The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - The Fall of the Franchise?

Episode Date: May 19, 2025

Ben and Ashley are breaking down the latest in Bachelor Nation headlines, and the future of the Bachelor could be at stake! Do we think that Paradise will bring the fans back?? And who is really to blame for a "bad" season... the leads or the producers? Plus, Luke Pell tied the knot, and we get into all the details of the Grant and Juliana break up rumors!   Follow The Almost Famous Podcast on Instagram!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 podcast and the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, it's Daniel Fischel. Writer Strong. And Will Ferdell from PodMeets World. We are back in Las Vegas and giving the people what they want, a full week of Y2K content. Tell me why. Well, for the Backstreet Boys residency at Sphere, of course.

We joke and say this is our second marriage, but it takes a lot of communication. Plus, it's carrot top, baby. And finally, Ashley Simpson-Ross joins us to talk about her upcoming sold-out Vegas residency. Listen to PodMeets World 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 enemy 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. Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, and I'm the host of the on-purpose podcast, and today I'm joined by one of the greatest athletes of all time, Novak Djokovic. He's won 14 grand slams in a glittering career. Novak, Djokovic.

When you reach your 30, you start counting your days to your retirement. I'm 38 this year. How long can I push my own limits? Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hi, my name is Enya Yumanzoor. 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.

This is the Ben and Ashley I, almost famous podcast with IHeartRadio. Welcome to the Almost Famous Podcast. We are here today to break down all the headlines happening. in Bachelor Nation. Ashley has read up, studied, investigated, and is an expert, all of these headlines. And so she joins us today to answer any questions I may have. The first headline is this. Jen Tran, I saw this actually, reacts to Bachelor franchise being in shambles because of her and Grant Ellis. Now, I want to say, Ashley, before you break this down, that headline is hinting at something. It's that fans are blaming Jen and Grant for.

the downfall of the show. And so Jen is coming to react to that. Yeah, exactly. Why are you blaming Jen? She had been screwed over by a guy that they didn't vet, and he was a fraud, honestly. So Grant, well, Grant, I just don't think it was the greatest lead. But anyway, people are blaming them for the fall of the franchise. That's just, that's, that's ridiculous.

A heavy bird to put on them. And she is kind of joking back by saying, no, no, no, you guys are looking at it all wrong. I was actually such an amazing bachelorette and my relationship ended in such success. They could simply never find anyone to replace me because my season will forever be ingrained in your little brains and you're never going to get it out of your head. Thank you. Say it with me. Long live, Jen Tran.

That's what she captioned it. I mean, it's kind of funny. It also takes some confidence. Hey, her season was incredibly memorable. Oh, I think her season was great. I don't think we can blame Jen for the downfall of this show. I think the show was on kind of a ratings, like some ratings momentum coming off of Joey's season.

I think they had every opportunity to bring this kind of momentum in through the golden shows and The Bachelorette and The Bachelor. And I do think fans reacted to the fact that Jen had such a poor cast and had some guys on there that obviously should never have been on national television. And I think the show definitely felt the repercussions from fans saying, I'm done watching this show if I can't even watch it and know that these dudes are decent dudes. And then I do, I think Grant season struggled it. It struggled to find a storyline. It struggled to find any like buy-in from the audience. it felt disconnected and and as a result i think all those things kind of compiled on for the show

to be where it's at today now actually we're hearing rumors because it's out it means out there the bachelor has not been picked up for another season at this point which at this point in time usually it is and we're hearing rumors that paradise's ratings will have a massive impact on if the bachelor gets picked up or not for another season so the weight now on Paradise is incredible, and it's a whole new production team coming in to do it. I guess my simple question to you is, it's not simple, but do you think Paradise will deliver? I'm so loyal to the past group of producers that, like, I'm going to just say that they have a lot to live up to. But I do think people are really excited for Paradise to be back after the break year.

I'd say that the break year is probably in the favor of the new production crew because people have been, you know, they've been missing it. So they're eager to press play on the first or second episode. It'll be whether they can grasp them in that to continue people to continue to have people watch it throughout. It's going to be a big question looming over Paradise all season. Are people watching or not? And here's my take. They're going to have a hard time with people watching because a lot of these,

cast members, fans have never bought into. We shall see. Our next headline actually has to do with the state of the franchise. Disney TV Boss Talks Future of Bachelor franchise says new leads must meet the bar of excellent. So there's shade. Now, Jen, I understand you being annoyed at that comment. But I still don't think that's aimed at Jen. I think that's aimed at Grant.

I read this headline with complete shade. Like, they're definitely blaming leads for the downfall of the show. Which isn't it on them to pick the lead? That was my question, is then whose job is to pick the lead? Because I know the extensive process by which this goes through. It used to kind of just be a Mike Fleiss decision, I know, and then he would kind of pass it off. But now I'm imagining that it did go through a bunch of different lanes

to actually say, yeah, you can be our lead. So I'm hoping, and I'll get in trouble for this. At some point in time, now you and I both have a lot of respect for the teams that put on this show. We have a lot of admiration for the executives who have cultivated this show for so many seasons. At some point, though, in any leadership role, big or small, when failure happens, you have to start looking internally to at yourself. You cannot just continue to blame external factors. or decision-makings that somebody else did. Because ultimately, this headline says a TV boss talks future of Bachelor franchise.

They have the ability to speak into this if this is something they actually care about. And so, if anybody listens from the franchise, this might rub you the wrong way. And I'm not telling anybody specifically. But if you feel convicted by the statement that I just made, maybe that's a sign that you should start looking internally and also blaming yourself for some of the downfalls that have existed over the last few years. But well put. Okay, so this is this quote.

He says, The Bachelor Universe continues to be very important to us. The Bachelor installments are no different than any other show. You have to have the right cast and the right people in front of the camera who have an amazing story to tell. But also, who are willing to share their story and reveal themselves, we're only going to roll out these as they come together

and meet the bar of excellence that the tradition of the show has set. Okay. So it sounds like it could take off seasons. Yeah. That is what it sounds like because he's like, oh, if there aren't people willing to do that,

we don't find these people, then we're only going to put out good people, is what they're saying. Yeah. 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 impelled metal, glass. The injured were being. 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 2, 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. 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 politics? 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. Hello, it's Daniel Fischel.

Rider Strong. And Wilfredel from PodMeets World. And we're bringing you Viva Las Content. That's right. We are back in Las Vegas, the city of sin, and giving the people what they want. A full week of Y2K content. Wait, we're back in Vegas?

Tell me why. Well, for the Backstreet Boys residency at Sphere, of course. We sat down with Kevin Richardson and A.J. McLean just minutes before they took the stage and our very own Wilfredel basically became the newest. member of the band. Boy band, please. Plus, the man who has the longest running comedy show on the strip joins us and gets his props. It's carrot top, baby. And finally, we all L-O-V-E-Her. Ashley Simpson-Ross joins us to talk about her upcoming sold-out Vegas residency. It's a full week of nostalgic interviews you

don't want to miss. Listen to PodMeets World on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Jay Shetty and I'm the host of the on-purpose podcast And today I'm joined by one of the greatest athletes of all time Novak Djokovic The world's number one male tennis player He's won 14 grand slams in a glittering career Novak Djokovic You've been through so many injuries, losses

Oh, I always heard himself What has Novak Djokovic done? What goes through your mind when you lose? I just want to be left alone What has it taken to become Novak Djokovic? It's a consistent practice. It's prayer work, mindfulness, meditation, conscious breathing. It requires more responsibility from you on a daily basis to prepare yourself for the biggest battle.

When you reach your 30, you start counting your days to your retirement. I'm 38 this year. How far can I go? How long can I push my own limits? Listen to On Purpose with Jay Chetty on the IHeart Radio Hour. Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Have you ever wished for a change but weren't sure how to make it? Maybe you felt stuck in a job, a place, or even a relationship.

I'm Emily Tish Sussman, and on she pivots, I dive into the inspiring pivots of women who have taken big leaps in their lives and careers. I'm Gretchen Whitmer, Jody Sweeten. Monica Penn. Elaine Welter-Roth. I'm Jessica Voss. And that's when I was like, I got to go. I don't know how, but that kicked off the pivot of how to make the transition. Learn how to get comfortable pivoting because your life is going to be full of them.

Every episode gets real about the why behind these changes and gives you the inspiration and maybe the push to make your next pivot. Listen to these women and more on She Pivots now on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Tyler Norris, former Bachelor at contestant and Bachelor in Paradise contestant is engaged to his. his fiance, Alyssa. Yes. Congratulations, you, too, on Instagram where he announced, he said, well, I've been dreaming of this day since I first met you, you're everything I could have asked for and more how to get so lucky to meet you. Still doesn't make sense to me. I love you more than I can explain this. And now let's do this damn thing, future Mrs. Norris. Love your fiance.

He wasn't on Becca season, was he? He was on, he was on two seasons of paradise. Um, he was on, no, he was definitely not on Becca season, but, um, he was on. He's quoting a bachelorette during his, uh, let's do this damn thing, yeah. Uh, he wasn't there. The bachelor, okay, the bachelor alum, Luke Pell marries Haley James and Western formal wedding at his family's Texas ranch. Yes, you and I were friends with Luke back at Bachelor Winter Games. Congratulations.

Yes, we're very happy for him. He and Haley have been together for quite some time, and they got married over this past weekend. It was on his family's ranch that we saw back when he was on Jojo season. They had 170 guests. They had street tacos and barbecue and roast chicken and waffles, and they had Waddeburger as a late-night stack. And instead of wedding cake, they had peach cobbler and banana. pudding. They are looking forward to starting a family together. Congrats to Luke. Congratulations to Haley. Congratulations also to Tyler Norris and his

fiance Alyssa. Love is in the air in Bachelor Nation. And the final headline is this where people are questioning if love still is in the air. Juliana and Grant discuss breakup rumors that fans have been wondering about. And if they're still going to Italy. So they did a Q&A on their Instagram stories. We saw them get proposed just two months ago. And right now they're talking about, you know, they're addressing the rumors. And Grant says, we have just been getting ready for the move and everything. But we are together. They're moving in together in Boston, or at least that was the plan when they announced their relationship two months ago. And he said that when the move happens, we're about to be everywhere. Juliana also

also responded to the rumor saying it was just a bad rumor, L.O.L. And she hung up her ring in the video with Grant in the background. And she started, they have booked flights to Italy for the trip that the show gave them. That's very sweet. We hope they're still together. We're glad. But you know what? Can I just be a little bit of a drama queen right now? A little bit of a gossip queen? Yeah, always. It seems like there might be some trouble in paradise. I mean, this is not like the most... definitive sounding response to these rumors. We've had a lot of Bachelor and Bachelorette couples tell us they're doing great when, in fact, they're not. So I'm always a little hesitant until like the day they get married that, you know, there is trouble in paradise.

I just don't, I don't know what the two of them. Then it's the way that he worded this, okay? Because I can break this down. Instead of saying, we are together. We're excited to move and together. in our new apartment in Boston in so-and-so months or like next month or next week or whatever instead he started by responding we have just I also feel like the word just is like hmm okay we have just been getting ready for the move and everything what's and everything

but we are together but we are together just the way that that's worded is not worded with a sense of confidence or clarity no details yeah We'll watch, we'll pay attention, so much happening in Bachelor Nation, so much love in the air. Until next time, I've been Ben. I've been Ashley. Grant and Juliana are probably never coming on our podcast. See you next time. 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. 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 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, it's Danielle Fisher. writer strong and wilfridell from podmeet's world we are back in los vegas and giving the people what they want a full week of y2k content tell me why well for the backstreet boys residency at sphere of course we joke and say this is our second marriage but it takes a lot of communication plus it's carrot top baby and finally ashley simpson ross joins us to talk about her upcoming sold-out Vegas residency Listen to PodMeets World 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 enemy 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. Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, and I'm the host of the on-purpose podcast, and today I'm joined by one of the greatest athletes of all time, Novak Djokovic. He's won 14 grand slams in a glittering career. Novak Djokovic. When you reach your 30, you start counting your days to your retirement. I'm 38 this year. How long can I push my own limits? Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Hi, my name is Enya Yumanzoor. 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 IHeart Radio app. Search Emergency Intercom and listen now. This is an IHeart podcast.