The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - The Decision Maker with Serene Russell

Episode Date: March 29, 2023

Ashley is joined by Serene Russell from Clayton’s season to help break down Zach’s finale as The Bachelor! Ashley holds nothing back when revealing what disappointed her about the finale, and we discuss the choice for the next Bachelorette. Plus, find out why Ariel’s confrontation with Zach was one of the biggest moments from the entire seasonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Hold up. Isn't that against school policy? That seems inappropriate. Maybe find out how it ends by listening to the OK Storytime podcast and the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. Every case that is a cold case that has DNA. Right now in a backlog will be identified in our lifetime. On the new podcast, America's Crime Lab,

every case has a story to tell. And the DNA holds the truth. He never thought he was going to get caught. And I just looked at my computer screen. I was just like, ah, gotcha. This technology is already solving so many. cases. Listen to America's Crime Lab on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 this is the ben and ashley i almost famous podcast with iheart radio hello everyone welcome to the almost him as podcast today it is me and it is not ben higgins he's on some crazy governmental experiment not experiment um he's doing something really good in south I think in South or Central America, the man is always doing something interesting,

but I have somebody else very interesting, very wonderful, and honestly quite magical. Her name is Serene Russell joining me today. Hey, Serene. Hey, how are you? Good. How are you? I say you're magical because the presence of you and Brandon together in paradise was something. It was a special thing.

I felt so good about you guys. just making it all the way because there is just some effortless beauty of your love. How is it going? It's going good. It's going good. Finally getting used to San Diego and just trying to settle in together. Okay. Gotcha.

It's a weird time, you know? Yeah. Kind of like coming together in a new place for both of you, right? Right, right. And then we, you know, moved in, but like it had to be hidden for a bit. and so just with like everything after the show and like both of us traveling a lot it's it's been like running around with our heads cut off my god i understand i understand so we do want to go and get to know what's going on with you guys a little bit more in-depth than our in-depth series but

today in this episode we have to focus on the finale this finale i was truly truly excited for i think sometimes i don't know i guess in the finalies are kind of always exciting i don't know why I was particularly excited about this one. I really didn't know where it was going to go after last week because we left off with Gabby pretty upset. And then I think like you would think that Katie would have a bit of hesitation even after that fantasies we didn't talking through it and all that. So I was like something, some twisty thing is going to happen. I was actually shocked that there wasn't really a twisty thing. I thought that maybe Katie and him wouldn't be together but it was relatively predictable yeah let's start at the top with ariel what was your take on

the sit down with ariel what did we learn we learned i mean i think we already knew woman has a beautiful vocabulary oh i'm so eloquently spoken like no i mean she i expected her to be great but she's she literally is just so eloquent everything she does like the way she speaks like her brain like i know i'm just watching her in awe and in truthfully envy i'm like why can't i carry myself with that why can't i articulate myself like that she is amazing and i have to say i think there was a lot of people out there including myself that was really missing her being the choice of bachelor's Sorrette. What do you think about that? Honestly, like I am a little surprised just because I feel like so much happens after, you know, the fantasy suite. But like with Ariel especially, like, I don't know. Like, you never know, like, you know, why anything happens the way it does. We got to know her. I feel like a lot better than Charity. We ended up like getting it to be just feeling more attached. to her rooting for her a little bit more, I think a lot because of the way she carried herself during

Fantasy Sweet Week. Yeah, yeah, that too. And I mean, I was surprised too about Gabby, like just watching the entire thing. Well, I wasn't Gabby the back to that. Right. Well, there's just a lot. And I feel like, I feel like recently and maybe it's just because something crazy has happened like every season. But usually it's, you know, someone that something really awful has happened to or, you know, their experience and I feel like after a certain point that's more common so I was I was a little shocked yeah right like all three of them would be great but I know I know this is not to put down charity as choice at all I just feel like the audience really got bonded to Ariel and especially Gabby after last night and we are very invested in their personal journey now where charity like we

We know that she's a sweet girl, but we didn't really feel like a lot of heartbreak from her. Yeah. Like with Gabby. And now I know how they usually think of the runner-up becoming Bachelorette. And that is like, well, it's kind of a spoiler if the runner-up becomes. Because like we saw, they've already filmed night one, I bet you through a couple weeks right now. So we'd be like, you know, we'd know if Gabby were the Bachelorette. So it would be a huge spoiler to everyone.

And they also used to say that, like, they couldn't have the runner-upy Bachelorette because the feelings were too, exactly, the feelings were too fresh. And Gabby did truly seem currently still very affected and not over it. That was exactly what I thought. Yeah, she's just a little too, like, hurt still, like, I think for that. But still wanted to see it, you know. Still would be crazy. But I was watching with my sister and she was like, I just think that they want her to be. be queen of paradise. So we'll see. Do you have inside scoop? No. I know nothing. I wish. Okay. Okay. All right. Well, let's go back to Ariel for a second. The big thing that had to be addressed between Ariel and Zach was the fact that she was never told that he slept with Gabby. Like, he goes and he tells Katie right away and makes a big stink out of it. And we're all like, dude, what are you doing? You're telling Gabby that you're going to go and tell people. But then he really just went and told Katie, which makes us all wonder. We're like, oh, okay, that's because you're going to pick

Katie, right? And you want to be like open and honest and you don't want to get any skeletons out once the diamond ring is already on her finger. And it's pretty evident that that's what he did. Because if he just wanted to be open and honest in what she said was basically like three open relationships, he would have come to her and told her as well. No, I absolutely agree. And that was part of what I thought was so interesting is I believe when he sat down with Gabby to let her know, hey, I think I should tell the other girls. He didn't say, oh, I'm just going to, you know, tell one other person or something. Like, it sounded like he was going to tell Ariel. And at first, I was like, did we just not see it? Like, didn't it just get scrapped? Yeah, right? Because I was thinking,

it's definitely a scene that they could have done without and then they aired it online or something like that just be like yeah guys a bachelor nation just letting you know he did go do it here it is we just didn't fit it in because she was got eliminated but he didn't do it and it's not a great look yeah i get yeah it's not great look no i agree i remember as soon as i saw that i was like this can't be like this simple because it feels very obvious at that point yeah yes yes and then Ariel posted an Instagram reel or a TikTok this week saying that the first time she heard of any of this yes the whole she said the first time I heard that he slept with anyone else was on TV and she's just like Yeah, yep, I don't know. I would have, I don't know. I would have been pretty upset and she's right. I mean, to go home at that point, they, I feel like there was a lot of confusion and then to see that after the fact, like, I feel like that's the sucky part is like you go home and you take the time to heal and then you watch it and you see things that you didn't see the first time.

I know. One of the biggest moments for her that was like a yes girl was when she said you took away, Zach, my choice in the conversation. Like you just said off the table, we're not having sex. You took away my choice in that whole issue. Not even knowing that I would have told you I didn't want to do that either. so of course she's bringing up two things well she's bringing up one big thing and that is like you just think that you're like

the master decision maker in our relationship and that was I think that that was kind of like the gross element of last week with Zach where it was like oh he's just thinking that he's because he's the bachelor he's now like decision maker of each relationship do you remember I think it was Gabby. Do you remember what Gabby said in that moment? What did she say? I think whenever he sat her down for her date, like it skipped to an interview

clip of her being like, I don't know that I would want to get engaged to someone having not like had that moment. And so it was just interesting because they do, it is like, I'm the bachelor. Like this is, you know, my decision. And then you realize there's so many people like, I don't know. It's so messy. It is so messy. Well, anyway, I think it was interesting to hear that Ariel was like, well, if he'd only just talk to me about it, like it had a conversation about it, he would have realized that I was on the same page as him. And then maybe like we could have like bonded over that, right? Yeah. But she also didn't give him that satisfaction by telling him, you know, in the fantasy suite. Oh, guess what? Me too. No. And then I thought it was, I thought it was really cool to how she at the end of it was like,

you know what like we did have good memories to you know i don't want to reduce it all to this moment but she also like she held her own but then was still so kind at the same time she was she was like i don't want you to be railed on yeah she's like i don't need to make this worse for you yeah yeah it was nice she said what she needed to say satisfied herself and the audience and then she was just like yeah just like all right poor you you probably have bigger issues to deal with later in this episode. Okay. So let's move on to like the in Thailand part.

We have the girls meeting Zach's family. I love Zach's family. They're wonderful. They made him more attractive as a package to me. Yeah. You know, his relationship with his mom and then his sister's like, they all have the same face. Yeah, I know.

Yeah. it's so funny yeah but his family did seem really cool like they just seemed really sweet but really warm funny very down to earth like i just liked their vibes yeah so both girls end up telling him afterward it was like after meeting your family i could confidently say i am in love with you which is really sweet and both of them felt very much a kinship to his sisters and it was about what the sisters felt toward him that really got their heartstrings yeah no it was it was such a like I remember watching gabby meet the family and how she was talking with the sisters and then Katie and it was like usually there's like I feel like there's more of an outlier with the family too oh for sure well with

both you know that made me even more torn so I went into this episode thinking it was going to be Katie and throughout this episode they kept giving me little inklings that it could be Gabby. So that's why I really love this episode. It kept me interested throughout the entire time. With Gabby, his dad talked about how he basically, like, barely made it out of the hospital as a baby. So sad. That's crazy.

You know, you think that that's kind of something he would talk to her about. But, I mean, you know, it's when he was zero years old. Yeah. And with. Katie, is there like a moment that you were like, oh, my, oh, yeah, I know the moment that Katie that Katie had, she was just kind of crying with his mom and the dad. And she just couldn't stop crying. And it was very sweet. I know. She was emotional because of like the relationship that she never had like a dad figure. And she could see his dad being part of, you know, the circle of

men in her life. She's really nice. And then her mom, his mom, I felt like really there was something so comforting about his mom that she was able to just kind of be emotional and just be very comfortable with both of them. No, they both seemed like really good fits. And that's, I remember seeing his family in that date super early on in the season and thinking like, I would be so intimidated, like going on a date with the family that really, but they were just so nice. But I don't know. I think when Gabby was talking to his sisters and was like the way that I love your brother, like she wasn't saying like how she's like falling in love. Like she was like, oh, the things I love about him. And you could just tell like in those moments. And that was crazy too

because right before that date, it was like, oh, is she even going to go? Is she even going to go on the date. Oh, right. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, with Gabby. Um, yeah, I mean, I figured she would. Yeah. The conversation, but thank you for bringing up that conversation because she had to address that, be like, uh, just letting you know at the end of the last row ceremony, you basically weren't looking at me. That was crazy. Yeah. And we know that when Zach's not looking at somebody, that he's like pretty much over it. Yeah. So it was actually, um, I was actually surprised to see him make a turn where it seemed like he was uncomfortable with somebody but he kept pushing through and especially in that conversation she says to him i want you to like i felt like

i was wearing a scarlet letter but i don't want you i don't want to be like the object that makes you like what was it just like makes me she said something about she didn't want to be the reason for his pain his pain yeah like i don't want to be like standing like standing in the way like i don't want you to feel oh here she said an accessory in the crime yes which is such good that's just such a good way of putting it yeah yeah and her saying that she felt like she was in the scarlet letter like

i can't i can't imagine that yeah she definitely handled herself very well there and i was pleasantly surprised that he took it so well that was a moment moment to me where I was like, oh, he really does love her because it was the first time that there was, and I'm sure it happened and we didn't maybe see it, but there was a first time that there was like a serious conversation where the girl is addressing an issue that she had in

his actions. And he was like, oh, like, let's find, let's let's talk this out. So that was another sign where I was like, ah, Gabby. I think he loves Gabby. But I really do think he loved both. I do think that he was one of the situations where it's like The Bachelor loved both of them and he had to pick just one of the ones that he loved the most. Absolutely.

Right? You said the one that he loved the most and it just made me laugh a little bit because the last season. Because of Clayton season. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. professor is way too friendly, and now I'm seriously suspicious. Wait a minute, Sam, maybe her boyfriend's just looking for extra credit.

Well, Dakota, it's back to school week on the OK Storytime podcast, so we'll find out soon. This person writes, my boyfriend has been hanging out with his young professor a lot. He doesn't think it's a problem, but I don't trust her. Now, he's insisting we get to know each other, but I just want her gone. Now, hold up. Isn't that against school policy? That sounds totally inappropriate. Well, according to this person, this is her boyfriend's former professor, and they're the same age.

And it's even more likely that they're cheating. He insists there's nothing between them. I mean, do you believe him? Well, he's certainly trying to get this person to believe him because he now wants them both to meet. So, do we find out if this person's boyfriend really cheated with his professor or not? To hear the explosive finale, listen to the OK Storytime podcast on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

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. of 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. Your entire identity has been fabricated. Your beloved brother goes missing without a trace. You discover the depths of your mother's illness the way it has echoed and reverberated throughout your life, impacting your very legacy.

Hi, I'm Danny Shapiro, and these are just a few of the profound and powerful stories I'll be mining on our 12th season of Family Secrets. With over 37 million downloads, we continue to be moved and inspired by our guests and their courageously told stories. I can't wait to share 10 powerful new episodes with you. stories of tangled up identities, concealed truths, and the way in which family secrets almost always need to be told. I hope you'll join me and my extraordinary guests for this new season of family secrets.

Listen to Family Secrets Season 12 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Super Secret Festi Club podcast season four is here. And we're locked in. That means more juicy chees-me. Terrible love advice. Evil spells to cast on your ex. 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. Where is the head? That's us. My name is Curley. And I'm Maya. In each episode, we'll talk about love, friendship, heart breaks, men, and of course, our favorite secrets. Listen to the Super Secret Bestie Club as a part of the Michael Tura podcast network available on the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

So now it's time for Zach and Katie to go on their last. date. My sister and I were wondering watching it why we went from Katie's meeting the family to Katie's first date and why Katie's date was so short. So short. They walked to a waterfall and that was it. And then it was the nighttime and they sat on a couch together and it was like three minutes and that was it. I was thinking that perhaps they were trying to get us to think that Gabby, well, okay, there's two things. One, they could have wanted to, us to get more attached to Gabby so we felt the heartbreak more at the end or they wanted us to believe that Gabby could have been the choice more. What do you think? Did you notice the shortness

of the date and the fact that we like didn't really, I didn't feel anything there. I'm not saying that there wasn't like love there. It's just like we didn't. There was no like grandiose moment where I was like, ah, magic. No, I did notice, but I was more caught up on the fact that Gabby met the family first and then her date was after Katie's and so I was like wait are they not doing it the same day well do you think that possibly it was just edited differently so that yeah I mean you know we don't know what the order was right oh no it seemed like Katie was second to meet the family yes she right so it was like Gabby Katie yeah Katie Gabby yeah but we don't know the order the actual date elements. Yeah, for sure.

And it was definitely they're definitely not on the same day. All I knew was leaving those solo dates. I was like, please lock this man in a room for 24 hours just by himself and let him figure this out because he needed to figure out

who he was thinking of the most. Who he was missing the most. Yeah. I really don't know that he knew. But I don't know. I think I was Gabby's shoes. I think Gabby was like There's so many signs that say it could be me But my gut keeps telling me it's not me It's not me, it's not me

And that's what I was feeling I was like there are so many signs saying that it could be her But something is telling me that he's going to pick Katie Yeah And then there was that whole block of time Which you're watching on the West Coast Did you have sound? Yes

During the date? Okay We missed 10 minutes I don't know what happened during Gabby's day during Gabby's date so I feel like I mean kind of the same thing that happened on Katie's date

because Katie got a little freaked out too didn't she just a little on her date yeah so Gabby got really like freaked out because well I got the beach part I got that beach part the sit down beach part it was them like actually riding

the horses and stuff which seemed kind of like filler content yeah I don't I don't remember exactly what it was so it was totally inconsequential and good thing that that was the part that didn't have sound okay yeah yeah all right well so yeah not to skip over katy's date i just don't think there was much to talk about she was worried she said and like it's just awkward there's they can't exactly have the most fun when you're so worried about what's to come right

no i know and i felt like both of the dates were that way and i remember sitting there like okay both of them are freaked out now like both of them have no idea and he was even more confused i i do believe he was confused because with the whole thing that happened last week why would he like risk hurting katie for someone if it wasn't like almost that's what i kept going back to you know so maybe he really didn't know i don't know we we definitely in our heads just like Gabby. We're like, well, why would he tell Katie if he knew he was going to pick Gabby? So that is having us, one, be like, all right, Katie's to the frontrunner. Or two, he's truly torn. But in no situation are we thinking that Gabby is number one, right?

And Gabby herself is definitely not thinking she's number one. She keeps talking about the gut feeling, the feeling of second place. And then while sitting on the beach, He goes, you're not going to want to hear this. But I really don't know who I'm going to pick. And that wax her out. And it would. Of course it would. And he's kind of like just chilling.

He's like, just letting you know, I have two great women to choose from. I don't know who I'm going to pick. They've had some rough conversations looking out at the water on the beach. She's probably got like PTSD for them. know. I know. Did you have, like, what was your initial reaction while hearing him say that? I mean, my mouth was just open because I'm like, you're not doing anything but scaring her. But is it better for her to be scared than to be totally shocked when it happened and he doesn't pick her? No. I don't know. I don't know what's, but honestly, like, I don't know what I would want in that situation.

probably did not know I don't know it definitely ruins the moment yeah I know if you want the rest of the day to go well you don't say that and if you want to be I guess ridiculously honest and prepare her

for that was his thing though remember he didn't want to string anyone along and so he said hey no promises you're the top too but I don't know oh so crazy And then she rebound. This girl does a great job at rebounding.

Because then at the end of the night, she's fine and she's sort of fine. It's kind of like a reiteration of it, though. It's kind of a reiteration of their conversation where she's like, I know that you need to make the decision. He's like, I wish I knew what the decision was going to be. It's so hard to figure this out. He says he's so torn the first time in his life.

he doesn't have a decisive feeling and we know that he is a decisive man and he just says that like you know I'm taking this very seriously yes yes we know we know it's just so

he said I can't make he said something about like I can't make that decision until I've like felt every moment or something like that which is why I was like lock this man in a room he's like not having any moments in my opinion was it he's not having any moments because he keeps talking about like because he's freaking them out yeah yeah it's like there goes your last day

i mean katie katie's fantasy sweet date was all about what he wanted to tell her and not like a normal date moment until maybe later like from what we saw so it's like gosh well you know we have to admit that there is plenty of other conversations going on. And these are the conversations that they're choosing to show us. So these dates were hours and hours long. And these are like the 15, 20 minutes that we're getting. And this is all about the decision. And it's a great TV. Got to say, it's great TV. All right. Then they bring Sean and Catherine out. And I've got to say, I am not a fan of their new school way of doing this, where like a finale will be three hours long and it's like partially live and then partially

you know, throwing it back to wherever they were. Next step we see Sean and Catherine's basically just filler content. Sean is like giving shade about all of Zach's decisions. They're like, you gave a lot of advice. How do you feel about the way that Zach implemented this advice? And like Sean keeps saying, well, he sucked. He didn't take the advice the way I was intending for him to take it. and then you know

Catherine is sweet Catherine and then you know and Sean is snarky Sean they don't really there's not much there's not much here and yeah definitely just like filler

because they've wanted Zach's season to be modeled after Sean season this is just like the full circle moment I'm like finding his best friend yeah it's like all the face times led to this and hopefully this

did he get an approval I know hopefully like this this bachelor couple will be the only bachelor couple since Sean that will stay together like the final pick

will stay together and like that's their hope and intention yeah I know because Ari although he's with Lauren it was not his final pick on the TV show no that's actually crazy to think about it is crazy especially since we have plenty of bacheloretts

who are married to their final guys hasn't even been a proposal in so long I know and that was exciting too to see it in um so we haven't had a proposal but but what was so exciting was an expense for gabby's heart seeing both girls come out of a car and walk down the little aisle up to the podium and see it's horrible to say one person to get rejected and one person to win in the traditional sense of the show just because it hasn't happened like that in a long time and I do think it builds your emotion as a viewer.

You feel worse for the person who loses and you feel better for the person who wins. It's just good for the viewers but awful for the people involved. No, absolutely. It broke my heart when she was like, stop, please stop. I know. I was like saying everything I was thinking. It was just like stop talking. Jesse, be like, a warning.

What you're going to see is very sad. no one did you see when she like got out of the car what she said she's like yeah let's talk about this i mean are we are we here yet yeah i guess we're here yeah she was like all right what did she gets out of the car and she says it's muddy don't let katie when it actually matters when katie gets here don't do that to her it was just like that was so sad it was so sad we thought that it was frank and bitten for a second you know what frank and bitten means when they put the the voice of her saying that like later when she actually is like gone and putting it over because

you can't exactly see her mouth in that situation because it's a faraway shot we're like oh maybe they just put it in there to show that she was so convinced in her gut that it wasn't her but after you see what actually unfolds you're like oh no she definitely said that when she's walking it to Jesse and says it too. And he's like, what are you expecting today? And she was like, I already know what's going to happen. I just don't want to admit it. Didn't it make you feel a little bit better that she was prepared for it? Yeah. Yeah, it did. And I think she's just being honest to how she felt. And I feel like sometimes we see people in that position and they just like don't say it, you know? But I think just having a peek into her mind made her a lot more relatable. Because I feel like

most people would be thinking that, you know. Yeah, her doubt, her insecurity made her really relatable. Yeah. It's one of those things that makes you want her to be a Bachelorette. Mm-hmm. So she walks down the aisle, walks up to the podium. For a second, as he's like smiling and saying really nice things, I say to my sister, oh my God, what if they're faking us out?

What if for like the first time in a long time, they're going to put the proposal, first and then the dumping second and then I'm thinking that we're all going to be so surprised and I had this glimmer of hope and all of a sudden I'm really rooting for it to be Gabby as the pick and that is not how it went and then when the conversation turned yes it was heartbreaking when she was just like no don't want to hear it don't want to hear it because like and he was like you deserve love you deserve love from somebody that really like that will pick you first oh and then he had to say, pick you first. Like, her whole thing is about being picked second.

Uh-huh. And then, you know, he's thinking in his head, the producers are going to kill me if I don't go through this entire spiel. I got to save my stuff. And she's like, no, no, no, no. And I think we are all like, I think we can all relate in that moment. We're like, yeah, we don't need to hear your pleasantries, okay? No, absolutely.

Yeah. And then, you know, she's like, you don't have. to walk me to the car. She gets in the car and she definitely ends up having one of those moments where you know you're upset about one thing and then you start thinking about like your entire past and then you're like sobbing and being like, I am unlovable and nobody will ever like me and nobody will ever pick me. And she's just obviously, you know, it's not just Zach in that moment. And I'm like, oh, Gabby, come on. Come on. No, no, no. She's like, I want to know like how I could have been better. how it could have been me, what can I do?

I'm like, girl, no, no, no, no, no. It's just that there's somebody else that's a better fit for him. You are perfect as you are. It's just a matter of finding the perfect fit for you. I was like, don't make this about you not being enough. You are enough. You are such a prize. No, and it sucks too because like in that moment,

Zach was the last person she wanted to hear that stuff from. like she's like i don't want to know that you think i'm great like i don't like you know because it's easier to believe that like these things you believe about yourself are the reasons but no that was just it was so sad to watch my hands are like on my face the entire time can you remember the last time that you felt something like that watching this show probably with Brandon honestly serene I was just gonna say

I was literally in a hair salon getting my hair done and I was watching it and I was like oh my god could you ever imagine that would be your fiance no it would have been weird to think like sitting right there like seeing into the future strange I'm thinking years back right now and Brandon is the only only other name in my head that pops up as a moment like that.

Yes. Oh my gosh. Poor guy, but look what happened. Magic. My boyfriend's professor is way too friendly and now I'm seriously suspicious. Wait a minute, Sam. Maybe her boyfriend's just looking for extra credit.

Well, Dakota, it's back to school week on the OK Storytime podcast. So we'll find out soon. This person writes, my boyfriend has been hanging out with his young professor a lot. He doesn't think it's a problem, but I don't trust her. Now he's insisting we get to know each other, but I just want her gone. Now hold up, isn't that against school policy? That sounds totally inappropriate. Well, according to this person, this is her boyfriend's former professor and they're the same age. And it's even more

likely that they're cheating. He insists there's nothing between them. I mean, do you believe him? Well, he's certainly trying to get this person to believe him because he now wants them both to meet. So, do we find out if this person's boyfriend really cheated with his professor or not. To hear the explosive finale, listen to the OK Storytime podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. 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. What would you do if one bad decision forced you to choose between a maximum security prison or the most brutal boot camp designed to be hell on earth? Unfortunately for Mark Lombardo, this was the choice he faced. He said, you are a number, a New York State number, and we own you.

Shock incarceration, also known as boot camps, are short-term, highly regimented correctional programs that mimic military basic training. These programs aim to provide a shock of prison life, emphasizing strict discipline, physical training, hard labor, and rehabilitation programs. Mark had one chance to complete this program and had no idea of the hell awaiting him the next six months.

The first night was so overwhelming, and you don't know who's next to you. And we didn't know what to expect in the morning. nobody tells you anything listen to shock incarceration on the i heart 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 haven't gotten to the bottom of why you were racking up credit or turning to credit cards you may just recreate the same problem a year from now when you do feel like you are bleeding

from these high interest rates. I would start shopping for a debt consolidation loan, starting with your local credit union, shopping around online, looking for some online lenders because they tend to have fewer fees and be more affordable. Listen, I am not here to judge. It is so expensive in these streets. I 100% can see how in just a few months you can have this much credit card debt when it weighs on you. It's really easy to just like stick your head in the sand. It's nice and dark in the sand. Even if it's scary, it's not going to go away just because you're avoiding it and in fact it may get even worse for more judgment free money advice listen to brown ambition on the iHeart radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast all right so what i don't like now

is this this back and forth between the live moments and the taped moments because i really think that what happens between zach and gabby on stage just like the fact that gabby has you know 20 minutes on stage, it takes away from the proposal to come because then all of a sudden it becomes a big Gabby show and you're feeling really bad for her. You're very focused on her pain and not focused on like the love and the love to come. Right. So even when they flash to the proposal moment, you're like, I'm not ready for this now. Like we're still mourning Gabby right now. Exactly. which is why I need them to go back to the regular format

where we saw the whole two hours of the tape show and then we went to the finale. When was the last time it was like that? A long time ago because I think the first time that they did this format I want to say

was Colton season. Okay. I'm not 100% show. So I've only seen it this way. So it's been about five years. Yeah. Yeah, you probably only did it this way. And that just made you be like

it made you I don't know a little bit more on pins and needles and it just made you feel it feel it pure it made it feel it feel it pure well because you're like seeing it all and then like waiting to see like what happens I always like think it's kind of like thinking of like if the proposal did go first it would like ruin the rest of the day for the bachelor I know which is obviously. You have your half. happy moment and then you have this like awful moment having to break up with someone and so it's like I wonder if it's kind of like the same of course yes um yeah I guess but like you're able to feel like all the like sequential feelings and I guess you're able to feel like sequential feelings anyway with this manner maybe they probably actually think it's more sequential they it's actually more sequential doing it like this they don't want us to feel like it's resolved so we'll like want more from like whatever pain we see that we're like, oh, I want to see this person like live out like their happiness, like the person that gets really hurt. Maybe it's so that you're like ready to see them like in another season somehow. I don't know. No, you're right. I think I'm not making sense now because I think the way that they do it makes the most sense actually, but somehow also bonds you more to the runner up, which is why it would be great. You're like setting up whoever's up next. Exactly. If the runner up was the Bachelorette, this would be amazing. Then, like, you do the sad thing. You're like,

why'd you make us sad for no reason? Yeah, they make you really sad. And then they're like, okay, now you're the bachelorette. Then you're stepping into the happy territory. And then we go on to the proposal and it's all great. Now, maybe it's just a parent. We'll have like a paradise hope for. Yeah, got to have a paradise hope for Gabby. She will be princess, first sand, first foot on the sand in paradise. so before we get into the proposal serene we have to talk about the actual conversation that happens between Zach and Gabby on the stage we knew it was going to be emotional Gabby basically is the big there's a couple big drama lines one of which she said that it wasn't until watching on live TV that she found out that he told people other than I didn't didn't know what that meant yeah okay my sister and i rewound we couldn't figure it out he goes she says i didn't know until last week that you told everybody and i was like wait what do i have to go

back and watch a last week scene where he came in and said hey just letting you know like i'm going to tell i'm going to tell the girls because in in that scene i believe he said i'm going to tell the girls, right? Because she said that she was very hurt that he, that the whole nation knew because she was led to believe that maybe they wouldn't. Maybe, maybe she thought he meant he was going to tell, I don't know, maybe like privately, like in the fantasy suite or something because she, yeah, she did say she felt like her choice was taken away and like violated that like all of America knew her business. Yeah. and it is like I would be embarrassed as well like my sister was like I wouldn't be embarrassed you know they went to the fantasy suite it's it's assumed and I go I feel like there's a total difference between it being assumed and like everybody like just hearing hearing it that happened yeah and she I think in that moment I was watching it with Brandon and we both looked at each other like oh my gosh she was like I was brushing my teeth you came up behind me that that's the back of my head yeah and then you said

this is between us this stays between us and so it's like she felt like blindsided but because he went out of his way to be like hey like don't worry about this which that like made it so much worse right so that was mic drop one and then mic drop two we didn't really i didn't really understand so one was that that night she was they were like okay between us we're not talking about this so betrayal number one is the fact that he goes tells the producers in an interview obviously that they did sleep together and then once they find out they're like okay well now you need to go to her because i'm assuming it was again we talk about it all the time they're not going to force you to do anything but they will guide you and absolutely i think in that

moment the guilt got to him he said an interview he told some producer he may have very well just like made the decision and been like I have to I have to go and tell Katie now and then they're like all right well then you're going to have to go in the room and tell Gabby that you're going to tell Katie and then like so that's just just like just awkward decision number one is that he like told somebody after the fantasy suite about their private business when he told Gabby in the moment he wasn't going to do that. that betrayal is big no it is and i also felt bad because i remember in that moment i was like well he's coming and smiling so it looks like he is really really really good news like he came

after the date and so she's probably like oh this is either really really really good or really really bad yeah but it looked to be really good because he came up like laughing and joking with her and stuff so she was probably like oh like i'm i'm doing great like Like, I'm probably the only one here. Yeah. And one of those, in those moments, you're right. So they're good or good or bad. So that's betrayal number one.

And then betrayal number two, we can't quite figure out. No, that really confused me. Okay. I'm so glad that you're confused because we were really confused too. We kept trying to come up with different interpretations of it. And when she says, you told, I, didn't know until last week that everybody knew my thought the only sense we could make out of it was that she told that she expected him to tell katie in the fantasy suite in private but then i

wonder what did she think that the cameras were doing in that room when he told her when he told her the intentions of telling katie i don't know maybe she just you know you kind of forget if they're there sometimes. Yeah, maybe she was just like, oh, you know, we're not in a fantasy suite so the cameras have to come with us everywhere. Yeah, he's coming to tell me that we're getting engaged. Obviously, the best point of action would have been. Like, yeah, okay, you could tell Katie if Katie, well, one, if Katie wants to know, which

Katie didn't even want to know. But two, you could have told her in the privacy of the fantasy suite and just not wrecked everything if you really needed to relieve your guilt of it and her date wouldn't have been wasted exactly Katie would have it should have been so much more tasteful because in that way he would have gotten rid of the guilt right because that was everybody's thing was like he he he sacrificed her to feel better about himself and like to not and it was such a selfish move but at least if he had told Katie in the privacy of fantasy sweets it wouldn't have been this big thing where she was wearing the scarlet letter because katie the only person that he really needed

to tell in his own psyche would have known the whole world quote quote the three million people who watched the show wouldn't have had to know exactly no i i agree again this is a tv show and we all don't know how to navigate it perfectly you think you're doing the right thing in one moment and you're realizing as it's unfolding you probably made a huge mistake and like you didn't have to tell anyone anything he could have made that decision and like you don't have to explain yourself you know yeah all right so let's move on to the actual proposal now beautiful katie looks beautiful um everything is you know his speech her speech is beautiful he starts out strong until he tries to do the twist right he has the twist line and every every bachelor must do

the twist line to throw them off to get that little disappointed reaction until they flip it and be like but katie you are the one so what happens is that instead of just doing like the however you know it's usually like so-and-so i love you so much however we've had some struggles throughout the time it's never been an easy journey but i have got to say you're the one right but sack goes like Katie, I love you, blah, blah, blah, blah. I'm so in love with you, but I can no longer say than I'm falling in love with you. I'm in love with you.

I can now say that I am so in love with you. This girl freaked out, and we all kind of freaked out. That was too much, too much, absolutely ridiculous. I was like, there's no way he's about to do. Like, let her lip. Let her have some peace now, finally. I know. And for a split second, I was like, oh, shit. He's not going to pick either of these girls. That's a real twist. He's like, actually, I sent someone home that I can't stop thinking about.

Yeah. Yeah. No, I think he freaked us all out. Great. Great. The producers were so proud of him, though. They're so proud of him. My boyfriend's professor is way too friendly, and now I'm seriously suspicious. Oh, wait a minute, Sam. Maybe her boyfriend's just looking for extra credit. Well, Dakota, it's back to school week on the OK Storytime podcast, so we'll find out soon. This person writes, my boyfriend has been hanging out with his young professor a lot. He doesn't think it's a problem, but I don't trust her.

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

with his professor or not? To hear the explosive finale, listen to the OK Storytime podcast on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. 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. A foot washed up a shoe with some bones in it. They had no idea who it was. Most everything was burned up pretty good from the fire that not a whole lot was salvageable. These are the coldest of cold cases,

but everything is about to change. Every case that is a cold case that has DNA. Right now in a backlog will be identified in our lifetime. A small lab in Texas is cracking the code on DNA. Using new scientific tools, they're finding clues in evidence so tiny you might just miss it. He never thought he was going to get caught. And I just looked at my computer screen.

And I was just like, ah, gotcha. On America's Crime Lab, we'll learn about victims and survivors. And you'll meet the team behind the scenes at Othrum, the Houston Lab that takes on the most hopeless cases to finally solve the unsolvable. Listen to America's Crime Lab on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hola, it's HoneyGerman. And my podcast, Grasasas Come Again, is back. This season, we're going even deeper into the world.

music, and entertainment, with raw and honest conversations with some of your favorite Latin artists and celebrities. You didn't have to audition? No, I didn't audition. I haven't audition in, like, over 25 years. Oh, wow. That's a real G-talk right there. Oh, yeah.

We've got some of the biggest actors, musicians, content creators, and culture shifters, sharing their real stories of failure and success. You were destined to be a start. We talk all about what's viral and trending with a little bit of. Chisement, a lot of laughs, and those amazing vibras you've come to expect. And, of course, we'll explore deeper topics dealing with identity, struggles, and all the issues affecting our Latin community. You feel like you get a little whitewash because you have to do the code switching?

I won't say whitewash because at the end of the day, you know, I'm me. Yeah. But the whole pretending and code, you know, it takes a toll on you. Listen to the new season of Grasasas Come Again as part of my Cultura podcast network on the IHartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And now we go to Katie and Zach on stage in public as a couple for the first time. They look good. It's good. It's good stuff. You know, normally you look for the bad body language. Yes. You look for the insecurities. I didn't see it there. It seems like they're strong.

No, I didn't either. I felt like like right before it showed Katie coming on stage. I was like, is he like nervous or is he like had like did something happen and then like his whole face just like shifted and so I think maybe he was just like excited like thinking okay like literally in a couple minutes we're we're going public yeah could be it was really cute it was cute I feel good about them they're putting the wedding in 2025 they are she's 27 he's 26 when you think about it it seems far away for bachelor nation right you're like you're gonna wait two years but it's really not that because we we said 2024 and then it turned 2023 so fast that we were like oh snap that's quick yeah it's actually pretty normal so they're going to give themselves a year to date and then a year to like plan the wedding

and they live in austin and i just feel like that's the two of them already living in the same place is going to give them such an upper hand to a lot of bachelor couples and you can speak to that as you guys had to adjust to a new place in a new place together us both of us had to go to a new place together and so I could imagine like both being from the same city and like yeah um let's see anything else that was worth mentioning the why do you think Nate was there I think that maybe they're just friends I don't know but I know he's really close to Tyler too so I don't know I felt like it would have been maybe they're just like really close friends or something. I guess. Do you have anything else to say about the two of them together? The only thing I can think of is it's just, it's so funny. Like, this is like the first couple I've seen since like I got engaged and it's literally the same stuff. Like, oh, they were so excited to just go on a date.

Like you forget like how weird that is, that like little bubble that you're in that you can finally come out and just like go on a date and stuff. But they're also like moving in together. It's just it kind of took me back. That wasn't that long. ago for me either. Oh, yeah. I think I was actually surprised that they were together. That's what I think is the shocking moment to me. Because I felt like after last week, they put us on this train that made us feel like he wasn't going to end up with a person that he picked. And I think social media added to that speculation hard. One, there were the chicks in the office. Those girls had like this theory that crazy rumor yeah that he was with katie and then they broke up

and he was with jess then i was like i don't think he's with jess it felt too random though it felt too random that you're like it like it has to be true there was part of me that was like this is so outrageous like who just made that up you know exactly and rea had really made it seem like she knew exactly what she was like it was a reliable source And then I started thinking, wait, they put Jess on like the podcast circuit. They had her on our podcast. They had another couple of others. And I'm like, so why would they have her, quote, randomly out of all the girls eliminated,

have her go and make the rounds. It's so that she would stay fresh in our brains or something. I don't know. It worked out perfectly to where it sounded like something that actually might have happened. But that's why I was excited going into this. I thought there was going to be some twist. I mean, obviously I want Bachelor couples to be together. Yeah, then we got the classic ending instead.

Yeah, we got it. I want the classic ending deep in my soul. But a little bit of me had fun throughout the week thinking that it wasn't that there was like some conspiracy theory, right? Something crazy was going to happen. And then I thought last week with social media as well, all three girls, Ariel, Katie and Gabby posted the one photo of themselves up during that Rose ceremony. showing solidarity, which I thought was beautiful. The girls, you know, really showing that their friendship was very important and that they were all supporting each other. It was really nice.

But there was a lot of speculation that if it ended up being Katie, she, that was a sign that she'd broken up with him. I remember seeing that. I mean, last week, literally all of the random clues were adding it. They were adding up that he wasn't going to do with somebody, right? Yeah, no, it was adding up. And then we see that second like when it flashes from the proposal to, you know, when they're supposed to be coming outstage and it just shows Zach and he's like looking down and he has a serious face. It was like, what happened? Like you could have made me believe anything last week. That's why I was really satisfied with this episode. It really kept us on a roller coaster. It kept us thinking like, oh man, they're going to twist us here. They're going to twist us there. And it brought a lot of high. emotion. Yeah. It was one of the best

finalees I've seen in a long time. And then at the end, it gives us a classic happy couple, which hopefully they last because we need a bachelor couple to last. We got our paradise couples. We're killing it.

It's the main show. I know. All right. Well, that's the end. I can't believe it. That season was incredibly fast. And now we're up to charity season, which who knows

what it'll bring. I'm excited to see that. I was annoyed at the brother's spin. You know why? Because I thought that they should have put the brother in the sneak peek. They should put him into the cast. None of the guys will know that that's her brother. They could put him in the cast. They never

have to like, in the first couple weeks, you know, they have a nice conversations. There's never any real romance, which is why she eliminates him. But then he gives her all the scoop on all the guys. It would be so good, but they put on the stupid, stupid wig and the mustache. I hope that they actually do that, though, because didn't they do that with, like, Jesse's season or something?

With Jesse's season. I think I heard with Jesse season, there was, like, a girl that he knew. An undercover? That, like, went undercover in his cat. I could be making this up, but I feel like, I was like, that would be so juicy. That would be so fun. They need to bring that back. And I hope that they do this season.

And who knows? Anyway, all right. Well, Serene, thank you so much for joining us for this. It's been a lot of fun. I think we covered a lot. There's a lot to cover. And you were a great co-host in doing so. Thank you for having me.

Oh, my gosh. Thanks for being here. We will see you next time because we have to talk about, you know, your private personal life. Because it's no such thing as private life here. Right, right. Here in Gatronation. And we want to know all the things between you. and Brandon

but we'll do that another time until next time follow my lead I've been Ashley wait say it again exactly I've been Ashley I've been serene thank you I don't know how we came up with this tradition

it's quite ridiculous goodbye follow the Ben and Ashley I almost famous podcast 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 listening the OK Storytime podcast and 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. you open your free iHeart radio app search emergency intercom and listen now every case that is a cold case that has DNA right now in a backlog will be identified in our lifetime on the new podcast america's crime lab every case has a story to tell and the DNA holds the truth he never thought he was going to get caught and i just looked at my computer screen i was just like gotcha this technology's already solving so many cases listen to america is Crime Lab on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What would you do if one bad decision forced you to choose between a maximum security prison

or the most brutal boot camp designed to be hell on earth? Unfortunately for Mark Lombardo, this was the choice he faced. He said, you are a number, a New York State number, and we own you. Listen to shock incarceration on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you. you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast.