Ashley is hanging out with Jill Chen from Clayton’s season to break down the latest Bachelor headlines!
Jill has an inside scoop on a new Bachelor Nation couple… when one of them was still dating someone in Paradise!
And, is Gerry rushing into his wedding with Theresa?? We get into their fast paced timeline since the Golden Bachelor finale.
This is the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous podcast with iHeartRadio.
Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Almost in his podcast. Today, I am joined by my friend Jill Chen. She and I are going to be breaking down Bachelor Nation headlines. Jill, I love doing headlines with you because you are in the know with some of the people of the current cast a little bit more Jared and I. Yes, and but Ben and I as well. Ben and me and I want to start out with your knowledge about one of your friends in a new relationship. It was a friend that you had one time had a bit of a flirtation with who Tyler Norris.
I don't think we had a flirtation.
Oh, he was going to come visit you in Newport and then he like failed to hang out with guys, and then you guys are and then you were like, no, never mind.
Also because Jacob Jacob said nope, Jacob and.
You were trying to find a backup date or something.
I'm trying to find a backup like, Yeah, I don't think it was I don't know if it was a I don't think it was a flirtation, but it was just like I do love him, dearly and he has a good friend currently like to this day, so he is in the headlines.
He has a new relationship with a girlfriend named Alyssa. Now, listen, we were just talking you guys in our recap of The Bachelor in Paradise finale about how like nobody hard launched on Instagram the night the night of the finale, and that like, we have these people, we see them get engaged and then they don't post a picture together the next day and they're posting other things and it just seems fishy. But of all people, Tyler did hard launch this week, So tell us what you know.
So did he hard launch on just his stories or did he hard launch on the main.
What do you mean versus this story? It was a story. It was a story he shared a video with and she's in it and it says every room needs a Christmas Tree and he and her are slow dancing to the song Blue Ain't Your Color by Keith Urban and he kisses her on the cheeks. So it's definitely a hard launch.
Yeah, yeah, like for sure, But I does really count of it's not on the feed, no, and of course it does count, Like I think it's more of like, I think it's a medium launch. It's not a harder soft, it's like a medium you know. I don't know if he tagged her either, but people, I think know who she is because they they may have also seen her in a previous leak earlier. So do you remember were you aware of the little oop see that happened regarding an ad that they both were in together.
She was in an ad with him a couple of weeks ago.
Yes, so okay, so when he.
Was still on the show and like dating Mercedes show.
Yes, So I guess I don't know who what manager messed up up on that one, but I think she has maybe a little bit of a social media following. And this ended up like on redit Reality. Zachary like picked it up, you know, like all of the channels were like, oh my god, like this is Tyler Norris, Like this is him, and this is a girl who says my boyfriend her act. Yes, but it was like it was like a creator generated content whatever it was, like the brand posted it themselves, okay, and so she made this content. She's like, my boyfriend and I are trying some new snacks. And the boyfriend was Tyler Norris. So so everyone was like, what the hell, Like, Tyler, you're supposed to be dating Mercedes, like you're on the show, Like this is weird, no way, and it's And turns out it's the same girl that's in this video.
Super interesting, you're a good detective. You and vassroonation great.
Well, I mean it was just like oh, at first, it was like, oh, maybe.
Maybe it's just like an acting It's like it's just the ad.
Maybe it's just an acting thing. It's the same girl. It's the same girl.
So now we know, yeah, okay, so yeah, there they are.
That is a thing. Yes, and they're cute.
They seem cute yeaheah, they seems happy, he's happy. The other Bachelor in Paradise Bachelor couple actually that did that did hard launch is Brydon is Dan and Christina Mandrell, who we will remember from Zach season as a as the single mom and she was a little she was a little kookie. She ended up leaving because Zach was like, I don't think I could be a stepdad, right, that was one of the reasons he gave her. Yeah, it was pretty honest that he was there, or like, yeah, didn't she also.
Like a breakdown. Didn't she get in some beef with somebody else?
Yeah, she was just a little bit of a drama queen. And she was only there for like two or three weeks.
Yeah, she was only Yeah, she was one of those.
Did she the first impression Rose? No, Okay, she just made a big splash on night one. I remember she made a big splash.
Yeah, I know she did. I remember they had some good time together night one, and then she got a date she got she met his family.
Oh that's right. Ah, your memory is so good.
I'm pretty sure for the family. And then there was liked, there was some drama after that, like I remember her saying help me, help me, help me or something by the pool and Zaxy. Yeah. So there was like some weird stuff that happened, and it kind of reminded me of Cassidy from my season, like someone who just goes like so hard and so fast they burned themselves out like immediately, like it's just like too much. So her and Branden are in this relationship. But I'm like, Okay, why wasn't she just on paradise. She wasn't on paradise.
Was she asked to do Paradise. I don't know.
Oh, but like that just seems kind of like a no brainer character for Paradise for sure.
I feel like she was definitely must have been asked.
Well.
I think like she's from Nashville. I remember that she's like Tennessee. He lives in San Diego. I wonder how they're keeping that up. But they're involving her daughter, you know, he knows her. And we see a little clip at the end of The Bachelor in Paradise finale where jokes Brandon is teaching Christina's daughter how to acsissorize. This is something that we would have loved a reunion show for us, that we could hear their story or eat them on the podcast.
Now, yeah, right exactly. I think that that's like a funny couple to me. I think they're both like really kind of out there. I Braiden is like such a a loose cannon. I feel like I just never know where he's gonna go. And that really is knowing that they're in a relationship.
Dude, they must be wild together.
They must be wild. I mean it was really fun, but that was just like confusing to me as to why she just was on the show and why we couldn't have maybe just seen this happen.
I wonder if she was on the show, they would have actually left together. I know there's so many questions, but they would have had more hurdles. I'm sure.
I'm sure they were, yes, but it would have been entertaining for me to watch.
Yeah, Ultimately, let's let's stick with the Bachelor and Paradise stuff. Bachelor of Paradise is cat defense herself. After we call a homie hopper, you're a little bit more gen Z than me. What the heck is a homie hopper?
Like you go from guy to guy?
Okay, well she did kind of go from guy to guy on the show.
Yes she did, and she did, and there's something wrong with that, and I think I believe it was was a TikTok that she was doing. Yeah, so she did the TikTok and she was like, well, why am I a homihopper? When a guy does it, he's like exploring his options or playing the field. You know.
Yeah, it's a very good point.
Like I entirely agree with that. There are some guys who would have a new girl every weekend. It would be fine, you know, there's a double standard there for sure.
Yeah.
I think that that was just like an easy target for people to come after her for I think she was just an easy target at one point, you know, to kick someone when they're down, and that was one of the things that maybe stuck.
M Yeah, that was what hurt her. Yeah, okay, let's get into Golden Bachelor drama. What was your take? This is your overall take last week with the finale, so.
Ah my god, it was like part of his heartbreaking. I feel like Gary was really good the whole season and then he almost kind of fumbled the bag for me.
You know me too.
Oh, Like you're really gonna say I think it's you.
You know you're the one? Yeah, the one?
And I'm like, well no, what, like no wonder she was so upset like that is and because as as someone who not has been in that position but has been on the show and only knows one side, what you see of the lead is minuscule.
So if they tell you something, you believe it.
Oh yeah, And I've been saying it all season long. But he does a lot of stuff that because he's like adorable, Like Gary's great. I'm not not saying that he's not, like he totally is, but at seventy one and being like all like shucks about everything, he's getting away with stuff that like a thirty one year old would never get away with. Could you imagine if a thirty one year old lead said you're the one and didn't know her at his.
Big age like that is But also it kind of reminds me, and maybe she'll remind all of us that men are gonna be the same regardless of what age. Because he's making a lot of the mistakes that a lot of bachelors make, saying I love you to multiple people, you know, the you know, kissing whoever, telling someone this and doing the other thing. It always happens. And I feel like maybe he was so in the moment. Maybe he could blame his age and he forgot you know.
But well no, his whole defense was that in the moment, I felt that with you, and then it changed and I felt it for someone else, which is sad, and I just how did that change so significantly?
So fat? I don't know, Like it's like when you have something in front of you, you're like, oh my god, this is the best, Like I understand being in that position, and then also thinking okay, well maybe the grass is greener, but when you're dealing with someone's emotions, you're dealing with someone's heart, come on, you have.
To feel quiet. Just be a little bit just I know, I know that. Leslie was like, I rather you said I love you. I'm glad you said I love you, but like there's you can say I love you, which I actually like was like, okay, that's fine, and so many have done that before, but the telling the person that you're the one that was actually a step above.
That was my biggest like, oh my gosh, that's really yeah, that's a sin in Bachelor Nation.
And that's something we saw. She even said, like in the fantasy suite, we said things that I won't even say because like that was intended to be private, but I bet you got even more intense.
Oh I bet it did. Of course, I bet they were planning, you know, where they're going to live. They're probably planning all this stuff, like for sure, I you know, so obviously she was the first fantasy suite. And then because sometimes they mix up the order, and then right Teresa.
No, no, no, we know that she was the first fantasy suite because remember Teresa was like, I can tell that he's thinking about her from last night, so that was actually her hometowns weren't an order. We learned from the ladies when we were interviewing with the Bachelor Mansion that those were in order. But that does bring us to our first headline with Golden Bachelor, and it says Leslie claims that Gary made plans with me for the future. He made plans with me for the future, kind of like save the date, kind of like what we're gonna do. I can't wait for us two more days, will be done with this, be together, start our lives. Did he say will you marry me? In there? No? But he all but said that. I mean I would have been very happy with Jess, I love you, but he took it to a whole other level.
That's heartbreaking.
You're making plans with what.
You can't do that, especially when you have when you know you have another fantasy suite. No way you should you be doing that, Like he knows that he could potentially feel this way about Theresa. And if you, if you're so sure on Leslie, then get to Resa out here.
Since there is a home, right you think that perhaps this was like a mistake made because he never went through the main show. Yeahause normally we have somebody who kind of goes through training and knows how it feels like to be on the other side.
Yes, and I've said this time and time again that maybe not maybe not publicly, but I do feel like to be a lead, you have to go to fantasy suites. You have to get there and know what it feels like before you can be a lead. Because I can get with that, like there are or at least take like really copious notes because you knowing that you have another fantasy suite lined up, and making all these promises and then going through with that fan like that second fantasy suite knowing full well what you said to Leslie is wild. Like that broke my heart for Leslie, maybe like Carrie you dog, like you dirty dog.
I know I need to know how his relationship with has been with Teresa.
This week, I feel.
The craziest week for their relationship, like way to put it to the test, because not only does she see the episode see that he had such strong feelings the past couple of weeks, you know, she saw the fantasy suite with Leslie and knew that she had he had such strong feelings for first and then he said all this stuff. Yeah, and then it comes out that like there's all those claims about miscellaneous things about how fast he jumped into a relationship and you know how he had a relationship, which is really probably the big thing. And it may not necessarily be Gary's issue. It could be the show wanting us to believe that I agree he that he like went from his wife and now he's finding another great love and then like he didn't date anywhere in between, so like giving him the benefit of the doubt, where it was like maybe he was in the interview room being like, oh I dated then and this happened with her, and then they're like, okay, but let's focus on Tony. You know I could hear that happening.
I could too. And there was also some like random allegations of like, hey, didn't own a restaurant. It's like I don't care what he did in the eighties to my honest, like.
It's our next headline. Shall we talk about it?
Yeah?
Okay. So he's responded to allegations that he misrepresented his career before going on the Bachelor. Listen The Bachelor. The franchise loves to misrepresent people's careers everybody, so it's not like this is just him. You know, we have fake there's fake professions underneath our names all the time. So it says that when Turner seventy two was as the inaugural Bachelor Golden Bachelor, his career was listed as retired. Prior he claimed to have worked as a restaurant tour and owned multiple eateies. The business I owned was very much like Cadillac, was very much like the Cadillac diner that Teresa and I went on our first date to. This is what he said to Katie Curic in an interview that was published last week, referencing they're one on one, he goes, I sold burgers and fries and shakes, and it was very profitable business. He continued to say that the comments about what I did later in life, that was like he was doing like handyman work and stuff. I did those after I retired. I retired at fifty five, and I was very happy giving back to the community and doing things that were worth something to other people. Yeah, because I can. I can get behind this. If you retire at fifty five and you're able to retire at fifty five. Wow, that's incredible. And he obviously did make a ton of money from his franchise to be able to do that. Here a lot of people and it's like not always like super healthy to like just stop at fifty five and then not work at all. That you have to involve yourself in something.
Yeah, I agree. And I also feel like I heard somebody say, like, well, his LinkedIn said this, Maybe he doesn't know how to use LinkedIn. He is not updating his LinkedIn from the eighties. You know. I just feel like that's it's like a cheap shot that doesn't do anything for me, Like I don't really care. It's not like I don't know. It's not like he was embezzling or he's not.
You know, there's no time, no crime is committed there there with his career. Yeah. Now something a little bit more scandalous, I'll admit is our next headline says Golden Bachelor Gary Turner's ex accuses him of fat shaming and lying about his dating history. Like we said, lying with dating history. It could go either way. It could have been the show not wanting to talk about anything other than his wife. What's your just take, general take? Does that have curiosity? Like, like the allegations say he started dating someone like within three months of Tony dying, How do you feel about that? Jared and I? Jared and I had a bit of a debate about it, like I would literally come and murder him from the other side first he started dating someone after like forty something years. But then I also talk to people that are like, that's what men do. A lot of men do that, and it's like no offense to their wife, but like they need the emotional support after always having it for so long.
They do. And I so I look at it in a sense where Okay, when I want my husband like what I wanted to grieve, Yeah, honestly yes, because that's the type of person I am, Like I need you to grieve me, but I need you to be sad like selfishly, yes, like have show how miserable you are, dressed in black for forever, Like did maybe die of a broken heart? Like you know that's just who I am.
Please he book me like I will.
Die of broken heart. But I know that men throughout history, you know, because I'd be knowing history. I'm researching houses I'm seeing, Oh, his wife died and he married the sister a couple months later. It happens. It happens. But so you know, in modern times, what I like to see a little more of a grieving period. Sure is that realistic? I don't know. But I also think about grief and I like, I think about when my cat died earlier this year and I got a cat the next month because I couldn't bear to be without an animal, like you know, And I'm not saying that people are like animals that. I'm saying that maybe like a distraction is something that you need. I don't know. Yeah, I don't think it's like a cardinal sin. I think people handle grief differently. I don't think that For me, that wasn't it was like, you know, I'm not going to get into his business that.
Yeah, well, let's get back to the headline, which is the fat shaming, which yeah, I mean, this is heavy. It's heavy. So the woman that he ended up dating after Tony died, within like a year or so of their dating and living together, he said, I'm not taking you allegedly said I'm not taking you to the reunion looking like that and Caroline, who was is the pseudo name that they're that's giving the outlet said that she had recently gained ten pounds due to stress, and he said that like because of the weight game, he wouldn't bring her to some reunion. And when Gary was asked about this, he said, my only response is that I have so many positive things in my life right now, and I have the wonder the wonderful love of Teresa, my partner, and I don't have time to reflect on comments like this, happy to look forward.
What So it wasn't like I never said that. It was I don't want to talk about it. Yeah, ah, that is that's disappointing, honestly.
Yeah, this is interesting. I want to know what kind of PR training he had there, Like did they say, like, let's just if anything like that comes up, you say, I'm moving forward, I'm not talking about the past.
Well, because he didn't say that about the restaurant. He clarified everything else really, and this thing he just kind of accepted. He took the l on that was probably bad PR training, like he should have just been consistent either said no comment to everything or ye had a little explanation. But that one is like that's tough. That's like really sad. And I don't know, we talked with so much about there. There's a lot of like talk about body positivity within Bachelor Nation in and of itself and like something that we as a society should be striving towards, and it's it's a hot topic. And I I think that men specifically should be respectful of women as they are, you know, as a personal belief as I you know, I just so that is really disappointing. Honestly. I just wish that he gave a better answer so I could forgive him.
But you know, like I'm just continuously wondering, like what is going on into ESA's head this week? Oh my god, she must be that poor woman, Like that's what because like, is she freaked out that maybe she saw like the perfect side of him and that now that there's like another side that she may not get to know about for like a year and then she's gonna marry this man on January fourth? Or are we just all being salacious now and like digging into these headlines And I don't know, we don't even know the sores And I don't know, do we just.
If you think about it, like, Okay, when we normally have a bachelor, they're like thirty or younger, not much time has elapsed in their life for things to go wrong or not much time for growth, you know what I'm saying, Like seventy that's a whole lot of stuff that could come up. You know, maybe he should have said he's grown, just say you've grown from it, Like I don't know. I feel so bad for Terreesa because she she's planning a wedding right now.
Yeah, it's literally less than a month away.
Oh I got my heart, Like I would be freaking out if I were her, and God bless her, but like is this too soon?
I feel like yes, I feel like I'm shocked. Jesse was like, it's going to be the most dramatic announcement ever whatever it wasn't he didn't say ever, but that we were all going to be shocked. And actually I was quite shocked. January fourth, they have known each other for less than five months and they're going to get married.
No, And I understand he's like a little at our ange you never know and like okay, yes, but at the same time, like there are when you when you come out of Bachelor, like the Bachelor, Bachelor Paradise, and you're even navigating new friendships. They evolved so much within a year, and you see it resides to people that you're like, oh, maybe I wouldn't have Maybe I don't want to explore this friendship because of some things I've seen, you know what I'm saying. So it's like to have a partner that you have just decided that you're just gonna marry after being in this like crazy world and only having your relationship exposed to the world for like I don't know one second. Yeah, they agreed to the wedding before they even got to air some grievances with the world, you know.
Like yeah, everybody who I say, who I express concern to about this, they're like they're old and they need to they don't have that much time left and they know when they know and all that. I'm like, I don't know, guys, not that fast. Why get married? Like why do you have to get married right now? Like I'm like such like a pro marriage person and like I love it, and you know, I have positive, healthy marriages all around me and my family. Yeah, but like normally, like when you just at this age that they're at. Totally cool, go get get married eventually, but like, you're not about to have kids?
No, why, no reason?
Why do we have to rush into the paperwork?
Right? It's and it's the paperwork part of it that's like the scary part. Sure the union is like a nice thing, you know, it's a nice sentiment, but like this is legally binding.
You know you being together at seventy as a boyfriend and girlfriend is kind of adorable.
Right, just do that. And there are people in my life that are just like forever engaged. They're like yeah, because they're older, you know, this is their second marriage or second relationship, you know, with a long term partner, and they're just like, we're gonna be engaged for the rest of our lives. We don't need to be married.
Yeah, we didn't to be married. Just relax, Just relax, guys. Well, we know why they are that the but we know what the franchise wants to rush this wedding because the viewership, they haven't had a live wedding in a long time. I think they've basically like crossed it out by saying that it's normally it's a wash Financially for them. But they are having this is there. There's a golden couple right now. They have gotten their finale six point one million viewers and that was live whoa, that wasn't even with the Hulu numbers and DVR numbers in there.
That's big.
That's huge, really big, really big.
Okay, it's a cash cow you know, yes, yeap. And it is enticing to have your dream wedding paid for. Yeah, damn, they got them, They got them right what they want them.
Our last headline of the week is about one of the most popular contestants of all time, Tyler Cameron. So do you remember when Tyler and christ and Cavalari were rumored to like have a thing, Because last year the two of them went to dinner with like Jason and Caitlin on New Year's Eve. There was one other couple there and it just seemed like a little like too, like it was a couple dinner, not just like a bunch of friends. And then there was them filming an ad for her line Uncommon James in the middle of Palm Springs, and everybody was wondering whether or not they were hooking up or they were together at all, And Kristen Cavalary seems to have confirmed that they did hook up. This week on the Let's Be Honest podcast, somebody said, who was the hottest guy You've ever been with? And she said, Okay, this is funny. If I were just doing it purely based on looks like every guy in the lineup has nothing to do with chemistry or anything like that, then the hottest visually is Tyler Cameron. And believe it or not, you guys, I know this is freaking hard to believe. He's hotter in person. It's insane. It's insane. So yeah, TC for you, baby. Yes, guy like doesn't like he just keeps murdering the game.
He really does. And it is pretty privileged.
And I'll say it, what do you mean, it's pretty pretty privilege.
Yes, it's pretty privileged. Like he is he is very handsome, like one of the most handsome men in Bachelor Nation and apparently, I mean he transcends you know, a list celebrity. Gigi had, Oh, I'm like, wow, Like he is in the big leagues. He's in the league of his own, really and I'm not sure, and you know, good for him.
Jared and I were discussing a couple of days ago. We're like, can you believe he was runner up to Jed?
Would never happen to me, would never happen.
It would never happened today. It never happened today, like Jaed. Before we wrap, Jill, tell us the headlines in your life. You've been with your boyfriend Ellis for over a year, like you been together for like a year and a half now to tell us, no, that's not true. Okay, fine, not a year and a half. A year and like three months, two months?
No, our year anniversary is next week. No, really, yes, we've only been to the year. So our year anniversaries next week, and we're like trying to decide what we're gonna do for it. And then I was also reminiscing, and I was like, I the last time I spoke to Jacob was the right before I went on the date with Ellis, like.
The day of like you closed the book and as long as you get complete closure, it opens the book for somebody.
Else, like and I wasn't even it wasn't even like closing the book. He was just like called me be like I was like going like whatever. He was still trying to be friendly and then and then I was like, what are you doing right now? I said, oh, I'm getting ready for a date like I was getting He's like, oh, okay, well let me know how it goes. And I'm like, shut up, asshole. I'm like, yeah here and then yeah, that's the last time I spoke to him, And yeah.
And your mom set you up or you Yeah, mom and Ellis's mom were the setup. Queen's here, so.
My mom and then like Ellis's dad's girlfriend who like knew my mom, Like the parents really kind of set us up, which is a funny story. And yeah, so that's how that's how we ended up ended up meeting. So any if you're out there and you're single, maybe like ask your mom, Like I know she has probably given you like a thousand duds before, but like there could be a good one in there. So yeah, we have been together for a year and I you know, we're we're greatly, very hopeful.
Thank you very your guys are very serious. And we have one other friend that that we share in Rhode Island that we'll be hitting your screen sometime soon. I think I can say that not saying her name, but we have a friend who will be on, will be on Joey season? Yeah, and we got the preview of Joey season. We did and there's there's not a there's not a lot there. It wasn't a lot. This an extended video soon, I'm sure.
I'm excited. Like every time I'm like, this is my last time watching the show, something else comes.
In and have another friend come on.
I have another friend come on, and I am excited to watch her journey. I'm I'm so excited.
We will recap another episode together when she's not with her, we'll talk about her and then for the season we'll have her on. All right, Jill, thank you so much for doing this with us. It was really really fun and I'll see you soon.
Yes, thank you.
Until next time. I've been, Ashley, I've been Jill Sia NYE.
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