The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - What Happens in Paradise… with Meghan King

Episode Date: September 29, 2022

Bachelor in Paradise has finally arrived! Ben and Ashley break down all the drama around who made “first beach”, how we’re predicting the couples that will make it, and what REALLY happens when the cameras are off and the lights are dimmed.   Ashley has some inside info about some contestants that knew each other BEFORE showing up in Paradise.   And, we talk to Real Housewife Meghan King to get all the dirt on her Vegas date with Mike Johnson! You won’t BELIEVE what happened when they went to the Fantasy Suite!  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. 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. The U.S. Open is here and on my podcast, Good Game with Sarah Spain. I'm breaking down the players, the predictions, the pressure. And, of course, the honey deuses, the signature cocktail of the U.S. Open.

The U.S. Open has gotten to be a very wonderfully experiential sporting event. To hear this and more, listen to Good Game with Sarah Spain, an I-Hart Women's Sports Production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Brought to you by Novartis, founding partner of IHart Women's Sports Network.

Culture eats strategy for breakfast, right? On a recent episode of Culture Raises Us, I was joined by Valicia Butterfield, media founder, political strategist, and tech powerhouse for a powerful conversation on storytelling, impact, and the intersections of culture and leadership. I am a free black woman

From the Obama White House to Google to the Grammys, Valicia's journey is a masterclass in shifting culture and using your voice to spark change. Listen to Culture raises us on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Just like great shoes, great books take you places. Through unforgettable love stories and into conversations with characters you'll never forget.

I think any good romance, it gives me this feeling of, like, butterflies. I'm Danielle Robe, and this is bookmarked by Reese's Book Club. The new podcast from Hello Sunshine and IHeart Podcasts, where we dive into the stories that shape us on the page and off. Each week I'm joined by authors, celebs, book talk stars, and more for conversations that will make you laugh, cry, and add way too many books to your TVR pile. Listen to Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Books is the official audio book and ebook home for Reese's Book Club. Visit apple.co forward slash Reese Apple Books to find out more. This is the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast with IHartRadio. Hey, everyone. Welcome to the Almost Famous Podcast. First episode of Bachelor in Paradise and the first time in a couple weeks that Ben and I are reunited. Hello, Ben.

How are you? What's up, Ash? How are you doing? I'm good. I'm a little tired. How are you? I can't imagine how I'm just like jet lagged, like just a little bit back and forth. You know, it's a five-day trip.

You never really get a, like, situated. But I got a good night, a good night sleep on the plane. It was just hilarious. Tell us all about this wedding. It looked beautiful. We saw, I saw the pictures on social media. It was in Italy, if I'm correct, right? Yeah, it was gorgeous.

It was my best friend's wedding. It was very emotional in the best way. It was like super sweet and touching and very, very romantic. It was at an abbey about an hour. and half north of Rome, but it was like an old abbey. It's like not used for church services anymore. It's really used as like a wedding venue, but they have guest rooms there. So it's not like a full-blown hotel, but it's kind of like, if you were to turn an old 1955 abbey into an Airbnb, basically, it was gorgeous, everything was candlelit. It was just like that super

soft romance. And it was cool to see your best friend of about, well, I met her when I was in sixth grade, but I guess we've been like best friends for 14 years. And she, it's just cool to see, um, your friend who like, you imagine your wedding with for years and years and like dayd me about the guy. You're going to end up with see, do that and truly end up meeting like the perfect person for them. So this was built in 1955. No, no, no, no.

1255. Oh, I thought you said 1955. I was like, I've never heard of an abbey being built in 19. 155 and now a wedding venue. The 1,200s. All right. So, crazy. We,

I know exactly where this abbe was at. You want to know why? Yeah. Because one of our, uh, producers on this show has Jared on Fine Friends. And we are looking for you all in Italy. And we saw the exact location. We're like, huh, that's an interesting location.

It's like, yeah, an hour and a half north. And, uh, it looks like you're in the middle of nowhere. That's hilarious. I don't know how they all ended up having each other on for my friends, but it is always funny to see the destination where Dean's at when he's late for their podcast. It's often on a golf course, but you never know

sometimes it could be Mount Everest. Yeah, this time he's in a sand trap on whole 16 in Los Angeles. That's a song this week. That's incredible. It is special to see your friends get married. It's special to see your friends get married. Just grow up because it's so weird how life works,

isn't it? You feel like a child for so long. You're under the supervision of somebody, your parents, or maybe it's at university, or maybe you don't go to university out of high school and you're still just trying to make it work. And then all of a sudden, life switches very fast. It feels like it just like turns on a dime and you become a husband, you become a wife, you become a partner, then a parent. You know, life moves quickly. And so those little moments that you can just take a deep breath and see people who you've lived with your whole life, celebrate something special is incredible. So the pictures that look great.

Obviously, they never do it justice. But I'm happy it was a great wedding. Thank you. And it was nice to have a few days for Jared and I just to eat in Rome. We eat, we shopped. And it was just a nice couple of time. Tell us your most romantic moment with Jared in Italy over these five days. Feel free to go into as much detail or as little detail as you would like. Well, we had the, like, I just like, oh, man. You could, like, say a nice dinner. You don't have to, you could say, like, a nice bottle of wine looking at this. Oh, okay, okay, I was going to say there was this dinner where we had the most amazing lasagna.

And it was just, like, nice to take a little walk around. And actually, this is so strange. It's just like so Ashley and Jared of us, but we went to an American bar to watch American football on Sunday. And he and I like never go and get beers at a bar and watch a full game there. And we did and we made friends with other American tourists and it was really fun. I sell those videos too, though, that looked really fun. I love one of my favorite things. When I used to live in Peru, in Kuska, there was a, a, a.

bar that a lot of tourists would stop at on their way down from Machu Picchu and they'd have lunch. And I wouldn't go often, but I'd try to go, you know, once every couple of weeks and just stop in there and see these tourists from all over the world, really. Stop being to like grab their first cheeseburger in Peru and like fries and watch football or watch whatever sports was on TV. There's just like a little like reminder of home. It was fun for me to see that too by, you know, because I was there. And I just. You know, what's interesting about that is that, like, a lot of the times, if we were going to go watch a football game in a bar in America, we wouldn't talk to the people around us, right? We'd stick to our own table.

Like, we may, like, exchange a few little mess, you know, a few little comments and high fives and pounds and all that. But we would never, like, talk to them for hours, and we did that with multiple people. And it's just cool the way, like, you get bonded over your own culture when you're away from it. Yeah. But it's also, of course, nice to explore the other. you know, the actual culture that you're in the midst of. But anyway, speaking of couple time and, you know, the origin of these relationships, it's paradise time.

It is paradise time. It is paradise time. And hopefully some of these couples that we saw in last night's episode will emerge as long-lasting couples as we. And, yeah, I'm rooting for them. There's a couple good little love stories unfolding right now. But should we break down the episode after this break? Yeah, but before we do, I just want to say, hey, thanks again to IHeart for the IHeart Music Festival this weekend.

Ashley was in Italy. So if you listen to our episodes that were released, we had some incredible guests and got to meet a lot of cool people. One of the fun things about IHeart Fest is bringing so many people together that you typically wouldn't run into now in this Bachelor world and hopefully allowing them just have a little fun. It's one of the hopes, right? Everybody's kind of in it together. You can just let loose a little bit, have a good time. And the festival itself was, absolutely outrageously fun. Iheart pulled it off once again, some incredible musical guests from all different genres and walks of life. We had a great, great weekend in Las Vegas. So the show itself will be airing on television at some point soon. We'll make sure to give it the announcement. But until then here, you know, obviously our employer, Iheart, we just want to say thanks. It was a great festival, a lot of fun. And we always enjoy.

being there. It's going to be airing on television. We just got the know October 7th and 8th on the CW. So IHeart Music Fest. You can see me present the presenter on national television, 25,000 people. I presented the presenter. I don't know if that's like, I actually want to say it's a very important job because a presenter needs to be presented. 1,000% And I want to I want to dig into the drama or like the juicy scoop

that was that weekend with you when we have our guest of the podcast on Megan King. She made some headlines in Vegas. Uh-huh. So as might as well save those headlines for for Megan later in the show. So Megan King is coming later in the show

to talk about those pictures that you may have seen with her and Mike Johnson being all over each other. All right, but next we're talking Bachelor in Paradise, so stay tuned. We'll be right back. 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. 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, psycho babble. Yes, yes. Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Emergency Intercom.

And listen now. 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 Patton. Elaine Welteroff. 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. The U.S. Open is here. And on my podcast, Good Game with Sarah Spain, I'm breaking down the players from rising stars to legends chasing history. The predictions will we see a first time winner and the pressure?

Billy Jean King says pressure is a privilege, you know. Plus, the stories and events off the court and, of course, the honey deuses, the signature cocktail of the U.S. Open. The U.S. Open has gotten to be a very fancy, wonderfully experiential sporting event. I mean, listen, the whole aim is to be accessible and inclusive for all tennis fans, whether you play tennis or not. Tennis is full of compelling stories of late. Have you heard about Icon Venus Williams' recent wildcard bids or the young Canadian Victoria Mboko making a name for herself. How about Naomi Osaka getting back to form?

To hear this and more, listen to Good Game with Sarah Spain, an Iheart women's sports production in partnership with deep blue sports and entertainment on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHart Women's Sports. Culture eats strategy for breakfast. I would love for you to share your breakdown on pivoting. We feel sometimes like we're leaving a part of us. behind when we enter a new space, but we're just building. On a recent episode of Culture Raises

Us, I was joined by Volisha Butterfield, media founder, political strategist, and tech powerhouse for a powerful conversation on storytelling, impact, and the intersections of culture and leadership. I am a free black woman who worked really hard to be able to say that. I'd love for you to break down why was so important for you to do C. You can't win as something you didn't create. From the Obama White House to Google to the Grammys, Valicia's journey is a masterclass in shifting culture and using your voice to spark change. A very fake, capital-driven environment and society will have a lot of people tell half-truths. I'm telling you, I'm on the energy committee.

Like, if the energy is not right, we're not doing it, whatever that it is. Listen to Culture raises us on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's everybody's favorite time of year. Yes, it is time for Bachelor in Paradise. Paradise is awaiting, I don't know how many. I think there's like always 40 total by the end of this show. Very lucky suitors on the beach in Mexico. We did see in the teaser that our very own Ashley is going to be, she's going to be joining these contestants in Paradise at some point with her husband, Jared. But that wasn't happening in the the first episode. Instead, the first episode is kind of our introduction to the season. We get to meet the initial cast. So this first episode is really where we get to meet the contestants, get to know their personality, see what they're looking for, and hear who their first impressions are really leaning towards. Ashley, you get jacked for Paradise every season. I do want to ask you a little behind the scenes here as a reminder.

Woo, please do. These contestants are showing up to Mexico, right? they are going to the Vedanta initially to do COVID testing and everything they need to do. How many days are you waiting in the hotel? When do you find out if you're, you know, first feet on the beach? And then what is the drive like to this resort in Salilita? So just kind of walk us through the behind the scenes, prepping for this moment that you do walk down the stairs. How long are the stairs? Give us the details.

So the original cast is there for about four nights. It's at Vedanta, which is really no different than the cast for the main show, Bachelor, Bachelorette. You know, you're doing photos shoots, you're doing press, you're doing all these tests. You're doing like your psychological tests. You are, you know, you're just getting the works done. But when we're at Fendanta, it's really nice because you get unlimited room service, or at least that was the situation with us. It was unlimited and we had unlimited drinks. This is back with during season two, season three.

for me. Now, yeah, I think we still have like, do unlimited food when Jared and I went there? I know you don't have to like pay for like food. You might not want to say that because that just might be for their favorites. They might not give that to everybody. That's like, hey, Ashley, we like you. We enjoy you.

We know no matter what you're going to make great television for us. So here is just a wide open room service card. Spend it, use it to your liking. because when you get to that beach, we know you're going to be on. Sweet that it could be. I don't want to call myself a favorite, but I have been there a time or two.

I do remember you getting free drinks with your free room service, my first two seasons. This year, Jared and I did have to pay for, like, cocktails. So if you want drinks, you got to pay for those now. Let's see. Yeah. So then the, when do you know

whether you're like first sand, as I call it these days. I think pretty much because of like everybody talks to each other, you know that if you're flying on a certain date and you like figure out like who else is flying on that date, that your first end. Okay. I don't think it's, yeah,

I don't think that's really that much of a mystery, but people who come like a day or two later, like I think they know that they're a little bit more up in the air. And then the drive is about an hour to Cellulita to play. Escondida from Vendanta And it's a bumpy, bumpy Right For half of it

You're going through You know highway And it's fine And then you hit this part Where it's like gravel curves And massive bumps And like those roads That if some

If you see somebody Coming down the opposite direction You're like I don't know what we're going to do Back up You know Try to climb a mountain It's just

nerve-wracking when you come across another car on those roads. Do you want for Sand? Is that something that contestants desire or do you want to show up like two days later? Well, if you're two days later, then I think that that's, like, that's pretty good because that kind of means like you're the ultimate temptation in my point of view. Like you're the one that you know that like you're going to shake things up and not just with drama, but like you're like of interest too. the opposite sex right so like victoria fuller we saw her come down later and i think that we all know

like victoria like is definitely like that kind of like desired person and i think that's flattering but i think that like you don't want to be you don't want to be like me like week um in season two where you come in like the first week of girls entering you know what i mean like because you have your girls and guys entering and then you have your guys entering and then you have your girls entering And then you just feel like you're walking into a bunch of couples and you're just scrounging for a date. Yeah. It's interesting me. I feel like I would not want to be there first. I don't want to come in soon. Why? I want to kind of let the first initial impression settle where they may. I feel like if you're really into somebody, if you're going down there saying I have my eyes on this person, I'm only in it for this person. I want to let that happen. I don't want to be around for that. I don't want it to be awkward. or all of a sudden, I don't know what you're feeling behind the scenes and I ask you

on a date. And then you're like, I'm sorry. I'm actually really just waiting for this person to come down the beach. I want the dust to settle to see kind of how it plays out and then walk down. That way, there's kind of a picture. There's more of a calmness to the beach. There's less of an excitement. And you know this. Like, I get a little socially awkward. And so those like initial, like when you're the first one on the beach and people are coming down like the hug of like, hey, I'm Ben. Nice to meet you. I don't know your name. I've never seen you before. I don't know where you're about. I get really kind of like quiet and like drawn out in those moments. I'd rather enter into something that's already been set. Like the vibe has already been committed. Now that you've picked this picture for me, I understand your point of view more. I still want to be for a sand, but I understand. I also. understand what you're saying about like the chaos that is being first sand it's like everybody is hunting

it's like it's officially hunting season go find a mate it's just a little bit more stressful I feel like than if you were to walk in and then be like I have my eyes on this person I have an initial charge of this person I would like to take them on a date your problem is that person could be taken

and you just never got your chance. Yeah, that's a good point. What is? That's a great point. There's pros and cons to both. I also think that you, have you ever been on like a big friend's trip? That first night is wild and exciting.

Everybody's so anxious and anticipating like the days ahead. And so they end up partying more than they typically would. And they end up, you know, just get, they kind of have like the anxious energy about them. I get that way with guys golf trips now. I get very anxious and excited. And so I show up to that first night. I'm like, ready to go. So excited for that first tea time. And I wear myself out. I end up going too hard, too fast, too soon. And so if I, I just feel like I want to like peacefully enter him. I want to calmly walk down. What's going on, guys? It's good to be here. How are you doing? How's your experience been? You're still sweating. That looks like you're hot and tired. We actually, Ashley, before we break down this episode, we had Genevieve and Victoria Fuller.

in Las Vegas with us. We do have interviews with both of them. They're both great. I think they're going to make insanely good television between the two of them. I also really just enjoy them. And here's the cool part, Ashley. I've never met them before this trip. Just sitting with them having lunch. One day, Rachel, the past Bachelorette, I guess the most recent Bachelorette. Victoria, Genevieve and I had lunch together. We talked for probably an hour and a half, just to four us. And I sat there and I told Genevieve at the end of this. I said, Genevieve, because she's kind of nervous, like, you know, how is it going to be portrayed and all this stuff? And I asked her, she was worried about anything. She said, not that pops in my head. I'm just worried people

won't like me. I'm like, okay, Genevieve, let me tell you this. You are Ashley. Like, you are, you're emotional, you're just a hopeless romantic. You love being around people. You love hard. You love well. You set your eyes on something. You want it. You're going to be insanely good television. not because you are an actress, just because of who you are. She is hilarious, a blast. And, like, just the stuff she was willing to tell me is stuff that I feel like you would have been willing to tell me back then about, you know, sweating and sleeping and the bathroom arrangements and the bed arrangements and what's crawling into the bed

and what's not. It's, it was amazing. I just loved listening to Victoria and Genevieve and Rachel talk amongst each other. Ashley, let's just run through. I'm going to do a few of them here. Then you can pick up from there of the people that's coming to the beach just to give people a reminder. The first one is one that people, you know, didn't, haven't seen a lot of before. Actually, some of these contestants, people haven't seen a lot of before, which I think is fun.

But here you go. We have Hunter from Clayton's season. We have Johnny from Gabby and Rachel's season. Serene from Clayton season. Brandon from Michelle's season. Kira from Clayton's season. Now, I will say, and I don't want this to come off bad. It will probably.

I didn't recognize Hunter or Kira. I did not recognize who they were. I had to look them up and say, were they really on this season or not? Okay, I have two more here. Jacob from Rachel and Gabby's season and then Genevieve from Clayton's season. You want to finish the list? Sure. Then we have Chenet from Clayton's season.

Justin from Katie season, Jill from Clayton season, and Michael A from Katie season. So we don't have many guys from, or any, yeah, we don't have many guys from the most recent season. We don't. That's weird, isn't it? Is it always that way? Well, Logan was also there, but he wasn't in the packages beforehand. Okay.

Huh. Yeah. It felt like these, like they did pull back a little bit on some seasons here, right? Because then we have Andrew and those. guys showing up here later on. Well, Serene shows up to the beach first. We see her package and we see her have walked down the beach. I have a feeling Serene is going to be kind of one of those like, I think she'll settle down early. You know, we might get a hint of that already. But I think she's going to have at some point somebody come down to the beach that she's kind

of interested in and that's very interested in her. And she's going to be that storyline of she goes on a date, comes back and it's like, nope. Well, we. saw that. It's already happening with Brandon, you know? What's what I'm saying? She'll come back to Brandon at some point. She'll come back to Brandon? You think that like, oh, because it's not like, it's not like set in stone. Yeah. It's not since the first week. Yeah. It's not the first week. We haven't moved to the point where we're like, yes, that's a couple. Okay. You know, like, I can't believe. They're the most coupley couple right now. Definitely. Oh, definitely. You should go look at Bachelor Data's recent post.

She talks about like this trend about how the first. guy and the first girl down on the beach is usually the two that end up in serious relationships, not necessarily together, but like those two people lead romantic storylines for the entire season. So then Michael A is the first guy to the beach, right? Mm-hmm. Yes, sir. And that makes sense. Yeah, it does make sense. I mean, Michael A, um, I feel like, uh, can do no wrong. Nope. Because I think he's a, I mean, I know him. He is a good dude. He is, he is what he shows on television, right?

He's good looking. Kind of went under the radar, I think after KDCs and people still loved him, but kind of forgot about him a little bit. I think the beach was a great decision for him. I think going on Paradise. And then just a way that the girls were talking about him is the Michael A that I've known personally where they're like, I'm into him. He's good looking.

he is. And he's gotten better looking. Yeah, I would say. I mean, he's always been handsome, but like, he's like hot. He had the bachelor glow up. Yeah. And he, and he took time to talk to each person, even if it wasn't like a romantic interest. I think, you know, that could be seen as is a negative in some eyes. But Michael A, I think, did it with the intention of just like, hey, welcome to the beach. I'm the first person here. I want to make you feel welcome. Let's calm the nerves. Let's have a drink. Let's hang out. And I think it's good. I mean,

I just feel like that's the type of guy he is. I would be shocked if, if the show especially doesn't kind of find him

his match. For sure. He's the most rootable character and I just have to reiterate all your sediments there. He's just so sweet,

so easy to talk to just like you just want to be around him. He makes every social situation enhanced. He does. He's going to thrive here. And then

have Andrew that walks down the beach, the second guy to the beach. I mean, that's a two pretty power-packed punch, right? Serene's probably sitting there being like, all right, we're off to a good start. We've got, this might not be my romantic interest, but at least we're stacking the deck at the beginning. Andrew and Michael A, two of the most rootable people right now kind of coming into paradise are at the beach first. That's awesome. Two major bachelor contenders. Two guys that I would have rather seen as The Bachelor. In both cases, when I refer to Zach and when I refer to Clayton, love Andrew and Michael.

I now know them personally. But even if I didn't, I'd still find that they were more compelling people that I've watched on TV. But yeah, again, to reiterate what you said, if I were Serene, I'd be like, okay, feeling good about these two. people are really invested in both their storylines and I like the fact that we have like Katie's major like big three besides you know her final

pick with Justin Michael and Andrew all there. So we just saved the goodies for this season. So maybe we'll do some of that with Rachel and Gabby season as well next year. Yeah and I would also say that Rachel and Gabby to go back

a little bit they really carried their seasons like the seasons. Like the seasons were interesting or enjoyable or controversial because of Rachel and Gabby, their contestants, I didn't think, stood up to the challenge. Like, there was, you know, there's maybe, I can't remember anyone. Okay. My point, exactly. Now, Katie, with the Michael A and the Justin and Andrews, they're big personalities. They're nice guys. They're good looking guys. They've, you know, they've came off the show. And we still remember them. Like, I, you know, I, I remember their storylines. I remember Justin having the facial expressions. I remember some dance video that

Andrew did at some point that I enjoyed. I've been able to talk to Michael A. a lot over the phone. And so I don't know, you know, it's hard to say and we're focused on this season, but I feel like these guys really stood up to the challenge when it came to kind of showing who they were as people. And I don't know if Katie and Rachel, or if Gabby and Rachel had enough contestants that really did that. So we also have Michelle season in the mix. So we've totally forgotten about. Again, her season, not like a whole ton

of memorable guys, but Brandon was probably the one that we would most want to see find love in that group. And then there was Rodney. And I think Rodney's in the scene to the next episode or the future episodes. Okay. So right now, if we break down this by season, Ashley,

from Gabby and Rachel's season, we have Johnny Logan Logan and then silly man Tarzan Jacob

Jacob Tarzan okay and then from Katie season we have Michael A Andrew Justin Andrew Justin well those are the three

that's the three yeah okay and then from Michelle's season is it only Brandon oh my goodness gracious yeah wow interesting

wow and then where is Casey from Casey oh he's from Michelle season okay so was he let go early on yeah he was like middle of the line okay I kind of liked his like he shined in Paradise a little bit this episode

just with his commentary and like sitting at breakfast after you know who knows what happened that night but I just enjoyed I enjoyed that interaction I felt like it was really funny and I'm excited to see kind of him shine, hopefully for a few weeks on Paradise. Okay, so then let's go to the women that are at the beach from the most current season, Clayton's season of the Bachelor.

Who do we have? All of them, except for Victoria? Lace is down there. Except for a power-packed Bachelor season. I mean, that Bachelor, that season, that Lace was on. Yeah, that power-packed one that was. called Ben Higgins season. Yeah, what a season that was.

Lace is down there. That's shocking and surprising, and I did not expect to see her. I hope she finds love. Sorry, we also have Brittany, and Britney's from Matt season. But Bernie flew under the radar in last night's episode,

and I hate that because I love Brittany. Is Brittany the one that back during Matt season? I was like, that girl is beautiful. She's going to be the Bachelorette. Like I was sold out on it, right? Oh, so stunning. When we were in paradise,

Well, I can't say anything. I won't say anything. I can say a word. I'll talk next week when I'm allowed to talk. What season was Jill on? Jill was on Clayton season. You know Jill, don't you? Yes.

And even like backstories, I know not just from being down there in Paradise, but through Jill. Like, I knew that she and Kira had drama surrounding Romeo before they even left for Paradise. Like, Jill would tell me. She was like, oh, my God. they're gonna put kira there and they're gonna put romeo there and it's like i liked romeo but i don't you know i got the whole scoop before she went down oh well they they it rose to the occasion on night one yeah so romeo's down there as well if you remember romeo romeo was on this past season of the bachelorette correct romeo was on oh michel's season we're just yeah we're just like

doing really bad job about you know figuring out which who's from where but yes romeo michel season, along with Brandon and Casey. So the beach is packed. Things are flowing. Wells is at the bar making drinks. It's good to see Wells back. It is. I think he brings an element to the show that's important.

And from what I understand, from talking to Victoria and Genevieve, like they just really enjoy hanging out the bar with Wells on the beach. And so I think it helps. Always nice to have that third. element of human, not a cast member, not a production member. Yeah. He's, and he's a bartender. And he's not trying to sway you any direction. He's not telling you what you should do next. He's just listening. He's a good listener, great storyteller. Uh, and, uh, and I'm, I'm happy to see Wells back. I'm happy to see him behind the bar. Ashley, a little bit of drama on week one. Obviously,

you just talked about Jill, Kira, and Romeo from what you saw and what you understand, how did you feel about that interaction? This is what I understand from the situation. I think he was kind of flirtatious with both off camera. And then I think he had visited, like, Jill and Romeo were truly just friends. I think that was their first kiss off camera. but there was like a flirt there was a flirtation and then with kira it seems obvious on the show that they had kissed before off camera um but then it looks like he's not apparently that into it

because he flat out tells kira uh please give me the space to pursue jill and i thought he did that such such a nice way uh let's but then but then kira just seems to not really want to abide by that wish no and she's been being really aggressive and she's making it seem to Jill like she said I don't know why you're annoyed at me it's like maybe because you're being super aggressive and he told you to like let him pursue this um but Jill is hilarious and this will be this will be continuing I'll just say that this will be continuing Kira moved on quickly she's rubbing Casey's nipples by the end of the night so she's a slop show what a slap show right

I mean, I don't know. I don't know her. I just saw her rubbing nipples. And I was like, hey, I'm sure that feels great on the beach. Little wind in your hair. Seems like a very romantic evening. I don't know. I'm excited to watch this play out. I do imagine that Kira, I mean, anybody that has the title looking for a threesome is obviously going to create some storylines during this season. If they want to give you that title, You're not flying under the radar. And now I'm wondering where and how. How is this going to play out? This cannot end well, but I'm excited to watch it on national television. I have to say that. So we all know that Kira is a doctor.

I believe she is an internist. How would you feel seeing just your doctor rubbing nipples? I feel, you know, let it fly. Just do you. Just do you. You're on paradise. I mean, we've had a lot of people with a lot of different professions.

Professions. Attorneys. Yeah. Doctors. A lot of workout trainers. All of them just seem to go to paradise and let loose. I mean, it's kind of why I watch it.

I watch it to see them let loose and to see their real, like, see their personalities let go. Well, one of the cool things, too, Ashley, during this episode is the date between Andrew and Teddy. Ad Dorbs. I mean, if I remember right, I think we covered this way back in the day.

But when Teddy was on television, Andrew was like kind of tweeting at her, right? Or like messaging her. I'm sure they've had to have spoken. There's no way they haven't spoken because I thought he was kind of sending, you know, his, his, you know, bat was, is a bat call? No, what, what am I looking for? Bat signal. Yeah.

Like, he was sending his signal up in the air. towards Teddy. I'm sure they've talked. For sure. For sure. I loved this date, this whole moment, this whole flirtation and all that

because it's so authentic, so real feeling. Andrew is obviously like straight up giddy, so nervous, can't hide it. It's all shown. It's so real life. Love it.

Love, love, love it. I love that he admits that he's nervous. It's just all over adorable. This is why we love Paradise because it's, like kind of looking forward to maybe getting to be with their crush from TV and then seeing them do it and how they navigate it. Yeah. It's great to watch. It is. There was some very sweet moments during this episode. Brandon and Serene stand out to me, obviously, Andrew and Teddy. Genevieve and

Justin also is standing out to me as a very kind of like, I want to say, relaxed couple. they feel very normal around each other. They feel like they're just connecting on a really good level, not only physically. Who? Genevieve and Justin? Yeah.

Okay. See, I don't feel Genevieve and Justin yet. Interesting. I guess I see something you don't. I guess you do. I see all over Brandon and Serene. I mean, that interaction was a future Bachelor couple.

I feel like he, he pulled her over. Yeah, he pulled her over. And she was like, I wasn't going to kiss anybody for like a while. And then here I am like wanting to kiss. Like she basically said, you're giving me, I want to kiss fives. And then she giggled at it. And he went right in. And it was like, this is amazing. I, uh, I think we saw two connections during this episode that I would bet money on could last through it. Andrew and Teddy, Serene and Brin. And Brandon. I would put Genevieve and Justin kind of in that third spot, but not like I think they're going to make it the whole time. Is there any other couples after week one that you're saying,

no, this is going to be the real deal for the rest of the show? Maybe not for the rest of the show, but there were a few more flirtations we should mention. There were Sierra and Michael. And they had a really good conversation because Michael opened up about a very deep. detailed part of being a single parent. He was like, I don't get to share these memories with someone. So, like, when somebody hopefully does come into my life, I can't, like, look back on these times with them and have that, like, nostalgic feeling.

It's something I never really would have thought of. But I think that's why I FaceTime Jared and sent so many videos and pictures and FaceTime my parents so much because I'm constantly trying to, like, share what's going on in Dawson's day-to-day life. And it's just, like, crazy to not have a go-to person. person for that. Yeah. Yeah. Well, what do you think about Lace? Lace became a big storyline during

this episode as well. It's her 32nd birthday. Happy birthday, Lace. But not really. What do you mean? Not really. That was her fake birthday. Okay. Well, still, happy fake birthday, Lace. Luce. Luce. So that's what I was just going to bring into. Obviously, Lace's story here so far, I don't feel like is off to a great start. Not that she's messed anything up. It just feels a little rough. Lace hasn't been on the show in a while. The show has always been difficult for her. If you remember, when she was on The Bachelor, she left because it was hard on her to be around all these people and to have this attention and to kind of be searching and fighting for something, which is why I'm surprised that Lace Show back up to

Paradise. I don't know why. I don't know how it happened. But episode one, I felt like we saw the lace that we have missed, but also saw years ago on the beach in Paradise when she was last there. It was the lace that we've missed that the show has missed. These are the characters that people feel are missing from these current seasons. She says these things, which make us be like, yes bring back the OG feeling he she goes my season was so much better than this season in reference to paradise season three she goes this is the most boring season and i feel the prettiest i've ever been she also says when she's being forced to sort of go downstairs and mingle with everybody when she's lying in bed she goes fine i guess i'll just start being fake as

I was like, yes, thank you for saying everything that people at home would feel in that situation. Just being straight up on us. She's the greatest. She is, she is the greatest. And she lives here in Denver. So I get to see, see her around. She is funny. She does say what's on her mind, which is something we miss. She doesn't have anything to hold back on anymore. Like I said, you know, it kind of happens when this is your second and third go around. You kind of say, I'm just done pretending here. I'm just going to dive into it. I do have a question about,

and if Logan was on the podcast, I'd have to ask him. What in the world was Logan thinking? Like, if he didn't know her name, his guest was loose? Like Lucy, like L-U-C, L-U-C-E. He didn't, did I didn't hear a E at the end of that?

I just heard loose. Yeah, loose. Which, you know, loose. That was his guess. Like, that's what, that's the, best he had. Yeah. Logan just continues to be like blank paper.

I don't get it. Yeah, it is. You know, he's down here. The show obviously wanted him from this past season above other people. That was just a weird interaction. But I can't wait to kind of see, I don't know. I just, I like the old school vibe that Lay Springs. You're right.

it does bring back. Unfiltered. Unfiltered. I also enjoy that Lace is referencing season three as her season of The Bachelor in Paradise, unlike that she's back on the beach. Like, why is this not her season? I like that she goes, that's my season.

I'm just here for a good time now. This is your season. I'm here to ruin it. I don't know what she's referencing. I love that so much. There's always like my season, better than your season. Yeah, you're right.

This isn't her season. and this is she's right back on the beach like it's the same thing as before amazing and then it was also funny when she was like cupping Casey's breasts and she was and then they were like she and Wells are talking about how like

that's a full beat cup it really was I was like he's got more of a handful than me yeah hey good for him best boobs on the beach he said right is that what she told him? Yeah I like that I enjoy that anything else from episode one standing out to you Ashley any

takeaways, anything that we want to bring up before we move on. I'm not trying to, like, toot Jill's horn because she's my actual friend in real life, but she feels like a modern lace. Do you know what I mean? She's pretty unfiltered. She's screaming. She just is raw emotion, and I'm liking it. Yeah, I enjoyed watching her.

I didn't know much about her going into the season. I enjoyed watching her in Paradise. Just her reactions, they're real. They weren't like tamed down. They weren't. It didn't feel like she was trying to impress anybody. You know, she just let loose. Yeah.

And had a good time with it. And I think we're going to enjoy that. I think Paradise works really well for that. Yeah. She'll shine during this season. I think so. I think so. She'll shine.

Her and Genevieve, I think so far, like the ones that I'm saying, and lace. I'm saying, I can't, I just like it when they're on our screens. Like, I enjoy watching whatever they're going to say and do. Uh, from, that's on the girl's side. On the guy said, I don't know if I have that person yet. I don't have somebody that's really, when they're on, it makes me laugh. Casey did make me laugh a few times. I, I like that. I like to watch in him. Uh, and I like, I like, I like what Andrew. I mean, Michael A is just like as our stud fast like rom-com lead, right? And then, then Andrew. he makes me smile

that guy's always smiling he has a glow around him love watching him and I do think that Justin's really funny and I hope we get to see more Justin's humor I agree I also just love the guys when they sit and the ploppa

and are talking and Tarzan is saying ridiculous stuff like I'm really into that girl you know the one girl and they're like what's her name he's like I don't know and Andrew and Justin's reaction to that is so good because it's like this is the funniest

like this is the most ridiculous thing I've ever been a part of. And I love every second. Okay. So next week we have Victoria Fuller showing up to the beach. She's walking down kind of in the previews while Genevieve and Justin are sitting by the pool. It's kind of hinted that Victoria is into Justin. And I'm assuming that will be a storyline that plays out next week. So far, Ashley, do you feel like this was a good start to paradise? Do you feel like this is what you needed, wanted, we're expecting, or do you feel like it fell short and is disappointing. There could have been a little bit more humor hits.

I knew just being down there during week two and getting to hear about what happened during week one. I was like, ah, you guys are going to be off to a slow start. That first episode may not be representative of what is to come. And I think like, it was good. It was fun. Like, Paradise is always fun. Even on its most mediocre episodes, it's fun.

It's good TV. It will get juicy. guys it's just this is going to be like a little bit of a slow burn the first one or two episodes how many episodes we get like five a lot oh we do like 12 oh we get 12 episodes i think it's 12 my goodness yeah i thought the geez this show just keeps us busy uh you know who we didn't talk about we didn't talk about johnny at all johnny has nothing yeah yeah yeah that's it i mean that's what i mean that's nothing nothing about johnny okay all right well next week. I think Jared and I are on Wonder Night's episode. So we're excited. Let's go.

All right, everybody. Coming up next, we have Megan King. And then we're going to end with Bachelor headlines as we always do. So we're not done. Grab a glass of water. Come back. Join us for Megan King and hearing everything that happened in Vegas. My boyfriend's professor is way too friendly. And now I'm I'm seriously suspicious. Well, 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 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. 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.

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Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The U.S. Open is here. And on my podcast, Good Game with Sarah Spain, I'm breaking down the players from rising stars to legends chasing history. The predictions will we see a first time winner and the pressure. Billy Jean King says pressure is a privilege, you know.

Plus, the stories and events off the court and, of course, the honey deuses, the signature cocktail of the U.S. Open. The U.S. Open has gotten to be a very fancy, wonderfully experiential sporting event. I mean, listen, the whole aim is to be accessible and inclusive for all tennis fans, whether you play tennis or not. Tennis is full of compelling stories of late.

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I would love for you to share your breakdown on pivoting. We feel sometimes like we're leaving a part of us behind when we enter a new space, but we're just building. On a recent episode of Culture Raises Us, I was joined by Volisha Butterfield, media founder, political strategist, and tech powerhouse for a powerful conversation. on storytelling, impact, and the intersections of culture and leadership. I am a free black woman who worked really hard to be able to say that. I'd love for you to break down. Why was so important for you to do C?

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Listen to Culture raises us on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, we're back and we're joined by Megan King. You guys may know Megan from the Housewives of Orange County. She's had a couple high-profile relationships. She's a model. And she is a family. Oh, she's one of our podcast family friends here because she's had a podcast on IHeart before, which is called Intimate Knowledge.

But now it's kind of relaunching in a different way. So, Megan, welcome to the show and let us know how is intimate knowledge different now than it used to be and like, and why the break? Well, I wanted to, I mean, COVID made us take a break more or less. And so this relaunch is really more about my dating life than anything else with all the juicy details. So before, when it was just about kind of exploring different sex and intimacy scenarios situations, and from a woman's perspective, this is a little bit more lighthearted, a little bit funnier, and a lot more personal. Okay, but you just said on Instagram or you said on social media that you're like over talking about your personal life on social media. But now you're just going to move it to the podcast? No, no, no, no, no.

I'm not talking about, I'll talk about my personal life. I'm not talking about my relationship. Okay, that sounds like that. I'm not talking about the individuals. They will be, they will remain nameless unless the nameless. Okay. Yeah. I'm going to say unless you've been T.

So what happens if you get into another high profile relationship? First off, you guys, she, you probably got on the Housewives because you were married to baseball player Jim Edmonds That's what I said And he insists that that's not the case But really

Mm-hmm Okay Why does he say you got on the Housewives? He said that I got on because I'm me And I had an interesting life And I was like, okay Okay And then

That feels better And then over the fall You married Cuff Biden Owens And that was, that's the nephew of the president. And yes, you guys were married for a month. So maybe two. Maybe two.

And is it officially annulled that relationship? Oh, yeah. Okay. How did you get it annulled? Because that's a little bit challenging. I don't know. You just like, you just call a lawyer and you say, I want to annul this. And then a judge signs it.

I don't know. I thought it was a Catholic church. And then you pay your bill. No, so you can get it legally. and old as well. And I think all that really means in terms of the law is that there's no property to be split up kind of thing. Okay. It's just as if it never existed. So my bottom line here is, Megan, how are you going to keep the men that you're in these relationships with anonymous if they're all high profile? They're not all high profile. I really, I haven't, I've

tried to not date anyone who's high profile because I think because I was with a professional baseball player who is a celebrity in his own right, I saw him not feel comfortable with the sharing of the spotlight in that way. And so I think there's something kind of deeply subconscious happening here where I go to people who aren't in the spotlight, but still sort of high profile where they can understand my life a little bit, but they're very private. Like the smaller social media presence, the better, in my opinion. But after having gone on this date with Mike Johnson. I'm like, well, wait a minute. I was going to say you're off to a good start.

It's the first time I went on a date like that with anybody who's in the public eye. You have wanted to be set up by somebody through the IHeart team for a while now. And then they chose Mike for you personally and they kind of set up for you guys to meet at the IHeart Awards, which if we're going to be open and honest about all things, relationship with you, and I appreciate it because that's far you have. It happened to be on, like, the weekend in which your ex-husband got married. Was there some timing to this? No, absolutely not.

Also, it was my birthday weekend. So if we're going to talk about stealing spotlights, talk about who got married on my birthday, okay? This is good stuff. I'm enjoying this interview. I'm just going to sit back and watch this. I did not know that your ex-husband got married. I did not know it was your birth.

Well, we did take a shop. I wish he would know your birthday. We could have sang to you. but I'm glad we didn't. Well, there's time to make up for that. Okay, but let's go back to Mike Johnson now. So you're saying the timing was coincidental, but you guys did have your first real date in Vegas.

What would you do? We did a lot of things. We, I don't know, it was so awkward, you guys. I felt like, honestly, I felt like what it might feel like to be on The Bachelor. Because it was like a forced date in a really cool environment. with high intense energy and like it was just a lot of fun but then we're also trying to get to know each other in this kind of fantasy land you know type of um evening and then we end up at a strip club which is not you're not going to find on The Bachelor so we had to mix it up for

intimate knowledge my podcast in that way and I didn't know that Mike is a sex coach so I thought that maybe we all didn't know Mike was a sex coach when I did when I did an interview with him he told me he was a sex coach. I said, explain yourself. I don't know what that is, but I'm interested in learning more. It's like an intimacy coach. So it's, I think it's a therapist, but for intimacy. So what did he teach you? Anything specifically at the strip club? Or throughout the whole weekend. Right. Oh my God. Oh my God. What did he teach you? Is the question Ashley asked? I mean, there was moments of fogginess and that long weekend. I think I slept like two hours. But I mean, you know, we, this was kind of an

experiment experimental setup and it turned out to be something more than that. And we really get into it on intimate knowledge on the podcast because the day after our first date, the two of us sat down and we downloaded on our first date, which is not something that happens. You mean downloaded? We discussed. Oh, okay. Record an episode. You record an episode, right? Yeah. Yeah, we recorded an episode of intimate knowledge, but it was weird to kind of, like, sit there with this guy that I went on a first date with and be like, well, we kissed.

And like, talk about that in front of him. It was so awkward. But that's what we did. So all of those details came out. That took, we did that episode with champagne because we needed some liquid courage. Did, do you feel like it was, I mean, obviously it was an uncomfortable exercise? Do you feel like it was at all healthy to sit down the day after a set up blind day? obviously the date went well i will say uh as a bystandard i did not know you guys were on a set

up date but i did recognize that as soon as you walked into the room mike head turned focused on you and then you two were together all evening talking laughing you know it wasn't like oh right we have this date to go on now like you enjoyed each other's company it looked like yeah i am i was going to ask you about that actually what were you to ask i was going to ask you know as a bystander? What did you think? Like, what was our body language saying? Because I felt really comfortable. Well, initially, I leaned over at Bob Guinea, Chris Harrison and Jason, and I said, wow, Mike is really into Megan. That was my first comment about the evening because I saw you guys in the corner at our little cocktail party. You guys are just kind of chilling together. And then I

think at some point, somebody on the team goes, yeah, this is a set up blind date for them. They're going on a blind date tonight. I said, oh, okay. So this isn't like just a first interaction. I think you're attractive, you think I'm attractive. That's going to date. No, you guys were set up, but it looked like that there was chemistry. There was. Yeah, it did. I mean, we hung out all weekend.

We ended up hanging out all weekend. There was definite chemistry. We, I mean, we got a long grate. And it was really fun to be on the red carpet with a date who is in that world. Yeah. I mean, you guys both know, but I don't. I've never done that before. And it was just a lot more fun.

It just made the whole experience less working and more, like, just enjoyable. That's great. Well, it did bring me to my question, though. I do want to ask this, Ashley's. Recording the episode the next day then, 24 hours, I'm assuming after meeting him, or a little last probably, 12 hours. We were already in the tabloids at that point. Yeah. I know.

I saw. I woke up in the morning. I saw you guys downstairs at breakfast. I said I did some light reading on you this morning. Yeah, it was nice. Guys to see some interesting videos. It was a good way to wake up. And do you feel like it was a healthy exercise to break down the date the way you did?

Do you recommend it to people? Was it awkward? Did it feel like it added tension? Or was it like good to say, hey, we want a date last night? Let's talk about the good, the bad, the ugly, what we enjoyed, what we didn't. Did you enjoy that exercise? I mean, that's a great question. I would say overall, I think it was a good idea just because communication, direct communication is never a bad idea.

But like the timing of it, less than 12 hours later, it was a little soon, a little soon. I mean, I feel like get a few dates under your bell and then maybe talk about it in the ways that we did. But at the same time, it's like, I mean, we're both grown-ups. What happened happened. And like, let's get on the same page. So we're being clear right now. It was basically like a publicity stunt for the podcast. Or at least it was set up together for this weekend so that you would have content to talk about on the launch of the podcast.

Spingo. That's exactly what it was. However, it didn't end up that way. And I was hoping that it wouldn't end up that way. I was hoping that it would finally be this setup that I've been begging Amy and Danielle to set me up with somebody for years. And finally, you know, here's Mike. So I was hoping that there would be a good connection. But yeah, more than anything, it was like, let's just see, you know, what happens with the podcast. But I mean, I talked to him this morning. He's in L.A. He's working in L.A. today. Like, we're, We're hanging out. We're talking. I was going to say, I saw that you both came out or maybe you came out publicly and said, hey, we're friends, which could be true. But I was going to argue with you where I didn't see something spark there. I was there. I saw the sparks. I saw the glitter. I saw the shimmer in the eyes. And so I was going to say, you could be friends now, but are you giving up on the idea of going on another date? No, not at all. And I'm actually, he lives in Austin, and I'm going to be going, I'm going to Austin for something else in a couple weeks. So I hope to see him. Um, yeah, I don't, I mean, there was, there was definitely a great connection there. And, um, I mean, when something, you know, there's a good connection like that, you just don't let it pass by when you're single woman. Did you, did you have a say in who that they were going to set you up with? Like, did you give them your type? Um, did you, are you a bachelor fan? Did you want somebody from the franchise?

I wanted somebody who I was interested in somebody who was known. But that's that's it. So it's not a bachelor thing. I really don't even watch TV. And so, yeah, it wasn't about that. And then we were kind of brainstorming for a minute. Well, who should we ask? And then Danielle said, well, what about Mike Johnson?

And I was like, oh, my gosh, he's good looking. So he's a big dude. He's huge. He's huge. He's huge. I'm a tall guy. Huge. I told him that when we walked down.

I was like, you just make me feel tiny. Because he's like, he's like big and muscular and tall. Yeah. His biceps are the size of my quads. It's nuts. When we were walking together, everybody's like looking straight up because I'm 5-11. They're like, this tall. And I'm wearing heels too.

So I was like, Amazonian. Well, to finish out this interview here, one, it was great to be with you in Vegas. It was great to see and be with you off and on. You were working hard. and you were busy. And so we didn't get the necessarily the time I wanted to ask you about this project. We talked a little bit at the beginning of this interview about the Intimate Knowledge podcast, the relaunch of this.

For fans out there listening, now, okay, give you a little bit of, I'm probably sharing too much personally. My wife, right, not a secret, was a virgin when we got married. Listen to a lot of, like, podcast and listen to a lot of things to like, you know, understand and to learn, you know, before we got married. And those tools were very helpful in our marriage. They still are to this day. Hearing from other people, hearing about other married couples, hearing how they, you know, they work through life once you get a year into marriage and maybe it's not as exciting as it was the first couple weeks. And so, um, I'm really, uh, appreciative for, for projects like yours, but for fans out they're listening, uh, can you give them a

sales pitch. Why would they want to listen to it? What are they going to learn from it? What are they going to gain? Who do you hope listens? Take it away. I think it's kind of like what you were saying about with your wife. It's a way, it's a good way to gather information. And I'm a woman who's been married. I know what it's like to work through a marriage to then go through a divorce, to have children and date while having children to date without having children before I had kids. So I feel like I'm no expert on dating and sex and intimacy, but I do. have a lot of experience in it. And as, you know, a mom from the middle of America, who's 38 years old and in the dating world again, I don't think that I'm alone in that, you know, description. But I do

think I'm alone in the way that we just don't speak about it openly enough. And so when people come to my podcast, they're going to laugh and they're going to say, oh my gosh, I can't believe she just said that. They're going to put their kids to bed and then they're going to listen. And I think that what I want is to just keep an open dialogue about being comfortable within our sexuality, laughing at our sexuality and sex and intimacy when it's appropriate, like making light of it, but also finding the sanctity in sex and intimacy as well and knowing that you can have all of it. It's kind of just what are you looking for and how do you achieve that? So we're going to have a lot of fun guests on and a lot of crazy dating stories.

And if you listen to this episode out right now, you're going to find out literally the dirty details about Mike and I. Yes. Oh, well, that is the best tease ever. All right, guys, so go and listen to it. It's intimate knowledge. It's a new or it's a rebooted I-Heart radio podcast with Megan King. I love it. Megan here to thrive.

Thank you for doing this project. I haven't listened to an episode yet. I don't know where it's going to go, but I will say this. Here, almost famous, we celebrate anybody that's willing to be vulnerable, authentic, and maybe cross the line a little bit to help other people feel less alone. And no matter what, I bet somebody's going to listen to your podcast and say, hey, maybe I'm not crazy. Maybe I'm not alone in this.

Maybe my desires or my ideas for marriage and sex and intimacy have made me feel weird my whole life and Megan's helping me feel less alone. And that matters. Go listen to it now. It's what it's all about. Yep. It's been knowledge with Megan King. Love it. Thanks, guys. Bye. Bye. My boyfriend's professor is way too friendly and now I'm seriously suspicious. Oh, wait a minute, Sam. Maybe her boyfriend's just looking for extra credit. Well, Dakota, it's back to school week on the okay story time podcast. So we'll find out soon. This person writes, My boyfriend has been hanging out with his young professor a lot. He doesn't think it's a problem, but I don't trust her.

Now, he's insisting we get to know each other, but I just want her gone. Now, hold up. Isn't that against school policy? That sounds totally inappropriate. Well, according to this person, this is her boyfriend's former professor, and they're the same age. 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 boyfriend? professor or not. To hear the explosive finale, listen to the OK Storytime podcast on the IHart 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. 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 Patton. Elaine Welteroth.

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. The U.S. Open is here. And on my podcast, Good Game with Sarah Spain, I'm breaking down the players from rising stars to legends chasing history, the predictions, well, we see a first-time winner, and the pressure. Billy Jean King says pressure is a privilege, you know. Plus, the stories and events off the court, and of course the honey deuses, the signature cocktail of the U.S. Open. The U.S. Open has gotten to be a very fancy, wonderfully experiential sporting event. I mean, listen, their whole aim is to be accessible and inclusive for all tennis fans, whether you play tennis or not.

Tennis is full of compelling stories of late. Have you heard about Icon Venus Williams' recent wildcard bids or the young Canadian, Victoria Mboko, making a name for herself? How about Naomi Osaka getting back to form? To hear this and more, listen to Good Game with Sarah Spain, an IHeart Women's Sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports.

I don't write songs. God write songs. I take dictation. I didn't even know you've been a pastor for over 10 years. I think culture is any space that you live in that develops you. On a recent episode of Culture Raises Us podcast, I sat down with Warren Campbell, Grammy-winning producer, pastor, and music executive to talk about the beats, the business, and the legacy behind some of the biggest names in gospel, R&B, and hip-hop.

This is like watching Michael Jackson talk about thoroughly before it happened. Was there a particular moment where you realize just how instrumental music culture was to shaping all of our global ecosystem. I was eight years old, and the Motown 25 special came on. And all the great Motown artists, Marvin, Stevie Wonder, Temptations, Diana Raw. From Mary Mary to Jennifer Hudson, we get into the soul of the music and the purpose that drives it. Listen to Culture raises us on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, ShakeShack, thank you.

You're always coming through in the clutch. no matter where I'm at in life, no matter what I'm doing, it's always, always filling me up, tasting good and giving me the energy I need. Well, at festival, this last weekend, shake, check fetus. And I just want to say personally, thank you for doing that. You made so many people smile. It's time for Bachelor headlines.

First headline, we've been teasing it. We've been talking about it. Batchers Peter Weber and Kelly Flanagan are full on back together. after sparking romance rumors, they're both happy, this according to us weekly. Still can't get over this. Still think it's hilariously awesome.

Still think they have the most fiery, passionate relationship, but I can't believe, I can't imagine what it's like behind closed doors and how anybody can get back together after all the things they said about each other

in the public. But it is Kelly and Peter, and they are back together fully, according to an insider, said that they rekindled their romance this summer and have been spending a lot of time together since he's been planning fun dates

and they have a lot of fun together. Peter wants to be in a serious committed relationship and his feelings for Kelly never went away. The source says they're both happy and looking forward to where things go this time around. I want to know what's going on with all the stuff that was said after they broke up. Like, why?

How do you get over that? I mean, I'm sure you can, right? Of course. nothing was like brutal but like they know like there was that insinuation that like he wasn't a real man yeah i wouldn't enjoy being i want to enjoy that it was crazy but i wonder if they were like always in touch a little bit where it was like really did you really just say that you know i wonder if it was like ever like playful when they were saying things like that to each other i don't think so i think they like really disliked each other

because they loved each other so much. See, fiery passion, red, it burns red. This is a quick little headline here that we don't have to cover a lot of. I just think it's great. Lace Morris wonders why she's not being pursued as she fakes birthday attention on paradise. This according to people. Well, so people got this exclusive clip. And now if you want to talk more about, you know, how Lace handled last night is basically,

these are just some funny quotes from her. She goes, I feel hopeless in paradise right now. the prettiest I've ever been, like, how am I not being pursued? It blows my mind. I love that. I know. I wish I had that confidence. Like, I, you know, I guess nowadays, it wouldn't do me much good. But back in the day, when I was single in Mingling, I wish I could walk into a bar and be like, how is, how is everybody in here not focused on me? Like, I'm feeling good. I will admit that in my stints in paradise, I have thought similar things. I've been like, I'm so confused.

I'm fun. I feel really pretty. I look great. I don't know why nobody wants to date me. I'm so confused. So this is just Lace saying it, and I love her for saying it. I love her too for saying it.

Lace is one of my favorites. I love watching her. Jesse Palmer reveals which celebs he wants to see on Bachelor. He wants to see Drake, which is a total long shot. And then he says, Lindsay Vaughn is nearly single. He heard that she was dating P.K.

Subbin? Who do you know who that is? Uh-uh. Yeah. But apparently it's just kind of like casual. He's met her before. I think she's lovely. So he's like, yeah,

I have nothing serious with Lindsay Vaughn. That would be a cool choice. It would be. Lindsay Vaughn would be great. That girl, she's my, she's my hero. How many ACL surges she had? I only have three. I bet she has like five that.

And she's still functioning at a high level. Nuddy. Nuddy. Nuddy. But awesome. That'd be cool. Bachelor's Clayton Eckerd and Susie Evans. This was surprising to me.

Split after. It was. It was. What? When they came on our podcast, I left it and I said, I feel like she is such a important person in his life. Like the way that he talked about her, like Susie's there to support me. when I was down. I mean, maybe that's not a great sign because it felt kind of one-sided

when they were on. But I'm surprised that they split. Now, there was obviously some hints that things were not going well in paradise. You know, they were moving separately after living together. Yeah, that was a big one. I did post an ad like two days before the announcement of the breakup. So somehow they were still working together. Get the money. Get the money in. We'll post this first, and then we will split. I just knew that they had to work too hard at that relationship too early on. Of course, they had big hurdles, you know, coming off this season. But I do believe that, like, so many bachelor couples have overcome hurdles, and those are

very overcomable. But I just wanted, I just, like, when they were interviewing them, and I'm not sure if you were here the second time we had them. But I was like, oh, these two, like, everything is a struggle. like everyday serious conversations and when you're six months in it you should just be having a blast yeah you should be having fun this show you should be having serious conversations but you should also be having a blast it shouldn't be about the show brings a different element right it does but they just have to work so hard maybe this will be a uh peter and kelly

reunion at some point wouldn't that be fancy and fun we can cover it right here on almost famous But for right now, Clayton and Susie are done. They're moving forward in their own separate directions. Well, I think it's going to be probably the final headline, maybe one or two here. But Haley reveals she lied to Becca Tilly about her Bachelor Nation fandom at first. This is so good. So cute. Okay, so Haley was a huge Bachelor fan.

But when she met Becca for the first time, she was like, like, oh yeah, what season are you from? And she very much knew which seasons Becca was from said that she was one of her favorites on your season and on Christmas season. But she just tried to play it cool. Like she wasn't a big fan. And then later had to admit like, I totally lied to you and knew exactly who you were. And I was always having fun watching you.

Such, they were, they were in Vegas as well. Very cute couple. Love Becca Tilly. Haley's very sweet. It's just a cool little story to end in the day on. Well, Ashley, we're back next week with another episode of the Almost Famous podcast, breaking down episode two of Bachelor in Paradise. But until then, I've been Ben.

I've been Ashley. See you guys. Follow the Ben and Ashley I, Almost Famous Podcasts on IHartRadio, or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. My boyfriend's professor is way too friendly, and now I'm seriously suspicious. Wait a minute, Sam. Maybe her boyfriend's just looking for extra credit. Well, Dakota, luckily, it's back to school week on the OK Storytime podcast, so we'll find out soon. This person writes, my boyfriend's been hanging out with his young professor a lot.

He doesn't think it's a problem, but I don't trust her. Now he's insisting we get to know each other, but I just want her gone. Hold up. Isn't that against school policy? That seems. It 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, psychopath. Yes, yes. Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you. Open your free IHeartRadio app.

Search Emergency Intercom and listen now. I was diagnosed with cancer on Friday and cancer free the next Friday. No chemo, no radiation, none of that. On a recent episode of Culture Raises Us podcast, I sat down with Warren Campbell, Grammy-winning producer, pastor, and music executive to talk about the beats, the business, and the legacy behind some of the biggest names in gospel, R&B, and hip-hop. Professionally, I started at Deadwell Records.

From Mary Mary to Jennifer Hudson, we get into the soul of the music and the purpose that drives it. Listen to Culture raises us on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The U.S. Open is here, and on my podcast, Good Game with Sarah Spain. I'm breaking down the players, the predictions, the pressure, and of course, the honey deuses, the signature cocktail of the U.S. Open. The U.S. Open has gotten to be a very wonderfully experiential sporting event. To hear this and more, listen to Good Game with Sarah Spain, and IHeart Women's Sports Production

in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Brought to you by Novartis, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports Network. Just like great shoes, great books take you places. Through unforgettable love stories and into conversations with characters you'll never forget.

I think any good romance, it gives me this feeling of, like, butterflies. I'm Danielle Robay, and this is bookmarked by Reese's Book Club. The new podcast from Hello Sunshine and IHeart Podcasts, where we dive into the stories that shape us on the page and off. Each week, I'm joined by authors, celebs, book talk stars, and more for conversations that will make you laugh, cry, and add way too many books to your TVR pile. Listen to Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Books is the official audio book and ebook home for Reese's Book Club. Visit apple.co forward slash Reese Apple Books to find out more. This is an IHeart podcast.