Chris Harrison is here as head in to the final weeks of Pilot Pete’s season and we still have no idea how it will end!
Chris answers some major questions. We discuss what Madison’s admission to Peter means for their relationship going forward.
Plus, Chris tells us if he’ll ever get married again. Ben has a huge surprise for an American Idol contestant! And a new segment with an OG begins.
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This is the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous podcast with i R Radio. Hey guys, it's Ashley. Ben is on the road. He will be making an appearance at the end of the episode, but right now, I think it's just gonna be me and the best co host I could possibly have to replace Ben. And Ben, you are not replaceable, Okay, it's that clear. You're not replaceable. But like, if I had to pick another cost it would be this guy. Chris Harrison is on the show today, yea. And then we'll be calling My Bachelor in Paradise to castmate Tenley molds on, I want the update on her relationship, her marriage, and then we have Ben coming on and he's going to surprise a new girl on American Idol. Her name is Meghan Fitten, and on the premiere episode of American Idol on One Day, she talked about how she loved American Idol, how she grew up with it, but her heart and soul is with Ben Higgins. Like she's a huge fan of the Bachelor, and she spent her American Idol audition package talking about Ben Higgins, so that's really cool. So she thinks that she's calling in to um to talk to like Ryan or something. I think she's going to talk to Heart radio producers. Okay, so like I'm going to be that. My name is Mark and I am an Ihart radio producer. Yeah, so I'll pretend to be one of those. Yeah. So she thinks she's calling in to talk to not Ben, and then we're going to surprise her and be like, you're actually on Ben's podcast. Here is This is gonna be really fun. But you got away to the end of the episode, which shouldn't be hard because we have Chris Harrison on the line and he's not just the host of the Bachelor. He also is the host of Volcano Live with Nick wallanda Um and ESPN's Stage Steele. He's co hosting this on March fourth. We're going to talk to him about this before we get into all the Bachelor drama from the season. Hey, Chris, that's how you're doing. I'm great. How are you awesome? It was good to see you at the Women Tell All the other night. You made the special little visit. I was honored. It was very fun to be up there. It's actually quite nervous. Before I got up there, I was like having evading these women's space. I'm like, it's not my times, is not my hour, and they're gonna not like me because of it. I thought you would enjoy it because for the first time, like nothing had to do with you. You could just enjoy the moment and you you weren't going to cry. It wasn't going to be a disaster or just like a happy come visit us. So you would think in my office, thank you, Yeah, you would think that. I was like, oh no, see, usually I'm here talking about myself and I can do that, but I feel bad being here talking about them. Anyway, it was really fun and I enjoyed it. Let's talk about this volcano lie that you're doing. Is this the guy I was always walking around on the tight rope going like across Niagara Falls and stuff. Yeah, I mean, if you've grown up, you know, probably a little bit older than you. The Welenda family are unbelievably famous, their legendary and it's not just Nick and his wife, it is generations. It goes back. You know, three or four generations of Wallnda's who are circus people and high wire acts and just feats of amazing stuff. Um and so Nick Wilenda is kind of the latest of the Wilenda's that does crazy stuff. And you probably remember he did the crossing the Grand Canyon. Um, he went across Niagara Falls. His latest big one was going across Times Square UM from a couple of buildings. And so now his newest idea was I'm gonna go the furthest and highest I've ever been across a live active volcano in Nicaragua. And as he called a good good friend of mine from Dick Clark Productions who was at ABC and this is on ABC, and they called, said, hey, would you want to come to Nicaragua and cover a live event of Nick will Linda walking over a live volcano? And I said, who says no to that? And absolutely, it's it's it's in the wall Linda Blood to be able to walk a tight rope. Yeah, I mean, it really is amazing if you go back through the family, Um, it is generational. And you know, I met Nick at this last ABC event, this this Critics Association thing that you've probably been to in the past, but um, I met him. And you know, if you've ever seen like the movie Free Solo, and you realized that guy is a little bit on the spectrum, and he's a little bit off and he's a little bit different. I kind of expected Nick and his wife who by the way, his wife also just as amazing and does these crazy feats of daredevil status. And um, I met him thinking, Okay, this guy is probably going to be just a little bit off. And after talking to him, I stopped. I said, look, I don't mean to be rude. You're such a normal guy. You're a real dude. We're just talking sports and family and life, and he goes, yeah, it's just it's in my blood, Chris. I've been doing this since I was in the womb. My mom did it, and my dad did it, and my great grandfather did it, and but they just grew up like this and it really is in their blood and they've always done it. And it really is stunning because I think they we kind of take it for granted, how easy they make it look. And it's sure as heck, isn't. That's I will definitely be watching this on March fourth. It's Wednesday on ABC. Does it start at eight o'clock? I believe so? Yeah. I mean I'm gonna be in Nicaragua, so I have no idea the timing of this, but it is live on ABC, and my good friends Stage Deal, who works at ESPN and we've worked together before doing Miss America and stuff like that. She was nice enough to jump on board and join me. And it's going to be wild. Um standing on because apparently we're worse. Standing is going to be right on the edge of this volcano and there is a live lava pool that he'll be walking over like yeah, like literally there's a pool of lava below him with toxic fumes coming up and wind and I mean it's and and when you look at the wire that he's on, we're talking the width of a couple of wine corks or bottle caps. That's what he's walking on. That's wild. I know the audience is gonna be like, okay, actually get to the bachelorstuff. But one more but like one more question, how hot is that type of gonna be? And well, that's that is a thing. I mean, you know they they are also phenomenal engineers and he keeps this in the family. His uncle is one of the engineers and served to the military that puts these together. They're already down there in Nicaragua putting this together. And um, that's part of it too, is just the engineering that it takes to keep this thing stable so he can make it across. And um, you know, not to be dramatic or you know, kind of morose about this, his great grandfather died in trying to walk across between these two hotels in Puerto Rico, and there is video of it. It's and I've watched and seen this and and he was you know, a little bit older and couldn't hold on and went down. And you know, we all watched it on live TV back in so it is a very real thing that this could go horribly wrong. And and it's amazing that he will put himself out there to do this. And he doesn't have any sort of restraints. Well we're not sure about that actually. So when he did when he when he did the Grand Canyon, Um, he was not tethered. When he walked in New York, he had to be tethered according to New York law. And you know, walking across Times Square, things can obviously still go horribly wrong even if you're tethered. This walk is still up in the air. He doesn't want to be tethered. He doesn't like it. It actually throws him off a little bit. Um, He's been doing it his whole life, untethered and just nothing but that pole that they carry across. And so it's still up in the air as if ABC is going to allow this to happen. So we'll see Um still up in here. He's fighting for it. We're all fighting for work, and that's what he wants to do. All right, Well, you guys will have to watch it. It's gonna be insane. And what's also going to be insane is the rest of this Bachelor's season. Chris, I'm going to kind of go through the episode with you a little bit briefly. I'm not going to really break down the episode with you, but there I'm gonna go and down the line and talk to talk to you about stuff that I feel like only you could answer, Um, well, are the girls all rooming together this top three? Well, as you know, that is something very different. And I was trying to think historically if we've ever done it in eighteen years, and I don't think we have. Um, although the show has changed and evolved in different ways, I don't know if we've ever done that. But you know, you know as well, as anybody, we have to force certain situations at times to force people into an uncomfortable position or to face something that they need to face and that they're not really staining up to. And this was one of those situations where really centered around Madison Um. She is saving herself for marriage, which is fantastic, wonderful if that's your choice. You may know something about that, um And but it was this ultimatum, although she still doesn't know it's an ultimatum because she says it's not, and Peter even says it's not. But when you you know, when you have, when you say if you do something, this will be the repercussions of that, that is an ultimatum. So however you wanted to find it, it was an ultimatum. So at any rate she gives Peter this ultimatum, and she really hasn't come clean as to all of the details of saving herself for marriage and the whole thing. And this was a situation where I felt like we needed as producers to force a conversation and force a situation that would bring about a resolution, because we're getting way too far into this to still have something so huge hanging over them that they're really not dealing with. Normally, you guys don't use the word producer like you wouldn't. You would very rarely say that's something that we produced. So yeah, well, you know what what we do. And you know, Rachel and I, uh, because she was around the other day too, we had this conversation because she was a little skeptical, but she also understood. And she was another one a particular batch thrette where I had to really we had to force some situations and the show and situations are produced, but not heavy handed in a way where a lot of times you think, oh, they're just doing this for drama, they're just doing this for TV. A lot of times it really is to force, you know, a Nick Viale to really step up the game and start making some decisions, to make Rachel really face some fears, to make Madison and Peter really come to terms with what they're really grappling with and maybe they're kind of denying facing this situation. And so when push comes to shove, we're going to shove and we're going to force this situation. And so, yeah, it was awkward, and you know, maybe we'll never do it again. But in this situation, it kind of had to be done, Okay. I can respect that it was a slow coming out process about it all. Like I would have thought that when she pulls Peter aside after the Row ceremony and says, hey, like I would have a hard time if you sleep with other people, or if you you know or other people, if you sleep with anyone, and you just think the fact that clearly this entire season was somewhat sexualized and sex positive. I mean, the guy had, you know, very much been announced as a guy who was in a windmill with Hannah for you know, all night. So but you would have thought that she would have told him she was a virgin at that moment. It was seemed so weird that she left that out. It would have been more meaningful, It would have made more sense why she was giving that ultimatum. And that was a reason one of the reasons we really allowed her to have that time with him. And after a road summing again that was pretty different as well. After that road summady to allow just one girl to go talk to him and have that moment. But we thought, hey, she's gonna come clean, She's gonna tell him she's a virgin or and by the way, she doesn't even she's not even comfortable with that word, which is up to you. I guess um. She likes to say she's saving herself her marriage as opposed to being a virgin, but it's again semantics. But the point is she didn't come clean. She she only gave him really enough information to fail. She never set him up to succeed. And that's kind of what bothered us was he's not getting on the whole story and he's being set up to fail here, and we got to kind of step in and help him because we're getting down to crunch time. Okay, Okay, that makes sense, you know, And honestly, maybe it could have come out even earlier. I mean, she knew that they had really strong feelings and had a great connection and and she's such a wonderful woman. I really I And I want to make it clear I don't have any problem, as you very well know, the fact that she was saving yourself a marriage. That's fine. I don't even mind the ultimatum. I really don't. If you want to make your stance clear and these are the morals you're standing on, that's your prerogative. I have no problem with that. But if you're not going to share that information with someone you care about in a timely fashion to where they can use that information to help or succeed, then I don't know. That's where it got a little murky and muddy for me. Of course, I also totally respect the ultimatum. I've all, I've been very open about being conservative about sex. How do you feel this is any different from Luke p telling Hannah that he didn't want her sleeping with the other guys last season. Well, this and you've gotta be really careful this particular part of the equation, um, being a virgin, saving yourself, wanting your significant other to kind of follow along in this belief, I have no problem with, and I think that it is identical to Loup p Um in that regard. Now, there were other things that happened earlier in the season where I think Loup was manipulative and maybe misogynistic, and that clouded everything that happened later. Um, But I always said from the beginning, I have no problem with Luke p and his stance on his religion, his faith, and he is wanting, you know, the woman he's gonna fall in love with to follow certain guidelines. I think there is a double standard. I think that Madison will be treated completely differently, but maybe deservedly so to a certain degree, because again Luke Pete did cloud things early on with things he was saying and doing, and he really drove everybody crazy. Madison's very beloved, she was liked in the house. Um. But again I have I have no problem with either one of them having these ultimatums, are having these strict guidelines that they live by. That is your faith and that's your life. If it's totally up to you. You can argue, what are you doing on the Bachelor? What are you doing chasing a guy like Peter who's clearly not that type of person. Um. You know, there's a lot of those questions that maybe we could raise, But the actual act of standing by your morals, you know, it really is a very similar situation to Luke. It really was, and I know people will maybe get a little upset with that, But I think there's going to be a little bit of a double standard. I agree completely going to be a double standard. I will say that Luke made it seem like he was slut shaming Hannah, like he was making her seem less of a person for it, and and Madison's more like, these are my morals, Like I would appreciate it if you were to like respect it. It's always about It's always about optics, isn't it? And well, yes, it wasn't it wasn't. I mean, Luke, p was a little misogynistic in like you said, there was the kind of slut shaming. LL meant that it didn't look good at John just saying the bottom line was I have no problem with his faith. Madison was much more eloquent and articulate. But then against she wasn't because her failure was she really never came clean and she really never gave herself to Peter in that way that emotionally where he needed to know the truth and to hear all this, and that may have changed the entire direction of Peter's life and the show. Of course, Madison's date this week was the last overnight date. And you guys you brought producing before. This is obviously a produced move. How do you feel about people saying that this season they feel the producing more than others. Oh, I mean, I guess it's always in the eye of the beholder and it's up to vatter Nation and whatever you feel. Um, there isn't anything more this season than we've ever done in the last eighteen years. Is really not I'm obviously have intimate knowledge of all the decisions we make and what we do. There's nothing more this season than prior seasons. You feel it, You feel it. Do you think that the audience is just trying to like they're just so invested and because it's like such a pop culture thing right now to like over analyze the episode like we have all these podcasts this one included dedicated to analyzing the episode for almost as long as the length of the episode. Do you think that it's that kind of culture that's making people see like, okay, like this show is not at all scripted, but they do put these people in certain positions. Actually, I'm always amazed at the level of I guess passion and the detail and the things that people, you know, they dive into this show and really break it down. I see and hear things on social media sometimes and I'll have to go back and actually watching a Wow, did that really happen? You know, did we did we miss that at it? Or did something get you know, there's things that people will stop and go frame by frame, and um, you know, there are times when an editor will put in a shot from from god knows when and it won't match up to whatever we were doing. And I mean, these people notice everything. And I love the fact that it is such a pop culture phenomenon. It's a part of our everyday life now and it is easily by far the most socially relevant and socially impactful show probably in the history of television. Definitely right now, but if you go back, I mean now, it's been on for two decades and so you could argue in the history of TV, I don't know if anything has ever socially impacted our lives the way The Bachelor has because it deals with such a such a topic that we all we all relate to it because it's relationships, it's love, it's sex, it's all these social issues. No other show taps into that. Um, you know, Danceel with the Stars, No, not really at all. You know American Idol Now, yeah, I was just going to say American Idol was the only one that I could think was like as much of a pop culture phenomenon. But you're right. It doesn't deal with social phenomenon and it set records in it changed television in a television way, but it didn't change our lives. The Bachelor has bled into the way we date, the way we talk, the way we give roses, I mean, the way we get married. There it has bled into our real lives. And there are shows we appreciate love and have fun with, but nothing has affected our lives the way The Bachelor has. And that is I find fascinating. Chris, You're making me feel so cool. That was part of it. Thank you, and thank you for of course leading the whole things about eighteen years How amazing. I know we got a little off topic. I just want to run through the episode real quick. Hannah An, I can't connect with her. Can you explain why? Yeah? You know, I've heard people say that you're one. One of the problems that they've had with this season is it's hard to root for anybody in a hard to really feel a connection with people. And you know, I think that Hannah and has not had that. You know, maybe that was editing and and we didn't do a good enough job of letting you connect with these women because she is fantastic. She's a lovely, lovely woman, and um, you know, I think that while we can take some of the credit or blame for that, I also think that you have to watch what's about to happen over the next few weeks because, as I said today in a in an Instagram post, this show really starts now. There's been a lot of ups and downs, but I really feel of all seasons shings really begin tonight and over the next couple of weeks as it unfolds, you will see and I think you'll understand what I mean, Like this show will do a one eight and I think you're really going to get a lot more vested in these women. And I get maybe it's a little late, but if you are still willing to dive in and watch, which I know vacination will, I think you'll get it all right. Well, then let's move on to the Tory FS date. She has another moment where she she feels like she's at a loss for words talking about her past relationships. What is it up with this girl? When she when she like gets to the she has like this roadblock. It's like whenever something is about to get too emotional, she just cuts herself off. Do you think that her past relationships are truly what what makes this happen? If I could relate anybody to you, it would be victoria on some levels. And that you know, I remember you vividly having a hard time really expressing your emotions articulately and really putting those those feelings and tears and all that stuff into words. And I think she has a little bit of that um problem as well and truly expressing herself. And it was maddening to watch at times, you know, as as Peter is trying to pull this out of her because they do have a connection, but yeah, it was maddening at times to watch them because you just want to say, say words, please put them in a sentence and make them meaningful, like just please give us something, but you just couldn't do it. And she was her own worst enemy. And I think, yeah, maybe his prior relationships, maybe it's her family, who knows what it was in her past, but man, it's sure got the best of her. I feel like I'm still that way. Um, even when I get up lin Jared and I have an argument, like I'll just cry and then I'll be like I'm feeling like I know what I'm feeling, but it's hard to take like what I'm feeling in my body and like put it into words. So I do relate to her, and I do feel like I was a more of a mix of Kelsey and Victoria throughout the season. Well, I am a father of a sixteen year old girl, as you know, my tailor, so I too understand maybe and probably when people say what makes you, you know, a good host and therapist and all that, I said, well, I think, you know, being a dad to a teenage girl definitely helps, and you know, being around this show for eighteen years, so I do see that. I see the emotion in my own daughter at times, and I'm like, okay, there's really no true explanation for some of it. It's just a motion and you know, there's no Hey, what are you trying to say right now? Or tell me how why it's there is no why, It's just a motion and it overtakes you sometimes. Exactly how is your girlfriend Lauren when she is upset? Is she very vocal? I feel like she's very good at articulating her feelings. She's pretty good at articulating. She's actually maybe the best communicator I've ever been with, and she's really good at that. Yeah, and we are both and I think because we're both hosts and we're both so analytical in that way that yeah, we're maybe we're too good at expressing ourselves sometimes maybe maybe some more mystery needs to be involved. You guys have been together for a year and a half. I know, isn't that crazy? That is crazy? Do you It's really flown by. It's really flown by. But I guess the when you know, when you're happy and things are good, it flies by. Last question about your personal life, would you get married again? Sure? Yeah, I'm I'm definitely not against it. Um, you know, I did it, you know for a long time. I was married the first time around for what seventeen or eighteen years and had kids and it was more of the traditional route. You know. My life as I'm older now is a lot less traditional. Uh as far as the need for marriage. You know, it's kind of like what you and Jared are going through. It's you get married and you want to have babies, and it's kind of that traditional route. Well, I've done that. I've already been there, so I don't have that net desire to like, oh my god, I gotta get married so I can have babies and create this family. Now, I just want to be happy. I want you know, people in my life and including you know l Z and people that surround me that just make me happy and that I love dearly. And so if that leads to marriage someday, great, It's just you know, it's not the goal and it's not the end all be all it used to be when I was years old. All right, can you tell everybody about your tropical rose. It's got past fruit, dragon fruit, and rose flavors, and it sounds like it's going to be the new drink of paradise and the official drink of everybody's Bachelor Watch parties on Monday. And also included are the tears of Ashley. I thank you. That's really the secret ingredient. I couldn't announce it until now, but it's it is touch of rose, passion fruit, dragon fruit, and tears of Ashley. Oh my goodness, is there a Kelsey variety that would be amazing? Um? Now, this is actually something I've been working on for about a year with Seagram's Escapes, and this amazing collaboration. I went to Chicago, created the taste myself and went through it, created the packaging and the look and the color, and it is awesome. And it's finally hitting the store shelves now and it will continue to roll out, uh kind of over the next month where it'll hit all of the big stores across the country. But I am so fired up. It is so good and the best part about it every everyone I'm giving it to that have tasted it. That's the first thing. I'm like, Wow, I really love this. Okay, and it's only a hundred calories. I know, it's such a low calorie drink. That's amazing. And I would be so surprised if Roses in Rose, you know Lauren Zima's et recap doesn't become Roses in Tropical Rose. I don't want to have a spoiler alert, but you may or may not see this on this week's Roses and Rose. Okay, amazing, So we'll be looking at We'll be looking out for your face which is on the box at the grocery store, at the liquor store to get our tropical Rose. Yeah. I know these these drinks are so popular right now, but I'm telling you I've tried them all and the one we created is unbelievable. I think people are gonna love it. I know you said tastes like my tears, but does it also taste like paradise? It does taste a little bit like paradise. I think it goes perfect with your favorite Monday night shell for sure. Okay, I'm not done asking you questions about your relationship. How did you go from her interviewing you, because she's just like the bachelor beat reporter there at e t to dating, Like where did that crossover? Did you ask her out? We did well, kind of yes and know everything, you know, there was a little you know, I was when I do interviews and maybe just like you do, you just kind of go blank and you just put a wall up and you're just doing a job. And so I had never really actually noticed her for the couple of years she had been interviewing me. But there was one time when we had this great conversation. It was actually during the Tell All Angles Becas season, and we just ran into each other in the parking lot. I was sitting outside and drinking my tea as I usually do, and she came up and We had a pretty in depth conversation, but it was more personal and it was you know, we didn't have microphones or cameras and we were just talking. And it was really the first time I noticed her and thought, Wow, this girl is She's bright, she's smart, she's quick, she's funny, and she's really cute. And so that led to she slid into my d M s and and just said whatever about our conversation, And then I asked her out, that's a cute You guys on paper are so compatible that wit that you both have, like I feel you can go back and forth with She's, uh, she's is pretty amazing and and you know, we both were a little reluctant because of her job and covering the show. But I mean it's not like she's covering the White House. You know, she's a she's an amazing journalist and she does a phenomenal job and still does. But she also does a million other things, you know, on top of the Bachelor. That's just a small part of what she does at et UM. And I love that she is a part of the Bachelor, and I love hearing her take on things. You know, I don't share a lot about the show with her, and so I like, I get to hear from not only a fan, but a really good journalist of things we're doing right, maybe things were doing wrong. She has a great perspective of and it's been interesting to have that part of her as well. How do you not share with her the ending? Like she's truly unspoiled the entire time. Yeah, I know some people think, oh, well, she knows everything, but I don't. Interest My kids don't know. I just I've I've been doing this right teen years, and it's very simple. I just don't tell anybody. And and I've always had that rule of if you just clearly have this rule of nobody knows anything, then you don't have to worry, and you're never gonna get tripped up, and you're never gonna screw up, and um so, And honestly, she tells me, I don't want to know. She likes to approach it by watching the episodes and covering it from a journalistic standpoint, And she tells me that it would kind of ruin it if I told her everything. She would approach her job differently and she wouldn't have these great analytical insights and perspective of someone who's watching it along with the rest of the world, and so um, for those reasons, we just, you know, that's just something we don't talk about. I mean, you know, I'll share things about the show, about my life personally, working, but when it comes to spoilers, she didn't want to know. That's awesome. I do feel like you do a better job reporting on the show and you don't know anything. That's why this season has been so much fun because it is apparently spoiler free. And now that we are here, you know, two weeks to go, I can I am surprised it's still spoiler free. I'm I'm surprised as well. So that means that there is a conclusion. Is there a conclusion? Uh, you know, either way, there's gonna be a conclusion good, bad or ugly. Um, but you know it, we'll see there's I mean, obviously there's been spoilers before, there hasn't. Um, you know, look, I never get mad if people talk about the show, and a lot of the show is public now, um, you know, and even you have three people at to Tell All the other night, and you can go online and read who talks at to Tell All? And all that. Now I wish people wouldn't do that. It's disappointing that people wake up in the morning or people live their life to try and spoil other people's work. I mean, there are thousands of people that work on this show and it is their livelihood. And the fact that someone would actually live their life to ruin that, to try and put them out of business or screw up what they're doing is it's it's I don't know, I guess it just never ceases to amaze me that there's people in this world that are like that. But there are, um you know, in any walk of life. There's just any people who they live to crap on what other people are doing. And you know, whether you create a new show or you create some art and someone will be the first to say, oh you suck or this show is terrible or I hate you know, they just want to crap on on good and they want to crap on people's work and their creativity. But that's that's where we live in. Do you know that of all the seasons that we've been doing this podcast, which we're almost up to three years, every season that I have been spoiled by has been from a fan commenting under my Instagram or tuning at me the ending and never me trying to seek out the ending, because there's people, there's people that just I guess information makes people feel powerful and it makes me feel like they have worth. And by the way, if that's how you get yourself worth, I would urge you to find something better. Um. But you know, whatever gets you through the day. Um, at the end of the day, it doesn't ruin our franchise, it clearly, and it doesn't ruin our ratings. I think you need to watch. And I also know that anything on social media any spoilers. It is such a minority, so very few people actually here or read any of that garbage. UM. So at the end of the day, most people are just watching the show for entertainment and escapism. Um. And so hopefully it remains that for those people got you. What about all the flag that you guys have been getting about age. Do you think that you're going to try to get an older Bachelor at next season to bring the age up? Because I feel like a lot of Bachelor Nation is blaming some of the caddy drama and the lack of emphasis on a love story on age. Yeah, I think that. You know, look, we always the show will will always evmon flow and the pendelum will slang in a lot of ways. But we we always sit back and reflect on, Okay, what worked, what didn't, what needs to change, And I think the age definitely will be something we look at and it's something that I think you have to pay attention to. Where are these people in their life? Um, And a lot of that's casting as well. You know, our casting department does a great job, and sometimes it's just a matter of who is in the pool at the time that we felt was good and then all of a sudden, you know, maybe we didn't look at Oh wait, all of them are a lot younger than we normally have. We don't have that great diversity as far as age because we worry about so many other things as well now, so it is it's not as easy as hey, let's just make them older, because we also want really good people that are you know, in line with what we're trying to do. So but yeah, you know, the shortest short answer is yeah, we'll definitely pay more attention to it, and I think you'll see probably an older skewing uh group of men and women as we head forward. It has been an honor. Thank you so much for talking with us. You spilled a lot of tea. You really did, did I really? I think so. I think there's a couple of headlines in there. Oh boy, that's great. I think it's mostly about you and Lauren. That's the problem is. Now I'm gonna wake up tomorrow and I see these headlines. I'm like, damn it. Why did I ever talk to as? I love you? Thank you so much. Well, we'll see soon. Sounds good. I'll talk to you later. Bye. Before we get townly on the line, I have three bachelor headlines this week. Bachelor in Paradise is Demi Burunette is kissing a new guy. His name is Slater, you know, as you broke up with Christian Haggardy in October, and now she is kissing a new guy on our Instagram celebrating her birthday with him. I guess they've been dating for a while, and I guess this means that Demi will not be our next bachelorette. Bachelor Nations, Hannah god When and Dylan Barber reveal their secrets to love after Paradise. The couple says, I think we just effortlessly kind of care for one another. Hannah says, I feel like we don't really have arguments and we're like, Okay, if you're struggling right now, let's talk through it. Or I don't agree with this, but this is where my head's at. We're both not argumentative people in general, so it works nicely for a relationship because they're both very open minded when it comes to different perspectives. Dylan also says, we're comfortable with what we do and they need to be in front of everything all the time, isn't there We don't really care. I think he's talking about press, media, the spotlight right there. All right, Well, they just had their engagement party two nights ago, and I don't know if that means that the wedding is starting to be planned or they're just celebrating their engagement from June. But we are very happy that Hannah and Dylan are going strong. And then we have another Oh. I should have talked to Chris about this. He apparently just trolled everyone with a pick of Peter Weber and his producer Julie Polaca, who is the woman that all those crazy internet rumors and a rumor that Ben and I believed at one point are about Julie was his producer, his main producers throughout the entire season, and Um Harrison posted this picture. You can go to his Instagram to see it. It's them in an airport and Julie is right behind Peter and he says, knowing nothing in life, but to be legit new album cover came out great. So basically they're pretending to be like a rap band. I don't know how that's trolling everybody with the pick of Julie. It's a picture of the production team. How is this trolling? You guys? Stop looking into everything? So crazy? Okay, you guys are looking into everything. He's not trolling, he's just taking He's showing a picture Julie. He doesn't end up with Julie. Okay, it's not gonna happen, all right, Let's get teny on the line from a bachelor, Timley mold On, Hello, Hi, it's so good to hear you. Have you changed your name yet? Yes? I have so, I'm Timley Leopold, but Instagram won't let me change it. Really, yes? Is that crazy? That is? You and Taylor have been married for almost two years now, correct? Are you so good? Is it so? Is? It's still so good. It's awesome. We're having a great time too. But I don't know where two years is gone. That's the craziest. We've just celebrated living in our house that we bought last year, one year in here, and so everything is so good. That's awesome. Can you tell everybody about what you told me what a whimsical attachment is in paradise? Because I brought up that to the girls at Women Tell All this week. I was like, maybe Peter was your whimsical attachment, which means that you have to go on and find somebody else who taught like he taught you what you need to go find in another man. I love that you still remember it. No, I think that it's stuck with you in like a really, really good way. But I was so wrong telling you that about thought Karen. But I so badly that I just have to go back before I explained it, um because I was so wrong, and I'm so glad I was wrong. But I think in the moment, like he was what your heart was supposed to be fixated on. But you were you were meant to both of you go grow and do your own things so that you could be what you are today. So congratulations on all of that and everything. But now the whimsical attachment. So I I myself had been fixated on you know, um signs or like little things are like this is it, this is everything, and had a really hard time getting over um a guy because I just thought, but he was everything. He was everything I been praying for. He's everything I thought that I should have and um, but I mean he really wasn't now in hindsight, but I just couldn't let go. But I was learning so much from this person. Um. And then it happened again, like another another really great guy came along, and I was like, Okay, you're everything and more than that guy and thought, um, I gotta let go or I couldn't let go. But um, then when I realized this is just a whimsical attachment, Like I'm just like whimsically um fast or like I'm in love with the idea of this person versus um like really like he's not my person, but I'm in love with the idea of it. But it's just always going to get greater from there. Like I said about you and Jared. I was wrong, but it got greater from there because you both were meant to have like that growth time and really come together and learn like that you were meant for each other. So yeah, So basically, you find qualities in somebody that you never thought you wanted, and then you learned from that person to go find that quality in somebody else. Anyway, you guys, I thought that I would just you don't bring that up with Tony because it meant a lot to me at the time, and I feel like it could mean a lot to you girls out there who are single or with a guy that you think like you want to be with but he's not showing signs and he wants with you or what not? What you know what I mean? Yeah, just go ahead and uh put your heart into those qualities of for sure, like setting your standards and then not backing down once you've met some because I really do believe there's always something greater than you can imagine. So if it's not in the moment um, it could very well be later on or just somebody very different than he's even better for you. So hang on to that hope. So you guys, um Tenley was on j Pell Vacasies. My year was that well lastinutely filmed, but two thou ten, so it's been like a decade and the original pilot season, yes, the pilot season, but the original of the pilots between Peter and Jake. Yeah, you were runner up. You also did Bachelor pad and then my season Bachelor in Paradise too. How do you feel like the show has evolved since your time on it? UM, Well, obviously, I don't know. I always hear you guys talking about how like Crystal season, the season you were on, was like the year you all came out and like had really great um luck and response from social media, and I agree with that, but it's weird because I think it kind of like subtily was beginning um back in two ves and ten. Um, Like I've I feel like I've been so grateful to be working kind of on the side with through Twitter and stuff and grow into Instagram. But it's different, and I do think that that his big comes a greater um, a greater difference for sure over the last ten years of what somebody can get out of the show, the recognition, the jobs that inst the famous or whatever you want to call it um, so that that is absolutely different UM. And I think it's it's hard to totally like it's hard for us as viewers to even see that genuine pull because we're all very aware of what can happen, um, and then the storytelling is just different. UM. I think we we always forget that that we do get a lot of the drama up front, and then you start to get to know the couple or the potential of the couple and some of the girls a little bit closer. But I feel like this year especially has been really hard to see any bit of investment between Peter and the girls and I and then some of me. Some of that is I wonder if it has to do with the genuine, in like approach to these people being a part of the show. Does that make sense? Yeah, Oh, it makes total sense. I feel like all of us are pretty attached and see what he has with Madison. I actually even think that we we see what he has with Victoria, which is like a frenzy. I don't understand. You don't mean I mean we see it though we said that there's something, there's a connection, there's like an intense pull towards each other to work it out, you know, but I he's almost attracted to drama, right, yeah, or he he loves the conflict. He almost likes conflict and relationship because it keeps it interesting and even admits to that. But I really, and I'm not. This is nothing against Hannah Anne herself. I truly am not even I'm not feeling their connection at all. Are you feeling it? No? No, no, no, uh yeah no not at all. I feel like she's she's kind of she's definitely, she's so beautiful, she's so sweet, But I just feel like it's stale. I feel like even there um there before the fantasy suite, there dinner portions, by the way, just pointing out you probably noticed it. Madison had this big, old, beautiful dinner set up and both Victoria and Hannah, Hannah it was like no plates on the table, no drinks, and like let's get to the bedroom or like let's cut the budget here. I don't know, but anyway, Hannah and just looked so there was like this anxiousness, there was this like it just wasn't it wasn't easy. I know that you are a very faithful woman. How do you feel that Madison is handling the no sex before marriage ultimatum. It was there calling it okay, I have so much to say about this, so please cut me off or jump in or what No, Okay, we'll see where it goes. I've been thinking about it a lot, but um one, I feel like she kind of lost her confidence with Peter because she wasn't necessarily straight up with telling him um that she like, she wasn't straight up. She didn't come out and say, hey, I'm waiting for marriage. Yo. Girl. We had Harrison on before you came on and he was said the same thing. He was like. We were like, okay, yeah, this is your time. Go talk to him after the Rose ceremony, tell him everything. And she didn't tell him that, and that was so critical to be honest critical. I mean, I don't want to I don't want to say that Peter messed up here. He should never have to assume anything. But if I were him, I would have been like, Okay, she's twenty three, she's expressed her faith, she's talking about me about this. I would put the things together and be like, she's probably a virgin, and I would probably ask right, but maybe he I mean because Hannah was a woman of faith but had no problem in you know, like, so I feel like it's really so yeah. So first of all, she lost her confidence and just didn't tell him, and I think that would have been so much easier for him to understand her heart. And really, as I was watching, because I don't think it's an ultimatum that she's offering, which so they can keep calling it that, but I think more of what she was thinking is, dude, if you if I'm your girl, then you're not going to have a problem not having sex with these other women, because that's how her mind thinks. Yes, well, so with the whole like Luke and Hannah, we do not need to talk about that. As I was watching that back last year, I was like, I never asked Jake like if he was having sex with other people in the Dynasy suite, because with the conversations we had alone, I was led to believe that we were completely in stinc um with the way that we thought, the way that our faith was, and that was just what Jake had shared with me, and so I assumed that we were going to be on the same page and I never even brought it up. I never said sorry, having sex with RG or whatever, and um, I never even thought to think about it. And then later when I watched the shows, like, I'm glad I didn't end up with this guy because it was different. But like, I think you can hand it that the conversation didn't go well, but I get why he asked, and I feel like Madison was just trying to say, hey, like, so these are my personal standards. I would love it if you If I'm your girl, you don't need anybody else. You don't need to test the waters if that's what you're doing. Um, you don't need a fun romp like with these other girls because I'm your girl. Based on the conversating based on the conversation that he has during the dinner portion of their fantasy suitet day, which we don't know what it leads to because it gets cut off at dinner in this episode, but during that conversation, he makes it seem like he really wasn't sure who he was going to pick and that's why he decided to go with it. So what you think that, Yeah, you think that you just thought it was gonna be a fun, fun time. I watched I watched it with my husband and who has the same values as me, like and going into marriage and everything. And he was like, oh, he just he missed it. He didn't, he wasn't he wasn't thinking about Madison. He but it wasn't that he was thinking this is just what we thought like that. It wasn't that he was confused about who he was choosing. It seems like he adores Madison. You can kind of tell in that, like with the whole setup, like her dinner was candlelit and they did everything for the table. They made it look so special, and um, the other girls really didn't have that, And so he just kind of phil led to believe that he's pretty into Madison. She's the one, and that he he just kind of was going for it because that's what you do in the fantasy sweeps, and the other girls didn't have those boundaries, so why not, Like I feel like you just kind of got lost in the moment, as I think it's really easy to do if you if that's just not if that's how you will know you're right. When Jared and I were watching it, he was like, oh, dude, why could you not is keeping in your pants the other two dates? But then how could he not like how I'm just I'm thinking that the only way he did that and didn't keep it in his pants is because he really was confused and didn't know who's going to pick. But if he really just totally disregarded what she asked him, mind boggle. But but I don't feel like she really I don't think she gave it. That's the other thing. I feel like it falls into Madison and her losing her confidence in front of him in whatnot saying Hey, I'm waiting, I'm saving myself for marriage. In that moment at the hangar um after the road ceremony, when she had that open door to say, give either my standards. This is where I'm not. I haven't I am a virgin, and um, I don't necessarily have these expectations of you. But I think that if we were, but this is what you should know, and he would have had a completely different perspective going into the fantasy sweet dates with the other girls. I think he I really think he would have been thinking more of Addison in that way versus she just doesn't want me to do with these other girls, which totally makes sense. No girl wants that. No girl wants to be back to back like in anything, and so I do feel like she kind of missed that door fatal flawf not telling him she was a virgin up fronts. All right, Tenley, thank you so much for all your thoughts and for coming on the podcast. I really appreciate you to talk to you soon. I'll talk to you soon. Thank you. By all right, guys, let's take a break, and then we're going to surprise the American Idol contestant. Before we surprise this idle contestant, I want you guys to get some context. So Mark is going to play the clip of Ryan Seacrest talking to Megan and her expressing her love for Ben Higgins's did you Peter the Pilot? Did you like? I love Peter the Pilot. I'm excited for him, but Ben Higgins is my favorite. Then Higgins is dreaming born to be the Bachelor. Oh the cross promotion babies, she loves it. Alright, should we get her on the phone? Mark? Are you ready? I'm ready? And she's on hold. We have to have been on home, so you got to wait and get every all of our duction use I'm gonna say, how do you like this? Actually ill said Hi. I'm with HI Radio. It's nice to meet you. Congratulations on going to Hollywood. That's great. Oh. You know what, before I ask you any questions, there is somebody on the line who wants to talk to you. Okay, okay, good, right, okay, we go. Hi Megan, Hi, Hi Megan. It's Mark with II Hour Radio. How are you good? How are you good? Thank you? I'm so sorry to keep you on hold there for a few minutes. Um, do you have a second here? Yeah, okay, great, we have a few questions for you. But you know what, actually, before I ask you any questions, there's somebody else here who wants to say hi to you. Okay, are you Megan? It's been here. How are you doing? Wait? No, no, no, no, no at all? Oh my god, what how are you doing? Megan? Congratulations on everything. I I'm super pumped to be talking to you. You don't understand. My heart is just elevated so much. It's just a joke, right, Oh, I definitely not a joke. I would recognize the voice anywhere, Megan. You are on the Benn and Nashley almost famous podcasts. No, I'm oh my god, stop stop dopp you're joking. Oh my god, Oh Dag and uh we are. We are huge fans of you. Uh, you have blown up. Oh of course, I've gotten so many videos sent to me. Ashley and I were so excited to talk to you today. Congratulations on everything so far. We had to get you on the podcast making because I'm not kidding. I've gotten more text and more emails and more messages in the last twenty four hours and any other time in my life. Oh my, I'm guys, I'm featless and that does not happen to me. Oh my god. Well, I'm so glad that you saw the cliffs. Clearly, I'm a big fan of both of you. Yeah, I'm sorry actually that you didn't get a little montage within my Uh it's okay, we suff Oh my god, this is crazy. So what do you think about this season? You want to give us a little bit of your thoughts? Absolutely, absolutely, Okay. I'm waiting for some girl to to come through for me, because I'm not crazy about anyone right now. If I'm gonna pull for anyone, it's gonna be Madison. Um. But I'm honestly up for some Hannaby drama. I want her to enter. I wanted her to enter from the Star I to here to go back in the house. Hannah By is my favorite bachelorette UM and I'm i'm I love her and I thought Peter was gonna win last season, and then he didn't. I was really surprised. I think she regrets it. I think he does well. I think does Megan. We gotta ask you, though, I mean, so you have your own podcast, give us a little give it a little shout out here on the almost Famous podcast. But then also if you if you really believe that Hannah By could step up and be the Bachelorette again, can you give her a sales pitch because at this point, I believe, at the beginning of the season, I'm not believing it anymore that she is the best choice for Bachelorette. Who do you think is the best choice? I mean, if Maddie doesn't get chosen, I think it has to be Maddie. If Maddie does get chosen, then I think reaching back into like the Tassia's TIA's that world. I would love Pia. Oh. I was such a big fan of person um. But yeah, that's that's a definitely good a good, good choices, good choices. Um, I don't know. I think hannahby she's just like been through it and I want her to I want her to go to rise up. I want like I love story for her. So you do want her to be the Bachelorette again? Well, that would be like my sales pitch, except for I don't think she's going to be, you know, I because she added more dates to her dancing with the Star Wars store and it would happen during I mean, here's the thing though, and I think we're touching on something that most people we talked to our feeling and including Ashley and I. We had high hopes for Peter. I still like Peter, actually still likes Peter as a person, but this season it's just kind of missed it for us, Like there's been very little attachment to it. Are you feeling that way, Yes, definitely feeling that way. I still I had really high hopes for Peter, to be honest, then I saw a lot of qualities that you possess in Peter, so I was excited for him. I was like, all right, he's gonna up up to the plate um. But it's it's been a little different. He's made some questionable choices, which I know you guys have talked about on the podcast. Um so it's been a little different. I'm not attached to any girls like I usually am in this season. Um so I'm really interested to find out, especially tonight. Chris Harrison made an interesting post that tonight when like the real the real story starts so on the podcast. Yeah, so I'm very interested to see what goes down in this top three. Um and yeah, and what unfold. There's just like Colton season, there's gonna be a bomb dropped at the very end, and I have no idea what's going to happen. Well, Megan, I know you live in Brooklyn, New York. Uh, do me a favor if if you have the chance, please come say hi to meet when we come through town for the Bachelorive on stage. After this call, I'll have somebody from my heart reach out and get you some tickets, and then please come say hi and hang out with me before the show. Is that okay? That would make all of my dreams come true. I would absolutely love it. It would be a blast. Uh, Megan, before we go, please promote anything you're a part of, right now, including American Idol and also your podcast. Tell our listeners where they can find you. Yeah, sure, um so my podcast, that's a very generous word to call it. I just call him a little recap there on my sound cloud. Um under, I watched The Bachelor and you don't care. That is the name of it. Little recap by Megan. Um and then I'm currently yes in Brooklyn and um just gigging around. I'm actually releasing an EP a month from today, March. It's called all Over the Place. Um so check that out. It'll be on Spotify and all of the streaming services. But just keep up with me through my Instagram, which is Megan fit In m E G h N Megan and F I T T O N awesome. Thanks Megan. Well, hey, Ashley and I love American Idol. We're a big fan of. Oh my gosh, Megan, everything I should tell you before you leave. I used to have a heart Idle on my license plate. Oh my god. I was obsessed. I used to paint my car every finale with who I voted for, and I would say vote like for example, I can see in my head I was like vote Blake. Even though I love Jordan Sparks. So it was vote Blake and then I had the number to dial to vote and now I recorded Ryan Seacres Studio. It's very cool. That amazing thing I've ever heard. That's gonna say. It's pretty on brand. And I don't know you personally, but it sounds pretty astley. Thank you. It's very true to me. Hey, thank you for being a guest in the almost famous podcast. We appreciate you. We're rooting for you. And please, please please come see The Bachelor live on stage we come through New York. I will be there and thank you for literally the best surprise of my life. I don't know. I don't know what's going to top this, to be honest, You're very sweet. Thanks Began. Hey, bet right bye, Ben. While we still have you on the line, I just want to ask you how the past week has been for you wild Actually, we've had a big week. We've gone through just listen to it. So in the last eight days, we've been in Mesa, Reno, Santa Rosa, San jose, A, Salt Lake City, Modesto, Cheyenne, and Denver, and now I find myself in Tucson, Arizona. Actually I don't know if you've heard this or not. I'll send you a video here. In a set get in Salt Lake City, I was on stage and during one of the dancing numbers, I went and stepped in my knee completely dislocated in front of the docket in two different places on stage, and I had to hobble off pop it back end. I'll show you. I'll show you the video. It is. It is nasty. Popped it back in yourself, your knee. That sounds like something that a doctor we need to handle. It was pretty gross, but hey, the show must go on. We are having a good time here on the road. But we are definitely on the road. I'm I did not expect. I mean, yeah, we've been up and down this country already, but we're having a great, a great time. Vachel Nation has responded really well. Um but uh, but it's it's a lot of work. Hey, but I'm happy to be talking to you. Actually, Uh, continue just to h to carry this podcast because I appreciate it. You know you sound just fine. Now. It could have had you on the entire episode. I know, I know, Um, but U yeah, what a fun time talking to Megan. I got the New it's on the rundown with Chris what an interview. Uh, that's some that's some juicy stuff. And uh and Ashley, Uh yeah, I'm just really proud of you. Thank you. I'm proud of you. I mean, I just don't know how you're doing what you're doing. I'm just gonna be mind Bible to buy it forever. Uh, You're the best. Ash Well, Hey, is this the end of the podcast now? Yeah? It is, so we can sign off the way we know it only would this feels nice. I needed this this week, act. I needed to hear your voice. Hi. I have another co host on stage, but Ashley, you're my first co host and I missed your voice. So with that, I've been there as bye, guys, Fanks too much. Follow the Benn and Ashley I Almost Famous podcast on iHeart Radio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.