All Episodes

January 23, 2025 24 mins

Weddings are so expensive-- Even if you're "Bachelor" season 27 star Zach Shallcross! He's here to calm fans' nerves and share the real reason why the wedding is on pause and recalls his anxiety receiving a call about the show that changed his life forever. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is that Ben and Nashley I almost famous podcast
Bachelor Countdown. Hey, we're continuing our time counting down to
Grant season of The Bachelor, which is airing January twenty seventh,
and today, well like most weeks leading up to this season,
we have a past Bachelor, Zach.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Welcome to the show.

Speaker 3 (00:24):
Hi, Hello, Hello Zach.

Speaker 4 (00:27):
If you don't remember which, of course you do. Season
twenty seven premiere January twenty jurd twenty third, twenty twenty three.
It's been two years, Zach, and I see behind you
that you still have in your office a little a
little rose. And look at this, Look at this. This
is hilarious. Look what I have right next to me

(00:48):
the same rose. Oho, we both have Beauty and the
Beast roses in little glass capsules.

Speaker 5 (00:58):
So I gotta admit this is not the same rose.
Someone did send us this, and I think it's awesome.
I think it's a cool little reminder. Keep it in
the office. Why not a little bit of you know,
great memories, but also some trauma stored in this row?

Speaker 4 (01:13):
So so to you. Even though that's not the rose,
Is that a symbol of all the roses given out
during your time or is that the final rose that
you gave to Katie?

Speaker 3 (01:24):
That's the final rose for Katie of course. Of course.

Speaker 4 (01:29):
How has your past two years been? I mean, you
guys have really, from the outside seemed to be one
of the couples that we're going to have as you know,
for real, for real.

Speaker 5 (01:43):
Yeah, no, the past two years have been unbelievable. So
Kate and I, I mean, right after the show, pretty
much we went back to what we knew and what
we loved and focused on each other and we've just
been trucking along, moved in together, got our first puppy
about five months ago, and we're just living puppy parent

(02:07):
lives and you know, planning our future. So it's it's
been a crazy fast period, but we love it.

Speaker 3 (02:15):
It's been awesome.

Speaker 4 (02:16):
Well, it helped that you guys were both living in
Texas and both in Austin, right.

Speaker 5 (02:21):
Yeah, yeah, we actually turns out we were a few
miles away from each other. She had been here for
you know, less than a couple of months, but it
is just it is perfect that she happened to be
out here, and then within three months after the show,
we're like, hey, let's just move in already like, what
are we waiting for?

Speaker 4 (02:42):
So you and Katie had a venue picked and you
did you have a date picked at this video? Yeah,
you just didn't. You didn't sign the contract, but you
had it all planned and then you decided not to
go through with it.

Speaker 2 (02:57):
That's drama.

Speaker 3 (02:58):
That's drama for us.

Speaker 5 (03:00):
That makes it sound very dramatic. It is the complete opposite. So,
so we had been planning or talking about wanting to,
you know, plan our wedding, figure out a date, figure
out a venue, what do we like, what we don't like?
And so one of our good friends, she happens to
be a event planner slash wedding planner, and we're like,

(03:21):
you know what, let's just meet with her. Let's let's
talk her through what we're looking for, some rough guidelines
of you know, what we expect and what we'd like
to have, and you know, credit to our wedding planner.
She she took she took it and started to run
with it and started just booking us at all these places.

Speaker 3 (03:38):
And we're like, oh, wow, this is happening really.

Speaker 2 (03:40):
To go see to go.

Speaker 5 (03:42):
To go see exactly exactly, and we had, you know,
explicitly shared with her. Hey, this is, this is our
budget for the wedding. Like what we want to focus on.
Priority number one is getting our house together or getting
a house, and then second is like a wedding is awesome,
but we'll see like if it could fit into what makes.

Speaker 3 (04:03):
Sense for us.

Speaker 5 (04:04):
And long story short, our lovely planner is like, hey,
what with what you guys want to do, it's not
going to be possible. And with this venue that you
guys do really like, just know you're going to go
a lot over your budget. And so Kate and I
just like we pondered on it for a week and

(04:25):
we're like, does not feel good to just go so
into this venue? Would we've already established what our priorities are,
which is buying a house and not you know, a
down payment for one day, you know, So we we
backed out of the contract, not saying we're done with

(04:46):
wedding planning. We've actually gone further in other areas, but
we're just we couldn't do that. I don't know, like
it's so crazy nowadays.

Speaker 4 (04:55):
Yeah, Okay, So basically that was an in touch headline.
Now you guys can see what goes behind the scenes
of an in touch headline.

Speaker 1 (05:06):
I mean, Zach, very easy question, I think before we
kind of dive into some other topics. Would you marry
Katie tomorrow if if was an option.

Speaker 3 (05:16):
Yes, yes, so we are.

Speaker 5 (05:20):
I don't know if like kids wants me to talk
about this, but we're planning to get a looped very soon,
so like very soon, and then we'll figure out like
celebration and all that, like the glits and the glamour.
But yes, oh we're it's not a matter of like
when it's it's like the other stuff and like wanting

(05:41):
to have all the family from all over come for it.

Speaker 1 (05:43):
So which enters me down this kind of path that
I'm super curious about with you and tell and tell
me when I'm wrong. You were the Bachelor, you went
through the whole season. It kind of felt like, as
I was watching your time on the show, this never

(06:06):
felt right to you. It almost felt like somebody had
forced you to become the Bachelor, Like it was never
like a comfortable, Oh I love this whole experience kind
of thing. And then we get off the show and
kind of the truth or how we see who this
person actually is is what they do after the show,
And you very immediately went further away from the spotlight.

(06:26):
Like you didn't try to do any of it. You
didn't hardly want to do a media circuit. You just
were happy in your relationship and that you found love
on the show. And so my question for you is,
how did they convince you to take this role as
the lead? And how do you view the whole thing now? Look,

(06:47):
I mean, you're not that far far removed, but it feels,
I guess from a public's perception, that you're very far
removed from this whole experience.

Speaker 3 (06:55):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (06:56):
No, So I'll start with how I got into this.
So it started with the Bachelorette. So being on the Bachelorette.
It had happened from a good buddy of mine who
happened to be on Michelle young season, Daniel Totley. He
goes on the show, he's there for you know, a
few weeks. I'm about six months out of my last
serious relationship, and he's like, hey, man, give this thing

(07:19):
a shot, Like this is unreal. I made a bunch
of great buddies and like, what a cool experience. And
I was at a point in my career where I
was like, you know what, I could take a little
break from my sales job here, I've kind of felt
like I needed something to refresh it. So I try
dis bachelorette thing that my mom and sisters love, you know.

(07:41):
I thought it'd be kind of cool to surprise and
if I did it. But then I get further in
the process and I'm like, Okay, this is like kind
of cool, unique, and the Bachelorette happens and obviously it
doesn't work out for us. Then I am I'm initially
asked about would you be interested in being the Bachelor?

(08:03):
And I initially was so traumatized from the first experience
on the Bachelorette, was like I need to take a breather.
I need to just like figure out what I just did.
This hasn't even like aired yet, what's going to happen?
And so it was a little bit just of a
back and forth of like I like I already went
back to my job at Oracle right after the Bachelorette,
Like it was a week period of when I went

(08:25):
home to see my family and then I was already
back in the office, like nothing changed. But after speaking
with some of the executive producers, talking with Mike Slice
at the time, you know, they did make it sound
really appealing, but there was also the other side of
it of yes, like like we'd like you to give

(08:47):
this a shot, but then they also do the but
we're also considering other people as well, and we don't
know where this is going to go. So I was like, Okay,
this is like low risk, like it's probably not going
to be me anyway. So to be completely transparent, I
don't know if I can say this, like I didn't
know I was going to be the pastor till about
an hour before they announced me.

Speaker 3 (09:07):
Live on TV.

Speaker 5 (09:09):
So I never really had a full process of I
am going to do this and I am going to
be this. It was always like there's other people that
are potentially going to be it, So I'm like cool,
like whoever you know deserves it or gets it, like
best of luck, I'd be cool if it's me, but
if not, no worries. Because I lived through the process
and I felt those real feelings that I could see it,

(09:30):
I'm like, oh, it could work for me. But also
I never got that confirmation until literally live on TV
of like no, now you're in this position. So then
it was like an oh, like what did I sign
up for? Like now it's real. I had no time
to process at all. So then yeah, yeah, that's how
I got to that point of being in it.

Speaker 4 (10:00):
If you could go back, you don't have to tell us.
You don't have to tell us what actually happened, because
I know everybody's always talked about you and Rachel and
what happened in the Fantasy Suite and you're like, oh,
that's antichlomagic, blah blah blah. We just didn't agree. We
just were not compatible. And I totally can see how
that happens in the Fantasy Suite and how like it
actually was probably anti colomatic. But anyway, what I want

(10:22):
to ask about is from your season, if there's one
storyline that did not appear on TV the way it
really unfolded, what was it?

Speaker 3 (10:33):
Oh my god? From our seat, is there.

Speaker 4 (10:35):
Anything that like you like stay awake and you're like, oh,
that was so frustrating or not anymore, you know, maybe
you could sleep now, But like right after the fact,
you were like, oh man, I can't believe that America
thinks it happened like that.

Speaker 5 (10:48):
I mean there's a lot when I like look back
at I'm like, oh my god, how did I get
in that position.

Speaker 3 (10:53):
Why did I do or say that? But one that
was maybe misconstrued.

Speaker 5 (11:00):
Was I mean, it's just like a little like it's
a little tiny part in it, but it always kind
of like gets brought up sometimes in like real life
or or or whatnot. It was like during like the
COVID point when when I had COVID and there's like
a situation where like Greer and I are talking and
then you know, I get ambassed as like oh, this

(11:22):
guy's in it.

Speaker 3 (11:23):
Well she's she's trying to.

Speaker 5 (11:24):
Relate, and I like completely look back and I'm like, yeah,
I know. If I was a viewer, I'd be like, yeah,
that guy, that guy did not handle that well, Like
why yeah that there's they didn't show everything and what
I could like, she's great, I'm happy. I hope she's
doing whatever she's doing wherever she's living, like nothing but

(11:46):
the best. I think Kate and her are still friends.
But that is not where, not truly how things went down.
Like if you were there, you know, it was like
there was nothing there's no bad intent from me and
there was no intent for her. It was just like
bad timing and we both misread the situation and it
was like a good moment for good TV. So I

(12:08):
guess it was so awkward and plus I'm like, yeah,
I'm like trying try not to cough out a long
I'm sick, and she later gets sick about like less
than a week later. So yeah, it was just pure chaos,
the panic that was going on when we're trying to
figure out how we're going to do a ceremony. Virtually
I wanted to cancel it that like we can't. We

(12:28):
got our deadlines and it was it was bad.

Speaker 2 (12:33):
Yeah, it was definitely.

Speaker 1 (12:36):
It was definitely lumpy, like it had like its like
weird moments. And I remember watching the season in the
moment with Greer, like you kind of gone on this like,
oh this is working. This is a nice guy, and
like he has some incredible women, right, Like we can
name a lot of the women from Katie to Gabby
to to a Reel Ariel to Greet, Like you had

(13:00):
some standouts and we're like, this is gonna be good.
And I remember that Greer moment felt like from an
audience perspective from when we were breaking down almost Famous podcast,
like it felt like your season all all of a
sudden didn't go downhill as a season, but it went
downhill for you as a lead, like it kind of
it felt like chaos kind of then started swirling around

(13:22):
you as the lead, which made great TV, probably didn't
feel good for you.

Speaker 5 (13:27):
I mean, like that's one thing that I had to
adjust to. And you don't feel it in the moment.
You don't feel like it's like a spiral in the
moment or a downhill feeling. You're like, okay these are as.
The weeks go on, more decisions have to be made,
Tougher decisions have to be made on both parties, So

(13:48):
like we all know it's gonna get harder as it
gets closer to the end. But then like, yeah, watching it,
I could see that that would be a part where
you're like, oh, this is the start of the typical
bachelor drama that's going to happen.

Speaker 3 (13:59):
It's gonna happen.

Speaker 5 (14:02):
But yeah, no, it's just like as you both know,
like there's yeah, sixteen to twenty hours of filming a
day and they that's it for like a nice hour
and a half episode.

Speaker 3 (14:13):
There is so much that it has missed.

Speaker 5 (14:15):
Yeah there is there is, but yes, you're right, it did.
It hit a little bit of a chaotic point.

Speaker 1 (14:22):
I don't remember, actually might I don't remember the context
for this really long quote. But back in the day,
Nick Vile did come out and call you, and I
don't know if he's done this with any other Bachelor,
but for whatever reason, the context again I forget, he
called you a total dick was his quote. Do you

(14:44):
remember the context for that? How did you respond to that?
How does that make you feel? Because I don't remember
what would have been done other than the final week
when you did say that you were going to be
selling bit. Obviously that became a storyline because it didn't happen.

Speaker 2 (15:00):
I'm guessing that's when this quote came out.

Speaker 5 (15:03):
Yeah, I think it's funny, first off, to hear it
coming from Nick Vayel to call someone else to dick, Like,
that's comedic to me.

Speaker 3 (15:12):
But I don't know.

Speaker 5 (15:13):
I think I rubbed just a lot of people the
wrong way. I know I rubbed you, Ashley the wrong way.
When we first met.

Speaker 2 (15:20):
I think, oh, really, tell us more what happened?

Speaker 5 (15:24):
We had like a podcast like a I think it
was this same type of podcast, or maybe it's just
you and I Ashley.

Speaker 4 (15:30):
No, I remember there was a moment.

Speaker 3 (15:32):
Because like I think you were. I was.

Speaker 5 (15:34):
I was in the depth of the otis like the
boring bachelor. This guy's robot, Like who is he? And
I think you Ashley were like reading like quotes like
that like kempting, like yeah, are you going to be boring?

Speaker 3 (15:49):
Like is this like?

Speaker 5 (15:50):
And it was just kind of like I perceived it
as like condescending, and we had like a weird energy
at first, and I was like, Oh, this actually girl
like I She's not she's not liking me, Like Okay,
I got you.

Speaker 4 (16:01):
I remember when I met you in real life. We
guys like so different.

Speaker 3 (16:07):
Than what I thought.

Speaker 5 (16:09):
We had a whole car ride in Santa Barbara for
like three hours to go to the airport, and this
has to be so awkward. That would be so awkward.

Speaker 4 (16:16):
No, it wasn't, because we had already like hung out
earlier in the week.

Speaker 2 (16:19):
I would have loved to be sitting in the backseat
like this is awesome.

Speaker 4 (16:22):
But I was going off of it from like a
fans point of view because Ben and I have been
like so removed from the show and because of like
the COVID reasons at that time, like we hadn't really
met a lot of people in real life. So we
started watching the show and talking about it like TV,
you know, we're like, we're just people commenting on what
we see.

Speaker 5 (16:39):
Totally, and then I get that, and then for me,
it was still such a fresh feeling of like oh wow,
like hearing negative perspectives on me, Like it was the
first time I've ever been in the public light, and
it's like it's a lot to take in at first.
Now I'm I'm so far removed or used to it
or whatnot. But no, I it like with the Nick
Bayle thing, which yeah, I don't know if he's largely

(17:02):
known to critique, I don't know. I think it just
leads into the I was not what maybe a lot
of viewers wanted to see because like I was very
like I had it one goal and it was to
find my partner. Yeah, there's crazy stuff that happened and
things I did completely wrong, things I mismanaged, But I

(17:26):
mean I'd love to see someone perfect do it absolutely
perfect without any little hinges. Shout out to Joey because
he pretty much did that.

Speaker 4 (17:34):
Okay, Joey was one of the perfect Bachelor's.

Speaker 3 (17:39):
Yeah, I will say that, zu you may talk.

Speaker 4 (17:43):
You may have been truly the bachelor that was there
for the most good reasons. You were there for the
most right reasons, even Ben, Like you know, Ben, I
feel like you liked the Spotlight more than Zad.

Speaker 1 (18:00):
Definitely definitely like the Spoley more than Zac did. Yeah,
I still talk about the show for a living. Yes,
very much, very much owned the bachelor role more than
Zac did.

Speaker 2 (18:14):
Or zachly.

Speaker 4 (18:15):
Would you consider your biggest mistake during your experience to
be the way that you laid out that you weren't
going to sleep with anybody before the fantasy suites?

Speaker 3 (18:25):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (18:26):
Oh, absolutely, Well a lot of the reasoning behind, like
how I got to that point was like a factor
of wanting to people please, meaning not wanting to hurt
anyone in this like really pivotal part of this season,
like right up to the engagement where you know, there's

(18:46):
you know, it's it's the three Overnights, the three fantasies
like that's and then right next door is engagement and
wanting to keep everyone happy and not trying to muddy
the waters, and you know, talking to my good friend
Sean Lowe and listening to hey, Sean, how did you
do this? Like, you're happily married with beautiful family. How

(19:07):
did you crack the code? Because everything I've ever seen
is like a lot of messy relationships and they never
end up working. How do I be different? Because like,
I want this to work. He talked me through on
you know, how we viewed the final weeks, and I
was like, oh my god, like that is that's a
smart reason.

Speaker 3 (19:27):
Now.

Speaker 5 (19:27):
What I didn't inquire or asked more about was like
the reasoning behind it, and for him it was religious purposes.
That's why I was just doing it on the fact
of like I think, you know, put on my you know,
got on my high horse. I think everyone will appreciate
this if we, you know, don't muddy the waters and
we just like just keep going the best best way

(19:49):
we can. And what I didn't take into account was
what do the women want, Like it's also them at
the end of the day, of like what do they
want to or want to they want or need to
go further in this process? And I kind of just
made a blanket statement said now let's just keep this messing.

(20:09):
That's that's where I completely went wrong. I did not
leave it up for it to be like a conversation
and discussion. I was I had the intention of not
wanting to hurt anyone, but in reality it ended up
hurting more.

Speaker 3 (20:23):
So.

Speaker 5 (20:24):
Yes, to answer your question in a long winded fashion, yeah, yeah,
I would totally change that.

Speaker 2 (20:29):
Yeah, Zach.

Speaker 1 (20:41):
Obviously, life now, as we've talked about the beginning of
the show, is very much on a trajectory of relatability
or normalcy or whatever kind of when you want to
call it. Your fiance has been amazing. I think it's
it's admirable, it's cool, it's it's really special because you
don't see it very often at keeping close friendships with

(21:03):
others from your season, How does.

Speaker 2 (21:06):
That feel to you?

Speaker 1 (21:07):
Do you then keep close relationships? Has it ever gotten awkward?

Speaker 4 (21:10):
We're talking about Gabby, We're talking about Katie's friendship with
Gabby and other.

Speaker 2 (21:15):
Yeah, I mean you see her out on girls' trips with.

Speaker 5 (21:17):
Other Oh yeah, yeah, they're actually planning another one and
Dan actually, like I think the book did it. I
think they're going Montana or something in a few months. So,
like they are still very close in the beginning. Yeah,
initially I felt a little like this is kind of crazy,
like nerve racking, but like, kudos to you, Kate, like
for keeping your friendship and with everyone, Like I'm so

(21:41):
happy for you, Like that's awesome that you are all
mature and can handle that, Like I'm more nervous. And
it was funny. We actually, I think it was early
last year. I had been planning a buddy's trip a
couple guys from from college, and Kate thought I was
leaving on a Thursday to a Sunday, and so she's like, oh,
I'm gonna have some of the Bechelor girls stay at

(22:02):
her house and stay in Austin. I was like, okay, great,
have fun. Well she got the dates mixed up. I
actually left on Friday and she invited everyone to come
in on Thursday, and so we all spent the night
under one roof watching movies. There was like five of
the girls from the show and we're like making hot chocolate.

(22:23):
We're having this complete like just relaxing night. Yeah, it
was a girl's night, totally fun. But we were thinking, like, wait,
a lot of people that are like super die hard
about this show would lose their mind that we're all hanging.

Speaker 3 (22:35):
Out right now. We didn't let anyone know.

Speaker 5 (22:38):
It was like everybody but and then after that, I
was like, oh no, like it's it's totally cool, it's normal.
And then I've seen I've seen them since, like I'll
still see Charity and Dawnton, see Ariel, I'll see you know,
Gabye will come by like it's it's it's it's casual
and normal, not as weird anymore.

Speaker 4 (22:57):
You and Katie I'm going to crown as the most
sure characters on the show.

Speaker 3 (23:03):
Ah, I'll take that. Thank you, Ashley. We've come like
full circle from since we've met.

Speaker 2 (23:08):
So I know so much respective it feels.

Speaker 1 (23:12):
It feels like things are really good, Zach. In your
world post Bachelor time, I still will say no matter
what anybody wants to argue with me. One of the
most iconic scenes of any season ever is you and
Katie sitting in the rain, in the middle of a
jungle where it looks like you should be full of
snakes and everything else, having a very intense conversation. And

(23:32):
all I can think about the whole time was can
the show not get these people a room?

Speaker 3 (23:37):
Like?

Speaker 1 (23:37):
Can they just not sit down and have this conversation
a place that doesn't look miserable? It was something that
will always stand out to me. Zach, continue best, success,
good luck in the relationship and moving forward. Then with
the elopement that you said will happen soon, Tell Katie

(23:57):
that we wish here our best and can continue to
do great things. Until next time, I've been Ben.

Speaker 4 (24:03):
I've been Ashley. See you guys.

Speaker 2 (24:05):
Thank you, Zach, thank you.

Speaker 4 (24:07):
Follow the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous podcasts on
iHeartRadio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
Advertise With Us

Hosts And Creators

Ben Higgins

Ben Higgins

Ashley Iaconetti

Ashley Iaconetti

Popular Podcasts

I Do, Part 2

I Do, Part 2

From Executive Producers Jennie Garth, Jana Kramer, Amy Robach, and T.J. Holmes. Did you think you met the love of your life and marry him, only to realize it was actually “thank you, next?" Did this jerk cheat on you and leave you feeling alone and hopeless? Don’t make the same mistake twice... Get it right THIS time! Is it time to find true love…again?! If you loved the Golden Bachelor, SILVER just might be your color. Older and wiser, 50 and Fabulous, and ready for a little sex in the city. Everyone has baggage, but you’re not bringing it on this trip. Second Times The Charm. I Do, Part Two. An iHeartRadio podcast...where finding love is the main objective.

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

The Bobby Bones Show

The Bobby Bones Show

Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.