The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - Swapping Gum...and Secrets with Bailey Taylor and Jeremy Simon

Episode Date: September 8, 2025

Jeremy and Bailey are sitting down with Ben to swap more than just gum! Did Jeremy even want to come to the reunion? Ben is getting to the bottom of this!Does the couple think their love story was accurately shown on Paradise?They open up about the situation with Susie and how they feel looking at it in hindsight. And Jeremy clears it up - did he actually hate the goldens?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. My boyfriend's professor is way too friendly, and now I'm seriously suspicious. Wait a minute, Sam. Maybe her boyfriend's just looking for extra credit. Well, Dakota, luckily, it's back to school week on the OK Storytime podcast, so we'll find out soon. This person writes, my boyfriend's been hanging out with his young professor a lot. He doesn't think it's a problem, but I don't trust her. Now he's insisting we get to know each other, but I just want her gone.

Hold up. Isn't that against school policy? That seems inappropriate. Maybe find out how it ends by listening to the OK Storytime 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. December 29th, 1975, LaGuardia Airport. The holiday rush, parents hauling luggage, kids gripping their new Christmas toys. Then, everything changed.

There's been a bombing at the TWA terminal. Just a chaotic, chaotic scene. In its wake, a new kind of energy. and the emerged terrorism listen to the new season of law and order criminal justice system on the iHeart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts hi my name is enya umanzor and i'm drew phillips and we run a podcast called emergency intercom if you're a crime junkie and you love crimes we're not the podcast for you but if you have unmedicated ADHD Oh, my God, perfect.

And want to hear people with mental illness, psychobabble. Yes, yes. Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you. Open your free IHeartRadio app. Search Emergency Intercom and listen now. I'm Dr. Joy Hardin-Brandford, host of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast. I know how overwhelming it can feel if flying makes you anxious. In session 418 of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast, Dr. Angela Nielbornet and I discuss flight anxiety.

What is not a norm is to allow it to prevent you from doing the things that you want to do, the things that you were meant to do. Listen to therapy for black girls on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is the Ben and Ashley I, Almost Famous Podcasts with IHart Radio. It's almost famous podcast. We're here still. It's a very exciting time. We got to sit in on the reunion. It was a hope. hosted by Wells Adams, had some of our favorites from Bachelor in Paradise. One of our favorites are with us right now, Jeremy and Bailey. Are we your favorites?

Oh, are we? You talk some shit. No, we're going to get to that. We're going to get to that because I think you got very upset about something. Well, let's just start there. Yeah. On our podcast, we did. We made fun of you, too, for swapping gum.

Oh, I don't even get pissed about that. What was it then? I don't listen to a lot of podcasts, but I get sent clips in you guys and to see you just talking on us the whole time. No way. Yeah. Oh, I have no idea.

I would love. I'll DM you the clips after. Please. We never met in person, so it's fair. Now that you've met us, now you can love me. Well, that was not my idea. Yeah, Bailey, I love you, Jeremy. We're just going to keep.

The gum swapping, let me say. I feel like it wasn't that, I did get that clip. I didn't think that the gum swapping. Why do people think that's gross? I didn't think it was that gross. Also, like, we're not allowed to have... Are you married? I'm married.

Yes. I wouldn't do it with her. Okay, listen, we're not allowed to have gum. Like, you're not supposed to have gum when you're filming. And so the reason we would just swap it is because we're just like, you know, it's a ration. Like you're rash. I was like, we're rationing gum. People don't understand.

We're in a war right now. We're living through war. Paraly season 10. Here's how I want to view the gum swapping. This was never meant to be a hit. or an attack on you two. I think it's in one of those gray areas that some might say

that's not gross and you could look at me and say that's crazy that you would not swap gum with your wife. Right. Which you would be entitled to say that and I could think about that and be like, yeah, that is actually kind of weird that I wouldn't swap gum with my wife. However, I think there's another side

that would say, that is very weird. Like that is as freaky as you can get. No, it did seem... Yeah. Food from the day. Okay, to be fair, we would never like... mouth. We would never like eat food and then choose the gum.

It's kind of just like you have a moment where you're like, I would love a piece of gum right now. Maybe I want free choose. Maybe I. Well, when you are in paradise, you do resort to crazy behavior. You're in tough times. You're rationing. You're trying to survive.

I think it is a polarizing moment because the show showed it. So I think they wanted a reaction. Like they wouldn't have showed that. I don't think we were expecting that. I think we were fine with it, but we're like out of everything. Sure. I was like, can we get a conversation of us talking about our future? They were like, no.

No, the gum is the same. I love it. Jeremy, I do want you to send the clips because I did not come into this expecting. You have a job. I do have a job. We've had this job for many years. And I came into this interview, excited to talk to you. But I do want to ask.

Jeremy, you didn't necessarily from the viewers. and the listeners that wrote a sin, you didn't necessarily know if you wanted to come to this reunion. I think you put a poll online. It shows here asking if you should come or not. It felt like you were kind of leaning on, I don't want to be here.

Do you actually want to be here? Did you want to come today? I didn't necessarily want to come for other reasons that I probably am not allowed to say, but I'm obviously here and I wanted to, whether I wanted to come or not, I know Bailey wanted to come, so I was going to come and support her and support us

and talk about our journey of it. But I'm obviously happy to, like, see much. We're also, like, under contract, so we have to come. But I don't think you really had a choice. They're going to find you. No, I think we did want to come to be able to, like, share moments of, like, our relationship. And, you know, also, I think a lot of people have had a lot of questions for us. And there's obviously not a time where we can be like, let us answer all these questions on our story about why this happened and what, you know, being able to, you know, just like a test for things and also share.

share other conversations that happened. So I feel like that's why we wanted to come. I think you always get nervous just like on the drama level of just being like, okay, are we going to be included or what if someone has a vendetta? But I feel like overall the reunion went really well for us. And I think we really patched up things with other people that we may have had lingering. So, yeah. I think part of it is we were just tired.

Like it's been 10 long weeks and we knew this would be like, there would be something out of it. Sometimes two episodes a week and that was five hours of TV. Three hours the first time. It's, it's wild. Like, both of us were just exhausted, which I was like, I'm going to go, we're here. We're happy to be here. Well, I'm glad you're happy to be here because when we plan this whole thing out and I was told

that I was being asked to speak with each couple, I did want to speak with the two of you because this season for me, I was trying to figure out a way to word it. And I'm going to try to do it in the way I thought about in the plane today coming here. Your relationship is a really beautiful relationship. It is. And we saw so much of that and we saw the depths of it. And I felt like from a viewer's standpoint, all of a sudden at the very end of your journey, that relationship was put into question from the viewer's eyeballs, right? Like everything was great and beautiful and you guys were solid and strong. And then all of a sudden, this controversy comes out. And then you guys go home. Yeah. And there was, and I think unfortunately with Paradise, there isn't that kind of limbo stage where you get to see you to heal. Uh, viewers had the question of, are they still together? Are they actually mad at each other? Um, and then we see this like Brian thing coming to play. And that felt like it overshadowed everything that was built to that point. That was my perspective as a viewer watching this. I want to hear your response to that. And maybe if you can walk us through your experience in paradise. Yeah. Um, I can start off. Yeah, you can start off. Similar, you know, to you is that, like, it was upset. upsetting to us because it felt like that powered anything. And we talked about it many times.

Obviously, I was stupid. I should have done or said some of the stuff I did. But at the end of the day, it was like a couple of days, like days out of, you know, four weeks of us filming. So we were just upset that like our actual love story was shown. And people are going to question like, oh, do they even like each other and all this? So that's what sucked. But in reality, what it was is like there were two people who literally, like, I knew a lot of

people going who were going to be at the beach. she was not one of them and by chance we just like sat next to each other and started talking and it was really like this like raw thing that like developed over time and then you know people rip on the challenge part for you know there's some reasons to rip on it but it was actually like great to just like really get to each other better and like develop communication and how to work together and I think unfortunately a lot of that was left out but like we left paradise so strong and like it's been you know a hundred times better yeah and i think that's why we're also i think very caught off guard when we got sent home because like i even with with the whole thing

with brian and with the phone call and with the comments like i feel like we had so many long conversations that weren't necessarily there's not enough time the comrade the out the amount of time we spent on the conversations the same amount of time as the show air as an episode so I feel like yeah a lot of those moments get cut and then obviously I think this a lot of that the drama did overshadow still us being a strong couple because we moved on from it I feel like in the real world like you have challenges you have things that arise you have conversations about it you don't have to rewatch them back with each other but you know what I mean you move on from them and so I do wish that people really got to hear our conversations and our really good moments together but you know it's all part of a plan and we We can't really control anything. My name is Ed. Everyone say, 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 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

take center stage available now listen to wisecrack on the iHeart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts my boyfriend's professor is way too friendly and now i'm seriously suspicious oh wait a minute sam maybe her boyfriend's just looking for extra credit well dakota it's back to school week on the okay story time 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.

December 29th, 1975, LaGuardia Airport. The holiday rush. Parents hauling luggage, kids gripping their new Christmas toys. Then, at 6.33 p.m., everything changed. There's been a bombing at the TWA terminal. Apparently, the explosion actually impelling.

old metal, glad. The injured were being loaded into ambulances, just a chaotic, chaotic scene. In its wake, a new kind of enemy emerged, and it was here to stay. Terrorism. Law and Order Criminal Justice System is back. In season two, we're turning our focus to a threat that hides in plain sight. That's harder to predict and even harder to stop. Listen to the new season of Law and Order Criminal Justice.

system on the iHeart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts i had this like overwhelming sensation that i had to call it right then and i just hit call said you know hey i'm jacob shick i'm the CEO of one tribe foundation and i just wanted to call on and let her know there's a lot of people battling some of the very same things you're battling and there is help out there the good stuff podcast season two takes a deep look into one tribe foundation a a non-profit fighting suicide in the veteran community. September is National Suicide Prevention Month, so join host Jacob and Ashley Schick

as they bring you to the front lines of One Tribe's mission. I was married to a combat army veteran, and he actually took his own mark to suicide. One Tribe saved my life twice. There's a lot of love that flows through this place, and it's sincere. Now it's a personal mission. I don't have to go to any more funerals, you know. I got blown up on a React mission.

I ended up having amputation below the knee of my right leg and the traumatic brain injury, because I landed on my head. Welcome to Season 2 of the Good Stuff. Listen to the Good Stuff podcast on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hi, I'm Janica Lopez, and in the new season of the Overcover podcast,

I'm taking you on an exciting journey of self-reflection. Am I ready to enter this new part of my life? Like, am I ready to be in a relationship? Am I ready to have kids and to really just devote myself and my time? I wanted to be successful on my own, not just because of who my mom is. Like, I felt like I needed to be better or work twice as hard as she did. Join me for conversations about healing and growth.

Life is freaking hard. And growth doesn't happen in comfort. It happens in motion, even when you're hurting. All from one of my favorite spaces, The Kitchen. Honestly, these are going to come out so freaking amazing. Be a part of my new chapter and listen to the new season of the Overcomfit podcast as part of the MyCultura podcast network on the IHawks, Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Before I get too carried away, I do want to give a shout out to the hotel we're staying at. The Portofino Hotel and Marina. Escape to the coast at the Portofino Hotel Marina in Redondo Beach. Wake up to the sweeping ocean views, then dine marina front at the Baleen Kitchen, where fresh flavors meet stunning King Harbor views. At Dockside Adventure Center, rent kayaks, paddleboards, or take our complimentary bikes out for a spin along the coast. And back to the hotel, unwind in the living room. The Portofino pours self-serve tap wall and soak in a breathtaking coastal sunset.

The Portofino Hotel and Marina, where coastal charm meets endless discovery. Now, let's get back to our interview. Well, that's one of the frustrations I think that viewers would have. is I think we assumed you guys left the beach strong. We didn't really know. We didn't know kind of what the behind-the-scenes conversation is going to look like. You now have been able to watch the whole season back. You've been able to sit in the reunion and kind of for a very short period of time,

you were not the focus of the drama by any means. There was a lot of arrows shot. We were nervous. We were going to be. We were like, came and we were like, oh, yeah, I want to thank everyone. Thank our friends in there because we're all pretty level-headed. It wasn't as aggressive as some conversations got by any means. but you watched it back

and you obviously saw now the controversy, the phone call you got to see Brian's kind of thought process to the conversation he had with you and all this kind of fire to walk us through what it was like to watch it back but then also I think the interesting thing is

how did you two stay connected as a couple through watching it back because it couldn't have been easy no matter what. Right. Yeah you could talk more on it because obviously hard Watch her bag was hard for me, too, seeing her. But we had talked through everything there.

We talked through everything. The season started, and we obviously talked through the fall was airing. But, like, we have grown so much, and we've been spending, like, probably the time than any couple together. We've been, I think we've been together for, like, 75% of the days of the summer.

So, that's been really nice. So, like, like, whatever happened, we had already worked through and our relationship had gotten a million times stronger like we're beating each other's family um i went out to our place in poor people and so it was so far past that that so it it didn't make it like less hard to watch back but we just like remember that it was in the past and it was obviously yeah i think it was i knew conversations and moments and comments were coming. It was never like I was caught off guard by anything and I was just like, oh my God, I'm shocked. I feel like, obviously it's still hard because like I know we're

together and majority of the episodes we did end up watching them together. I think there was like maybe one or two where I was like on the way to New York or something where I watched on the plane. So I think obviously those comments are going to be hard. No matter how you spin it, no matter what happened, it's still hard to listen to. But I feel like we've done a really good job of like communicating and I feel like he's also done a really good job of just like listening to how I'm feeling or how overwhelmed I am about the comments or the questions and the things from so many people. And so I feel like I have to give him props just like how he's handled that because he's really like with whatever questions or moments or any time, like even if I brought

it up today and I needed questions about it, he would sit and have answers for them. So I feel like that's been really helpful in us being able to like grow from those little moments. I also realize that like all of that happened like over a span of a few days and then obviously it's hard because like I wasn't initially told about the phone call which I feel like is so hard but I also understand where everyone's coming from because like at that moment we're like really focus on the competition like we were only focusing on like our relationship and preparing for the challenges ahead and just being like locked in on that and so I feel like a lot of that has to play with like timing and things as well um so

Yeah, it's obviously, it's like, who wants to hear those comments? Who wants to see those things? Nobody does. But I also feel like I knew they were coming. So I think it lessened the blow a lot of me being like so distraught about them because I really had time. We had so many conversations in Paradise after Paradise. Like even just when we were in the hotel coming back to be like in the jury of peers for Paradise or the parliament of Paradise, like, you know, we had a lot of deep off camera conversations that were really nice for us to just be like, okay. Like we can really just lay everything out and I think also work through logistics of just like how we were going to work outside and, you know. Yeah. And I'll be the first one to say I should have sooner. Like my intent was never. I by anything by not telling her that quickly. Like I knew that if we were going to be together, I would be telling her on the show too. So it's I shouldn't have got mad at Brian. Like me and Brian have talked about this. And I should have told her sooner. but like at the end of the day like it's in the past and it's something that work together on it it has brought us closer yeah i mean i think it says a lot about the two of you i also think it says a lot about you bailey and kind of your understanding of what show you were on and how messy can get and but jeremy for you you're obviously deeply invested in this relationship at this point you're watching this season back you see this stuff starts to spiral out of control.

Yeah. You, I mean, I've been through the show. I know what it's like when things start spiring out of control when you're watching it back and how helpless that sometimes feels. Jeremy, I want to get your perspective on what kind of it meant to you for Bailey to stay strong and stay engaged and stay in it. Like everything in the world. Like I already knew she was a great teammate from like not team like in challenge like partner and life from stuff we were going through. But then that, like she is my woman and just like her understanding of me as a person. And like where my head is at and she meets to me and like how I want things.

It's, I'm very lucky. You are. Yeah. I mean, it's not everybody does it. That's why the success rate is like less than 10% from the show because these moments break couples. But they also can bring them together and make them strong. stronger. Jeremy, you took some heat up on stage here at the reunion.

I didn't really understand what was going on. I had to Google a lot of it. It was about your dislike for the Goldens. And I do feel like one of my jobs, I do still want you to send me the clips. But one of my jobs here, almost famous, is to bring to light anything that I think could potentially look really bad. And I think that's a moment for you during the reunion that will look not great. And so I want you to have an opportunity to speak some more clarity into what.

what that whole thing was, the claim was made that you didn't like the Goldens. Yeah. And then a lot of people started talking and you didn't really get to like clarify and then it moved on. And so I want this to be a moment

you can clarify. Yeah, it was based off of a comment that I said like in our one-on-one day when having dinner, I was like, they just keep going on a lot. I don't hate them. I'll be the first one to say

I was not happy when it was announced that they were. why is that because i'm like i don't think it should be mixed i think spots could be going to other people like i don't know how this will work like it felt weird so when they had you already agreed to be on the show when that was announced yeah okay so you're like oh no i did i called one of the showrunners when i was announced i'm like what it like what is like yes um but either way so like when when at first when they were there i was like and i've

nothing wrong with golden's parents I've parents um so that's what I want to make sure that we're like if you were like no I just don't like golden people yes his grandparents still love him I will be that age in 30 years so I will be a gold um hopefully I'm not a golden um yeah I'm like I was like I had that view at first but like it did change and like Keith and and Kathy especially I love those guys so um I like half the things that come out my mouth and it's not a good excuse or, like, fry. Yeah. But I said, like, I hate them.

I hate that. They're going on with monologues, which the monologues could be a bit boring. Yeah, it's like, when you have dinner with your parents and you're like, okay, I want to, like, get your advice on this. And then, you know, they're also like, they're kind of like, have you given to your 401K? 401K? Like, they're like, have you, like, are you, like, investing your money? You know what I mean? So I feel like, I get where he's coming from, like, with that.

But thank you for giving me the chance to clarify. I don't hate them. A lot of them are actually He loves Keith and Kathy especially Even though he will give Kathy a lot of shit But that's just because they have a lot of Kathy is like an aunt to me Like where you just give each other

Every time you see each other Every time All these love triangles Getting you twisted Us too But it's because we have Wetzels, pretzels On deck serving up soft

salty And totally irresistible snacks From original butter to sinful cinnamon, we've got your cravings covered, fresh baked, hand-rolled, and always hot. Go online to find your nearest Wetzel's Pretzels, or, to order ahead, your Wetzels Paradise awaits at wetzels.com. My name is Ed. Everyone say hello, Ed. Hello, Ed. I'm from a very rural background myself. My dad is a farmer.

And my mom is a cousin, so, like, it's not 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. Well, 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. My boyfriend's professor is way too friendly, and now I'm seriously suspicious. Oh, wait a minute, Sam. Maybe her boyfriend's just looking for every. extra credit. Well, Dakota, it's back to school week on the okay story time podcast, so we'll find out soon. This person writes, my boyfriend has been hanging out with his young professor

a lot. He doesn't think it's a problem, but I don't trust her. Now, he's insisting we get to know each other, but I just want her gone. Now, hold up. Isn't that against school policy? That sounds totally inappropriate. Well, according to this person, this is her boyfriend's former professor and they're the same age. And it's even more likely that they're cheating. He insists there's nothing between them. I mean, do you believe him? Well, he's certainly trying to get this person to believe him because he now wants them both to meet. So, do we find out if this person's boyfriend really cheated

with his professor or not? To hear the explosive finale, listen to the OK Storytime podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast. December 29th, 1975, LaGuardia Airport. The holiday rush, parents hauling luggage, kids

gripping their new Christmas toys. Then, at 633 P.M., everything changed. There's been a bombing at the TWA terminal. Apparently, the explosion actually impelled metal glass. The injured were being loaded into ambulances. Just a chaotic, chaotic scene. In its wake, a new kind of enemy emerged, and it was here to stay.

Terrorism. Law and order, criminal justice system is back. In season two, we're turning a new. our focus to a threat that hides in plain sight that's harder to predict and even harder to stop listen to the new season of law and order criminal justice system on the iHeart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts hey sis what if i could promise you you never had to listen to a condescending finance bro tell you how to manage your money again welcome to brown ambition this is the hard part when

you pay down those credit cards if you have you had to listen to you have to you haven't gotten to the bottom of why you were racking up credit or turning to credit cards, you may just recreate the same problem a year from now. When you do feel like you are bleeding from these high interest rates, I would start shopping for a debt consolidation loan, starting with your local credit union, shopping around online, looking for some online lenders because they tend to have fewer fees and be more affordable. Listen, I am not here to judge.

It is so expensive in these streets. I 100% can see how in just a few months. You can have this much credit card debt when it weighs on you. It's really easy to just like stick your head in the sand. It's nice and dark in the sand. Even if it's scary, it's not going to go away just because you're avoiding it. And in fact, it may get even worse. For more judgment-free money advice, listen to Brown Ambition on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

The Super Secret Festi Club podcast season four is here. And we're locked in. That means more juicy chisement. Terrible love advice. Evil spells to cast on your ex. No, no, no, no, no, no, we're not doing that this season. Oh, well, this season, we're leveling up. Each episode will feature a special bestie, and you're not going to want to miss it.

Get in here! Today, we have a very special guest with us. Our new super secret bestie is The diva of the people. The diva of the people. I'm just like, text your ex. My theory is that if you need to figure out that the stove is hot, go and touch it. Go and figure it out for yourself. Okay.

That's us. We're in the heck. That's us. My name is Curley. And I'm Maya. In each episode, we'll talk about love, friendship, heartbrates, men, and of course, our favorite secrets. Listen to the Super Secret Bestie Club as a part of the MyCultura podcast network available on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. With Pinkberry, it is love at first swirl.

Big thanks to Pinkberry, who has been serving up some delicious frozen yogurt treats today, where every flavor, whether it's original tart, pomegranate, or their new white mocha, is truly a front runner. And the only drama is choosing between your favorite premium toppings, whether you're here for love or, let's be real, just the Froyo. Pinkberry's got your happily. ever after. Find a location near you or order online at pinkberry.com. That's important for the listeners to note because we have a lot of crossover listeners

that will listen to the reunion and also listen to this, is that because I think when you just listen to it, it's going to sound like you and Kathy are going at it. But there's love there. Like I saw her last night. Oh, yeah. She sat. She came in our hotel when we looked at seals together. that was the first time I saw Kathy since since Paradise and the first thing I said to her said traitor because the whole time she was she kept saying how much she loved us together and then sends us home.

Yeah, well that's joking. That's the segue here as we close up with the two of you. It was a very emotional exit for you too. There was a lot of frustration, I think, in both of your faces and confusion, I would say. Tell me if I'm wrong. As you were told that you're leaving Costa Rica and leaving Paradise,

Kathy and Keith played a big role, obviously, in that exit. Why were you so frustrated? What was going through your minds? Did you feel like it was unjust? No, I don't know if it was frustration, but like, I would say you asked us two hours before the cocktail party started if we were going to go home, I would say, yes. And it all happened quickly with like, then we realized that like bail, you know, we thought had our backs of the time was kind of like going against us because he needed to save himself. And Spencer, who had like pulled me before saying like oh it never voted for us to go home and like we're all like we're kind of learning that while the cocktail hour is going on so it's a sense of like yeah and we were

just like we were fine obviously yeah we were fine but yeah I think it was like confusion mixed with I don't want to say like betrayal but I think you're just caught off guard because it's like you know that you're going to have to send friends home that's clear I think that we just, like, weren't really thinking it was going to be us at this time. Like, I feel like we had done a really good job of, like, standing up for all of our friends at that moment. And obviously, it was between us, and we knew that we weren't going to vote Justin Spencer. I think everyone was very clear on that. Like, you know, I wanted them to get engaged.

So I think that's where it really went into. And then I think when we came to terms with it, we really just spent that time with each other and just realizing, like, okay, it's not the end of the road. Yeah, it's the end to $500,000. but I don't know we you know we came to paradise we didn't think we were going to find this and so we left with each other and I feel like that's what's most important and I think we kept that like the goal with all of it obviously it's still it was hard in that moment to be like okay like and also I just feel like I personally faced like a lot during my paradise journey so I think I was just really thrown off about that so yeah I think that was that was really hard

and I think our conversation with Keith and Kathy was also very difficult and like I talk about this with Kathy at the reunion today, like, I think she decided that she was voting based on who she thought needed the money the most or because we didn't say that we wanted to start a family. And so it gets hard because there's moments where you're like, you don't want to have to like plead for your life. I feel like that's not really the kind of people that we are. So we're kind of just like, you know, if you guys don't see it, then like we just, we have to, you know, like we have to just step off the brain. When it came in time to like our last conversation was with Keith and Kathy as like cocktail parties wrapping up and like we're

not going to be salesmen. Like, they knew us, they knew, and they knew us as, like, as a couple. They, you know, wanted us to move forward and have a chance. It was up to them. Yeah. And I will say, like, we didn't feel, like, totally, like, Alex and Andrew, you know, they were there for us. Like, we all had a good conversation.

So I think I also felt really confident with that, too, just being happy that, like, you know, it's hard. You don't want everyone turning on you. I think that would have been really rough. So I'm glad that those people had our back in that. And I also, like, you forgive, you forget. Like, it's whatever. Like, we're not mad at them.

We get that it was a difficult, difficult decision. And when you kind of, like, add up adversity, sometimes you're nervous. You don't want to, like, it's like you're betting in, like, a weird way. But, yeah, you're having to bet on who you think is going to, like, last the most. And everyone's just, like, throwing it on a different scale, I guess. So, yeah, it was hard. But I feel like we left happy, and that's all that matters. Well, that's the final question for the two of you.

you've hinted at your relationship today. You did leave the beach. You've talked about your time together, talked about your support with each other. For listeners out there, for as much as you want to share as a couple, what can they look forward to? Where do you see this going maybe? Answering the question that everybody's asking, like, is this the real deal, I think, is what people are asking? And you answer it in any way you feel comfortable. I'll say, I've said this to her like privately that like I've had a few girlfriends and like every that situation so this is like never never before you know of course yeah that's crazy yeah I've I've like truly like not just saying this I like I've never felt something like this before and I feel so blessed um and like I'm I don't get

sick of her I'm excited to spend every day with her um I don't know I'm just so happy same I feel like We're both kind of people where we just don't like to do anything that we don't like to do. And we love spending time together. We love each other. We're really excited for what's to come at the end of this year. You know, hopefully a lot of time in New York and, you know, bringing my dog up if she likes it. And yeah, and we've really done a good job. Like, we've met each other's families.

And I feel like we've had so much fun this summer going to Portugal, going to Chicago, going to – I've been to New York a ton of times. We've been to L.A. I think hopefully some more aligned travels at the Ritz-Carlton, maybe not camping, but I do think that our future is bright, and I feel like we're just really happy to spend it together. And, yeah.

Are you moving in? Did I hear? That's the plan, yeah. We're going to go to China and then come back. And then see if that works. I think the problem is really just me moving all of my clothes up to New York. I have an enormous amount of clothing. I'm very lucky that.

I have an apartment in New York that has high ceiling loft. So she could actually fit her closet. I have a closet upstairs. So I have a place to hold everything. I think it's like the actual going through it. Yeah. Get going through it and then getting it up there. I think that would be difficult.

But I mean, yeah, we pretty much live together now. So we spend every moment together. So that's amazing. Well, congratulations to the two of you. Thanks for coming on. Thank you. Thanks for sitting through the reunion and answering all the tough questions that we're throwing your way. Thanks for answering the questions today. This has been the Almost Famous

Podcast. I've been Ben. And we've had Bailey and Jeremy with us. Thank you. Bye. Follow the Ben and Ashley I, Almost Famous Podcasts on IHartRadio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. My boyfriend's professor is way too friendly and now I'm seriously suspicious. Wait a minute, Sam. Maybe her boyfriend's just looking for extra credit. Well, Dakota, luckily, it's back to school week on the OK Storytime podcast. So we'll find out soon. This person writes, my boyfriend's been hanging out with his young professor a lot. He doesn't think it's a problem, but I don't trust her. Now he's insisting we get to know each other, but I just want her gone. Hold up. Isn't that against school policy? That seems inappropriate. Maybe find out how it ends by

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