Ben Higgins and Ashley I bring you infamous.
Sometimes roses are red flags.
Welcome back, everybody. It's Tristas Sutter and of course I am just half half to a whole of the Almost Famous OG podcast. So I'll be talking to Casey Call today. You guys, if you watched Ali Fedotowski season or Ali Manto now, she dated Casey and he is known for a couple things that we will definitely get into on the show. He's sang a very unique song, he got
a tattoo. He was dropped off on a glacier, or he not dropped off, he was basically said goodbye to you on a glacier while Ali and this other guy flew away in a helicopter. So I'm sure if you guys watched it, these things are bringing back memories as I speak. Anyway, I am really excited to talk to Casey and hear all about how life is for him now and want to welcome him to the show.
Thank you, thank you so much. It's so good to see you. Last time I saw you as in Vegas Homegirl, long long, long time ago.
I was literally going to say bachelor pad when I when I read that you it reminded me because I don't have a brain these days. I mean, we don't look at this, Scott. Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you. So yes, it brought back memories of when we were in Vegas and I was watching you guys crawl on a big, huge wall.
That was crazy, and I felt like, man, I could have done so much better. But I think, you know, under that pressure is like, Okay, we're in the final three or whatever of the Bachelor Pad and you know, we got all the tensions going, and You're like, okay, I got to perform. And then Staglano goes and busts out the best coolest move and I'm like, why did not think of that? Man? I'm like, dang it, God he had me. You got my number on that one.
That's amazing. Oh my god, brings back memories.
I love it.
So it's good to see you.
Yeah, thank you. It's good to see you too.
Thank you so much for coming on the podcast. I want to kind of go back to the beginning, very beginning for how we met Casey and how it all started. So how did you hear about the show and how did you end up auditioning or getting nominated?
So ironically it kind of goes back actually to you and Ryan. Honest I watched You guys on the initial show and it inspired me thinking like, oh, you know, that's so cool to find love in such a you know, grandiose away. Because I'm a cheese ball. I'm a hopeless romantic. You know, I can't help that's never changed, by the way. You know, my wife gets annoyed by it sometimes, but
I can't help myself, you know. But I remember watching You Guys show and it worked for you guys, and I'm thinking to myself, you know what that's that's really cute. And then fast forward, you know, twenty five, I think years old, twenty six. You know, I was single. My sister obviously didn't think I can get a date in
real life, so she applied for me online. And so she applied for me to become the Bachelor, and you know, I got cross or phone call, and you know, I did all the casting, all the testings, all the whatever, and walk the whole you know, that whole dance, you know what I mean. And sure enough, you know they put me on the show.
Yeah, crazy, right, how that all works? Oh my gosh. I love I love that we inspired you. That makes me so happy.
Yeah, little that I know. I mean it was. It's a really interesting dynamic, you.
Know, yeah, oh yeah, I mean please. It's the most untraditional way to meet someone. But it can work out.
Hey, it can. It can. It did for y'all, and that's what I love to see. And you guys are happy and that's all that matters.
And you know what, it can work out. Even though it worked out directly for Ryan and I, I think that it is part of everyone whoever's part of Bachelor Nation. It's part of all of our paths, and those paths lead to your future relationships whatever. Maybe right, so maybe you wouldn't have met your wife had you not gone on the Bachelorette. You know, I don't know.
I can assure you this that had I not gone on the Bachelor, I would not have learned the things that I've learned today in a real marriage and a real relationship.
Oh I am. I am so excited that you said that, because I would love to get into that.
How deep you want to get to a little bit later? Deep you want to get today? Honey?
I like gause you want.
It's all about if you can ask the right questions today.
Oh the pressure, pressure.
Just to entice the audience a little bit, little little, you know, little enticement.
Yeah, no, I love it. Okay, we'll definitely get into that. So when you walked into the mansion, and was it the mansion that it is now or were you guys in a different place.
Yeah, no, we were in the original. You know, we're OG's too, you know, we we got to be a part of that big mansion and that big beautiful pool and you know all the fun things that came with that too. And I think our season was like the height of like of where the bachelorette started to become really popular. Of the bachelorette, right, it wasn't just the bachelor now, that was about the bachelorette that was looking
for love. And I think that the season was so heightened, and you know, we had so many great dudes on that show. I mean, I think that was the coolest part is that you know, that actually is how Bachelor pad was created because we were so cool and so we started doing appearances and started doing fun things, and so the production was like, oh dude, you are you guys are creating drama in all you guys own little world. We need we need to emphasize on that. And so
cue Bachelor Pad. You know, that's why all the reunions started. We just started doing these things. You know, it's kind of crazy how it all worked out, but you know.
It is crazy.
It's definitely a union.
It is crazy, yeah, very much. So okay, so when you walked into the mansion, how how are you feeling? Was there anything that surprised.
You at this point? You know, as I'm going through all the production of it, right and you know, I'm kind of watching from the outside, kind of evaluating the situation, and you know, I'm trying to see, Okay, I got I got five guys in my limo boom boom boom. Are they competition? Are they a threat? You know, you kind of process all these things and then you and
then the production side comes. Okay, So like Trista, what are you going to say when you first see Ali or you know that that's what that's what the you know, they bait you. You know what I mean, they bait They bait you a little bit, you know, and so I'm thinking to myself, you know, I want to make an impression, you know, I want I want to come out and I want her to know that I'm genuine, that I'm authentic, and then yeah, I'm a little cheeseball too. But how do I do all that?
You know?
And so my grandma always told me to, you know, make godly choices, and she always said that at the end of the day, when you get married, make sure that you got and protect the heart of your future life, right, and it was biblical. That's what I wanted to say to this, and you know, it kind of became like a line throughout the rest of the of the show, you know what I mean, kind of a catchphrase that kind of took fire to what I was trying to
accomplish with Ali. You know. So it was really interesting to kind of see, like, Okay, I have to I have to plot out what I'm going to do and say to try and catch this girl's attention in the midst of all this other big production of these guys. You know, I got to figure out something. So that's I guess that's what I came up with.
I mean, yeah, you were good at it. You caught her attention and all of ours. Okay, So Bachelor Nation fans definitely remember getting our attention caught when you sang a song for her in New York on your date and after the helicopter ride. And I would love to know did you write that song after your helicopter date, like in the spur of the moment or ahead of time? Were you thinking about it ahead of time? And had you ever sung to a woman before.
That's a good question, That's a great question, you know. So, yes, I'm definitely cheeseballing. I don't mind. I'm not a singer, but I like to you know, I like to be cheesy, you know what I mean. I think I made a song at the end of the mentel all too you know what I mean, Like it's just be I played on it right. So but the reality of that situation is I'm not just going to come out and sing to a girl on a first date, you know what I mean. I'm not going to do that, you know
what I mean. We're out in the middle of New York. You know, it's kind of going crazy a little bit, and you know, this is where I start to realize this is more of a production than it is that I'm trying to find love, you know. And so we're out in the middle of New York and we're hanging out, and you know, I'm trying to have a conversation with Ali because it's just us and we're about to go in this big, beautiful ship and do this big date.
And the thing I'm like, y oh, this is so cool, like just in a conversation, and she wanted nothing to do with me. So I was like, all right, okay, I guess that's our date, you know, And yeah, no, it's it's real, you know. And so at the end of the day, I know what time it is, and I could realize that I'm not her choice, right, I'm not her pick, and I'm not going to try and convince her to be a pick, you know. I'm like, Okay, well,
let's just have fun with it, right. And so the Bachelor producers, as some you may know, you know, they are, they're interesting people, and they want drama and they want to kind of really drum up things to build drama and build the facts. So, you know, we talked about a lot of things, and we discussed some things that could happen to be dramatic, and one of those things was singing a song. And I said, you want me to sing a song to a girl on a date, and so we literally I said screw it, you know,
I said, whatever. You know, she don't like me anyway, so whatever. You know, I'm like, I might as well make a fool of myself and at least get some exposure. So, you know, I literally jumped up there. I made up some song on the whim. On the whim by the way, you're laughing because it's this is real. This is I finally get to share all this stuff, right, this is so much fun because this is real. This is the reality of it. I made that song up on the spot.
I don't even remember what it was. And if had I made that song up today, it would be memed everywhere on Instagram. It was yeah, you know, it was so embarrassing, you know. And the way that they cut it out too, There was more than just that too, you know. It was just they made it look like a really awkward moment, and I, you know, I was like, okay, you know, so that's how that went down.
So was it awkward for you? You said it, They made it look like an awkward moment. Was it awkward in the moment, No, not at all.
I may spent I maybe spent five minutes with Ali, you know what I mean, Like, you know, you're laughing because you know it's true too. You know there's certain things well.
I mean, I'm laughing because you're you're shining so much light on the situation in terms of in terms of like the fact that you were like, she's not interested in me, so I'm just gonna have fun with it. It's so much perspective on that situation.
Yes, but see, that's the thing is that no one understands. We're gonna get deeper too. Wait, it's not over yet, girl, We're just getting warmed up.
Good good, I'm excited.
In those moments. You know, those were my authentic self. I think they were just playcated and produced to exemplify a certain persona that the production wanted to show. And for me, I just went with it, you know what I mean. I had fun. You know, I'm like, Okay, I'm on National TV. Am I going to be made fun of? Probably? Yeah? Cool? Like, but am I here to find love? I really was. I didn't find it. I'm not going to find it, so I might as well enjoy it.
I love your perspective for real. It is so it's it's so endearing.
Thank you.
Okay. So you had mentioned that sometimes the like to bait you a little bit, and and you said, I.
Feel like start asking my questions.
Now do you have an NDA like baby?
Not anymore? Baby, let's go oh my gosh.
Okay, So you were you you you said that the producers like to bait you know sometimes, So are you saying that you were baited a little bit? And then you just went along with it. You're like, you know what, she has shown that maybe she's not very interested in me. So I'm just gonna have fun with this, and if the producers want to bait me, I'm gonna be baited.
I negotiated my way on multiple more episodes. Let's just put it that way.
No way, yes, wait a way to whoa whoa whoa? Okay, hold on you negotiation. Yes, you negotiated. You talked to the producers and you said, if I'm do this, this and.
This wing, yes, facts I could drop. There's so much more to We're gonna go down a deep rabbit hole today, girl. So yeah, I got a loving da I've been waiting for this moment. I'm excited.
My gosh, you are making me so happy.
I know, I know, trust me, I know, I know it's gonna be good.
Okay, Okay, so what you said, Okay, fine, Well if I sing for her, you're gonna put me on more shows because, like you mentioned, you wanted a.
Little not the shirt, not the song, not the song.
Oh, we're going deeper. I'm just I'm just trying to get as much out of the song.
This song. The song is not.
This song is not very much. The song was okay, we're good with the song.
Song was cool. It was. I made that up. I'll make up another one right now for you, right now, trusted, you know what I mean. I don't even care. Can we till the end of the episode. I got it getting back in the mood, you know what I mean?
Okay, Okay, done and done. We'll do it at the end. That'll be the little icing on the top of the cake. Okay. So next comes, or and maybe not next because it has been a while since I watched the show. But next, in terms of like the moments that you are remembered for, was the tattoo moment, right, Okay, So you mentioned that your grandma. I love that you brought in that your grandma always told you to find someone who will guard and protect your heart, and that had always been a
thing for you. So it wasn't something like you came onto the show thinking, oh, I want to be kitchy and you know, have a little time.
Let's let's pause out because the back to the first night when I said that I was gonna when I said I'm going to guard and protect your heart, every producer on that show, this is when I knew that this was more than just that. Every producer on that show came up to me and said, Hey, go tell the guys you're going to guarden and protect her heart. Go tell that. I go. Go that guy's here for the wrong reasons. Justin Rigo rate it are, he's here
for the wrong reasons. Go tell him he's here for the wrong reasons, and go punk him and go say you're gonna guard and protect her heart. So you know, I knew it was happening at that point, right, I'm like, Okay, you guys are really pushing me to say this, and I'm not crazy and I'm not stupid, you know what I mean. So again I'm like, I'm going to be here to enjoy myself and I'm going to go with it,
which goes hand in hand. And it actually is what really got me pretty far in Bachelor Pad too, because I played the producers at their own game when they try to put Jake Paboka, my girlfriend's X, on my show, and I said, that's not what I wanted, and they did that anyways, So there's hole much like, there's so much more to this that we can go down, but we can go back to the tattoo and stuff because that's fun too.
Yes, we will for sure go back to the tattoo. But you just mentioned your girlfriend's ex. So you were dating Vienna at the time of Bachelor Pad. Oh okay, yeah, and he was.
On there and so yeah, and they and they were trying to they were trying to get me off the show as fast as they could because they wanted Jake and Vienna to have this like type of thing. And I saw this on the war board, and so when I knew that they were trying to gun for me off the show, I rallied the rest of the cast and I knew for a second that I wasn't going to give I wasn't get voted.
Off Okay, wait a second, what is a reward board? Reward board a war war board room?
Sorry, this is a production room where they actually have storylines and things that are in the background, where they can see where they're how they're trying to draw out the story and what they're trying to accomplish. Yeah. Yeah, that's that's real too, by the way, in case you didn't know that.
Okay, wait a second, I did know that, but but you know, I've been around for a while.
Oh girl, I know. That's why I love you, dude. I was like, it's me interested, dude, this is this is this is gonna be amazing.
Okay, so a war board. How did you see this? Was this like an accidental viewing or what did they bring you in the room? Uh?
No, I walked into the wrong room at the wrong time at the right time for me, and I just saw everything and I was like, oh wow, wow, oh, I'm I'm not supposed to be here. Okay, that's because they had, like they had like their finals all planned out and everything, like, they have a storyboard that's aligned with all that for sure. Well, and the producer's job is to produce that story right, just like of course, of.
Course, yeah, of course, yes. I mean I have always. I think that's why I have always had good relationships with the producers.
Because because you're the girl.
No, because I understand that this is their job. I can be friends with them too, but I am able to separate that in a way because I know that they are they're doing their job.
Let may I ask you you've been You've been doing this for a long time, Hunt, I'm sure you've seen some tragic things, and I'm sure you've seen some things that probably have gone, you know, unspoken about, and things that you've seen on other episodes and other scenes and other other seasons were like whoa Like that kind of sucks for that person. You know, they're placating on that person's emotions, they're playking on that person's credibility, you know
where they they can do that to you. And that's where I really wanted to be vulnerable here, you know,
and be honest here. You know, some of the things that happened on that show were hurtful, and I've lost friends from this show that I can go into a deeper, deeper, deeper dive if we really want to go down that, you know, and and for me at the end of the day, you know, I still suffer PTSD from certain things that I have to read about myself or things that happened to me, or that people speculate or judge me on. You have to remember you want to go back to today one Trista. I was so excited when
I was on this show. I had I had a watch party. I had a watch party with my entire friends and family at a beach house. I invited everyone that I knew.
This.
The first episode went went great, but one of the producers called me and told me and said, hey, just so you know, there's going to be something a little weird at the end of that season, but don't overreact. It's just for dramatic effect. At the end of that. At the end of that at the end of that first episode, in front of all of my friends and family, they did a show all of what to expect to come. They showed an ambulance picked me up, and they put bandages on my wrist like I slit my wrist, like
I was suicidal over some girl. And that was in front of my entire family. They didn't know that it was a tattoo. You know, what I mean, there's certain things that they didn't play kidd on. They do that to a lot of people. That hurts a lot of people, and that's not cool. And when you do that, it takes a toll on a lot of people psychologically and mentally, and some people don't know how to deal with that or compartmentalize that. And I think that's a really other
light that needs to be Shawn shine on. Because you know, we all watched the show Unreal that I call it a documentary because we know that all those things, the relationships with producers and cast members, I watched, it happened. I watched all these things. Now that show happened for a reason. Unreal is as real as the Bacher gets. It's as real as it gets the things that watch it.
Where it came from somewhere. And honestly, I related with so much stuff on that show, like on a deep level, Like I really, I tell people, you're gonna know what the Bacher's like watch Unreal. That was my experience. I chose to take the high road and have fun and enjoy it to the best that I could. But I didn't know that I was being manipulated and gaslated to look crazy, to sing songs, to get a tattoo. I'd never get a tattoo for a girl. Everyone comes up
to me, you know what. They asked me, Hey, I want to see Ali's name. I never got Ali's name on my arm. It's a garden and protect hard badge, that's all. That's what this is. It's biblical for my grandma. I even said that on the show. I said, I didn't. I'm like, I got this tattoo to represent my belief and guarding protect the future wife in my life. Do I think that's you? No, they didn't play that part,
you know what I mean. They just wanted to play what they wanted to play to make me look foolish, and they did that, you know. And I think it's been a long ten years to be able to be open and honest about those moments that were taking advantage of my cheesiness. And my hope is romanticness, right. I
love big. I have a huge heart. I do a lot of things for my community, like I you know, I'm a big in the wellness and health and that's that's my whole goals is to help with autism with my son, Like I have goals and bigger dreams, and it took a long time to get to where I am met today, to let go of a lot of things that happened to me over the course of being on TV, being on the Bachelorette, being on the Bachelor, pat you know, having a relationship, being under scrutiny with Vienna,
my entire relationship being imploded online, you know, on TV. You know, I've been through some things that people will never understand, and I'll never forget the first episode that I was embarrassed in front of my family when they made it look like I was cutting myself. How terrible is that? Who does that? And then when I called the producer and I want to say his name so bad. I called him and said, why would you do that to me? Why would you make it look like I'm crazy?
And then I'm gonna kill myself. Do you know what kind of message that sends to other people? You're literally affirming suicide. Shame on you. He said, Oh, no, that's not what it is, Casey, No, we would never do that. Do you just trust me. It's all gonna be okay. You're gonna really look good in this situation. You're gonna come off looking like a crystal clear great person. That's what
they did to me. The tattoo was my negotiation because I wanted to stay longer so I can get more exposure, so I could eventually someday use this as a platform for stuff like autism, so I can use it for a good for a better, better, better being, you know, for for a better world, you know, not for gas line and manipulation and things like that, you know. And that's what I did. I literally told them, you want me to get this tattoo. Cool, they took me to it.
I'm not going to tell you all the other of the other things that came into it, but yes, a part of that diego was me staying longer and being able to go to Iceland and be able to make it that long. There's no way that Ali wanted me to stay and I stayed. You know what I mean, She'll tell you there's no way. I mean. I came off so cheesy, and because that was I was being encouraged to say I want to guard and protect your heart so much, I came off as unauthentic and that's
not who I am. And so Ali didn't get to even see the real real version of me, which sucks too.
Yeah, I agree, But I feel like my global worldview is that everything happens for a reason. And I assume, and we'll get into this, that you're you have a very happy life with your wife and your kids, and and you wouldn't want to change anything and do anything different because you know what I mean.
It all goes back to what I said that being on this show taught me an education of how to be a good man, to be a good dad, to be a good husband, you know, and to and to and to lead my family, to lead like Jesus and guide my family to a good, happy marriage, a good happy life, and to raise my son and to raise my new beautiful daughter. You know. That's that's all that I care about in this world. And that's all that
I've ever wanted, you know. And going through that experience, it taught me like there there is a lot of other craziness in this world. And and and no matter what happens, no matter what I go through, no matter what I do, you have to be authentic. You don't need to exaggerate, you don't need to play kate things, you don't need to be something you're not. You don't
need to be somebody you're not. And I really tried to be someone that I wasn't going through that show, and it transpired throughout Bachelor Pad, I even through dating Vienna. You know, we had a great relationship when it was just us, but outside of that, it was just it was just dirty. It was just exposed. Everything was you know, on highlights, you know, and that's not something that I'm
good with, you know. And the best thing that I did was finally part ways and we separated and she got to go home and heal, and I got to go home and heal, you know, from the show, you know, from traumas of the being on TV and the production and the mind manipulation that happens on there. I mean, there's just so much, you know, you don't know what's real and what's not.
Sometimes, going back to the tattoo, I am so enjoying talking to you because I feel like it's just seriously, I feel like so much of the show is, you know, just what we're seeing and we're told certain things. And I've always thought you can't put words in someone's mouth, but obviously you can show, you know, you take things
out of context whatever, or not into the entire story. Yeah, and it seems like the entire story wasn't shown for you because the garden protect your Heart was something that your grandma taught you from a very it seems like from a very young age. It's not something that you just thought, I'm gonna say this for Ali just to you know. It's not out of the blue, and you've got a tattoo because it was special to you. Do
you just chose to do it in that moment? Can you take me to the moment of like when the tattooed conversation came up? And how because because in my experience on the show, it's not like you can leave and go like have little mini adventures, you know.
Oh yeah right.
I know, right, So tell me about that.
All right. So yeah, so you know, at this point of the show, I blow my date right with with Ali. You know, I sing tour right. So the story goes and so now, yeah, producer, who is pretty pretty much as signed to me at this point, you know, starts telling me you need to make a big splash, man, we got to do something special. I'm looking at him like, I know what you're doing. Just tell me what you
think I should do like that. That's how the conversation went after a couple of shots of you know, whiskey as usual. You know what I mean. There's no im without a drink, right, I mean, there's no such thing as an im without a drink. So I mean we made that it was for me.
There was for me, but that you were.
Smarter than I was. Yeah, I was. I was the nerd, you know, that was trying to be the cool guy, you know to the producers, you know, and they placated that, you know what I mean, they knew what to do with that. So, you know, he tells me, what if you got a tattoo. Mind, you have no tattoos at this point, zero tattoos. Frowned upon by my grandma, frowned upon by my mom, no tattoos. I'm never getting a tattooed type of guy. So I'm sending them thinking to myself,
like I'm going to get a tattoo. I would never get a tattoo. Okay, well, listen, here's the deal. I believe that I'm going to guard and protect the heart of my future wife, and it's not Ali, but someone else out there. Might be watching this and they might think my cheesiness is cute, and that woman will appreciate my tattoo. And that's why I got that tattoo. So I said, Okay, I'm going to get the tattoo, but under a couple of conditions. Number one, you're gonna go out.
You're gonna I don't, I can't. I don't want to say most other things. But they took me to a really nice steak dinner. They treated me to all kinds of nice and great things. They took me to multiple places in Manhattan, New York. You know what I mean. Like, I'm out there, I'm doing the dang things.
This is just you, not any of the others.
Me and my producer. Okay, this is me and my producer.
Did was anyone else doing? Having little dates? Not dates obviously, but okay, just get all stuck in the room.
I was stuck in the hotel and I'm out doing this, you know. And I say, I and I and I do not get voted off. And I said, I specifically use that as a bargaining chip. I said, you can. You can tell her however she wants to do it. You can make it dramatic, but I do not get voted off tonight. Yeah deal, whoa I mean because it means everything to me and my wife. Now my wife's in my anniversary date is on my tattoo.
Oh I love that you added that.
Ah.
I was just going to ask you, how do you feel? Because it's not like it's on your back, it's on your wrist, so you see it all the time. How do you You've mentioned PTSD, but when you look at it now you've been able to change it into something you know, super positive.
Again, this memory will always be of me and mine and my grandma and my mom and my wife and all the things that mean special and close and dear to my heart. That's all that this is. This will always be a remembrance of that. There's no name, there's no anything. It's always been this. It's never changed. Okay again, it's always been a learning experience of saying, if I'm going to do this, I'm going to enjoy it and I'm going to try and take the best positive experience
from this that I can. And so that's what was presented to me, and I said, Okay, it's rock and roll. I think I can put a tattoo on for my future wife someday, and you know, and then we had and then I had. Then we had to negotiate how I was going to present it to Ali right and how I was going to show her that the tattoo, you know what I mean. And I said, I didn't want to do it. I actually didn't even want to talk about it. I never brought it up. I tried
to hide it until we got to the glacier. And once we got to that glacier, yeah, she goes, so I heard you got a tattoo. I was like, oh, of course, of course, and they I wasn't even going to show her. So then I finally said okay. So then I rolled my sleeve and I say, yeah, I go, I did. I got a tattoo. And you know, I did it because I want to guard and protect the heart of my future wife, whoever that may be, someday.
And that was our conversation. And I knew at that point that I was going to get left on that glacier so dramatically, and so I just I just I just went with it. And I stood there in the middle of that iceberg, knowing that I was going to look so silly. I was looking at the helicopter and all I could think about was I gotta seriously ride the snowmobile back.
Oh my god, That's what I was gonna ask you too. How do you get out of there? And how long were you standing there, like just just by yourself.
You know as well as I do? No less than five seconds? You know what I mean? It was It was for dramatic effect. I'm musting. They're watching the helicopter go off, and I'm just pissed because I'm not taking the helicopter back. That's that's all I could think about,
because I get car sickness. Right I'm thinking, I gotta go through all these mountains and glaciers on a freaking snowmobile right now, I'm gonna get sick and then they're gonna put that on camera and they're gonna do something with that too, you know.
What. The Actually I would feel the opposite. I would feel like the helicopter would give me motion sickness, not the snowmobile.
Convenience and time, Get me the heck out of get me back to the hotel. And by the way, by the way, one other one in my handlers that night, so we were in Iceland, and I mean, I'm no, I'm going home. The next day we go out, we go out to the club. I mean, Iceland is full of beautiful people. By word, I got all these girls coming up to me. I mean it is hilarious because I'm not even supposed to be in public and I'm
literally in Iceland partying with Iceland just people. Like it was probably the most by myself with my handler and we're just drinking out there. This is the night I get, I get left in Iceland. I'm just out partying, like this was my last night. Like, no sadness, you know, it wasn't like a heartbreak and didn't get me becazos. I already knew what was going to happen, you know what I mean. So it wasn't like YA was sad
or anything. Yeah I was. I was sad that the opportunity passed me by to actually really have a good, valid conversation with Ali, because if she got to meet the real me, I think that she would have been things could have been different on that show. But again, like you said, everything happens for a reason, and I like, I love that all the things I learned from that because I know how to be a good husband.
Now.
You know, it might have taken me a long time, you know what I mean, But at this point of my life, I know how to be a good dad, I know how to be a good husband. I know'd be a good business owner. I know how to be a good person. And I think going through all those things helped me understand through trauma of my own that I don't have to be somebody that I'm not. I
don't have to be this big TV persona. You know what the greatest part of my day is today that when I walk outside, I don't get recognized as the bachelor Kay anymore. In my own hometown. I get recognized as the dad that's advocating for autism for his son. That's what I get recognized for. And that means more to me than I can even explain to you.
I can't even imagine. I yes, that that is amazing. Have you talked to Allie or run into her since the show?
So it's you know, I really wanted to have a conversation with her after the whole thing is Me and Roberto were tight. I talked to Roberto rout Lampton's my boy Chris.
We just had Chris Lampton on, actually we did, we did.
I still reach out talked to him sometimes. He's a great dad, great man. That's another really good guy. Again. Our season had so many good dudes on that show, like you know, like Frank from Craig Roberto, I mean, just great people. You know. I still follow all these guys,
you know, love it. But that's but that was the cool part of being a part of the show is the relations ships that I did build and people that knew knew who I was deep to my core, you know, and and accepted me for that because I wasn't always you know, authentic, you know what I mean. I was always trying to be something that I wasn't for some unknown reason, you know. And I think, I think, I think, if I'm being honest, it was a lot of the production.
You know, it really gave me the ego. They made me, they pumped up my my ego, and they made me feel like I was going to be bigger than what I was, you know, and I really wasn't. I was just a normal dude that was looking for love on a TV show and didn't.
Last you know, yeah, right right, But you you didn't answer the question did did you have you run into Eli or.
With the guy. So when I was with Vienna, we we actually did an appearance in San Diego and Kipton and Tenley were there, and uh, you know, Kipton was always my boy, and I always loved Tenley. Actually I actually went on the show for Tenley I love. Ironically, I went on the show thinking it was Tenley the whole time. Really, I got Ali and ended up with Vienna. That is that is literally the truth. That is crazy. Yeah, so crazy.
So you saw her in San Diego.
We saw her in San Diego with Kipton and Tinley. I said, what up? I wanted up? I wanted to try and spark a conversation, but she wasn't having it. Again, I don't know. I also feel like production can manipulate certain things and making you even think that someone is what they aren't either, you know what I mean. And placating my emotions and my cheesiness to make me sing a song and to make me do these things to Ali obviously seems very unauthentic to her, So she probably
thought that I was just an unauthentic dude. So I don't blame her for not talking to me, I really just want to have a conversation to get some truth. I wanted to understand, like, hey, so, like, what was the reality of that for you? I was more curious about her side of things, you know, because when we were trying to have conversations, we didn't get to have even five minutes alone. We were in a bar, when we were waiting in the middle of freaking New York
dive bar where no one else is. She's got her producer, She's sitting on the other side of the bar. I'm on the other side of the bar, and we can't talk to each other because we're not supposed to save it for the cameras. I'm like, this is like, oh, I can't come on. Yeah, you know, and that's hard. That's hard to build a relationship or even a friendship, you know with that. So again I don't blame Ali.
She she wasn't really nice to me, But again, she probably thinks a certain way about me, and I can't blame her for that.
Yeah. Yeah, Okay, So you went on Bachelor Pad. Did the producers ever talk to you about I'm assuming no, considering what you've what you've told me today, But did they ever talk to you about being a bachelor.
Of course, Oh of course that was that was a dangling care Oh my god, what do you How do you think they got me to I do some of the things that I wanted to do.
I see, I see, And.
I'm sure that that's enticed to a lot of other other people too. Oh you know this, we'll offer the bachelor as a carrot and then we'll see what he's going to do for it, or we're gonna see how we're gonna react, or we're gonna see the ratings, you know what I mean, which I would have blew the ratings off the roof if I was a bachelor. Let's just be honest, Just be honest. I'd be cheesy. I'd have been super dramatic, you know what. I've been in a super fun at that point in my life. But
you know, ironically, I I they did. But I was already with Vienna at that point, because like I said, we started like me and a couple of the boys, like I had gea come out. Gee, I had friends. I had people from the show. I had so many friends that were so close to me, and we did appearances and we did fun shows. We just traveled and we started doing like reunions, and then the Bachelor Nation they saw that and they wanted more of that because they saw a group of people that weren't selected but
are still trying to find love. You know, well, it's just a bunch of hookups anyways at that point of everyone's life, you know, me, it was just a bunch of reunion hookups and it was fun. But that is where I eventually met Vienna. And you know, I met Vienna in New York, and you know, it was an instant for me. You know, I really was drawn to her because of her persona. Yeah, you know, she just
had this this strong confidence about her. But that night she was broken and I definitely am a healer, fix your type person, and I saw that she was hurting and I just wanted to help her. And so we had like a conversation for like five hours at night, you know, and then she invited me to come out to LA the next weekend and we didn't spend another day apart for a little bit until the show. Yeah, and then the show is when everything just kind of
went crazy. You know that that that in itself was a whole unique experience because I knew what to expect this time, so I prepared myself.
You had experience. How did it go crazy?
Number one, my producer told me verbatim, Jake will not be on the show, and I said, I know that, Yeah, I'm bachelor pad and because that's that was Vienna's ex right, And I was still like very very you know, close to the date of time and everything. So I didn't really think too much of it at first. I didn't care. I just didn't want the drama of it, you know, And I don't I didn't like that. I knew what they were going to do if they did bring him on the show. Well, of course, day one, there comes
Jake Pavelka, you know what I mean. And I've already heard things, right, They've already put things in my head like he's angry to her, he's Maddie. They've shown me video, They've made me hate Jake at this point, you know what I mean. And and and I think Vienna actually had experienced some certain things. I don't know. I don't to talk for her, but it was insinuated to me that there that he was just a bad guy. But
he wasn't. He wasn't. Again, This was all produced in my head to create that drama the second I see him, you know, to build up that animosity for me. And so, you know, he comes on the show and I'm upset, I'm angry. I'm like, okay, of course, and and our confrontation are are hostile, which they didn't even need to be because I'm not a hostile guy, you know, And so they placated that. But then I but then I instantly came back to reality and I realized what was
going on. And so then I said, Okay, I need to be friends with all these people, because these people are good people and they're not gonna they're not gonna gaslight me, manipulate me. They're here to They're here to play a game and win some money and win some challenges and have some fun and maybe find love doing that too. And I ended up becoming really really close friends with all of those people, especially Chia. And that's
a whole different conversation. But you know, everyone on that show, from Michelle money Uh to all the guys I mean, Peter Stan, I mean, it's just crazy because I still follow everyone from the Bachelor Pad and that was such a close group regardless of the drama that happened on that show. We were a close group. Bachelor Pad two was a season to never forget. And I say that because of the emotions of raw, real friendships that were
built on that show. And I say that because a lot of the friendships were also manipulated and misconstrued and trying to create drama within the actual show to make it a dramatic show, you know what I mean. Like everyone, it's funny because everyone came to me and told me, Hey, production is really trying to get us to vote for you, Casey, and I laughed. I'm like, I knew that this was going to happen. They want to get Jake and viennap
by themselves. They want they want to get Jake back, and that's going to create more of a storyline than me being on the show for the entirety of the show. And I saw the war they wanted me off see episode one, and I didn't let that happen. And thankfully, because of the amazing people on that show that voted for Jake and did not vote for me, you know, kept me on that show. And I think that's the real reason why I was able to stay on that show.
So the Bachelor Pad was an incredible experience with the relationships that I built and the people that were on there are very special people to me and they will. I'll never forget that show. And yeah, that was real because I was able to kind of be myself with them and I didn't care about production because I felt like the Bachelor Pad cast, the people there, they had my best interests, unlike the production.
Okay, I'd love to hear about life now. Uh, you are happily married with two cutie pie kiddos. Yes, tell me about your family, life, your business, your nonprofit, all all of the above.
Well, thank you, absolutely so. I'm married to my wife, Amanda. She is incredible. She tolerates all the things, you know what I mean. She puts up with my craziness and and my passion, you know, because I'm a passionate guy, and she she you know, she loves my cheesiness to an extent I can only I can only pour it on so much. But you know, she's been amazing to me and an amazing partner in my business, and the things that I see from her every day as a mom just make me fall in love with her more
and more every single day. The way that she is with my son, the way that she's with my daughter, you know, it's very special, especially because my my son, he's five year old and he has non verbal autism. So my wife and I, we actually own a wellness facility UH in Clovis, California, where we do you know one this treatments anything from you know them sell peptide therapy,
you know, IV therapy, vitamin therapy, very holistic approach. You know, we diagnostically test people with with DEXA scans and blood work so we can understand the body. We want to
value your body as an entirety, right. We want to see what is defficient and if you're lacking vitamins or minerals or nutrients, and we want to replace that naturally, okay, And we can do that with all kinds of different things, variations of vitamins and nutrients, injections, ivs and different things like that, regenerative therapy, stem cell things like that that we want to optimize our health and body. And so we took that same approach and we are taking that
same approach for my nonprofit for autism. It's called Echos for Autism ECHOS for Autism is a facility that actually tests and neurologically, bio biologically feedback, gets biofeedback on these babies to understand what is going on with their body and how we can help heal them and how we can eliminate inflammation from the brain and body that has been incurred by environmental factors and much other things that I can get into on a whole different day, but
right now we are actually seeing in credible results with our autistic babies, and it's unbelievable because you know, no one is really treating it the way that we are are approaching it with testing and finding the biological approach to understanding how we can how we can alleviate these symptoms in the brain, and we are seeing incredible results.
One of my specialist everyone that's actually volunteering for my nonprofit that actually all have kids with autism, one of my specialists actually had a nonverbal child and that's now speaking at seven years old. So we are onto some groundbreaking and revolutionary things and I'm just very excited for that because ACOS for Autism, I think is going to revolutionize healthcare.
That's amazing. Could you share the websites. Please.
Yeah, So ACOS for Autism AKOS the lever the number four Autism dot org. You can definitely donate on there because it's all the all the proceeds go to the treatments of our kids. I do not charge the families. Everything that I do, I do complimentary because I know how hard it is on these families. So all of this is covered by us. And all the families that I'm here get tested and treated for free. So pretty amazing. There you can go to ACOS for Autism dot org.
We are looking for sponsors, donors, investors. We have so much look forward to and to scale out. We are so far ahead of the game. I will real quick say, Akos it means cure.
I was wondering, thank you for saying that. I didn't know where that came from.
So so you're my age, you're what thirty nine to forty ish right, Trista Smarlo.
I love you.
I love you too. So since we looks and that's that's that's we're always forever claiming. Do you remember the movie The Cure? It was with Jared Jared Renfro and another boy, and it's about a boy that's dying from cancer. Okay, and he's he's being made fun of, he's being bullied, he's being picked on at school. And so the neighbor sees him, I buy the fence in the backyard one day, and he goes over to talk to him and he says, hey, so what's going on? And he finds out that this
young boy is dying from cancer. So this his new friend is now goes off and he starts finding all these plants, these potions, these powders. He's searching in magazines. He's trying to find mixed mustard and oils and things to try and find a cure for this for his new friend, so that he can he can live a good life with his new friend. Well, they go through a bunch of obstacles and trials and tribulations throughout throughout the years. Well the boy only had three months, but
he ends up living three years. He still dies, But the moral of the story is that that boy gave him that cure, and he gave him an unconditional love and an unconditional friendship that gave him a better quality of life. Now, I know that people mock at the name cure, but a cure doesn't have to come from a needle, it doesn't have to come from a poison, it doesn't have to come from anything else. It could come from unconditional love from a strong dad that wants
to help heal his son. And that is all that I am trying to do for our community of autistic babies. And it can and it will be done. And so that's why I named it Echoes for Autism.
Okay, we're going to bring it up to back to some laughter and joy. There's joy that's not joy and what you're doing. Okay, you said you would sing me a song.
Oh my god, oh man, I really put myself on the spot there.
Okay, you said, you said, you said, so you can choose any topic. Maybe Bachelor Pad because you had such great time there and we are a bachelor related podcast. Why do we go there? Can you sing me a song about Bachelor Pad?
Okay? Wow, okay, yeah, this is going to be awkward, I love it.
Or or even better, could you sing a song about being an og like a theme song for the almost famous Ogs?
Okay, yeah, let me let me think about that. Let's see.
Okay, okay, okay, you're not on the spot at all.
I know. I'm like, how do I need a melody? I need like a beat or something, you know what I mean? I need like, oh god, I am not bad person. Yeah I know. I see I'm not beat box. Yeah you know. See now we're put on the spot here. This is what happens when you just got to go win something, you know. Let's see here, all right, so we'll just wing something, all right. So I don't even know.
So I'm sitting here saying on the show was trist to Sutter wishing I had a piece of toast and garlic butter, because when I'm on the show, like a oh gee, I don't know what to sing because my name is Casey. I guess I didn't know it. I don't even know I'm singing a song like I'm singing to my daughter. I don't even know.
Yes, yes, I love it.
You got me all red like, because I got people in here staring at me too, right now. So you got me really on the spot, right, I got you. Yeah. I got executive director of my nonprofits. She's helping me run all at my studio, and she's over here dying laughing at me right now, dude, like this is Yeah, she's not even making an eye contact because I'm sweating, though I'm profusely sweating.
I'm so sorry that we've made you sweat, but you are the best.
You know. I don't care. It's it is what it is. And if I actually thought of the song, I probably could have came up with a better melody. But it's, hey, don't.
You know what, I don't care exactly. I feel like as I get older, you just get to the point where you're like, I just don't care, like you know what, you can believe what you want to believe about me. I'm going to live my life for me, and I love that you're doing that. Well.
It took this show to learn that right, and it took a lot, you know, because when and when that stuff did come out, you know, about my show and about the stuff that I had bandages and certain things that were alluded to things that weren't actual truth. You know, I got a lot of speculation. I got a lot of nasty messages, I got a lot of online hate, you know, I got a lot of speculation. I always questioned myself, looking over my shoulder, is that person laughing
at me? Is that person laughing at me is that person making fun of my song? You know, that was a hard part of my life to compartmentalize ultimately until I realized, I don't care. I don't care what they say, I don't care what they think, because at the end of the day, I'm going to help people get healthy. I'm gonna help people get well. I'm gonna help people with autism. I'm gonna help my child, I'm gonna help my my daughter, I'm gonna help my wife, I'm gonna
help myself, I'm gonna help my family. And if anyone has anything to say about that authenticity, then I really don't care.
Love it. Thank you, Casey, Thank you. This has been so enlightening. I loved reconnecting with you. I'm so happy for you and your happiness. Thank you, Thank you for sharing. Thank you for being on the Almost Famous Og podcast.
No thanks for having me. I enjoyed it. And thank you for always being authentic as you. You are one of the few ogs that truly are always who you are, and I appreciate you for that. Trista, thank you, Thank you,