The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - The Most Shocking Bachelor Moments of 2025 - #2

Episode Date: December 29, 2025

It’s the 2nd most shocking moment of 2025 for Bachelor Nation, and this secret life is about to take the main spotlight!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast, Guaranteed Human. I'm Stefan Curry, and this is Gentleman's Cut. I think what makes Gentleman's Cut different is me being a part of developing the profile of this beautiful finished product. With every sip, you get a little something different. Visit Gentleman's Cut Bourbon.com or your nearest Total Wines or Bevmo. This message is intended for audiences 21 and older. Gentleman's Cut Bourbon, Boone County, Kentucky. For more on gentlemen's cut bourbon, please visit

gentlemen's cut bourbon.com. Please enjoy responsibly. Cats are masters at using up their nine lives, like chasing laser pointers into walls or jumping onto high shelves. But the one thing cats never do, text while driving. So be like a cat and protect your one and only life. Don't text and drive.

Don't drive distracted. A message brought to you by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Project Yellow Light, and the Ad Council. And she said, Johnny, the kids didn't come home last night. Along the central Texas plains, teens are dying. Suicides that don't make sense. Strange accidents and brutal murders. In what seems to be, a plot ripped straight out of breaking bad. Drugs, alcohol, trafficking of people. There are people out there. that absolutely know what happened.

Listen to Paper Ghosts, the Texas Teen Murders, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to Decoding Women's Health. I'm Dr. Elizabeth Pointer, chair of Women's Health and Gynecology at the Atria Health Institute in New York City. I'll be talking to top researchers and clinicians and bringing vital information about midlife women's health directly to you. A hundred percent of women go through menopause.

Even if it's natural, why should we suffer through it? Listen to Decoding Women's Health with Dr. Elizabeth Pointer on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. From NBA champion, Stefan Curry, comes Shot Ready, a powerful never-before-seen look at the mindset that changed the game. I fell in love with the grind. You have to find joy in the work you do when no one else is around. Success is not an accident. I'm passing the ball to you. let's go step curry redefined basketball now he's rewriting what it means to succeed order your copy of the new

york times bestseller shot ready today at stephen curry book dot com this is the ben and ashley i almost famous podcast with i heart radio it's the almost famous podcast it's ashley and we're counting down the top five most shocking moments that happened in bachelor nation this year we've made it to the number two moment of the year. This one was everywhere this year. It really shook up Bachelor Nation. The number two, most shocking moment in Bachelor history was Taylor Freaky Paul being named the next Bachelorette. This is the first time the Bachelor Nation lead has really gone for a mini-celebrity, a reality star as the lead. She is very popular. Secret Lives is very popular. It's a Hulu show. So it makes sense that she is, you know, coming over.

to Bachelorette world. They've never had somebody who's famous, right? From ever as a lead, have they? I mean, they used to do, they used to do like, you know, back in your day, they were picking people kind of out of the public. Oh, Firestone, yeah. A prince. A prince, true.

But she's like pop culture famous, you know? Like, they've never had someone who's not already been on the show. This is a change. who is, this is a definitely a big change. We are really excited and I speak for myself. I think Ben is happy. I speak for myself as I think this is a wonderful move for the Bachelor franchise.

I think they needed something to jazz it up. I think they needed somebody else's fandom to get involved. And I think it's great for the whole Hulu, ABC Disney family to get some like Avengers like action here or the crossover. stars. It's going to be really great. I think they're going to have some people who haven't watched the show in a while come back because of this election. They're going to have a whole new audience who's ever watched The Bachelor before, who watch Secret Lives and Mormon Wies. They're going to come on over. It's going to give it a great little boost. And Taylor is undeniably

a great lead. We know that she basically leads the Mormon Wives show. And I think she's going to do a great job leading this show as well. She has the personality. It does seem to me, Trista, people are fans of her because I don't know how else to say it. I'll say it and get in trouble for it. She's messy. She's messy. That's how people know her from her show and her current time is people have followed along because of the storylines that have existed around her, right?

Soft swinging, the arrest, the probation, the pause and filming to the chaos that's caused with other people on her show. It's messy, I think, is the way I'm going to say it. Get mad at me for it if you don't feel that way. I don't know enough to make a strong statement on this. I have never known the Bachelorette to be cheered for and watched because of messiness. I think that changes the franchise drastically. The franchise has always been about a pursuit of love, even if people that are watching

really don't believe you can fall in love with the amount of time that it takes to film the Bachelorette. it has always been at the core of it. People have tuned in as a family with their moms, as a sister group, whatever, because it's the romanticized idea that possibly something could work from the show. Messiness has never been the core driver. It might be this season.

I'm not saying it's not going to pick up attention. It's 100% going to pick up attention. Is that what we want? And so my question for the audience, for Taylor for whoever great Taylor I'm welcoming you into this thing I hope you find love from this thing if that's what you're really after here

I don't want anybody to come on this show and their lives become worse for it that is not the hope that is not the dream that is not why we've done what we've done on this show for the last 10 years so I'm getting behind you kid but where does the franchise go from here

if this is the launch for this new era of the Bachelor and Bachelorette to bring in a whole new audience of viewers that they need to do. I'm not mad at them for changing this up. They had to change it up. They have to try to hit a home run here. Because if they don't, I don't think we're talking about the Bachelor in a year. I don't. I think they're already showing warning signs of that. But where does the franchise go from here? How do they top a Taylor Frankie Paul? How do they have a season that is going to be more polarizing than any season we've probably seen before.

That's why people are going to watch it. That's why people are going to tune in. How do you top it year over year over year? I do think this was shocking to me. I saw it rumored or maybe not even so rumored, but like people hoping that it could be Taylor, Frankie Paul, like a week leading up to it. It was the first time I started thinking

that they could do a stunt casting like this. And I was definitely on board. I know that I had maybe a moment where I was like, oh, was it the greatest decision being that she does have a messy past? And I think that she has been given enough time to kind of explain that on her show. And a lot of people have, you know, forgiven her for what she did there. Hopefully, like, you know, she admittedly is like a sloppier person, which makes her a great reality TV personality. I also think she seems to have a good heart and to be a loving mom

and that is going to get us to be more compelled into this show as well. We've seen that she hasn't had the best relationship pass she doesn't have the greatest picker which may not be great for her picking in the end. Hopefully she's grown past out of that phase but we all know that even if she hasn't it will be delivering entertainment for us all

And that's a little selfish to say, but you know what I'm saying. Sometimes people who don't necessarily make the best decisions in their romantic life give us great seasons of The Bachelor, at least ones that we can talk about in our very memorable. Anyway, I do think it's going to work out well for Taylor, at least for some time. Anyway, let's get into it. This is the first time that Bachelor Nation has really gone for a mini-stop. celebrity as a lead. Back in September, the news broke. And to me, not only was Taylor TikTok famous, part of a soft swinging scandal, but she's also been arrested for domestic violence. Bachelor Nation, the fandom, seemed to be very divided by this announcement. But overall, a lot of us

especially cast, I feel, think that Taylor will, as a lead, help inject some new life into the franchise. Since she was announced, I got to interview her mom, Leanne, and get some more insight on Taylor and what she hopes the single men are going to be like on her daughter season. So what kind of guys do you hope that ABC has cast for her? Well, I have talked

to the casting director all the time. I mean, we're on the phone all the time. She's probably thinks I'm crazy, but and I might be a little bit every now and then. But I just want somebody who's like

that believes in God can, you know, like believes in God or has some kind of like belief other than, you know, something higher, like a higher power. Okay. So it does not need to be Mormon. It doesn't have to be Mormon. No. I mean, obviously I would like that, but it's not, that's not something. I guess there's so many great people that aren't Mormon. Like my father wasn't an LDS guy and he converted like years later, but he was a great guy. And so, and probably one of the best people, you know, so a lot of the people that I meet are outside the religion. So she's like, I'm down to go, you know, go to some other religion or whatever or just a good guy, just somebody who's like,

obviously you still want them to be like decent looking, you know, because you want that a feel. And I'm sure she does too. But just somebody who's like really humble and caring and puts her like in front of them. Taylor has been TikToking through her filming process. Another first. We've been covering it all week to week on the podcast, and it's been interesting to get real-time updates and teases and see her out on dates and kisses and all that. Taylor's season of The Bachelor's premiere is in March, 26,

and we'll be breaking it all down, of course. And while we were excited to see where this goes, I have a little homework to do, and I'll be using this holiday break watching a lot of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. I am almost done with season one. I do enjoy it. And I know people tell me that it just, it's so much better in season two.

So I'm looking forward to getting to know Taylor more through the TV screen. Until next time, I've been Ashley. Bye. Follow the Ben and Ashley I, almost famous podcast on IHartRadio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. I'm Stefan Curry, and this

is Gentleman's Cut. I think what makes Gentleman's Cut different is me being a part of developing the profile of this beautiful finished product with every sip you get a little something different. Visit gentlemen's cut bourbon.com or your nearest total wines or Bevmo. This message is intended for audiences 21 and older.

Gentleman's Cut Bourbon, Boone County, Kentucky. For more on Gentleman's Cut Bourbon, please visit gentlemen's cuthuburn.com. Please enjoy responsibly. When you're high, you feel different. You think different, you talk different, you draw different. You listen to music different, but you probably knew that. Problem is, you also drive different. and not in a good way.

That's why driving high is illegal everywhere. So if you're high, just don't drive. Make a plan to get a sober ride. Because if you feel different, you drive different. Brought to you by NHTSA and the Ad Council. And she said, Johnny, the kids didn't come home last night. Along the Central Texas Plains, teens are dying, suicides that don't make sense, strange accidents, and brutal murders.

In what seems to be, a plot ripped straight out of Breaking Bad. Drugs, alcohol, trafficking of people. There are people out there that absolutely know what happened. Listen to paper ghosts, the Texas teen murders, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to Decoding Women's Health. I'm Dr. Elizabeth Pointer, chair of Women's Health and Guidelines, at the Atria Health Institute in New York City.

I'll be talking to top researchers and clinicians and bringing vital information about midlife women's health directly to you. A hundred percent of women go through menopause. Even if it's natural, why should we suffer through it? Listen to decoding women's health with Dr. Elizabeth Pointer on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Greatness doesn't just show up.

It's built. One shot. One choice. one moment at a time. From NBA champion, Stefan Curry, comes Shot Ready, a powerful never-before-seen look at the mindset that changed the game. I fell in love with the grind. You have to find joy in the work you do when no one else is around.

Success is not an accident. I'm passing the ball to you. Let's go. Steph Curry redefined basketball. Now he's rewriting what it means to succeed. Shot Ready isn't just a memoir. It's a playbook for anyone chasing their potential. Discover stories, strategies, and over 100 never-before-seen photos.

Order shot ready now at stephen currybook.com. Don't miss Stephen Curry's New York Times bestseller, shot ready, available now. This is an I-Heart podcast, guaranteed human.