May 16, 2025 • 19 mins
The Bachelor Mansion has served as the backdrop to our favorite love stories for decades, but now it's time for some TLC!
Ben and Ashley break down the latest news about the new reality show that brings Bachelor contestants back to the Mansion to fix it up and renovate it to its former glory.
We talk to some Bachelor Nation fan favorites and find out the shocking things contestants AREN'T allowed to do in the shower, and we discover why cooking is such a hot button issue in the Mansion!
Follow The Almost Famous Podcast on Instagram
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 (00:00):
Ben Higgins and Ashley I bring you infamous.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Sometimes roses are red flags.
Speaker 3 (00:07):
Hey everyone, it is Ashley and Ben. We're here with
some kind of breaking Bachelor news. HGTV has announced that
they're going to be renovating the Bachelor Mansion for a
new TV show. Ben, what are your initial thoughts?
Speaker 4 (00:24):
It's about time?
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Oh really?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Stop? Oh I'm nostalgic to it.
Speaker 5 (00:30):
It if you went to the mansion, well you did.
We were there with Almoston's podcast. When there's not the
pillows and the nice furniture and it's all painted, the
house is you know, old, it's beat up a little bit.
It needs some refreshing.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
Now.
Speaker 5 (00:47):
I don't think I think the I think the question
is how much renovation because it does have a lot
of character it is, That's what I mean. Yeah, the
architecture in there is awesome. I'm not wanting them to
like modernize it. I think take away from everything. Yeah,
like the Spanish style kind of architecture is beautiful inside
and now it just needs some like love.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
I would say, okay, yeah, because I don't want to
change the aesthetic. I like the Mediterranean vibe.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
It's very ornate. I like that for this. I can't.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Could you imagine them filming the show and like some black,
gray and white millennial you know aesthetic.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
No, that'd be so cold.
Speaker 5 (01:30):
It would be cold, it wouldn't be unique, it wouldn't
be as as magical fantastical as it is today. But
I'm imagining the owners of this property don't want that
modern aesthetic that if they they enjoy what they've built
or what they own.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Because he's a builder, he is a contractor, like he
designed that house with his heart, soul and hands.
Speaker 5 (01:53):
Yeah, so I think this is more of like a
freshen up of it, and HGTV is seeing a great
opportunity to jump on on board with it.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
I mean, everybody will want to watch.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Yeah, this is actually a great show. I'm excited for
the show, if not excited for the actual aesthetic changing.
So this is the details that These are the details
we have. It's called Renovating the Bachelor Mansion. And Channing Dungee,
the chairman and CEO of Warner Brothers, which is also
you know, the production company of The Bachelor, announced the
(02:24):
series along with the hosts of other shows that he
had like a whole bunch of other shows that they
were announcing and it was at Discoveries upfront presentation on Wednesday.
It's called Renovating the Bachelor Mansion. That is simply what
it's called. And it's going to It's gonna feature former
Bachelor and Bachelor at contestants who possess the expert renovation
(02:45):
skills to compete in.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
A design challenge series.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Now that to me sounds that Jojo and Jordan will
be fronting, does it not?
Speaker 5 (02:59):
So you have Chris Lambert who has a show on HDTV.
Tyler Cameron obviously has renovated homes consistent.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
He had a show on it was It? Amazon?
Speaker 4 (03:09):
Yeah, wasn't that dog Houses? Though? No, a doghouse show.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
He may have appeared on a doghouse show.
Speaker 5 (03:17):
Okay, okay, So Jojo, Jordan, Tyler, Chris Lambert. I can't
think of any others that come to the top of them.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Oh what about isn't she like a designer?
Speaker 4 (03:32):
Oh?
Speaker 6 (03:32):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (03:33):
So, like the question is are they going to be
able to get those people?
Speaker 3 (03:36):
Uh? Well, I feel like Jojo and Jordan have won
on as renovation show for quite some time, and I
know that, you know, broadcast media is a little bit
of the yesteryear. But Tyler probably HGTV is such a
huge name and they do so well with Discovery Plus,
and it'll obviously stream on there that I feel like
he's going to be excited about getting his show on
(03:59):
such a mar network and the winner gets a cash prize.
Speaker 5 (04:03):
There's a lot going on here, and that's all we know.
It's time, Ashley, what we're gonna do. Because of the
mansion and because of the memories that have been made
at the mansion, we want to bring some people who
have lived at the mansion, including you and I, to
talk about what their favorite parts of the mansion are
currently what they hope doesn't change any secrets they have
(04:25):
of the mansion. So we have a list of what
we call all Star guests, including Susan Knowles and Rachel Rekia.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
We have Charity and Dowton and Mike Johnson and Suzie
Evans coming on. All right, so let's get our first
caller on the line. We have Mike Johnson on the line. Now, Mike,
we're talking about favorite Bachelor Mansion memories and like crazy
things that you remember from the house itself, like do
(04:55):
you have like, okay, like a toilet clog or anything
broke while you were in there.
Speaker 6 (05:00):
Nothing was broke except for the barbers that we had
come by. But I think my craziest memories was just.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
Yeah, didn't hear them. That's good. I like that. That
was nice, Mike, you.
Speaker 6 (05:15):
Know, going on Ashal TV with your hair all the
outside look.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
True story.
Speaker 7 (05:21):
My mom said.
Speaker 6 (05:22):
The first thing she said she saw the episode the
first episode was did you not have a barber? First thing.
Speaker 5 (05:31):
I've shared this story like a few times, but I
was at the bachelor mansion probably like five hours before
the girls are going to show up, so like night one,
and I had been out there for probably like two
weeks doing like b roll and all that stuff, and
I said, hey, you know what it would really help
is if I could get a haircut to before tonight,
(05:51):
like it would make me look better. And I had
to do so much convincing and I was like, I
won't feel confident with that one. So they take me
to get a haircut. The guy, uh shaves my side
so tight that you could see like the white of
my head and they had to put black powder in
(06:13):
my hair to cover up from the white showing through.
On night one, they were all panicking which makes your
confidence go absolutely to a zero whenever it's like your
hair looks terrible and you're like, wait, I'm about to
go on national television.
Speaker 4 (06:28):
It's very bad.
Speaker 5 (06:29):
So, Mike, I have a question for you. At the
Bachelor Mansion was when I was on the Bachelor, and
I'm curious if they did the same thing to you.
They put up a sign in the bathroom that that said,
please stop like relieving yourself in the showers clogging the drains.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Did they do that for you guys?
Speaker 6 (06:46):
Yes, forever.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
Pardon me.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
Theower?
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Yeah, that's fine. I pee in the shower are regularly
to be honest.
Speaker 5 (07:02):
Well, I'm glad you just admitted that, But that's not
what we're talking about.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
What is going on.
Speaker 5 (07:10):
Actually, let's explain this to you, all right, I'll start Mike. Actually, no,
you know, I'm gonna let Mike explain this to you
because he is in sexual education. Okay, yeah, you got there.
Speaker 6 (07:23):
Yeah, yeah, I'm not going to explain that.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
There's a sign.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
This is a great episode so far.
Speaker 5 (07:34):
No, there's literally a sign. And so, Mike, are you
confirming that you all also had the same sign?
Speaker 6 (07:38):
I am confirming that I did not witness I was
not any of that.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
I don't hope in the middle of night and see it.
Speaker 6 (07:44):
So I'm very happy about that.
Speaker 5 (07:46):
Yeah, we had a sign that said please stop, you're
clogging the rains, and obviously that's a funny little thing
to think about. And then everybody shower. There's only I
don't know, you guys could tell me, what is there?
Two or three showers for everybody that showering?
Speaker 6 (08:01):
Three I feel.
Speaker 5 (08:03):
Yeah, so like after night one, when everybody moves in,
you have twenty some people showering in two or three showers.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Uh, it's it's a mess. It's not easy.
Speaker 4 (08:15):
No, there's one downstairs too, there's one downstairs. Okay, there's
four showers that people can shower.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
I would always use that shower because I felt it
was the most private because that way you could lock
the door, you could go poop and then you could shower.
No one would smell it, and you do all your
private things in a locked door.
Speaker 4 (08:34):
Yeah, no one smell.
Speaker 5 (08:35):
That's a big deal for Ashley, very secretive about her functions.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
I can't imagine.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
You guys must have just blown up the toilets with
like no candles. Well, probably within like four months of
us being together.
Speaker 5 (08:58):
Couple, Yeah, Mike, any sorries from the mansion that come
to mind, Well, you know, we're talking about this because
HGTV just announced that they're doing a renovation show focus
on the Bachelor mansion.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
It's a big deal.
Speaker 5 (09:11):
Bachelor contestants are going to be a part of this show.
If you're surprised by it, obviously you're not on the show.
Speaker 4 (09:20):
And so.
Speaker 5 (09:22):
What I guess maybe this's a better question. What's one
thing you hope they don't change about the mansion?
Speaker 6 (09:27):
You know, I loved my first and last time of
having myself and twenty guys an inch piece. It was fun.
Speaker 7 (09:36):
It was fun.
Speaker 4 (09:36):
I really liked it.
Speaker 6 (09:37):
You know, there's a bunch of guys hanging out.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
You know, so you went to pool Jacuzias day. I
mean we get a grotto.
Speaker 6 (09:44):
Yeah, it's like a really cool I'm definitely going to
mess it up. It's just what I know of Ggrato
is like a really cool pool with like a little
stone on top of it.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
Shall I say, oh, like waterfalls and caves and stuff.
See now that you think about now that I'm thinking
about the outside, Yeah, I can see them renovating the
pool area.
Speaker 5 (10:06):
I mean, I'm saying, this just needs a little touch up,
a little love. Mike, thanks for thanks for jumping on
to talk to us about the Bachelor Mansion. We appreciate you,
thanks for giving us your insights, and I'm glad our
two seasons can relate at least on one thing, uh,
and that is that we're dangerous, dangerous in the locker room.
(10:27):
Mike Johnson, thanks for coming. Rachel, Hi, welcome back to
the United States.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
Thank you from Africa, not from Paradise. Guys, too excited.
Speaker 4 (10:53):
I could have left it as a cliffhanger.
Speaker 7 (10:55):
I'm not so you, guys, Please, I can't handle it.
Another thing.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
I know, we know, we know you're dating Blake. You
can't go there.
Speaker 7 (11:04):
Every time Ast messaged me when I was there, I
told him, like I tell her every single time, not dating.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
Okay, Well, can you just explain like the arm around
your leg situation.
Speaker 7 (11:15):
Then we were sitting in a tire and I was
gonna fly out because he's bigger, so she was in
the whole tire. So I was on like the edge
of it, and then I had my leg just trying
to like stay on it.
Speaker 5 (11:30):
There's nothing romantic about a sunset with animals and attire,
with a strong man protecting you from falling out or something.
Speaker 7 (11:38):
No, he probably wouldn't even care if I did fall out, honestly.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
Well, if you're not together after that trip, then I
guess you won't be together. But all right, all right,
all right, So as your time as the Bachelor at
do you have any stories from the mansion, Like from
the mansion itself, anything funny happen been outside by.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
The pool in the kitchen.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
The kitchen is just like a big hangout spot where
everybody has to cook.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
Their own meals, So there's got to be a story there, right.
Speaker 7 (12:10):
Well, first of all about the kitchen, Me and Jill
Chin were terrified to go in the kitchen because I
don't know if you remember, on our season of The Boucher,
we had shrimp gate, so there was just a weird
cooking thing happening in there. Who was getting what food?
So we wouldn't eat the food that was cooked, and
we weren't cooking. We were just living off of go
(12:32):
macro bars the entire time.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
It's very intimidating to cook in that kitchen.
Speaker 7 (12:37):
No, there was no way I was doing it. I
would wash the dishes, to make it seem like I
was contributing to the house and I wouldn't eat the food.
I was terrified of those girls at the time.
Speaker 5 (12:46):
It's interesting, you know, you get to make a grocery
list and they do do a great job of going
out and getting the food that everybody wants. I remember
there and I wonder if this is the same way
with the Bachelorette or with the Bachelor seasons. When I
was on the Bachelorette, there was almost like a power
struggle who to who would be cooking, Like I think
(13:07):
some guy wanted to show off, like, hey, I'm a cook,
I'm a good cook, and I want to feed the people,
and I want Caitlin to find out that I'm the
guy that feeds everybody. And it was like this weird
struggle amongst some guys to like show off in the kitchen,
and it was a very weird dynamic, and it did
make the kitchen in a sense inaccessible to everybody else
(13:29):
because if I was like, hey, I don't really want
your RIGATONI that you're like flaming up on the stove.
I'm just down for like a turkey sandwich, it would
be offensive to them and then I was worried about
like causing drama over my turkey sandwich.
Speaker 7 (13:44):
No, genuinely. And then it's like how much food do
you take because they're not making enough for realistically thirty
people to really eat, so you take just a little,
and then you're like, it's just a whole thing. It's definitely,
like you said, very intimidating. On our season, it was
Sierra Hate and they were always in the kitchen cooking
besides the Shrimpgate of Shnee.
Speaker 4 (14:05):
But yeah, I did not go in there, Ashley, what
about you.
Speaker 3 (14:09):
I remember discovering avocados for the first time, like I
never really regularly ate. I never ate avocado avocados actually
before the Bachelor Mansion, and I always just thought like
I would have it like in sushi or like wacamoleia,
And I was like, I was like you this, and
then I don't know, they had them so available. It
(14:31):
was everybody's like number one request and they were perfectly ripe.
That's what I remember, because it's hard to get avocados right,
they're like ripe for maybe a day. They're always great
in the mansion. So I discovered, yeah because of California,
and I discovered just like how great avocado on toast
with turkey and saracho was. And so that's what I
(14:54):
basically had every single day, and a lot of dinners
as well.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
Yeah, like everyone has.
Speaker 7 (15:00):
That one thing they just say every day just to
survive that and alcohol nothing else.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
I could just like make it myself in the corner
and not have to make a big deal out of it,
and then I could just wash the one plate and
now have to worry about making a whole mess.
Speaker 7 (15:16):
Ye, because then it's like who's watching dishes, who's not
washing the dishes.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
It's a whole thing, exactly.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
I have a few questions.
Speaker 4 (15:23):
A couple of things I don't remember.
Speaker 5 (15:25):
So I imagine myself being a guy who would have enjoyed
a cocktail during the day while filming the Bachelorette because
there ain't nothing to do and you're usually sitting by
a pool. I don't remember where alcohol was accessible, and
this was before like alcohol became like, you know, two
drink minimums. I don't remember where we maximums.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Minimums.
Speaker 5 (15:50):
Yeah, I don't remember where we had access.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
Do you all remember this?
Speaker 7 (15:55):
I remember exactly where it was, and I remember exactly
the time.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
Okay, I was at that bar that was but you
were after our maximum.
Speaker 7 (16:05):
Time every single day.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Where was the bar that was a different era though,
they just have it sitting out for us.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
Where was our bar?
Speaker 4 (16:14):
Where was arc bar?
Speaker 1 (16:16):
I don't remember. I just remember there's always bottles of
white wine open during the day because it was ladies,
you know, we didn't have.
Speaker 7 (16:23):
The open bottle. But I had to live in a
house with Jane, so I was I was trying to
escape anywhere Mimosa twelve red wine at night. I was
having a great time.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
Yeah, you can relax.
Speaker 5 (16:37):
My next question is during the season I was on
the Bachelorette, it became a really also big deal for
guys to work out, and there were sand bags that
like would set up some tents for production and some
of the guys would get their hands on these sand
bags and just run the property like holding a sand
bag and then do like all these workouts because we
(16:59):
had so many personal trainers on that season, so many
guys so into working out.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
Did you all work out at the mansion?
Speaker 7 (17:08):
No?
Speaker 1 (17:09):
No, I mean there were girls that did. Yes.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
It was Jillian Anderson and Britt and they would do
laps around the pool like not the actual pool. Like
if you guys don't know, if you go downward into
like the backyard, there's like a backyard.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
And it's paved.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
So they would do laps around the whole house, including
that area, and I would.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Be like, good for you guys.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
It was a big deal. It wasn't really my thing.
Speaker 5 (17:34):
If I hadn't had abs yet, I wasn't going to
get abs living in the Bachelor Mansion. But it was
a good way to kind of blow some steam. It's
not a big property. It's probably a half acre maybe
an acre, and you just run around the acreage for
you know, as long as the show would let you
with a sandbag. It's a wild scene. It would have
been great video, Rachel as we close up here with you,
(17:56):
because we just wanted to do for a second, what's
your favorite memory at the Bachelor Mansion.
Speaker 7 (18:01):
Oh my gosh, I have so many. I think my
favorite memory and me and Susie, I think have told
this story before we roomed together knee Teddies, Susie and
Serene and one night, well every night when the handlers
would walk in the room, we'd always pretend to be
like the Toy story Toys, like we'd like fall asleep.
And one night Serene was standing up when the handler
(18:23):
came in, she just fell over and she broke the
bed and it was the funniest thing ever. And I'll
never forget it. But yeah, Serene, we had some good
times in that room.
Speaker 5 (18:34):
Uh, it's like a big sleepover every night. Yes, Rachel,
thanks for joining us, Thanks for giving us an update
on your love life. Yes, welcome back to the US.
Speaker 7 (18:44):
Thank you, thanks for having me.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
Okay, we're actually having so much fun talking about the
Bachelor mansion. We want to make this episode a two parter,
so stay tuned for more callers and more memories.
Speaker 7 (18:57):
Follow the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous podcast on
iHeartRadio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
Ben Higgins and Ashley I bring you infamous.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Sometimes roses are red flags.
Speaker 3 (00:07):
Hey everyone, it is Ashley and Ben. We're here with
some kind of breaking Bachelor news. HGTV has announced that
they're going to be renovating the Bachelor Mansion for a
new TV show. Ben, what are your initial thoughts?
Speaker 4 (00:24):
It's about time?
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Oh really?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Stop? Oh I'm nostalgic to it.
Speaker 5 (00:30):
It if you went to the mansion, well you did.
We were there with Almoston's podcast. When there's not the
pillows and the nice furniture and it's all painted, the
house is you know, old, it's beat up a little bit.
It needs some refreshing.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
Now.
Speaker 5 (00:47):
I don't think I think the I think the question
is how much renovation because it does have a lot
of character it is, That's what I mean. Yeah, the
architecture in there is awesome. I'm not wanting them to
like modernize it. I think take away from everything. Yeah,
like the Spanish style kind of architecture is beautiful inside
and now it just needs some like love.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
I would say, okay, yeah, because I don't want to
change the aesthetic. I like the Mediterranean vibe.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
It's very ornate. I like that for this. I can't.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Could you imagine them filming the show and like some black,
gray and white millennial you know aesthetic.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
No, that'd be so cold.
Speaker 5 (01:30):
It would be cold, it wouldn't be unique, it wouldn't
be as as magical fantastical as it is today. But
I'm imagining the owners of this property don't want that
modern aesthetic that if they they enjoy what they've built
or what they own.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Because he's a builder, he is a contractor, like he
designed that house with his heart, soul and hands.
Speaker 5 (01:53):
Yeah, so I think this is more of like a
freshen up of it, and HGTV is seeing a great
opportunity to jump on on board with it.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
I mean, everybody will want to watch.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Yeah, this is actually a great show. I'm excited for
the show, if not excited for the actual aesthetic changing.
So this is the details that These are the details
we have. It's called Renovating the Bachelor Mansion. And Channing Dungee,
the chairman and CEO of Warner Brothers, which is also
you know, the production company of The Bachelor, announced the
(02:24):
series along with the hosts of other shows that he
had like a whole bunch of other shows that they
were announcing and it was at Discoveries upfront presentation on Wednesday.
It's called Renovating the Bachelor Mansion. That is simply what
it's called. And it's going to It's gonna feature former
Bachelor and Bachelor at contestants who possess the expert renovation
(02:45):
skills to compete in.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
A design challenge series.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Now that to me sounds that Jojo and Jordan will
be fronting, does it not?
Speaker 5 (02:59):
So you have Chris Lambert who has a show on HDTV.
Tyler Cameron obviously has renovated homes consistent.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
He had a show on it was It? Amazon?
Speaker 4 (03:09):
Yeah, wasn't that dog Houses? Though? No, a doghouse show.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
He may have appeared on a doghouse show.
Speaker 5 (03:17):
Okay, okay, So Jojo, Jordan, Tyler, Chris Lambert. I can't
think of any others that come to the top of them.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Oh what about isn't she like a designer?
Speaker 4 (03:32):
Oh?
Speaker 6 (03:32):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (03:33):
So, like the question is are they going to be
able to get those people?
Speaker 3 (03:36):
Uh? Well, I feel like Jojo and Jordan have won
on as renovation show for quite some time, and I
know that, you know, broadcast media is a little bit
of the yesteryear. But Tyler probably HGTV is such a
huge name and they do so well with Discovery Plus,
and it'll obviously stream on there that I feel like
he's going to be excited about getting his show on
(03:59):
such a mar network and the winner gets a cash prize.
Speaker 5 (04:03):
There's a lot going on here, and that's all we know.
It's time, Ashley, what we're gonna do. Because of the
mansion and because of the memories that have been made
at the mansion, we want to bring some people who
have lived at the mansion, including you and I, to
talk about what their favorite parts of the mansion are
currently what they hope doesn't change any secrets they have
(04:25):
of the mansion. So we have a list of what
we call all Star guests, including Susan Knowles and Rachel Rekia.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
We have Charity and Dowton and Mike Johnson and Suzie
Evans coming on. All right, so let's get our first
caller on the line. We have Mike Johnson on the line. Now, Mike,
we're talking about favorite Bachelor Mansion memories and like crazy
things that you remember from the house itself, like do
(04:55):
you have like, okay, like a toilet clog or anything
broke while you were in there.
Speaker 6 (05:00):
Nothing was broke except for the barbers that we had
come by. But I think my craziest memories was just.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
Yeah, didn't hear them. That's good. I like that. That
was nice, Mike, you.
Speaker 6 (05:15):
Know, going on Ashal TV with your hair all the
outside look.
Speaker 2 (05:20):
True story.
Speaker 7 (05:21):
My mom said.
Speaker 6 (05:22):
The first thing she said she saw the episode the
first episode was did you not have a barber? First thing.
Speaker 5 (05:31):
I've shared this story like a few times, but I
was at the bachelor mansion probably like five hours before
the girls are going to show up, so like night one,
and I had been out there for probably like two
weeks doing like b roll and all that stuff, and
I said, hey, you know what it would really help
is if I could get a haircut to before tonight,
(05:51):
like it would make me look better. And I had
to do so much convincing and I was like, I
won't feel confident with that one. So they take me
to get a haircut. The guy, uh shaves my side
so tight that you could see like the white of
my head and they had to put black powder in
(06:13):
my hair to cover up from the white showing through.
On night one, they were all panicking which makes your
confidence go absolutely to a zero whenever it's like your
hair looks terrible and you're like, wait, I'm about to
go on national television.
Speaker 4 (06:28):
It's very bad.
Speaker 5 (06:29):
So, Mike, I have a question for you. At the
Bachelor Mansion was when I was on the Bachelor, and
I'm curious if they did the same thing to you.
They put up a sign in the bathroom that that said,
please stop like relieving yourself in the showers clogging the drains.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Did they do that for you guys?
Speaker 6 (06:46):
Yes, forever.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
Pardon me.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
Theower?
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Yeah, that's fine. I pee in the shower are regularly
to be honest.
Speaker 5 (07:02):
Well, I'm glad you just admitted that, But that's not
what we're talking about.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
What is going on.
Speaker 5 (07:10):
Actually, let's explain this to you, all right, I'll start Mike. Actually, no,
you know, I'm gonna let Mike explain this to you
because he is in sexual education. Okay, yeah, you got there.
Speaker 6 (07:23):
Yeah, yeah, I'm not going to explain that.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
There's a sign.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
This is a great episode so far.
Speaker 5 (07:34):
No, there's literally a sign. And so, Mike, are you
confirming that you all also had the same sign?
Speaker 6 (07:38):
I am confirming that I did not witness I was
not any of that.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
I don't hope in the middle of night and see it.
Speaker 6 (07:44):
So I'm very happy about that.
Speaker 5 (07:46):
Yeah, we had a sign that said please stop, you're
clogging the rains, and obviously that's a funny little thing
to think about. And then everybody shower. There's only I
don't know, you guys could tell me, what is there?
Two or three showers for everybody that showering?
Speaker 6 (08:01):
Three I feel.
Speaker 5 (08:03):
Yeah, so like after night one, when everybody moves in,
you have twenty some people showering in two or three showers.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Uh, it's it's a mess. It's not easy.
Speaker 4 (08:15):
No, there's one downstairs too, there's one downstairs. Okay, there's
four showers that people can shower.
Speaker 3 (08:21):
I would always use that shower because I felt it
was the most private because that way you could lock
the door, you could go poop and then you could shower.
No one would smell it, and you do all your
private things in a locked door.
Speaker 4 (08:34):
Yeah, no one smell.
Speaker 5 (08:35):
That's a big deal for Ashley, very secretive about her functions.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
I can't imagine.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
You guys must have just blown up the toilets with
like no candles. Well, probably within like four months of
us being together.
Speaker 5 (08:58):
Couple, Yeah, Mike, any sorries from the mansion that come
to mind, Well, you know, we're talking about this because
HGTV just announced that they're doing a renovation show focus
on the Bachelor mansion.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
It's a big deal.
Speaker 5 (09:11):
Bachelor contestants are going to be a part of this show.
If you're surprised by it, obviously you're not on the show.
Speaker 4 (09:20):
And so.
Speaker 5 (09:22):
What I guess maybe this's a better question. What's one
thing you hope they don't change about the mansion?
Speaker 6 (09:27):
You know, I loved my first and last time of
having myself and twenty guys an inch piece. It was fun.
Speaker 7 (09:36):
It was fun.
Speaker 4 (09:36):
I really liked it.
Speaker 6 (09:37):
You know, there's a bunch of guys hanging out.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
You know, so you went to pool Jacuzias day. I
mean we get a grotto.
Speaker 6 (09:44):
Yeah, it's like a really cool I'm definitely going to
mess it up. It's just what I know of Ggrato
is like a really cool pool with like a little
stone on top of it.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
Shall I say, oh, like waterfalls and caves and stuff.
See now that you think about now that I'm thinking
about the outside, Yeah, I can see them renovating the
pool area.
Speaker 5 (10:06):
I mean, I'm saying, this just needs a little touch up,
a little love. Mike, thanks for thanks for jumping on
to talk to us about the Bachelor Mansion. We appreciate you,
thanks for giving us your insights, and I'm glad our
two seasons can relate at least on one thing, uh,
and that is that we're dangerous, dangerous in the locker room.
(10:27):
Mike Johnson, thanks for coming. Rachel, Hi, welcome back to
the United States.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
Thank you from Africa, not from Paradise. Guys, too excited.
Speaker 4 (10:53):
I could have left it as a cliffhanger.
Speaker 7 (10:55):
I'm not so you, guys, Please, I can't handle it.
Another thing.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
I know, we know, we know you're dating Blake. You
can't go there.
Speaker 7 (11:04):
Every time Ast messaged me when I was there, I
told him, like I tell her every single time, not dating.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
Okay, Well, can you just explain like the arm around
your leg situation.
Speaker 7 (11:15):
Then we were sitting in a tire and I was
gonna fly out because he's bigger, so she was in
the whole tire. So I was on like the edge
of it, and then I had my leg just trying
to like stay on it.
Speaker 5 (11:30):
There's nothing romantic about a sunset with animals and attire,
with a strong man protecting you from falling out or something.
Speaker 7 (11:38):
No, he probably wouldn't even care if I did fall out, honestly.
Speaker 3 (11:42):
Well, if you're not together after that trip, then I
guess you won't be together. But all right, all right,
all right, So as your time as the Bachelor at
do you have any stories from the mansion, Like from
the mansion itself, anything funny happen been outside by.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
The pool in the kitchen.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
The kitchen is just like a big hangout spot where
everybody has to cook.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
Their own meals, So there's got to be a story there, right.
Speaker 7 (12:10):
Well, first of all about the kitchen, Me and Jill
Chin were terrified to go in the kitchen because I
don't know if you remember, on our season of The Boucher,
we had shrimp gate, so there was just a weird
cooking thing happening in there. Who was getting what food?
So we wouldn't eat the food that was cooked, and
we weren't cooking. We were just living off of go
(12:32):
macro bars the entire time.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
It's very intimidating to cook in that kitchen.
Speaker 7 (12:37):
No, there was no way I was doing it. I
would wash the dishes, to make it seem like I
was contributing to the house and I wouldn't eat the food.
I was terrified of those girls at the time.
Speaker 5 (12:46):
It's interesting, you know, you get to make a grocery
list and they do do a great job of going
out and getting the food that everybody wants. I remember
there and I wonder if this is the same way
with the Bachelorette or with the Bachelor seasons. When I
was on the Bachelorette, there was almost like a power
struggle who to who would be cooking, Like I think
(13:07):
some guy wanted to show off, like, hey, I'm a cook,
I'm a good cook, and I want to feed the people,
and I want Caitlin to find out that I'm the
guy that feeds everybody. And it was like this weird
struggle amongst some guys to like show off in the kitchen,
and it was a very weird dynamic, and it did
make the kitchen in a sense inaccessible to everybody else
(13:29):
because if I was like, hey, I don't really want
your RIGATONI that you're like flaming up on the stove.
I'm just down for like a turkey sandwich, it would
be offensive to them and then I was worried about
like causing drama over my turkey sandwich.
Speaker 7 (13:44):
No, genuinely. And then it's like how much food do
you take because they're not making enough for realistically thirty
people to really eat, so you take just a little,
and then you're like, it's just a whole thing. It's definitely,
like you said, very intimidating. On our season, it was
Sierra Hate and they were always in the kitchen cooking
besides the Shrimpgate of Shnee.
Speaker 4 (14:05):
But yeah, I did not go in there, Ashley, what
about you.
Speaker 3 (14:09):
I remember discovering avocados for the first time, like I
never really regularly ate. I never ate avocado avocados actually
before the Bachelor Mansion, and I always just thought like
I would have it like in sushi or like wacamoleia,
And I was like, I was like you this, and
then I don't know, they had them so available. It
(14:31):
was everybody's like number one request and they were perfectly ripe.
That's what I remember, because it's hard to get avocados right,
they're like ripe for maybe a day. They're always great
in the mansion. So I discovered, yeah because of California,
and I discovered just like how great avocado on toast
with turkey and saracho was. And so that's what I
(14:54):
basically had every single day, and a lot of dinners
as well.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
Yeah, like everyone has.
Speaker 7 (15:00):
That one thing they just say every day just to
survive that and alcohol nothing else.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
I could just like make it myself in the corner
and not have to make a big deal out of it,
and then I could just wash the one plate and
now have to worry about making a whole mess.
Speaker 7 (15:16):
Ye, because then it's like who's watching dishes, who's not
washing the dishes.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
It's a whole thing, exactly.
Speaker 2 (15:22):
I have a few questions.
Speaker 4 (15:23):
A couple of things I don't remember.
Speaker 5 (15:25):
So I imagine myself being a guy who would have enjoyed
a cocktail during the day while filming the Bachelorette because
there ain't nothing to do and you're usually sitting by
a pool. I don't remember where alcohol was accessible, and
this was before like alcohol became like, you know, two
drink minimums. I don't remember where we maximums.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
Minimums.
Speaker 5 (15:50):
Yeah, I don't remember where we had access.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
Do you all remember this?
Speaker 7 (15:55):
I remember exactly where it was, and I remember exactly
the time.
Speaker 3 (15:59):
Okay, I was at that bar that was but you
were after our maximum.
Speaker 7 (16:05):
Time every single day.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Where was the bar that was a different era though,
they just have it sitting out for us.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
Where was our bar?
Speaker 4 (16:14):
Where was arc bar?
Speaker 1 (16:16):
I don't remember. I just remember there's always bottles of
white wine open during the day because it was ladies,
you know, we didn't have.
Speaker 7 (16:23):
The open bottle. But I had to live in a
house with Jane, so I was I was trying to
escape anywhere Mimosa twelve red wine at night. I was
having a great time.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
Yeah, you can relax.
Speaker 5 (16:37):
My next question is during the season I was on
the Bachelorette, it became a really also big deal for
guys to work out, and there were sand bags that
like would set up some tents for production and some
of the guys would get their hands on these sand
bags and just run the property like holding a sand
bag and then do like all these workouts because we
(16:59):
had so many personal trainers on that season, so many
guys so into working out.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
Did you all work out at the mansion?
Speaker 7 (17:08):
No?
Speaker 1 (17:09):
No, I mean there were girls that did. Yes.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
It was Jillian Anderson and Britt and they would do
laps around the pool like not the actual pool. Like
if you guys don't know, if you go downward into
like the backyard, there's like a backyard.
Speaker 1 (17:23):
And it's paved.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
So they would do laps around the whole house, including
that area, and I would.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Be like, good for you guys.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
It was a big deal. It wasn't really my thing.
Speaker 5 (17:34):
If I hadn't had abs yet, I wasn't going to
get abs living in the Bachelor Mansion. But it was
a good way to kind of blow some steam. It's
not a big property. It's probably a half acre maybe
an acre, and you just run around the acreage for
you know, as long as the show would let you
with a sandbag. It's a wild scene. It would have
been great video, Rachel as we close up here with you,
(17:56):
because we just wanted to do for a second, what's
your favorite memory at the Bachelor Mansion.
Speaker 7 (18:01):
Oh my gosh, I have so many. I think my
favorite memory and me and Susie, I think have told
this story before we roomed together knee Teddies, Susie and
Serene and one night, well every night when the handlers
would walk in the room, we'd always pretend to be
like the Toy story Toys, like we'd like fall asleep.
And one night Serene was standing up when the handler
(18:23):
came in, she just fell over and she broke the
bed and it was the funniest thing ever. And I'll
never forget it. But yeah, Serene, we had some good
times in that room.
Speaker 5 (18:34):
Uh, it's like a big sleepover every night. Yes, Rachel,
thanks for joining us, Thanks for giving us an update
on your love life. Yes, welcome back to the US.
Speaker 7 (18:44):
Thank you, thanks for having me.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
Okay, we're actually having so much fun talking about the
Bachelor mansion. We want to make this episode a two parter,
so stay tuned for more callers and more memories.
Speaker 7 (18:57):
Follow the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous podcast on
iHeartRadio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
Hosts And Creators
Ben Higgins
Ashley Iaconetti
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial
Introducing… Aubrey O’Day Diddy’s former protege, television personality, platinum selling music artist, Danity Kane alum Aubrey O’Day joins veteran journalists Amy Robach and TJ Holmes to provide a unique perspective on the trial that has captivated the attention of the nation. Join them throughout the trial as they discuss, debate, and dissect every detail, every aspect of the proceedings. Aubrey will offer her opinions and expertise, as only she is qualified to do given her first-hand knowledge. From her days on Making the Band, as she emerged as the breakout star, the truth of the situation would be the opposite of the glitz and glamour. Listen throughout every minute of the trial, for this exclusive coverage. Amy Robach and TJ Holmes present Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial, an iHeartRadio podcast.
Good Hang with Amy Poehler
Come hang with Amy Poehler. Each week on her podcast, she'll welcome celebrities and fun people to her studio. They'll share stories about their careers, mutual friends, shared enthusiasms, and most importantly, what's been making them laugh. This podcast is not about trying to make you better or giving advice. Amy just wants to have a good time.