July 10, 2025 • 31 mins
Today on “Happy Hour,” we’re sitting down with Lexi from Joey’s season and our brand-new season of “Paradise”! She’s here to dish on everything from her choice to go on the show to her decision at this week’s Rose Ceremony and everything in between! We kick things off with all the pre-“Paradise” updates. We chat about her matchmaking business, her health, and what dating looked like after Joey’s season. Then, we find out how she ultimately came to the decision to hit the beach this summer — what is Lexi looking for? And, of course, we get her POV on her connection with Justin and how his past relationship really weighed on her during this week’s episode. Tune in now to hear all this and more and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey, everyone, welcome back to bad You're Happy Hour. I'm
Joe and I'm Serena, And like we said, we are
doing interviews this week and we have Lexi coming on
the podcast. She's a pretty big person in episode one.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Yeah, I feel like definitely a fan favorite on Joey's
season of The Bachelor, we were lucky enough to have
her on during that season to learn more about her,
and she was a big part of episode one as well.
You know, we see her kind of getting close with Justin,
who is a fan favorite.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
He was on Paradise before.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
And there's a little bit of drama starting there with
the potential of Susie joining the cast as well.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Yeah, and her first day gets canceled. Was Yeah, what
like canceled?
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Sorry, guys, it's raining. We can't proceed.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
I just wanted them. I was like, at least like
let him go hang out in the room, or we
can't set up.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
An indoor dinner, Like we don't have a rain plan.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Yeah, Like the lobbies are like a lobby with a
fireplace where they could have like a glass of wine,
like get to know each other a little bit.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
That was that was shocking, But we can't wait to
get her take on justin, her date and everything to
do with episode one.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
Yeah, let's bring her in. LEXI. Welcome back to Battery
Happy Hour. How are you?
Speaker 4 (01:13):
Thank you happy to be back. I'm doing well. How
are you guys?
Speaker 1 (01:16):
We're good, We're good. Before we get into episode one,
a little background. You are from Joey's season. Man, it's
been a while, Joey has been a while. You were
on Joey's season. Where are you now? Where do you live?
What's kind of been going on pre paradise.
Speaker 5 (01:39):
Yeah, so I was on Joey's season and I came
back to Atlanta, which is where I'm still currently living.
And I came back to my corporate job. So nothing
too crazy in terms of changes, but I did start
a business which has been really exciting, and so I
just quit my corporate job recently and I'm doing the business.
Speaker 4 (01:55):
Full time now.
Speaker 5 (01:56):
So I've been traveling a lot, and yeah, it's kind
of been awind. I can't believe it's been as long
as it has since the season. It's time is crazy
right now.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
What is the business?
Speaker 5 (02:07):
The dating business? So it's called in the Wild and
it's in person dating. So we do matchmaking in person
dating events FED dating, and yeah, it's been fun. We've there's,
you know, three couples that are engaged and we have
over one hundred couples that are dating and it's only
been a year, so it's definitely working. But it was
fun to kind of get to play matchmaker on the
(02:27):
beach just since I've been doing that for the last year.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
So that's crazy.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
So what are some things that you look for when
you're trying to set people up?
Speaker 4 (02:35):
You know, you try to look at the person as
a whole.
Speaker 5 (02:37):
I think so much is like list driven these days,
like I want them to be this height, that they
want them to look like this, I want them to
have this type of job. But I think if you
strip some of that away, what I'm finding through all
of this is like in person people meet individuals and
they're actually very surprised, like from a personality connection, like
they wouldn't have matched with them on a dating app.
But once they get talking to them in a room
and you know, don't have like a checklist in front
(02:58):
of them of like their height occupy all of that,
they are more open minded to meeting different people. And
so I've definitely been trying to lean into that as well,
as you know, I was dating before the.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
Show, seeing someone as the whole and not just a list.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
Yeah, where could people find your website, your services? I
want to take advantage. And is it across the US?
Is it just Atlanta.
Speaker 5 (03:22):
We're about to kick off a tour and so we're
going to be going to major cities across the US
and basically bringing this pop up activation there. You guys
can find us on Instagram, in the wild dating and TikTok,
and then our website as well, which is linked in
all of those social platforms. But yeah, we're excited to
bring it to other cities like Charleston, Nashville, LA.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
So it should be fun.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
I love that. That is so fun.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
Have you dated since Joey's season?
Speaker 4 (03:49):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (03:49):
I dated someone briefly after Joey's season, and you know,
a good guy, but just kind of not on the
same page that I was on. And I think I
talked about that a lot on Joey's season what I'm
looking for, and so it's good experience. But I kind of,
you know, dated him right after the show, and then
I jumped right into building this business.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
And so when Paradise came along.
Speaker 5 (04:06):
I had a lot of mixed feelings about it, but
I hadn't dated in a little bit, and so it was, yeah,
we'll talk about that more, I'm sure, but it was
definitely a different as a stretch for me.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Yeah, I was thinking about you the other day because
I knew we were probably going to have you on
the podcast, and one of my girlfriends called me and
is getting the surgery done to see if she has endometriosis.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
How are you doing with all of that?
Speaker 5 (04:30):
It's been, you know, transparently, it's every day it has
its own challenges. I'm coming up on having another surgery
at the end of the summer, and so before that,
I'll have to freeze my eggs one more time. I
froze them right before I went on Joey's season, and so,
you know, I know, is a systemic disease with no cure,
and so unfortunately, you know it ebbs and flows definitely
have worse weeks than others. But luckily I have an
(04:51):
amazing team of doctors and hopefully eventually, you know, a
supportive partner and my eggs are frozen and we can
you know, come up with a plan that's best for
our family, but.
Speaker 4 (05:01):
Yeah, thank you for asking.
Speaker 5 (05:02):
It's it's just a part of me at this point,
not going anywhere, but I'm trying my best to stay positive.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Did it impact your experience filming Paradise in any way?
Speaker 5 (05:12):
Yeah, I think it was the second day and time
there is obviously, you know, everything feels like you're living
ten days in one and on the second day I
had a really bad flare, and so I just like,
for some reason, on Joey's season it was a little
like easier because I could wear like, you know, a
flowy dress, but we were on the beach and bikinis,
so you know, I was like kind of dying inside
(05:33):
because I mean, obviously all the girls are in such
good shape and then I'm over here like I looked
like eight months pregnant. Obviously out of my control. It
was an endo flare. Great doctors on the show. I've
always had such a good experience. They take such good
care of me. But it did feel in a bathing suit.
I was like, this is worst case scenario, but out
of my control.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
Yeah, no, that totally makes sense.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
So you get the call for Paradise, where's your head at?
You an instant Yes, we're what are you thinking?
Speaker 2 (06:04):
No.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
I think I was an instant no at first.
Speaker 5 (06:06):
And I think a lot of people when they found out,
you know, when they dropped the cast, were surprised, and
I was like, I was surprised too. I think when
I first heard about it, or you know, got that
invitation from from production, it was I don't know if
it's the best fit for me, just because of, you know,
exactly the reason why I left Joey's season. What I'm
looking for, Like, are these guys truly ready for that?
And then you don't know who the guys are ahead
(06:27):
of time, and so I wasn't sure there would be
someone there that was, you know, maybe a little older
and more ready for that next step.
Speaker 4 (06:34):
You know, who knows.
Speaker 5 (06:35):
I'm sure a lot of the guys, depending on their age,
could be ready for different things. But and I also
am just not an aggressive personality, and so I was like,
I don't even know if I'll do well there, because
if someone's fighting over a guy, I would just be like,
you know, you can have them, like I just I
couldn't even It would just give me anxiety. So at
first I was like, I don't think it's for me.
So that's kind of where we started.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Did you watch Bachelor and Paradise going into this?
Speaker 4 (06:59):
I have not seen it in so long.
Speaker 5 (07:01):
I have not seen it since like Hannah and Dylan's
like season, and so I know Paradise, but I had
not watched it in a year, so I felt like
I was a little behind. But then they kept saying
this season was going to be so different and so
id they were like kind of scrap everything you know
about it before, and so that.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
Made me feel a little better.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Yeah, so what were your initial thoughts when you got
there and everything was very different.
Speaker 5 (07:25):
They kept saying there's going to be these challenges, and
I was so nervous we were going to be on
like wipeout or something. I was like, I am not
like prepared for survivor like wrong, wrong contestant.
Speaker 4 (07:34):
But once I got.
Speaker 5 (07:35):
There, I mean, it was such a It's such a
beautiful resort, like truly really, you know, they upgraded, they
have air conditioning, which I'm sure you guys probably are.
Speaker 4 (07:42):
Jealous that you didn't have air conditioning.
Speaker 5 (07:43):
I heard from like Kat who had done Paradise before
that this was infinitely nicer. And so I'm in the
beach is the beach, but I was grateful to have
air conditioning and the goldens. You know, knowing they were
coming was fun and having handed there was like a
really nice mix up. So it was positive like energy
walking into it. For sure, it felt very fresh.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
When you guys got to Costa Rica, did you I'm
like kind of breaking the fourth wall with this question,
but like you obviously stay in a room for a
few days before they send you down. Did you stay
at that hotel or did you stay somewhere else and
they brought you onto set?
Speaker 5 (08:17):
Say, somewhere else and they brought us onto set. The
other hotel was it was very close. I mean it
was a less than a ten minute drive, but you
are in isolation until you get called down to the beach.
And when you do get called down, you don't know
if people have been there for you know, days, one
day hours.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
So same as I.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Guess before, were you at all worried that you may
not be original cast, that they could drop you?
Speaker 5 (08:40):
I did, yeah, and I expressed those concerns to production,
And it was mostly I wasn't trying to be like
I want to be there first. It was really because
of one my personality being a little bit more like mellow.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
I was nervous.
Speaker 5 (08:51):
I'm not I'm not the bombshell, like, don't bring me
in later, it will I just would. I don't think
I would do well on that, and so they kind
of reassured me that I would. They're early on to
be able to establish a connection, so I was like, okay,
maybe one first day, second day, but I've heard in
the past they bring in people so much later, so
you never know.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Yeah, and that's totally fair.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
I think anyone going on the show that's like really
serious about finding a genuine connection, the earlier the better.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
I mean, that's no.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Secret, totally Okay, So you get down there, you were
kind of down there earlier in the day for sure.
Speaker 4 (09:27):
Early.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
What are your original thoughts, what are those first conversations?
Speaker 5 (09:31):
Like, Yeah, it was so hot, that was my first thought.
I was like, how does everyone look good on this show?
Like I just could not stop thinking about this wedding.
But it was you know, we walked in. There's two
other people there, Spencer and Alex. Spencer from Gen season,
Alex from Grant season. I had known Spencer like just
through you know, social media before this, and he's such
(09:51):
just a great guy, and Alex was so vibrant, like
very energetic, so it was really good energy when we
walked in. But I think it was we were all
just waiting to see who was coming down next, So it.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
Was kind of just like a waiting game.
Speaker 5 (10:01):
And I think at that point, like Wells wasn't there,
Hannah definitely wasn't there, so we were all just kind
of like scoping it out. We didn't know if the
Goldens were coming that day, like, we didn't know anything.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
So going down, obviously we see you kind of form
a connection with Justin, But who were kind of the
guys that you were looking to talk to are interested in?
Speaker 5 (10:29):
Yeah, so I didn't have a specific name, but I
definitely wanted someone who was a little bit older and
maybe someone that I hadn't met before. And there was
a guy down there at Kyle, and I was really
excited because I didn't know who he was. I didn't
know what season he came from, so it was just
like very intriguing to get to know him better. But
otherwise I think I knew all of the guys at
least from social media besides Kyle.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
Okay, yeah, that's interesting. We asked just that too.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
We're just trying to get a vibe on like how
well everyone knew each other going in, because I feel
like it's different every season.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
Totally, which I think was good this season that it
was more like we kind of know of each other,
but we all don't really know each other. Yeah. Always,
that's always better. I think one of the past few seasons,
it just seemed like everyone like.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
Had met and been.
Speaker 4 (11:15):
It was like the stage coach thing, right, Like I
didn't go to stage Coach this.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
Year, so yeah, it was probably for the best. So
down there the first day, all the cast is there.
Who are the people that you're closest with.
Speaker 5 (11:29):
I'm really close to Jess, She's from my season. She's amazing,
And I think that was from a girl perspective. She
was the only one that I knew from from my season.
But I really started to get close to Bailey and
Zoe and Alex and so so nice having them there.
And Jonathan I had talked to on social media a
little bit before, and so it felt like kind of
talking to a friend. So I think at first we
(11:50):
were all like kind of grouped together and then people
started to pair off. But it was nice to have
some familiar faces, so we made it a little more comfortable.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
Was there a romantic spark at all with you and Jonathan?
Speaker 4 (12:01):
Ever, No, you know, I never got to explore it.
Speaker 5 (12:03):
I that first day was so chaotic just with you know,
getting to know everyone, and then I got that one
on one on the first day, and then it got
rained out and so they swiftly bring you to your
room and you got to get ready and hurry, hurry, hurry,
And so I actually ended up waiting in the room
for like five and a half hours because every time
I think, they had to wait, wait, wait, And so
I missed those five and a half hours. Where I
(12:25):
was in the room was when everyone else was like
mixing and mingling, and so Jonathan and I never really
had a chance to go deeper that first day, which
was now I'm starting to learn, like in Paradise, day
one is so critical, So I kind of missed that.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
God that's such a bummer.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
I mean, like that is just how it goes with
the rain obviously, but it probably sucks because you're like
I can't even hang it with Justin. I can't even
like get to know all these people and like them.
By the time day two hits and you've been chilling
in your room against your will. Everyone's a little more
coupled up totally.
Speaker 5 (12:58):
And then the thing about day two, it was we
had the makeup date, so like all the whole night
when I'm in my room in isolation, and then day
two we went on our day date to make up
the date from the night prior that got rained out,
So I missed a lot of that early time.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
You must have been like, thank god I have a
rose this week, because at least I know I've got
you know that next week to have more time.
Speaker 4 (13:19):
Totally.
Speaker 5 (13:19):
Yeah, I was. I was when we found out that
the woman had the roses. First, I was so happy
for a lot of reasons. But when the timing shook
out with like my date being canceled and rescheduled, I
was like, thank god, otherwise I'd be freaking out. I
was like, I don't know who I get a rose from?
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Yeah, did you know? So justin comes to your room
AND's like, hey, bad news, dates canceled? Do you already
do you guys already know that it's going to be rescheduled? Like,
oh not?
Speaker 5 (13:41):
At that point, I was actually the whole thing was
so crazy because I was in my room for so long,
I actually fell asleep, And so when he knocked it
fully in a dress, like full makeup, you.
Speaker 4 (13:49):
Know, ready it again.
Speaker 5 (13:50):
So when he knocked on the door, I thought I
was production or a handler, and it was him. He
was like, you know, we'll try to figure something out
for tomorrow, but we had no clue if we were
going to be able to make it up.
Speaker 4 (13:58):
Just with filming and the schedule being so.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Tight, was any part of you like, I'm on the Bachelor,
why do we not have a rain plan? Like we're
at a hotel, Like couldn't we go to dinner? Or
was it just like so late by the time they
made the call, it was.
Speaker 5 (14:12):
So late, you know, new season, new vibes, new cameras,
like it's so many elevated points with that, but also
comes with pain points like I think that, yes, I'm
sure it would be nice to have a plan, being
a rain plan, but I.
Speaker 4 (14:23):
Don't think anyone anticipated these storms.
Speaker 5 (14:25):
I mean they were insane, like I've never seen anything
like it. So I and then the staff, the you know,
camera crew had been working so late. It was midnight
at that point. So even if I if I went
on the date, I'd be exhausted.
Speaker 3 (14:37):
Ye want to know that makes sense?
Speaker 5 (14:40):
I can.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
It was like our first date was it raining? It
wasn't raining, but we were both sick and it was late, Like.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
Yeah, I was like running out of our shuttle to
like go throw up before our.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
First day and it was like late too in the
week we had to like wrestle.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
It was like, yeah, it was.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
It was.
Speaker 3 (14:58):
It was not sexy.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
I'll tell me about that, but it makes sense. They're
probably waiting being like, Okay, you know it's gonna let up.
It's gonna let up. It's going to let up, and
then all of a sudden it's midnight. It's like, well,
I guess you're on a bed. How did you feel though,
were you really disappointed?
Speaker 5 (15:12):
I was disappointed because I wish that we had been
able to wait with the rest of the cast outside
and not in our rooms.
Speaker 4 (15:19):
I felt like I lost a lot of time.
Speaker 5 (15:21):
And then as a girl, like I was like I
got all ready, you know, it's just in especially the beach,
I was like I had cool hair and I had to,
you know, do the whole thing. And so it's such
first world problems. But I also wanted to spend time
with Justin. I was excited at that point. I was like,
oh my god, the first one on one of Paradise,
Like how fun, you know, and especially you're in isolation
for so long. I was like, let's go do something
(15:42):
like I wanted to do an activity. I was like
ald zip line. I anyways, so it's okay. We made
up the date the next day.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
Yeah, tell us about how the date actually ended up
going once you had it.
Speaker 4 (15:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (15:53):
So he had talked to Hannah and was like, hey,
you know, explain the situation, and she they like brainstormed
and created this little day date went and like sat
on a bench, got to talk a little bit, ate
some lunch, and then we swam. So I think Justin
was like so disappointed because he's like, this is so lame.
We could have done this like at the Paradise set.
But it was nice to have the uninterrupted time and
(16:15):
you know, being removed from the cast. But like the timeline,
you know, as a viewer, I don't think you realize
like we woke up, got ready for the date, did
all of our interviews, went on the date, did post
date interviews, and then we had maybe thirty minutes to
get ready for that first row ceremony, So we missed
an day and again the second day is so important.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
Yeah, so are you what are you after this date?
During this date, what are you feeling? Are you liking him?
What's your intuition telling you, like I can marry this guy?
Speaker 4 (16:44):
Or I wasn't there yet? I think I was. So.
Speaker 5 (16:47):
I I had talked to Susie before coming up to Paradise,
just because her and I are like very similar life
stages and so and so that's.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Wild that that's the person you went to for advice
and I ended up on a date with you.
Speaker 5 (17:00):
Walked quite a bit and so you know, I had
never could have anticipated justin asking me on the date
he pulled myself and Alex and I think I'm open minded.
It's day one, Like, of course I'm going to say yes,
But I definitely had hesitations in my head just being
having that conversation with Susie and kind of you know,
understanding they have this history. I know she's in holding
at the hotel at this point, so at any point
(17:22):
she can come down like her and I flew there
on the same day, so I knew she was there.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
Are you are you and Susie friends or did you
just kind of like reach out to her for a time.
Speaker 5 (17:32):
We just reached out and kind of we became We've
definitely became very good friends through this, But at this
point before, I think it was more kind of you
know her and I just saying, you know, how what
are we looking for in this and you know we're.
Speaker 4 (17:43):
Both at this age and who do we think is coming?
Speaker 5 (17:46):
Which as soon as I told Justin that we had
the phone call, I think his like whole demeanor change
because he was like, you're kidding me, Like I picked
the one girl here who's like, you know, friendly, has
talked to my ex that it was very you know,
a recent breakup. So I definitely hesitations, I will say,
is how I kind of felt about him. But I
was like, let's go, let's see what he's about. I
know he's funny and something I'm looking for in my partner,
(18:07):
and so but I had hesitations.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
So going into the rose ceremony, are you like because
it's you, it shows you're like a little hesitant on
giving Justin your rose? Who would you have given it to?
If you didn't give it to Justin?
Speaker 5 (18:26):
It I would have given it to Kyle or Jonathan.
I think Kyle, just from what i'm the very brief
conversation we had, he seemed like there was potential there,
but I didn't get enough to be, like, you know,
really dive in more about what he's looking for in
his story. And then Jonathan, I just think because I,
you know, we had this like friendship and we've talked before,
(18:48):
and I know he's a good guy, that felt like
maybe it would have been a safer option. He's more
available rights his ex isn't coming down to the beach.
But because I had that time with Justin and we
had the conversations where he reassure me so many times
that he is healed from this relationship with Susie, I
ended up giving him the rose. We had the most
time together and he really really really reassured me.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Interesting, Yeah, Dale Moss gets yeah going down there, and
he's Dale's older, he's thirty six. Were did you have
a conversation with him at all? Because it seems like that.
Speaker 5 (19:23):
Could have been a So I think Dale's a great guy.
I was not expecting to see him there. That was
probably the biggest surprise for me from a cast perspective,
but he you know, I guess what. I what I've
gathered from talking to all these guys post show is
that they all just assumed Justin and I were coupled up.
And so because we had that date once Dale had
already Dale arrived, Dale arrived, and we had already gone
(19:45):
on the date, I believe I don't.
Speaker 4 (19:47):
Really, Okay, I think so.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
I think he had asked you on the date that
first day, That's what it is, and then Dale came down,
So you were kind of already locked in on that
date with Justin and they're friendly.
Speaker 5 (19:58):
I think that, you know, have similar circles outside of this,
and they've hung out, and so I think that, you know,
Dale kind of just stayed away. And I heard that
from Jonathan after I heard that from Kyle. I've heard
that from multiple guys saying that they just kind of
saw I was with Justin and didn't want to get
involved because we had that date early on.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
Yeah, it is wild how that happens.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
I feel like that kind of happens every season, even
on ours, where it's like, oh, I thought you were
in a couple, and people get really cautious about like
stepping on toes, even if it's like, oh, we're just
getting to know each other, it's only been two days.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
Like, I'm still open.
Speaker 4 (20:39):
You know, Dale's a great guy and he is older.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Yeah, in terms of your relationship with Justin, did you
feel worried about what the dynamic was going to be
when Susie likely came down.
Speaker 4 (20:55):
I was worried. I was so worried. It's all I talked.
Speaker 5 (20:57):
If you asked Jess like she was my roommate, it's
all I talked about. To the point where I was
starting to get a little frustrated because it's just not
what I signed up for.
Speaker 4 (21:04):
It's not Justin or Susie's fault. They both deserve a.
Speaker 5 (21:07):
Chance to meet someone new and get a you know,
relationship that's right for them. But I started to feel
like I was in the middle. And at this point,
she Susie still hasn't hasn't come to the beach, But
whenever Justin talked about her, his whole demeanor changed, where
I started to have a gut feeling that there was
still something there. Which is there? They just broke up.
They dated for a long time. It's not the craziest thing.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
What was the timeframe we see in your interview you're
kind of like, I think it's only been two to
three months?
Speaker 3 (21:33):
Was that what it had been?
Speaker 4 (21:35):
I think?
Speaker 5 (21:35):
So that's coming from him when I when I talked
to Susie after, you know, we've connected since, like it
almost seems like it was more recent they that they together. Yeah,
but again not sure to tell. And you know, I
just really didn't want to be involved.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
Yeah, but also crucial information for you and kind of
other people dating them on the beach. I mean, if
they say that they're ready, obviously you want to take
them at face value and trust that. But I mean
I can understand, and I'm sure Justin could also why
you had your hesitations totally.
Speaker 5 (22:07):
But again, like when I had the rose, he stood
ten toes down that he was fully moved on from
this relationship and ready to meet someone new, or he
wouldn't have.
Speaker 4 (22:15):
Come to the beach.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
Why not. Maybe this is just because I am a gambler,
but why not roll the dice and be like, you
know what, I didn't have much time with Jonathan or Kyle,
but we are only a few days in. Maybe something
will form within the next couple of days. Maybe take
(22:38):
a shot on one of them.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
Yeah, but then Justin would have gone home. I know. Oh,
you're saying, like, I'm justin go a different direction.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
Yeah, if if internally the Susie thing you knew was
always gonna bother you, why not maybe pivot and take
that chance.
Speaker 4 (22:54):
Yeah, I regret it.
Speaker 5 (22:55):
It's one of my I don't have a lot of regrets,
but that is a regret. And I was talking to
my mom about that recently. I wish I think because
I had that one on one with Justin, for whatever
unknown reason, I felt like I owed him the Rose
because we got to open up about things. I had
the most time with him, and I just didn't have that.
Speaker 4 (23:15):
With with Kyle or Jonathan.
Speaker 5 (23:16):
But I think if I could go back, I would
pull Justin right before the rose ceremony and say, exactly
what you just said. These hesitations aren't going anywhere, and
it's kind of actually affecting me to be able to
immerse myself in this, and so because of that, I'm
going to take a chance on Kyle or Jonathan and
I just in the moment, it all feels so much
(23:37):
pressure and we'd had the one on one.
Speaker 4 (23:38):
It just I don't know.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
Yeah, Well, in hindsight, it's always twenty twenty. I mean,
you're now looking back on it kind of yeah, understanding
that maybe he wasn't as ready as you thought he
was that first week, and like maybe you could have
furthered something with Kyle. But I think in that moment,
you're probably well, I've invested so much time in this person,
and I kind of know where their head is at
at least what they're telling me, Like, let's kind of
(24:01):
see where this can go.
Speaker 4 (24:02):
Totally that's literally exactly what happened.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
Okay, So going into the Rows ceremony, who would you
say is the strongest.
Speaker 4 (24:13):
Couple going into the Rose ceremony?
Speaker 5 (24:16):
I would say Jess and Spencer, And I was her roommate,
so I got like a front row seat. They were
just instantly connected. She has a very similar personality to him.
They're both so bubbly, Like it was just so obvious,
like I think since I would like go to war
for Jess, like, and this is after knowing her for
two days, Like, it was just really sweet to watch.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
Yeah, they had really really good chemistry from that first conversation.
Speaker 5 (24:39):
Oh good, Like it was just like two pieces that
fit together and made a lot of sense, and I
love them both, so I was really just happy. I
was so happy for her and him, you know, but
I was over in the corner, just like on the
show X on the Beach pretty much.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
Yeah, I've been there.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
What did you think of Yeah, that's okay.
Speaker 3 (25:03):
What did you think of the game?
Speaker 5 (25:06):
I think it was great to do the compatibility challenges,
like you get to see more of the person.
Speaker 4 (25:12):
And yeah, I thought it was actually really fun. I
think some people were a little stressed about you could
like tell who was who with the silhouettes too.
Speaker 3 (25:19):
Sorry, that's what Jess was saying.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
She was like, based on like heights, anyone that was
in the standing pose, you could immediately kind of seemly.
Speaker 5 (25:27):
Yeah, but it was so fun, Like I think that's
the type of things we need to be doing, as
fun as it is to like sit in the pool
and talk like you know that we get to know
them on a little deeper level.
Speaker 4 (25:36):
And yeah, it was cute.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
What did you think of the Hakeem Ricky fight?
Speaker 2 (25:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (25:41):
Yeah, I like I really enjoyed both of them. I
think Hakim is like very He's passionate. He's a passionate man,
and I respect him for that, I, you know, I do.
I don't think I needed to get to that point.
It was a little heated in the moment, but you know,
everyone's on edge. Hakim was invited to this quite a while.
Speaker 4 (26:00):
He's been waiting so long.
Speaker 5 (26:01):
I'm sure because of that, he had what feels maybe
more pressure right because he was announced earlier.
Speaker 4 (26:07):
So I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt.
It was squashed pretty quickly.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
Yeah, it kind of translated as if you were watching it.
To me, it looked like Ricky kind of made like
a casual dig at a keem, probably not thinking anything
of it. Key might have been feeling some sensitivity and
like insecurity throughout that challenge and just that day in general,
and it just escalated way past maybe where either of
(26:31):
them thought it was going to go exactly.
Speaker 5 (26:33):
And I think they both, from what I remembered, didn't
have like a strong, super strong connection, like an immediate connection.
So there's probably some you know, feelings there too, because
there's so much build up to this, you know.
Speaker 3 (26:44):
Yeah, definitely, who.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
Were you surprised went home? If anyone or were there
any roses that were handed out that shocked you.
Speaker 5 (26:55):
I was surprised Sam m went home. I think he is,
you know, he's great personality. He had the one on
one card, but he kind of had a disadvantage because
he came in and gave the date to Jess and
she had already established a connection with Spencer. So I think,
you know, Jess had so much fun on that date.
I think she just had a stronger connection with Spencer,
(27:16):
and so I think Sam was a little bit at
a loss, Like he came in and he was like, well,
who who am I? You know, who am I connecting
with here? It's all about timing too, Like when he
came down to the beach, it was just kind of
like a weird time because I already had been a
lot of formal connections.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
Yeah, he was in a tough spot because I guess
he kind of like missed out on that first day
and then he comes down, he immediately takes Jess and
he doesn't really have time to like get to know
anyone else, to have like a secondary possibility to get
a rose.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
So that's hard.
Speaker 2 (27:47):
We were actually bummed to see him go so early
because we thought there was like maybe something for him
to find someone.
Speaker 5 (27:52):
I think he also deserved like a chance to retell
his story. I think on gen season he was portrayed
in a light that's not who he is. He seemed,
you know, he's come to Atlanta times. His friend Thomas
lives there from his season, and so I've seen them
out and he is a really sweet guy. So I
was bummed he didn't get a chance to have like
his redemption story moment.
Speaker 4 (28:10):
But that's okay. You know, he can live his life
how he wants after this.
Speaker 3 (28:13):
Yeah, and you know it's still.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
He got a mini redemption, you know, like his time
on the show was short, but like he came across
like a gentleman and everyone seemed to have good interactions
with him, and like it least not enough, not enough,
but I feel like it leaves the audience at least
with a good taste in their mind.
Speaker 4 (28:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:28):
I'm gonna throw out a hypothetical for you. Let's say
you know who Justin is, but you don't follow him
on Instagram or social media. You never spoke to Susie.
You know who she is, but you don't even know
they date it and you and Susie never never talked.
Do you think that would have changed everything for you?
Speaker 5 (28:53):
I think it would have had a significant impact on
how I was feeling.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
It's super complicated. I think had you in this hypothatohole
not known about the Suzui situation, do you think Justin
would have brought it up on his own? Like what
was his approach to handling it?
Speaker 5 (29:10):
A really good question because I believe I was the
first one that brought it up, because I brought up
the phone call. I talked to Jess the night before
our rescheduled date and I said, how do I bring
this up right? Like? And so I was like, I'm
going to just be really honest because I had the
call with her. We talked for a really long time,
and I wanted to get that out there. And so, yeah,
(29:32):
I don't know. I think the whole thing was just
kind of it was really making me spiral, is.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
What I Yeah, I get that. I think, not that
you're asking for my advice, but I'm gonna I don't
want to throw it out there. I think the best
way to go into Paradise is with the attitude of
fuck all these people, and I'm here solely for myself
to see if I could find a connection, because there
(30:00):
is a lot of that where you meet people, you're
half assed friends with people, and it could potentially ruin
something great for like this bullshit friendship.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
I know, but I do feel like it's harder with
women and female friendships a little bit.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
You always say that, but I'm a good friend. I'm
just saying. We all go on a dating show to
date each other, you know, it kind of has to
be like, you know what I'm doing me for everyone?
Speaker 5 (30:29):
I guess yeah, you Honestly, Joe, if I had done that,
I wouldn't have given him the roads I would have
given me Eyler Jonathan and I can say that with
a hundred confidence.
Speaker 4 (30:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
Interesting.
Speaker 2 (30:39):
Yeah, well, we are very excited to watch the rest
of the season that the first episode was great, you
look great in it, and we're excited.
Speaker 3 (30:48):
You know, to see where the rest goes. So thanks
so much for coming on.
Speaker 4 (30:51):
Thank you. I'm excited. Should be a good journey.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
And good luck with your company and to all our listeners,
thank you guys for tuning into bets You're happy hour.
Make sure you download and subscribe.
Speaker 3 (31:01):
We have new exclusive interviews coming every single week. Thanks
so much for listening.
Speaker 4 (31:05):
Bye
Hey, everyone, welcome back to bad You're Happy Hour. I'm
Joe and I'm Serena, And like we said, we are
doing interviews this week and we have Lexi coming on
the podcast. She's a pretty big person in episode one.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Yeah, I feel like definitely a fan favorite on Joey's
season of The Bachelor, we were lucky enough to have
her on during that season to learn more about her,
and she was a big part of episode one as well.
You know, we see her kind of getting close with Justin,
who is a fan favorite.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
He was on Paradise before.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
And there's a little bit of drama starting there with
the potential of Susie joining the cast as well.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Yeah, and her first day gets canceled. Was Yeah, what
like canceled?
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Sorry, guys, it's raining. We can't proceed.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
I just wanted them. I was like, at least like
let him go hang out in the room, or we
can't set up.
Speaker 3 (00:49):
An indoor dinner, Like we don't have a rain plan.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Yeah, Like the lobbies are like a lobby with a
fireplace where they could have like a glass of wine,
like get to know each other a little bit.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
That was that was shocking, But we can't wait to
get her take on justin, her date and everything to
do with episode one.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
Yeah, let's bring her in. LEXI. Welcome back to Battery
Happy Hour. How are you?
Speaker 4 (01:13):
Thank you happy to be back. I'm doing well. How
are you guys?
Speaker 1 (01:16):
We're good, We're good. Before we get into episode one,
a little background. You are from Joey's season. Man, it's
been a while, Joey has been a while. You were
on Joey's season. Where are you now? Where do you live?
What's kind of been going on pre paradise.
Speaker 5 (01:39):
Yeah, so I was on Joey's season and I came
back to Atlanta, which is where I'm still currently living.
And I came back to my corporate job. So nothing
too crazy in terms of changes, but I did start
a business which has been really exciting, and so I
just quit my corporate job recently and I'm doing the business.
Speaker 4 (01:55):
Full time now.
Speaker 5 (01:56):
So I've been traveling a lot, and yeah, it's kind
of been awind. I can't believe it's been as long
as it has since the season. It's time is crazy
right now.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
What is the business?
Speaker 5 (02:07):
The dating business? So it's called in the Wild and
it's in person dating. So we do matchmaking in person
dating events FED dating, and yeah, it's been fun. We've there's,
you know, three couples that are engaged and we have
over one hundred couples that are dating and it's only
been a year, so it's definitely working. But it was
fun to kind of get to play matchmaker on the
(02:27):
beach just since I've been doing that for the last year.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
So that's crazy.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
So what are some things that you look for when
you're trying to set people up?
Speaker 4 (02:35):
You know, you try to look at the person as
a whole.
Speaker 5 (02:37):
I think so much is like list driven these days,
like I want them to be this height, that they
want them to look like this, I want them to
have this type of job. But I think if you
strip some of that away, what I'm finding through all
of this is like in person people meet individuals and
they're actually very surprised, like from a personality connection, like
they wouldn't have matched with them on a dating app.
But once they get talking to them in a room
and you know, don't have like a checklist in front
(02:58):
of them of like their height occupy all of that,
they are more open minded to meeting different people. And
so I've definitely been trying to lean into that as well,
as you know, I was dating before the.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
Show, seeing someone as the whole and not just a list.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
Yeah, where could people find your website, your services? I
want to take advantage. And is it across the US?
Is it just Atlanta.
Speaker 5 (03:22):
We're about to kick off a tour and so we're
going to be going to major cities across the US
and basically bringing this pop up activation there. You guys
can find us on Instagram, in the wild dating and TikTok,
and then our website as well, which is linked in
all of those social platforms. But yeah, we're excited to
bring it to other cities like Charleston, Nashville, LA.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
So it should be fun.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
I love that. That is so fun.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
Have you dated since Joey's season?
Speaker 4 (03:49):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (03:49):
I dated someone briefly after Joey's season, and you know,
a good guy, but just kind of not on the
same page that I was on. And I think I
talked about that a lot on Joey's season what I'm
looking for, and so it's good experience. But I kind of,
you know, dated him right after the show, and then
I jumped right into building this business.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
And so when Paradise came along.
Speaker 5 (04:06):
I had a lot of mixed feelings about it, but
I hadn't dated in a little bit, and so it was, yeah,
we'll talk about that more, I'm sure, but it was
definitely a different as a stretch for me.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Yeah, I was thinking about you the other day because
I knew we were probably going to have you on
the podcast, and one of my girlfriends called me and
is getting the surgery done to see if she has endometriosis.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
How are you doing with all of that?
Speaker 5 (04:30):
It's been, you know, transparently, it's every day it has
its own challenges. I'm coming up on having another surgery
at the end of the summer, and so before that,
I'll have to freeze my eggs one more time. I
froze them right before I went on Joey's season, and so,
you know, I know, is a systemic disease with no cure,
and so unfortunately, you know it ebbs and flows definitely
have worse weeks than others. But luckily I have an
(04:51):
amazing team of doctors and hopefully eventually, you know, a
supportive partner and my eggs are frozen and we can
you know, come up with a plan that's best for
our family, but.
Speaker 4 (05:01):
Yeah, thank you for asking.
Speaker 5 (05:02):
It's it's just a part of me at this point,
not going anywhere, but I'm trying my best to stay positive.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Did it impact your experience filming Paradise in any way?
Speaker 5 (05:12):
Yeah, I think it was the second day and time
there is obviously, you know, everything feels like you're living
ten days in one and on the second day I
had a really bad flare, and so I just like,
for some reason, on Joey's season it was a little
like easier because I could wear like, you know, a
flowy dress, but we were on the beach and bikinis,
so you know, I was like kind of dying inside
(05:33):
because I mean, obviously all the girls are in such
good shape and then I'm over here like I looked
like eight months pregnant. Obviously out of my control. It
was an endo flare. Great doctors on the show. I've
always had such a good experience. They take such good
care of me. But it did feel in a bathing suit.
I was like, this is worst case scenario, but out
of my control.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
Yeah, no, that totally makes sense.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
So you get the call for Paradise, where's your head at?
You an instant Yes, we're what are you thinking?
Speaker 2 (06:04):
No.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
I think I was an instant no at first.
Speaker 5 (06:06):
And I think a lot of people when they found out,
you know, when they dropped the cast, were surprised, and
I was like, I was surprised too. I think when
I first heard about it, or you know, got that
invitation from from production, it was I don't know if
it's the best fit for me, just because of, you know,
exactly the reason why I left Joey's season. What I'm
looking for, Like, are these guys truly ready for that?
And then you don't know who the guys are ahead
(06:27):
of time, and so I wasn't sure there would be
someone there that was, you know, maybe a little older
and more ready for that next step.
Speaker 4 (06:34):
You know, who knows.
Speaker 5 (06:35):
I'm sure a lot of the guys, depending on their age,
could be ready for different things. But and I also
am just not an aggressive personality, and so I was like,
I don't even know if I'll do well there, because
if someone's fighting over a guy, I would just be like,
you know, you can have them, like I just I
couldn't even It would just give me anxiety. So at
first I was like, I don't think it's for me.
So that's kind of where we started.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Did you watch Bachelor and Paradise going into this?
Speaker 4 (06:59):
I have not seen it in so long.
Speaker 5 (07:01):
I have not seen it since like Hannah and Dylan's
like season, and so I know Paradise, but I had
not watched it in a year, so I felt like
I was a little behind. But then they kept saying
this season was going to be so different and so
id they were like kind of scrap everything you know
about it before, and so that.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
Made me feel a little better.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Yeah, so what were your initial thoughts when you got
there and everything was very different.
Speaker 5 (07:25):
They kept saying there's going to be these challenges, and
I was so nervous we were going to be on
like wipeout or something. I was like, I am not
like prepared for survivor like wrong, wrong contestant.
Speaker 4 (07:34):
But once I got.
Speaker 5 (07:35):
There, I mean, it was such a It's such a
beautiful resort, like truly really, you know, they upgraded, they
have air conditioning, which I'm sure you guys probably are.
Speaker 4 (07:42):
Jealous that you didn't have air conditioning.
Speaker 5 (07:43):
I heard from like Kat who had done Paradise before
that this was infinitely nicer. And so I'm in the
beach is the beach, but I was grateful to have
air conditioning and the goldens. You know, knowing they were
coming was fun and having handed there was like a
really nice mix up. So it was positive like energy
walking into it. For sure, it felt very fresh.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
When you guys got to Costa Rica, did you I'm
like kind of breaking the fourth wall with this question,
but like you obviously stay in a room for a
few days before they send you down. Did you stay
at that hotel or did you stay somewhere else and
they brought you onto set?
Speaker 5 (08:17):
Say, somewhere else and they brought us onto set. The
other hotel was it was very close. I mean it
was a less than a ten minute drive, but you
are in isolation until you get called down to the beach.
And when you do get called down, you don't know
if people have been there for you know, days, one
day hours.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
So same as I.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Guess before, were you at all worried that you may
not be original cast, that they could drop you?
Speaker 5 (08:40):
I did, yeah, and I expressed those concerns to production,
And it was mostly I wasn't trying to be like
I want to be there first. It was really because
of one my personality being a little bit more like mellow.
Speaker 4 (08:51):
I was nervous.
Speaker 5 (08:51):
I'm not I'm not the bombshell, like, don't bring me
in later, it will I just would. I don't think
I would do well on that, and so they kind
of reassured me that I would. They're early on to
be able to establish a connection, so I was like, okay,
maybe one first day, second day, but I've heard in
the past they bring in people so much later, so
you never know.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Yeah, and that's totally fair.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
I think anyone going on the show that's like really
serious about finding a genuine connection, the earlier the better.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
I mean, that's no.
Speaker 2 (09:18):
Secret, totally Okay, So you get down there, you were
kind of down there earlier in the day for sure.
Speaker 4 (09:27):
Early.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
What are your original thoughts, what are those first conversations?
Speaker 5 (09:31):
Like, Yeah, it was so hot, that was my first thought.
I was like, how does everyone look good on this show?
Like I just could not stop thinking about this wedding.
But it was you know, we walked in. There's two
other people there, Spencer and Alex. Spencer from Gen season,
Alex from Grant season. I had known Spencer like just
through you know, social media before this, and he's such
(09:51):
just a great guy, and Alex was so vibrant, like
very energetic, so it was really good energy when we
walked in. But I think it was we were all
just waiting to see who was coming down next, So it.
Speaker 4 (10:00):
Was kind of just like a waiting game.
Speaker 5 (10:01):
And I think at that point, like Wells wasn't there,
Hannah definitely wasn't there, so we were all just kind
of like scoping it out. We didn't know if the
Goldens were coming that day, like, we didn't know anything.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
So going down, obviously we see you kind of form
a connection with Justin, But who were kind of the
guys that you were looking to talk to are interested in?
Speaker 5 (10:29):
Yeah, so I didn't have a specific name, but I
definitely wanted someone who was a little bit older and
maybe someone that I hadn't met before. And there was
a guy down there at Kyle, and I was really
excited because I didn't know who he was. I didn't
know what season he came from, so it was just
like very intriguing to get to know him better. But
otherwise I think I knew all of the guys at
least from social media besides Kyle.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
Okay, yeah, that's interesting. We asked just that too.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
We're just trying to get a vibe on like how
well everyone knew each other going in, because I feel
like it's different every season.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
Totally, which I think was good this season that it
was more like we kind of know of each other,
but we all don't really know each other. Yeah. Always,
that's always better. I think one of the past few seasons,
it just seemed like everyone like.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
Had met and been.
Speaker 4 (11:15):
It was like the stage coach thing, right, Like I
didn't go to stage Coach this.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
Year, so yeah, it was probably for the best. So
down there the first day, all the cast is there.
Who are the people that you're closest with.
Speaker 5 (11:29):
I'm really close to Jess, She's from my season. She's amazing,
And I think that was from a girl perspective. She
was the only one that I knew from from my season.
But I really started to get close to Bailey and
Zoe and Alex and so so nice having them there.
And Jonathan I had talked to on social media a
little bit before, and so it felt like kind of
talking to a friend. So I think at first we
(11:50):
were all like kind of grouped together and then people
started to pair off. But it was nice to have
some familiar faces, so we made it a little more comfortable.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
Was there a romantic spark at all with you and Jonathan?
Speaker 4 (12:01):
Ever, No, you know, I never got to explore it.
Speaker 5 (12:03):
I that first day was so chaotic just with you know,
getting to know everyone, and then I got that one
on one on the first day, and then it got
rained out and so they swiftly bring you to your
room and you got to get ready and hurry, hurry, hurry,
And so I actually ended up waiting in the room
for like five and a half hours because every time
I think, they had to wait, wait, wait, And so
I missed those five and a half hours. Where I
(12:25):
was in the room was when everyone else was like
mixing and mingling, and so Jonathan and I never really
had a chance to go deeper that first day, which
was now I'm starting to learn, like in Paradise, day
one is so critical, So I kind of missed that.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
God that's such a bummer.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
I mean, like that is just how it goes with
the rain obviously, but it probably sucks because you're like
I can't even hang it with Justin. I can't even
like get to know all these people and like them.
By the time day two hits and you've been chilling
in your room against your will. Everyone's a little more
coupled up totally.
Speaker 5 (12:58):
And then the thing about day two, it was we
had the makeup date, so like all the whole night
when I'm in my room in isolation, and then day
two we went on our day date to make up
the date from the night prior that got rained out,
So I missed a lot of that early time.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
You must have been like, thank god I have a
rose this week, because at least I know I've got
you know that next week to have more time.
Speaker 4 (13:19):
Totally.
Speaker 5 (13:19):
Yeah, I was. I was when we found out that
the woman had the roses. First, I was so happy
for a lot of reasons. But when the timing shook
out with like my date being canceled and rescheduled, I
was like, thank god, otherwise I'd be freaking out. I
was like, I don't know who I get a rose from?
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Yeah, did you know? So justin comes to your room
AND's like, hey, bad news, dates canceled? Do you already
do you guys already know that it's going to be rescheduled? Like,
oh not?
Speaker 5 (13:41):
At that point, I was actually the whole thing was
so crazy because I was in my room for so long,
I actually fell asleep, And so when he knocked it
fully in a dress, like full makeup, you.
Speaker 4 (13:49):
Know, ready it again.
Speaker 5 (13:50):
So when he knocked on the door, I thought I
was production or a handler, and it was him. He
was like, you know, we'll try to figure something out
for tomorrow, but we had no clue if we were
going to be able to make it up.
Speaker 4 (13:58):
Just with filming and the schedule being so.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Tight, was any part of you like, I'm on the Bachelor,
why do we not have a rain plan? Like we're
at a hotel, Like couldn't we go to dinner? Or
was it just like so late by the time they
made the call, it was.
Speaker 5 (14:12):
So late, you know, new season, new vibes, new cameras,
like it's so many elevated points with that, but also
comes with pain points like I think that, yes, I'm
sure it would be nice to have a plan, being
a rain plan, but I.
Speaker 4 (14:23):
Don't think anyone anticipated these storms.
Speaker 5 (14:25):
I mean they were insane, like I've never seen anything
like it. So I and then the staff, the you know,
camera crew had been working so late. It was midnight
at that point. So even if I if I went
on the date, I'd be exhausted.
Speaker 3 (14:37):
Ye want to know that makes sense?
Speaker 5 (14:40):
I can.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
It was like our first date was it raining? It
wasn't raining, but we were both sick and it was late, Like.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
Yeah, I was like running out of our shuttle to
like go throw up before our.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
First day and it was like late too in the
week we had to like wrestle.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
It was like, yeah, it was.
Speaker 4 (14:57):
It was.
Speaker 3 (14:58):
It was not sexy.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
I'll tell me about that, but it makes sense. They're
probably waiting being like, Okay, you know it's gonna let up.
It's gonna let up. It's going to let up, and
then all of a sudden it's midnight. It's like, well,
I guess you're on a bed. How did you feel though,
were you really disappointed?
Speaker 5 (15:12):
I was disappointed because I wish that we had been
able to wait with the rest of the cast outside
and not in our rooms.
Speaker 4 (15:19):
I felt like I lost a lot of time.
Speaker 5 (15:21):
And then as a girl, like I was like I
got all ready, you know, it's just in especially the beach,
I was like I had cool hair and I had to,
you know, do the whole thing. And so it's such
first world problems. But I also wanted to spend time
with Justin. I was excited at that point. I was like,
oh my god, the first one on one of Paradise,
Like how fun, you know, and especially you're in isolation
for so long. I was like, let's go do something
(15:42):
like I wanted to do an activity. I was like
ald zip line. I anyways, so it's okay. We made
up the date the next day.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
Yeah, tell us about how the date actually ended up
going once you had it.
Speaker 4 (15:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (15:53):
So he had talked to Hannah and was like, hey,
you know, explain the situation, and she they like brainstormed
and created this little day date went and like sat
on a bench, got to talk a little bit, ate
some lunch, and then we swam. So I think Justin
was like so disappointed because he's like, this is so lame.
We could have done this like at the Paradise set.
But it was nice to have the uninterrupted time and
(16:15):
you know, being removed from the cast. But like the timeline,
you know, as a viewer, I don't think you realize
like we woke up, got ready for the date, did
all of our interviews, went on the date, did post
date interviews, and then we had maybe thirty minutes to
get ready for that first row ceremony, So we missed
an day and again the second day is so important.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
Yeah, so are you what are you after this date?
During this date, what are you feeling? Are you liking him?
What's your intuition telling you, like I can marry this guy?
Speaker 4 (16:44):
Or I wasn't there yet? I think I was. So.
Speaker 5 (16:47):
I I had talked to Susie before coming up to Paradise,
just because her and I are like very similar life
stages and so and so that's.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Wild that that's the person you went to for advice
and I ended up on a date with you.
Speaker 5 (17:00):
Walked quite a bit and so you know, I had
never could have anticipated justin asking me on the date
he pulled myself and Alex and I think I'm open minded.
It's day one, Like, of course I'm going to say yes,
But I definitely had hesitations in my head just being
having that conversation with Susie and kind of you know,
understanding they have this history. I know she's in holding
at the hotel at this point, so at any point
(17:22):
she can come down like her and I flew there
on the same day, so I knew she was there.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
Are you are you and Susie friends or did you
just kind of like reach out to her for a time.
Speaker 5 (17:32):
We just reached out and kind of we became We've
definitely became very good friends through this, But at this
point before, I think it was more kind of you
know her and I just saying, you know, how what
are we looking for in this and you know we're.
Speaker 4 (17:43):
Both at this age and who do we think is coming?
Speaker 5 (17:46):
Which as soon as I told Justin that we had
the phone call, I think his like whole demeanor change
because he was like, you're kidding me, Like I picked
the one girl here who's like, you know, friendly, has
talked to my ex that it was very you know,
a recent breakup. So I definitely hesitations, I will say,
is how I kind of felt about him. But I
was like, let's go, let's see what he's about. I
know he's funny and something I'm looking for in my partner,
(18:07):
and so but I had hesitations.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
So going into the rose ceremony, are you like because
it's you, it shows you're like a little hesitant on
giving Justin your rose? Who would you have given it to?
If you didn't give it to Justin?
Speaker 5 (18:26):
It I would have given it to Kyle or Jonathan.
I think Kyle, just from what i'm the very brief
conversation we had, he seemed like there was potential there,
but I didn't get enough to be, like, you know,
really dive in more about what he's looking for in
his story. And then Jonathan, I just think because I,
you know, we had this like friendship and we've talked before,
(18:48):
and I know he's a good guy, that felt like
maybe it would have been a safer option. He's more
available rights his ex isn't coming down to the beach.
But because I had that time with Justin and we
had the conversations where he reassure me so many times
that he is healed from this relationship with Susie, I
ended up giving him the rose. We had the most
time together and he really really really reassured me.
Speaker 1 (19:11):
Interesting, Yeah, Dale Moss gets yeah going down there, and
he's Dale's older, he's thirty six. Were did you have
a conversation with him at all? Because it seems like that.
Speaker 5 (19:23):
Could have been a So I think Dale's a great guy.
I was not expecting to see him there. That was
probably the biggest surprise for me from a cast perspective,
but he you know, I guess what. I what I've
gathered from talking to all these guys post show is
that they all just assumed Justin and I were coupled up.
And so because we had that date once Dale had
already Dale arrived, Dale arrived, and we had already gone
(19:45):
on the date, I believe I don't.
Speaker 4 (19:47):
Really, Okay, I think so.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
I think he had asked you on the date that
first day, That's what it is, and then Dale came down,
So you were kind of already locked in on that
date with Justin and they're friendly.
Speaker 5 (19:58):
I think that, you know, have similar circles outside of this,
and they've hung out, and so I think that, you know,
Dale kind of just stayed away. And I heard that
from Jonathan after I heard that from Kyle. I've heard
that from multiple guys saying that they just kind of
saw I was with Justin and didn't want to get
involved because we had that date early on.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
Yeah, it is wild how that happens.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
I feel like that kind of happens every season, even
on ours, where it's like, oh, I thought you were
in a couple, and people get really cautious about like
stepping on toes, even if it's like, oh, we're just
getting to know each other, it's only been two days.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
Like, I'm still open.
Speaker 4 (20:39):
You know, Dale's a great guy and he is older.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Yeah, in terms of your relationship with Justin, did you
feel worried about what the dynamic was going to be
when Susie likely came down.
Speaker 4 (20:55):
I was worried. I was so worried. It's all I talked.
Speaker 5 (20:57):
If you asked Jess like she was my roommate, it's
all I talked about. To the point where I was
starting to get a little frustrated because it's just not
what I signed up for.
Speaker 4 (21:04):
It's not Justin or Susie's fault. They both deserve a.
Speaker 5 (21:07):
Chance to meet someone new and get a you know,
relationship that's right for them. But I started to feel
like I was in the middle. And at this point,
she Susie still hasn't hasn't come to the beach, But
whenever Justin talked about her, his whole demeanor changed, where
I started to have a gut feeling that there was
still something there. Which is there? They just broke up.
They dated for a long time. It's not the craziest thing.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
What was the timeframe we see in your interview you're
kind of like, I think it's only been two to
three months?
Speaker 3 (21:33):
Was that what it had been?
Speaker 4 (21:35):
I think?
Speaker 5 (21:35):
So that's coming from him when I when I talked
to Susie after, you know, we've connected since, like it
almost seems like it was more recent they that they together. Yeah,
but again not sure to tell. And you know, I
just really didn't want to be involved.
Speaker 2 (21:49):
Yeah, but also crucial information for you and kind of
other people dating them on the beach. I mean, if
they say that they're ready, obviously you want to take
them at face value and trust that. But I mean
I can understand, and I'm sure Justin could also why
you had your hesitations totally.
Speaker 5 (22:07):
But again, like when I had the rose, he stood
ten toes down that he was fully moved on from
this relationship and ready to meet someone new, or he
wouldn't have.
Speaker 4 (22:15):
Come to the beach.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
Why not. Maybe this is just because I am a gambler,
but why not roll the dice and be like, you
know what, I didn't have much time with Jonathan or Kyle,
but we are only a few days in. Maybe something
will form within the next couple of days. Maybe take
(22:38):
a shot on one of them.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
Yeah, but then Justin would have gone home. I know. Oh,
you're saying, like, I'm justin go a different direction.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
Yeah, if if internally the Susie thing you knew was
always gonna bother you, why not maybe pivot and take
that chance.
Speaker 4 (22:54):
Yeah, I regret it.
Speaker 5 (22:55):
It's one of my I don't have a lot of regrets,
but that is a regret. And I was talking to
my mom about that recently. I wish I think because
I had that one on one with Justin, for whatever
unknown reason, I felt like I owed him the Rose
because we got to open up about things. I had
the most time with him, and I just didn't have that.
Speaker 4 (23:15):
With with Kyle or Jonathan.
Speaker 5 (23:16):
But I think if I could go back, I would
pull Justin right before the rose ceremony and say, exactly
what you just said. These hesitations aren't going anywhere, and
it's kind of actually affecting me to be able to
immerse myself in this, and so because of that, I'm
going to take a chance on Kyle or Jonathan and
I just in the moment, it all feels so much
(23:37):
pressure and we'd had the one on one.
Speaker 4 (23:38):
It just I don't know.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
Yeah, Well, in hindsight, it's always twenty twenty. I mean,
you're now looking back on it kind of yeah, understanding
that maybe he wasn't as ready as you thought he
was that first week, and like maybe you could have
furthered something with Kyle. But I think in that moment,
you're probably well, I've invested so much time in this person,
and I kind of know where their head is at
at least what they're telling me, Like, let's kind of
(24:01):
see where this can go.
Speaker 4 (24:02):
Totally that's literally exactly what happened.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
Okay, So going into the Rows ceremony, who would you
say is the strongest.
Speaker 4 (24:13):
Couple going into the Rose ceremony?
Speaker 5 (24:16):
I would say Jess and Spencer, And I was her roommate,
so I got like a front row seat. They were
just instantly connected. She has a very similar personality to him.
They're both so bubbly, Like it was just so obvious,
like I think since I would like go to war
for Jess, like, and this is after knowing her for
two days, Like, it was just really sweet to watch.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
Yeah, they had really really good chemistry from that first conversation.
Speaker 5 (24:39):
Oh good, Like it was just like two pieces that
fit together and made a lot of sense, and I
love them both, so I was really just happy. I
was so happy for her and him, you know, but
I was over in the corner, just like on the
show X on the Beach pretty much.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
Yeah, I've been there.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
What did you think of Yeah, that's okay.
Speaker 3 (25:03):
What did you think of the game?
Speaker 5 (25:06):
I think it was great to do the compatibility challenges,
like you get to see more of the person.
Speaker 4 (25:12):
And yeah, I thought it was actually really fun. I
think some people were a little stressed about you could
like tell who was who with the silhouettes too.
Speaker 3 (25:19):
Sorry, that's what Jess was saying.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
She was like, based on like heights, anyone that was
in the standing pose, you could immediately kind of seemly.
Speaker 5 (25:27):
Yeah, but it was so fun, Like I think that's
the type of things we need to be doing, as
fun as it is to like sit in the pool
and talk like you know that we get to know
them on a little deeper level.
Speaker 4 (25:36):
And yeah, it was cute.
Speaker 3 (25:38):
What did you think of the Hakeem Ricky fight?
Speaker 2 (25:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (25:41):
Yeah, I like I really enjoyed both of them. I
think Hakim is like very He's passionate. He's a passionate man,
and I respect him for that, I, you know, I do.
I don't think I needed to get to that point.
It was a little heated in the moment, but you know,
everyone's on edge. Hakim was invited to this quite a while.
Speaker 4 (26:00):
He's been waiting so long.
Speaker 5 (26:01):
I'm sure because of that, he had what feels maybe
more pressure right because he was announced earlier.
Speaker 4 (26:07):
So I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt.
It was squashed pretty quickly.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
Yeah, it kind of translated as if you were watching it.
To me, it looked like Ricky kind of made like
a casual dig at a keem, probably not thinking anything
of it. Key might have been feeling some sensitivity and
like insecurity throughout that challenge and just that day in general,
and it just escalated way past maybe where either of
(26:31):
them thought it was going to go exactly.
Speaker 5 (26:33):
And I think they both, from what I remembered, didn't
have like a strong, super strong connection, like an immediate connection.
So there's probably some you know, feelings there too, because
there's so much build up to this, you know.
Speaker 3 (26:44):
Yeah, definitely, who.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
Were you surprised went home? If anyone or were there
any roses that were handed out that shocked you.
Speaker 5 (26:55):
I was surprised Sam m went home. I think he is,
you know, he's great personality. He had the one on
one card, but he kind of had a disadvantage because
he came in and gave the date to Jess and
she had already established a connection with Spencer. So I think,
you know, Jess had so much fun on that date.
I think she just had a stronger connection with Spencer,
(27:16):
and so I think Sam was a little bit at
a loss, Like he came in and he was like, well,
who who am I? You know, who am I connecting
with here? It's all about timing too, Like when he
came down to the beach, it was just kind of
like a weird time because I already had been a
lot of formal connections.
Speaker 2 (27:31):
Yeah, he was in a tough spot because I guess
he kind of like missed out on that first day
and then he comes down, he immediately takes Jess and
he doesn't really have time to like get to know
anyone else, to have like a secondary possibility to get
a rose.
Speaker 3 (27:47):
So that's hard.
Speaker 2 (27:47):
We were actually bummed to see him go so early
because we thought there was like maybe something for him
to find someone.
Speaker 5 (27:52):
I think he also deserved like a chance to retell
his story. I think on gen season he was portrayed
in a light that's not who he is. He seemed,
you know, he's come to Atlanta times. His friend Thomas
lives there from his season, and so I've seen them
out and he is a really sweet guy. So I
was bummed he didn't get a chance to have like
his redemption story moment.
Speaker 4 (28:10):
But that's okay. You know, he can live his life
how he wants after this.
Speaker 3 (28:13):
Yeah, and you know it's still.
Speaker 2 (28:16):
He got a mini redemption, you know, like his time
on the show was short, but like he came across
like a gentleman and everyone seemed to have good interactions
with him, and like it least not enough, not enough,
but I feel like it leaves the audience at least
with a good taste in their mind.
Speaker 4 (28:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:28):
I'm gonna throw out a hypothetical for you. Let's say
you know who Justin is, but you don't follow him
on Instagram or social media. You never spoke to Susie.
You know who she is, but you don't even know
they date it and you and Susie never never talked.
Do you think that would have changed everything for you?
Speaker 5 (28:53):
I think it would have had a significant impact on
how I was feeling.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
It's super complicated. I think had you in this hypothatohole
not known about the Suzui situation, do you think Justin
would have brought it up on his own? Like what
was his approach to handling it?
Speaker 5 (29:10):
A really good question because I believe I was the
first one that brought it up, because I brought up
the phone call. I talked to Jess the night before
our rescheduled date and I said, how do I bring
this up right? Like? And so I was like, I'm
going to just be really honest because I had the
call with her. We talked for a really long time,
and I wanted to get that out there. And so, yeah,
(29:32):
I don't know. I think the whole thing was just
kind of it was really making me spiral, is.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
What I Yeah, I get that. I think, not that
you're asking for my advice, but I'm gonna I don't
want to throw it out there. I think the best
way to go into Paradise is with the attitude of
fuck all these people, and I'm here solely for myself
to see if I could find a connection, because there
(30:00):
is a lot of that where you meet people, you're
half assed friends with people, and it could potentially ruin
something great for like this bullshit friendship.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
I know, but I do feel like it's harder with
women and female friendships a little bit.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
You always say that, but I'm a good friend. I'm
just saying. We all go on a dating show to
date each other, you know, it kind of has to
be like, you know what I'm doing me for everyone?
Speaker 5 (30:29):
I guess yeah, you Honestly, Joe, if I had done that,
I wouldn't have given him the roads I would have
given me Eyler Jonathan and I can say that with
a hundred confidence.
Speaker 4 (30:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
Interesting.
Speaker 2 (30:39):
Yeah, well, we are very excited to watch the rest
of the season that the first episode was great, you
look great in it, and we're excited.
Speaker 3 (30:48):
You know, to see where the rest goes. So thanks
so much for coming on.
Speaker 4 (30:51):
Thank you. I'm excited. Should be a good journey.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
And good luck with your company and to all our listeners,
thank you guys for tuning into bets You're happy hour.
Make sure you download and subscribe.
Speaker 3 (31:01):
We have new exclusive interviews coming every single week. Thanks
so much for listening.
Speaker 4 (31:05):
Bye
Hosts And Creators
Joe Amabile
Susan Noles
Serena Pitt
Kathy Swarts
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