August 1, 2024 • 19 mins
Another member of Bachelor Nation is about to walk down the aisle! Luke Pell is on with Ben and Rachel Recchia to share the love story behind his new fiancé!
Find out how a DM slide led to Luke dropping down to one knee, how long before he might become a dad, and what other Bachelor friends might be at the ceremony!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast
with iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
It's a special episode of the Almost Famous Podcast. Guest
host Rachel is with us. We have Luke Pell as
our guest.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Luke, welcome, Hey, thanks for having me on. Ben, good
to see you again. It's been a few years.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
A lot's happened in your life in the last few years.
Now you and Rachel have never met, and today we're
changing that. But we both want to tell you congratulations
from the very start, Luke, on some recent things happening
in your life and one of the big reasons why
you're here.
Speaker 4 (00:33):
With us today.
Speaker 5 (00:35):
Awesome, Thank you so much. That means that it's.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
A lot, So let's start at the beginning. For those
like Rachel h Now, we're not going to talk a
lot about your experience on The Bachelorette or any other
spinoff shows, but just for fans to be reminded, you
were a part of Bachelor Nation. You still are a
part of Bachelor Nation. You are on JoJo's season of
(00:59):
The Bachelorette, which happened to be the year after I was.
Speaker 4 (01:02):
On the show.
Speaker 5 (01:03):
Yeah, a while ago.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
Now it is Rachel.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Caitlin Bristow posted a picture of when she was the Bachelorette,
which is a season I was on and it was
nine years ago.
Speaker 4 (01:15):
Isn't that wild?
Speaker 6 (01:16):
Isn't it crazy how fast it goes? Mine was already
three years ago, like it was actually yesterday. But you guys,
were you on Winter Games together?
Speaker 5 (01:25):
We were whoa very true yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Okay games that never happened again and nobody watched it
was wild.
Speaker 6 (01:33):
We were just talking like, did Winter Games actually happen
or did we imagine it?
Speaker 2 (01:40):
I think for some I think for some of us,
most of us, we hope it was just a dream,
an imagination, something that just popped up and existed and
went away.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
But we were on that show together. Yes, I kind of.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Wish they would bring it back, honestly. And some people
that have watched it that I've they're like, oh, what
was that show? They ever heard of it? And I'll
be like, I'll tell them, we'll talk about it. They'll
go look it up on YouTube and they're like, that's
actually amazing. You have people that can't speak English language
barriers like all over the world, like global.
Speaker 5 (02:11):
It completely way more entertaining.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
And you've got the sports side of it and non
athletes competing in the Olympic sports, which is also entertaining
in and of itself.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
I enjoyed it. I had a really good time. And
it's one of those shows, Rachel, where you feel like
you're just hanging out with friends most of the time,
Like you don't feel like you're actually on a show.
You're just kind of kicking it in this cabin. That
was my experience. Now, Luke, you have gone beyond the
Bachelor into a very successful personal life. Until we get
(02:44):
into the big reason you're here today, in the big
announcement and the thing we want to celebrate in the
last let's say six years of your life, then what
have you been up to career wise kind of personally?
Speaker 4 (02:55):
What does your life look like?
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Yeah? You know so Idi, Yes, we talked before COVID
the last time I was on with you and Nashley,
and you know, I was still in Nashville and I
had been doing Nashville music there for a few years. Uh,
I guess professionally as a career, and COVID happened and
that was a really a good reset for me. You know,
I've gone into commercial real estate right during COVID, and
(03:20):
so I've been doing that the last four years now,
and it's it's been great.
Speaker 5 (03:25):
It's been a great transition.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
You know, I knew that at a point there you
start this process and you kind of have a life
moment and you say, what's my perspective here on the
next like a five year planner, Like what what do
you when do you want to start a family?
Speaker 5 (03:39):
What does that look like? How do you build an environment?
Speaker 3 (03:41):
And that's conlusive for having a family and doing that,
And so for me that was, yeah, getting out of
the entertainment business and working my way back to Texas
which just recently moved back to Texas, and and kind
of setting roots here close to home and uh and
and getting ready.
Speaker 5 (03:59):
To star our family. So yeah, it's been quite a process.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
It's been a few years in the maying and took
some turns and unexpected things that happened. But I'm very
happy and blessed to be where I'm at right now.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
And you are also an entrepreneur. I don't know if
you're still involved. You had started or been involved in
a moving company. Is that still exists today?
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Yeah, so I'm still equity stakeholder in black Tie Moving.
My location is up in Louisville, Kentucky, and the headquarters
since in Nashville. So a friend of mine started that
and franchised it, and I started the first franchise for them.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
So he's up to a lot, Rachel. Wow, the show
did not slow him down obviously. This last couple of weeks,
the announcement came out that you are engaged.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
Now we have followed.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
If you're a part of Bachel Nation, you've probably followed
Luke's story, you know, and kept up with his life.
A lot of the behind the scenes romantically has not
been shown, but this one was and I started to
watch it and I started to see you. I was like,
I wonder if this is the real deal, and it
is all right if you don't mind. Luke catches all
(05:06):
up on maybe what we didn't see, your your love story,
how you met, uh and then ultimately where you're at today.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Yeah, so the we met actually through Instagram and uh,
you know there's.
Speaker 5 (05:21):
Yeah I did DM slide That's what I actually knew.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
Yeah, yeah, so that works for Bence, I said, well,
I guess it works for a lot of people now.
And the more I've we've we've talked about that, people
are like how have you met? It was like, there's
a DM slide, and I'm hearing it's actually pretty frequent.
Maybe like the most frequent answer that I hear now
is that that's how people are. I did.
Speaker 5 (05:41):
Yeah, No, I did, absolutely, And I don't even know.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Honestly, we were talking about like how did it come
across We didn't have a lot of mutual friends. I
think it's the Instagram algorithm. It was like an explore
pace thing. I was like, oh my god, she's she's gorgeous,
and you click on it and then you kind of
like learn about somebody, like hey, you know, like what
their values, how important family, all these different things you
can see by somebody's Instagram. Sometimes sometimes people they curate
(06:07):
their Instagram a little differently.
Speaker 5 (06:08):
But but but.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Hers is very much who she is as a person
and very transparent, and so she's just an incredible person.
And uh and so we we, uh, you know, we
talked through DMS for a little bit and and then
we initially we didn't actually meet until late February of
this year in person, and so it's been quite an
(06:31):
expediitted timeline. If you're not on reality TV shows, it's
been an extabouted timeline, but so.
Speaker 6 (06:38):
Brought you together in Instagram and then how long were
you talking online or over the phone and show you
guys met how many months?
Speaker 3 (06:47):
Yeah, so like it was just a brief interaction like
two months prior.
Speaker 5 (06:51):
And so there was you know, where you where do
you live.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
I didn't know anything about her, and she was like,
you know, Max, you know, looking at moving back to
Texas next year, and et cetera, et cetera, and then
it just was kind of tabled.
Speaker 5 (07:07):
And and and and then it came back around.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
But I guess, like I said, late February, and she
happened to be in Dallas at the same time as
I was, and we met up for coffee and and
then just kind of took it from there and then
I traveled out to I guess our really our first
like real date was in Dallas, and then we ended
up doing Easter together and just one thing led to
(07:31):
another and a matter of family are very early on
this spring, and uh, they were great, and everything just
kind of fallen into place.
Speaker 5 (07:38):
And so you know, we're.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Both people of faith and very forward with you know,
what what our past has been and who we are
as people, and very forthcoming with all of that, and
I think that that's what really, you know, bridge that
gap for us and and made us feel comfortable with
each each other.
Speaker 5 (07:56):
Moving forward so quickly, beautiful.
Speaker 4 (08:00):
Your fiance's name is Haley James. Correct.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Yes, she's originally from where rock Wall, Texas, Rockwall, Texas.
And you're from Dallas.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
Burnett, Texas originally, yeah, which is closer to Austin.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Burnett, Texas. I know, Burnett, Texas. My cousin is talking
to a girl from Burnett, Texas. Actually, oh my god, yeah,
not a very big.
Speaker 5 (08:21):
Time probably know who it is.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Yeah, after the after this, I want to check to
see if you do.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
I just got to download on her.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Uh so you you obviously did she know of who
you were when you two met?
Speaker 4 (08:34):
Like did she had she seen the show?
Speaker 3 (08:36):
She had seen the show? Yeah, I don't, you know
obviously yours and my shows have been so far in
the past. I don't know that it mattered registered with
her and that currently like I was like I was
from the.
Speaker 5 (08:47):
Show because it's been several years. But yeah, I mean
caught up, caught up quickly. Yeah, it was a bashelar thing.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
So okay, And so when you first reached out to her.
That is not the reason why she was like, oh,
I'm interested in this guy. I know him from the show.
She was like later on that became.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
Apparent to her.
Speaker 5 (09:06):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
That's the best way to do it, Rachel.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
That's some good advice for you is to you know,
not everybody can't can't get mad at somebody for watching
the show, but you can definitely question them when they're like,
I'll go on date with you.
Speaker 4 (09:19):
I remember you from the show.
Speaker 6 (09:20):
That absolutely, I will say, though she probably did know
because all of my friends are like FBI agents and
they send me a full back as soon as I tuck.
Speaker 5 (09:32):
That's true. The the CSI agents come out pretty quick.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Yeah, Luke, you kind of touched on it. But now,
for the remaining time we have, I really want to
get to know you and and Haley as a couple.
Speaker 4 (09:55):
What made her?
Speaker 2 (09:57):
I mean, obviously her beauty stood out to you at first,
but then as you got closer to an engagement, what
about her stood out to you to make you feel
so comfortable that, even after five months of knowing each
other in person, you said, this is it.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
Yeah, you know I touched on it earlier, but yeah,
I think, you know, for both of us, you know,
and she's got her own stories. She's been through quite
a lot in the last few years, and one of
those things was her dad passed away in twenty twenty one,
and so you know, that's just one of the things.
And so she had been through a rollercoaster of just
(10:34):
emotion and just life changes and things like that. And
so you know, I had gone through some some big
relational changes myself early in twenty twenty three or a
year ago, and so we were both in a place
of just really digging down deep and I think finding
ourselves and what we really wanted in life. And you know,
(10:56):
our faith brought us together. And then just that ability
for us to both I think, be vulnerable and just
really not put on a mask of who we were
or why, what our intentions were or anything like that.
We were just very everything was on the table very
early and said, look, there is no nonsense. I'm not
here to just date around and see how this goes. Like,
I'm looking for somebody to spend my life with. And
(11:20):
you know, I would love for this to work out,
but let's be very upfront about everything coming into it,
so that we're not wasting each other's time or the
family's time or anything like that, or dragging anybody else
into this. And so that's that was it, you know,
And so I think that was the advice piece of
anybody was ever to ask me. It's it's it's be
as transparent as you can be and focused and intentional
(11:43):
up front. You know. I think the world we live
in now is so full of distractions, and you know,
Instagram and other people on you know that are just
talking into our life and it becomes all this noise.
Speaker 5 (11:55):
And if you can find a way to shut out.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
That noise and really focus on your own part and
what God's put on your heart.
Speaker 5 (12:01):
And who who you should.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
Be with from that standpoint, and what you want in
terms of having a family and the future, I think
that would save a lot of drama on a lot
of breakups and confusion for people.
Speaker 6 (12:13):
How quickly after the first date did you know that
she was the one? Was it really soon on?
Speaker 5 (12:21):
I would say it was. It was within probably the
first thirty days. Yeah, after our first date, you know,
we had a coffee date went great, and we.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Had like a you know, more formal dinner date, and
you know, but still just like meet at the restaurant type.
Speaker 5 (12:37):
Of dinner date.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
And really, you know, we were very careful up front too,
and very like we put in some parameters of saying like,
let's not make this casual. Let's not you know, go
go to the club and and have this this this
party thing and and just kind of hanging out. Let's like,
let's sit down, have a nice dinner together, be very
(12:58):
formal about our and I think that also helped where
we were going. So there was no just you know,
emotional I guess what they call it where youngitulated with
somebody up ron or used just being to somebody it's
like what where what direction are you setting in that part?
Speaker 5 (13:18):
We put that in the same direction.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
And so we were just very and it almost seems
on paper that almost seems to go it's more interview style.
Speaker 5 (13:25):
It's like a job interview or whatever, if you think
about it.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
But when we did it, it was built on a
foundation of respect. I think is really what the common
theme for both of us is. We just respected each other.
We respected each other's our past and what we were
looking for in our intentions, and that just really set
us up for success.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
So now that uh, it's official. You guys are engaged.
What's the timeline. Obviously this has been, like you said,
an expedited dating process, But I am with you where
I feel like once I met my now wife, it
wasn't it wasn't with in a few hours that I
didn't think, yeah, this is this is the one. So now,
(14:04):
what does the wedding look like? Well, are you guys
starting to plan prep talk about.
Speaker 3 (14:08):
Yeah, so we're actually gonna do like a private family
only only ceremony much much sooner and then we'll get married.
It just because of the logistics of fight and everything
that we would build, people in Prentish and then living
in all those things. We'll get married, have a prep
(14:30):
ceremonial family and then we'll do dark together the ring
in the spring next next spring. And uh it sounds
like we've you know, picked a venue and and she's
excited about it. Yeah, so I think that'll be the
fun part where we get to celebrated with friends. But
we also it takes a little bit of stress out
(14:50):
of the whole the planning process. It doesn't put as
much you know, anxiety and suspense on that planning process.
When you're like, well, we're legally legally getting married, have
a private ceremony and do more of a large celebration
later in the spring when everything's right.
Speaker 4 (15:06):
Are you ready to be a married man?
Speaker 3 (15:08):
I'm so ready to be a married man, ready to
be a dad, a married man. I'm just I'm just
excited about that season of light. And you know, it's
been it's been a long time time coming. As both
of you guys know, it's like, uh, you've you've probably
seen it. Don't know if you've experienced that feeling yourself,
but you know, reality TV it can kind of become
(15:28):
this hamster wheel of if you want it to be,
you can kind of continue to continue on in that
space and your perspective too, you know, leave that world
and say.
Speaker 5 (15:38):
I want a family, I want to I want to
build a family.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
Is you know sometimes difficult to see and and and
and navigate, but it's uh, it's amazing.
Speaker 5 (15:48):
But the Bachelor of franchise at the same time.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
Like there's been some great success stories, like obviously like
Sean Catherine from.
Speaker 5 (15:54):
Way back, and like it worked for.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
Them immediately on the show and they're still happily married
at some many you know, such a big beautiful family,
and but for a lot of people it just becomes
you know, it's like spin off shows and other things happening,
and like when you when you start, you know, so.
Speaker 4 (16:11):
I'm with you.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
And as soon as you make that decision, it isn't easy, Rachel,
I don't know if you can relate with this at all.
Speaker 6 (16:17):
Yeah, it's gonna say, tell me more, I'm still on
the hamster.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
It's a hard decision to kind of divorce yourself from
the separate yourself from. But once you do, yeah, uh,
it's it's so good. There's a lot of peace to it.
And then the show becomes this amazing chapter of your
life and not this defining moment. It's just like a
really important memory and it's not this thing that you
have to keep.
Speaker 4 (16:39):
Up with.
Speaker 6 (16:41):
Love it is there going to be anyone from Nation
in attendance?
Speaker 5 (16:47):
Yeah, no, absolutely, Yeah, I'm excited to have.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
Like I was actually just Chase McNairy just got married
in Colorado over the coourth of July weekend and so
I would say grimsmoon for that uh wedding and we
had a great.
Speaker 5 (17:02):
Time there and and then yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
I'm still really close with Chris Soles he spends a
lot of time. I lived in Scottsdale for a couple
of years. He would come down in the winter and
stay with me and go OFLF and whatnot. And so yeah,
I mean, there's there's gonna be several people from Bachelor
Nation there, and obviously a few people from Nashville that
were on the show as well.
Speaker 4 (17:22):
So I don't know how Chris Sol's is friends with everybody,
but he is. It's wild.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
He is at every wedding I've ever been a part of,
and it's awesome. Yeah, I love him so much, but
he is friends with every single human.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
He's such a good friend. I mean he'll just show up.
Like I get a phone call on like a Friday afternoon.
I'm at the office like three pm. He's like, what's
dy trying to up the office. He's an Iowa. He's like, uh,
He's like, what are you up to? I was dismissing
the office. He goes, what do you wanna do for dinner?
I was like, He's like, I'm in the air, I'll
(17:53):
be I'll bean I'm landing in two hours, just no warning,
just shows up and like he's just that friend. He's like,
it's just a fun guy to hang out with and
then he'll stay for a month, you know.
Speaker 5 (18:03):
Yeah, so we have a lot of fun to get it.
Speaker 4 (18:05):
He's a good dude.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Well, Luke, we're going to be happy for you here.
Congratulations to you and Haley James on this engagement. We
will be following your story and kind of keeping tabs
on the wedding plans and the wedding date and all
the announcements about the wedding. But until then, from the
almost samous family and Rachel, myself and Ashley who is
texting on a thread but cannot be with us, congratulations
(18:29):
and we're so excited for your future.
Speaker 5 (18:32):
Well, thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
And I also want to tell Ashley and Jerry congrats
on the new edition that their family and that's beautiful,
beautiful kids love to meet him someday.
Speaker 4 (18:42):
Yeah, we are.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
We are anxiously waiting here for her return so she
can give us the whole rundown and all the details.
But we haven't got it yet, and so we're waiting
here to give her a big congratulations.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
But it's a big deal.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
Again, another success story from the show. Like you said,
Jared and Ashley just making babies and I love it,
keeping the fire alive until next time.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
I've been Ben and I'm Rachel and that was Luke.
Speaker 5 (19:08):
Thanks for joining us, Luke, thank you guys.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Follow the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous podcasts on
iHeartRadio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
This is the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast
with iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
It's a special episode of the Almost Famous Podcast. Guest
host Rachel is with us. We have Luke Pell as
our guest.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Luke, welcome, Hey, thanks for having me on. Ben, good
to see you again. It's been a few years.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
A lot's happened in your life in the last few years.
Now you and Rachel have never met, and today we're
changing that. But we both want to tell you congratulations
from the very start, Luke, on some recent things happening
in your life and one of the big reasons why
you're here.
Speaker 4 (00:33):
With us today.
Speaker 5 (00:35):
Awesome, Thank you so much. That means that it's.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
A lot, So let's start at the beginning. For those
like Rachel h Now, we're not going to talk a
lot about your experience on The Bachelorette or any other
spinoff shows, but just for fans to be reminded, you
were a part of Bachelor Nation. You still are a
part of Bachelor Nation. You are on JoJo's season of
(00:59):
The Bachelorette, which happened to be the year after I was.
Speaker 4 (01:02):
On the show.
Speaker 5 (01:03):
Yeah, a while ago.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
Now it is Rachel.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
Caitlin Bristow posted a picture of when she was the Bachelorette,
which is a season I was on and it was
nine years ago.
Speaker 4 (01:15):
Isn't that wild?
Speaker 6 (01:16):
Isn't it crazy how fast it goes? Mine was already
three years ago, like it was actually yesterday. But you guys,
were you on Winter Games together?
Speaker 5 (01:25):
We were whoa very true yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Okay games that never happened again and nobody watched it
was wild.
Speaker 6 (01:33):
We were just talking like, did Winter Games actually happen
or did we imagine it?
Speaker 2 (01:40):
I think for some I think for some of us,
most of us, we hope it was just a dream,
an imagination, something that just popped up and existed and
went away.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
But we were on that show together. Yes, I kind of.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Wish they would bring it back, honestly. And some people
that have watched it that I've they're like, oh, what
was that show? They ever heard of it? And I'll
be like, I'll tell them, we'll talk about it. They'll
go look it up on YouTube and they're like, that's
actually amazing. You have people that can't speak English language
barriers like all over the world, like global.
Speaker 5 (02:11):
It completely way more entertaining.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
And you've got the sports side of it and non
athletes competing in the Olympic sports, which is also entertaining
in and of itself.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
I enjoyed it. I had a really good time. And
it's one of those shows, Rachel, where you feel like
you're just hanging out with friends most of the time,
Like you don't feel like you're actually on a show.
You're just kind of kicking it in this cabin. That
was my experience. Now, Luke, you have gone beyond the
Bachelor into a very successful personal life. Until we get
(02:44):
into the big reason you're here today, in the big
announcement and the thing we want to celebrate in the
last let's say six years of your life, then what
have you been up to career wise kind of personally?
Speaker 4 (02:55):
What does your life look like?
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Yeah? You know so Idi, Yes, we talked before COVID
the last time I was on with you and Nashley,
and you know, I was still in Nashville and I
had been doing Nashville music there for a few years. Uh,
I guess professionally as a career, and COVID happened and
that was a really a good reset for me. You know,
I've gone into commercial real estate right during COVID, and
(03:20):
so I've been doing that the last four years now,
and it's it's been great.
Speaker 5 (03:25):
It's been a great transition.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
You know, I knew that at a point there you
start this process and you kind of have a life
moment and you say, what's my perspective here on the
next like a five year planner, Like what what do
you when do you want to start a family?
Speaker 5 (03:39):
What does that look like? How do you build an environment?
Speaker 3 (03:41):
And that's conlusive for having a family and doing that,
And so for me that was, yeah, getting out of
the entertainment business and working my way back to Texas
which just recently moved back to Texas, and and kind
of setting roots here close to home and uh and
and getting ready.
Speaker 5 (03:59):
To star our family. So yeah, it's been quite a process.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
It's been a few years in the maying and took
some turns and unexpected things that happened. But I'm very
happy and blessed to be where I'm at right now.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
And you are also an entrepreneur. I don't know if
you're still involved. You had started or been involved in
a moving company. Is that still exists today?
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Yeah, so I'm still equity stakeholder in black Tie Moving.
My location is up in Louisville, Kentucky, and the headquarters
since in Nashville. So a friend of mine started that
and franchised it, and I started the first franchise for them.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
So he's up to a lot, Rachel. Wow, the show
did not slow him down obviously. This last couple of weeks,
the announcement came out that you are engaged.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
Now we have followed.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
If you're a part of Bachel Nation, you've probably followed
Luke's story, you know, and kept up with his life.
A lot of the behind the scenes romantically has not
been shown, but this one was and I started to
watch it and I started to see you. I was like,
I wonder if this is the real deal, and it
is all right if you don't mind. Luke catches all
(05:06):
up on maybe what we didn't see, your your love story,
how you met, uh and then ultimately where you're at today.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Yeah, so the we met actually through Instagram and uh,
you know there's.
Speaker 5 (05:21):
Yeah I did DM slide That's what I actually knew.
Speaker 3 (05:24):
Yeah, yeah, so that works for Bence, I said, well,
I guess it works for a lot of people now.
And the more I've we've we've talked about that, people
are like how have you met? It was like, there's
a DM slide, and I'm hearing it's actually pretty frequent.
Maybe like the most frequent answer that I hear now
is that that's how people are. I did.
Speaker 5 (05:41):
Yeah, No, I did, absolutely, And I don't even know.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Honestly, we were talking about like how did it come
across We didn't have a lot of mutual friends. I
think it's the Instagram algorithm. It was like an explore
pace thing. I was like, oh my god, she's she's gorgeous,
and you click on it and then you kind of
like learn about somebody, like hey, you know, like what
their values, how important family, all these different things you
can see by somebody's Instagram. Sometimes sometimes people they curate
(06:07):
their Instagram a little differently.
Speaker 5 (06:08):
But but but.
Speaker 3 (06:09):
Hers is very much who she is as a person
and very transparent, and so she's just an incredible person.
And uh and so we we, uh, you know, we
talked through DMS for a little bit and and then
we initially we didn't actually meet until late February of
this year in person, and so it's been quite an
(06:31):
expediitted timeline. If you're not on reality TV shows, it's
been an extabouted timeline, but so.
Speaker 6 (06:38):
Brought you together in Instagram and then how long were
you talking online or over the phone and show you
guys met how many months?
Speaker 3 (06:47):
Yeah, so like it was just a brief interaction like
two months prior.
Speaker 5 (06:51):
And so there was you know, where you where do
you live.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
I didn't know anything about her, and she was like,
you know, Max, you know, looking at moving back to
Texas next year, and et cetera, et cetera, and then
it just was kind of tabled.
Speaker 5 (07:07):
And and and and then it came back around.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
But I guess, like I said, late February, and she
happened to be in Dallas at the same time as
I was, and we met up for coffee and and
then just kind of took it from there and then
I traveled out to I guess our really our first
like real date was in Dallas, and then we ended
up doing Easter together and just one thing led to
(07:31):
another and a matter of family are very early on
this spring, and uh, they were great, and everything just
kind of fallen into place.
Speaker 5 (07:38):
And so you know, we're.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
Both people of faith and very forward with you know,
what what our past has been and who we are
as people, and very forthcoming with all of that, and
I think that that's what really, you know, bridge that
gap for us and and made us feel comfortable with
each each other.
Speaker 5 (07:56):
Moving forward so quickly, beautiful.
Speaker 4 (08:00):
Your fiance's name is Haley James. Correct.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Yes, she's originally from where rock Wall, Texas, Rockwall, Texas.
And you're from Dallas.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
Burnett, Texas originally, yeah, which is closer to Austin.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
Burnett, Texas. I know, Burnett, Texas. My cousin is talking
to a girl from Burnett, Texas. Actually, oh my god, yeah,
not a very big.
Speaker 5 (08:21):
Time probably know who it is.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Yeah, after the after this, I want to check to
see if you do.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
I just got to download on her.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Uh so you you obviously did she know of who
you were when you two met?
Speaker 4 (08:34):
Like did she had she seen the show?
Speaker 3 (08:36):
She had seen the show? Yeah, I don't, you know
obviously yours and my shows have been so far in
the past. I don't know that it mattered registered with
her and that currently like I was like I was
from the.
Speaker 5 (08:47):
Show because it's been several years. But yeah, I mean
caught up, caught up quickly. Yeah, it was a bashelar thing.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
So okay, And so when you first reached out to her.
That is not the reason why she was like, oh,
I'm interested in this guy. I know him from the show.
She was like later on that became.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
Apparent to her.
Speaker 5 (09:06):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
That's the best way to do it, Rachel.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
That's some good advice for you is to you know,
not everybody can't can't get mad at somebody for watching
the show, but you can definitely question them when they're like,
I'll go on date with you.
Speaker 4 (09:19):
I remember you from the show.
Speaker 6 (09:20):
That absolutely, I will say, though she probably did know
because all of my friends are like FBI agents and
they send me a full back as soon as I tuck.
Speaker 5 (09:32):
That's true. The the CSI agents come out pretty quick.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Yeah, Luke, you kind of touched on it. But now,
for the remaining time we have, I really want to
get to know you and and Haley as a couple.
Speaker 4 (09:55):
What made her?
Speaker 2 (09:57):
I mean, obviously her beauty stood out to you at first,
but then as you got closer to an engagement, what
about her stood out to you to make you feel
so comfortable that, even after five months of knowing each
other in person, you said, this is it.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
Yeah, you know I touched on it earlier, but yeah,
I think, you know, for both of us, you know,
and she's got her own stories. She's been through quite
a lot in the last few years, and one of
those things was her dad passed away in twenty twenty one,
and so you know, that's just one of the things.
And so she had been through a rollercoaster of just
(10:34):
emotion and just life changes and things like that. And
so you know, I had gone through some some big
relational changes myself early in twenty twenty three or a
year ago, and so we were both in a place
of just really digging down deep and I think finding
ourselves and what we really wanted in life. And you know,
(10:56):
our faith brought us together. And then just that ability
for us to both I think, be vulnerable and just
really not put on a mask of who we were
or why, what our intentions were or anything like that.
We were just very everything was on the table very
early and said, look, there is no nonsense. I'm not
here to just date around and see how this goes. Like,
I'm looking for somebody to spend my life with. And
(11:20):
you know, I would love for this to work out,
but let's be very upfront about everything coming into it,
so that we're not wasting each other's time or the
family's time or anything like that, or dragging anybody else
into this. And so that's that was it, you know,
And so I think that was the advice piece of
anybody was ever to ask me. It's it's it's be
as transparent as you can be and focused and intentional
(11:43):
up front. You know. I think the world we live
in now is so full of distractions, and you know,
Instagram and other people on you know that are just
talking into our life and it becomes all this noise.
Speaker 5 (11:55):
And if you can find a way to shut out.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
That noise and really focus on your own part and
what God's put on your heart.
Speaker 5 (12:01):
And who who you should.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
Be with from that standpoint, and what you want in
terms of having a family and the future, I think
that would save a lot of drama on a lot
of breakups and confusion for people.
Speaker 6 (12:13):
How quickly after the first date did you know that
she was the one? Was it really soon on?
Speaker 5 (12:21):
I would say it was. It was within probably the
first thirty days. Yeah, after our first date, you know,
we had a coffee date went great, and we.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Had like a you know, more formal dinner date, and
you know, but still just like meet at the restaurant type.
Speaker 5 (12:37):
Of dinner date.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
And really, you know, we were very careful up front too,
and very like we put in some parameters of saying like,
let's not make this casual. Let's not you know, go
go to the club and and have this this this
party thing and and just kind of hanging out. Let's like,
let's sit down, have a nice dinner together, be very
(12:58):
formal about our and I think that also helped where
we were going. So there was no just you know,
emotional I guess what they call it where youngitulated with
somebody up ron or used just being to somebody it's
like what where what direction are you setting in that part?
Speaker 5 (13:18):
We put that in the same direction.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
And so we were just very and it almost seems
on paper that almost seems to go it's more interview style.
Speaker 5 (13:25):
It's like a job interview or whatever, if you think
about it.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
But when we did it, it was built on a
foundation of respect. I think is really what the common
theme for both of us is. We just respected each other.
We respected each other's our past and what we were
looking for in our intentions, and that just really set
us up for success.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
So now that uh, it's official. You guys are engaged.
What's the timeline. Obviously this has been, like you said,
an expedited dating process, But I am with you where
I feel like once I met my now wife, it
wasn't it wasn't with in a few hours that I
didn't think, yeah, this is this is the one. So now,
(14:04):
what does the wedding look like? Well, are you guys
starting to plan prep talk about.
Speaker 3 (14:08):
Yeah, so we're actually gonna do like a private family
only only ceremony much much sooner and then we'll get married.
It just because of the logistics of fight and everything
that we would build, people in Prentish and then living
in all those things. We'll get married, have a prep
(14:30):
ceremonial family and then we'll do dark together the ring
in the spring next next spring. And uh it sounds
like we've you know, picked a venue and and she's
excited about it. Yeah, so I think that'll be the
fun part where we get to celebrated with friends. But
we also it takes a little bit of stress out
(14:50):
of the whole the planning process. It doesn't put as
much you know, anxiety and suspense on that planning process.
When you're like, well, we're legally legally getting married, have
a private ceremony and do more of a large celebration
later in the spring when everything's right.
Speaker 4 (15:06):
Are you ready to be a married man?
Speaker 3 (15:08):
I'm so ready to be a married man, ready to
be a dad, a married man. I'm just I'm just
excited about that season of light. And you know, it's
been it's been a long time time coming. As both
of you guys know, it's like, uh, you've you've probably
seen it. Don't know if you've experienced that feeling yourself,
but you know, reality TV it can kind of become
(15:28):
this hamster wheel of if you want it to be,
you can kind of continue to continue on in that
space and your perspective too, you know, leave that world
and say.
Speaker 5 (15:38):
I want a family, I want to I want to
build a family.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
Is you know sometimes difficult to see and and and
and navigate, but it's uh, it's amazing.
Speaker 5 (15:48):
But the Bachelor of franchise at the same time.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
Like there's been some great success stories, like obviously like
Sean Catherine from.
Speaker 5 (15:54):
Way back, and like it worked for.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
Them immediately on the show and they're still happily married
at some many you know, such a big beautiful family,
and but for a lot of people it just becomes
you know, it's like spin off shows and other things happening,
and like when you when you start, you know, so.
Speaker 4 (16:11):
I'm with you.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
And as soon as you make that decision, it isn't easy, Rachel,
I don't know if you can relate with this at all.
Speaker 6 (16:17):
Yeah, it's gonna say, tell me more, I'm still on
the hamster.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
It's a hard decision to kind of divorce yourself from
the separate yourself from. But once you do, yeah, uh,
it's it's so good. There's a lot of peace to it.
And then the show becomes this amazing chapter of your
life and not this defining moment. It's just like a
really important memory and it's not this thing that you
have to keep.
Speaker 4 (16:39):
Up with.
Speaker 6 (16:41):
Love it is there going to be anyone from Nation
in attendance?
Speaker 5 (16:47):
Yeah, no, absolutely, Yeah, I'm excited to have.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
Like I was actually just Chase McNairy just got married
in Colorado over the coourth of July weekend and so
I would say grimsmoon for that uh wedding and we
had a great.
Speaker 5 (17:02):
Time there and and then yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
I'm still really close with Chris Soles he spends a
lot of time. I lived in Scottsdale for a couple
of years. He would come down in the winter and
stay with me and go OFLF and whatnot. And so yeah,
I mean, there's there's gonna be several people from Bachelor
Nation there, and obviously a few people from Nashville that
were on the show as well.
Speaker 4 (17:22):
So I don't know how Chris Sol's is friends with everybody,
but he is. It's wild.
Speaker 2 (17:26):
He is at every wedding I've ever been a part of,
and it's awesome. Yeah, I love him so much, but
he is friends with every single human.
Speaker 3 (17:32):
He's such a good friend. I mean he'll just show up.
Like I get a phone call on like a Friday afternoon.
I'm at the office like three pm. He's like, what's
dy trying to up the office. He's an Iowa. He's like, uh,
He's like, what are you up to? I was dismissing
the office. He goes, what do you wanna do for dinner?
I was like, He's like, I'm in the air, I'll
(17:53):
be I'll bean I'm landing in two hours, just no warning,
just shows up and like he's just that friend. He's like,
it's just a fun guy to hang out with and
then he'll stay for a month, you know.
Speaker 5 (18:03):
Yeah, so we have a lot of fun to get it.
Speaker 4 (18:05):
He's a good dude.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
Well, Luke, we're going to be happy for you here.
Congratulations to you and Haley James on this engagement. We
will be following your story and kind of keeping tabs
on the wedding plans and the wedding date and all
the announcements about the wedding. But until then, from the
almost samous family and Rachel, myself and Ashley who is
texting on a thread but cannot be with us, congratulations
(18:29):
and we're so excited for your future.
Speaker 5 (18:32):
Well, thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
And I also want to tell Ashley and Jerry congrats
on the new edition that their family and that's beautiful,
beautiful kids love to meet him someday.
Speaker 4 (18:42):
Yeah, we are.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
We are anxiously waiting here for her return so she
can give us the whole rundown and all the details.
But we haven't got it yet, and so we're waiting
here to give her a big congratulations.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
But it's a big deal.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
Again, another success story from the show. Like you said,
Jared and Ashley just making babies and I love it,
keeping the fire alive until next time.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
I've been Ben and I'm Rachel and that was Luke.
Speaker 5 (19:08):
Thanks for joining us, Luke, thank you guys.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Follow the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous podcasts on
iHeartRadio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
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