Ben's Baby Shower with Jonathan Johnson

This is the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous podcast with iHeartRadio.

It's an exciting night. There's so many stars outside, there's so much good food outside. Bob and I can't wait to get out there. But right now, we cannot wait to talk to Jonathan from the previous season.

Of The Bachelor at Gentran season. I call him Jiggity j.

Yeah, that's what I was just trying to get to that and I couldn't remember what he calls him, jiggy j. You call yourself a little bit, a little bit everyone else.

I call him jiggy Jay, and he adopted that as his bondy.

What does it come from?

In my defense, I didn't make it my Instagram handle, but I don't refer to myself as Jiggity John.

And I didn't come up with childhood did.

There was just like a random morning we're I think we're on vacation somewhere, and he came in after a night of drinking and I was like, I was just saying some some bs and he was just like, shut up, Jiggity out of nowhere, just literally out of nowhere.

And I went the old school bombed diggity right, I mean, yeah, you wouldn't have known that side, all right, So no jiggity uh here tonight and we.

Talk about your life post show. You've been up to a lot.

Obviously.

My co host who's not here tonight, Ashley, absolutely loved she picked you as her He picked you, and then we've been covering every headline you make and to.

Pick you as well as she. Yeah, actually I think she tries to pick you as well.

But the show never picked you as a bachelor, and so my first question was is that disappointing?

It's hard now that I've had more time to think on it, but I never had any expectation of it. You know, I went on with just an open mind and like an open art. I was like, this is gonna be a fun opportunity, and if I happened to find my person on here, cool, like awesome. There was no expectation of anything after the fact.

So did you feel like you've found your person though? Did you feel like Jen was your person?

I mean, I think in the moment, yes, you know, you're kind of shut off from reality. You have you, and there's one other person to worry about because.

We got kind of sucked into it. At least twist than I did.

Yeah, we did a Dancing with the.

Star recap every week and we'd see you in the crowd. We're like, oh my god, it's happening, Like he's there supporting and is he gonna fight Sasha?

Who knows?

Like what's gonna happen? You know.

We were like making up our own the next like Jake Paul.

Yeah, we were so.

We were so even though we have no beef, I think it would be hilarious because.

We thought you guys, like we thought that's why you were there and you were supporting our as our friend.

Yeah one, And that was the only reason I wanted to be there too.

You know.

She came to l A and initially on the show, like one of the things that kind of stuck out from us of not working out was distance.

She's like, I would never want to move to l A. I don't like LA. And I was like, well, I'm not going to Miami, like for obvious reasons.

Amo. Yeah, as Little Smith One said, it's Spanish, I don't buddy, I speak I speak ESPN.

But then she gets here and she's like, oh my god, I love La, but she doesn't have anybody, so I was like, you know what, I I want to step up and just be person. You know, you came off, you went through a whirl end of and I was like, I have enough like availability and like my heart to like bring somebody else in and care for them, especially if they don't have anybody.

So I just did my best to be there for her and her that somebody like does care.

That that's very nice.

So I like that.

Yeah, Trista loved like. So I wasn't as able because I have a couple of little kids. I wasn't as able to watch Gen season as I wanted to be. I thought she was lovely. I thought you were definitely a stand up person on the show. I was. I was surprised, I will say, I was surprised that you weren't the guy in the end. And I think that, you know, obviously it didn't work out for Gen in that regard, so that was kind of a bummer. Has

Yeah, not really. You know, it was very platonic friendship. I didn't want to put any of that pressure on her either, and I don't think she was in a place for it at all. And we both understood what we need to be there for each other for. You know, I think a lot of people like to.

Look for that.

I mean, that's why people watch The Bachelor. They want that beauty of a romance. The people who still believe in like that romantic love, that deep love. That's what they watch because they still believe in it and they want for that to happen.

It didn't work out.

With the first two guys, so they're like, all right, well, who's the next best option, which, like, once I started to think, I was like, that's kind of shitty, Like I'm the next best option, which I didn't.

Like to think about.

As But like in that scenario, you know, we were just platonic friends, and I think we both knew like, hey, we're gonna have fun together, Like we're gonna make videos together because people love to see it. And that's really it, Like it wasn't anything more than that.

It brings me to ask, and we have to ask because of what we do for a living here. Gin season I think will go down as history tells it as one of the oddest seasons of all time within Bachelor Nation. Yeah, I think it was exciting. I think people got into it. I think it ended in a way that fans weren't thrilled about. And then it just got weirder, like you know, the Devin blew himself up

Well, and I would ask this too, like were you and Devin and I'm sorry that I don't know this, were you guys friendly? Like would you consider him a friend? And then watching how this whole thing unfolded, were you like what the actual fing h is going on? Like, I mean, were you kind of in the same ballpark as the rest of us watching or were you kind of like I get him? Yeah, you know, I'd like to know that part too. Okay, the gen part first, though, because I think that's the most important part.

Yeah, I feel like it's a it's a long winded, but I know we're working on a time crunch. Bring it together a little bit. Wait, what was the gen part specifically?

Well, I just think it's how do you make sense of this whole thing? You just went through it? Mean, it was your life, this was time is the most valuable resource we have on Earth. You spent your time on this thing, and now you look back and you go, what was this all for? Because the whole thing got weird real fast and kept getting weird posts, yeah, and so like just overall, like what are your thoughts on it all?

Honestly?

I mean, for me, I just on the show. After the show, I stayed in my own lane, Like I didn't get involved in any of the shit, none of the drama. And that's just not me. Like I don't walk into a room and try to big dick a bunch of other guys because I just don't care. Like I'm just gonna live my life. I'm gonna do me, and I'm confident enough in who I am what I have to offer them. I'm just like somebody doesn't want that, Like that's fine, somebody else will appreciate it, and that's cool.

So I never really thought I guess.

Maybe the way some of them did were like I'm gonna be the best guy in this Sinnari, I'm gonna win her over in this way and that way and whatever. I was just like, okay, it's a bunch of noise. Like you guys, do whatever it is that you think you need to do to impress this girl. I'm just gonna have fun with her and be me every time we hang out, and that's gonna be my game plan.

It didn't affect you, It.

Didn't affect me at all, Like everybody else was on their own whatever, and I had me at her and then there was a bunch of noise trying to disrupt what we had, but I just ignored it and it was fine. Which is easier said than done. Great, No, it's much easier said than done. You need to be able to compartmentalize, but you know what you sign up for when you get into it. Yeah, So when you have that like understanding, you kind of just like get see.

I love that you said that, because I think sometimes people don't remember what they signed up for.

Yep.

If you go on a show in this girl, this gorgeous girl is dating twenty of your new buddies yep, or thirty or whatever the hellth number is, and it's like sometimes people get like so pissed off about that. It's like, dude, what do you think?

What do you think?

Yeah, like, we all know what we're here for.

Yeah. I would agree with that to a moment, and then say, Bob, I don't know if you felt this way. This is a huge chapter of my life. Jiggity over here for Jiggity j because of this show and for me the show, even though it's not influential as much in my life now, it's still probably to this day a top three most impactful moment in my life, and so it's gonna be.

It's gonna be a top four once you have your child.

Child.

But even if I wanted to move on and do my own thing, I necessarily can't because that experience as a whole has still defined me and the people on that season has still defined me, and people still come up to me and say that season that you were on I remember for this reason, resonate and That's where my question was coming from. Was your season historically will

I think?

And this is the best part about playing my own game during and after the show is that darkness never consumed me. I was aware of it, and I saw it and I lived in it, but it never like took over my image and who I was and what I was there to accomplish. And I think people saw me as a light album because that was my goal.

Is a good thing to come exactly.

And I made that a very big point with me and Jen two. I was like, I want to be a breath of fresh air every time we hang out. I don't want to trauma dump on you. I don't want to put my issues on you. I want to get to know you in a healthy way, in a healthy manner.

And that's it. And that was post show too. After all the things from Devin, just everything that had happened, I was just.

Like, dude, I just want to be there for you, and I want to be a positive light approach.

It's like, you know, if you're gonna, if you're gonna just focus on your personal relationship and you being you. Yeah, it's actually pretty wid It's a very wise thing because you still have to go home. Yeah, you can't be this douchebag who just dumps on people and then goes home and everyone thinks, oh, no, it's cool, we understand you were playing a character on TV. No, it's still called reality TV. It's still you. So at the end

I think it's a huge compliment to you, is that you can still be friends with somebody who had such a hard ending and you were a breath of fresh air from that season for her in a friendship way. And that's what Caitlin and I's relationship was when I was on the ship on the batch, right, Like we're still friends of this day and that's something that's meaningful to me. My wife knows that, like Caitlin Bristow's friendship

I'm gonna be sitting in that exact same.

Day there. I mean, we are still friends. You know. They even put me in a situation where I had to host their bachelor and Bachelrette party and it was they were it was all these producers sweeping in and I'm like, I remember the look on my face looking just like I'm sorry. I don't even know why I'm asking this series of questions I'm supposed to answer. It's like crazy, But it's like we're still friends to this day. So you can walk away with that, you know, you can still have.

And I think years from now that will be really meaningful. Now we have a short amount of time with you, I think one really think unique thing that we want to tap into with you is if we looked at past seasons, Bachelor in Paradise would have always been something that people like you would have not only gone on, but fans would have flocked to cheering you on too. We know that Bathe Room Paris is coming back at some in some way, in some way we don't know yet in what way that is? Uh, would you say

Well? And I love that. And also because you have watched other seasons, right, so you would know that there could be potentially be some people that maybe you would have interest in.

Yep, Is that is that?

Do you have?

I got a quick answer for both. Awesome, love it one. I've already been asked and I said yes.

Excellent.

On the mental law, okay, when we went over like my journey at the very end, Jesse told me onstage and he's like, well, it's good to hear.

Blah blah blah.

There's this beach and everybody in my mind I was like, I already did this. I want to say no, like beforehand, I didn't know it was coming. And then everybody's like cheering. I'm like, well shit, I gotta go now, so I go.

Yes. What scares me is I do.

Hear a lot of people saying people either go there to destroy their image or make up for it. And I'm like, I believe enough of myself and the decisions I make that I don't think my image is going to be destroyed when I go. You know, I'm going to go in with the right intention in the right heart, and hopefully it comes.

To go there and destroy their image or the people that are the image, right, the people that go there, like honestly, like, why would you go there? And if you're if you're the nice guy.

Well, because you're not gonna go there, because he could go to the beach and all of a sudden, four women are all like jig oh, jiggity, yeah.

They better not call me jig, Like, what's up, jigs? I mean, I'm sure it would be great for the Instagram, but like, but if.

They say johnthan I am so into you, and all of a sudden, this poor guy is sitting in a place where he can't win.

Oh, so you guys are saying, actually, they don't go on there with the intention to destroy, they just have they go on there and it does destroy exactly.

Because there's four and like you feel, let's I feel like I'm very empathetic. I feel bad so like I try to like give them all a chance, and one of them would end up having a certain way to feel about me giving the other girls a chance, and that's the clippable ship they want.

When you you.

You had said something from your season when you said you went on with a plan. So I think that in of itself is like I didn't have any plan I went on. I'm like, oh, I'm gonna come on this show and I'm gonna have some cocktails, I'm gonna eat some uh, you know, appetizers, and I'm gonna you maybe get a flower. I'm gonna make out of summing. You went on with a plan, right, so you're already one step ahead of the game. And I think all the people come on the show now are one step

Type of situation, I think in what what he would be saying to is his plan is to be himself, which has worked out so far, and so if your plan is to be yourself and going back to Bob's question. I'm not letting you get out of that chair unless you give us as you know that you'd be interested in meeting on the beach.

You know you're gonna you're gonna hate for me.

Is I have and that actually you're gonna love this? Well, you're gonna love this in particular, you're talking about having a plan. Yes, since the moment I was asked, my plan has to give no ammunition to anybody in the sense of if I say something now that can that will live on forever. If I go, hey, I'm excited to see A or B. Right, well, now A or B has this in mind that they're going to get to see me, he's excited to see me, and they

I would love that. That's awesome.

I want to meet you, But I don't want to be caught in a position where I said something beforehand and now I'm to that thing when I have not met somebody saying.

You haven't been to stage coach in the last eight months.

Stage coach is the great on doing all Bachelor paradise going to stage.

We've had many an interview.

I have a hard rule in this in this au festivals, no body from bachelination at all, No women, No keep doing DM them, none of them.

That's gonna get that weird love trying to out be honest.

I think that's gonna fail. Miserable you think so, Oh my gosh, it's anybody?

Was that anybody?

I'm sorry, I didn't mean the d m ing part. I just meant, like you, you're saying that you're not gonna cross paths when anyone.

I'm going to hook up with anybody from I'm going to cause zero.

It's a different world today than when we existed.

Wow, you have to understand you non doing it. There's no solid proof that anything happened. If there's test or d MS or whatever, this is.

A photographic evidence, then you're good with it.

Which happens, which thank you. There's no moments you get past Bob, you're still remembering your time where you're like, wait, it was high on the side of the cave. You had to write a letter I did and send it out and say hey, hang out, Freddy, I would like the envelope like f YI, music's saying. He's saying, so clean from all this, He's entering into paradise with this slate that is just.

White and the it's probably putting a target on my back now that they're like, oh, we're going to get this money.

Yeah, this is.

About it.

We're gonna talk about it on the I'm so excited.

Yes we got as I thought he was saying. But he's not.

He tried so hard.

And so the people outside of the show, and not all of them, some of them have like almost scared me into this belief too, which is really shitty to say. Like, there was a moment where I'm gonna I'm gonna say two really quick ones. There was a moment that I was at Starbucks with my mom and somebody took a picture of us having a conversation outside this is the local Starbucks by my house, took a picture of it, put on Reddit and was like Jonathan's having a heated argument.

With this woman, blah blah blah. Yeah yeah.

And then but then somebody goes that's his mom, and I'm like, it's weird, Like why are you photographing in a conversation I'm having with my mom? And then trying to pass it off is I'm having a conversation with some woman that we're having an argument in public, my mom, We're talking literally just talking. And there's been other ones where I've just been friendly to people in DMS. I would never hang out with somebody that's a fan or

Yeah, And now I.

Don't respond above the frame that regard because you can't other people's twisted imagination. You can't live up to that. That's that's gonna be their own thing at the end of the day. Stay true to you, be the jig d J that we've come to know and love, right, I mean I love it.

I think about you're doing so much from this season of Paradise now because Wells is one of my best friends in the world. You need to lean on Wells when you're down there. It was my one. But I cannot wait to watch and and I hope they don't get them, Bob, I really hope they don't. I hope they don't go after it. I don't want to get I don't want he wants to actually meet somebody. So let's just put it over the because we have a lot of don't Jake Well's Manhattan's because those are disaster

It's gonna be great too.

Hey, this has been the Almost Famous podcast until next time.

I've been Ben Jonathan and

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