This is the almost Famous podcast with iHeartRadio.
Almost Famous to OG's Bob Guinea. Here without my lovely co host Trista Sutter nay Wren. However, I have another beautiful person with me today, Natasha. Thank you for joining us. Natasha Parker, how are you.
I'm so good. Thank you for having me, Thank you for being here.
And you have your golf chicon for today's almost famous, Yes, incredibly average something not entirely sure what the name of this thing is, but the almost famous what is it called?
The famous Beverage very average, almost average.
Famously almost average golf day.
So that's what we're doing today. So Natasha, our viewers and listeners will know you from, of course, from Peter Webers season of The Bachelor, and then you went on The Bachelor in Paradise not too long after that, So I want to talk to you about a little bit of that, and then I want to get into what you're up to right now, which I know the Hidden Gems and watched a couple episodes the other day and so I got myself, you know, into zone, so I knew who you were last night and you're like, Hi,
I'm Thesasha. Yeah, yeah, no. But so you went on Peter's season and this this was several years ago for you, now right, I mean how many years ago was that? Five?
Pre pandemic? Twenty nineteen?
Okay, so yeah, five years yep. So you go on it's twenty nineteen. Do you know that Peter's going to be the Bachelor before you go? Now, what has you even motivated to submit your information for a show like guess?
Well, a friend of mine, Julie Lapaca, who was a producer on the show. It's the whole reason why I went on that show, Okay, and we love her for it and we hate.
Her for it. Yeah, a love hate thing that right, Yeah exactly.
She actually was like, she's she really wanted me to go on the season before that, which was Colton's season, and she really was trying to push. But I was working in my corporate job. I was like, girl, I can't quit my job to go on this show. But I just so happen. Life happened. I quit my job to go freelance anyway. And she was like, well, you're between gigs right now, you should really just I've spent a she said, She's spent three months with the bachelor and you'd really like him.
This is one of my best friends.
And I'm like, She's like, the best thing that could happen is you'll never have to date again. The worst thing that will happen is you have an experience. And I was like, never having to date again, great sign.
Experience, Yeah yeah, at least an.
Experience, and exactly and experience, yeah yeah, And so I was like sure, So she sent an email I sent. I had to send her like thousands of pictures in like a bio that took me forever to write myself, and then I didn't hear anything for months, and then one person called from casting, then another person, another person. I don't know if someone just like if they backed out or what happened, but apparently there was supposed to be thirty six people for our season and ended up
being thirty three. And I was like a very last edition, just so much so they started calling Labor Day and we left like on the sixteenth or something, so it was like two weeks.
My experience was pretty similar for trist this season when I was on her season with The Bachelorette.
I was a last minute person. But it was so funny because I didn't send in anything.
You didn't say, so how did they get in contact with you?
They went through my assistance at my office and they just flew me outside unseen to meet them. That's a different story, I'll tell you later. Yeah, yeah, yeah, this is this is about you, yea. But yeah, I think it's so exciting because you know, sometimes that last minute thing, you don't really have time to second guess it. You're just like, oh, what the hell, here we go.
Yeah, And that's honestly, that's so me.
And there's so many times in my life where I was just like, let's go or let's do it, and I've had like the best nights or the best trips, just like booking it on a whim.
So I was like, why not?
You know.
Yeah, sometimes I think when you put too much into it in your head, you might even have to ruin it.
Yeah, you talked yourself out of it for sure.
Now.
I read something the other day that said, at the time, you were an event planner, but you also had a bunch of production experience too. So did you feel like, you know, that kind of production experience helped you going into the situation where you're like, Okay, I'm clearly being produced in this moment.
No, no, I Well, the thing is is, I didn't watch the show. And it's funny that a lot of people say that all the time, and the producers even said that. There's a clip in the very first episode where the first impression Rose comes out and everyone's like, oh, and I'm like the what, Like, I literally did not I did not watch this show. I watched Limo Entrances the very first night, like like while I was packing to go. That was the only thing that I did.
Because my friends were like, you have to watch that at least and know what you're gonna do.
Yeah.
Yeah, But so I literally didn't watch. And you know, I come from a film and like scripted television background, so it's actors.
It's like sitting and interviewing Robert de Niro, you know, yeah, exactly.
So it's very much a different thing when it's like your actual real life. So it was funny because that was a theme on our season. They were like afterwards, I read it, and Natasha's a producer plant she worked in production. I was like, I wish I knew what was going on, honey, I wish I did not My head was on a swivel. Let me tell you, Oh, I'm sure.
Well, then you go on and you meet, you know a bunch of people who I know you have really great friendships with still to this day, a lot of the girls on the show, and then you know you you were you were in here earlier when we were talking about something else, which was of course at the end of Peter's season.
Oh yeah, there was a lot of drama, right, drama from his MoMA drama. Were you like so happy that you weren't involved in that at that moment? It was kind of dicey.
Oh yeah, oh yeah, but I mean I it was.
It was very clear that watching it, like watching it back and then also remembering the conversations that we had, but then also watching how the end happened.
It was like, Peter does.
Not know what he wants and you know, as a mom, how do you think that about your kid?
Right?
So I was it's a hard situation because obviously she's like, he can do no wrong in her.
Eyes, which I get.
I mean, I don't have any kids, but I feel like I probably feel the same way your mom. Yes, but does but does your but does your your why feel that way.
Yeah, she's pretty much realized.
But but I will say this, at that once we're at that stage, I'm hopeful we.
Could both see through the clouds. Yeah. No, I think you're right too.
You know, I think a lot I'm glad I wasn't in that, I know, and.
I think a lot of times those bachelors get to that point and it's like, if you've already, if you're dead set on one person, then that's one version, right, But if you're still not knowing which direction you're gonna go, you can be kind of pulled in a bunch of different directions.
Wow.
And that's obviously I think where Peter was right to a few of those things. So I mean, in that way, I think you probably dodged a bullet. I'm sure he's a very nice guy, but right, you kind of got out of the.
Way with Peter. Yeah.
Yeah, it's so funny how many people say that, and I'm like, oh, poor Peter. I mean he is a really really nice person, but not someone that I should have dated.
Right there you go, right, and so you did get to learn from your experience. Oh yeah, and you did that? Did that kind of fine tune you for what you were looking for out relationship wise after the show.
Well, I definitely think this experience and going on the show, and I've talked about this on my podcast too. It's such a social experiment and like you learn so much about yourself because you're talking about your feelings all day and like why you can express this, but you can
express this. And actually Serena Pitt was on my podcast not too long ago and we were talking about how like someone like her is very kind of closed in real life, but she really thrives on the show, and how I am someone who's very open in real life, but then I like close down in the show, you know, So it definitely you know, I wouldn't think that I would be like that, and she was like, I wouldn't
think that you would be like that either. So you definitely learned so much about yourself going on the show. And yeah, and dating, Like I also was like a lot of the guys that I've dated in real life would not go on this show or it would be one of those situations where you know they're plucked out of you know, there's certain exactly exactly exactly, So it's definitely an eye opening experience for sure, and you and you do and there's I mean, I've become so much
more vocal and relationships. You know, I feel like I had such an anxious attachment style before going on the show, and I really had to work on that after in like my there of his and yeah, yeah, oh yeah, I had to. But yeah, so the reflection is like invaluable.
You know, what was it like for you two, Like, you know, you go into a circumstance like that. Your previous experience had been behind the camera, right, and so now you go on that show and all of a sudden you have all these people armchair quarterbacking how you act, right, so they're they're chiming in on social media and things. Was that tough for you? Yea, even though you had a lot of people who obviously loved you and thought
you were wonderful and everything. But for me, the hardest part was and this is even before social media to date me even more. But I remember someone would say, you know, a million nice things about me and it wouldn't even register, but one mean thing and that would stick with me for days. Yes, And did you experience a little bit of that?
Oh yeah, oh yeah, I mean it's it's like inhuman right to to hear not. I mean with social media, it's like it's one thing to see a headline and see someone write something salacious about you, like on a headline, right, and it's another thing. And you know, like, okay, they're doing that for clicks, and you get it. Yeah, but then you're like, uh, you know Susie two O two two who like has a family and like a baby, and like you know what I.
Mean, like.
Like she looks so sweet and she's like you go, oh my god.
Yeah.
So it definitely was really hard, and like I was like a clap backer when I first got.
I was like, oh, what we go?
Yeah.
I was like I was back and like trying to defend myself for like people on my season and things like that. And then you realize, like these people don't know you. They see what they see or hit a note for two seconds from what they see on the show, and you can't feed into it, you know.
So when I when I first came off the Bachelor stuff, I did a lot with Oprah at the time, and Oprah said the greatest thing to me that I've and I've remembered this for years and then you should remember it too. And if you ever asked this advice for someone passing it along, Oprah always said, She's like, you know, everyone out there is watching you live your life, and you're in there commenting on how you're living your life, but they don't know you. They don't know anything about
your life except what they see on TV exactly. So their reaction is going to be based on such a finite moment of you, and it could be a very edited, as we all know, moment where you react to something that maybe you didn't even do that in the moment. Yes, I took it really to heart and it helped me a lot because I was I was going through because such a people pleaser, I always want everyone to like me, and it was so hard for me to hear people
say negative things. And yeah, it really helped me. Food.
Yes, well, I will say that Joe Grocery Store, Joe one of my good friends. He gave me some of the best advice that I ever had from Paradise after Paradise, because I had.
A hard time after.
But he said, you know, you can't feed into the good comments, and you also can't feed into the bad comments because when you feed into the good comments, you will feel also the bad comments. So you just have to like really hunker down and like the people who know you in real life and care about you in real life, those are the people who's yeah, exactly.
Those are the opinions.
Exactly, and that and that really stuck with me because I was like, he's so right, because you can be riding a wave one episode everyone's like yeah, Natasha.
In another episode they're like, what what's wrong with it? That I feel like they really kind of oh yeah, you know, oh yeah.
But yeah. I always say I'm not as great as people think I am. I'm not as terrible as you think I am.
Exactly figure it out exactly.
But I want to talk real quickly before we let you go about hitting gems about your podcast. I mean, you talk about production value. You can tell your history.
That things good, things always great, But you actually had you had Rachel the Beast at Rachel on your season right after she kind of announced her separation, you know, from from her husband. Yes, and you could tell that the two of you really clicked because I've always liked her and I think that she was you know, really she's always kind of been an open book to a certain degree, but with you, I felt like she really
kind of opened up. And that's one of the videos I watched the other day and I was like, I want to make sure I bring that up because I wondered, you know, did you do you feel like from your interview with her in that moment? Like does she feel good about where she's at? Did you feel good about the interview you had with her?
And being a woman who's you know, gone through public breakups and you know how difficulty can be. You know, were you hearing good stuff? And you know how was that for you?
I well, so before we started the podcast, because Rachel and I are good friends and she is someone from Bachelor Nation who the moment I went on the show, she reached out and was like, Hey, if you ever need any advice, if you need this, if you need that, like very great, and we just continue to develop our friendship. And you know, she's not she wasn't ready to talk all the way through because obviously she's still fully going through this divorce right, Yeah, exactly, she's in the middle of it.
But I told her, you know, this is our safe space.
We are we will edit anything that we need to edit in out whatever, you know what I mean, like, and if you want to go there and we talk about it, we definitely can.
And if you don't, then we don't.
Because you're so great, you have so many other accomplishments, have so much stuff going on. This divorce should not define you, you know. And obviously it's something that she was going through and heavy on her heart. And the whole podcast is about being stuck and getting unstuck, and she was like, this is a very stuck moment in
my life. So she wanted to talk about it, you know, so I just I I look at her, I talk to her, I check on her all the time, and you know, obviously it's not easy what she's going through, but she's handling it so well.
Yeah she really ist network Yeah you don't, I'm still.
Here exactly exactly.
And that was the thing, and it's like, you know, I really am excited for her when it is when she can get to a resolution and she does want to share her story in whatever way she wants to, because it's kind of there's there's you know, obviously there's a lot that she did not say, you know what I mean, And it's just the way that she is still like showing up. She'll call me and be like hey, and I'm just like, oh, girl, you're dealing with this
so well. You know, I'm like, I just saw this like video that this man just posted in all this craziness, and like, you know, the.
I hope she's wearing blinders right now too.
You know.
It's almost like you have to.
Yeah, and she and she's staying close to the people who really care for her, and I think that that's like the best thing that you know, someone can do.
And she was, you know, she just went home and visited her family and things like that.
So really that interview, I've obviously, you know, we've been talking about her coming on the podcast for long and she was also a big champion for me to start my own podcast too, And it just so happened when she announced her divorce and all that was going on, so we did talk about it, and I mean, you know, everyone picked it up and all.
The because she helpful and I mean on purpose too. Yeah, yeah, she was somebody randomly does know.
And she also is so and she also said, you know, she's Rachel is like so smart and she's so great. And she also was just like, why would I want to talk to anyone else, you know, but my friend who I know is going to have my back, And then like one you know, well you.
Could tell you guys had a great friendship. It was a great conversation and a great a great pod, as I believe we say in this industry. I don't really know, but I enjoyed it, and I wish you continued success on it. I hope it keeps going great for you, and thank you. I hope you play good golf today because you look wonderful. Thank you.
Thank you.
Supposed to be a tough course, so you need to help out there. Don't don't ask me, ask Ben. He's much better than me.
Yeah, I'm going for the whole in one today.
There you go, hoping we'll win a car or something. Man, we got a prize. I mean, this is a golf tournament.
Yeah.
So, Natasha Parker, thank you so much for joining us on almost famous the ogs. I appreciate it and I look forward to talking with you against sum Thank you so much.
You're welcome