This is the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast with iHeartRadio.
Hey all, welcome to the Almost Famous Podcast. Today, we have somebody that we didn't get to have on the show when she was on the show. It is Gabby l Nikki. Am I saying that right.
Right?
The runner up from Zach season. We had so much talk to you about about Zach season. Do you mind you can do a little like nostalgia trip get into your life today?
Sure?
I'm yeah, No, I've like it was a fever dream, but let's let's go back.
To it, okay. My one of my favorite questions to ask people is when you get out of the Bachelor bubble, when did you realize You're like, oh, that that person and I were not actually supposed to keep you together.
Oh goodness.
I think it happened pretty quick. I honestly think I realized. I actually realized when I was there that he was not my person. But you know, I digress, But I realized there. But when I got back, I was like, thank God, no offense to him. Like him and Katie are perfect together and I totally understand them as a couple, and like being so close with Katie, I get it. Much more now, Like just me, to be honest with you,
I'm like not probably nice enough. I don't think he could have handled like me because I'm like sassy and like Katie's like very sweet and she's just a nurse, and like I know myself, I'm like a little a little feisty, and I don't think that we would have been compatible in.
The long run.
Like I'm really kind and really sweet, but I can, like I like pick up people, like as a joke, Like I'm very sarcastic, and I just don't know if that would have landed well.
I mean it makes sense now, right, Like everything you're saying, you went the whole process. You realize you're not the right person for him, and that would be maybe a little confusing for some other seasons when the lead doesn't end up with somebody. But you're like, no, I saw with my own eyes who he is meant for, which means he's not for me, which makes it easier to move on. I mean, it makes it easier to just be like that this was a fun season of life.
Hopefully fun would be right, Yeah, And like I'm so close with Katie and I'm so happy for her. We honestly see like Zach the Bachelor as like a totally different person than like her Zach that she has now but we've gotten, Like I see Katie a lot and just hearing about their relationship, it's totally different, and I
really think it's for the best. Like they've they're they're very happy, and I think he's changed as a person since the show, or at least from what like Katie and I's conversations have been.
I think everyone has. I mean, you're in this bubble, and you know, he was.
Having to be the Bachelor, so I'm sure that that comes with so much pressure. So I just think it's everything has worked out the way that it has that it was supposed to do.
During your season, Zach kind of made Fantasy Week a thing, and you were really the center of that drama. And I don't want to get too into it because this is the past. However, we're going into Fantasy Week. I call it Fantasy Fantasy Week, the Fantasy sweet Week with Grant. What is your advice to him and all other bachelor's and bachelorettes going forward.
About this week? I think you should be called like disappointment week no matter what, like just like you can't do this right week. Yeah, like nothing's going to be up to expectations no matter what we're talking about here.
It's so true. You're damned if you do, You're damned if you don't.
No one can do it like unless like and the thing is at the same time is it is a TV show, so like there is that level of entertainment, right like and we all know that when we.
Go into the show.
But at the same time, like I was going on to the show and leaving the show the same with Katie knowing like I want a relationship from here.
I'm ready for that.
And it wasn't it wasn't just a TV show to us. And so like there's like a scene you see Me Katie whispering to each other, and it kind of you know, some people took it one way, some people took it another way.
But we like already.
Had talked about this like multiple times, like how it's going to play out, and like how we feel about going into it, and so like we were very close friends throughout the whole season. I think it's that's the part that really made me realize he's not my person because he didn't protect me at all and that whole thing because you you have to remember, this isn't just a TV show, so what you say actually impacts.
People in their real lives.
And unfortunately I was, you know, I got really attacked for that one. But it's okay, Like I've grown up
and I'm like stronger for having gone through that. But I knew in that moment somebody who's like a real partner to me wouldn't choose to not protect me because there were private times where like I think he could have had that conversation with Katie or he didn't need to explain what his you know, proclamation was for the week in my opinion, whereas like Ariel left and she had heard the proclamation before and she didn't have any idea what had happened, and so she was left being.
Like, what's going on?
And it just was very evident in that moment, like my privacy was not a concern to him, knowing that like people can take this and use it however they want on the internet whatever, Like people are going to come for me.
And I just think that really to me was like.
Telling of like, this person isn't my partner, because I felt like I wasn't protected by him in any capacity where I know he was trying to be respectful to Katie's feelings.
And I get that, I just and there.
Isn't like, like we just said, like there's no easy way to go about it.
But I do think he could have been a little more mindful of me.
I think one of the things that came out during Zach season one of the biggest revelations that I've met Zach now, as you kind of mentioned as not the bachelor, He's a very nice man, but I am going to be critical of his season, but I also think it highlighted something that we hadn't seen in the past, and the leads as much. He was very influenced by Sean Lowe, who was an amazing bachelor. He's a great guy. Both these guys are dudes. I have nothing but good things
to say about both of them. But he was very influenced by Sean low throughout the season, and I think what we saw was Zach was and I don't think he meant to do this. He didn't purposely do, but he was inauthentic in his decision making because I think he was trying to take an advice from the outside of people telling him how he should go about his experience, and as a result, it wasn't true to Zach, and so it got confusing to him because he was like, I'm gonna say this because I want to do this
because it feels like the right thing. Then he gets in it, he makes other decisions because that wasn't really what he wanted or thought he could do or wanted to do, and then it ends up hurting all the other people in the background. So we see in Zach's season, your season is people get hurt due to in authenticity,
and I think that's one of the highlights. Is for a good lead now is you have to just be true to yourself, like at least say what you're actually gonna do and don't try to have somebody else's journey.
I agree with that wholeheartedly. And I think knowing Zach, well, I don't really I guess I shouldn't say I know him. I don't hang out with him.
I hang out Katie.
So knowing Zach kind of I do think he really he just wants a successful relationship, and Kim and Katie really just want to have a life and a family together and I'm so happy for them for that. And I think he saw what Sean had and he has, you know kids, it really worked out for him and he was like, I am.
Just blueprint, Like this is the blueprint and if I.
Follow this, then it will work out for me as well. Well it did work out for him, so everything works out as it should. But it does go to show that you really do have to be true to yourself in whatever it is, and you know it's it's okay, but yeah, you can't just follow somebody else just because you think it's the you know, the right thing to do or that's what looks good or whatever it was.
But you're right. He is on the trajectory of being the Sean Lowe and being the next guy after him to be married to his winner, Ari is with Lauren. But Ari and Lauren that wasn't his first choice.
She's the winner.
Now do you think that Zach would have protected you if you were his one? Like you think that he just had in his head like, oh, it's Katie, I have to protect her and like kind of screw over Gabby.
Maybe No, I don't think that because I've talked to Katie about this and she was like, no, Zach's told me, like even like now, like he really says he didn't know until right before I knew. And I feel like I pulled back because I was like, I was like, no one who really loves me, no one who really cares about me, would take a chance on not protecting me. And I understand you can be torn, but that doesn't mean you like don't protect someone that you really.
See a future with.
So maybe he couldn't see it in that moment, but I could feel it. I think there's like that like gut feeling you have, and I was like, this just isn't even if he that wasn't the case for me a partner in life, that was a no for me.
Like that was kind of the final.
Straw, but I will say I felt that way and I and I said to the producers, I was like, I need to talk to him before I meet his family because this isn't sitting right with me, and I don't feel comfortable meeting his family until we like really hash this out.
And we had that conversation.
And I felt better, and then meeting his family, I think I was just craving like my family so much, and I just missed them so much, and his family they really are like I don't know, like the little Brady bunch. They're like you can tell they're a family that really loves one another.
And it felt like home.
And so I think that like almost reignited my excitement of like, oh, well, you know, maybe I do really still care or like love him or I want to be with him.
But then I remember.
Like really doing some self reflection to myself alone in my room in Thailand because I had a lot of time on my hands, and I just was like, this is not your person.
You know, this is not your person.
So I really, like I remember, I like had so much time to like mentally prepare myself for what was to come, because I didn't want to leave Katie because you're like in a you know, you're like against other women and there's other people there and it's.
A weird environment. And I knew that.
She had had doubts throughout the whole process, as everyone does. That's so normal, Like you're like is this real? Like am I in a Like am I dreaming this?
Like?
Cause it is. It's extravagant, like you're on these crazy dates, like no one's going to take you in.
A freaking helicopter, like, sorry, we're not living in like fifty shades of gray, Like it's not happening most likely.
I mean, some people are sure.
I called it the Disappointments Suite. If this was a real a week it's if it was a real fifty shades of gray thing going on, then yeah, of course call it the fantasy Suite.
Yep.
Right, Well for some people, I suppose the Red Room. Yeah, the Red Room of pain.
Yeah, Gabby, I have I mean I can tell right now this is such a distant memory to you, like it wasn't that long ago, but like you're pulling out stuff that I can tell is not like a fresh in your mind that you've moved far past this. Yeah, And I think that's where I want to like lean into now. Now is you know, with your new relationship. And I believe your boyfriend right now is Zach right, Yes, his name is easy. Good for you. He made a smart.
Decision, Like you must have laughed so hard when you found him.
I was like, can we like change your name? Perhaps it's a little too.
Soon now for those that are listening, you know, who know your story from the Bachelor, which we just kind of walked through and but are unfamiliar now with this new relationship. Can you catch us all up on who he is and where your life stands today. Yeah?
Sure.
So Zach actually was one of my friends in Houston. I have known him for a few years, which is actually very nice because I knew him when I had a boyfriend, and so we would go out together and I got to watch him like in his like most true environment of like you know, he's going out, he's talking to girls, and I got to see him like just how he acted as.
A man in his twenties.
And he's always been just such a good friend to me. When I went through my breakup that was really jarring to me and required a lot of therapy to get through, he really encouraged me to go on the show. He was like, this is going to be really good for you there. You you really can't lose anything. If you, you know, come back, you'll you could possibly find someone. And if not, like think about all of like the people that will see you, and then you will find someone.
And I was just crazy, like he was really just like such a supportive friend through it. Him and my other friend Macy and like we all three of us would hang out a lot, and just like when I got back, they were like two of the only people that I felt like I could like trust because they knew I was interviewing for the Bachelor and they didn't tell anyone.
They just like were kind of like steal fortresses to me.
And then like one night, like we were we just went out to dinner together and I'll like, you're actually like really fun and like you're pretty cute too.
I like you, is that wait time out, do you say those words to him or you're just thinking it?
No, it was in my head. It was in my head.
No, And yeah, I guess just one thing led to another and here we are.
But I will say it was really.
Hard what one thing led to another? Like I need to know the moment you kissed, Well, how did you how do.
You take this step from best like friendships to oh.
Well you just get drunk.
We're being honest, Yeah, we just had a little bit too much wine at dinner and then one thing wanted to another.
That night that night, Okay, well.
Yeah, but I've known, like you know, it was like, yeah, I've known him.
Were you flirting with him beforehand? Were you feeling something before this drunk night.
Yeah, we definitely used to flirt and like he even it's so it's honestly horrible to say when like my ex would like not be if he was out of town and we'd go out together, like he would pretend to be my boyfriend, like you know, fight the other men off, and it was never anything. But it's just so funny that he was always like my pretend boyfriend and then now.
He's like my real boyfriend.
So maybe I was like manifesting something like years ago and I didn't.
Even realize it.
But yeah, I honestly never thought I was going to date him.
Wow, that's such a cute story.
I love it.
So now you guys have been together for two years.
Not quite, I think it'll be. This is where it's like, truly, I'm in like a time warp. I don't really know what year it is. I think it'll be two years in June. We like really started dating in June of all right, twenty twenty three.
That makes sense, that's up, Yes it does.
Do you feel like this is your person?
Definitely? I don't really see myself with anyone else. I mean, I feel like this is just a really good, healthy relationship. He's the first person I've really, like, genuinely trusted, and I feel like that's the difference with all my other relationships, Like if he goes out of town on a golf trip, or he's out with his friends or I'm out with my friends, Like I feel like we really trust one another.
I never worry about, oh, he's not texting me back, he's at the club, like, oh he said his phone died, like liar, Like it's none of that dialogue is going through my head. And I feel like that's a sign of first of all, maturity from my from me, so I'm growing up. And second, I just think it's like a healthier relationship. He's very supportive of me. My family loves him. This is one of the first guys my family has loved, like genuinely loved.
I was like after my last before.
Zach the boyfriend before that, I was like, never again, if one of you guys does not tell me that you hate my my friend, like we're done here, Like you guys are out of the circle of trust.
So they really love him. It's been really, really great.
You have a quote out there that says that you, I mean speaking to what you just were sharing that with Zach, you never have to question. I think the quote was like where you're at, like there's a piece and a comfort there, Yeah, which I would say for somebody who I just found out today. I've been dating my wife for a little over six and a half years. It is one of the like looking back, biggest factors
to knowing that it's your person too. Is that comfort, that piece that comes with a relationship.
Yeah, I agree.
I think it's something I hadn't felt before, Like maybe I felt like safe or like comfortable in the sense of like like you're just kind of you're not doing anything else but in you're comfortable, but not in a good way, not in a way where you're like I know where we stand, I know what the future looks like.
I know my future like has you in it, and you don't want to be with anyone else you you know some like if somebody I'm trying to think of who my like celebrity crushes, if like Mick Dreamy walked in, I want to be like, bye, Zach, I'm not sure have a good choice.
So good choice.
Okay, So you guys just moved in together. Yeah, I was that transition.
Ben.
It was like a not quite a year ago, you're agoing. May No, it's great. He let me decorate.
He likes a big thing. That's a big thing.
Yeah no, he he was literally like, wow, I didn't realize how ugly things were until you got here.
And I'll take that, sir exactly. So he No, he loves it.
I mean yesterday we went to Barnes and Noble for like two hours while I like chose out cook books. And he was a very good companion in that. He was like, honestly, I'm getting the food, so like, it's fine, I'll sit here while you choose these cookbooks.
So we have like.
Such a like fun little life here, which I really love. We honestly, I act like a really like old couple. We are like I'm like a grandma. I like sew and cook and make bread and do like that kind of stuff. And he loves it and he does the dishes and that's that's how our life works.
And it's great.
Sourdough is a thing these days. Team anybody listening. I was just talking to my wife about it. She's been making the best sourdough for the last couple of months, and I thought it was like this new wild thing that just just decided to start doing. And then I'm realizing it's a thing now. Yeah, making bread is out there. Make it cool again in twenty twenty five. I think
knitting comes in twenty twenty six, that's my prediction. I think we go bread this year, Knitting Club's next year, We're back with wine and knitting and goodness, my life is set. That's all I want, Gabby. We have a little bit of time left with you, and we're so happy for your relationship with Zach now, like the Zach that's in your life today, Yeah, maybe the Zach before.
And it feels like just from hearing you talk about it, like it does feel like this just like really exciting, peaceful relationship, and that's really fun for us to hear. I want to make a really weird pivot though, back to the Bachelor a little bit and talk about your latest girls trip to Montana. Yeah, we followed it on social media here almost famous. It looked like a blast.
I live in Denver, Montana, and I have we have a place up in Wyoming, and so this area of the country means a lot to me and I love seeing you all kind of like enjoy it and take it over. We start with a question that so many are asking, is Okay, we noticed all of the girls from ze season there friends still, which is awesome. But Letia from this season, yeah, was there as well. Obviously she's not a part of Zach's season. She's on this
current season, Grant season of The Bachelor. How did that happen?
Yeah, I think it's really cool.
Grant season has some older girls, and Lytia is actually closer to like our age group, and just through general Bachelor Nation, everyone kind of is connected, whether it's just like showing general support or following each other.
That's just something that happens in Bachelor Nation. So you know, we started messaging her and she just seemed like really cool. She clicked with a few of the girls.
And we were like, let's invite her on a trip. And I know this is a lot on her. We've all been through it, just generally dealing with the filming and watching it all back. We thought'd be fun, so she can't watch trip. She's amazing. I love her.
She's super cool, super down to earth, just generally.
Speaking, a good time and She's might be coming to our rodeo weekend. This weekend, the other girls are coming to Houston. We're gonna go to the rodeo, and I think she might be coming.
Goodness, that's fun. Have you been keeping up with Grand season?
I watched like highlights on TikTok Okay.
I was gonna ask if she comes across in real life the way that she does on the show.
I think her.
Facial expressions are like really funny on the show, and she doesn't have those kind of facial expressions in real life, like her eyes and the scenes. I'm like, this is hilarious, but that doesn't actually happen.
Did you get some tea about her time on this show? Obviously no spoilers here, but did she share her whole story?
She shared snippets of it, and it sounds like.
Yeah, I mean I I yeah, I was eavesdropping on a FaceTime call about one episode somebody called her up about and so yeah, there's definitely some tea there, but I can't share it now.
Yeah that's okay. We respect the teas and the tea, but not the spoilers. This trip looked like a good time. Was it as good of a time as it looked on social media, or is this one of those we're gonna just share highlights. The rest of the time we were fighting, yelling and arguments.
Okay, I will actually say this trip had a little more like drama than normal, which was really weird. We've never had drama on any of our trips. But the really cool temperature really brings out a side of people. And I will say part of that was because I was designated driver, as was Katie, because we are the We're both from the north, so we've endured snow. But those people who are from like Ariel doesn't even have a license, Like she's from New York, but she don't even have a license.
She's never dripped, like she's in a cab.
And I was like, so, you know, if I'm driving in a snow storm and I'm like, I feel our car going off the road and you know the girls are in the back doing a TikTok with their lights on, I'm.
Like, girls, ladies, let's stop it right now.
Is that where the drama came from?
No, But it just like generally like things, there wasn't necessarily I shouldn't say drama.
It just was like there was tension.
Of like things like that where it'd be like, okay, like we're not driving two hours away because there's a snowstorms, so like let's I know, it sounds so fun, but like, we're not gonna do that. Also, we went to the hot tub one day and it was so cold. I mean it was so cold, and we were like, it's gonna be so fun because we were gonna do the hot springs, but apparently because of how cold it was, the hot springs near us were like actually only lukewarm.
So we're like, we can't do that. So we were going to the.
Hot tub and Katie literally drove off the side of the road, so then the girls got stuck at the hot tub. So it was just honestly, I wish that people could have had a camera on us watching us because it was so funny because people were like, no, we got to get out of here, like I'm freezing, and it was like dramatic in that sense, but it was hilarious.
So anyways, just like find a driver. That was what I was like. I left, I say, you know what.
We're either coming back in the summer or we're hiring a driver because I'm done here.
I'll just do warm trips for everybody. Stop these cold things. Get it.
Yes, As I always say, it's a shame that we don't have a spin off show of our real lives after the show, there's so many relationships to document, including your relationship with Katie. Before we let you go, I just have to know, like, if you are ever in a room with Katie and Zach, like Katie insists she told us on the podcast, it's not awkward, it's not.
It's not because seriously, like Zach the Bachelor is so far removed from my life, and like he is a different we actually view him as a different person than like her Zach, and like it's just like I'm happy for her and I'm happy for him, and I think partially it's because I've moved on and I'm happy. Like if I had not moved on and I was, you know, salty and angry, I'm not. I wanted the best for
Katie and she was one of my closest friends. She still is, and I want the best for Zach as well, because like, why would I wish Ill will on him Tho'd just be really weird. But no, I like was in Austin, UH, last year, and like Louis was with me my dog who he met like at my hometowns, and you know, it's funny.
I was like, Louie, do you remember Zach? Like it wasn't It's not awkward.
It's just like that was one stage of life and now we're in a different one and like who's gonna like I would never date someone and be like, oh, like used to date that person, Like ew, I'm actually done with you, Like I'm not going to talk to you anymore. Like it's just like I don't know we were. Me and Katie are passed it and it was never a thing.
Really for me, I would imagine. I think I asked Zach this question in a roundabout way. I don't know if he had the answer I was thinking he would have. I think it's probably really nice for him too, because you want to get off the show and you don't want to be like everybody hates me. I have thirty enemies out there in this world. Nobody wants to talk to me again. And for you all to want to still hang out with the person he chose, which is very rare, by the way, like a very rare thing.
Usually the person that gets chosen is kind of on their own little island. And then also to not be like upset to see him. It's probably a really good compliment to him as a person, but also a really good thing for him to feel, at least I would expect.
So you know what's so funny is you talked about the island. Well, everyone thought I won, and so for months while I was airing, everyone still thought that I won from my season, like all the girls. So like I wasn't in the group chat because I was on the island, yeah, and no one added me, And I was like, first.
Of all, y'all suck.
Was Katie in the group chat?
Yes, in the group chat and they were like talking about Zach And I'm literally like trolling Zach in the group chat and She's like, hah, like so funny, Like and I meanwhile, I'm on my island. I'm like, hey, guys, like, just so you know, I got dumped in Thailand.
But does anyone want to be my friend?
Yeah? Please? Like I like some friends from this Oh goodness. That just shows up what a great human Katie is to like she has she's taken it all, She's and so of you. I mean, you guys have battled through this. Gabby. We're so happy for you that you are in this relationship. Now that life is moving in this direction, it feels like of excitement, of peace, of a whole new season. Thank you for sharing all this today with us. Thank
you for giving us the update of your life. And now that you know you can come here, we'd like to see again sometime and the catch up on you know, maybe some big announcements that are coming your way in the next like ten years or so, like.
An engagement or something.
Yeah, you just never know. I told Zad, give me like six more months.
I need to like prepare myself. No, thank you guys so much for having me.
It was great to talk to you guys, and congrats to you both on your kids and all the excitement in your lives.
Wow, it's a wild ride over here with that. This has been the Almost Famous podcast Today. We've had Gabby from Zach season of The Bachelor on until next time. I've been Ben, I've been Ashley.
See you guys.
Bye.
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