The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - The End Zone with Rachel Recchia, Trista Sutter and Joan Vassos

Episode Date: February 7, 2026

Ben continues his hangout at the Big Game with Trista Sutter, Rachel Recchia and Joan Vassos and he’s asking the tough questions!Joan clears up the rumors that she and Chock aren’t together anymore… and the real answer will shock you.Trista shares her predictions for the future of The Bachelor in a post-Taylor Frankie Paul world. And we get expert picks for the Big Game, with Rachel basing her choice on who has the hottest players. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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podcasts. This is the Ben and Ashley I, Almost Famous Podcast with IHart Radio. We're back. It's been here on the Almost Famous Podcast from San Francisco for the big game, and I'm with Rachel Rechia. Joan and Trista, let's jump back into what's been going to. viral this week. Now, I want to step to you, Rachel. You just took over the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast. That's a big deal. Congratulations to you. You have a great co-host. I know. I'm so lucky. She makes things so easy. Now, you've been on the almost famous show. You've co-hosted it. You've been here with us many of times. You're always a great co-host. But what are you hoping to bring the Bachelor Happy Hour? It's so funny. I was just talking to Joan and Tristan. I'm like, this is so much

harder than I thought. I think when I've always co-hosted with you, Ben, we always just have a plan, we go in, we know what we're going to talk about. But I think the thing that's going to be a little different with me and charity is we are definitely not afraid to hold back our opinion, even if it's not the popular one. I think I'm blocked by several of Jen's men from her season, just from going on almost famous Ben knows. I do not hold back. So I'm going to try to be as, you know, polite as I can, but I think me and Charity, we're just going to say it how it is. So hopefully bring a little bit of controversy. That creates the headlines.

How are you going to handle that, though? I mean, it does. Yeah, I do have to damage control a little bit when I see him in person for sure. Sure. Yeah, sure. I mean, it is a thing. Yes. But I think the thing that the two of you can bring is the honesty, right?

Yeah. Almost famous is set up to have the interviews, to try to get to the heart of the matter. but we really don't have that freedom. Neither Ashley or myself feel like super comfortable, just blatantly being like, this is ridiculous. Because usually my takes are wrong. I think you're great takes. But it will come at you fast.

But if people are listening and want to keep listening, you're going to do interviews, you're going to break down episodes. Obviously, Taylor Frankie Paul season's coming up. You and Trista both were a part of that kind of reunion that now is getting talked about and shared. Oh, you were there too, Joe. Yeah, all there.

Oh, amazing. I would love for the three of you to talk about that. Obviously, we saw it posted on social media. I think I knew it was happening because maybe just, like, I had heard rumors, but it looks awesome. It looked incredible. So what did you guys take away from that kind of gathering? It was beautiful.

It was amazing. Yeah, I mean, like, there's kind of two parts of it. It was the first time that we had all gotten together, and then we also all got to meet Taylor Frankie. Paul. So, like, the reason we were there was to talk to her and to give her advice. But we had some time, we had a lot of time with just us and not with her. She was busy. So we got to spend a lot of time together. And I think we really got to know each other and kind of solidified. We have this group chat that's really special. But, like, you're having it with people that you don't really

know. Like, we've watched each other seasons, but we don't really know them. And we got to really spend an entire day with each other in the mansion, like kind of where, like, a lot of us, like, our whole bachelor journeys began and really like solidify our friendships. So now, in fact, we even had a little group, part of our group chat, like give each other our addresses because we got Christmas cards from each other. And I loved it. So it was like it kind of took all of our relationships to a different level, but then we also got to hang out with Taylor.

Now, Trista, I know that like this had to make your heart so full because knowing you through the years. She is our matriarch. Yeah. You have not only been the first Bachelorette. but then you kind of wrap your arms around any Bachelorette coming through, the whole group. It feels like you've really kind of owned, hey, I want to like make this feel like a family. And for years, the show helped with this. The show would bring us together, different events.

We'd have reunions. And it kind of stopped over the last six years, I would say. We haven't had many of those. So this was the first time in a while. So we did one 10 years ago. 10 years ago. The Bacheloretts. Yeah, okay.

10 years before. And it was, Hannah Brown was filming her season. So was everybody up to that point or almost everybody? But I love that you said that because I do, I try to be very intentional about just loving on everyone. I've said this like a million times. We literally just talked. I was just on her podcast.

And I said almost exactly like that, that my heart is just so full. And I feel very maternal towards all of you. like anybody who has been on the show after me, which is everybody. All of us. I just feel, I just feel very maternal. So being able to be in a room with, I think there were 16 of us. Yeah, right?

I think 17 with Taylor. Yeah. Okay. Plus Taylor. So having all of us together, it just, it truly is a sisterhood. And I, it just makes my heart so happy. And meeting Taylor, I don't watch, I haven't watched Mormon wives. Not to say that I won't before her season because I have to.

Yeah. But I feel like there's so much talk about who she is on Mormon wives and, you know, how it's going to be messy and chaotic and all these things. And I feel like everyone is probably going into it with this like preconceived notion of who she's going to be and how she's going to act and like all of these things. but you guys, she is, she was so genuine. She was so grateful to be there with all of us. Like, didn't you feel the gratitude?

Yeah. And she was really open to hearing what we had to say. Yes. It was like genuine. She was, she wasn't looking around like, wondering who the next person was that she was going to talk to or like focusing on her producers. She was like, when she was in a conversation, she was invested and present. And I.

Yeah, totally. And very serious. Yes. And truly, like, she wasn't like, she was taking it seriously. Yeah. I remember the right reasons. Yeah. So I loved meeting her.

I love welcoming anyone new. Well, I mean, that's funny. You say that because I don't know if you knew this. God works in the most incredible ways. I'm announced as The Bachelor. You guys probably don't know this story. And I don't know if anybody actually does. I'm Announce of The Bachelor and my aunt is a huge fan of the show.

And they're out visiting Denver, Colorado, and they take me to breakfast like a week before my filming starts. And guess who's at the same breakfast spot as me that day? Trista and Ryan. And I get to meet Trista for the first time, another Hoosier. Go I.U. Go Hoosjarts. At the breakfast spot a week before my filming starts.

And you can tell then, I remember exactly where I was at. It was right outside the door. I can literally pull up the picture. That she was going to care for me well, which is one of those like reminders of, hey, can do this because you kind of feel like you don't it's like a mystery world it was a big deal to me i want to go back to taylor for a second i want to hear after meeting her i've always had this idea that she's going to be very similar to kately bristow who is the bachelor when i was on the show who i love dearly and i love her because she was chaotic in the sense of she did her own thing

she did it how she wanted to do it but she was honest she was vulnerable she was open and she was there for the right reasons. She really wanted to meet her partner and her lifelong, like, partner through the show, but she just did it in a way that nobody else had done it before, right? And I have to respect that. And I've always thought Taylor was going to do something similar, which I'm excited for. But you two, you three have met her. I haven't met her. So let's start with you, Rachel. How do you think the season will go? How do you think she'll be as the Bachelorette? I think, I mean, it's such a good point because we have all spoken and talking about how she would be the most similar to Caitlin, just in an amazing way. But I think the advantage that Taylor has that no one else has is that she's going in and she doesn't want to be the perfect Bachelorette at all.

And I think everyone goes in and they say, oh, I don't care about that, but you really, you do. You want the viewers to be happy. You want the producers to be happy. You want to give a good season. They chose you. Why would you not want that? And I think she's going in knowing that she can do whatever she wants. People are going to love her.

People are going to hate her and she's going to get what she wants to get out of it. And I think that's going to give a season where she gets what she wants and it's entertaining. Yeah. So I'm very excited to watch her. Yes. Joan? I feel the same way. You're so right.

Like she doesn't have to be somebody else because everybody's already seen who she is. She's been on secret lives and she's been unapologetically herself. She was part of the swinging scandal. She's had rough relationships with other. women. She's had terrible relationships with the men. So I feel like she's going in with everybody knowing who she is. I was actually very surprised when I met her. I love her on the show. I actually really, really like her on Secret Lives. I think she's so incredibly honest. And I think people's go-to is usually to lie if it makes them look bad. And she does not do that. If it makes her look bad,

she puts it right out there and owns it and moves on. Yeah. Amazing for us, the viewer, because we'll get to nowhere, which we haven't gotten to know, you know, like, it's been a bit since we've we've kind of gotten to feel like, I get this girl. And I think they were safe. You know, they always cast somebody from a previous season because they want you to know them and kind of be invested. They had this person already because we all know her from Secret Lives. But the person that I met at the mansion surprised me a little bit.

She was way more thoughtful. And she, I remember her asking a certain question, and I can't repeat it. But it sounded like she knew what her shortcomings were. And she was asking, three of us were together, actually, when she was talking to us and asked us how we thought she could overcome this personality trait that she had. And she was really very thoughtful. I really feel like she's there for the right reason.

Honestly, do. And I also think that she didn't need to go on the show. She already had secret lives. She would have just gone right on filming that. She did not need the show. I feel like she's there because she wants to find somebody. Yeah. Trista?

I do too. I think that she's going to be incredibly entertaining. I mean incredibly entertaining. I think she has dropped out gorgeous. So just that. I mean, just put that out there. Adorable. And she comes with this huge following that I think we've talked about on Almost Famous is, you know,

the ratings have been lower these days. And I feel like with her following, I have friends who are like, I haven't watched it in years, but I am watching this season because of who is The Bachelorette. So I'm really excited for the franchise to kind of see this renaissance. Yes, Renaissance. Like, yeah, it's like a new spark that we can be excited about it again. For different reasons, you know, like back in my day, it was all innocent. We had no idea what we were doing and what people were going to get.

Now everyone just, I think we're just desensitized to everything about the show. Like, we've seen it a million times, and she is just, she'll, she's just going to throw everything out the window and do it her way. Yeah, I don't think anybody has a doubt. that this will be a very successful season. The question that's looming is where will the show go from here? Yeah. And it's a big question because we all want this franchise to continue. It's one that we were a part of.

It's one that we found love through. You and I hang on as much. You're like that. Listen. I've failed enough in this franchise. I can give advice for days. That's why I can. And you're great at it.

Speaking of love, though, Joan, we are moving to you. I saw a post that Chalk made this week sharing that you two are still together. Oh, yeah. Okay. There was Chalk that you weren't? Now, there was talk. Yeah, there was talk through the internet that Joan and Chalk were no longer together.

People were wondering and questioning. You know, usually, I would actually say this in my many years of being a part of the franchise. When people start asking that question, most of the time points to it being true. But Chalk came out and said, no, Joan, the floor is yours. The two of you together? If so, why are people questioning it? So we are absolutely together. I think they are questioning it because I do are really, so he's not like a big social

media person. So if there's going to be a social media moment of the two of us in it, I have to like initiate it. And like we're just like a regular old couple now. Like I don't post all the time. I don't feel like every time we go out, we should take a picture of us together. I don't feel like we're just living. We're just living like a normal life as a normal couple and we are just not great about

like posting. So it's like kind of on me. I think it's my fault because I'm the one that would have to do it. It's not your fault at all. I know. You just live your life and be happy. And they love to just come up with your broken up

because I'm just not good about social media. Yeah. I mean, the two of you then are together and you're strongly together. Absolutely. Give us an update on your relationship. Like what have you learned about each other now? I mean, it's been how long since you've been?

So it's been, so we got engaged. It was a year. year in August. And so, you know, my finale wasn't until November, so we weren't public until November. So it's been, you know, it's been over a year, a year and a half, like 18 months. We are great. Like, we actually spent a whole month together in New York City at the month of December. And so that was the first time we actually kind of lived together.

So we don't live together. He still lives in Kansas. I still live in Maryland. But we see each other all the time. In fact, I'm seeing a Monday. We're going to Punta Cana for a couple of days. Then we're flying to L.A. to do a thing that we're doing there. So we'll be together for a week then.

We had a week in December. Like, we see each other. We truly do. We just are not great about. Joan, you don't have to defend it. You guys are living the dream. You're going on vacations. You're spending time in New York.

You're spending time with your own families. I just don't want you to feel like you have to defend this to anyone. I do. Because if I don't, then they say we're broken up or, I mean, at one point I died and one point he bought me two houses. Was this on Facebook? Yeah. Yeah, same as me. Yeah.

Did you hear that I have Alzheimer's? Oh. My son, my son is pregnant with his. Yeah, and I'm pregnant and we broke up and it's all on Facebook. I tragically died in a car accident. Oh, yeah. It's brutal out there. We've talked about the Lomless Famous Podcasts.

I said, don't trust any of that anymore. No. But I do think it's great. I mean, moments like this remind the listeners and the fans of the show that you two are happy. I always have thought in my own life, I don't like social media. the less couples really share about each other, the stronger I actually think they are. Totally agree.

You're living. You're living it. You know, and if I was to show my life with my wife, it's like a lot of walks with the dog. Like, I don't know how cool that is. I don't know what to do with that. I know.

That is so right. Yeah, I mean, I totally agree. That's how our life is. I mean, we have great times. Like when we were in New York, we did really fun stuff, but mostly we walked to like a deli to get a bagel. I mean, it's just not that exciting.

Totally. It's, uh, yeah, you don't have to defend it. I'm with Rachel on this. I mean, I think that world, you know, but it is because we come from the world that we do, it is always good to get the update on how things are progressing. And I do feel like I owe it a little bit. I mean, I'm very flattered that people care and that they are invested in our relationship, just like they're arrested in yours and yours and yours.

They, you know, they bought into the whole concept of we dated in public and now we're a public couple. I do owe them like every once in a while a reassurance that we're still together or that we're not. Yeah, that's a good point. Before we go back to the game, because I know you all are kind of on the edge of your seats ready to talk about this game that's happening Sunday.

It's a big game. Again, we're at Radio Row at the Super Bowl. There's stars all around us. People I recognize, people that still are playing, people that have retired coaches. Trista, my question for you is we just kind of got off this Taylor-Frank-Paul conversation. and what you think she'll be as The Bachelorette and what this season will do.

I also know that you do deeply care for the people involved in the show, which makes me think you also very much care about the show. Where do you hope the show goes after the Taylor Frankie Paul season? What do you hope changes or stays the same? What's your hopes for this franchise, I guess? I just feel I want it to renew people's love of the show. You know, I love love and that's why I, I mean, obviously I have history with the show. but I love love and that's why I signed up to do the show you know for something fun and exciting

that is a escape from normal life that you can just tune you know put in your living room and and see somebody else fall in love and I think at the core of it that's what I hope that people get back to but I really feel like she's going to infuse you know followers into Bachelor nation from from her show at least that's what I hope, because it's been going for so long that I can't see it ever ending. And mind you, I think my daughter kind of wants to be part of it somehow, some way. So we got to get a little bit of a lot. I'm so here.

I think we should start a campaign. Then she would be like, no. I mean, truly. That's a real possibility. I mean, she would love to be on the show. I mean, how could she not? And she's been part of it so much. Like she came on my season.

Yes. Yeah. Yeah. What a wish. That's a headline. Blake's Lee from Bachelorette. I think we should make a campaign. The second Bachelorette baby becomes the Bachelorette.

And then what if she had a Bachelor baby? And then I would be a Bachelor. Grandma. No, this is crazy. All right. To close up here, team, I think the spread, at least last time I checked, was four and a half for the game tomorrow night. We know exactly what that means. What spread?

I think the over was like at. 47 and a half maybe, maybe a little lower than that. Let's just... Not a high-scoring game. Let's just check. No, I don't think they expect it. Super Bowls typically are not high-scoring. I want to hear your picks.

I want to see if you're taking the money line, if you're taking the spread tomorrow night, and who you're picking for the game. The only reason I'm picking who I'm picking... 45 and a half is the over. The only reason I'm picking who I'm picking is because Ryan played for them for a split second and also because Molly Meznik would kill me if I didn't.

So Seattle Seahawks. Money line. Taking them to win. Yeah. Taking them to win. Wow. Beat the spread, huh? Yeah.

Okay. I'm just Seahawks, but I don't think they're going to beat the spread. You don't? Well, no, they would. If they win, it's plus four and a half. Or no, the Seahawks are favored by four and a half, actually, yes. So you don't think they'll cover the four and a half, but you do think they'll win. No, I think it's a close game.

Okay. I will pick whichever team has the hot. hottest players. And I will go home and look that up tonight. No, I need you to do that here as we're closing up here. Just go ahead and scroll through the rosters as weekend. And I need to get that by the year. That's hilarious. You just got so excited.

We're going to find her a husband here, by the way. Oh, yeah. I have two amazing wing women. Yes, we're walking around right now. What's the strategy as Rachel finds out who the hottest players and the Seahawks and Patriots are? What is the strategy to find Rachel a husband tonight? So we talked about her type. Yeah.

I'm not positive we're going to find him here because your type is not. Can I say what your type is? Pretty boys. Pretty boys. We can find a pretty boy. But most football players are not like pretty. Oh, mine is. Manly. Yeah, you're a manly.

Cooper DeGine is here and he's kind of a pretty boy place for the Philadelphia Eagles. He was walking around here a little bit ago. I'm not happy. Do you think any Hoosiers are going to be here? Who? Any Hoosiers? Fernando is here somewhere. Oh my God.

We have to find him. I know. I've heard rumors that Fernando Mendoza is in the building. Somebody tell me where Fernando is. I have to. I don't know if I could talk to him. Well, I'm going to talk to him for you, and then we're getting a picture. Yeah, I think I'd get very clammy.

Would you really? I think I would. I just called you Bob almost. I don't picture you as getting nervous running me. We are finding Fernando. I'm on a mission. You're on a mission. All right, Rachel, what do we got?

I feel like the Patriots, I feel like they're a little hotter. Okay. So you're picking the Patriots to win? Yeah. Who's standing out to you on the Patriots? I have a fun day. He's cute. I can't.

Cardi B. But he's Cardi B, he's a baby daddy right now. Oh, Cardi B's baby daddy? Yeah, that's my daughter's old way done. See, I don't even know that. I'm so bad. Rachel's having way too much fun with this game. Our final vote is the Patriots, though.

Patriots. Patriots for the win. Mike Vrable, their coach, absolute stud. Okay. Okay. He's the man. He just got fired two seasons ago and now leads his team to the Super Bowl. It is a great environment here in San Francisco. Radio Row is exciting and energetic.

We have so much to do today. You got to walk around. You got to find a husband. We got to do some interviews. Have a blast this week. We got to go. And Fernando. We got some work to know. We need to start singing the song and maybe he'll come to us. Yeah. Fernando. I was on The Bachelor to be invited to this event to meet my husband. Exactly. Everyone says it always comes back to the Bachelor. And to get the job as the new host of Bachelor Happy Air. If you want to listen to Rachel, make sure you go check that out. But don't do it in replacement of the Almost Famous Podcast. Until next time, I've been Ben.

We'll see you later. Follow the Ben and Ashley I, Almost Famous Podcasts on IHart Radio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed Human.