A Chris HAIRYson Situation

This is the most dramatic podcast ever and iHeartRadio podcast. Chris Harrison and Lauren Zema coming to you from the home office in Austin, Texas, coming to.

You, not the same, coming to you, different, coming to you changed. Well, not me, not me, just Chris.

Is anybody else in a relationship like this where if you and it's obviously guys, the woman dictates your facial hair. Yeah, and that's fine. I have no problem with that. But like I spent the majority of my life very cleanly shaven. Obviously as you knew me on The Bachelor, Bacherette Paradise, all those shows I hosted for so many years, I was cleanly shaven. One time, during Winter Games, I had scruff and it was and it broke the internet like that, you would have thought I shook up the world.

And so let me tell you something that I don't mean in a mean way. Yeah, first time I found you attractive.

That is when we did an interview.

It's the first time we flirted.

That's true.

So don't deny the power of the scruff. So i've it, But actually I don't remember doing that. People were responding on the internet.

So yeah, so okay, So I've been cleanly shaven always. And here's the thing. With the advent of HDTV high definition camera, everything gets pixelated apart. I mean you can see everything. I have a salt and pepper beard.

It's not very incredibly sexy. I don't know why you're saying it with that tone. I don't mind that a negative connotation to it.

I'm fifty two years old. I have gray hair on my sideburns. I have gray and my beard. I have no problem with it, but it doesn't look great sometimes on television because it's just kind of splotchy, and it doesn't look as uniform as say, back in the old days when we were low definition, everything just kind of blended together. So anyway, that's why I never really wore scruff. I have nothing against it, but it is funny now that we think about it. I did Bachelor Winter Games.

We were just a little bit flirty.

You go, you asked me in that day.

Listen, We've had this has been a debate for some time. Here's the thing we I was only asking you if you were dating someone, because truly someone, like at entertainment tonight, we would have like different people would have different sources and informants. And I don't know who it was, but someone had told one of our newsdesk people that you were dating someone. So they told me, Lauren, when you go to these Winter Games interviews, you have to this. It would be called a must ask. We had must

So I was on the must ask list.

It was a must ask that we had to ask. I had to ask if you were dating someone.

And I had been not too long ago, but had.

Been still our informant was right, they were.

Probably right at the time, had but I was very single. And what was interesting when you asked that question, I felt like maybe we got a little flirty.

I think it were in the interview. Well, I've never asked you this. Did it become a little like I didn't feel it was flirting in that moment, but I did feel your energy shift. Did your energy shift because you thought I was flirting with you? Probably, I'm just realizing that's what happened.

I probably thought, okay.

Thought I was hitting on you by asking that, by doing my job.

By asking the must ask, and it was just a must ask.

And this is these are the situations I was thrown in as a journalist. It was not easy all the time, I'm telling you.

But it wasn't. By the way, in no way was I inappropriate.

In the no, no no. But that's that's what would happen. I mean, now I could go off on a whole other tangent, but yeah, that was a struggle of the job. Sometimes you are asking these questions as yourself, right me, as Lauren Zema. I'm not an actor playing a part. I'm having to be Lauren Zema. But I am in some ways playing a part because I'm having to ask questions that I would not normally ask as Lawrence.

And yet if you faceive questions, flash forward do Bachelor Paradise in our interview there.

Well, there, we actually florided for the first.

I was definitely flirting with you there.

It was confirmed. Okay, we're going off a tangent because the real the reason we are here today is we are opening up the playbook on facial hair, on why women or anybody partners sometimes have a reaction when their partner shaves, and who gets to make the call on their partner's facial hair? What is okay do you? Let's get right into a babe. So Chris has shaved.

Yes, I was shooting something the other day and needed to shave for it. At least I felt like I needed to shave for it.

Well, it's interesting because you know, we could really get into the psyche cosis on this. Like you just said, you've spent twenty years on Bachelor and Bachelorette unshaven.

So you were filmed a millionaire Miss America, everything I hosted. I never had facial hair.

So you were filming something and you asked me what you should do and I said, well, babe, do what makes you feel most confident. And I do think that's where you feel most confident. Now, why do you think that is. Is it because you were clean shaven for so long? Is it because you didn't love maybe years ago. I think you've changed now, but you didn't love that the beard was little gray. What is it?

That's a good question. I think it's just a habit. It's just something I started doing the day, you know, I graduated and got a job on television in Oklahoma City. I never I always shave.

So is it a little bit part of your armor?

Like sometimes, like I used to say, I'm getting into character, you know, I'd go get go get dressed, and I'd put on my suit and tie. I would shave totally that part of my thing.

I think women understand that a lot. As much as I don't want anyone to ever be defined by looks alone, there's something about the armor of putting on makeup or doing your hair, or putting on a certain outfit where you feel confident and comfortable in a situation.

And I feel like it's maybe maybe that this is the old school side of me. It's a little sloppy and a little disrespectful.

I totally was going to say that, I think it is. You can be a little traditional, like Chris does not like and this could be a whole other playbook a week ago.

We can dabble in this too. Because this I am firm on this.

He doesn't love when men wear baseball caps and nice restaurants. He doesn't love it in church. And that's that old school Texas part of you.

I don't like it when people wear hats inside period you' it's like part of an outfil I can ease up, like you know, look you're wearing a cowboy hat or whatever. There's certain times where it's part of your outfit. I get it. And by the way, I'm talking about men, I am not talking about women. I think women are exempt from all these rules. You can shave your face, you cannot shave your hat. I don't care. But for men, I definitely, first of all, wearing a hat backwards zero.

Okay, Now, let me ask a question that's going to go to the oldest of the old schools. Yes, because it's something I've also never understood about, like like different literally schools will have this in their dress code about hair and facial ironed beards. Our main man, Jesus long hair, facial hair depicted in many of the drawings of him, Moses, pretty good man, all all the all the old bros. So why do we have an issue with beards?

I feel like the razor has really come a long way since before Christ. The BC razor was not great. Now the bron Is really brought.

Us something, but it was okay for them, So why is it considered unkempt.

I think it can look great. I think a nice trimmed beard looks fantastic. Facial hair doesn't bother me. I don't think it's people look unkempt. I get it the beard. The I've never been a mustache guy. Some people can pull that.

I cannot picture you with a mustache.

No Travil Kelsey rocking the mustache right, and the mustache.

Has been coming back since the Top Gun sequel, and I don't.

Think it should really. I get that pilots have a mustache. Peter Webber and I talked about this years ago. They because you can't have a beard, because if you put on an oxygen mask in the cockpit, it has to adhere to your face. The only thing you can have is a mustache. So that's what Most pilots will just have a mustache.

I've never kissed a man with a sizeable mustache. I don't know what that's like someone who has Please DM me. I'm interested as Taylor Swift bab.

We don't know it's true. I don't know if they've kissed. But this came up because Ai shaved and even our producer kindle as I got.

On the Yes, Kennell, please tell us what your thought was. Chris gets on the zoom and you didn't know he'd shaved, of course, and he has a clean face. Please give us your reaction.

Reenact what did you say today?

I mean I was like, you look a little bit different? Did you shave? And yep, But it's a nice version of it.

Kendall.

I think I think when she texted me, I'm going to call you out. She texted I was like, Chris, what did you do to your face? You hate when your boyfriend does it? Why do you hate it?

Easton our other producer are It's just said I thought Chris had a filter on.

You know what's interesting they only know you with the beard. Seek is now post Bachelor, post TV life, You've.

Been clo so everybody can get a good look, and you've cleanly shaven.

I am, you've been very bearded since they've known you.

Yeah, it's true, you know, since we since I left the show. I don't think I've been cleanly shaven since I left the show.

And is that because I demanded?

That's because you like it and I haven't. I haven't needed to shave.

Do you sometimes wish you could shave? Because I do get upset if you shave?

I was.

I mean, if she gets there is a visceral reaction in the other.

I'm like the little kid. If you've ever seen those viral videos where a baby like a dad shaves and a baby's starts crying because I don't even recognize this person.

Happens if I shave. Lauren will say, as if she's trying to convince herself I still love you. I did, he was, and I say, I still love you, And I'm like, are you convincing yourself that we are still in love because I shave?

Okay, which by the way, is so horrible because I then asked you, I said, what's the equivalent for you? Because I had to tell you if you well, I don't know if you told me. For example, if you said, like if I said I'm thinking about cutting my hair really short and you said, I don't know, I love your long hair, I wouldn't be upset about that. I would want to be attractive for you, and I would think, well, I want to I want him to like her long hair. Yeah, so that wouldn't bother me.

Hair is one of your powers.

In fact, I would like it. I like that you feel passionate about something about the way I look.

Okay, but here's the bigger issue. Our wedding is coming up. And so I asked Laura the other day, I said, Babe, what when I'm standing in front of you, how do you see me? Am? I shaved? Am? I you know, because my instinct was to shave. You said scruff.

Oh yeah, well that's the thing. I don't need you in a beard like sometimes it does get a little too long, and I tell you shave it a little bit. But I like, there's just something about other people. Please weigh in and tell me there's something about a five o'clock shadow, just a little scruff.

So for the wedding, I'm gonna have a little little scruff.

It's sexy. Kendall, you said you also don't like it when your boyfriend shaves. Helped me out. Give me another opinion. What is it? Why do we have an issue and why do we like the facial hair? I honestly have no idea. I always tell my boyfriend like, he looks like an infant when he shaves, and I'm like, there's just something about the scruff. It just makes you way more attractive, and then when you shave, it kind of brings you down a couple points. I have said this before.

I don't know why it'd be like Wells. Wells is another one who just doesn't grow facial hair, so he doesn't.

But if you're able, yes, but if you're able, I so just called him out. Sorry, guys, we love you and they both look great without beards. But if you're able to grow a nice beard, scruff like, it's full, it's not patchy, I don't know any guy who doesn't look better with it. Interesting, Like I'm trying to think, I mean, maybe.

We could call this the Yellowstone effect, the cole Houser, you know, the strong scruff.

I don't know what effect it is. I mean, I was into it long before. I go back to sometimes I do think, I mean, we should really get an expert in on this, because I would imagine maybe there's something biological. Is there something in us that's like, like, does testosterone grow beards and that makes you physically attracted? I don't know. But I also go back to the first crush thing. I swear my first crush was Harrison Ford playing Indiana Jones, and I think I take everything

So Easton, our other producer, says his wife hates facial hair.

Really but wait, can Easton talk Easton? Can you weigh in?

Of course you can, Easton, she hates any facial hair.

Yeah, I have like a brillo pad growing out of my jaw, though it's really wiry.

It's really coarse.

Yeah, I'm looking at it now. It's it's pretty solid though. I mean, I shave.

Once a week. That's my that's my move. And you know what I do. I go in the backyard. I do it outside.

Oh my god, I do it outside as well.

Oh I thought it was crazy for doing it, but thank you for validating me.

I so, I have a tremor and I go outside because at that point it's just it gets there's so much hair and I don't want to go in down the drain.

Wait. I want to applaud both of you because I know a lot of women who get so annoyed with their partner when he shaves, because I mean, we're stereotyping here, but of course the typical straight dude doesn't really clean up all that hair all that well, and it's so annoying. So thank you both. You're doing the polite thing and going outside.

So easton you walk, you walk out naked in your backyard as well.

Okay, I do it in my underpants, and it took me many years before I realize the neighbors can definitely see and they just seem totally.

You're like a mountain man.

Oh, So for your wife, though, it's a texture thing.

Is that any Yes, it's a texture thing, and I think it's a I think she likes how it looks kind of, but mostly she'd rather just be clean shaven all the time.

So we just touched another chord. We got to bring Kendall back in Kendall. Your boyfriend shaves over the sink every time.

Oh no, yeah, it's disgusting and I know, yeah, no, it looks like it's disgusting. Tell him to learn from these gents.

Go outside, get outside, get outside. I mean, some people live in an apartment complex might be a little harder.

You throw on your basketball shorts and go up. Do it over the balcony exactly. Oh god, I'm over the balcony. Someone's walking down below.

It is funny how we have such strong opinions about this, about changing.

Well, but let but you know what, I just this just hit me. It's your face though, I mean, it's your partner's face. It's like the thing you you lock eyes with and you're more attracted to than anything, and and you're kissing it and you're like, I mean, it's it's kind of everything.

I just don't I don't like the disappointment that I see in your your face and you're hearing your voice.

When he was shaving yesterday, he was shaving outside and it's in this sort of like courtyard area that we have, and I was at another window and I was I banging my fists on the window like in streetcase street Car named Desire, when he's just like Stella or No, the graduate, which it's like banging.

That's what it was last.

That's funny.

No, but I also have the same reaction. And guys, please weigh in. But when Chris gets a haircut, because we were talking about this for the wedding, you gotta time that haircut right, because a too fresh haircut on a guy not so much like if with long haired women you don't notice it so much, But a too fresh haircut on a guy before a big moment, it can look a little silly.

You can look like a little boy.

It's got to be a little grown out. I think got Kendall Easton, what do you think?

Yeah, no, you gotta get you gotta give it a week.

At least a week. Yeah.

I got kind of a bad haircut before my wedding, and I had to get some touch ups like the day before. I know, man, that was rough, but I think I pulled it off.

Oh that was that like a major anxiety moment.

Yes, yes, it was big time.

What did you go to someone new? What happened?

I did? I did?

Oh No, I went to someone new and I went to like one of those cool guys, you know, the guys that like give you the beer and yeah you know. And I did not like how it turned out, and so I went to this woman my wife knows, and I've been going to her ever since.

She fixed it for me, save me. Yes, that is a that's a big no. I've had a lot of anxiety thinking about when I will get my haircut for the wedding leading up to it, so I have a good week week and a half for it to grow in so it doesn't look so fresh.

I mean, there's a lot of these big like I would say my equivalent would be highlighting. Like one time I went and got a toner done on my hair because I thought, oh, I'm going to be fresh, Oh to go cover the Royal wedding, Harry and Meghan's wedding. So it's the night before I'm leaving and I got this toner done on it, and it made my hair look horrible. It took all the dimension and color out of it. And so but at that point I didn't even I don't even think. I went back to the

So what's our takeaway on this?

Yikes? I mean, my my gut instinct is never shave.

No, that's my instinct. Here's the thing. In the long run, you are the person I most want to please. You are the person I see the most in my life. And if it's not such a big deal, which by the way, shaving is kind of not shaving, it's kind of wonderful. It's great.

Like I want to make you feel good about yourself, though, because I want you to feel good, and I am asking you this very belatedly, as we're two years into you're not shaving.

I hate to admit this. I've now had scruffed so long that when I shaved and I saw myself the other day in the mirror, it didn't look like me as much interesting. I looked just like it just looks very different. As as Easton said, it looked like I had a filter on Wow. So the Scruff is coming back.

Okay, so I've beaten you into liking it.

The big, the big, the big twist will be when we come back and we're doing television again, will I have the Scruff?

Everyone? Please weigh in. I am going to put a poll on my Instagram for everybody to weigh in on whether they like you as Scruff or not.

Reach out to at Lauren z Ema. You can find me at Chris B. Harrison of course at the Most Dramatic Pod Ever. You never know what the playbook will bring. You never know what story and what subject we're going to be talking about. To Scruff or not to Scruff, that is the question. Thank you for tuning in. Always enjoy talking to you, and we'll do it again next time because we have a lot more to talk about.