The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - What to Expect when You’re (Not) Expecting

Episode Date: May 9, 2025

Ben and Ashley are breaking down the latest in Bachelor Nation headlines! We know more details about the plan to extort Clayton Echard with a fake pregnancy, and Ben has a major apology for his fellow former lead.   Ashley has a theory about the Bachelor Nation social media account.   And, we dissect what makes an effective Bachelor audition tape… starting with Ashley’s!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Hold up. Isn't that against school policy? That seems inappropriate. Maybe find out how it ends by listening to the OK Storytime podcast and the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, it's Daniel Fischel. Writer Strong. And Will Ferdell from PodMeets World. We are back in Las Vegas and giving the people what they want, a full week of Y2K content. Tell me why. Well, for the Backstreet Boys residency at Sphere, of course.

We joke and say this is our second marriage, but it takes a lot of communication. Plus, it's carrot top, baby. And finally, Ashley Simpson-Ross joins us to talk about her upcoming sold-out Vegas residency. Listen to PodMeets World on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. December 29th, 1975, LaGuardia Airport. The holiday rush, parents hauling luggage, kids gripping their new Christmas toys. Then everything changed. There's been a bombing at the TWA.

terminal just a chaotic chaotic scene in its wake a new kind of enemy emerged terrorism listen to the new season of law and order criminal justice system on the iHeart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts Hi, my name is Enya Eumanzor. And I'm Drew Phillips. And we run a podcast called Emergency Intercom. If you're a crime junkie and you love crimes, we're not the podcast for you. But if you have unmedicated ADHD... Oh my God, perfect. And want to hear people with mental illness, psychobabble.

Yes, yes. Then Emergency Intercom is the podcast for you. Open your free IHeart Radio app. Search Emergency Intercom and listen now. I'm Dr. Joy Hardin-Bradford, host of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast. I know how overwhelming it can feel if flying makes you anxious. In session 418 of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast, Dr. Angela Neal-Barnett and I discuss flight anxiety. What is not a norm is to allow it to prevent you from doing the things that you want to do,

the things that you were meant to do. Listen to Therapy for Black Girls on the IHeart Radio app. Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast. This is the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast with IHartRadio. It's the Almost Famous Podcast. We are here today to break down the headlines happening in Bachelor Nation. And there are some big ones, big ones. Big ones.

There's a huge one. Let's kick it off with what I believe is the biggest. Ashley, I want to preface this. We're saying there is so much I want to say on this issue. So much that originally, because I think of the confusion, the severity, the, how radically weird it was, I honestly didn't know how to even like review it or analyze it here when this first happened years ago. I think I never did, I didn't do a good job personally of giving Clayton Eckert the benefit of the doubt because I was like, There's no way this isn't true. This is so crazy.

There's no way something this crazy is happening. Too crazy that you couldn't script it, right? You couldn't script it. And so now, as we come to a conclusion on the matter, there is still so much, I want to say, in support of Clayton, but also questions I want to raise and ask about this situation, because it still feels so crazy to me that this is true. So let's, yeah, let's get into it.

And then we're going to have to have you explain what kind of questions are saying. I don't think I can even say him because I feel like I get myself into trouble saying him. That's why I'm sitting here. Oh, no, come on. I don't know. Here we go. Here is the headline. I'm going to read it word for word.

Con artist Laura Owens charged with seven felonies for lying about pregnancy with Clayton Eckerd. This is according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Now, listen to this. con artist Laura Owens, who's the daughter of radio legend Ron Owens, is charged with seven felonies for lying about pregnancy with Clayton Eckerd. Ashley, please take it away before I get myself into trouble. So I don't want to spread hearsay here, but I read somewhere that she made up seven pregnancies. But this is about Clayton's case. This is this week, this big headline was that Clayton is off, you know, like that it's been proven by the court that she was lying about

the twin pregnancy that she said that she had with Clayton, even though Clayton said that that would have been impossible as they never had intercourse. There was some oral stuff going on during their hookup, but there was no intercourse, but she said that she was pregnant with twins, if you guys don't remember the story, and that she later, miscarried but she was like asking for she was asking for the what's it called um like oh my god how am I blanking on this the parental support

child support and stuff from him this week it came out the court ruled that she is a big fat liar my okay so we'll pause there to ask my first question that I know it's okay to ask at what point don't you have to have kids like she would have had to have the children to then get parental support, right? So how did she think this was going to play out? The confusing part to me, again, I'm going to filter my questions. I know a lot of you

out there going, this is crazy. How does this even happen? And your questions are valid. I just don't want to say them publicly because there is a, you know, I guess the court case is over, but there is a conclusion now and hopefully everybody can move on. But my first thought is, how did she think this was going to end? Like, how was this going to play out? to where she won this case because you're in the courts. They don't just say, hey, we'll take your word for it. They investigate. Are you pregnant?

Are you not? Is it Clayton's child? Is it not Clayton's twins? Is it not Clayton's twins? Do these twins even exist? These are the questions that would have been asked. And at some point, you would have had to prove that all of this is true. Now, I didn't hear seven.

I heard three other cases. Oh, okay. Well, this was supposed to be twins. so maybe she was always saying it's it's twins it's this is and and so I think now's the appropriate time because I'll be honest about me personally and about Bachelor nation in general I think due to some very wild circumstances that we just talked to Clayton about you can go back and listen to it in his life right coming off the show and during the show he did get you know, he was, as Nick Vile said, the human punching bag.

He got hit on all sides, and it felt like this was a very chaotic season for him. And I did not give him the benefit of the doubt. I don't think Bachelor Nation came in wild support of him, because I do think this was one of those situations to give the excuse here, where it was so ridiculously outrageously crazy that we're like, there's no way this has no threat of truth to it, because what human would make up these lies and take it to court knowing... that an investigation would pursue and still sticking by the story

that, yes, I am pregnant with twins. So that's, and I, so I think every, at least me personally said, there's no way this isn't true. So I'll take this time. Yeah. To say, I am sorry, Clayton. I am.

I am sorry, too. I am very sorry because I did jump to conclusions based on the circumstances. And again, one of many times in my life, I was wrong on what I thought happened and didn't happen from an outside perspective with somebody with limited knowledge who probably shouldn't have shared an opinion in general on this, but that's kind of my job here is to read the headlines and share an opinion.

And again, I think as I look back, I shared the opinion I did because this seems so crazy. And now that it has proven to be this crazy and this outlandish and this wild and this this is something you couldn't script that he'll probably make millions upon millions of dollars from because somebody's going to pick this up for entertainment. This is a lifetime story. A hundred percent. A lifetime original movie. And he should make millions on it.

I was wrong and I am sorry and I want to come public and say that because I was not one of those that stood by his side since the beginning and now I want to share that I feel bad about it and I'm also still in

shock that this situation ever happened. Okay, but Ben, you are making yourself sound way worse than it was. Like, we've believed him for quite some time now. And even when we were skeptical, we were skeptical, we were never in full belief of this story. We were interested, curious, thought that there was maybe some truth to it. Had to be some truth to it. This can't be that crazy without having truth to it. I think, like, you and I were like, but was it really just, I mean, sorry, sorry, I know this is trying to be a PG program usually, but, like,

Was it really just oral? She's going to pretend that she got pregnant on oral? That was some of the questions we asked. And I thought at the time we were going down a path that was helping this thing make sense. And yes, I would say I was more skeptical. I was never sitting here with you privately or publicly being like, there, Clayton, gosh, he's so messed over here. Why would he do this?

No, we were like, what? More skeptical. But I think our skepticism came off of wanting to believe her. for one, because who would take this to court unless there was some truth to it? Mm-hmm. And it wasn't true. And so I would say this is one of the wildest stories to ever happen on the headlines for the almost famous podcast in the last nine and a half years of doing this. This has to go down as like one of the craziest headlines.

I agree. It probably is the longest lasting crazy headline we've had. My boyfriend's professor is way too friendly, and now 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 four. former professor, and they're the same age. And it's even more likely that they're cheating. He insists there's nothing between them.

I mean, do you believe him? Well, he's certainly trying to get this person to believe him because he now wants them both to meet. So, do we find out if this person's boyfriend really cheated with his professor or not? To hear the explosive finale, listen to the OK Storytime podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hello, it's Daniel Fischel. Writer Strong and Wilfredel from PodMeets World.

And we're bringing you Viva Las Content. That's right. We are back in Las Vegas, the city of sin, and giving the people what they want. A full week of Y2K content. Wait, we're back in Vegas? Tell me why. Well, for the Backstreet Boys residency at Sphere, of course. We sat down with Kevin Richardson and A.J. McLean just minutes before they took the stage, and our very own Wilfredel basically became the newest member of the band.

Boy band, please. Plus, the man who has the longest running comedy show on the street. joins us and gets his props. It's Carrot Top, baby. And finally, we all L-O-V-E-Hur. Ashley Simpson-Ross joins us to talk about her upcoming sold-out Vegas residency. It's a full week of nostalgic interviews you don't want to miss. Listen to PodMeets World on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

December 29th, 1975, LaGuardia Airport. The holiday rush, parents hauling luggage, kids gripping their new Christmas toys. Then, at 6.33 p.m., everything changed. There's been a bombing at the TWA terminal. Apparently, the explosion actually impelled metal glass. The injured were being loaded into ambulances. Just a chaotic, chaotic scene. In its wake, a new kind of enemy emerged, and it was here to stay.

Day. Terrorism. Law and order criminal justice system is back. In season two, we're turning our focus to a threat that hides in plain sight that's harder to predict and even harder to stop. Listen to the new season of Law and Order Criminal Justice System on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, and I'm the host of the on-purpose podcast, and today I'm joined by one of the greatest athletes of all-time Novak Djokovic.

The world's number one, male tennis player. He's won 14 grand slams in a glittering career. Novak Djokovic! You've been through so many injuries, losses. I always showed himself. What has Novak Djokovic done? What goes through your mind when you lose? I just want to be left alone. What has it taken to become Novak Djokovic? It's a consistent practice. It's prayer work, mindfulness, meditation, conscious breathing.

It requires more responsibility from you on a daily basis to prepare yourself for the biggest battle. When you reach your 30, you start counting your days to your retirement. I'm 38 this year. How far can I go? How long can I push my own limits? Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Have you ever wished for a chance? 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 Sweetie. Monica Patton. Elaine Welterah. 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 all right next headline is this f1 fans slam bachelor star for flashing

drivers at race this is how you cause a wreck is is the quote that I'm going to say. That comes from me. You want to cause a wreck. You flash somebody going about 200 miles an hour. You're right. That's extremely dangerous. That's not a laughing matter.

No, it's crazy. Anybody, yeah, goodness. Please don't do that to me ever. This headline is so overdone. When I read it, just as they intended when they wrote it, I was like, oh, how disgusting, Maria. That's awful. There are children there that is extremely distracting. It's just kind of piggy, right?

Well, it really wasn't that bad when I went to go watch the TikTok. She does, I don't think, she says in the comments in response to people saying this is gross, she said, I didn't actually do it. And when you watch the TikTok, you can tell she didn't actually do it. It was just like a montage of them showing like how crazy they were at the F1. race. It was like not a big deal. So she didn't really flash him as what we're saying. I don't think. I mean, based on like the view that I see on TikTok, no. Also, she says in the

comments, she didn't. So I kind of believe her. I believe her on this one. All right. Fair enough. Here we go. Next headline is this. The Bachelor's Madison Pruitt Trout. Madison Pruitt Trout. Has a new book coming. The cover is now released. It's called Dare to be True. I'm looking. I think it's that the article says that she had two books come out and I'm like this is their second but I'm like no this is her third her third it is her third okay yeah Maddie has her third book coming out it's crazy she's only 28 years old I feel like Maddie is so beyond her years she had made for this moment come out in 2021 the love everybody wants in 2023 and this year she will have dare to be true come out

people had the exclusive first look on it and she says that she knows how it feels to be stuck bound by lies burdened by past mistakes and shame confused by the noise in the world around me before I wrote my first book before even The Bachelor I chased a version of myself that I believed would lead to a happier, freer me instead it led me into deeper confusion

so that's why she wanted to write the book she wrote it for the woman who was tired of pretending and performing who is exhausted at trying to be someone that she's not. Whoa. Sounds like every bachelor contestant male and female. We could all read that and benefit from it, couldn't we? Yeah. Speaking of books, Golden Bachelor alum Gary Turner has a juicy.

Wow, it's always good when they add that in there. A juicy new book coming. The cover was also released. It's called Golden Years. Oh, darn. I didn't know this. Subtitle is What I've Learned from Love, Loss, and Reality Television. Who the heck doesn't have a book?

You? You? Yeah, you're right. Me. He is going to chronicle the grief of his wife, Tony's death, death in this book. And then he's going to, of course, talk about his unbelievable experiences on the Golden Bachelor and the life lessons that he took away from both. So it's not just a tell-all.

about what happened behind the scenes, but also a book for those who are dealing with grief. We're excited for Gary and Maddie. It is always a big accomplishment to come out with a book. It takes a lot of work, a lot of time, a lot of effort, a lot of focus. That's why I don't have a book. It's too much focus, Ben. Hey, I would love to hear it. I would love to.

But, you know, I get so overwhelmed because I love to write with a voice. Give me two pages. It'd be great. I could probably write a column. But I could never just, I could never sit there and be like, now you have to fill 200 pages. Oh, Ashley, I can't wait to the day you come out with one. It's going to be amazing. Here's a wild headline.

I know nothing about this guy. But the subtitle to this headline is, she found a way to downgrade. You hate to see it is the quote and the subtitle. The headline is this. Are Rachel Kirkconnell and Zane Hijazi. dating i don't know who has a zayne jane jazzi is he is a social media star though so now i have to look them up these are like breaking news headlines guys um they were just sharing things like neither has posted anything that confirms their dating but zane did share something on may 6 it was a photo uh on

his insta story showing his legs and a woman's legs intertwined while sitting in the backseat of a car then the two swapped one of their shoes his her swap okay and then um people have decided to go full detective mode and like piece together the outfits and the shoes that that rachel was wearing and that he was wearing in other insta stories on a trip to south carolina for a friend's wedding that's what we got that's that's all we got you don't know nothing you know nothing about this guy so let me look at this guy now i i Yeah, take his second, look him up. Oh, good.

Oh, okay. So he has 2.8 million followers. So he has to be legitimate. Legitimate as in like he's a known figure, yes. No, like he has to be the best dude ever because he has that many followers. You have your own opinion on male influencers, I know. And he is a straight-up male influencer. Yeah, cool.

I don't know what he's known for, like what his shtick is. He does have a podcast called Unfiltered. His face is very familiar to me, but I don't know much about him. And I'm sorry if this shows my millennial. Yeah. Yeah, it shows you your age, definitely. All right.

Well, doesn't feel like people are thrilled on the dating relationship. And people also aren't thrilled with Ari Lyondike Jr. right now. He talks about being roasted. for breaking up with Becca Kufrin for Lauren. And then recently he showed it looks like the People Magazine cover that says The Bachelor Betrayal. It's really, he is not. He's looking back on Becca and saying,

wow, what a time we had. And he does look back on the People Magazine cover and says, I remember hating the photos they chose. I think he didn't like the photos that they chose because I might be reading into this quote but I feel like he was like oh they're just like it's not supposed to make us look like the joyful happy couple

because we're supposed to sort of look like villains so they kind of chose crappy pictures of us and I'm looking at the picture and I'm like you know what it's not the best picture of you guys he does it does feel like a lifetime ago but look at us now we have our fourth kid on the way he said he knew that we were going to be and but we knew what we had

and I couldn't have made it through without her and here we are it's just like seven years later like it's more of a it's more of uh their lore their lore as the young kids would say yeah uh I mean

I think that went down in a very uh it wasn't supported by Bachelor Nation is what I should say and now they're very supported by Bachelor Nation they've definitely turned the corner there My boyfriend's professor is way too friendly, and now I'm seriously suspicious. Oh, wait a minute, Sam. Maybe her boyfriend's just looking for extra credit.

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

And it's even more likely that they're cheating. He insists there's nothing between them. I mean, do you believe him? Well, he's certainly trying to get this person to believe him because he now wants them both to meet. So, do we find out if this person's boyfriend really cheated with his professor or not? To hear the explosive finale, listen to the OK Storytime podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hello, it's Daniel Fischel. writer strong and wilfridel from pod meets world and we're bringing you viva las content that's right we are back in las vegas the city of sin and giving the people what they want a full week of y2k content wait we're back in vegas tell me why

well for the backstreet boys residency at sphere of course we sat down with kevin richardson and a j mclean just minutes before they took the stage and our very own wilfridel basically became the newest member of the band. Boy band, please. Plus, the man who has the longest running comedy show on the strip joins us and gets his props. It's carrot top, baby. And finally, we all L-O-V-E-Hur. Ashley Simpson-Ross joins us to talk about her upcoming sold-out Vegas residency.

It's a full week of nostalgic interviews you don't want to miss. Listen to PodMeets World on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. December 29th, 1975, LaGuardia Airport. The holiday rush, parents hauling luggage, kids gripping their new Christmas toys. Then, at 6.33 p.m., everything changed. There's been a bombing at the TWA terminal. Apparently, the explosion actually impelled metal, glass.

The injured were being loaded into ambulances, just a chaotic. chaotic scene. In its wake, a new kind of enemy emerged, and it was here to stay. Terrorism. Law and Order Criminal Justice System is back. In season two, we're turning our focus to a threat that hides in plain sight. That's harder to predict and even harder to stop. Listen to the new season of Law and Order Criminal Justice System on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, and I'm the host of the on-purpose podcast. And today I'm joined by one of the greatest athletes of all time, Novak Djokovic. The world's number one male tennis player. He's won 14 grand slams in a glittering career. Novak Djokovic! You've been through so many injuries, losses. Oh, he showed himself.

What has Novak Djokovic done? What goes through your mind when you lose? I just want to be left alone. What has it taken to become Novak Djokovic? It's a consistent practice. It's prayer work, mindfulness, meditation, conscious breathing. It requires more responsibility from you on a daily basis to prepare yourself for the biggest battle. When you reach your 30, you start counting your days to your retirement.

I'm 38 this year. How far can I go? How long can I push my own limits? Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the IHeart Radio Al. app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Have you ever wished for a change but weren't sure how to make it? Maybe you felt stuck in a job, a place, or even a relationship. I'm Emily Tish Sussman, and on she pivots, I dive into the inspiring pivots of women who

have taken big leaps in their lives and careers. I'm Gretchen Whitmer, Jody Sweeten. Monica Patton. Elaine Welter-A. 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. Speaking of support for Bachelor Nation, Unseen audition tapes are finally done. dropping. Here's where and when to watch. This according to The Bachelor Nation, it's always been something that I think would be a good idea. They're hilarious.

They're wacky. They're weird. And it helps us get to know the people even better. I wish they would be shown on a portal as each cast member is announced so that we could watch them then. So we'd be like, oh, this is makes you make more sense to us. But they're dropping. Ashley, tell us more.

Okay. So Bachelor Nation is kind of like the overarching account. website, Instagram, blah, blah, that, like, shows extra content in Bachelor News. Somebody as new is running it over there and people are catching on. I think there's somebody new running it because there are some good ideas that are popping up and people are making comments in the comment section saying like, wow, you guys are really like spruce it up over here. Like, way to go for the new admin.

They're doing this and they're doing this LTK thing. We'll talk about that on another date. but right now they are releasing the audition tapes that nobody's ever seen starting on May 14th on their YouTube series it's going to be a new YouTube series called The Bachelor Audition tapes they have them from Joey Hannah they're going to be starting with Joey's Hannah Gabby they have Charity and I texted Ben last night I was like man they really like they've they've really forgotten our generation it's all good I mean like you know I like to should be in show love a little bit you know And this is a new success store. It's fun. But I feel a little left out because my audition tape was quite something. It was insane. And they were like, this girl's insane.

Let's get her on the show. But I said that back in our day, nothing was digital. I sent in mine on a flash drive in a FedEx envelope. So I don't know that they have those just sitting on a desk. They probably had some digital drop box for these fresh new young ins. What about you? I mean, I didn't think of it that way. I was like, oh, this is weird that all these things are being announced.

and, you know, I don't know anything about it. And that's fine. I think we've come to terms with that. But I didn't think, oh, I wish mine would be shown because mine was so ridiculously bad and I put zero effort into it. Yours is great and actually really fun to watch. I sat on the deck and, like, at a lunch break and answered questions that my boss, like one of my bosses was asking me.

And there was even, like, somebody in the background, like sitting chilling too. And I had, like, my white tube socks on. I remember that. So I don't really care. I don't think it was that interesting. But I think this is a good idea. And I do wish they would show yours. I bet they do end up showing yours mostly.

Because they're going to rip it from my Instagram. Yeah, because yours is so good. It is iconic. Like, yours is so good. You're very sweet. It's iconic, but it never really been seen. No, I did post it on Instagram five years ago. And yesterday at our almost famous text chain, I went and I scrolled,

scrolls pulled back and I copied and paste the link so everybody could see it. I'm reading comments from our producers right now. They want me to introduce a clip so they can use the audio right here in the podcast. So guys, this was me getting out of the limo hoping that The Bachelor was going to be Jeff home. It was actually my sister with a plate on her face. I talk about really cringy stuff about how I'm a virgin and because I knew that was going to get their ears. Are you still? I went through a whole series, like a whole season, in three minutes.

So, and here, cue some audio. I'm Ashley Canetti. I'm 25. I go to Syracuse University. I'm about to graduate in August with my master's in broadcasting. I love football, food, cooking, pop music, especially boy bands. And I can't wait to know more about you. I'll see you inside.

I love everything about pop culture. I love storytelling, and I know this is not something that you're supposed to say on first date, but I'm such a Pisces. I'm optimistic and so dreamy and a hopeless romantic, almost to a fault. I feel like that's the reason why I'm not that much of an experienced dater, because there's no romance in today's society. Guys are always like, do you want to hang out? Instead of, do you want to go out with me?

And I just feel like I should be treated like a princess. I know it's cliche, but I just really want that fairy tale romance. I'm so excited that you're here in my hometown. This is Great Falls Park. I usually like coming here and getting a whole bunch of food and just sitting by the water. I think that's the perfect date. Well, as much as I'd love to spend the night with you without cameras, I have to tell you something. And I don't tell many people this.

I'm a virgin. Ashley, will you accept this rose? Yes. I'm a pretty good writer. but I'm having a hard time writing the story of my own romance. ABC, I'm hoping you'll help me write the first chapter. And then I have another producer of ours saying, did you hire a videographer?

Well, actually, I was in my capstone at grad school at this point. So that was like our internship month and a half. And I was a sports concentration, so I didn't have my D.C. capstone the way that the hard news kids had. But my good friends were in D.C. and you know my parents house is a half an hour from and we had access to all our school's camera equipment so one day she came over with the uh with a nice big camera a huge tripod a couple lov mics and we did the damn thing as beka kufrin would say yeah yours was great uh it's worth

watching um it's you know this is a great project i i really think this needs to become a thing before every season starts, so we get to know people better. Hey, that's all the headlines we have for today. Some big ones out there, some ones that I was wrong in my skepticism on. Again, I want to apologize for that. But we'll continue to bring you headlines. The good, the bad, the ugly, the tough, the difficult, the weird, the chaotic, because that's what Bachelor Nation does.

So until next time, 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 inappropriate. Maybe find out how it ends by listening to the OK Storytime podcast and the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, it's Daniel Fischel. Writer Strong. And Will Ferdell from PodMeets World.

We are back in Las Vegas and giving the people what they want, a full week of Y2K content. Tell me why. Well, for the Backstreet Boys residency at Sphere, of course. We joke and say this is our second marriage, but it takes a lot of communication. Plus, it's carrot top, baby. And finally, Ashley Simpson-Ross joins us to talk about her upcoming sold-out Vegas residency. Listen to PodMeets World on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. December 29th, 1975, LaGuardia Airport.

The holiday rush. Parents hauling luggage. kids gripping their new Christmas toys. Then everything changed. There's been a bombing at the TWA terminal. Just a chaotic, chaotic scene. In its wake, a new kind of enemy emerged, terrorism. Listen to the new season of Law and Order Criminal Justice System

on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. I'm Dr. Joy Hardin Bradford. host of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast. I know how overwhelming it can feel if flying makes you anxious. In session 418 of the Therapy for Black Girls podcast, Dr. Angela Neil Barnett and I discuss flight anxiety.

What is not a norm is to allow it to prevent you from doing the things that you want to do, the things that you were meant to do. Listen to Therapy for Black Girls on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast. Thank you.