October 9, 2025 • 48 mins
Ben has a Golden expert joining him to recap this week’s episode of The Golden Bachelor, when the first Golden Bachelorette Joan Vassos stops by!
Joan shares her honest thoughts on why viewers are having trouble connecting with Mel Owens, and we hear why Nicolle's behavior is making this feel like a non-Golden season of The Bachelor.
Plus, find out what a contestant said that left Joan speechless!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous podcast
with iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Welcome back to the Almost Famous Podcasts. It's been here
today and I am joined by the Golden Bachelorette herself,
Joan Vassos. We to recap the latest episode of The
Golden Bachelor. Joan to get us started, though, I want
to ask, how's chalk? He recently said, you hadn't seen
each other in about a month.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
That was crazy, So okay, so we got we started.
You know, we got engaged in August of last year,
and we've always been really good about seeing each other
every like two to three weeks at the most was
like our biggest time of part and then all of
a sudden, twice this summer, we just had really conflicting schedules.
And also, I mean part of the problem is he
has a business in Wichita and he kind of has
(00:48):
to be there. So we had two instances where we
didn't see each other for a whole month, and that
was one of those, was like last week, but we
got together or he suggested that maybe we meet in
New York because that's like kind of our happy place
and it's like when we go when I go to Wichita,
or he comes to Maryland like our families all around
us and we don't get to spend like super duper
quality time together like we want. So we always round
(01:11):
a vue in New York City. So we did that
and we saw a show, We went to Great Dinners,
and we walked in Central Park and just had a
great relaxing time. It was a real good, like what
our relationship needed.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
When were you there in New York last.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Friday Saturday Sunday? So just a couple days ago?
Speaker 2 (01:27):
You were there when I was there with Chris Harrison
and Wells Adams for the City Cruises.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
I know, I was on the train on the way
up there and I was listening to your podcast with
Ashley and you said you were going to be doing that.
You were there on Sunday, right, Yeah?
Speaker 2 (01:41):
I know.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
How was it?
Speaker 2 (01:43):
It was amazing?
Speaker 1 (01:44):
It went.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
So we have another one in San Diego December sixth.
It was a blast. We had fun, the best time.
It was nothing but reminiscing and telling stories. The cool
part is our listeners are going to be able to actually
hear New York event because we recorded it with iHeart,
so it's going to be on our stream here soon, Joan.
(02:08):
It's funny. I was just I just got off the
phone with the sweetest, nicest United Airlines rep and she
recognized my voice from this show and she's, you know,
she got to tell me about her love with the
Bachelor and the Golden Bachelor and all Bachelor things related.
(02:28):
And I was telling her, Hey, I get to jump
on a recording soon and talk about this Golden Bachelor,
and she was so excited.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
What is she What does she think about him? I
love to hear people's perspective.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
I didn't get an inside glance, but I did get
insight from our shows that we were doing live in Boston,
New York. I think that people look at Mel and
they say, a very handsome guy. He seems kind. But
for whatever reason in and we could probably you know,
(03:02):
name a few, the audience just isn't connecting with it
like they did past, you know, with Gary, because yeah,
I think I honestly, I think Mel is just it's
it's uncommon for a guy like him not to be
able to find somebody, and I think they want that
like more heartfelt second chance at love. This feels like
(03:25):
maybe one of the only ways that somebody's gonna be
able to find it kind of story, and so it's
just not connecting.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
I agree with you on that, like that we think, oh,
he doesn't need this show to find love, like he
probably has women all over him. But I also feel
like he is. Like I feel like, so we're an
episode four and I feel like by now I should
know something about him. I still know nothing. He just
doesn't open up. And by the way, he doesn't do
(03:54):
it this episode either, So I feel like we're going
to run out of time and we may get to
the end of the season and not know Mal and
that's going to be a problem.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
I told Ashley this last week. I said, what we
need from Mel, what Mel needs for himself, and I
don't mean this to he needs a breakdown, Like he
needs that moment of vulnerability that you know this show
oftentimes provides from the lead where we see them so invested,
(04:22):
so conflicted, so saddened by the exits, but also the conversations,
and we don't we don't have that yet, And like
you said, I think we need that in episode one
because people were cautious going into the season based on
the comments that Mel had made to really invest into
(04:43):
this season. And now we're we're actually going to be
talking about episode four today. But we're pretty far into
this thing for the Golden Season, and we don't have
that moment, like you said, where we know him. I
don't know what he actually wants. He says the right things,
he listens to the ladies talk. They tell him how
(05:03):
much they like him, and then he says, that's great.
That means so much to me. We don't know him
at all.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
We don't and we're gonna run out of time. And
the thing is, I think he's probably being coached by producers, right.
I mean, you've been on it, I've been on it.
You know, they know what you need to be doing.
And I feel like he's being coached and he doesn't
have it in him. Is what I'm afraid of. That
we're just going to run out of time and he
just isn't going to give that to us. Because you know,
(05:30):
we're getting pretty far along into this. He we're down
to only nine women, okay, he started out with twenty four,
twenty five, and you know, we're getting down to where
things are going to get serious really soon. We're going
to get down to hometowns before we know it, and
we know nothing about mel I'm just afraid he doesn't
have it in him, he doesn't have anything to say.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
I would also say, there's a couple of things, and
I'm glad we're talking about this with you. I actually
don't think we know the women either. I think we
know pieces of them. But you know, when you were
on the Golden Bachelor, there are storylines from the women,
(06:11):
maybe their storylines of loss, maybe their storylines of hope.
Maybe there's storylines of getting through something difficult like illness
or financial struggle. We don't I could not name one
of those instances right now. And then here's the other side.
And I want to leave space for you to comment
(06:33):
on this. This feels very much like a Bachelor season
to me. And that was what was beautiful about the
Golden Show originally was it was so different. It was heartwarming,
it was heartfelt, it was beautiful. It was one of
support and hope, and this like empowerment. This feels very
(06:55):
Bachelor to me because we have a villain this season,
and Nicole, I know.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Well, I feel like it feels very Bachelor, like you said,
but I think part of the way the reason it
feels very Bachelor I mean, I think everybody knows, or
we all know in this business that bachelor seasons do
better than bachelorette seasons because people like having the women
as the storyline because they are so open and giving
(07:20):
of themselves and telling about themselves and wanting to talk.
And this group, like you said, really hasn't done that
that much. So it also feels like a bachelor season
because of that. It just I feel like we're lacking,
We're lacking all of those backstories. Like you said, I
feel like the only one I really know right now
maybe Debbie, and I feel like I am rooting for
(07:42):
her just because she's the only one I feel like
I know, and maybe Shayl a little bit because she
hadn't want one date.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
It's missing it right now for me, and I'm frustrated
by that because I love the Golden franchise. I think
it is something that could be still. I'm hoping so
good for the franchise and for the show, but it's tough.
Let's jump into this.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
Yeah, let's talk about that villain, because.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Yeah, there's a lot there a lot to say. We're
recapping episode four. We kind of start this whole thing
with Debbie leading the women in a workout class by
the pool. We have nine to eleven women left at
this point. Carol admits at this point she's holding back,
and then Debbie comes in with the date card. Now
here's where we'll start. Joan Peg gets the one on
(08:28):
one this week, and you wanted to talk about our
villain Nicole. She's surprised if I remember, right at this moment,
and a little irritated by Peg getting this one on one.
It's the start a little foreshadowing I think of what's
to come for this episode where the underlying theme is
(08:49):
Nicole rubbing people the wrong way.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
Yeah, and she started this rubbing people the wrong way,
like already it's happened in other episodes. She just is
I think she's so very self un unself aware, like
she doesn't really see reality. And she thinks they all
really like her, I think, and I think they're all
rolling in their eyes as she walks out of rooms
after she says these crazy statements, and this was one
(09:14):
of them. I mean, and we hear a lot of
it in interviews, so I don't think they're hearing everything
we're hearing when they watch this back. I think there
are it's going to be a whole different story. But
right now, like she's saying that in an interview, she's like, yeah,
I don't really get like why she hasn't one on
one day, I believe haven't seen the chemistry. Well why
would you see the chemistry? You know, like they're having
individual conversations, not in your eyesight. So I think she
(09:36):
just wants to, you know, feel like she has an
upper hand, and so she's just poopooing everybody else's relationships
because she thinks she's.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
For mel Why do you how do you feel about
their being an identified villain during during the Golden Show?
Do you like, how does that make you feel watching
it back now knowing you've been a part of all
this seasons up until this point.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
Yeah, that's funny. So I don't like it. So I
think the thing that people like about Golden Bachelor and
Golden Bachelotte is that there isn't drama. And I've heard
that over and over and over again. So it has
its own little place in Bachelor world. And I like
that it has its own little place, and it's like
what people are looking for when they go to that place.
And now that place has been like kind of uprooted
(10:25):
a little bit, and now it has like paint splashed
on it or whatever. It just isn't as pure as
it was. And I'm not sure will it ever go
back to being pure again. And I'm worried once drama
is introduced, then all of a sudden, it's okay now.
And I hope that that is not the case, because
I feel like we're going to lose that audience and
(10:47):
we're already worried about that. We're already worried about the
Golden audience, and this is just another thing to drive
them away.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
I agree with you, there was great momentum coming out
of The Golden Bachelor and Golden Bachelor into this season.
I think it was at a tipping point of really
taking off and becoming a household watchable product. You're right
in saying it was pure, you know. The Bachelor, I
think really suffered when drama became the focus and story
(11:20):
and love became kind of secondary to the overall message,
and drama was what people were, you know, what the
show was showing. I hope the show listens to their
audience and says, hey, they're not liking the drama. They're
not watching the drama. They're not intrigued by the drama. Jessica,
(11:42):
my wife watched The Golden because of the lack of drama.
It was something we could watch and not get frustrated with.
We could watch it and just enjoy the beautiful stories
and the beautiful people that came through. I think adding
in drama and focusing on drama is a mistake.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
That's my take, completely agree. Yeah, and I'm not sure
if we can go backwards now now that we've had drama.
You know, I worry a little bit that Bachelor is
worried about its audience and it so let's let's like
just jump off of Golden and go and look who
they just cast for the next season of Bachelorette. Somebody
(12:24):
who's a really controversial figure. You know, she has a
like a very sordid pass, and she's going to bring readings.
Are they doing this for ratings? That's what scares me now,
Like if you then all of us, all of a
sudden become a show about ratings, then you lose your purity,
you lose why you're really there, so and your ratings
should follow your you know, the reason you're there, as
(12:46):
opposed to the other way around.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
I think you're right, and I heard that all weekend
on these cruises. Is that right, going? Yeah, just you know,
it's hard for us to now watch the show when
the intention behind the show is not what it used
to be, which is, even if this doesn't work out,
the people coming on were least hopeful that maybe this
(13:08):
is where the start of their love story began, which
is a good segue here. We're going to get back
to the Peg and Maldate because there's some great moments
on that date and the fair is beautiful. But kind
of underlying through this episode is the conversation about becoming
an influencer and promoting brands and your status in society
(13:30):
as somebody that's known, did you during your time on
the show ever hear these kind of conversations happening and
they just weren't shown? Was it a different mindset? Kind
of talk about what your experience was on the show
based on what you're watching now this season?
Speaker 3 (13:47):
So I think as you get farther along, it happened
with and Bachelorette and now it's happening with Golden The
first seasons are really about what the seasons are supposed
to be about and like we didn't know about being
an influencer. I didn't even know what an influencer was.
I didn't even have Instagram. And I think that was
true for pretty much everyone on our show. I think
(14:11):
that was pretty much true for all the men that
were on my show. But I feel like as people,
So people on Golden Baucher now have Instagram, So I
have Instagram, Kathy, Susan, Nancy, everybody has Instagram now from
our season, and so we're now already starting from like
one step higher. So we went from us not having
Instagram to this group now having Instagram and thinking, Okay,
(14:34):
I could make something out of this. So I feel
like this influencer thing just like those steps go up
and up and up for every season, and I think
now we've just made the next step up, like now
they know and now the next group is going to
make that next step, and all of a sudden, we're
going to be just like the regular Bachelor and Bachelrettes.
We're going to be people that are going on there
(14:54):
for the wrong reasons, trying to be influencers, thinking this
is the way that they are going to be famous,
as opposed to how great it was right in the
beginning with the first Golden Bauchler in the first in
my first season, where everybody was there for just only
the right reasons, nobody was there for any other reason.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Yeah. Again, it goes back to your word purity. It
had a pure spirit to it because there was no
other thought process or intention coming into the show and
then really leaving the show. And I obviously know a
lot of the contestants that were on your season, but
also you know during Gary's time as the Bachelor, and yes,
(15:32):
some of them have made new second careers, third careers
based on the show, but those things were kind of
offered to them. They weren't pursued during it or from it. Joan,
(15:54):
Let's go to this. Peg and Mel date interesting couple
to me. They're very unique, both very active athletic. They
went to a fair. There's one of our producers on
the show head there has been to this fair every
summer of her life. Mel and Peg say they've both
(16:14):
been to this fair before. Firs are a big deal
because where I come from, the Kasiasco County Fair in Warsaw,
Indiana is what people travel thirty plus miles to come
to because it is one of the coolest things of
the summer. I love fairs, big fan of fairs. I
still go back for the fair. What was your thoughts
(16:34):
on the relationship or the connection between Peg and Mel.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
It's just like wholesome fun and that's what we needed
from the two of them, because she is just I
feel like she is like an innocent I mean, she's
probably seen terrible things in her life. She worked with
the FBI, she was a firefighter, like she had all
these experiences. Yet she is just so joyful and she's
so easy to get along with, and she's game for anything.
And I think it was a perfect date for them.
(17:00):
I think we really needed to see that from Mel. Also,
Like I knew she had it in her, but I
needed to see if he had it in him, Like
can you just be fun and let go of like
all of your status in the world. You know, you've
been a professional football player, you're a lawyer. I mean,
I think he has all this kind of ego in
him and just like have no ego and just have
fun to act like a kid. So I think we
needed this from him, and I think he did a
really good job. I think he was really engaged.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
Peg is one of those like big personalities. I think
that could push him out of his comfort zone, which
is I think, as you said, something needed. She is
a big personality. She's a fun personality. I wish we'd
actually get more of Peg throughout the season as we
watch her interact even with the women, because I think
she is probably hilarious. I can just picture her filter
(17:44):
not being there, similar to a Kathy where they say
wild things and it's hilarious and it's lovable and we
like them more for it. I wish we saw more
of Peg kind of interacting amongst the women in the house.
But this was a good date and I do think
if anything, if nothing else, this was a very humanizing
(18:07):
moment for us watching Mel. We got to watch him
become just a human and not some robot that's you know, handsome, smart,
accomplished all these things. It's like, we just want to
see him go out and throw a baseball and eat
you know, whatever fair food they eat, and have fun
(18:28):
and have fun. That I think that the message is
just we want to see Mel have fun during this.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
We really did. And the fact that he had fun
even though she was beating him in most of the games. Yeah,
it was actually showed me that his ego wasn't as
much as I thought. It was like he was happy
that she was really good. He thought she was a
I think he actually said I think she's a badass
or something like that, like he was. He thought it
was charming and he liked that about her. So that
(18:53):
made me like him more honestly, because you know, he
could have been one of those guys that like, oh
she's better and like sulked or you know, not want
to play the games anymore. He kept going back for
more and.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
He liked it. Yeah. I think the big moment that
stands out too is peg throwing the baseball. How into
it she got. I don't know if that's like just
to her being funny or if that's how she throws
a baseball, but it had to be clocking at eighty
five miles per hour straight down the pipe because she
put her whole body in.
Speaker 3 (19:20):
Curiously, I know, I was like, where did she learn
how to do that? I feel like everything she does
surprises me. She's just good at everything, and as well
as looking good while she's doing it, she's just so cute,
so pretty. It's just a cute little figure. And she's
just so joyful. She makes you smile. And he even
said that when she was walking up, or maybe it
(19:41):
was in one of his interviews, he said, every time
I'm with Peg, I just smile. It's just infectious. She
just makes you smile. And I think he had such
a good time with her. And I feel like, honestly,
I don't want to give them to call any credit,
but I hadn't seen a lot of chemistry with them either,
and I thought, this is where I finally see it.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
Yeah, that's fair. One of the funniest moments it just
like made me smile is they kind of endo their
day with the Casey and the Sunshine Band, which is
something my dad played so often.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
By the way, I knew every song I'm sorry, I'm
I'm of the Golden Era too. I love Casey in
the Central Band.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
It's it just made me smile. I loved it because
I was like, this is bringing back my childhood playing
over the you know, the speakers in the house. This
is a great date. And then we're moving on to
the next day at the mansion. This is where we're
really getting the conversation that we just talked about about influencing. Yeah,
(20:37):
the kind of the status that these women will have
coming off of this show, it feels I don't know
why I feel this way. Almost watching it felt heavy
to me joan like one. I think the dreams and
the expectations will fall short of what they're hop like,
what Nicole is really hoping for out of this. I
(20:58):
just I don't know any people that have made a
living influencing off of this show. I think it's very hard.
I think it's very sporadic. I think it seemed sor lived,
short lived. I think it's just tough. So I feel
heavy in that manner that she comes onto this thinking
that her life is going to change and she's going
(21:19):
to be able to influence. I also don't love again.
I think it's heavy because I love this Golden franchise
so much. It felt almost like a pivoting turning point
for me watching the show where I say, Okay, the
purity of this is gone. Now, this was good, this
was great. It was different than anything else the Bachelor
has put out there. It's no longer different, and I'm
(21:42):
sad about that.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
It was so blatant and so she just held nothing back.
I felt like she was really full of herself. That morning,
she got up with a like a new look on
Lias on life and she was going to go just
put it all out there, and she's like, you know,
I came here not just dating Mail, I'm dating America.
I'm like, I'm not even sure what that means. But
h and everybody who's watching and not watching, I'm not
(22:05):
sure what that means. Then she said, like, we have
real housewife status. I think you're right, She's her thought
of this is overinflated. There are lots of people that
come off the show and go back to their normal lives.
Like I honestly, I came off of being Golden Bachelorette
and I got home on a Friday and I went
to work on Monday morning. Like your life doesn't change
(22:25):
that much. You go back to your regular life. And
I don't think she gets that, or I don't think
that's what she wants, but I do feel like it
was so blatant it did kind of ruin things. Yeah,
and I mean I think she sucks the air out
of the room, like with her like weird comments.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
Yeah, definitely, Like if you have one kind of person
speaking this way and doing this type of thing. It
does change the whole vibe of the house. I went
back to work after my time as a bachelor. Yeah,
for two years. I sold software again until other things
kind of came on and my world and I could
leave my job for two years. A week after filming stopped,
(23:05):
I was back in my office working and traveling for
a software company. I think this messaging of whoever's telling
them this, that this influencing is the path and it's
going to be handed to you and you're going to
get paid so much money to post some pictures. I
just think it needs to go away because it is
hurting the show. It especially will hurt the Golden franchise. Yeah,
(23:29):
so you know, we do get in the group date,
before we get into the Lemon Bar scandal. Before we
do I do there was a line that I want
to ask you about.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
I know. Yeah, I'm still just like kind of comprehend it.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
To be honest, Joan, you are are You are a
beautiful human, attractive in every way, personality, the physical appearance.
And there's so many other women on your season that
were just beautiful people. But Nicole as the last cast,
was not that good looking or something along those lines.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
Yeah, wasn't so great looking or something like that. I
actually stopped it and rewound it. Couldn't believe somebody coud
actually say that. So and I'm like, Yep, she sure
as heck said that. And I don't even know what
to say that. I mean, first of all, like you said,
there are such beautiful women on the Golden Bachelor season,
(24:25):
and at this point, we've gotten to know so many
of them, you know, we went through a whole season,
but that we've seen them after the season, and like
what their lives look like and what good people they are.
And I just don't think she is in touch with reality.
I just think she is so full of herself and
she is so I almost feel like like her whole
world is this show right now, and all of our
(24:45):
happiness and all of her status is involved in this show,
and so she needs to make it really big and
really special in her mind and to do that. And
she's also all about, like very very very in tune
with the looks and the way people look. And so
I think that, you know, having a bunch of beautiful
men and the women on the show are really beautiful.
I agree with her, but I don't think they're any
(25:06):
more beautiful than the people that were on Goldenbaucher. I
think everybody's different. Everybody is beautiful in their own way,
and she just needs this to be bigger in that way.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
Also, Yeah, I completely agree with you. I was surprised
by that comment because it is it just feels one
more critical than we're used to even seeing on The Bachelor,
and then two I just don't I don't know if
I agreed, And so it feels like a very aggressive
comment to make while you know you're on a show
(25:38):
that this will probably be shown on to national television,
especially if somehow you're dating America. I just don't think
it's going to go over Well. No, well, we are
going to get into the group date. The group date
card says sexy at every age. It's gonna be a
photo shoot with People magazine. Joan, you've been on the show,
(25:59):
You've done these to shoots. How Ashley and myself both
have different and but yet similar takes on a photo
shoot date. They seem to have popped up on every
Golden Season so far? Season Yep, what do you think
of them? Did it feel this? Do you remember yours?
Does it feel fun? Does it bring people together, Like,
just walk us through how it feels to be on
(26:20):
the Golden Show and be told you're going on a
photo shoot.
Speaker 3 (26:23):
So on Golden Bachelor, Like, so first of all, let's
just say, like, as women, being on a photo shoot,
like dressing up and like trying to pretender to something
else is what we've done all of our lives. Like
you you like, for you know, your third or fourth Christmas,
you're given a box full of costumes that you wear
around the house all day with your friends, and you know,
it's what we do. So honestly, I think it's a
(26:45):
really good date group date because women feel kind of comfortable,
and you got to think about other group dates that
they've had so far. They've been cheerleaders, kind of uncomfortable.
They have had to do a comedy routine, also a
little hard in front of a bunch of people. So
as far as a group date, I feel like this
is comfortable for the women and we may get more
(27:06):
out of them because they're not so nervous. They are
going to put on like a fun outfit and have
your picture taken and get close to mel. What you
don't get is a lot of conversation in fact, you
get like no conversation. Honestly, you just get mel looking good.
He's a handsome guy. He has a shirt off on
a lot of the a lot of this date he
has his shirt off and he's looks he's looking great.
(27:28):
And the women are looking really fun and pretty in
their costumes and they look like they're having a great time.
You don't get a lot of conversation, but you do.
I feel like it like really cute pictures and everybody
having fun and it looks like it's fun. But once again,
what are you talking during these dates?
Speaker 2 (27:43):
You have your picture taken, and it's something talking is
something we're missing this season. I think we started saying
off the show saying, hey, we're missing getting to know people,
but we do get to know somebody that I think
you and I both find not only interesting but very
intriguing in a really one of those characters this season
(28:06):
that I'd love to even learn more about. Debbie. She
gets emotional during this day because, as she's mentioned in
the past, she's never been engaged, she's never been married.
Speaker 3 (28:16):
I think she has been engaged.
Speaker 2 (28:18):
She has been engaged.
Speaker 3 (28:19):
You think, okay, yeah, yeah, she has been engaged, But
she's never been married okay, yep, but never worn a
wedding dress.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
This is very special. In fact, this I feel like
could have been her Golden Bachelor atte moment where this
person who is beautiful, who is open to sharing her
feelings and emotions, who's excited about the possibility of love,
opens up about that and this is the date that
does it. It's you know what, though, it's interesting now
(28:47):
that we're talking about this. I remember during Gary's season
and they had the photo shoot. I think that's when Nancy,
Nancy really you know, opened up and started sharing. So
there is something about this wedding dress deal. It's a
little bit mean because you're for anybody's been already in
the past or lost to spouse or maybe been divorced.
It is a reminder, yep of what was I don't
(29:10):
know if I love that aspect to it, but it
has caused the contestants to open up, and I think
that is going to be very beneficial, especially this season.
Speaker 3 (29:20):
So in Gary season, Nancy opened up because she was
super emotional about she said, I haven't had a wedding
dress on since I was married, and she had lost
her husband and he had died of colon cancer, so
you know, it was really emotional for her. I see
Debbie getting really emotional, and I also get that for
her because she has never had this experience. And like
most people by the age, by the time you're in
(29:41):
your sixties, you've been married. Maybe it didn't work out,
maybe you're divorce or maybe your husband has passed away
like mine did. But you have actually had the time
to be married. You've spent years and years and years
with your person. And she's never had that. And it
makes me really worried for her because in her interview
after that, she's I was she said, you know, it
(30:01):
so special being in this wedding dress, and I was
ready for him to get down on one knee right there.
And I feel like, oh, I'm going to kill him
if he breaks her heart. I'm afraid, you know. I
know she's one of nine stale and I'm really really
worried about her heart right now because I think she
is maybe the most open of everybody. Yeah, of all
the contestants, I think she is most of it. I
(30:23):
almost feel like she's most deserving. I want this so
badly for her to be a couple, to be married,
she's wanted it for so long.
Speaker 2 (30:30):
Yeah. Again, it points to if it doesn't work out
with her in Mel, how beautiful would it be if
she got her own chance and we could watch Like
that's the type of people I want to watch.
Speaker 3 (30:40):
I totally agree with you.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
The show is people. I'm like, I beg of you
to find a love and I beg of you to
let me watch it because it would be so beautiful.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
Oh my god, I love that idea. I love that idea.
So I hope she. I hope this works out for
her because I can see that she's really invested in Mel,
and she really likes them and I actually they're really
cute together. But if it doesn't, I love your idea. Okay,
So I'm going to hold out hope that if she
doesn't get it, I'm not going to be heartbroken for her,
because maybe she'll get to be the golden beout trite.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
Let's put it out there, let's get people voting for it.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
I'm with you.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
This day kind of goes on and on, and then
the photographer says he saw a lot of chemistry with
Mel and Cindy. He wants to take them for more
pictures and so we see the women watching Mel and
Cindy roll around the beach. The conversation I want to
have around this that I think is interesting. Ashley and
myself talked about it last week. As a lead of
(31:45):
a show, it was always very important to me to
try to not show affection in front of the other
castmates or other contestants win at all possible. It just
felt mean, it felt like it would increase jealousy or envy.
Mel doesn't seem to have this. He seems to be
diving full force into kissing and holding on whoever is
(32:05):
near him in front of anybody else.
Speaker 3 (32:07):
I mean we saw it in the pool, right, I
mean literally in front of everybody else.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
What do you think of that?
Speaker 3 (32:13):
I feel the same way as you do about it.
First of all, I not only feel about that way
about it in front of everybody else watching, and it
like creating conflict and creating you know, jealous as the person,
like even as Cindy, I wouldn't have wanted it because
I'd want the other girls to like me. But also
it seems a little voyeuristic to me, Like I don't
(32:35):
think that as like me watching the TV, like I
really want to see that kind of intimate moment. I
don't want to see anything that intimate. Like, you know,
kisses are okay, rolling on top of each other is
a little too much for me. I think it's especially
with the.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
Golden I'm with you. I just it feels again either
pushing in the lines of being the Bachelor's show, or
it also even during the Bachelor show, would feel maybe
i'd say inappropriate, just with the respect of the other
people involved. Speaking of inappropriate, this date starts out really
(33:10):
like beautiful, and they're wearing dresses and all this stuff,
and then we end with people wearing towels. I don't
exactly remember or understand. Why how did we go from
dresses to towels?
Speaker 3 (33:20):
I don't know. Well, so the whole beach theme is okay.
I don't know how poor Carol ended up with just
a towel. And I'm looking at the rack of clothes
now she's standing there. She's like, all I have is
a towel, but yet there is a rack still with
clothes on it. So I'm not sure how that happened.
That seems maybe it was a little engineered and she
got stuck with the towel and like she didn't seem
(33:43):
like she really liked the idea, and she felt uncomfortable,
and I felt uncomfortable for her, and I think maybe
she really didn't have clothes on. Unruth. I don't really know,
but I think that's like kind of brave. You're running
around Malibu Beach with only a towel on. But she
embraced it at the end, which I'm surprised. She said,
I went from hey, being the tawgirl to loving being
the tow girl. I'm not sure why that transition happened.
(34:05):
I think she just finally accepted it and got into it.
But I don't know what were the producers thinking. Why
did she I don't even know the theme of that date.
They all had different stuff on.
Speaker 2 (34:14):
Yeah, I think it was just literally, I don't know
if there was an idea. It was like, here's a
photo shoot, and what can we individually pick out for
each person to make them feel the most uncomfortable or
to bring out emotion. Carol does end up with the
group day Rose from this day, so it does work
out for her, But we also see the first time
mel is kind of exposed to any drama that's happening
in the house. Robin brings up to Mel during this that, hey,
(34:37):
she doesn't think everybody there is being authentic to the
experience and to the pursuit of love that this show
is about. Mel pretty quickly dismisses this conversation and says, no,
I think they are As a lead Joan, when somebody
would come to you and say something like this, do
(34:59):
you listen, how do you respond? What do you take
from it?
Speaker 3 (35:03):
So I'm thinking about people that have done this in
the past, and this happens all the time, especially on
just regular Bachelor Bacherette seasons. Happens pretty often, and I
feel like the lead is always very conflicted about not
necessarily wanting to believe them, and sometimes the messenger becomes
(35:24):
the person their manner and not the intended person that
maybe they should be wary of. So all of a sudden,
the messenger becomes the bad guy. And I think that's
what happened in this one. Also, that he didn't really
want to believe it, and even if she had told
him that it was Nicole, I think he's not thinking
with his head in his heart right now, to be honest,
(35:45):
I'm hoping he starts thinking with the right body parts
but I think at this time he's not, and he
would have dismissed it anyway, even if she said the
name as a lead. I think I would want to know,
but you just never know what people's motives are. Sure,
so I'm not I'm not sure that you want to
dive into that, and maybe you need to discover things yourself.
And I'm hoping that Mel discovers this himself. I mean,
(36:08):
she's so out there with her statements. Eventually she's going
to say something to him. Yeah, I just can't imagine
that she's going to hide it from him for much longer.
Speaker 2 (36:16):
I think it was such a fear of mine that
there would be people there with all interior motives that
if somebody would have said it to me and they did,
I think I just would have asked a few questions.
I'm with you on Hey, I'm not going to take
this as the only truth, but I want to be
able to investigate it, or at least to be knowledgeable
(36:37):
of it, and if anything, maybe confront some of the
people that were brought up and just say, hey, like,
you know the simple question. You know, I only need
to tell them who told me? But why are you here?
Like what excites you about this experience and about you know,
what you're going through, just to get nuggets a little
bit of information, you know. I think, yes, you're right
(37:01):
if the person that says it oftentimes is the one
that gets in trouble mm hmm. Very rarely do we
see that go the other direction. Yeah, but I would
have asked a few more questions. I don't think I
just would have dismissed it and said no, no, no,
I know everything.
Speaker 3 (37:15):
Yeah. Do you think that Robin would have told him
the name if he had asked?
Speaker 2 (37:20):
Yes, I think she wanted to so bad.
Speaker 3 (37:22):
I know, I wonder why he didn't ask. I kept
thinking he was going to ask, like, who are you
talking about? So I don't think he wanted to know. Yeah,
just he would.
Speaker 2 (37:31):
Have asked the name, which points to one of two
things to me. Either he just doesn't care, like at all.
He hasn't not invested into this at all. There's no
emotion behind those the intention or like whatever. Yeah, that's fine,
I'm having a good time. We're doing it like I
haven't cried yet, I haven't really had a hard time yet.
(37:53):
I'm going to keep doing this this way. Or he
doesn't know to ask the question me. He doesn't know.
Maybe he hasn't watched any other seasons. He doesn't even
know what the path forward would look like if he
did find out.
Speaker 3 (38:08):
But wouldn't you know, Like it was so easy to
just say. It's almost surprised that he didn't say, well,
who are you talking about? Yeah, so it's I think
it's the what you said in the beginning. He doesn't care. Ye,
you must not really care.
Speaker 2 (38:22):
And that's concerning for me. Again. I think the best
thing for him and this season would be a moment
of vulnerability that he displays for us to go, yeah,
you're in this man, like you care, you're in it,
you're invested, which I haven't seen it yet, but either.
One of the big storylines of this episode that just
fell short, quite honestly, was the women are back at
(38:44):
the mansion the next day and they're preparing for this tailgate.
They're making Mele's favorite dessert, which is lemon bars. We
see Nicole Larius sharing that if this was her idea
and she's doing all the work, we see her in
the hot tub with a mask on, and the women going, yeah,
Nicole just sat out there with a mask on. And
watched things. They make these lemon bars, and then during
(39:09):
the tailgate, Nicole brings them to Mel and says that
she made these for him, and she talks about how
she made him and that she made him with a
thin crust because it's the way he likes it. It
fell short to me because this wasn't this wasn't a
small act. In my opinion, These women invested time and
(39:29):
effort and it could have been all of them. They
all kissed him one night together. Why not bring the
limbars to them together and just share, Hey, we're all
thinking about you. But she decides to do it herself.
Yet we see no follow up from it. That's kind
of where it ends, and so the story was never concluded,
(39:50):
it was never brought to service. This I mean, Joan,
you've been a part of the show. This feels like
the easiest producer moment ever. Hey do you know that
Nicole brought Mel those limen bars that you guys all
made today? And that's that's where they leave it. Like
they tell the one girl that they know, like Robin,
who's going to be already upset and say something about it,
but we see nothing.
Speaker 3 (40:10):
It's very odd that You're right that they just kind
of let it hang like it was done and he
was like, oh, they're good lemon bars, and then it
was kind of over. And I like, you know, so
I don't know the producers this year at all, because
they you know, you know, the franchise kind of had
an upheople last year and there's all different people. But
I feel the same way about you, Like they just
missed this whole opportunity to you know, have so they're
(40:33):
allowing this weird drama with Nicole, like with her just
playing it out in her head with everybody else. But
when there is like real drama, like this is actually
something that they should be mad at her about, they
don't ever get the opportunity to do that to like
say no, she didn't make it, Like she literally went
and sat in the hot tub, and like specifically the crush,
Like you're talking about the crust. They show like Jerry
and somebody else like actually rolling out the crust. Yeah,
(40:56):
and Nicole in the hot tub, like specifically the crust
the thing that I made it because it's extra thin,
and I know that's how you like it, Like she
really didn't do that.
Speaker 2 (41:05):
This could be lemon bar Gate, just like we've had
shrimp Gate in the past, and this could be an
iconic moment for the show. And it also could have
been a moment in the show that's memorable that maybe
made Mel take a step into something uncomfortable and confront something.
But we don't see it. We see a small little
(41:26):
comment from Cindy about how she took credit, but it
feels like it just comes and goes. Yeah, it's such
a big, long story.
Speaker 3 (41:35):
And again it makes me think, is it Bachelor trying
to keep her around because she's creating controversy and so
if he discovers that she's lying about this, is he
then going to send her home and not give her
a rose this week?
Speaker 2 (41:50):
Yeah? I think that's probably the only outcome. I think
you're right, I think. But then again, it makes me
ask the question, why do they show it unless they
want the audience to maybe be upset. Yeah, but the
audience is going to be upset already. It's really what
I think the audience wants to see, is Mel do
something that feels human and have to respond to something
(42:13):
that feels uncomfortable. Mmm, yeah, we haven't seen yet.
Speaker 3 (42:17):
Yeah, and he does, and he doesn't get the chance
to do that, and it would have been a perfect
time for him to maybe get rid of Nicole because
like we are all seen from the outside that that
needs to happen, and that he's not thinking with his
head in his heart, he's thinking with other things. It's
all physical with him right now with her, Like one
is he ever going to like get in touch with
reality and what she really is like because she's only
(42:38):
showing good side of her. He's not seeing all the
stuff we're seeing.
Speaker 2 (42:41):
Yeah, I'm with you. It's just I think it's a
little bit of caring, and I think it's a little
bit of awareness mm hmm. And I think it's a
little bit of the the women in the house, you know,
combating some of this. But he's gotten rid of the
combatis at this point Robin was trying to say something
to him. Yet we see at the Rose ceremony that
(43:03):
Peg and car already have roses. Debbie, Cindy, Cheryl and
Nicole get roses, which means Roxanne, Robin and Jerry are
going home. We see Jerry kind of be the focal
point of the exits. Mm hmm.
Speaker 3 (43:17):
I feel like like they never developed any farther like
first date rose, or like whatever, the first impression rose.
She got that. I loved that she got that because
she was kind of a like an unlikely person to me.
I thought I didn't think she was going to get it.
I thought people someone that made a bigger entrance usually
gets that. But he, you know, felt something about her.
(43:41):
It just never grew. I didn't feel like it ever
really grew and continued on this group date. I didn't
feel like there was any chemistry between them on this date.
So I feel like it never grew. But I love
that he did say, like that wasn't a mistake. I
really had a connection with you that first night, and
it's okay if it doesn't grow, you know, it is
what it is. There are other people that he felt
(44:04):
a bigger connection with. But I felt like she went
home happy, like she had her moment and she grew
from it. And I think that she's now opened the
door to dating and you know, like having a different
life that she didn't have before she came. This happened
to me, I mean, same kind of thing happened to me.
I went into Golden Boucher not really ready to date
and not really open to the whole thing. I just
(44:25):
kind of did it on a whim and thought, well,
I'm just gonna, you know, throw caution to the wind
and take a leap of faith and see how this works.
And I came out a completely different person. And I
feel like that's happened to Jerry.
Speaker 2 (44:34):
Also, Yeah, I agree. I think, yeah, she will only
be better yep for this experience, and it's going to
be a good story to share. It'll be fun maybe
to see her be one of the goldens in Paradise.
If they bring Paradise back, that would be fun. I know.
They all jumped in the pool with their clothes on,
and then the rose ceremony really funny, really cute m h.
(44:57):
And then we see the previews for next week. There
looks like they're at some spiritual retreat. We can also
see dates at the Griffith Observatory, so it looks like
they're still in Los Angeles during this next episode mm hm.
And we see some kissing, we see Debbie telling Mel
she's falling in love with him, and then we kind
(45:18):
of see the big moment where there's an suv that
pulls up. It looks like to one of their dates
that maybe is a group date or they're on a
hike of some kind. Any insight joan into what you
think that could be.
Speaker 3 (45:31):
So as far as like a spiritual retreat, I feel
like it's going to be really out of Mel's comfort zone.
I just think that's going to be weird. And I
feel like Bacher loves to do these spiritual things and
they're always so uncomfortable. I was so uncomfortable at the
one on my season. I can't remember, did you do
a spirit like one of those yoga or one of
those weird things. It's a new thing. Huh. Yeah, they're uncomfortable.
(45:53):
I can't see Meil being really great at a spiritual
kind of retreat kind of thing, and then that a
suv pulls up. Does he finally figure out Nicole? I
don't know. Maybe all of this is leading up to that.
So I don't know. I feel like Cheryl is I
(46:17):
feel like she's acting a little bit.
Speaker 2 (46:20):
Like over dramatizing something.
Speaker 3 (46:22):
Yeah, a little bit. So yeah, I don't know. What
do you think it is? I can't I can't think
other than I think Nicole, because maybe they're leading up
to this and we're going to be happy when she
gets sent home. Yeah maybe, yeah.
Speaker 2 (46:34):
I mean it just you know, if it was a
medical emergency, would have seeing ems. So it's a black car,
which means we're seeing an exit of some type. I
actually thought it was somebody coming to the show. To me,
I thought it was somebody arriving. But then I think
the words are saying she left.
Speaker 3 (46:55):
Yeah again her saying I can't believe she's gone.
Speaker 2 (46:57):
Yeah yeah. So I'm curious. It does feel like a
big moment during this season that they're going to tease,
probably for a few weeks here. What it does point
me to is that Cheryl might be around a while. Yeah,
we'll see Joan. Any other comments that we haven't covered
when it comes to this season so far on The
(47:18):
Golden Bachelor, Hmm, I think.
Speaker 3 (47:20):
We covered Nicole pretty well. I feel like I am
missing some dates that need to happen, Like I feel
like Carol really needs a date. I love that she
gets the group date Rose, so I hope we see
more of her. Cheryl's had a date. Cindy needs a date.
Looks like she gets one though, right we see her
(47:42):
kind of kissing him, so I feel like Cindy gets one.
Debbie's getting great Nicole's kind of gotten one. PEG's gotten one.
So I feel like, you know, I need Carol to
have something. I'm hoping we see more from her. I
really really like her.
Speaker 2 (47:56):
Yeah, I'm with you. That's a great comment in something
to state. Tune for next episodes. Joan, it is always
a gift to have you in our presence. You are
incredible at this. It is so fun to break this
down with you. Thank you for answering all the questions
of the behind the scenes of The Golden but also
giving your input into what we're seeing currently on the Goldens.
We wish you the best. We hope that you and
(48:18):
Chop can do many more New York City tours together.
And next time, if we're there at the same time,
please message us and tell us you're there. I will
if it's not like a, hey, we haven't seen each
other in a couple months, we just need our own
time kind of trip.
Speaker 3 (48:32):
We would have loved to see you. I will definitely
do that next time.
Speaker 2 (48:36):
Joan, You're the best. Until next time, I've been, Ben,
I've been, Joan, see you later.
Speaker 1 (48:41):
I'll 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):
Welcome back to the Almost Famous Podcasts. It's been here
today and I am joined by the Golden Bachelorette herself,
Joan Vassos. We to recap the latest episode of The
Golden Bachelor. Joan to get us started, though, I want
to ask, how's chalk? He recently said, you hadn't seen
each other in about a month.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
That was crazy, So okay, so we got we started.
You know, we got engaged in August of last year,
and we've always been really good about seeing each other
every like two to three weeks at the most was
like our biggest time of part and then all of
a sudden, twice this summer, we just had really conflicting schedules.
And also, I mean part of the problem is he
has a business in Wichita and he kind of has
(00:48):
to be there. So we had two instances where we
didn't see each other for a whole month, and that
was one of those, was like last week, but we
got together or he suggested that maybe we meet in
New York because that's like kind of our happy place
and it's like when we go when I go to Wichita,
or he comes to Maryland like our families all around
us and we don't get to spend like super duper
quality time together like we want. So we always round
(01:11):
a vue in New York City. So we did that
and we saw a show, We went to Great Dinners,
and we walked in Central Park and just had a
great relaxing time. It was a real good, like what
our relationship needed.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
When were you there in New York last.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Friday Saturday Sunday? So just a couple days ago?
Speaker 2 (01:27):
You were there when I was there with Chris Harrison
and Wells Adams for the City Cruises.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
I know, I was on the train on the way
up there and I was listening to your podcast with
Ashley and you said you were going to be doing that.
You were there on Sunday, right, Yeah?
Speaker 2 (01:41):
I know.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
How was it?
Speaker 2 (01:43):
It was amazing?
Speaker 1 (01:44):
It went.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
So we have another one in San Diego December sixth.
It was a blast. We had fun, the best time.
It was nothing but reminiscing and telling stories. The cool
part is our listeners are going to be able to actually
hear New York event because we recorded it with iHeart,
so it's going to be on our stream here soon, Joan.
(02:08):
It's funny. I was just I just got off the
phone with the sweetest, nicest United Airlines rep and she
recognized my voice from this show and she's, you know,
she got to tell me about her love with the
Bachelor and the Golden Bachelor and all Bachelor things related.
(02:28):
And I was telling her, Hey, I get to jump
on a recording soon and talk about this Golden Bachelor,
and she was so excited.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
What is she What does she think about him? I
love to hear people's perspective.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
I didn't get an inside glance, but I did get
insight from our shows that we were doing live in Boston,
New York. I think that people look at Mel and
they say, a very handsome guy. He seems kind. But
for whatever reason in and we could probably you know,
(03:02):
name a few, the audience just isn't connecting with it
like they did past, you know, with Gary, because yeah,
I think I honestly, I think Mel is just it's
it's uncommon for a guy like him not to be
able to find somebody, and I think they want that
like more heartfelt second chance at love. This feels like
(03:25):
maybe one of the only ways that somebody's gonna be
able to find it kind of story, and so it's
just not connecting.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
I agree with you on that, like that we think, oh,
he doesn't need this show to find love, like he
probably has women all over him. But I also feel
like he is. Like I feel like, so we're an
episode four and I feel like by now I should
know something about him. I still know nothing. He just
doesn't open up. And by the way, he doesn't do
(03:54):
it this episode either, So I feel like we're going
to run out of time and we may get to
the end of the season and not know Mal and
that's going to be a problem.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
I told Ashley this last week. I said, what we
need from Mel, what Mel needs for himself, and I
don't mean this to he needs a breakdown, Like he
needs that moment of vulnerability that you know this show
oftentimes provides from the lead where we see them so invested,
(04:22):
so conflicted, so saddened by the exits, but also the conversations,
and we don't we don't have that yet, And like
you said, I think we need that in episode one
because people were cautious going into the season based on
the comments that Mel had made to really invest into
(04:43):
this season. And now we're we're actually going to be
talking about episode four today. But we're pretty far into
this thing for the Golden Season, and we don't have
that moment, like you said, where we know him. I
don't know what he actually wants. He says the right things,
he listens to the ladies talk. They tell him how
(05:03):
much they like him, and then he says, that's great.
That means so much to me. We don't know him
at all.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
We don't and we're gonna run out of time. And
the thing is, I think he's probably being coached by producers, right.
I mean, you've been on it, I've been on it.
You know, they know what you need to be doing.
And I feel like he's being coached and he doesn't
have it in him. Is what I'm afraid of. That
we're just going to run out of time and he
just isn't going to give that to us. Because you know,
(05:30):
we're getting pretty far along into this. He we're down
to only nine women, okay, he started out with twenty four,
twenty five, and you know, we're getting down to where
things are going to get serious really soon. We're going
to get down to hometowns before we know it, and
we know nothing about mel I'm just afraid he doesn't
have it in him, he doesn't have anything to say.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
I would also say, there's a couple of things, and
I'm glad we're talking about this with you. I actually
don't think we know the women either. I think we
know pieces of them. But you know, when you were
on the Golden Bachelor, there are storylines from the women,
(06:11):
maybe their storylines of loss, maybe their storylines of hope.
Maybe there's storylines of getting through something difficult like illness
or financial struggle. We don't I could not name one
of those instances right now. And then here's the other side.
And I want to leave space for you to comment
(06:33):
on this. This feels very much like a Bachelor season
to me. And that was what was beautiful about the
Golden Show originally was it was so different. It was heartwarming,
it was heartfelt, it was beautiful. It was one of
support and hope, and this like empowerment. This feels very
(06:55):
Bachelor to me because we have a villain this season,
and Nicole, I know.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Well, I feel like it feels very Bachelor, like you said,
but I think part of the way the reason it
feels very Bachelor I mean, I think everybody knows, or
we all know in this business that bachelor seasons do
better than bachelorette seasons because people like having the women
as the storyline because they are so open and giving
(07:20):
of themselves and telling about themselves and wanting to talk.
And this group, like you said, really hasn't done that
that much. So it also feels like a bachelor season
because of that. It just I feel like we're lacking,
We're lacking all of those backstories. Like you said, I
feel like the only one I really know right now
maybe Debbie, and I feel like I am rooting for
(07:42):
her just because she's the only one I feel like
I know, and maybe Shayl a little bit because she
hadn't want one date.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
It's missing it right now for me, and I'm frustrated
by that because I love the Golden franchise. I think
it is something that could be still. I'm hoping so
good for the franchise and for the show, but it's tough.
Let's jump into this.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
Yeah, let's talk about that villain, because.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Yeah, there's a lot there a lot to say. We're
recapping episode four. We kind of start this whole thing
with Debbie leading the women in a workout class by
the pool. We have nine to eleven women left at
this point. Carol admits at this point she's holding back,
and then Debbie comes in with the date card. Now
here's where we'll start. Joan Peg gets the one on
(08:28):
one this week, and you wanted to talk about our
villain Nicole. She's surprised if I remember, right at this moment,
and a little irritated by Peg getting this one on one.
It's the start a little foreshadowing I think of what's
to come for this episode where the underlying theme is
(08:49):
Nicole rubbing people the wrong way.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
Yeah, and she started this rubbing people the wrong way,
like already it's happened in other episodes. She just is
I think she's so very self un unself aware, like
she doesn't really see reality. And she thinks they all
really like her, I think, and I think they're all
rolling in their eyes as she walks out of rooms
after she says these crazy statements, and this was one
(09:14):
of them. I mean, and we hear a lot of
it in interviews, so I don't think they're hearing everything
we're hearing when they watch this back. I think there
are it's going to be a whole different story. But
right now, like she's saying that in an interview, she's like, yeah,
I don't really get like why she hasn't one on
one day, I believe haven't seen the chemistry. Well why
would you see the chemistry? You know, like they're having
individual conversations, not in your eyesight. So I think she
(09:36):
just wants to, you know, feel like she has an
upper hand, and so she's just poopooing everybody else's relationships
because she thinks she's.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
For mel Why do you how do you feel about
their being an identified villain during during the Golden Show?
Do you like, how does that make you feel watching
it back now knowing you've been a part of all
this seasons up until this point.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
Yeah, that's funny. So I don't like it. So I
think the thing that people like about Golden Bachelor and
Golden Bachelotte is that there isn't drama. And I've heard
that over and over and over again. So it has
its own little place in Bachelor world. And I like
that it has its own little place, and it's like
what people are looking for when they go to that place.
And now that place has been like kind of uprooted
(10:25):
a little bit, and now it has like paint splashed
on it or whatever. It just isn't as pure as
it was. And I'm not sure will it ever go
back to being pure again. And I'm worried once drama
is introduced, then all of a sudden, it's okay now.
And I hope that that is not the case, because
I feel like we're going to lose that audience and
(10:47):
we're already worried about that. We're already worried about the
Golden audience, and this is just another thing to drive
them away.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
I agree with you, there was great momentum coming out
of The Golden Bachelor and Golden Bachelor into this season.
I think it was at a tipping point of really
taking off and becoming a household watchable product. You're right
in saying it was pure, you know. The Bachelor, I
think really suffered when drama became the focus and story
(11:20):
and love became kind of secondary to the overall message,
and drama was what people were, you know, what the
show was showing. I hope the show listens to their
audience and says, hey, they're not liking the drama. They're
not watching the drama. They're not intrigued by the drama. Jessica,
(11:42):
my wife watched The Golden because of the lack of drama.
It was something we could watch and not get frustrated with.
We could watch it and just enjoy the beautiful stories
and the beautiful people that came through. I think adding
in drama and focusing on drama is a mistake.
Speaker 3 (12:01):
That's my take, completely agree. Yeah, and I'm not sure
if we can go backwards now now that we've had drama.
You know, I worry a little bit that Bachelor is
worried about its audience and it so let's let's like
just jump off of Golden and go and look who
they just cast for the next season of Bachelorette. Somebody
(12:24):
who's a really controversial figure. You know, she has a
like a very sordid pass, and she's going to bring readings.
Are they doing this for ratings? That's what scares me now,
Like if you then all of us, all of a
sudden become a show about ratings, then you lose your purity,
you lose why you're really there, so and your ratings
should follow your you know, the reason you're there, as
(12:46):
opposed to the other way around.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
I think you're right, and I heard that all weekend
on these cruises. Is that right, going? Yeah, just you know,
it's hard for us to now watch the show when
the intention behind the show is not what it used
to be, which is, even if this doesn't work out,
the people coming on were least hopeful that maybe this
(13:08):
is where the start of their love story began, which
is a good segue here. We're going to get back
to the Peg and Maldate because there's some great moments
on that date and the fair is beautiful. But kind
of underlying through this episode is the conversation about becoming
an influencer and promoting brands and your status in society
(13:30):
as somebody that's known, did you during your time on
the show ever hear these kind of conversations happening and
they just weren't shown? Was it a different mindset? Kind
of talk about what your experience was on the show
based on what you're watching now this season?
Speaker 3 (13:47):
So I think as you get farther along, it happened
with and Bachelorette and now it's happening with Golden The
first seasons are really about what the seasons are supposed
to be about and like we didn't know about being
an influencer. I didn't even know what an influencer was.
I didn't even have Instagram. And I think that was
true for pretty much everyone on our show. I think
(14:11):
that was pretty much true for all the men that
were on my show. But I feel like as people,
So people on Golden Baucher now have Instagram, So I
have Instagram, Kathy, Susan, Nancy, everybody has Instagram now from
our season, and so we're now already starting from like
one step higher. So we went from us not having
Instagram to this group now having Instagram and thinking, Okay,
(14:34):
I could make something out of this. So I feel
like this influencer thing just like those steps go up
and up and up for every season, and I think
now we've just made the next step up, like now
they know and now the next group is going to
make that next step, and all of a sudden, we're
going to be just like the regular Bachelor and Bachelrettes.
We're going to be people that are going on there
(14:54):
for the wrong reasons, trying to be influencers, thinking this
is the way that they are going to be famous,
as opposed to how great it was right in the
beginning with the first Golden Bauchler in the first in
my first season, where everybody was there for just only
the right reasons, nobody was there for any other reason.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Yeah. Again, it goes back to your word purity. It
had a pure spirit to it because there was no
other thought process or intention coming into the show and
then really leaving the show. And I obviously know a
lot of the contestants that were on your season, but
also you know during Gary's time as the Bachelor, and yes,
(15:32):
some of them have made new second careers, third careers
based on the show, but those things were kind of
offered to them. They weren't pursued during it or from it. Joan,
(15:54):
Let's go to this. Peg and Mel date interesting couple
to me. They're very unique, both very active athletic. They
went to a fair. There's one of our producers on
the show head there has been to this fair every
summer of her life. Mel and Peg say they've both
(16:14):
been to this fair before. Firs are a big deal
because where I come from, the Kasiasco County Fair in Warsaw,
Indiana is what people travel thirty plus miles to come
to because it is one of the coolest things of
the summer. I love fairs, big fan of fairs. I
still go back for the fair. What was your thoughts
(16:34):
on the relationship or the connection between Peg and Mel.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
It's just like wholesome fun and that's what we needed
from the two of them, because she is just I
feel like she is like an innocent I mean, she's
probably seen terrible things in her life. She worked with
the FBI, she was a firefighter, like she had all
these experiences. Yet she is just so joyful and she's
so easy to get along with, and she's game for anything.
And I think it was a perfect date for them.
(17:00):
I think we really needed to see that from Mel. Also,
Like I knew she had it in her, but I
needed to see if he had it in him, Like
can you just be fun and let go of like
all of your status in the world. You know, you've
been a professional football player, you're a lawyer. I mean,
I think he has all this kind of ego in
him and just like have no ego and just have
fun to act like a kid. So I think we
needed this from him, and I think he did a
really good job. I think he was really engaged.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
Peg is one of those like big personalities. I think
that could push him out of his comfort zone, which
is I think, as you said, something needed. She is
a big personality. She's a fun personality. I wish we'd
actually get more of Peg throughout the season as we
watch her interact even with the women, because I think
she is probably hilarious. I can just picture her filter
(17:44):
not being there, similar to a Kathy where they say
wild things and it's hilarious and it's lovable and we
like them more for it. I wish we saw more
of Peg kind of interacting amongst the women in the house.
But this was a good date and I do think
if anything, if nothing else, this was a very humanizing
(18:07):
moment for us watching Mel. We got to watch him
become just a human and not some robot that's you know, handsome, smart,
accomplished all these things. It's like, we just want to
see him go out and throw a baseball and eat
you know, whatever fair food they eat, and have fun
(18:28):
and have fun. That I think that the message is
just we want to see Mel have fun during this.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
We really did. And the fact that he had fun
even though she was beating him in most of the games. Yeah,
it was actually showed me that his ego wasn't as
much as I thought. It was like he was happy
that she was really good. He thought she was a
I think he actually said I think she's a badass
or something like that, like he was. He thought it
was charming and he liked that about her. So that
(18:53):
made me like him more honestly, because you know, he
could have been one of those guys that like, oh
she's better and like sulked or you know, not want
to play the games anymore. He kept going back for
more and.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
He liked it. Yeah. I think the big moment that
stands out too is peg throwing the baseball. How into
it she got. I don't know if that's like just
to her being funny or if that's how she throws
a baseball, but it had to be clocking at eighty
five miles per hour straight down the pipe because she
put her whole body in.
Speaker 3 (19:20):
Curiously, I know, I was like, where did she learn
how to do that? I feel like everything she does
surprises me. She's just good at everything, and as well
as looking good while she's doing it, she's just so cute,
so pretty. It's just a cute little figure. And she's
just so joyful. She makes you smile. And he even
said that when she was walking up, or maybe it
(19:41):
was in one of his interviews, he said, every time
I'm with Peg, I just smile. It's just infectious. She
just makes you smile. And I think he had such
a good time with her. And I feel like, honestly,
I don't want to give them to call any credit,
but I hadn't seen a lot of chemistry with them either,
and I thought, this is where I finally see it.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
Yeah, that's fair. One of the funniest moments it just
like made me smile is they kind of endo their
day with the Casey and the Sunshine Band, which is
something my dad played so often.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
By the way, I knew every song I'm sorry, I'm
I'm of the Golden Era too. I love Casey in
the Central Band.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
It's it just made me smile. I loved it because
I was like, this is bringing back my childhood playing
over the you know, the speakers in the house. This
is a great date. And then we're moving on to
the next day at the mansion. This is where we're
really getting the conversation that we just talked about about influencing. Yeah,
(20:37):
the kind of the status that these women will have
coming off of this show, it feels I don't know
why I feel this way. Almost watching it felt heavy
to me joan like one. I think the dreams and
the expectations will fall short of what they're hop like,
what Nicole is really hoping for out of this. I
(20:58):
just I don't know any people that have made a
living influencing off of this show. I think it's very hard.
I think it's very sporadic. I think it seemed sor lived,
short lived. I think it's just tough. So I feel
heavy in that manner that she comes onto this thinking
that her life is going to change and she's going
(21:19):
to be able to influence. I also don't love again.
I think it's heavy because I love this Golden franchise
so much. It felt almost like a pivoting turning point
for me watching the show where I say, Okay, the
purity of this is gone. Now, this was good, this
was great. It was different than anything else the Bachelor
has put out there. It's no longer different, and I'm
(21:42):
sad about that.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
It was so blatant and so she just held nothing back.
I felt like she was really full of herself. That morning,
she got up with a like a new look on
Lias on life and she was going to go just
put it all out there, and she's like, you know,
I came here not just dating Mail, I'm dating America.
I'm like, I'm not even sure what that means. But
h and everybody who's watching and not watching, I'm not
(22:05):
sure what that means. Then she said, like, we have
real housewife status. I think you're right, She's her thought
of this is overinflated. There are lots of people that
come off the show and go back to their normal lives.
Like I honestly, I came off of being Golden Bachelorette
and I got home on a Friday and I went
to work on Monday morning. Like your life doesn't change
(22:25):
that much. You go back to your regular life. And
I don't think she gets that, or I don't think
that's what she wants, but I do feel like it
was so blatant it did kind of ruin things. Yeah,
and I mean I think she sucks the air out
of the room, like with her like weird comments.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
Yeah, definitely, Like if you have one kind of person
speaking this way and doing this type of thing. It
does change the whole vibe of the house. I went
back to work after my time as a bachelor. Yeah,
for two years. I sold software again until other things
kind of came on and my world and I could
leave my job for two years. A week after filming stopped,
(23:05):
I was back in my office working and traveling for
a software company. I think this messaging of whoever's telling
them this, that this influencing is the path and it's
going to be handed to you and you're going to
get paid so much money to post some pictures. I
just think it needs to go away because it is
hurting the show. It especially will hurt the Golden franchise. Yeah,
(23:29):
so you know, we do get in the group date,
before we get into the Lemon Bar scandal. Before we
do I do there was a line that I want
to ask you about.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
I know. Yeah, I'm still just like kind of comprehend it.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
To be honest, Joan, you are are You are a
beautiful human, attractive in every way, personality, the physical appearance.
And there's so many other women on your season that
were just beautiful people. But Nicole as the last cast,
was not that good looking or something along those lines.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
Yeah, wasn't so great looking or something like that. I
actually stopped it and rewound it. Couldn't believe somebody coud
actually say that. So and I'm like, Yep, she sure
as heck said that. And I don't even know what
to say that. I mean, first of all, like you said,
there are such beautiful women on the Golden Bachelor season,
(24:25):
and at this point, we've gotten to know so many
of them, you know, we went through a whole season,
but that we've seen them after the season, and like
what their lives look like and what good people they are.
And I just don't think she is in touch with reality.
I just think she is so full of herself and
she is so I almost feel like like her whole
world is this show right now, and all of our
(24:45):
happiness and all of her status is involved in this show,
and so she needs to make it really big and
really special in her mind and to do that. And
she's also all about, like very very very in tune
with the looks and the way people look. And so
I think that, you know, having a bunch of beautiful
men and the women on the show are really beautiful.
I agree with her, but I don't think they're any
(25:06):
more beautiful than the people that were on Goldenbaucher. I
think everybody's different. Everybody is beautiful in their own way,
and she just needs this to be bigger in that way.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
Also, Yeah, I completely agree with you. I was surprised
by that comment because it is it just feels one
more critical than we're used to even seeing on The Bachelor,
and then two I just don't I don't know if
I agreed, And so it feels like a very aggressive
comment to make while you know you're on a show
(25:38):
that this will probably be shown on to national television,
especially if somehow you're dating America. I just don't think
it's going to go over Well. No, well, we are
going to get into the group date. The group date
card says sexy at every age. It's gonna be a
photo shoot with People magazine. Joan, you've been on the show,
(25:59):
You've done these to shoots. How Ashley and myself both
have different and but yet similar takes on a photo
shoot date. They seem to have popped up on every
Golden Season so far? Season Yep, what do you think
of them? Did it feel this? Do you remember yours?
Does it feel fun? Does it bring people together, Like,
just walk us through how it feels to be on
(26:20):
the Golden Show and be told you're going on a
photo shoot.
Speaker 3 (26:23):
So on Golden Bachelor, Like, so first of all, let's
just say, like, as women, being on a photo shoot,
like dressing up and like trying to pretender to something
else is what we've done all of our lives. Like
you you like, for you know, your third or fourth Christmas,
you're given a box full of costumes that you wear
around the house all day with your friends, and you know,
it's what we do. So honestly, I think it's a
(26:45):
really good date group date because women feel kind of comfortable,
and you got to think about other group dates that
they've had so far. They've been cheerleaders, kind of uncomfortable.
They have had to do a comedy routine, also a
little hard in front of a bunch of people. So
as far as a group date, I feel like this
is comfortable for the women and we may get more
(27:06):
out of them because they're not so nervous. They are
going to put on like a fun outfit and have
your picture taken and get close to mel. What you
don't get is a lot of conversation in fact, you
get like no conversation. Honestly, you just get mel looking good.
He's a handsome guy. He has a shirt off on
a lot of the a lot of this date he
has his shirt off and he's looks he's looking great.
(27:28):
And the women are looking really fun and pretty in
their costumes and they look like they're having a great time.
You don't get a lot of conversation, but you do.
I feel like it like really cute pictures and everybody
having fun and it looks like it's fun. But once again,
what are you talking during these dates?
Speaker 2 (27:43):
You have your picture taken, and it's something talking is
something we're missing this season. I think we started saying
off the show saying, hey, we're missing getting to know people,
but we do get to know somebody that I think
you and I both find not only interesting but very
intriguing in a really one of those characters this season
(28:06):
that I'd love to even learn more about. Debbie. She
gets emotional during this day because, as she's mentioned in
the past, she's never been engaged, she's never been married.
Speaker 3 (28:16):
I think she has been engaged.
Speaker 2 (28:18):
She has been engaged.
Speaker 3 (28:19):
You think, okay, yeah, yeah, she has been engaged, But
she's never been married okay, yep, but never worn a
wedding dress.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
This is very special. In fact, this I feel like
could have been her Golden Bachelor atte moment where this
person who is beautiful, who is open to sharing her
feelings and emotions, who's excited about the possibility of love,
opens up about that and this is the date that
does it. It's you know what, though, it's interesting now
(28:47):
that we're talking about this. I remember during Gary's season
and they had the photo shoot. I think that's when Nancy,
Nancy really you know, opened up and started sharing. So
there is something about this wedding dress deal. It's a
little bit mean because you're for anybody's been already in
the past or lost to spouse or maybe been divorced.
It is a reminder, yep of what was I don't
(29:10):
know if I love that aspect to it, but it
has caused the contestants to open up, and I think
that is going to be very beneficial, especially this season.
Speaker 3 (29:20):
So in Gary season, Nancy opened up because she was
super emotional about she said, I haven't had a wedding
dress on since I was married, and she had lost
her husband and he had died of colon cancer, so
you know, it was really emotional for her. I see
Debbie getting really emotional, and I also get that for
her because she has never had this experience. And like
most people by the age, by the time you're in
(29:41):
your sixties, you've been married. Maybe it didn't work out,
maybe you're divorce or maybe your husband has passed away
like mine did. But you have actually had the time
to be married. You've spent years and years and years
with your person. And she's never had that. And it
makes me really worried for her because in her interview
after that, she's I was she said, you know, it
(30:01):
so special being in this wedding dress, and I was
ready for him to get down on one knee right there.
And I feel like, oh, I'm going to kill him
if he breaks her heart. I'm afraid, you know. I
know she's one of nine stale and I'm really really
worried about her heart right now because I think she
is maybe the most open of everybody. Yeah, of all
the contestants, I think she is most of it. I
(30:23):
almost feel like she's most deserving. I want this so
badly for her to be a couple, to be married,
she's wanted it for so long.
Speaker 2 (30:30):
Yeah. Again, it points to if it doesn't work out
with her in Mel, how beautiful would it be if
she got her own chance and we could watch Like
that's the type of people I want to watch.
Speaker 3 (30:40):
I totally agree with you.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
The show is people. I'm like, I beg of you
to find a love and I beg of you to
let me watch it because it would be so beautiful.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
Oh my god, I love that idea. I love that idea.
So I hope she. I hope this works out for
her because I can see that she's really invested in Mel,
and she really likes them and I actually they're really
cute together. But if it doesn't, I love your idea. Okay,
So I'm going to hold out hope that if she
doesn't get it, I'm not going to be heartbroken for her,
because maybe she'll get to be the golden beout trite.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
Let's put it out there, let's get people voting for it.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
I'm with you.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
This day kind of goes on and on, and then
the photographer says he saw a lot of chemistry with
Mel and Cindy. He wants to take them for more
pictures and so we see the women watching Mel and
Cindy roll around the beach. The conversation I want to
have around this that I think is interesting. Ashley and
myself talked about it last week. As a lead of
(31:45):
a show, it was always very important to me to
try to not show affection in front of the other
castmates or other contestants win at all possible. It just
felt mean, it felt like it would increase jealousy or envy.
Mel doesn't seem to have this. He seems to be
diving full force into kissing and holding on whoever is
(32:05):
near him in front of anybody else.
Speaker 3 (32:07):
I mean we saw it in the pool, right, I
mean literally in front of everybody else.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
What do you think of that?
Speaker 3 (32:13):
I feel the same way as you do about it.
First of all, I not only feel about that way
about it in front of everybody else watching, and it
like creating conflict and creating you know, jealous as the person,
like even as Cindy, I wouldn't have wanted it because
I'd want the other girls to like me. But also
it seems a little voyeuristic to me, Like I don't
(32:35):
think that as like me watching the TV, like I
really want to see that kind of intimate moment. I
don't want to see anything that intimate. Like, you know,
kisses are okay, rolling on top of each other is
a little too much for me. I think it's especially
with the.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
Golden I'm with you. I just it feels again either
pushing in the lines of being the Bachelor's show, or
it also even during the Bachelor show, would feel maybe
i'd say inappropriate, just with the respect of the other
people involved. Speaking of inappropriate, this date starts out really
(33:10):
like beautiful, and they're wearing dresses and all this stuff,
and then we end with people wearing towels. I don't
exactly remember or understand. Why how did we go from
dresses to towels?
Speaker 3 (33:20):
I don't know. Well, so the whole beach theme is okay.
I don't know how poor Carol ended up with just
a towel. And I'm looking at the rack of clothes
now she's standing there. She's like, all I have is
a towel, but yet there is a rack still with
clothes on it. So I'm not sure how that happened.
That seems maybe it was a little engineered and she
got stuck with the towel and like she didn't seem
(33:43):
like she really liked the idea, and she felt uncomfortable,
and I felt uncomfortable for her, and I think maybe
she really didn't have clothes on. Unruth. I don't really know,
but I think that's like kind of brave. You're running
around Malibu Beach with only a towel on. But she
embraced it at the end, which I'm surprised. She said,
I went from hey, being the tawgirl to loving being
the tow girl. I'm not sure why that transition happened.
(34:05):
I think she just finally accepted it and got into it.
But I don't know what were the producers thinking. Why
did she I don't even know the theme of that date.
They all had different stuff on.
Speaker 2 (34:14):
Yeah, I think it was just literally, I don't know
if there was an idea. It was like, here's a
photo shoot, and what can we individually pick out for
each person to make them feel the most uncomfortable or
to bring out emotion. Carol does end up with the
group day Rose from this day, so it does work
out for her, But we also see the first time
mel is kind of exposed to any drama that's happening
in the house. Robin brings up to Mel during this that, hey,
(34:37):
she doesn't think everybody there is being authentic to the
experience and to the pursuit of love that this show
is about. Mel pretty quickly dismisses this conversation and says, no,
I think they are As a lead Joan, when somebody
would come to you and say something like this, do
(34:59):
you listen, how do you respond? What do you take
from it?
Speaker 3 (35:03):
So I'm thinking about people that have done this in
the past, and this happens all the time, especially on
just regular Bachelor Bacherette seasons. Happens pretty often, and I
feel like the lead is always very conflicted about not
necessarily wanting to believe them, and sometimes the messenger becomes
(35:24):
the person their manner and not the intended person that
maybe they should be wary of. So all of a sudden,
the messenger becomes the bad guy. And I think that's
what happened in this one. Also, that he didn't really
want to believe it, and even if she had told
him that it was Nicole, I think he's not thinking
with his head in his heart right now, to be honest,
(35:45):
I'm hoping he starts thinking with the right body parts
but I think at this time he's not, and he
would have dismissed it anyway, even if she said the
name as a lead. I think I would want to know,
but you just never know what people's motives are. Sure,
so I'm not I'm not sure that you want to
dive into that, and maybe you need to discover things yourself.
And I'm hoping that Mel discovers this himself. I mean,
(36:08):
she's so out there with her statements. Eventually she's going
to say something to him. Yeah, I just can't imagine
that she's going to hide it from him for much longer.
Speaker 2 (36:16):
I think it was such a fear of mine that
there would be people there with all interior motives that
if somebody would have said it to me and they did,
I think I just would have asked a few questions.
I'm with you on Hey, I'm not going to take
this as the only truth, but I want to be
able to investigate it, or at least to be knowledgeable
(36:37):
of it, and if anything, maybe confront some of the
people that were brought up and just say, hey, like,
you know the simple question. You know, I only need
to tell them who told me? But why are you here?
Like what excites you about this experience and about you know,
what you're going through, just to get nuggets a little
bit of information, you know. I think, yes, you're right
(37:01):
if the person that says it oftentimes is the one
that gets in trouble mm hmm. Very rarely do we
see that go the other direction. Yeah, but I would
have asked a few more questions. I don't think I
just would have dismissed it and said no, no, no,
I know everything.
Speaker 3 (37:15):
Yeah. Do you think that Robin would have told him
the name if he had asked?
Speaker 2 (37:20):
Yes, I think she wanted to so bad.
Speaker 3 (37:22):
I know, I wonder why he didn't ask. I kept
thinking he was going to ask, like, who are you
talking about? So I don't think he wanted to know. Yeah,
just he would.
Speaker 2 (37:31):
Have asked the name, which points to one of two
things to me. Either he just doesn't care, like at all.
He hasn't not invested into this at all. There's no
emotion behind those the intention or like whatever. Yeah, that's fine,
I'm having a good time. We're doing it like I
haven't cried yet, I haven't really had a hard time yet.
(37:53):
I'm going to keep doing this this way. Or he
doesn't know to ask the question me. He doesn't know.
Maybe he hasn't watched any other seasons. He doesn't even
know what the path forward would look like if he
did find out.
Speaker 3 (38:08):
But wouldn't you know, Like it was so easy to
just say. It's almost surprised that he didn't say, well,
who are you talking about? Yeah, so it's I think
it's the what you said in the beginning. He doesn't care. Ye,
you must not really care.
Speaker 2 (38:22):
And that's concerning for me. Again. I think the best
thing for him and this season would be a moment
of vulnerability that he displays for us to go, yeah,
you're in this man, like you care, you're in it,
you're invested, which I haven't seen it yet, but either.
One of the big storylines of this episode that just
fell short, quite honestly, was the women are back at
(38:44):
the mansion the next day and they're preparing for this tailgate.
They're making Mele's favorite dessert, which is lemon bars. We
see Nicole Larius sharing that if this was her idea
and she's doing all the work, we see her in
the hot tub with a mask on, and the women going, yeah,
Nicole just sat out there with a mask on. And
watched things. They make these lemon bars, and then during
(39:09):
the tailgate, Nicole brings them to Mel and says that
she made these for him, and she talks about how
she made him and that she made him with a
thin crust because it's the way he likes it. It
fell short to me because this wasn't this wasn't a
small act. In my opinion, These women invested time and
(39:29):
effort and it could have been all of them. They
all kissed him one night together. Why not bring the
limbars to them together and just share, Hey, we're all
thinking about you. But she decides to do it herself.
Yet we see no follow up from it. That's kind
of where it ends, and so the story was never concluded,
(39:50):
it was never brought to service. This I mean, Joan,
you've been a part of the show. This feels like
the easiest producer moment ever. Hey do you know that
Nicole brought Mel those limen bars that you guys all
made today? And that's that's where they leave it. Like
they tell the one girl that they know, like Robin,
who's going to be already upset and say something about it,
but we see nothing.
Speaker 3 (40:10):
It's very odd that You're right that they just kind
of let it hang like it was done and he
was like, oh, they're good lemon bars, and then it
was kind of over. And I like, you know, so
I don't know the producers this year at all, because
they you know, you know, the franchise kind of had
an upheople last year and there's all different people. But
I feel the same way about you, Like they just
missed this whole opportunity to you know, have so they're
(40:33):
allowing this weird drama with Nicole, like with her just
playing it out in her head with everybody else. But
when there is like real drama, like this is actually
something that they should be mad at her about, they
don't ever get the opportunity to do that to like
say no, she didn't make it, Like she literally went
and sat in the hot tub, and like specifically the crush,
Like you're talking about the crust. They show like Jerry
and somebody else like actually rolling out the crust. Yeah,
(40:56):
and Nicole in the hot tub, like specifically the crust
the thing that I made it because it's extra thin,
and I know that's how you like it, Like she
really didn't do that.
Speaker 2 (41:05):
This could be lemon bar Gate, just like we've had
shrimp Gate in the past, and this could be an
iconic moment for the show. And it also could have
been a moment in the show that's memorable that maybe
made Mel take a step into something uncomfortable and confront something.
But we don't see it. We see a small little
(41:26):
comment from Cindy about how she took credit, but it
feels like it just comes and goes. Yeah, it's such
a big, long story.
Speaker 3 (41:35):
And again it makes me think, is it Bachelor trying
to keep her around because she's creating controversy and so
if he discovers that she's lying about this, is he
then going to send her home and not give her
a rose this week?
Speaker 2 (41:50):
Yeah? I think that's probably the only outcome. I think
you're right, I think. But then again, it makes me
ask the question, why do they show it unless they
want the audience to maybe be upset. Yeah, but the
audience is going to be upset already. It's really what
I think the audience wants to see, is Mel do
something that feels human and have to respond to something
(42:13):
that feels uncomfortable. Mmm, yeah, we haven't seen yet.
Speaker 3 (42:17):
Yeah, and he does, and he doesn't get the chance
to do that, and it would have been a perfect
time for him to maybe get rid of Nicole because
like we are all seen from the outside that that
needs to happen, and that he's not thinking with his
head in his heart, he's thinking with other things. It's
all physical with him right now with her, Like one
is he ever going to like get in touch with
reality and what she really is like because she's only
(42:38):
showing good side of her. He's not seeing all the
stuff we're seeing.
Speaker 2 (42:41):
Yeah, I'm with you. It's just I think it's a
little bit of caring, and I think it's a little
bit of awareness mm hmm. And I think it's a
little bit of the the women in the house, you know,
combating some of this. But he's gotten rid of the
combatis at this point Robin was trying to say something
to him. Yet we see at the Rose ceremony that
(43:03):
Peg and car already have roses. Debbie, Cindy, Cheryl and
Nicole get roses, which means Roxanne, Robin and Jerry are
going home. We see Jerry kind of be the focal
point of the exits. Mm hmm.
Speaker 3 (43:17):
I feel like like they never developed any farther like
first date rose, or like whatever, the first impression rose.
She got that. I loved that she got that because
she was kind of a like an unlikely person to me.
I thought I didn't think she was going to get it.
I thought people someone that made a bigger entrance usually
gets that. But he, you know, felt something about her.
(43:41):
It just never grew. I didn't feel like it ever
really grew and continued on this group date. I didn't
feel like there was any chemistry between them on this date.
So I feel like it never grew. But I love
that he did say, like that wasn't a mistake. I
really had a connection with you that first night, and
it's okay if it doesn't grow, you know, it is
what it is. There are other people that he felt
(44:04):
a bigger connection with. But I felt like she went
home happy, like she had her moment and she grew
from it. And I think that she's now opened the
door to dating and you know, like having a different
life that she didn't have before she came. This happened
to me, I mean, same kind of thing happened to me.
I went into Golden Boucher not really ready to date
and not really open to the whole thing. I just
(44:25):
kind of did it on a whim and thought, well,
I'm just gonna, you know, throw caution to the wind
and take a leap of faith and see how this works.
And I came out a completely different person. And I
feel like that's happened to Jerry.
Speaker 2 (44:34):
Also, Yeah, I agree. I think, yeah, she will only
be better yep for this experience, and it's going to
be a good story to share. It'll be fun maybe
to see her be one of the goldens in Paradise.
If they bring Paradise back, that would be fun. I know.
They all jumped in the pool with their clothes on,
and then the rose ceremony really funny, really cute m h.
(44:57):
And then we see the previews for next week. There
looks like they're at some spiritual retreat. We can also
see dates at the Griffith Observatory, so it looks like
they're still in Los Angeles during this next episode mm hm.
And we see some kissing, we see Debbie telling Mel
she's falling in love with him, and then we kind
(45:18):
of see the big moment where there's an suv that
pulls up. It looks like to one of their dates
that maybe is a group date or they're on a
hike of some kind. Any insight joan into what you
think that could be.
Speaker 3 (45:31):
So as far as like a spiritual retreat, I feel
like it's going to be really out of Mel's comfort zone.
I just think that's going to be weird. And I
feel like Bacher loves to do these spiritual things and
they're always so uncomfortable. I was so uncomfortable at the
one on my season. I can't remember, did you do
a spirit like one of those yoga or one of
those weird things. It's a new thing. Huh. Yeah, they're uncomfortable.
(45:53):
I can't see Meil being really great at a spiritual
kind of retreat kind of thing, and then that a
suv pulls up. Does he finally figure out Nicole? I
don't know. Maybe all of this is leading up to that.
So I don't know. I feel like Cheryl is I
(46:17):
feel like she's acting a little bit.
Speaker 2 (46:20):
Like over dramatizing something.
Speaker 3 (46:22):
Yeah, a little bit. So yeah, I don't know. What
do you think it is? I can't I can't think
other than I think Nicole, because maybe they're leading up
to this and we're going to be happy when she
gets sent home. Yeah maybe, yeah.
Speaker 2 (46:34):
I mean it just you know, if it was a
medical emergency, would have seeing ems. So it's a black car,
which means we're seeing an exit of some type. I
actually thought it was somebody coming to the show. To me,
I thought it was somebody arriving. But then I think
the words are saying she left.
Speaker 3 (46:55):
Yeah again her saying I can't believe she's gone.
Speaker 2 (46:57):
Yeah yeah. So I'm curious. It does feel like a
big moment during this season that they're going to tease,
probably for a few weeks here. What it does point
me to is that Cheryl might be around a while. Yeah,
we'll see Joan. Any other comments that we haven't covered
when it comes to this season so far on The
(47:18):
Golden Bachelor, Hmm, I think.
Speaker 3 (47:20):
We covered Nicole pretty well. I feel like I am
missing some dates that need to happen, Like I feel
like Carol really needs a date. I love that she
gets the group date Rose, so I hope we see
more of her. Cheryl's had a date. Cindy needs a date.
Looks like she gets one though, right we see her
(47:42):
kind of kissing him, so I feel like Cindy gets one.
Debbie's getting great Nicole's kind of gotten one. PEG's gotten one.
So I feel like, you know, I need Carol to
have something. I'm hoping we see more from her. I
really really like her.
Speaker 2 (47:56):
Yeah, I'm with you. That's a great comment in something
to state. Tune for next episodes. Joan, it is always
a gift to have you in our presence. You are
incredible at this. It is so fun to break this
down with you. Thank you for answering all the questions
of the behind the scenes of The Golden but also
giving your input into what we're seeing currently on the Goldens.
We wish you the best. We hope that you and
(48:18):
Chop can do many more New York City tours together.
And next time, if we're there at the same time,
please message us and tell us you're there. I will
if it's not like a, hey, we haven't seen each
other in a couple months, we just need our own
time kind of trip.
Speaker 3 (48:32):
We would have loved to see you. I will definitely
do that next time.
Speaker 2 (48:36):
Joan, You're the best. Until next time, I've been, Ben,
I've been, Joan, see you later.
Speaker 1 (48:41):
I'll follow the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous podcasts
on iHeartRadio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts,
Hosts And Creators
Ben Higgins
Ashley Iaconetti
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