April 14, 2026 • 40 mins
From The Valley, we welcome Edwin’s friend, Danny Booko to chat Season 3!
So much happened in two seasons, does Danny still talk to former cast member Jax Taylor after the big fall out?
Plus, will he ever make up with Janet Caperna?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the EDS with Eddie Judge and Edwin ado Yab.
Welcome back to the EDS.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
I'm Eddie and and today on the EDS, we are
chatting with a cast member from the Valley, which debuted
its thirties in this month.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Danny Buko, you're very close. Book oh book with an O. Okay, Danny, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (00:27):
Benny, thanks thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Yeah, we're super excited.
Speaker 5 (00:30):
I understand you're married to Nia Sanchez, who's your wife
on the show and in real life.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
Yeah, thank god.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
And uh, and we're very excited to get to know you. Danny.
Welcome to the EDS.
Speaker 4 (00:43):
Thank you very much. I'm excited and thanks for having me.
Speaker 5 (00:48):
Now I understand there's a personal connection with you and Edwin.
You guys know each other in real life.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
This is true. That's my dog.
Speaker 6 (00:59):
This is true.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Let's talk about that. How'd you guys meet?
Speaker 6 (01:03):
I think, Danny, I think we met through mosaic, right.
We we we met through a couple of friends that
that go to our church, and uh, that's what we initially.
Matt and then Dan was a football fan. I'm a
football fan. So we won a couple of ram games
I think together. That was fun. And then then he's
(01:23):
a big Lions fan as well, so once in a
while we will root for the Lions and Souff.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
So, well, you got you got, you got our number
one Lion, you got Matthew Stafford. Yeah, exactly, That's why
I can. I can cheer for both teams. Fun. Yeah.
Speaker 6 (01:38):
In fact, I remember, you know, back then when you
were first auditioning for the show, you asked me if
I thought it was a good idea.
Speaker 4 (01:47):
There was a moment where I was trying to see
if me and I could come over and and you know, uh.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Which show are you talking about?
Speaker 4 (01:56):
The Valley?
Speaker 6 (01:57):
The Valley?
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Oh, okay, because you've done You've done other shows, right.
Speaker 4 (02:01):
Yes, but all not reality TV.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
This is your first reality okay.
Speaker 4 (02:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (02:07):
Yeah, So I've.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
Done a lot of scripted network television, cable at over
twenty TV shows. Wow, And so this is my first
step reality reality TV, which I had put off for
a very very long time. It had been approached, you know,
over twenty years of being here about doing it, but
(02:30):
you know, it had a different stigma kind of back then.
And now it's it's real television. And yeah, only build
your platform and build your career, and you can you know,
use it in any way you want. So that's why
we took the took the plunge.
Speaker 6 (02:48):
It's funny how much it's changed, right like twenty years
ago to now now, like you're on reality TV. You're
like a superstar. It's almost like I don't know if
I could even use the word a list, but you know,
like before it was like you were fless. Now you're like, yeah,
you know, like people love you because you're on reality show.
(03:08):
It's crazy or hate you? Right, So I guess exactly
one of the two, right, exactly. But let's start at
the beginning, Daddy, obviously. So you grew up in Michigan, right.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
Come on, Yeah, small town Michigan. If you know Michigan,
you know the Mitten right here south of Kalmazoo, Grand
Rapids in a small town called Three Rivers. And yes
we did have Three Rivers, but a small small town.
I'm talking five six thousand people. You're growing up. Wow,
(03:38):
we had a couple of street lights and and you
know one block of your your main street downtown. It
was it was wild, but it was like a farm town.
But also had we had all these beautiful lakes and
so growing up there was. It was just it was
so much fun.
Speaker 6 (03:57):
Uh did you grow up in theater back then? I mean, well,
you just always I'm in Michigan, but I want to
be in Hollywood one day.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
You know. It's it's funny. My dad is a pastor
and so of a no non denominational Christian church, and
so growing up in that at the time, they would
do a lot of dramas and productions and you know,
those types of things. So you know, I was a
three year old up there singing Jesus Loves Me and
(04:29):
you know, those types of things. And then as it progressed,
you know, it'd be in more dramas and plays and
and you know, the biggest thing was in high school
where I really got the bug. We had a new
youth pastor who was good friends with a writer who
is like a writer in Hollywood and the first Jurassic
(04:50):
Park and like all this type of stuff, and he
had written these really impactful plays that all dealt with
teenage issues of bullying and suicide and and all these
kind of like you know, dark things partying and you know,
and ultimately you know, coming to faith. It was but
(05:13):
it was very just driven off real life and real kids,
you know, we're going through And he was like, I
want you to be the lead, and so I did.
And we ended up doing three or four of them,
and we had packed houses and more than like our
school theater and community theater. And that's when I had
(05:34):
really got the bug. But at that time didn't think
I was gonna move to Hollywood to pursue it as
a career.
Speaker 6 (05:42):
I didn't realize your dad was a pastor. I mean,
look at that. I learned something new that you didn't.
Speaker 4 (05:48):
Oh my gosh. So so my grandfather was a Baptist
pastor and then uh, they he says, they got sick
of me and they kind of kicked him out. He
was he was more into of of a loving God
and loving Jesus, and Jesus that's still does miracles today
and and so he uh started his own church. And
(06:15):
then my dad took it over and is now in
the process of handing it off to someone else. He's
been pastoring there for forty forty some odd years.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Well, you never aspired to take it over, you know.
Speaker 4 (06:34):
I never got that calling. I never never got that calling.
It was always, you know, thought that I have I
have two brothers and a sister, and so they were like,
is it going to keep going? And and it seems
like Danny has the personality and the you know, charisma
and is comfortable on stage and all that to do it.
(06:56):
But I never got the call.
Speaker 6 (06:59):
So what are your parents and siblings think about you
coming out on this show? Obviously there's a lot of
drama behind.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
It, big time big.
Speaker 6 (07:08):
First of all, did they know how much drama is
going to be? I mean, when you when you do
these reality shows, do you know that you're making a
reality show? And part of it is, unfortunately you have
to share some of the drama. So did they know
what you were getting yourself into? And did they approve?
Speaker 4 (07:22):
Look, I got to be honest, I didn't know what
I was getting into, you know. And this show was
first pitched to me by Jacks Which that's also is
a connection with you, Edwin when you had h had
some people over and went to the Lions game.
Speaker 6 (07:40):
Is that how you guys first met That we had.
Speaker 4 (07:42):
Met through passing through mutual friends here and there, but
that game is kind of an after is where we
really connected?
Speaker 5 (07:49):
Yes?
Speaker 6 (07:49):
Because Jackson, you big Detroit Lion fans. We wanted the
game to.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
Get both from Michigan.
Speaker 6 (07:54):
Yeah, yeah, both from Michigan.
Speaker 4 (07:55):
And so he's the one who you know, pitched me
this idea a few months after and said it was
going to be nothing like vander Pump and it was
going to be like, you know, guys that are now
you know, moved to the valley and and got married
and have kids, and you know, instead of you know,
popping bottles, we're now warming bottles and it's gonna be hilarious.
(08:18):
You know, the girls go to Palm Springs, the guys,
you know, figuring out how to change diapers, and well
that's how it was pitched, and all that quickly went
out the window and quickly became a vander Pump spin off.
I didn't even really watch much of that show at all,
so uh one or two, when people were slamming tables
(08:41):
and flipping things and you know, having these crazy fights
and conflicts, Nea looked at and at each other and
we were just like, what did we just get ourselves?
Speaker 1 (08:54):
So does Nia have any reality to be background?
Speaker 4 (08:58):
She doesn't. I did a pilot way back when for
E that was about she was Missy with say twenty fourteen.
First We're not out for Miss Universe in two fifteen,
and they had tried to do it. They did a
pilot that didn't end up going and it was about like,
you know, girls of pageant winners that moved to la
(09:20):
and kind of followed their life after their reign as
pageant winners and stuff like that.
Speaker 5 (09:27):
So you guys are navigating through this together, yes, big
to awesome, Awesome. That's always helpful too.
Speaker 6 (09:36):
So any unlike the Housewives of Orange County or Beverly Hills,
the guys on the Valley have to be on the show.
It's not like us where we get to run away
from the drama and just not be a part of it.
I have a choice. They're like in the middle of it.
Speaker 5 (09:55):
Oh, I got to tell you, I'm glad you said
that because my wife walked into my bedroom or my office.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
This.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
When he says, did you look up Danny, did you
you know you're gonna interview him today, I'm like, uh, yeah,
I got the notes from production and she's like, you
better watch the show so you can get a better idea.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
I'm like, why do I need to watch the shows?
Speaker 6 (10:14):
Fuck?
Speaker 5 (10:14):
I don't even watch the housewife shows. Yeah, yeah, but
I got to watch the two first episodes and I
was entertained.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
It was fun to watch it.
Speaker 5 (10:24):
I saw the dynamics and it has a little Housewife
esque spin to it, you know, the drama or the
stupid drama that's kind of happening, you know, like, oh,
if you looked at me wrong. But I did notice
the guys interacted a lot, and like it's a it's
a it's a lot of work for you guys, it.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
Is it is, and especially you know and us, you know,
we have the had four and or four Yeah, going
into season three, you know, it's been uh, it's been
a lot with that as well, you know.
Speaker 5 (10:57):
But how exciting to have, you know, your kids so
little because when they grow up, they're all going to
grow up at the same time and you know, just
hang out and love each other. And from what I gathered,
you know, I've been on reality TV long enough that
I know that probably fifty percent of it is real,
you know. The other way fifty percent is edited, Yeah,
for good context, of course. But what I've learned is
your relationship with na it's just great. It's wholesome, it's
(11:21):
love and it's a good partnership.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
I do understand.
Speaker 5 (11:25):
What I grass from the two episodes is that she
she wasn't happy to move out to Santa Maria. Sita Clarita,
Thana Clarita. Sorry, and I know you.
Speaker 6 (11:35):
Really pissed if she moved to Santa Maria.
Speaker 4 (11:37):
Yeah, no doubt.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
But I do appreciate the move.
Speaker 5 (11:43):
Meaning, you know, when you have kids, your priorities and
your lifestyle changed dramatically and unlet's you know, you come
from wealth and you got this big mansion and verily
hells and you know, the whole family. You know, ten
families can live in it. But you know, when you
have to make it happen and you have to move
away from Hollywood or the hustle and bustle, I'm sure
life is easier, but financially long term, is probably the
(12:06):
best thing you could have done for yourself.
Speaker 4 (12:09):
One hundred percent. It was. It was years in the
in the making of getting her to come around to it,
and of course I didn't want to do anything, you know,
that was forcing her to do anything. But yeah, logically,
already having the three kids, she you know, was pretty
adamant about having a fourth. Yeah, we said we wanted
(12:30):
two to four. God had a different plan. We went
from one to three. So it was kind of like
you know that thing of look, if we won't even
talk about having a fourth child, we need a big
place and what we wanted, you know, la la prices.
(12:52):
I knew that we couldn't have that where we needed
three four million dollars to buy a house that had
bedrooms for everyone.
Speaker 6 (13:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
So I had always known about Valencia and Santa Karita
area because I do a lot of voice over work.
I got Warner Brothers a few times a week doing that, okay,
and a lot of people that I work with live
up here. Yeah, And they were like, it's the best
decision you ever we ever made. And from Encino to
(13:22):
Warner Brothers, from Santa Krita to Warner Brothers, they were
getting there quicker than I was because the one on
one is just always a cluster f Yeah, and you
hit it right, you know, just straight down the five.
And so that was a big thing too. That that
was interesting.
Speaker 6 (13:39):
Yeah, a per cup, So what you graduated high school,
you're still in Michigan. Do you go to college or
do you come straight to La to follow your dream?
Or how did how did that all go about? And
then kind of walk us through that and then walk
(13:59):
us how you meta?
Speaker 4 (14:01):
Yeah. Yeah. So in school, I the last couple of
years I really got into music and vocal music, and
I knew I wanted to get out of my small
town and go to a college university. And I ended
up getting pretty much a full scholarship to a North
(14:23):
Park University in Chicago. And my mom's side of the
family lived in Chicago, lived in Evanston area, and so
I knew I had family in there. I wanted to
be in a big city. I wanted to be away
from the small town. I wanted to have that feel.
So I moved to I went there. I was studying
(14:44):
music and playing football. Football was my life in high school,
and it was like Friday night lights small town, Like
all the stores would shut down on Friday. Everybody would
be at the games.
Speaker 6 (14:56):
What position did you play?
Speaker 4 (14:58):
I played a strong safety and running back, so both
both both ways, and it was it was just everything.
Those were great times in high school. Then I went
to a college, a university that was a D three
and our team sucked, and so I went from getting
state contenders every year to like being on this horrible team.
(15:20):
And then in conflicting with my music vocal schedule, and
literally after a year, I just kind of like got
burnt out. So long story short, I ended up doing
this nationwide talent search. It was called Best New Talent.
And you hear like about Ashton, Kutcher and Channing and
some of these other you know, model actors that you
(15:41):
would do these things, and that's how they ended up.
So I did this thing I want in my area.
I flew out to LA They still do it as
like a competition, but they have casting directors and agents
and managers and and at the end, you had a
number and if an age her manager wanted to have
(16:01):
us sit down with you, you the last stay you
would look and see if your numbers on there. And
I had a bunch of aagors and managers that wanted
to sit down and talk and they all said, look,
you know, we think you're really talented. You have a
great look. If you were willing to move out here,
we want to represent you. And it was wow, this
is is that easy?
Speaker 1 (16:24):
So are they going to pay for your living out here?
Speaker 4 (16:28):
Of course not, of course not. They're like, it's something
you want to pursue, you know whatever, So and it was.
It was, you know, I missed that acting bug that
I had more in high school. I wasn't doing it
in college. And I went back and I said, you know,
I'm young, I want to strike with irons hot. I'm
pretty burnt out, you know, changing my vocal major to
(16:51):
my minor and you know, figuring out what I wanted
to do. And I was like, let's just let's do it.
And uh uh took, took, took the shot my dream,
and about four months in booked my first job, which
was the Sweet Life of Acting Cody. And then it
just kind of snowballed from there. You know, Hannah Montana, I, Carley, Housewives,
(17:15):
Medium Vibers, Goldberg's, you know, a lot of television shows
and a lot of movies as well. So wow, that's
how that kind of all.
Speaker 6 (17:25):
So you did a bunch of work on that side,
and then when did the voice come in? And did
that basically take over your acting career because that was
more consistent I would imagine, or.
Speaker 4 (17:37):
Yes, yes, so I started. I think my first job
was in two thousand and seven. I was a studio
that I was studying at. I was also kind of
co teaching the kids, kids program and on acting. And
one of the mothers of a student was a huge
(17:57):
voiceover casting for area of voiceover called looping, and so
she was like, hey, have you ever done voiceover looping?
And I was like, ad R. And I was like,
I've done ADR for my own, you know, on camera stuff.
But she was like, this is totally different, and she
had me come in. And that's kind of how I
(18:18):
got started. Now, I was doing that while I was
doing on camera, and after about i'd say ten years,
I kind of was realizing, this is a lot more consistent,
a lot more lucrative. It's really hard to get into
a very small circle. And so I kind of decided
(18:39):
to put the on camera stuff on the back burner
and solely not solely. I still do movies here and there,
but more focus on the voiceover stuff.
Speaker 6 (18:51):
Nice And how did NA come into place? And were
you ever broke by the way when you were kind
of chasing your dreams or were you pretty consistently acting
in good paychecks were coming in so you weren't really
struggling as much.
Speaker 4 (19:03):
Yeah, you know, the early years it was, you know,
it was struggling. It would it would be, you know,
I'd do a job and it would be able to
float me for a while and and you know, you
get residuals and that kind of thing, and then it
was like, oh, let's getting low. I'm gonna have to
get a real job. And then I would book a
movie and then it'd be, you know, another thing that
(19:24):
would give me by. So the first few years, you know,
it was was up and down, up and down. And
then you know, I have just been blessed to say
pretty consistent and and then for it to grow and
be you know, financial half, financial peace and and be
comfortable in that area.
Speaker 6 (19:41):
And and.
Speaker 4 (19:43):
You know, do not take it for granted, because it's
something like, you know, two percent that can be in
this entertainment field and and be able to solely work
and make the rin come, you know.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
Doing So, what are two of the A lists you've
worked with that you enjoyed?
Speaker 4 (20:03):
Man? I did a movie with Tim Allen and gosh
it was Tim Allen, Rayleioda, uh JK. Simmons, Oh my gosh,
totally blanking on her name, and she was just the
most sweetest thing. She played. Uh she played my mom
(20:26):
in it. Huge actress. Uh from Alien. She was we
were yes, yes, Sigourney Weaver. Thank you guys, like seventeen kids,
like three hours. I don't know what day or time
it is right now. So uh that was that was
(20:48):
a really special movie. To be able to do and
work and hang around with them, you know. Uh yeah,
uh being from Michigan as well, and it was his
rectorial debut in a movie it was called Crazy on
the Outside. And then working with Alcilmer I did a
western Uh a dream.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
Uh to be.
Speaker 4 (21:05):
Able to do that, and so that's those are a few.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
Yeah, that's so cool. That's a very awesome experience.
Speaker 6 (21:14):
How did you end up picking up on Nia? How'd
you get her? Yeah, Miss Universe, I mean Miss Universe,
Miss America. What was it?
Speaker 4 (21:21):
Careful? Oh, careful, Miss Usa?
Speaker 6 (21:24):
Miss Usa?
Speaker 4 (21:25):
Okay, say different organizations.
Speaker 6 (21:28):
Okay, what's the difference.
Speaker 4 (21:31):
Well, Miss America, they do a talent Okay. So that's
the thing, Miss Usa. Here's the thing. I didn't come
up with this. It's well known. There is a saying.
They're saying Miss America is the girl next door. Miss
Usa is the girl you wish live next door? O.
(21:52):
So yeah, Nia Sanchez the spicy Latina.
Speaker 6 (21:57):
So how do you pick up on Miss Usa, I
mean confidence or did she know you or does she
have a crush on you back in the day when
you were an actor? How did that know?
Speaker 4 (22:06):
She? You know, it's funny. She was like after we
had had a first couple of days, she was like,
I'm finally realizing I have seen you in this and
this and this and this. So we have different stories
of how we met. So, my friend Chris was getting
engaged to Miss USA two thousand and nine Kristin Dalton,
and they had a big engagement party and as you
(22:28):
can imagine, all her friends with these pageant girls. So
you go in and it's just the most beautiful woman
you've ever seen.
Speaker 6 (22:35):
And to be invited to what's that good party to
be invited?
Speaker 1 (22:39):
Yes, yes, yes, not if you're married.
Speaker 4 (22:45):
Exactly. So I went and I saw her from across
the way, and I turned to my buddy and I
was like, oh, my gosh, that is one of the
most beautiful women I've ever seen. And at some part
in the night, we were in the cracle and people
were just introducing theirselves and whatever, and so we met
very briefly in that setting. She was there with a guy,
(23:09):
so I thought that she was dating this this person.
But three months later, I was volunteering at Mosaic on
a Good Friday service, the first time volunteering, and I
was greeting people at the door and in locked Nia,
and I was like, I can't believe this, you know,
(23:30):
And she sits in the lobby, she sits down, and
she recognized you. She's waiting for She's not recognizing me,
but I recognize her, so she she doesn't each she
doesn't even remember me from that party. So she's waiting
for someone. I'm like, oh, she must be waiting for
that guy that she was at the party. Well it wasn't.
It was a girlfriend. They come up and uh to
(23:54):
my door and I said, hey, Nia Sanchez right and
she's like yeah. And I was like, oh, we just
met really briefly at in Kristen's engagement party. And she
was like, oh, oh, no way, you know, just kind
of playing it off.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (24:07):
And after the service, that was it. After the service,
she was like, Hey, I want to go say buy
to that cute guy at the door. So she came
and found me and we started talking. And when they
were doing one of Irwin's book clubs on his newest book,
I forget which one. I was already signed up for
(24:29):
a different book club that was closer to my area.
Nia said she was going to be doing one with
her friend and I said, oh, is it co ed
and she said yeah, the boy the merrier And I
said okay, And I quickly called the guy that I
was set up to go to his and I said, hey,
I'm not going to be attending your book club anymore.
Speaker 1 (24:48):
Of course. Sorry.
Speaker 4 (24:51):
So a day or two later I hit her up
on Facebook and I said, hey, you know, I'd love
to get to know you, you know, before the book club
and and take you out and whatever. So we did.
We had a fun date and continued, and you know,
the rest is history. This is why you volunteer at church, guy, exactly,
(25:15):
That's what I say, you volunteer at church. God says,
here you go right in your lap in this USA. Now,
she wasn't Miss USA at the time, and uh, she
had won some pageants. She had got like second runner
up in Miss California. She was going to do she
was gonna go and live in Nevada to get residency there,
(25:35):
and she was like, I want to do one more shot.
And I was like, well, I'm ready to get married.
I knew, like this was like fast tracking. I knew
that the next person that I was going to be
serious with was hoping to be the one. And we
just both checked off each other's boxes and I was like, no,
(25:56):
you're not doing another pageant? What are you talking about? Like,
you know, if you win, it's a year that you
can't be married, and then you go up to Miss USA,
it's another year that you can't be married. And I
didn't think that it was much of a big thing too,
that you know, these pageants. Yeah, then I realized they're
insane and it is competitive and I am extremely competitive,
(26:18):
and you know, after praying about it and you know,
finding out more about it, and I was like, you
know what, go do it. I'm in it with you
one hundred percent. I'm your biggest supporter. We're doing this together.
Let's go win this thing. Nice.
Speaker 6 (26:34):
Did you ever deal with any jealousy? Especially after she won?
And just I'm assuming every guy's after her at that point, right, Yeah,
how do you deal with that?
Speaker 5 (26:44):
But you got to have a level of confidence. Come on,
you can't date a girl like that, and you're like
big that way, big.
Speaker 4 (26:51):
Time, you know, I think the biggest thing for me
and you still and you see a lot of that,
a lot of miss Usas that are with guys that
can't handle it and they end up breaking up. And
you know, whatever it may be.
Speaker 5 (27:03):
For me.
Speaker 4 (27:05):
Two things. One, we're super strong in our faith and
through that we have super strong a foundation in that,
and our communication and UH and our trust. And me
also being in the entertainment industry for so long and
doing the red carpets and being in the spotlight here
(27:26):
and there, I knew that I knew what was coming,
So that helped prepare me as well. So there wasn't
there wasn't much of that, and and you know when
she won and then she won Miss USA and then
immediately she's living in New York and we're doing a
long distance for a year, you know, wild and Donald
(27:48):
Trump was her boss. That was the last year that he,
you know, was a part of that whole situation. And
and then she went on to go to missus Universe
in nteen ninety two countries. She had up getting first
runner round. Also during that time, I had proposed we
got engaged in New York. I did it all as
(28:09):
a big surprise, and it was beautiful and so, but
we couldn't plan our wedding until we knew what was
going to happen with Miss Universe. So then we got
married on my birthday, October seventeenth, twenty fifteen, and agift,
I didn't have a choice. I loved the venue and
(28:29):
they said, these are the days we have available, nine
to eleven or ten to seventeen. We're getting get married
on nine eleven. So I said, I guess I'm getting
married on my birthday and I will never forget when
our anniversary is.
Speaker 6 (28:43):
Never Well, you pull got off pretty quickly there in
the year you married. That's pretty quick.
Speaker 4 (28:51):
Yeah, well we were together a year. No, it was
three years, so it was because we had to wait. Well,
her rain was up, so we were year and a half,
got engaged, and then I think it was a total
of three years being together before we got married.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
Did you guys do a big wedding.
Speaker 4 (29:10):
No, it's pretty intimate. I mean, for side. You know
when you do a wedding, is you have your A
list B lists see list of beutiful. But it was
at a beautiful location that we did it in Temecula.
She's from the Temecula area. Okay, And we did it
at the Temecula Creek in in the back it's called
the Stonehouse and they have just chandeliers and the trees
(29:32):
and all that. So our wedding, I think all Sudd
and Downe was sort of think around one hundred and
thirty five people.
Speaker 6 (29:47):
Let's get into the show. First off, third season coming up?
What season did you like more? First of the second
for you guys.
Speaker 4 (29:54):
Oh my gosh, you must not have watched the show.
Speaker 6 (29:58):
But you have to choose one. You have to choose one.
Speaker 4 (30:02):
So the first season, first season, we just I think
it was we just went in and we were like, hey,
our life is crazy with the kids. We're going to
be ourselves and uh be real real about certain things.
And there were certain things that we were going through.
She was having a postpartum depression and we had some
(30:27):
you know, big talks about that. It's the big scenes
about that with her vulnerability and and how I approached it,
and had just an outpour of thousands and thousands of
women and men saying, you know, first obviously the women,
thank you for bringing light to this. I've never known
what it was or felt seen or you know, thank
(30:48):
you for doing it on such a public platform and
then guys saying, hey, thank you for showing you know
how to support and be there for, you know, your
wife when she was going through that. So it was
a lot of that kind of the first season it was,
and we came out very well, like almost like America's Sweethearts,
and you know, Bravo and some people in our group
(31:12):
weren't very happy about that, and Jack's Jax being one
of them. Obviously, he was my closest friend going into it.
And if you know Jack's which I didn't know as
well as in his reality TV world, his kind of
mo is to put a target on on the people
(31:34):
that are being shown in a good light. So wow,
he yeah, he went after his hard he behind our backs.
He talked to people in the in the cast, in
our group and said, hey, we have to take down
Ni and Danny and so just.
Speaker 6 (31:48):
To clarify, because you guys came out so good season one, right, yeah, yeah,
everyone loved you guys. Then it's like, hey, we're going
to put a target on these guys. We're going to
find some dirt. Is that kind of how how how
goes down? But you're your best friend exactly no.
Speaker 4 (32:04):
I mean I called him and I said, dude, I
hear that you're talking, you know, behind to people, behind
my back and saying you're going to try to create
these narratives and not even find dirt, Like I mean,
some of this stuff was just blatant, made up lies
like he was like trying to do and spread. And
so I was like, what is going on? And he
just like went off like on a rage, and I
(32:25):
was like, Okay, I guess this is happening now, you
know what I mean?
Speaker 5 (32:31):
It was.
Speaker 4 (32:31):
It was really weird, and unfortunately a few people definitely
got on board, and so the second season was was
really really tough. Uh, there was a big target on
our backs, people saying that we thought we were perfect
and we were playing this whole protecting our image and
like they were making up all these just lies that
(32:53):
you never said these things. We're putting our stuff out there,
and uh, but they were. They were mad that we
weren't putting everything out there, and we said this going in.
It was like we're not going to throw all of
our conflict and dirty laundry or whatever just out there.
You know, we did a lot of that, but some things,
(33:15):
you know, we want to keep private and we handle
those in our home and do it that way. So,
you know, some things were brought up that had already
been squashed.
Speaker 6 (33:27):
And back to Jackswell Cook, he's obviously not on the
show anymore. I assume you guys don't talk or do
you guys still send the cordial text to each other?
Speaker 4 (33:36):
No, you know, I it was it was again a
really tough season. He was in rehab the first thirty
days of it, rage texting everybody while I was sending
him saying, hey, man, I hope you're doing okay and
there I hope you're getting the help you need, you know,
sending him some yeah devotionals, some scriptures, some things like that. Yuh,
(34:00):
And he just came out like a raging bull, like
I had thirty days that I missed. Now I'm just
gonna a tunnel vision you and Nia and just try
to come after you. And it was just it was ugly.
And then again a couple other people in the group
as well, But the viewers are smart and they saw
(34:21):
right through it, and it completely backfired and we got
nothing but love and support. And you know, in certain ways,
you know, I, in many ways I took accountability for things.
I apologized for things when I needed to do that,
and just some people just wouldn't let it go, even
had nothing to do with them.
Speaker 6 (34:42):
So do you think you and Janet will ever make up?
Speaker 4 (34:48):
I don't think so. I had hopes, you know, when
I say that she didn't burn a bridge, she nuclear
bombed a bridge. By the things that she came out
and said.
Speaker 6 (35:01):
So, who's got a better chance of making it Jack's
or her? If you had to choose one, that You're like.
Speaker 4 (35:07):
All right percent Jacks, Because Jacks at least he admitted
to it. He admitted to it at the reunion.
Speaker 6 (35:15):
He's responsibility.
Speaker 4 (35:16):
Yep, he took responsibility. He said everything you said I did,
I did, and I am sorry, and you know, I
wish I wouldn't have done that.
Speaker 6 (35:28):
That's big.
Speaker 4 (35:29):
So he did, he did do that. But then after
the reunion he's like, so we're good, right, everything's good.
You know, we're for friends now. And I'm like, bro,
you tried to literally take my name and my character
and integrity that I have a lot of pride in
that I work on daily to try to just run
(35:49):
it through the mud and make up things and do things.
It's not just an apology. I accept your apology, but
there's got to be action behind it, and you know,
there hasn't been since and I haven't really talked to
him since that happened.
Speaker 6 (36:05):
Biggest Takeaway in three years being on the show.
Speaker 5 (36:08):
Biggest Takeaway three years, three seasons, yeah, three seasons.
Speaker 4 (36:16):
Yeah. I mean, it's it's crazy because you're just in
this bubble for eight weeks, you know, and a lot
of these people have tried to really take us down,
and normally I would never spend another minute or day.
I protect my peace, I protect my family. I protect
you know, everything that I'm dealing with is trickling down
to my family. So I want to be the best
(36:38):
version of myself, you know, for them, and you know
just again that you can't you can't control or change
anybody but yourself, and just to continue to try your
best to what I do is each day to live
a life of love and kindness and learn from my stakes.
(37:02):
Know that at the end of the day, I'm good
with God and I'm good with my wife. That's what's
the most important. And uh and the kids obviously, and uh,
you know, it's it's I try to focus on the
positive there's a lot of negative there's a lot of
conflict with this, but it has after three seasons, it's
given us a platform that I feel like from the
(37:25):
thousands and thousands of thousands of viewers that have been
so positive, that have been so uplifting, that have helped
so many That's that's probably my biggest takeaway from it.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
I have one more question. Yeah, being.
Speaker 5 (37:43):
A professional actor for so many years before you took
the dive or you know, dipped your feet into reality TV,
what do you think would be the biggest difference between
what you did before as an actor and what you're
doing now in reality TV.
Speaker 4 (37:59):
Yeah. As an actor, you yeah, it's you're you're you
have a craft, you know, you have a talent and
doing that and and doing it collectively with other with
a group of people that uh have the same and
want to have the best outcome, and you become a
(38:21):
like a team and a family. And yes, there can
be some conflict here and there, but it's never you know,
at the end of the day, you know, you guys
are building art, You're building something beautiful. Unfortunately, with reality TV,
it's the drama, it's the conflict, it's that stuff that
(38:41):
they're constantly you know, pushing, and certain people are pushing
in the group to to uh to happen because look,
you know, that's what a lot of the viewers want
to see. So that would be the big I guess
the biggest difference.
Speaker 1 (39:01):
I'd say, yeah, I could see that. Awesome.
Speaker 6 (39:07):
I think our time is up. Danny Matt. We can't
thank you enough. Thank you for being so open with us.
I had so much fun with during this interview. Wish
we had more time.
Speaker 4 (39:17):
I love you, But you go, let's set up another one.
Speaker 6 (39:21):
Yeah, well maybe we'll do part two. We wish you
the best of luck this season. The season's already out right.
Speaker 4 (39:28):
Yeah we're too. Two episodes in and uh.
Speaker 1 (39:32):
Welcome on both.
Speaker 5 (39:35):
Way to do your homework exactly exactly. They're actually fun
to watch. I really enjoyed it. Like I said, it
reminded me like of a younger Real Housewives of whatever,
you know program franchise we are, it's the next it's
the next group that's taken over the housewife franchise.
Speaker 4 (39:57):
Seams to be that's still going wrong, lord.
Speaker 6 (40:00):
It is it is.
Speaker 1 (40:02):
It's a pleasure to meet you, buddy.
Speaker 5 (40:04):
Hopefully we'll see you in the any one of these
Proba con or BRABO events for sure.
Speaker 4 (40:09):
Absolutely appreciate it. Guys.
Speaker 6 (40:11):
All right, Danny, we'll see you soon.
Speaker 4 (40:12):
Much love, God Blave, much love, thank you,
This is the EDS with Eddie Judge and Edwin ado Yab.
Welcome back to the EDS.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
I'm Eddie and and today on the EDS, we are
chatting with a cast member from the Valley, which debuted
its thirties in this month.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Danny Buko, you're very close. Book oh book with an O. Okay, Danny, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (00:27):
Benny, thanks thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Yeah, we're super excited.
Speaker 5 (00:30):
I understand you're married to Nia Sanchez, who's your wife
on the show and in real life.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
Yeah, thank god.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
And uh, and we're very excited to get to know you. Danny.
Welcome to the EDS.
Speaker 4 (00:43):
Thank you very much. I'm excited and thanks for having me.
Speaker 5 (00:48):
Now I understand there's a personal connection with you and Edwin.
You guys know each other in real life.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
This is true. That's my dog.
Speaker 6 (00:59):
This is true.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Let's talk about that. How'd you guys meet?
Speaker 6 (01:03):
I think, Danny, I think we met through mosaic, right.
We we we met through a couple of friends that
that go to our church, and uh, that's what we initially.
Matt and then Dan was a football fan. I'm a
football fan. So we won a couple of ram games
I think together. That was fun. And then then he's
(01:23):
a big Lions fan as well, so once in a
while we will root for the Lions and Souff.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
So, well, you got you got, you got our number
one Lion, you got Matthew Stafford. Yeah, exactly, That's why
I can. I can cheer for both teams. Fun. Yeah.
Speaker 6 (01:38):
In fact, I remember, you know, back then when you
were first auditioning for the show, you asked me if
I thought it was a good idea.
Speaker 4 (01:47):
There was a moment where I was trying to see
if me and I could come over and and you know, uh.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Which show are you talking about?
Speaker 4 (01:56):
The Valley?
Speaker 6 (01:57):
The Valley?
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Oh, okay, because you've done You've done other shows, right.
Speaker 4 (02:01):
Yes, but all not reality TV.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
This is your first reality okay.
Speaker 4 (02:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (02:07):
Yeah, So I've.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
Done a lot of scripted network television, cable at over
twenty TV shows. Wow, And so this is my first
step reality reality TV, which I had put off for
a very very long time. It had been approached, you know,
over twenty years of being here about doing it, but
(02:30):
you know, it had a different stigma kind of back then.
And now it's it's real television. And yeah, only build
your platform and build your career, and you can you know,
use it in any way you want. So that's why
we took the took the plunge.
Speaker 6 (02:48):
It's funny how much it's changed, right like twenty years
ago to now now, like you're on reality TV. You're
like a superstar. It's almost like I don't know if
I could even use the word a list, but you know,
like before it was like you were fless. Now you're like, yeah,
you know, like people love you because you're on reality show.
(03:08):
It's crazy or hate you? Right, So I guess exactly
one of the two, right, exactly. But let's start at
the beginning, Daddy, obviously. So you grew up in Michigan, right.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
Come on, Yeah, small town Michigan. If you know Michigan,
you know the Mitten right here south of Kalmazoo, Grand
Rapids in a small town called Three Rivers. And yes
we did have Three Rivers, but a small small town.
I'm talking five six thousand people. You're growing up. Wow,
(03:38):
we had a couple of street lights and and you
know one block of your your main street downtown. It
was it was wild, but it was like a farm town.
But also had we had all these beautiful lakes and
so growing up there was. It was just it was
so much fun.
Speaker 6 (03:57):
Uh did you grow up in theater back then? I mean, well,
you just always I'm in Michigan, but I want to
be in Hollywood one day.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
You know. It's it's funny. My dad is a pastor
and so of a no non denominational Christian church, and
so growing up in that at the time, they would
do a lot of dramas and productions and you know,
those types of things. So you know, I was a
three year old up there singing Jesus Loves Me and
(04:29):
you know, those types of things. And then as it progressed,
you know, it'd be in more dramas and plays and
and you know, the biggest thing was in high school
where I really got the bug. We had a new
youth pastor who was good friends with a writer who
is like a writer in Hollywood and the first Jurassic
(04:50):
Park and like all this type of stuff, and he
had written these really impactful plays that all dealt with
teenage issues of bullying and suicide and and all these
kind of like you know, dark things partying and you know,
and ultimately you know, coming to faith. It was but
(05:13):
it was very just driven off real life and real kids,
you know, we're going through And he was like, I
want you to be the lead, and so I did.
And we ended up doing three or four of them,
and we had packed houses and more than like our
school theater and community theater. And that's when I had
(05:34):
really got the bug. But at that time didn't think
I was gonna move to Hollywood to pursue it as
a career.
Speaker 6 (05:42):
I didn't realize your dad was a pastor. I mean,
look at that. I learned something new that you didn't.
Speaker 4 (05:48):
Oh my gosh. So so my grandfather was a Baptist
pastor and then uh, they he says, they got sick
of me and they kind of kicked him out. He
was he was more into of of a loving God
and loving Jesus, and Jesus that's still does miracles today
and and so he uh started his own church. And
(06:15):
then my dad took it over and is now in
the process of handing it off to someone else. He's
been pastoring there for forty forty some odd years.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Well, you never aspired to take it over, you know.
Speaker 4 (06:34):
I never got that calling. I never never got that calling.
It was always, you know, thought that I have I
have two brothers and a sister, and so they were like,
is it going to keep going? And and it seems
like Danny has the personality and the you know, charisma
and is comfortable on stage and all that to do it.
(06:56):
But I never got the call.
Speaker 6 (06:59):
So what are your parents and siblings think about you
coming out on this show? Obviously there's a lot of
drama behind.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
It, big time big.
Speaker 6 (07:08):
First of all, did they know how much drama is
going to be? I mean, when you when you do
these reality shows, do you know that you're making a
reality show? And part of it is, unfortunately you have
to share some of the drama. So did they know
what you were getting yourself into? And did they approve?
Speaker 4 (07:22):
Look, I got to be honest, I didn't know what
I was getting into, you know. And this show was
first pitched to me by Jacks Which that's also is
a connection with you, Edwin when you had h had
some people over and went to the Lions game.
Speaker 6 (07:40):
Is that how you guys first met That we had.
Speaker 4 (07:42):
Met through passing through mutual friends here and there, but
that game is kind of an after is where we
really connected?
Speaker 5 (07:49):
Yes?
Speaker 6 (07:49):
Because Jackson, you big Detroit Lion fans. We wanted the
game to.
Speaker 4 (07:52):
Get both from Michigan.
Speaker 6 (07:54):
Yeah, yeah, both from Michigan.
Speaker 4 (07:55):
And so he's the one who you know, pitched me
this idea a few months after and said it was
going to be nothing like vander Pump and it was
going to be like, you know, guys that are now
you know, moved to the valley and and got married
and have kids, and you know, instead of you know,
popping bottles, we're now warming bottles and it's gonna be hilarious.
(08:18):
You know, the girls go to Palm Springs, the guys,
you know, figuring out how to change diapers, and well
that's how it was pitched, and all that quickly went
out the window and quickly became a vander Pump spin off.
I didn't even really watch much of that show at all,
so uh one or two, when people were slamming tables
(08:41):
and flipping things and you know, having these crazy fights
and conflicts, Nea looked at and at each other and
we were just like, what did we just get ourselves?
Speaker 1 (08:54):
So does Nia have any reality to be background?
Speaker 4 (08:58):
She doesn't. I did a pilot way back when for
E that was about she was Missy with say twenty fourteen.
First We're not out for Miss Universe in two fifteen,
and they had tried to do it. They did a
pilot that didn't end up going and it was about like,
you know, girls of pageant winners that moved to la
(09:20):
and kind of followed their life after their reign as
pageant winners and stuff like that.
Speaker 5 (09:27):
So you guys are navigating through this together, yes, big
to awesome, Awesome. That's always helpful too.
Speaker 6 (09:36):
So any unlike the Housewives of Orange County or Beverly Hills,
the guys on the Valley have to be on the show.
It's not like us where we get to run away
from the drama and just not be a part of it.
I have a choice. They're like in the middle of it.
Speaker 5 (09:55):
Oh, I got to tell you, I'm glad you said
that because my wife walked into my bedroom or my office.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
This.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
When he says, did you look up Danny, did you
you know you're gonna interview him today, I'm like, uh, yeah,
I got the notes from production and she's like, you
better watch the show so you can get a better idea.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
I'm like, why do I need to watch the shows?
Speaker 6 (10:14):
Fuck?
Speaker 5 (10:14):
I don't even watch the housewife shows. Yeah, yeah, but
I got to watch the two first episodes and I
was entertained.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
It was fun to watch it.
Speaker 5 (10:24):
I saw the dynamics and it has a little Housewife
esque spin to it, you know, the drama or the
stupid drama that's kind of happening, you know, like, oh,
if you looked at me wrong. But I did notice
the guys interacted a lot, and like it's a it's
a it's a lot of work for you guys, it.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
Is it is, and especially you know and us, you know,
we have the had four and or four Yeah, going
into season three, you know, it's been uh, it's been
a lot with that as well, you know.
Speaker 5 (10:57):
But how exciting to have, you know, your kids so
little because when they grow up, they're all going to
grow up at the same time and you know, just
hang out and love each other. And from what I gathered,
you know, I've been on reality TV long enough that
I know that probably fifty percent of it is real,
you know. The other way fifty percent is edited, Yeah,
for good context, of course. But what I've learned is
your relationship with na it's just great. It's wholesome, it's
(11:21):
love and it's a good partnership.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
I do understand.
Speaker 5 (11:25):
What I grass from the two episodes is that she
she wasn't happy to move out to Santa Maria. Sita Clarita,
Thana Clarita. Sorry, and I know you.
Speaker 6 (11:35):
Really pissed if she moved to Santa Maria.
Speaker 4 (11:37):
Yeah, no doubt.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
But I do appreciate the move.
Speaker 5 (11:43):
Meaning, you know, when you have kids, your priorities and
your lifestyle changed dramatically and unlet's you know, you come
from wealth and you got this big mansion and verily
hells and you know, the whole family. You know, ten
families can live in it. But you know, when you
have to make it happen and you have to move
away from Hollywood or the hustle and bustle, I'm sure
life is easier, but financially long term, is probably the
(12:06):
best thing you could have done for yourself.
Speaker 4 (12:09):
One hundred percent. It was. It was years in the
in the making of getting her to come around to it,
and of course I didn't want to do anything, you know,
that was forcing her to do anything. But yeah, logically,
already having the three kids, she you know, was pretty
adamant about having a fourth. Yeah, we said we wanted
(12:30):
two to four. God had a different plan. We went
from one to three. So it was kind of like
you know that thing of look, if we won't even
talk about having a fourth child, we need a big
place and what we wanted, you know, la la prices.
(12:52):
I knew that we couldn't have that where we needed
three four million dollars to buy a house that had
bedrooms for everyone.
Speaker 6 (13:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
So I had always known about Valencia and Santa Karita
area because I do a lot of voice over work.
I got Warner Brothers a few times a week doing that, okay,
and a lot of people that I work with live
up here. Yeah, And they were like, it's the best
decision you ever we ever made. And from Encino to
(13:22):
Warner Brothers, from Santa Krita to Warner Brothers, they were
getting there quicker than I was because the one on
one is just always a cluster f Yeah, and you
hit it right, you know, just straight down the five.
And so that was a big thing too. That that
was interesting.
Speaker 6 (13:39):
Yeah, a per cup, So what you graduated high school,
you're still in Michigan. Do you go to college or
do you come straight to La to follow your dream?
Or how did how did that all go about? And
then kind of walk us through that and then walk
(13:59):
us how you meta?
Speaker 4 (14:01):
Yeah. Yeah. So in school, I the last couple of
years I really got into music and vocal music, and
I knew I wanted to get out of my small
town and go to a college university. And I ended
up getting pretty much a full scholarship to a North
(14:23):
Park University in Chicago. And my mom's side of the
family lived in Chicago, lived in Evanston area, and so
I knew I had family in there. I wanted to
be in a big city. I wanted to be away
from the small town. I wanted to have that feel.
So I moved to I went there. I was studying
(14:44):
music and playing football. Football was my life in high school,
and it was like Friday night lights small town, Like
all the stores would shut down on Friday. Everybody would
be at the games.
Speaker 6 (14:56):
What position did you play?
Speaker 4 (14:58):
I played a strong safety and running back, so both
both both ways, and it was it was just everything.
Those were great times in high school. Then I went
to a college, a university that was a D three
and our team sucked, and so I went from getting
state contenders every year to like being on this horrible team.
(15:20):
And then in conflicting with my music vocal schedule, and
literally after a year, I just kind of like got
burnt out. So long story short, I ended up doing
this nationwide talent search. It was called Best New Talent.
And you hear like about Ashton, Kutcher and Channing and
some of these other you know, model actors that you
(15:41):
would do these things, and that's how they ended up.
So I did this thing I want in my area.
I flew out to LA They still do it as
like a competition, but they have casting directors and agents
and managers and and at the end, you had a
number and if an age her manager wanted to have
(16:01):
us sit down with you, you the last stay you
would look and see if your numbers on there. And
I had a bunch of aagors and managers that wanted
to sit down and talk and they all said, look,
you know, we think you're really talented. You have a
great look. If you were willing to move out here,
we want to represent you. And it was wow, this
is is that easy?
Speaker 1 (16:24):
So are they going to pay for your living out here?
Speaker 4 (16:28):
Of course not, of course not. They're like, it's something
you want to pursue, you know whatever, So and it was.
It was, you know, I missed that acting bug that
I had more in high school. I wasn't doing it
in college. And I went back and I said, you know,
I'm young, I want to strike with irons hot. I'm
pretty burnt out, you know, changing my vocal major to
(16:51):
my minor and you know, figuring out what I wanted
to do. And I was like, let's just let's do it.
And uh uh took, took, took the shot my dream,
and about four months in booked my first job, which
was the Sweet Life of Acting Cody. And then it
just kind of snowballed from there. You know, Hannah Montana, I, Carley, Housewives,
(17:15):
Medium Vibers, Goldberg's, you know, a lot of television shows
and a lot of movies as well. So wow, that's
how that kind of all.
Speaker 6 (17:25):
So you did a bunch of work on that side,
and then when did the voice come in? And did
that basically take over your acting career because that was
more consistent I would imagine, or.
Speaker 4 (17:37):
Yes, yes, so I started. I think my first job
was in two thousand and seven. I was a studio
that I was studying at. I was also kind of
co teaching the kids, kids program and on acting. And
one of the mothers of a student was a huge
(17:57):
voiceover casting for area of voiceover called looping, and so
she was like, hey, have you ever done voiceover looping?
And I was like, ad R. And I was like,
I've done ADR for my own, you know, on camera stuff.
But she was like, this is totally different, and she
had me come in. And that's kind of how I
(18:18):
got started. Now, I was doing that while I was
doing on camera, and after about i'd say ten years,
I kind of was realizing, this is a lot more consistent,
a lot more lucrative. It's really hard to get into
a very small circle. And so I kind of decided
(18:39):
to put the on camera stuff on the back burner
and solely not solely. I still do movies here and there,
but more focus on the voiceover stuff.
Speaker 6 (18:51):
Nice And how did NA come into place? And were
you ever broke by the way when you were kind
of chasing your dreams or were you pretty consistently acting
in good paychecks were coming in so you weren't really
struggling as much.
Speaker 4 (19:03):
Yeah, you know, the early years it was, you know,
it was struggling. It would it would be, you know,
I'd do a job and it would be able to
float me for a while and and you know, you
get residuals and that kind of thing, and then it
was like, oh, let's getting low. I'm gonna have to
get a real job. And then I would book a
movie and then it'd be, you know, another thing that
(19:24):
would give me by. So the first few years, you know,
it was was up and down, up and down. And
then you know, I have just been blessed to say
pretty consistent and and then for it to grow and
be you know, financial half, financial peace and and be
comfortable in that area.
Speaker 6 (19:41):
And and.
Speaker 4 (19:43):
You know, do not take it for granted, because it's
something like, you know, two percent that can be in
this entertainment field and and be able to solely work
and make the rin come, you know.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
Doing So, what are two of the A lists you've
worked with that you enjoyed?
Speaker 4 (20:03):
Man? I did a movie with Tim Allen and gosh
it was Tim Allen, Rayleioda, uh JK. Simmons, Oh my gosh,
totally blanking on her name, and she was just the
most sweetest thing. She played. Uh she played my mom
(20:26):
in it. Huge actress. Uh from Alien. She was we
were yes, yes, Sigourney Weaver. Thank you guys, like seventeen kids,
like three hours. I don't know what day or time
it is right now. So uh that was that was
(20:48):
a really special movie. To be able to do and
work and hang around with them, you know. Uh yeah,
uh being from Michigan as well, and it was his
rectorial debut in a movie it was called Crazy on
the Outside. And then working with Alcilmer I did a
western Uh a dream.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
Uh to be.
Speaker 4 (21:05):
Able to do that, and so that's those are a few.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
Yeah, that's so cool. That's a very awesome experience.
Speaker 6 (21:14):
How did you end up picking up on Nia? How'd
you get her? Yeah, Miss Universe, I mean Miss Universe,
Miss America. What was it?
Speaker 4 (21:21):
Careful? Oh, careful, Miss Usa?
Speaker 6 (21:24):
Miss Usa?
Speaker 4 (21:25):
Okay, say different organizations.
Speaker 6 (21:28):
Okay, what's the difference.
Speaker 4 (21:31):
Well, Miss America, they do a talent Okay. So that's
the thing, Miss Usa. Here's the thing. I didn't come
up with this. It's well known. There is a saying.
They're saying Miss America is the girl next door. Miss
Usa is the girl you wish live next door? O.
(21:52):
So yeah, Nia Sanchez the spicy Latina.
Speaker 6 (21:57):
So how do you pick up on Miss Usa, I
mean confidence or did she know you or does she
have a crush on you back in the day when
you were an actor? How did that know?
Speaker 4 (22:06):
She? You know, it's funny. She was like after we
had had a first couple of days, she was like,
I'm finally realizing I have seen you in this and
this and this and this. So we have different stories
of how we met. So, my friend Chris was getting
engaged to Miss USA two thousand and nine Kristin Dalton,
and they had a big engagement party and as you
(22:28):
can imagine, all her friends with these pageant girls. So
you go in and it's just the most beautiful woman
you've ever seen.
Speaker 6 (22:35):
And to be invited to what's that good party to
be invited?
Speaker 1 (22:39):
Yes, yes, yes, not if you're married.
Speaker 4 (22:45):
Exactly. So I went and I saw her from across
the way, and I turned to my buddy and I
was like, oh, my gosh, that is one of the
most beautiful women I've ever seen. And at some part
in the night, we were in the cracle and people
were just introducing theirselves and whatever, and so we met
very briefly in that setting. She was there with a guy,
(23:09):
so I thought that she was dating this this person.
But three months later, I was volunteering at Mosaic on
a Good Friday service, the first time volunteering, and I
was greeting people at the door and in locked Nia,
and I was like, I can't believe this, you know,
(23:30):
And she sits in the lobby, she sits down, and
she recognized you. She's waiting for She's not recognizing me,
but I recognize her, so she she doesn't each she
doesn't even remember me from that party. So she's waiting
for someone. I'm like, oh, she must be waiting for
that guy that she was at the party. Well it wasn't.
It was a girlfriend. They come up and uh to
(23:54):
my door and I said, hey, Nia Sanchez right and
she's like yeah. And I was like, oh, we just
met really briefly at in Kristen's engagement party. And she
was like, oh, oh, no way, you know, just kind
of playing it off.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (24:07):
And after the service, that was it. After the service,
she was like, Hey, I want to go say buy
to that cute guy at the door. So she came
and found me and we started talking. And when they
were doing one of Irwin's book clubs on his newest book,
I forget which one. I was already signed up for
(24:29):
a different book club that was closer to my area.
Nia said she was going to be doing one with
her friend and I said, oh, is it co ed
and she said yeah, the boy the merrier And I
said okay, And I quickly called the guy that I
was set up to go to his and I said, hey,
I'm not going to be attending your book club anymore.
Speaker 1 (24:48):
Of course. Sorry.
Speaker 4 (24:51):
So a day or two later I hit her up
on Facebook and I said, hey, you know, I'd love
to get to know you, you know, before the book club
and and take you out and whatever. So we did.
We had a fun date and continued, and you know,
the rest is history. This is why you volunteer at church, guy, exactly,
(25:15):
That's what I say, you volunteer at church. God says,
here you go right in your lap in this USA. Now,
she wasn't Miss USA at the time, and uh, she
had won some pageants. She had got like second runner
up in Miss California. She was going to do she
was gonna go and live in Nevada to get residency there,
(25:35):
and she was like, I want to do one more shot.
And I was like, well, I'm ready to get married.
I knew, like this was like fast tracking. I knew
that the next person that I was going to be
serious with was hoping to be the one. And we
just both checked off each other's boxes and I was like, no,
(25:56):
you're not doing another pageant? What are you talking about? Like,
you know, if you win, it's a year that you
can't be married, and then you go up to Miss USA,
it's another year that you can't be married. And I
didn't think that it was much of a big thing too,
that you know, these pageants. Yeah, then I realized they're
insane and it is competitive and I am extremely competitive,
(26:18):
and you know, after praying about it and you know,
finding out more about it, and I was like, you
know what, go do it. I'm in it with you
one hundred percent. I'm your biggest supporter. We're doing this together.
Let's go win this thing. Nice.
Speaker 6 (26:34):
Did you ever deal with any jealousy? Especially after she won?
And just I'm assuming every guy's after her at that point, right, Yeah,
how do you deal with that?
Speaker 5 (26:44):
But you got to have a level of confidence. Come on,
you can't date a girl like that, and you're like
big that way, big.
Speaker 4 (26:51):
Time, you know, I think the biggest thing for me
and you still and you see a lot of that,
a lot of miss Usas that are with guys that
can't handle it and they end up breaking up. And
you know, whatever it may be.
Speaker 5 (27:03):
For me.
Speaker 4 (27:05):
Two things. One, we're super strong in our faith and
through that we have super strong a foundation in that,
and our communication and UH and our trust. And me
also being in the entertainment industry for so long and
doing the red carpets and being in the spotlight here
(27:26):
and there, I knew that I knew what was coming,
So that helped prepare me as well. So there wasn't
there wasn't much of that, and and you know when
she won and then she won Miss USA and then
immediately she's living in New York and we're doing a
long distance for a year, you know, wild and Donald
(27:48):
Trump was her boss. That was the last year that he,
you know, was a part of that whole situation. And
and then she went on to go to missus Universe
in nteen ninety two countries. She had up getting first
runner round. Also during that time, I had proposed we
got engaged in New York. I did it all as
(28:09):
a big surprise, and it was beautiful and so, but
we couldn't plan our wedding until we knew what was
going to happen with Miss Universe. So then we got
married on my birthday, October seventeenth, twenty fifteen, and agift,
I didn't have a choice. I loved the venue and
(28:29):
they said, these are the days we have available, nine
to eleven or ten to seventeen. We're getting get married
on nine eleven. So I said, I guess I'm getting
married on my birthday and I will never forget when
our anniversary is.
Speaker 6 (28:43):
Never Well, you pull got off pretty quickly there in
the year you married. That's pretty quick.
Speaker 4 (28:51):
Yeah, well we were together a year. No, it was
three years, so it was because we had to wait. Well,
her rain was up, so we were year and a half,
got engaged, and then I think it was a total
of three years being together before we got married.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
Did you guys do a big wedding.
Speaker 4 (29:10):
No, it's pretty intimate. I mean, for side. You know
when you do a wedding, is you have your A
list B lists see list of beutiful. But it was
at a beautiful location that we did it in Temecula.
She's from the Temecula area. Okay, And we did it
at the Temecula Creek in in the back it's called
the Stonehouse and they have just chandeliers and the trees
(29:32):
and all that. So our wedding, I think all Sudd
and Downe was sort of think around one hundred and
thirty five people.
Speaker 6 (29:47):
Let's get into the show. First off, third season coming up?
What season did you like more? First of the second
for you guys.
Speaker 4 (29:54):
Oh my gosh, you must not have watched the show.
Speaker 6 (29:58):
But you have to choose one. You have to choose one.
Speaker 4 (30:02):
So the first season, first season, we just I think
it was we just went in and we were like, hey,
our life is crazy with the kids. We're going to
be ourselves and uh be real real about certain things.
And there were certain things that we were going through.
She was having a postpartum depression and we had some
(30:27):
you know, big talks about that. It's the big scenes
about that with her vulnerability and and how I approached it,
and had just an outpour of thousands and thousands of
women and men saying, you know, first obviously the women,
thank you for bringing light to this. I've never known
what it was or felt seen or you know, thank
(30:48):
you for doing it on such a public platform and
then guys saying, hey, thank you for showing you know
how to support and be there for, you know, your
wife when she was going through that. So it was
a lot of that kind of the first season it was,
and we came out very well, like almost like America's Sweethearts,
and you know, Bravo and some people in our group
(31:12):
weren't very happy about that, and Jack's Jax being one
of them. Obviously, he was my closest friend going into it.
And if you know Jack's which I didn't know as
well as in his reality TV world, his kind of
mo is to put a target on on the people
(31:34):
that are being shown in a good light. So wow,
he yeah, he went after his hard he behind our backs.
He talked to people in the in the cast, in
our group and said, hey, we have to take down
Ni and Danny and so just.
Speaker 6 (31:48):
To clarify, because you guys came out so good season one, right, yeah, yeah,
everyone loved you guys. Then it's like, hey, we're going
to put a target on these guys. We're going to
find some dirt. Is that kind of how how how
goes down? But you're your best friend exactly no.
Speaker 4 (32:04):
I mean I called him and I said, dude, I
hear that you're talking, you know, behind to people, behind
my back and saying you're going to try to create
these narratives and not even find dirt, Like I mean,
some of this stuff was just blatant, made up lies
like he was like trying to do and spread. And
so I was like, what is going on? And he
just like went off like on a rage, and I
(32:25):
was like, Okay, I guess this is happening now, you
know what I mean?
Speaker 5 (32:31):
It was.
Speaker 4 (32:31):
It was really weird, and unfortunately a few people definitely
got on board, and so the second season was was
really really tough. Uh, there was a big target on
our backs, people saying that we thought we were perfect
and we were playing this whole protecting our image and
like they were making up all these just lies that
(32:53):
you never said these things. We're putting our stuff out there,
and uh, but they were. They were mad that we
weren't putting everything out there, and we said this going in.
It was like we're not going to throw all of
our conflict and dirty laundry or whatever just out there.
You know, we did a lot of that, but some things,
(33:15):
you know, we want to keep private and we handle
those in our home and do it that way. So,
you know, some things were brought up that had already
been squashed.
Speaker 6 (33:27):
And back to Jackswell Cook, he's obviously not on the
show anymore. I assume you guys don't talk or do
you guys still send the cordial text to each other?
Speaker 4 (33:36):
No, you know, I it was it was again a
really tough season. He was in rehab the first thirty
days of it, rage texting everybody while I was sending
him saying, hey, man, I hope you're doing okay and
there I hope you're getting the help you need, you know,
sending him some yeah devotionals, some scriptures, some things like that. Yuh,
(34:00):
And he just came out like a raging bull, like
I had thirty days that I missed. Now I'm just
gonna a tunnel vision you and Nia and just try
to come after you. And it was just it was ugly.
And then again a couple other people in the group
as well, But the viewers are smart and they saw
(34:21):
right through it, and it completely backfired and we got
nothing but love and support. And you know, in certain ways,
you know, I, in many ways I took accountability for things.
I apologized for things when I needed to do that,
and just some people just wouldn't let it go, even
had nothing to do with them.
Speaker 6 (34:42):
So do you think you and Janet will ever make up?
Speaker 4 (34:48):
I don't think so. I had hopes, you know, when
I say that she didn't burn a bridge, she nuclear
bombed a bridge. By the things that she came out
and said.
Speaker 6 (35:01):
So, who's got a better chance of making it Jack's
or her? If you had to choose one, that You're like.
Speaker 4 (35:07):
All right percent Jacks, Because Jacks at least he admitted
to it. He admitted to it at the reunion.
Speaker 6 (35:15):
He's responsibility.
Speaker 4 (35:16):
Yep, he took responsibility. He said everything you said I did,
I did, and I am sorry, and you know, I
wish I wouldn't have done that.
Speaker 6 (35:28):
That's big.
Speaker 4 (35:29):
So he did, he did do that. But then after
the reunion he's like, so we're good, right, everything's good.
You know, we're for friends now. And I'm like, bro,
you tried to literally take my name and my character
and integrity that I have a lot of pride in
that I work on daily to try to just run
(35:49):
it through the mud and make up things and do things.
It's not just an apology. I accept your apology, but
there's got to be action behind it, and you know,
there hasn't been since and I haven't really talked to
him since that happened.
Speaker 6 (36:05):
Biggest Takeaway in three years being on the show.
Speaker 5 (36:08):
Biggest Takeaway three years, three seasons, yeah, three seasons.
Speaker 4 (36:16):
Yeah. I mean, it's it's crazy because you're just in
this bubble for eight weeks, you know, and a lot
of these people have tried to really take us down,
and normally I would never spend another minute or day.
I protect my peace, I protect my family. I protect
you know, everything that I'm dealing with is trickling down
to my family. So I want to be the best
(36:38):
version of myself, you know, for them, and you know
just again that you can't you can't control or change
anybody but yourself, and just to continue to try your
best to what I do is each day to live
a life of love and kindness and learn from my stakes.
(37:02):
Know that at the end of the day, I'm good
with God and I'm good with my wife. That's what's
the most important. And uh and the kids obviously, and uh,
you know, it's it's I try to focus on the
positive there's a lot of negative there's a lot of
conflict with this, but it has after three seasons, it's
given us a platform that I feel like from the
(37:25):
thousands and thousands of thousands of viewers that have been
so positive, that have been so uplifting, that have helped
so many That's that's probably my biggest takeaway from it.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
I have one more question. Yeah, being.
Speaker 5 (37:43):
A professional actor for so many years before you took
the dive or you know, dipped your feet into reality TV,
what do you think would be the biggest difference between
what you did before as an actor and what you're
doing now in reality TV.
Speaker 4 (37:59):
Yeah. As an actor, you yeah, it's you're you're you
have a craft, you know, you have a talent and
doing that and and doing it collectively with other with
a group of people that uh have the same and
want to have the best outcome, and you become a
(38:21):
like a team and a family. And yes, there can
be some conflict here and there, but it's never you know,
at the end of the day, you know, you guys
are building art, You're building something beautiful. Unfortunately, with reality TV,
it's the drama, it's the conflict, it's that stuff that
(38:41):
they're constantly you know, pushing, and certain people are pushing
in the group to to uh to happen because look,
you know, that's what a lot of the viewers want
to see. So that would be the big I guess
the biggest difference.
Speaker 1 (39:01):
I'd say, yeah, I could see that. Awesome.
Speaker 6 (39:07):
I think our time is up. Danny Matt. We can't
thank you enough. Thank you for being so open with us.
I had so much fun with during this interview. Wish
we had more time.
Speaker 4 (39:17):
I love you, But you go, let's set up another one.
Speaker 6 (39:21):
Yeah, well maybe we'll do part two. We wish you
the best of luck this season. The season's already out right.
Speaker 4 (39:28):
Yeah we're too. Two episodes in and uh.
Speaker 1 (39:32):
Welcome on both.
Speaker 5 (39:35):
Way to do your homework exactly exactly. They're actually fun
to watch. I really enjoyed it. Like I said, it
reminded me like of a younger Real Housewives of whatever,
you know program franchise we are, it's the next it's
the next group that's taken over the housewife franchise.
Speaker 4 (39:57):
Seams to be that's still going wrong, lord.
Speaker 6 (40:00):
It is it is.
Speaker 1 (40:02):
It's a pleasure to meet you, buddy.
Speaker 5 (40:04):
Hopefully we'll see you in the any one of these
Proba con or BRABO events for sure.
Speaker 4 (40:09):
Absolutely appreciate it. Guys.
Speaker 6 (40:11):
All right, Danny, we'll see you soon.
Speaker 4 (40:12):
Much love, God Blave, much love, thank you,
Hosts And Creators
Teddi Mellencamp
Tamra Judge
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