Featuring Ashley & Jared of The Bachelor

We have a lot to talk about today. Okay, I want to talk about The Bachelor first because it's very relevant right now, and I have a few questions and a few theories that I want to run buy you Okay, go for it. Okay, who do you think is going to win? Madison? Chris Harrison. Harrison always wins. He is

the winner of all these Bachelor's seasons. You want to know why because he comes in, he works approximately four minutes an episode rough flee, tells everybody that it's about to be the final rows, and then when they leave, says sorry, say your goodbyes. That's the true winner of every Bachelor season. But let's not say that Christophers doesn't work hard. He work very hard behind the scenes too,

and he needs to be very talented, especially during live shows. Okay, So I have a conspiracy theory because on my for you page, a girl saw Peter in Auburn, Alabama yesterday, which is where Madison is from. Yeah, we heard. I heard this online rumor that Maddie and Peter were seen together this week. Yeah, it's some game something like that. I mean, I don't know literally, as it's an online rumor. As Harris says on The Women Tell All that even

Peter doesn't know how Peter's season is gonna end. Yet he probably doesn't all these false rumors with the He could be with the producer, he could be with Julie sometimes I feel like it. Sometimes I feel like that, honestly, could he be with Hannah Brown? No, that's the one she got off of The Bachelor, and she turned it down. And she didn't turn it down because she was with Peter because production would have known not to ask her.

Because with Peter. You guys have been in this The Bachelor nation, like you've understood and you've been on the show, and you know what's emphasized for TV and what's the reality of things. So I'm curious what is just show and what do they dramatize and how much of it is actually real and accurate? I mean a lot of it is very everything is real. Yeah, I can't think

of anything that's fake. I mean there are fake people, yeah, sure, But in terms of like producers creating a storyline and having cast just go with the story even though that's not how they actually feel or what they want to do, that doesn't happen. But sure, yeah, of course, Like actually said, there's people like go onto this show with ulterior motives and an idea of what they want accomplished. And there are people uh just like it will go and do

anything that they think is going to make them look good. Yeah, they'll say things they don't mean because they know make

a splash. But ultimately, the majority of the people that go on this show are going on the show for the experience and doing exactly what we did, which was uh, just trying to figure out how best to navigate yourself going through this weird, crazy, experimental show, and then of course afterwards with getting thrown into the public and and having them judge you and and and talk about you, and um so I think the majority of people are

just kind of very normal in that aspect. How do you think it differs from when you guys were on Bachelor in Paradise, How do you think the show has changed? And would you come on now in this time where social media is more present than ever? Um, we were at a wedding this weekend for JJ Lane, who was on our season, was on Caitlin season of The Bachelorette, and we had this joke with Kris Pukowski, who was I guess also kind of like of our generation, and he was like, I call our age the golden age

of the Bachelor. It was the time where people signed up having not known the financial benefits of being on the show, actually because there was no financial benefits back then. When we signed up, there was truly like you were on TV for a season, and before Paradise there wasn't another season you could really be on and um, your time was over once you got off the show. So, you know, the most we thought we would get out of it is well, there was the chance of ending

up with somebody in the very end, although that very slim. Um. And then there was just like self growth, making friends, traveling. We didn't know like these crazy opportunities that would be coming our way. Yeah, I mean I would still do it today too, they asked me. I think it was my mindset would and have changed, um because at the time, the reason I said yes to the show is because I knew I would have always regretted it if I said no. It's just so much more pop culture e

Now it's crazy. You know, there's all these fantasy leagues and it's Bachelor's so ingrained in our pop culture now, I think it's more so than I've ever seen it before. It just gets bigger and bigger. I'm always so fascinated by that. Like, what is that environment like when you guys for either side you're surrounded by a bunch of people I'm not talking about in Paradise, but the bachelor of the bacherette, and you're kind of competing to be

with someone. What is that environment like with the other contestants. I mean, I think you just have to compartmentalize um or do your best to do so. You have to understand what you signed up for that it is at the end of the day TV show that you were surrounded by producers and cameras that are trying to make an entertainment product, and so I think a lot of

guys just forget that. A lot of at least on my season, there are a lot of guys that would get mad at producers when they said, hey, you know you can't see her right now. They're like, well, I want to talk to her right now, and it's like, well you can't. And then they were like, well this this is ridiculous, Like you're telling me what I can or cannot do. And in my head, I was like,

what did you think was going to happen? Did you think that you're gonna come on Bachelorette and just do whatever the hell you want to do talk to her whenever you wanted to talk to her? Are you insane? And so that's great. I just never understood that that would struss me out, Like being in that kind of environment the entire time, and Bachelor in Paradise it's just kind of like you go for who you want and all of that. Bachelor Pardus is a little bit more

like free willing. You have a little bit more independence. You're not on camera like all the time you are, and you aren't like you don't have a big camera in front of your face all the time. Um, but it's just as stressful. It's actually I found it to be far more stressful because you can never just relax.

You always have like a threat about to come in. Like, even if you make it through this week and the person that you want chooses to do that week, like you never know who's going to walk down the stairs and steal them away. Yeah, well you you said, Um, I think in an interview that you're like, you were a character of yourself on Bachelom Paradise, a caricature because they you were kind of made out to be the

crying virgin. But I mean I was a crying virgin, but like that's what they that's what they emphasized you as, and that's how you were somewhat known for that. So when that became what you were known for, were you shocked how much that show emphasized that and did you expect that kind of reaction from the public. Um. I think it's always kind of fascinating to me that the show just is constantly seemingly thinking that virgins are some

unique unicorns. Yeah, that you don't like to find that often, like they emphasis it's like you've had a virgin on for like every season in the past five seasons, Like obviously it's not that unique, so like, just get over concentrating so much on that. And I actually feel like this season with Madison's it's such like a moral thing with her, it's a religious thing that it's coming up now, But it doesn't seem like something they've been fascinated with

over the past couple of weeks, you know. When that happened with your season, I found it really interesting because, like, you know, it's kind of like high school in that way. You know, a lot of people focus on the peer pressures of what you should and shouldn't do, So like, how how did you get through high school and college? Like that? Because I'm a junior in high school and it's it's a constant subject and I don't think it

should be, So how did you do it? I didn't become really comfortable talking about it until I was on The Bachelor, so I don't really know. I mean, high school, like most of my friends are virgins in high school. Most most of my friends didn't didn't have sex until they were in like mid college years. But I know that's probably like way above the national average or whatever. But I just never elt pressure in that case. And the Jonas brothers, you know, they were, they're great road

balls at the time we earrings. Yeah, so I'm like, I'm not alone like those guys in my same boat. I know, you like signed up for it technically, but is it weird having like the entire world like know your love life and know who you're dating or if you got rejected or if you're rejecting someone, Like, is it weird having the entire world know so much about you when you don't know anything about them. No, it's

very normal. I don't even know. I know you're being sarcastic, but it really never faced me, really, yeah, I mean I've always just liked attention. It never faced me in the moment, you know, when we were down filming, you just try to, you know, stick to your gut and hopefully make the right decision. But of course afterwards, when it started airing, I would think about it a lot more because then everybody else started chiming in with their perspective on what I should or should not have done.

The Passion in Paradise. Just watching it, it's like an emotional roller coaster. So I cannot imagine being a part of it. So when I know actually said it was love at first sight when you saw Jared, When Jared did you realize, you're like, oh, like I got to get her out of the friend zone. According to his vows, it was also at first sight. I know, I know beauty. Yeah, I mean I think when I first saw actually there

was definitely a connection there that I was struck by. Um, but I'm also as actually knows a very stubborn and um uh adamant person to stick into my ways, and so you know, I think that was a big deterrent. But uh, and then our love just grew over time, uh you know, as we were becoming closer and closer friends. So it's really hard to pinpoint, but of course I would say when I first saw it was a good

place to start. And I think, honestly, which is why a lot of bachelor uh couples fail is because you know, you leave this show and you get thrown at so many opportunities and like that's your brand, right, You're you're branded as as a couple, and so I think a lot of people just spend so much time together and they don't develop a strong enough foundation. So at times you know, it just becomes so top heavy that at

certain points and just crumbles. I think Actuley and I became very lucky in hindsight, um that we developed such a strong friendship beforehand that we really know how to handle each other. She knows how to handle me better than anybody in this world, and I think I have a pretty good idea of how to approach ashually in certain times of attention or sadness. So if there is another Bachelor show where bachelor couples had to come on, what do you do? We say that that they should

do this all the time. I don't know how they haven't done it yet. It's really bizarre, especially with all the spin offs that they're doing. To have this coming summer, the Summer Games and Bachelor in Paradise and have them both be for singles is like kind of mind boggling, and like shows like some sort of like I don't know, sounds bad, like a lack of creativity, especially when their bachelor couples are the ones with the big followings and

that people always want to have updates on. If you end up doing a number of shows and you keep ending up single, like people do, kind of lose interest. Okay, So if there was a show, what do we think would happen? Would it be like couples doing things that would test their relationship? I think that the strength, So what kind of I don't think I think that would be. I don't think that would be tasteful And that would be like a little bit. It isn't like called like

tempt isn't temptation island like that. I wouldn't like that. I think it should be like an amazing race thing where it's like the couples together show their strengths in like how they work together as a team to accomplish mission. You should pitch it. I would watch that. We've been down that road before. We did a digital series called What Now with us Tanner, Jade, and Nick, which was a little bit of a look into the world after

reality TV, and um, we're very proud of it. And I think it's a very interesting concept because I mean from the number of times that people just ask us, you know, what's life after the show? And you know Instagram and you're what we do for a living now? Um, I think it's pretty interesting. So you guys do, like you said, you guys work from home, and you do social media and you do other partnerships. Um, I'm always

curious in like the behind the scenes of things. What is that process like to kind of develop yourself as an influencer and create a brand around social media. The people that follow Ashley and I are following us because they either liked Ashley or they liked me, or they like us together. It's an extension of what they saw on the show. So I think it's really hard for us to pinpoint, you know, I mean, what people want to see from us is more us. I know that

sounds very self indulgent, but it's true. It's true. If I post about things that I that I'm passionate about, you know, people don't really care as much. But then I post a video of Ashley farting, and people lose their minds. People loved it last week. It was like it very lucky. I can post that stuff all the time, you know. But I think it's also because they follow us. It's probably a lot of people who are in relationships who are invested in our relationship that you know, they relate, right,

they relate to our relationships. So they see Ashley farting, They're like Oh my god, I fart too. Yea, you ask a question that truly like we ask ourselves sometimes because we don't even know what people want to see, and we throw things out there and it's always a test to see what works and what doesn't work. Apparently parting does work, but it's really authenticity. The more you show, um, the more content that is relatable that you put out there,

the more you're gonna see feedback, positive feedback. Do you think you would be where you are now if it weren't for your experience on the Bachelor and making to each other? No, I'm s no, not at all. Um. I have no idea what I'd be doing, to be honest. I mean I graduated from Syracuse to my masters before the year before being on the show, and I would be doing something in media, but I don't know if it would be on the camera, behind the camera, in

social media, no idea. Jared would probably be still working in the restaurant industry. Um. Yeah, I mean the Bachelor gave us a platform, um, and so that's what really started at all for us was that platform, and then everything just started snowballing. Do you guys have any like hobbies that people don't know about. That would possibly be another career for you or just you doing your free time. Um, I don't know, that'd be a possibly another good career.

Jared just like he loves playing sports as much as he can. Yeah, he part He's just joined a new just recreation. Yeah, it is fun. I haven't played in a long time and I missed playing. Um so I just signed up for Lead by myself and it's been fun to play. Me some friends, meet some friends. So I love playing sports. It's my probably my biggest hobby. And if I were to consider it a hobby, like, I'm just really into food. Um, I really like cooking.

Um we use our fresh possa maker every week, and it sounds I mean like that's as much of a hobby as I can. Yeah, I mean like I love beauty stuff. I love skin care. And if I were to go yeah, if I were to go back and do it again and not be on the show, I mean I love media as well, but um, I would definitely wonder which path that would take, whether it be media or whether it would be der dermo you know, wow, dermatology, or whether it be dermatology. Yeah, it's it's that kind

of day. It's a Monday. I have this partnership with dermal Logica, and I was like, I can't get the word dermatology in my head and get the word dermal logica out of it. It's another hobby of Yeah, it's like, is that is movies and TV hobby? I don't think so. I'm very into it. I mean, like a movie critic. Yeah, I mean I feel like I know a lot about the film industry. UM, Like a goal of mine would

be to make a movie, so which I'm actively working on. UM. And so yeah, I definitely I think that would be described as a hobby to what is your favorite top three movies for both of you? And I'm looking for new TV shows, so if you have any recommendations. So I was actually just thinking about that, not tvent movies

my my favorite movies because uh, it fluctuates. UM. But I always say The Social Network is my favorite movie, and I think at the end of the day, it probably is because it's a movie that I could watch two forty seven times straight and still not get tired of. UM. And I think it's very specific. Yes, I think it's

just a masterpiece in filmmaking. And then probably my top three, as random as this is going to be, and it's obviously my own opinion, but my favorite three movies or Social Network, the Superman, the movie with Christopher Reef, and then The Matrix because I think The Matrix again, uh, might be one of the greatest films ever made. And I'm definitely dating myself. Were you what you were? You born two thousand two, But don't hate me. I've never seen any of those movies, but I'm going to tonight.

I promise you you were and you can watch. Yeah, you can watch a social network. I don't know how much. Yeah, I mean social network obviously is that you'll you'll enjoy Facebook. But yeah, you were ten when it came out. So it starts Jesse Eisenberg Andrew Garfield justin timber Lake and it's the story of creation of Facebook. It's fascinating. Oh yes, I know what you're talking about. It was she was eight eight wo um. Yeah. My favorite movie it's Titanic.

Titanic is my top favorite movie, and then everything else. I can't rank. I don't think I can rank, but I can throw the names out. Um, Pretty Woman, the Wedding Planner when Harry met Sally, Jerry McGuire, my big Greek rom Common big Gyboding would be up there that high. Um, The Star Is Born, The Greatest Showman m one of my favorite movies of all times that I think is so underrated is crazy stupid love. Oh, Jared's is with Jared's top five, I would say top ten. That movie

was probably the reason I was on the bachelorte. Wait really, yeah, just wanted to be. I wanted to be. I watched that movie in my room at my parents house. Were you eleven? Yeah, uh something like that. Yeah. The point of the story is I watched that movie and immediately afterwards I was like, I need to get a new wardrobe, and so I went to uh, oh my god. I went to the only the classiest place in the Warwick mall, J C. Penny, and bought some new wardrobes. Lovely, did

you dress like Ryan Gosling? I draw a very low budget version of Ryan Gosling, but oh yeah, and then I started drinking old fashions and uh I would uh remember actively like practicing my pickup lines for girls at bars because he was just so suave where he's like, you know you're doing this thing. What's your pickup line? What was key? Of course if you had if you had to pick a blind what were they? So my

what I did? It's so so if I was at a bar and I saw a girl that I wanted to talk to you, it's very funny you can talk about Obviously I didn't, so I don't have a move. But I just Ashley knows this. There are times when I can be very very insecure and be very down on myself. But I also find that if I'm comfortable, I can be also very confident in myself. And so I remember, like at bars, I would be very confident.

I remember I would I would project confidence and I would like I would always like and then a girl would come up to him and be like, keep like never mind, no, no, no, that would come later what I'm saying, and so, but I would always try to make eye contact, uh in like very subtle ways, and always be smiling, and it would always be like that weird like and then I'd always make sure I was kind of like around like if I finally like I could feel like some sort of chemistry between a girl

and myself at the bar, I always make sure I was around for a little while, kind of like build upon it, and then I would, Um, I mean sometimes I go over. Most of the times, I'd never go over. I would honestly wait for the girl to come over to me. I'm such a loser. Jared's definitely that kind. I had to go after him forever and so but I still have to go after him even our marriage. But luckily sometimes I would come over. But then uh, sometimes I would go over and um, I would I would.

There would be no pickup line, no nothing. It would just be like, hey, what's up from Jared. I would try to just I can't imagine this, to be honest, I know you, like any time a girl started showing interest, then that's when I would back off, and then they would want me more. Because so why I had such a difficult time on the show, and such a guy who loves playing hard to get it's and then it's just like I want something, and once I get it,

I'm like all right, cool. On the next I guess okay, But then by the end, you actually played hard to get and you got her, So what did you do? What did you do? I became that smiley confident every time I would see Ashley or any time I would talk to Ashley, I would be, you know, constantly reminding myself, um that you can't, like it's gonna sound very dumb, but like you can do this, because I think there's

again actually knows this. I think there's just I can get in long stretches of of self pity and just wanting to be like in my room by myself, not talking to anybody and insecure. But yeah, I think a lot of people are. I think a lot of people can relate to that. Um. So I think I also am capable of being very confident and attractive and charismatic and charming. Um And so I think I was just constantly trying to remind myself of be that guy. Be

that guy, because you can be that guy. And if you're that guy, she's gonna want to be with that guy. But if you're the self pity and security arried, she's not gonna want to be with him. And so I think I was just constantly reminded myself of that and putting on the like a little bit of facade, which is also what I did for The Bachelor ret just put on a facade. I I don't preach this to anybody. I this is how I just do it for myself. I'm able to mask a lot of things pretty well.

He always warned me. He was like, just letting you know, like I'm crazy in here. You just see the best part of me. This is before we were like like, you don't want to be with me, I'm telling you, And she's like, you're insane. I was like, yeah, I know, but you don't know how insane. And then I and then I married him, but I was like, holy shit, you are insane. But like that's what's so interesting. So how do you when you're in those moments, how do

you get out of your your own head? Because that's something that I deal with two And I'm always looking for tips. I think perspective is always a good thing to remember, uh and try to uh step outside your own body, in your own mind and look at your situation as an outsider and then you realize, ah, wow, it's really not so bad. And then also, um, you know, picture you're what you're going through. Picture if your friend was going through that, and what would you tell them

to do. Because everybody can give great advice is just whether you can actually practice it. Or not. So I think that's another good tool and be like, Okay, well, if you know, if Stephanie was going through the exact same situation I was going through, what would I be telling her to do? And then try to practice that um And then also again, uh, practice being confident. Just like anything in life, you have to practice it. You know,

it just doesn't come naturally. I don't believe that. I don't think good uh, you know, positive mindsets and confidence. I don't think that comes natural way to people. I think you have to practice it, just like any skill. Jared is good at, like giving advice to like get yourself like out of a hole, and I am like good at projecting like a whole lifetime. See, but like that's why you guys work. That's that's true. But the bachel has been happening, like we talked about, and I'm

curious what your take is just on this season. I have found it to be an entertaining season that has given me a lot of material to talk about. So to me, it's been a good season because I had to talk about The Bachelor as part of some of my jobs, So there hasn't been much I've never been struggling to find content to speak about. I think Peter has been uh an interesting bachelor. I think Peter it seems like a really, really nice guy, and I honestly

wish him the best. I sometimes wonder if maybe he was in over his head a little bit with being the bachelor, um, which I'm sure a lot of this would be. I can't the people who would get cast as a lead would probably be in over their head. I think we've been very lucky that guys like Ben or I would I would say Nick, I'd say even Coulton. I think Coulton was ready for the moment um. And so, yeah, Peter looks a little uh wide eyes sometimes, you know where it's like I don't know if I'm doing the

right thing, which I can't blame him. He's day girls. At the same time, it's an overwhelming thing. It is overwhelming. I'm surprised that, like more people haven't been in Peter's shoes. I feel like a lot of leads have handled themselves surprisingly well. Yeah, let me clarify. I was talking about having a lot of content to talk about. I think I say that because so many people have had flak for this season. So many people having criticizing him and

the quality of his cast. I think there's been a lot of good drama to talk about. I think that as a fan base, people have issues with a lot of Peter's decision making, especially with everything going on with Madison. Curious what your perspective on it, because that was a huge controversy. Jared and I both agree that if he really respected his relationship enough with with Madison, he wouldn't

have gone on and slept with Victoria and Ann. And it's just like, basically in him deciding, in him deciding to sleep with the other two girls, he was willing to raisk his relationship with Maddie. Do you think, okay, do you think it would affect his decision or change his decision if she had told him that she was waiting till marriage. So I asked him that at Women Tell All. I asked him that question afterward, and he said, it may have. I don't I don't know what I'm

sure it would have. But here's the thing, here's what it all boils down to. Madison told him before the fantasy swedes. Yeah, it doesn't really mean I didn't want him sleeping with other people because it would have affected their relationship. And it doesn't really matter why she asked that question. I mean, it matters a little bit why she asked that, but I mean she still asked, right, and so she didn't tell him she was a virgin.

She probably should have. But if Peter knew it was going to be Madison at that point, why would you sleep with the other two women? If she asked so, either he didn't think it was going to be Madison, he thought he could get away with it, or he thought he could get away with it, or he just didn't care or didn't want to abide by her wishes, which I'm not saying is right or wrong, because if you reverse that, and if it was just solely based on her asking him not sleep with other women, that

is similar to what happened with Hannah and Luke. No, obviously the situation is completely different. You can't really compare the two because their reasons are are very different. Um. Because well, because Madison Madison came from a place more of their approach and less behind Um. Yes, true, it was so much their approach because Madison didn't want to judge, and she said, like listen, hey, it wasn't say, but

the fact is, like, and here's the other thing. So I also, I've also heard this the fact that Peter slept with the other two women because he just didn't know. He didn't know who he was going to pick at that point. And a couple of things kind of mind. One, do you really need to have sex with someone in order to know if you're going to pick them or not, Like you can have a pretty good gauge on the sexual tention you're gonna have with someone without actually having sex.

I don't know, that's my opinion. I could be wrong on that one. And then also, if going into the final three you truly, truly, truly don't know have an equal amount of feelings, don't sleep with any of them, don't sleep without them, And I got news for you, you're not ready to get engaged in a week. Also, it's gonna bite you in the butt if you do sleep with one of any of the three women, if you sleep with multiple, if you sleep with a woman the fantasy suites that you don't end up engaged to,

you're gonna have problems after the show. So Maddie made make it seem like they're going to have problems continuing the show. But like ask anyone who slept with multiple people in the fantasies week before, like six days before getting engaged, they have issues because it's like, why did you sleep with that person if you knew it was going to be me. Yeah, that's a good point. I think. Do you think it's possible to be in love with three different women because that's what he said, or do

you think it's just infatuation. I think it's infatuation too. I'll tell you something funny. So apparently when we were doing the post interviews, um after a Woman Tell All, he told me in Access Hollywood that he didn't know who he was going to pick going into Fantasy Suits week and then five minutes earlier he told Lauren Zema and Entertainment to that his front runner from week four continued to beat his front runner throughout the rest of

the season. Huh yeah, so interesting kind of talking to him outside both ends of his mouth there. But I also Jared says, I mean, Peter is a very sweet, wonderful guy. He's probably too sweet for this process. Well, it must be so emotionally draining because you're have an emotional connection with all of these people and then you have to decide in a week if you're going to marry them. That's good TV, though, I will say it

is great tv, no two ways about that one. Yep. Well, thank you guys so much for coming on my podcast. It really means a lot, and I know how busy you guys are, so thank you, Thank you, thank you for having us. It's it's an honor to be on the youngest person to have an iHeart Radio podcastcasts pretty amazing if you asked me, M. Thank you guys so much for listening to this week's episode of the Let's

Be Real Podcast. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Make sure you subscribe, you write a review if you'd like. You could also follow me on Instagram at It's Sammy j That's I T S S A M M Y J A Y D and make sure you follow Aston and Jared on their socials. Make sure you subscribe to their podcast, and also stay tuned for next week because we have lives of couchy and it is a very special episode. See you guys next week.