issue there because we know how much Ari is into her? The other story is with Crystal, I think, was set up, was what in the heck is she doing? Who is she? Is she spot on in her pursuit of Ari? Is she confused? Is she going to rub the girls the wrong way? And I think for me, this episode really was the first one that I said, okay, I'm getting into it. I didn't want this episode to stop because I was so invested.

And that's the first time this season, I felt that. Really good. I really enjoyed this episode. I really just enjoyed Ari in this episode and I know people are going to be like Oh, Ashley's just saying that because Ari is on the podcast today I know I'm going to get that beep But you know what?

I mean it and you can go And I wish I would have seen this episode And I had old notes so I could show you guys I like Ari in this episode Before I knew he was going to be on our podcast But I know you guys don't believe me So, uh, okay Moving on to something else that I really like

Yeah Moving on to this Yeah. Okay. I'm really upset, though, with Ari and his choice of people to go home this week. He, again, I'm not kidding you, Ashley. He chose two of my top four favorite people left to send home. He's done that every week.

You and Ari do not have the same taste. Not at all. I mean, like I said, I think he is great. She has a foul mouth on the young lady, though. She bleeps back and right. see in i think is unbelievable i think she is radiating bachelorette or radiating uh rie's choice i don't know but i think she's awesome but outside of those two my two other favorites got sent home so harry and i are not on the same page well you could always date his rejects pause actually let's let's let's

refocus this conversation you do you do like that girl let's let's refocus back let's have her on next week Let's read actually let's let's finish this nice little recap Okay okay All right Let me get this straight You like Ari now You like this week's episode You think he's spot on his

In his pursuit for these women You are turning to be an Ari Line Dyke fan Not just because he's on the podcast But because of his behavior as a bachelor this week I think he's warming up I don't want to say that he's a strong bachelor yet But he's definitely warming up Okay fair

You know, I do think his, like, responses are really, really good, like, weak. Like, it would be, I think one of the girls was, like, pouring her heart out to him. And he's like, I love it. Like, yeah, you got to talk a little bit, man. Like, give her something. I know. I know. Well, you already told him this.

So, you know, I wish I could say he's going to learn from you, but it's already taped. Well, I hope to talk to Ari many times. One thing Ari can always do for his women, including the woman that he is with today, He did claim that he is very happy, which makes me think that he is with somebody, is he can cook for him. That's a huge deal in a relationship. I think it's a very romantic jester. And one of the ways he can cook is by using Blue Apron. Okay?

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A lot of my friends are doing it, and to have the ability for Blue Aprons to send you these recipes to your house is really big. I'm going to get my friends to do this. So kickstart your new year with Blue Apron in the Whole 30 program. Blue Aprons delivers fresh, pre-portion ingredients, and step-by-step recipes right to your door. That can be cooked in under 45 minutes. new changes every week based on what is in season and is designed by Blue Apron's in-house culinary team. Blue Apron offers 12 new recipes each week, and customers can pick two,

three, or four recipes based on what best fits their schedule. Blue Apron spends only non-GMO ingredients and meat with no added hormones. Again, we love Blue Apron. We love all of our sponsors. First off, they help us keep a podcast going. Second off, the really great product. Blue Apron is treating you to $30 off your first order if you visit blue apron.com slash almost famous. So check out this week's menu and get your $30 off. That's $30. That's not 10. That's not 20. That's $30 off with free shipping at blue apron.com slash almost famous. Blue Apron. Ashley, the better way to cook. Okay. Bent in a Blue Apron. We have time for two emails. All right, two emails. Okay, which ones do I want? Okay, well, I'm going to stick with Bachelor-themed ones.

because we don't want to get we don't want to dive into dr ben today we don't have enough time for that from sierra hi ashley and ben on last week's episode they took a private jet to wine country for their date and the girl got sent home we see a rie put her in a limo but let's be real are they going to put both of them on separate private jets back to l.A.? or does she have to hop on a southwest flight or do they have to fly back on the same jet together after he dumped her and the whole limo thing was just a formality awkward I'd love to know your thoughts. Keep up the great work. And thanks, Sierra. Great reading, Ashley, too. Really well read. Thank you. That was amazing. Thanks. You got a standing applause for reading. All right. Well, in my experience, and Becca's right here, you can reaffirm this. When Gillian got, Jillian had a plane date to San Francisco. And then I don't even know if she had packed her stuff up. But what she'd do? She stayed overnight in San Francisco. I remember that. She had a really fancy hotel. in San Francisco after being dumped by Cristles. And then did she fly back to L.A. to get her stuff and then fly back to D.C.?

Well, I don't know. Wait, time out. Time out. Who's there? It's Becca. Becca. Becca. Okay. Becca Tilly? Yes. We do need to clarify. How do you feel about people stealing your name on this show? Yeah, this is the first time there's been not only one Becca, but two Beck is. I know. There's an Ashley, too, but I have no idea who she is.

Yeah, but I feel like Ashley's like a good. Common bachelor name. It's like Lauren. Yeah. Dude, you guys, I'm sorry to interrupt, but nothing was funnier than on Saturday Night Live when they said, and he's going to pick from one of 12 Lauren.

Okay, so what is the plane situation? I feel like they do need to come back to L.A. Well, she, you have to pack your bags before you go on a 101 date. Did she, though? I thought we had to pack up her bags for her. I found from an inside source that Lauren S., that that suitcase was a fake?

Yeah, that was a fake. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I kind of remember everyone frantically trying to help to get all her stuff together. And then we like put goodbye notes in the pockets of her suitcase. I know. Everyone like, it's a really emotional process when someone leaves on a one-on-one day like that. Yeah. Yeah. So anyway, I think to answer your question, they do have to come back to L.A. eventually. And I do think they have to debrief. You know, there's a lot to debrief after you get eliminated. Well, there's, you talk to the therapist and everything. Exactly. Where I was going to say, except I wasn't sure if I was allowed to say it. Oh, I can. But. I'm done. Wait, but Ben, did if you dump someone on a one-off? Did you? Did you? Did you?

Did I was? You never dumped anyone on one. Who? He dumped Emily Ferguson. Oh, that's right. I did. Yeah, at Warsaw. They do not fly back to L.A.

No, they fly back their homes. No, they get a flight out. They fly back home. So not every single contestant goes back to L.A. after being eliminated. All right. This one's from Megan. Can we please talk about how Ari was eating on his date with Lauren S?

I have never seen anyone eat on The Bachelor. And I think you could see the awkwardness in conversation because he was eating. Do you guys usually eat food or just stare at and starve? Thanks. Megan from Utah. Okay. So in my experience, I actually enjoy eating on dates. I think it makes it seem normal.

They, of course, included it on my date with Wells where we ate tacos. And, like, that was part of our date was the fact that we both love tacos. and it was just cute. It was really cute. But normally, I like to eat on dates because it makes me feel better. I thought they discourage you because of the noise. They do discourage. They totally do discourage.

But I'm like, no, screw that. I do not sit in front of food without eating it, especially free food. But I couldn't tell with Ari and Lauren S as if it was chopped together a little bit where maybe they edited in eating. I thought that to you, Amy, but then I really watched closely. And there's a actual image of her sitting right next to him as he's going. Was it a plate of steak? Yeah, which it's fine. And I think it happens more often than you guys would think.

And they do feed us very, very well. How much weight did you gain on the show? Both you guys? I mean, well, on Christmas season, I actually, when I got home, my family was like, wow, you look so thin because I think, like, consciously I was stressed about the situation, but I hadn't stopped eating. I think my body was just, like, burning it because I was stressed. Okay.

I gained four pounds, which is nothing, four pounds over four weeks. Oh, yeah. But, you know, but, you know, but. but you're still eating. You're still eating a lot. Yeah, it's stress eating. And then Ben? Yeah, I mean, I lost 30 pounds.

He had a parasite. You had a problem. That wasn't because of the show. No, yeah. I mean, I can't really say. I had a stomach dog. I lost 30 pounds. He's the thinnest he's ever been after the bathroom.

Did you ever eat on dates? Yeah, but the food sits out for like an hour and a half before you get there. So it's disgusting. Like, if you have a lobster sitting in front of you, first off, I'm just shellfish. I couldn't eat it anyway. That would be a good date experience. You're having an allergic reaction. But literally, the food sits out for so long that it's a select few things that you can actually eat. I'm impressed that he ate on camera. I had a lot of tweet and text for my friends

going, why is already eating you told us? But the food was always cold. It is cold. So for me, if there's free food in front of me, I'll eat it regardless of the situation. They, like, they, like, gave me, like, french fries and chicken tenders and stuff in the hotel before I'd go on the date. So they knew that I was, like, full and wasn't going to eat. But on my one-on-one date with Ben, we didn't have food. He didn't supply the food. Cold or hot, nothing. He didn't surprise you with food.

No cheesecake. We were having so much fun that we had no time to eat, Becca. So I thought that we would cut out the food part and we just have to continue to have the good time that we were having. There was alcohol, though. There's definitely alcohol. One of my first memories of Becca outside of the show, we were in the airport in Mexico City, and we got delayed. And the women that were left and myself happened to run into each other at the airport.

And Becca has, I'm not kidding, like Cheetos with Skittles and a Dr. Pepper, and she's eating it all at once. This was her snack. Yeah. I think Becca and I need to have a special edition. We're scrubbing in an almost famous meat. and we can just talk about our food intake and how it's becoming such a problem

as we are both going into our 30th a year. I actually do like that idea because it would be really fun to do almost famous and then to be continued and you have to switch over to scrubbing in. Oh, that's fun. That's cool. I love it. I have a question for Ashley.

Yeah. This is from Alexis. It says I just have this theory. Oh, that's the one I skipped over. Yeah, I know you did. I think Ashley was out last week to go to see her new. international bachelor winter games romance mystery man i know it is a stretch but i just want to confirm

or dismiss my theory actually did you meet anybody on winter games i met so many people 25 actually somebody that you're romantically interested in i certainly met somebody i'm romantically interested in but i have no answer on whether or not i was with that person last week perfect but hey you heard it here first on the almost famous podcast ashley i can Kennedy may I'm putting my boat that she did meet somebody that she's romantically interested in at bachelor winter games hey um what's your name what's the girl's name who said that in Alexis hey Alexis where do you think that I was um I was just hanging out with my fab fit fun box you guys life can be boring after the holidays they can so you got a fab fit

fun box to entertain you um the fat fit fun box actually feels like it's Christmas times a year and with the new editor's box which is available now you're going to sign up right now so that they don't sell out before you get your hands on one you do not want to miss this amazing box some of the products you can get in this editor's box is wish nourishing do masks we all love face masks makeup drop silicone applicator i've been using this a lot no joke merci and co scarf i love their scarves they always provide the coziest scarves i ended up sleeping with them i've never been a scarf person until the FabFit Fund box, weirdly. B.B. Dakota Pancho, an African botanicals revitalizing therapy gel, or a private party gym bag, really like the gym bag, too.

Fab Fit Fun is a seasonal subscription box with full-size beauty, fitness, and fashion and lifestyle products. It retails for $49.99, but it always has a value of over $200, so it's the best deal out there. Use the coupon code almost famous for $10 off for your first box at fabfitfun.com. Hey, everybody. We had an awesome podcast today. We had some really special guests. I want to give a shout out to. Thank you, Ari, Liondyke, this year's Bachelor, for coming on the show. Thank you to ABC for allowing us the opportunity to have him on the show. Please tune in Monday night to watch The Bachelor. Also, Brandon from Lanko came on. We want to thank him for not only coming on The Bachelor this week because it's a big deal

to this franchise, but also Hallelujah Night's Lanko's newest album comes out with a few new release songs. We want to thank our sponsors, FAP-Bit-Fumb, La Tote, Bio-Clarity and Blue Apron. Ashley, you're wonderful, as usual.

Our listeners, please, write into this podcast. Ashley, tell me the email. It is Ben and Ashley at iHeartMedia.com. Ben and Ashley at iHeartMedia.com. Ben and Ashley at iHeartmedia.com. Let us know your thoughts on this week's episode, on the podcast, on our sponsors, on Ari himself,

or just send in your life's questions. Ashley and I really love reading. What is going on your life? Your biggest questions, your biggest concerns, we want to help answer them for you or at least talk about them and see if we can be a place of escape to try to find the answers. With that, this has been another, this is a huge episode, another episode. another episode of the Almost Famous Podcast. I've been Ben. I've been Ashley, and you guys have been fantastic to us.

Thank you so much. Bye. Follow the Ben and Ashley I, Almost Famous Podcasts on IHartRadio, or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.