Speaker 1: This episode contains discussion of suicide. If this raises any
Speaker 1: issues for you, support is available through the links and
Speaker 1: phone numbers in the show notes. This podcast was recorded
Speaker 1: and produced on gadigal Land. We would like to acknowledge
Speaker 1: the traditional custodians and payer respect to Elder's past and present.
Speaker 2: Ladies and gentlemen, can I please have your attention? This
Speaker 2: is my final MATHS related interview? Are they talking about me?
Speaker 3: She's like, yeah, it was Australia's reactions because a lot
Speaker 3: of drama and they never got it. It just went nuts.
Speaker 4: Hello and welcome back to back to reality.
Speaker 5: I'm Selena and I'm Tany and today we have very money.
Speaker 6: Yes, we have Josh Fox who runs the Mass Funny podcast.
Speaker 6: We are so excited to chat with him today.
Speaker 2: Hello, ladies, I'm welcome.
Speaker 3: Welcome. This feels weird. How do slay if you're the
Speaker 3: one being into interrogated?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I feel it that uncomfortable because I'm you. When
Speaker 2: you were filming by.
Speaker 5: The Street, well, I was trying to think of when
Speaker 5: I met you, and I think I can't remember.
Speaker 3: What it was, but you were showing me a photo
Speaker 3: of Harry Styles or something.
Speaker 5: I was walking with my husband from the show, and
Speaker 5: you would I can't remember something something, and you were
Speaker 5: like son at Harry Styles and I was like, I
Speaker 5: like this guy.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3: Yeah one direction.
Speaker 5: Well one of the reasons why I recognized Josh in
Speaker 5: the first place. So I was a big one d
Speaker 5: girly still am and I lived in the UK at
Speaker 5: prime one direction time, and I stumbled across Josh's.
Speaker 3: YouTube channel.
Speaker 2: England.
Speaker 5: I've been through the YouTube phase as well. But yeah,
Speaker 5: that's how I remembered you. And you used to do
Speaker 5: like a series where you'd like get a picture with
Speaker 5: all like the you literally got a photo with every
Speaker 5: single person I want to meet in my whole life,
Speaker 5: and yeah, and then I saw you from there and
Speaker 5: it was interesting then seeing you move to Australia and
Speaker 5: your life how it transitioned from that to now also
Speaker 5: running like the most successful maths like fan account like
Speaker 5: little fans content. Quite the journey, Quite the journey. But yeah,
Speaker 5: I'm very excited to have you on and discuss.
Speaker 6: All that now. I find it fascinating how you were
Speaker 6: always at every mass wedding location.
Speaker 4: How do you find out where we are?
Speaker 2: See? Everybody asked that and thinks I've got all these sauces. Yes,
Speaker 2: but the real answer is quite boring. Oh, tell us,
Speaker 2: every year the cruises use the same locations, so every
Speaker 2: year we they's going to be end of July August. Okay,
Speaker 2: wedding season. I go to the gym in the city,
Speaker 2: and the amount of times I walk through the city
Speaker 2: and see a limousine yes, and go, oh, it's a
Speaker 2: Monday afternoon. Who's getting married? And then you see a
Speaker 2: goal pro attach.
Speaker 5: It's tough you did this because I think my husband
Speaker 5: was the first one to be leaked. And it's good
Speaker 5: I didn't have my phone at the time because they
Speaker 5: took my phone off me. But you literally like, I'm
Speaker 5: just walking down the street, there's a limousine.
Speaker 3: Maybe this is maths.
Speaker 5: And then you get the content of him walking out
Speaker 5: of the hotel, and I remember the famous line was
Speaker 5: like good luck, you're gonna eat it?
Speaker 2: Yeah, and then used to shower you've ruined.
Speaker 3: Which I didn't even use anyway, Well, he wasn't was.
Speaker 2: Walking down the street. And then that did millions of
Speaker 2: views because everyone was laughing at the producer.
Speaker 5: Yeah, no, that was like one of that was I
Speaker 5: really like, I feel like things really like skyrocketed from
Speaker 5: there because that was like super super viral, and we're like, oh,
Speaker 5: this is this is where it begins because we obviously
Speaker 5: you have an idea of going into maths what it's
Speaker 5: going to be like, and I think you know, Josh
Speaker 5: and like Ali, you guys add to that because it's
Speaker 5: like you're coming you're coming up to us, you're taking
Speaker 5: content and it's like, oh, Okay, this is what it's
Speaker 5: going to be like. Which it's not like that forever,
Speaker 5: but it's yeah, it's an interesting taste because you're like, oh,
Speaker 5: this is like.
Speaker 3: No, I'm not used to this. It's quite intense. When
Speaker 3: when did you guys first meet?
Speaker 4: We went way after like our season aired.
Speaker 2: Because I don't think I seen you much during filming.
Speaker 6: Yeah, because ours was shot in COVID, So that's why
Speaker 6: I don't our weddings and our wedding was out in
Speaker 6: Woop woop.
Speaker 2: Anyway, I'm not.
Speaker 4: Troubling far yeah exactly.
Speaker 2: Yeah, in the City.
Speaker 4: Fair that's fair.
Speaker 6: So what you literally just follow us like you just
Speaker 6: see the limo at the front of sky Squeeze.
Speaker 2: You're like, oh, yeah, could you like this this past season?
Speaker 2: Elliott and Lauren's wedding. Yes, that was at the State Fater. Yes.
Speaker 2: I'd been on a date in the city, a first date.
Speaker 2: We were walking through going to another bar. I said
Speaker 2: to the guy, do you mind if we just followed
Speaker 2: this limit for five minutes? I was like, I'll tell
Speaker 2: you in a minute.
Speaker 4: Stop now.
Speaker 2: Then it says like Elliott and Lauren in the lights.
Speaker 2: I'm like, obviously, so whether I see some of the
Speaker 2: crew recognize, then I have to quickly explain to this
Speaker 2: guy who's never watched married at first what we're doing.
Speaker 2: Then he agrees to sim am and I said it
Speaker 2: will be five, ten minutes, an hour and a half.
Speaker 2: And then as Elliott and Lauren started to come out,
Speaker 2: I said, do you mind this filming me? I am
Speaker 2: second date?
Speaker 3: Oh he's lost. Video went d you gotta look at
Speaker 3: this silper lining of it.
Speaker 6: I do wonder because you said to Elliott, like, you know,
Speaker 6: because Lauren was Matt Well she was with John O originally, Yes,
Speaker 6: and you said what did you say to him?
Speaker 2: I said, you're much better looking than her ext John
Speaker 2: from last season, and he looked very confused. Producers gave
Speaker 2: me the dirtiest scene and then I planted that seat
Speaker 2: of doubt from the very first night and then two
Speaker 2: days later.
Speaker 5: Anyway, Yeah, yeah, because you've had like that's like I
Speaker 5: feel like you've had roles in some of the storylines,
Speaker 5: and like I feel like there's been some shots.
Speaker 3: Of you like him like that.
Speaker 2: I've been on every season. Literally he's following a car.
Speaker 5: It's like the funniest thing out of I guess all
Speaker 5: your time working like across the show, what's been like
Speaker 5: the funniest thing that you've had involvement in?
Speaker 2: My favorite bit was do you remember the Grand reunion
Speaker 2: a few years ago?
Speaker 3: Yes? Can they do that again?
Speaker 2: Like that?
Speaker 3: Like the last three seasons had been pretty hectic. Where's
Speaker 3: the grand reunion?
Speaker 2: Probably the Nasa who obviously everyone dislikes, but everyone was
Speaker 2: speaking to me before, like I had like Jess Power,
Speaker 2: should have do it. Everyone's saying should have do it
Speaker 2: as if the more reason.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Then I was like, yeah, go da it. But then
Speaker 2: Nassa really didn't want to. He was gonna pull out.
Speaker 2: Then I was like, oh, you kind of have to
Speaker 2: because you're like the instigator. Yeah, and then he's like
Speaker 2: everyone's just gonna have a go at me. So I
Speaker 2: said the second that happens, because we all know it's
Speaker 2: going to happen at some point in that dinner when
Speaker 2: the old stand up against you, throw someone on the floor,
Speaker 2: stand up and storm out. And in his pocket he
Speaker 2: had a script that I printed for him. And then
Speaker 2: you'll recall a shot I've been running down the hallway
Speaker 2: and he says something like I'm too famous for this.
Speaker 2: I don't need this. I'm the Princess Diana of Maths
Speaker 2: and the people's celebrity. That was word for word. And
Speaker 2: then when he left, then Ali picked him up and
Speaker 2: then phone me from the car like I did it.
Speaker 2: I did the script.
Speaker 3: He is such an interesting character, that guy.
Speaker 5: He is.
Speaker 3: So I don't know, I don't know. Maybe this was
Speaker 3: you that leaks information.
Speaker 5: But I remember we were filming, like I think it
Speaker 5: was like final dates. No, it was homestays and we're
Speaker 5: in BONDI and we'll feel being at wayfair wayf.
Speaker 2: YESO message me that day there's a new maths couple.
Speaker 2: Because he just goes around moder day he spotted you.
Speaker 2: Then I popped over and just missed you.
Speaker 5: Yeah, he was literally like and being so weird and
Speaker 5: like getting photos of us in the background then posted
Speaker 5: it to like Maths Uncensored. I'm like, dude, ruining storylines
Speaker 5: as per but it was so funny. I was like,
Speaker 5: how do like people know information? I always like wonder,
Speaker 5: like what is going on? But that and then we like,
Speaker 5: I think we just missed you at that time when
Speaker 5: we're trying to be like not talk to media and
Speaker 5: like anyone, there's like I feel like there's a phase
Speaker 5: you go through in Maths and you obviously experience this
Speaker 5: like knowing the cast where you just like get ignored
Speaker 5: by people because you're being told not to like speak,
Speaker 5: and then like kind of breaking the walls down.
Speaker 2: So detrimental to the cast because those first videos are
Speaker 2: the first time the public meet any of you. And
Speaker 2: my video is millions of views and then everyone just
Speaker 2: looks rude because I'm just like, hey, experiment and like
Speaker 2: and then the fans, who do these people think there are?
Speaker 3: And then and it's valid, yeah, because it's it is valid.
Speaker 5: Like I look back and it's like, oh, like that
Speaker 5: does look bad, But then knowing what you've been told,
Speaker 5: it's like, oh, I get what they're trying to do.
Speaker 2: Fans don't realize is at the start of the season,
Speaker 2: you're kind of told stay away from Josh, stay away from.
Speaker 3: Ali specifically by name, yes.
Speaker 2: The Josh meeting. But I get that. But I think
Speaker 2: it's because over time you realize we're not the enemy.
Speaker 2: We kind of do have your best interest. We have
Speaker 2: a job to do. But I've never wanted to screw
Speaker 2: you guys over like, ultimately, I just want content and.
Speaker 6: Then yeah, yeah, yeah, they want content and just.
Speaker 2: But then it takes you, guys until the end of
Speaker 2: the season maybe to realize that. And by that point
Speaker 2: I ten videos of you are ignoring me looking rude.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 6: Speaking of content, you run the Mass Funny page, and
Speaker 6: then you also have the podcast for that as well. Yes,
Speaker 6: how has the response been with that?
Speaker 2: The podcast has been great? Yea, I wish did it sooner.
Speaker 4: Yeah, well done.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think because I've worked on Kyl and Jackie
Speaker 2: Oh the last couple of years, so I kind of
Speaker 2: got into radio and broadcast and then I left over
Speaker 2: Christmas and then I was like, oh, I should do
Speaker 2: a podcast now, and then I just I think I
Speaker 2: decided to do it like a week before I think
Speaker 2: nothing would come of it, and then like within a week,
Speaker 2: like three hundred thousand views listens. Wow, this is like
Speaker 2: a job now.
Speaker 5: Yeah, No, it takes on a different approach because I
Speaker 5: think there's a lot of stuff out there around Maps,
Speaker 5: specifically this year, Like it's really triggered a lot of
Speaker 5: conversations and good and bad ones, I would say, And
Speaker 5: I think the format works quite nicely because it's still
Speaker 5: bringing that humor. But then you've also taken on the
Speaker 5: more maps.
Speaker 3: Serious math serious where you're.
Speaker 5: Kind of looking more into the production, the kind of effects,
Speaker 5: after effects and during effects it's had on cast talk
Speaker 5: us through I guess thoughts on that transition and kind
Speaker 5: of what I guess triggered you to take that angle,
Speaker 5: whereas it's always been like really lighthearted and funny, which
Speaker 5: we all love. But I think people are still enjoying
Speaker 5: this side as well.
Speaker 2: You know what I think it is. I think every
Speaker 2: year Channel nine love to create villains. They love us
Speaker 2: as the media to go after them, chase them down videos,
Speaker 2: shouting questions because they it's a pantomime. And as bad
Speaker 2: as this is to say, those villains are so disposable,
Speaker 2: I imagine you two, to an extent extent, felt disposable to
Speaker 2: Channel nine because once it ends like Okay, goodbye cast,
Speaker 2: new season. So then I thought this year, well, I
Speaker 2: could do that again. And I've done it to an extent.
Speaker 2: You know, I'm still covering the storylines. But let's look
Speaker 2: at the bigger picture. And when we talk about stars
Speaker 2: of this show, who's the biggest one? John Aken ten seasons.
Speaker 2: He's been there since day one, literally every single episode one. Yeah,
Speaker 2: he was the judge to remain, I said, judge, but
Speaker 2: he's been there since season one. Yeah. Wow. So then
Speaker 2: that I did that video where I thought, well, I
Speaker 2: should ask him questions does he feel ethically and morally compromised?
Speaker 2: Which I thought was reasonable. And do you remember was
Speaker 2: doctor Trisha? Was she your seasons?
Speaker 1: No?
Speaker 5: She was, I think a couple quite a few people
Speaker 5: actually yeah.
Speaker 2: Because oh yeah, her last one was season seven. But
Speaker 2: when she left channel and I put out a pressure
Speaker 2: really saying, you know, she's going to focus on the
Speaker 2: writing and studies. And then a week later she did
Speaker 2: a radio interview going no, it's because I felt ethically compromised.
Speaker 2: I couldn't do this anymore. I didn't agree with what
Speaker 2: was happening, I didn't agree with how it changed. So
Speaker 2: then I started to wonder the last few months, well,
Speaker 2: John and Mele have stayed all these years since then
Speaker 2: she was their colleague, they had the same job, so
Speaker 2: do they feel the same. And then God for Video
Speaker 2: asked that to John Aikin and he'll send you a
Speaker 2: legal I thought it was channel of John said he
Speaker 2: felt threatened intimidated for his safety, which is crazy when
Speaker 2: you want to viso. He's laughing at me and.
Speaker 3: It's funny. I actually thought it was like funny.
Speaker 5: And it's also like I feel really conflicted, and I
Speaker 5: feel like I've always had like an unpopular opinion of
Speaker 5: I just don't have this like strong feeling towards the
Speaker 5: experts because I think they're like they're the one the
Speaker 5: four guys, right, Whereas I think, and it's it's clear
Speaker 5: in the contract as well, the expert whatever specialist services
Speaker 5: giving is not like it's it's entertainment purposes, right, It's
Speaker 5: not what you would go see a normal psychologist or
Speaker 5: a normal whatever sexologist. I imagine you wouldn't have those conversations,
Speaker 5: and you wouldn't have you'd probably given actual advice and
Speaker 5: probably having a different experience. So I think obviously that's
Speaker 5: not the viewers don't know that they're assuming that this
Speaker 5: is what it's like when therapy is actually not like that,
Speaker 5: and when you're going to these psychology services, it's a
Speaker 5: very different experience. So I think for me, I'm sure
Speaker 5: their professional services with their private clients would be very
Speaker 5: different to the experience.
Speaker 2: Where do they have private clients? Because who would maybe
Speaker 2: who would pay for John to help your relationship. That's
Speaker 2: why I said to him, do you and your wife
Speaker 2: follow these things that he goes to spend a few
Speaker 2: days in mate with someone else? Yeah?
Speaker 5: No, I just don't understand that the justification, because what's
Speaker 5: the justification. It's feedback week, right, the spending time with
Speaker 5: someone else, that's how they picture it.
Speaker 3: Is that really, let's just call it, what is it? Strama?
Speaker 3: It's TV like the speaking of that temptation week this week?
Speaker 5: Yeah, crazy, the whole going on other dates. See I
Speaker 5: like that because it's like, yeah, okay, temptation that is.
Speaker 5: I can see why where that would take place in
Speaker 5: the real world. I think that's probably better than the
Speaker 5: whole feedback staying with another person. I think I've messed
Speaker 5: up to have it just before final vowels. But that's
Speaker 5: drama like I'm about it, I'm about.
Speaker 2: It, But then how do you go against the premise
Speaker 2: of the show. How can they still They've got these
Speaker 2: couples have finally made it to the end inside and
Speaker 2: then they go, no, here you go, yeah, here's a backup.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 6: I personally like the old mass format. I just think
Speaker 6: that they've pushed it too far the last couple of years.
Speaker 5: Well, that's so I think, And that kind of correlates
Speaker 5: with Trish leaving because I think from that time the
Speaker 5: show change, the format changed, it became really more dramatic
Speaker 5: and I had those like really like punchy storylines.
Speaker 3: It's really like hectic stuff. And it was really when
Speaker 3: she left.
Speaker 2: I think if long term viewers of the show will notice,
Speaker 2: and my researchers are showing this, it was season seven
Speaker 2: where everything changed. Season that again, that was Hayley Vernon's.
Speaker 3: Yes and brush there.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Remember the year before they I think it was
Speaker 2: so big with ess power in us my first and
Speaker 2: then it got to season seven and they're like, how
Speaker 2: can we up beat that? And then they didn't and
Speaker 2: it just went to a new extreme where most of
Speaker 2: the cast who have suffered like mentally all come from
Speaker 2: season seven.
Speaker 5: Yeah, it's really interesting because I feel like every year
Speaker 5: I'm like, well, even my experience because I'm like, oh,
Speaker 5: this is crazy, Like it's not getting any more intense
Speaker 5: than it's like, nothing's beating this.
Speaker 3: The next year it does like it.
Speaker 5: Progressively getting worse and worse, and where's and where's the
Speaker 5: line going to be drawn? Like what's going to happen next?
Speaker 2: We're so far past.
Speaker 4: Where is it?
Speaker 5: Like where like where where does it go from here?
Speaker 5: Like we're going to tackle things like DV not really
Speaker 5: address it properly, which I think it's hard because I
Speaker 5: feel like these topics are very important to be showcasing
Speaker 5: and discussing properly. For example, any of you guys have
Speaker 5: seen like Adolescents the new Netflix series Beautiful Beautiful, like
Speaker 5: horrible to watch, but really unpacks like that topic very
Speaker 5: well and shows it in like a distressing light. But
Speaker 5: it's like talking about a wide issue and unpacking it,
Speaker 5: Whereas I feel like topics this year have been missed
Speaker 5: opportunities like the Jake like racist comments, they're punching the wall.
Speaker 5: These are stuff that I feel like in Australian society
Speaker 5: would be really impactful. To like just just dive into
Speaker 5: it a bit more like these things happen, Okay, we're
Speaker 5: going to get him some help.
Speaker 3: What does that look like? Like, what are we doing here.
Speaker 2: With the punch? They had such an opportunity to educate,
Speaker 2: not just Australia because this show's international totally and they
Speaker 2: didn't and like they say, we stopped drinking. He went
Speaker 2: to therapy. The next episode he was on holiday and
Speaker 2: Byron Bay with everyone like there was no punishment. Yeah,
Speaker 2: like to me. I spoke to Eliot about this, and
Speaker 2: Elliott says he thinks they did the right thing by
Speaker 2: keeping him on the show, because if they kicked him off,
Speaker 2: him and Karina were still together. They would have gone
Speaker 2: back to bath together as a couple and there's no
Speaker 2: one there watching out for her, which I kind of
Speaker 2: get to an extent, But they should have made a
Speaker 2: real example, shown the therapy, shown them couples, shown that journey.
Speaker 3: I would have loved to see that like that.
Speaker 5: If this does happen to you, let's not just like
Speaker 5: rite off people like I'm not making any excuses of behavior.
Speaker 5: It's unacceptable, but okay, if that happens, Okay, it's the
Speaker 5: first time he's ever done it, what do you do? Like,
Speaker 5: if I'm watching it and like my boyfriend's done that,
Speaker 5: what can I be like, Hey, can we get you
Speaker 5: into this treatment or this service like that? That's the
Speaker 5: missed opportunity because yeah, like there's probably women out there
Speaker 5: sitting there watching it that's happened to them.
Speaker 3: They're like, fuck, okay, So it's just that's men.
Speaker 2: Who have done that, and they'll see that exactly exactly right,
Speaker 2: and that's the issue.
Speaker 3: Bad.
Speaker 6: Do you think with everything that's happened, there will ever
Speaker 6: be an to maths or do you think it just
Speaker 6: breaks in so many clicks and views and money that
Speaker 6: it's like it's just gonna keep going.
Speaker 2: I don't think it will ever rando until the viewers
Speaker 2: stop watching it.
Speaker 5: Yeah. I feel like we've seen, like in the UK specifically,
Speaker 5: a lot of people and their lives through experiences on
Speaker 5: reality TV, like so many just from the Love Island
Speaker 5: franchise alone, and that.
Speaker 3: You'd hate for this to happen.
Speaker 5: But I feel like it takes something really serious like
Speaker 5: that to happen to evoke any sort of change because
Speaker 5: at the moment, people are obviously on online saying how
Speaker 5: poorly the treatment is saying that their lives are being
Speaker 5: there over whatever, but no one really cares, right Like,
Speaker 5: it's like, what what does it take? And this is
Speaker 5: where I'm like, where does it end? Where where's the
Speaker 5: line which we've crossed so.
Speaker 2: Far with my podcast the Investigation, And people keep saying,
Speaker 2: stop being a spoiler, sport, stop trying to stop mauffs,
Speaker 2: And I'm not. I'm almost saying, if you don't make
Speaker 2: these changes behind the scenes production, there will be no
Speaker 2: season because someone trigger on and fortunately they will take
Speaker 2: their own lives. And I'd say ninety percent of former
Speaker 2: cast members I speak to all say that is going
Speaker 2: to happen. And when I worked as a tableau journalist
Speaker 2: in the UK, I was there. I flew to Love
Speaker 2: Island to interview Caroline Flack, and I could see when
Speaker 2: I did that season, like she was not in the
Speaker 2: right head space to be the star of the biggest show,
Speaker 2: and so many people around her would just ignore these
Speaker 2: cries for help because you know, she's making so much money.
Speaker 2: And two years after that she took her own life,
Speaker 2: same with several former Love Islanders And it's like, that
Speaker 2: will happen here, And even I think it was two
Speaker 2: years ago, Charlie and Knuling from the Bachelor of Australia.
Speaker 2: He took his own life.
Speaker 5: Yeah, and I think he made some comments about it
Speaker 5: actually being associated with the experience from I spoke to you.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I spoke to a lot of his former cast
Speaker 2: members and they all said he never should have been
Speaker 2: cast in the first place. He'd been through a lot
Speaker 2: in his life and even in the mansion when they
Speaker 2: were filming, he was still struggling with things. Yeah, And
Speaker 2: that's in my investigation. I look at that a lot,
Speaker 2: and in the next episode, I look at how so
Speaker 2: many people have struggled afterwards. And I've found four different
Speaker 2: examples of four former cast members who prior to appear
Speaker 2: in a mask have admitted to trying to and their
Speaker 2: own lives through like you know, the various childhood abuse
Speaker 2: or whatever. Yeah, and this is a public record, so
Speaker 2: I know they bring it up and naming them, but
Speaker 2: it's all on Google. But to me, if you've been
Speaker 2: in that dark of a place, I don't think you
Speaker 2: ever should then be on a show line.
Speaker 5: I agree, I think, and this is where I question
Speaker 5: the casting process and the I guess checklist and stuff
Speaker 5: of the people they allow on the show, because I
Speaker 5: feel like a lot of this stuff is made aware
Speaker 5: of whether it's you know, DV allegations, whether it's mental health,
Speaker 5: whether it's whatever it is, and it's like you do
Speaker 5: the psycho.
Speaker 3: Ow, what are they looking at that evaluation?
Speaker 5: Are they looking if you're maybe a bit slant to
Speaker 5: one side, then yes, they're perfect for it. I do
Speaker 5: question if they're intentionally getting people that I don't know,
Speaker 5: because I've spoken to some casts that I know, and
Speaker 5: they would recount their traumas right would be brought up
Speaker 5: in front of the experts, in front of voxes. They
Speaker 5: would be emotional off the back of that, and then
Speaker 5: that would be edited to something that didn't have anything
Speaker 5: to do with what was brought up. And stuff like that.
Speaker 5: I'm like, I felt like they would use these things
Speaker 5: against you. Sometimes I would be very I never really
Speaker 5: shared stuff because I just was like, no, they're not
Speaker 5: knowing that. I was like, ye, no, because even like
Speaker 5: when I shared like my parents getting a divorce and
Speaker 5: the circumstances around that, they like kept bringing up and
Speaker 5: kept asking about it. I was like, guys, I've made
Speaker 5: it clear. I'm not speaking about my parents. This is
Speaker 5: about me. I'm not adding them into my no, like
Speaker 5: they didn't sign up to be brought in the storyline
Speaker 5: like that.
Speaker 3: I'm not okay with that.
Speaker 5: But yeah, I question how they choose people and then
Speaker 5: them using stuff like you said against them.
Speaker 2: Well on the psycho valuation, I spoke to a former
Speaker 2: contestant a big brother recently from way back in the day,
Speaker 2: and she admit she was a bit unstable and probably
Speaker 2: shouldn't have been cast. And then she spoke to producer
Speaker 2: afterwards and way, you know, what do you have to
Speaker 2: do to pass that site test? And then the producer
Speaker 2: parent they laught and says, what makes you think you
Speaker 2: have to pass it? Yeah, And I was like, oh,
Speaker 2: sh yeah, okay, that makes sense.
Speaker 3: This is what it's like.
Speaker 2: And that's what doctor Tricia said in previous interviews. She
Speaker 2: said her last season, season seven, there was someone on
Speaker 2: there she believed should never have been cast. She raised
Speaker 2: this concern in her pre season assessment that was ignored.
Speaker 2: They were then cast mid season. Doctor Tricia said that
Speaker 2: person needs to be removed there and not coping. The
Speaker 2: person was eventually removed sent home, and that person in
Speaker 2: a podcast with the ABC A year later said she
Speaker 2: got home, had a mental breakdown and tried to end
Speaker 2: her own life.
Speaker 5: Yeah. Wow, it's really like people try and outweigh what
Speaker 5: the potential slight possibility of what MATHS can do for
Speaker 5: them based on like a handful of people that have
Speaker 5: become really successful off the show, and then maybe not
Speaker 5: think about all of the other potential outcomes that are
Speaker 5: quite more probable. And it's really Yeah, it's like they
Speaker 5: kind of reel you in in that in that way
Speaker 5: so it won't happen to me, and it's like you don't.
Speaker 5: Absolutely I felt that way, and I was like, yeah,
Speaker 5: I feel like I'm a good person, Like I'm not. Yeah,
Speaker 5: you know, and it's only because other people are more unhinged.
Speaker 6: I want to know, because you've launched this investigation into Maths, Like,
Speaker 6: what's your goal that you want out of this investigation?
Speaker 2: My end goal is just animal shine the production company
Speaker 2: to actually listen to what all the viewers are saying
Speaker 2: and actually go, Okay, maybe behind the scenes, we should
Speaker 2: hire someone who's hair full time to look out for
Speaker 2: these people. Maybe we should have crossed this lineer pushed
Speaker 2: this hard, and yeah, just safeguard you guys.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think that that too though, No, babe, I
Speaker 5: think I think the people that work, like the psychologists
Speaker 5: and stuff.
Speaker 3: I don't trust that because from my experience.
Speaker 5: I had told stuff to the psychologists they assigned me with,
Speaker 5: and I know that was repeated to production and that's
Speaker 5: like completely goes against that didn't happen on my yeah,
Speaker 5: licenses and stuff, And I feel like it should be
Speaker 5: a third party that's like not employed by ENDE or
Speaker 5: not employed by Channel nine, like almost like contract.
Speaker 3: I don't know how it would work, but it's yet.
Speaker 5: Obviously they're gonna have the interest of who's giving them
Speaker 5: the money at the end of the day, right, so
Speaker 5: they're gonna be like, hey, this person feels x y
Speaker 5: Z about this situation, which is what I did.
Speaker 3: And then the next day I got a call about
Speaker 3: that situation. It was resolved.
Speaker 5: So I'm just drawing conclusions that that information was shared
Speaker 5: and I just think that's not right.
Speaker 2: I agree.
Speaker 4: Yeah, did you have the wash? Was that your page
Speaker 4: as well? What was your involvement with Ah?
Speaker 2: It was one of my friends launched it and then
Speaker 2: I just did content or cross posted it. Oh yeah, raight, okay, Yeah,
Speaker 2: so that was a website to start with, but then
Speaker 2: it was hard to maintain because I don't think it
Speaker 2: was there's not like enough content okay year round.
Speaker 6: Looking back now, because you've been following Maths for ages now, like,
Speaker 6: do you feel any remorse in like the trolling and
Speaker 6: the like posts.
Speaker 2: Yeah, because when I started that meme page that was
Speaker 2: the Jessica Power season, Yeah, yeah, Like jess became a
Speaker 2: great friend and she was like the person who made
Speaker 2: that page big because she was the hated one that
Speaker 2: yeah she's but she'd to me like, oh, she did
Speaker 2: this picture of my lips, you know, after lip next
Speaker 2: to her like a fish. So I do that with
Speaker 2: her consent. But then it's set and this precedent like
Speaker 2: lets more appearances and like the first show, I would
Speaker 2: get carried away because the likes are rolling in. You've
Speaker 2: got yeah, one hundred, one hundred followers to ten thousand,
Speaker 2: and it was growing and growing. But then over time
Speaker 2: I was like, actually I have quite a love of
Speaker 2: influence her, and then I it kind of peaked with
Speaker 2: Olivia Fraser. I think yes, and then I personally apologized
Speaker 2: to her and I've apologized to over people and said
Speaker 2: if I ever contributed to like your discomfort. Yeah, I'm sorry.
Speaker 6: Wow, Okay, that's really good to know because personally I felt,
Speaker 6: because I'm huge on manners, I never really felt like
Speaker 6: U gave me the time and day only because I
Speaker 6: never came out as a villain yep or someone with
Speaker 6: massive following. I didn't come off the show with a
Speaker 6: partner either, so I kind of felt like the small
Speaker 6: handful of times I saw you, you just kind of
Speaker 6: never gave me the time and day. So then when
Speaker 6: I saw you launch this podcast and then you know,
Speaker 6: do this investigation, I was like, what's this guy's motive
Speaker 6: because I'm like, you seem to care about the mass cast,
Speaker 6: and I'm like, also, you've never given me the time
Speaker 6: of day.
Speaker 2: You know. The full honesty of that is, prior to
Speaker 2: this year, I've always had day jobs on radio, in media.
Speaker 2: There was one season where I was the manager of
Speaker 2: an Amazon warehouse because I quit the media, so like
Speaker 2: that's always been my Like yeah, I was like yeah,
Speaker 2: laughing about that earlier. So then it's like, okay, well
Speaker 2: I'm trying to keep posts or whatever, and then it's
Speaker 2: kind of like ticking a box. Okay, Well, everyone's like,
Speaker 2: you know, I hating this one, and then you get
Speaker 2: people like Ali who Lavali befriends everyone and but that's
Speaker 2: kind of because he's day job is relying on that
Speaker 2: when this is more a hobby for me, Yes, it
Speaker 2: was more And this sounds bad, but I never really
Speaker 2: want to become that close friends with the mass people because, yeah,
Speaker 2: I feel like it takes over your life. And I've
Speaker 2: made that mistake in the UK of befriend in talent
Speaker 2: and then you almost become impartial or biased with your
Speaker 2: how your covering thinks. So I always tried to create
Speaker 2: a barrier. And then if you've not got all this
Speaker 2: my drama and stuff, then I'm kind of just staying
Speaker 2: back and focusing on whoever is getting that engagement.
Speaker 5: I think it's interesting because you see, it would be hard, say,
Speaker 5: being like you're friends with someone, there's a story that's
Speaker 5: come through that you're going to have to publish and
Speaker 5: it doesn't make them look very good.
Speaker 3: What Like I would be like, like what am I
Speaker 3: going to do? So I kind of get that from that.
Speaker 2: And that's already happened in this season since I started
Speaker 2: the podcast. Yeah, because obviously I've had to be more impartial. Yeah, well,
Speaker 2: like just meeting the cast one by one and then
Speaker 2: when there's a bad story, I'm like, oh shit, but
Speaker 2: like I've kind of got a good person and like
Speaker 2: we're like friendly and then you just feel like ship. Yeah,
Speaker 2: And I know Ali struggles without because yeah, he's his
Speaker 2: job as a journalist, but then he's hanging out with everyone,
Speaker 2: and so I've tried to that's true, stay back.
Speaker 4: I'm just like.
Speaker 2: But I'm sorry if you felt like personally when you're.
Speaker 6: Real here, you seemed to be nice to everyone else
Speaker 6: because obviously I came from Olivia season and that's so
Speaker 6: good that you apologize to her. Like every single time
Speaker 6: I see you guys together, you're like really close. I'm
Speaker 6: close with Carolina now and I'm like hello on your
Speaker 6: book and your podcast and you're like yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, because.
Speaker 2: I've recently seen you Carolina's birthday.
Speaker 3: Yes, yeah.
Speaker 2: And that was the most horrifically awkward no, because what
Speaker 2: it was, I was drinking with a close friend okay, yeah,
Speaker 2: my friend Liam, and then my housemate texts me saying
Speaker 2: are you where I think you are? Then I'm like,
Speaker 2: what do you want about? And then he didn't text back,
Speaker 2: but I have my housemate and find my iPhone. So
Speaker 2: I was like, he's in nearby, and he wasn't. He
Speaker 2: was at home. I was like, what is Ryan talking about?
Speaker 2: And then the only other person I haven't find my
Speaker 2: iPhone is Olivia random where she added me. I think
Speaker 2: we're going in and out trying to find each other.
Speaker 2: And then she was two bars over, so I was like, oh,
Speaker 2: is he talking about Olivia? Then I said to my
Speaker 2: friend Lima, Olivia is two places over. Let's go so Ilo.
Speaker 2: So then I go upstairs and I only see Olvia
Speaker 2: at a table full of people. You know when you
Speaker 2: just registered the person you know. I'm like, oh, hey,
Speaker 2: liv I got to him a hug, and then like
Speaker 2: I look around and you're there, Carolina. There's a few
Speaker 2: other people and everyone's looking at me like I've just
Speaker 2: killed somebody. It was so bizarre. And then there's a
Speaker 2: guy who I thought was Caroline his new boyfriend, who
Speaker 2: I don't know. He was next to Olivia, but had
Speaker 2: he's back to me. Yeah, And then I just kind
Speaker 2: of mate without looking because I'm just thinking, why is
Speaker 2: everyone looking at me like this?
Speaker 6: Yeah?
Speaker 2: And then and then just focused on Olivia. He's like, oh, hey, Josh, hi.
Speaker 2: Then I'm like, what is going on here? Then my
Speaker 2: friend Liam, who's tagged along, went oh, hey, I'm not
Speaker 2: going to say the name, but that guy was my
Speaker 2: ex boyfriend who was sat there with his back. Yeah,
Speaker 2: and I hadn't seen him in like nine months. Yeah,
Speaker 2: It's not like I didn't not recognize him, but I hadn't.
Speaker 2: I was just looking why is everyone looking at me
Speaker 2: like this? And focused on the one person I suppose
Speaker 2: I went there to see Olivia because she was on
Speaker 2: Find my iPhone and then it was just awkward. Sar
Speaker 2: left that was quite quickly.
Speaker 5: So bringing it back to this season and obviously we've
Speaker 5: got Temptation Week this week, what's.
Speaker 3: Your thoughts on that?
Speaker 5: As in you obviously that's a brand new world, world
Speaker 5: first thing that they've done.
Speaker 3: What's your thoughts on that?
Speaker 5: And what's your thoughts on the people that have took
Speaker 5: the bait with their task?
Speaker 2: Firstly, I think it's a great challenge. I think it's
Speaker 2: great reality TV. I think maybe when mel was trying
Speaker 2: to justify it, they should just go, look, we want
Speaker 2: to final twist. Don't try to spin it as if
Speaker 2: it's a positive. We know what you're doing. Yeah, Like
Speaker 2: it's just embarrassing when you try to say this is
Speaker 2: for the greater good. I just think anyone who agreed
Speaker 2: to do it is stupid, Like why would you It's
Speaker 2: been broadcasting like Paul doing it? What did you think?
Speaker 2: He just met Karina's strict religious family. He'd been saying
Speaker 2: how much he's into her, and then he's like, oh,
Speaker 2: I was just curious.
Speaker 3: What did you think it was an what do you
Speaker 3: mean curious?
Speaker 4: The fumbling?
Speaker 6: Oh, just curious and I saw it and she was
Speaker 6: blonde and no, he was talking so.
Speaker 3: Bro, you're just making it worse.
Speaker 5: Just literally if you say I'm stupid, like, don't stop justifying.
Speaker 2: And it was literally because he wasn't attracted to the
Speaker 2: new girl. She was like as soon as I was
Speaker 2: thinking of you, come.
Speaker 4: On so crazy?
Speaker 3: Who's who are on? Because we'll watch that tonight. Who.
Speaker 5: So you've got Adrian and Athena left. Surely Adrian's doing it.
Speaker 5: I'm putting money on too that he's doing it.
Speaker 2: Did you read Ali's article inn the Mail? Don't Adrian
Speaker 2: is now apparently still chatting with that girl that I
Speaker 2: was liking each of his posts and stuff. Interesting rumors there.
Speaker 6: I did hear that one of the grooms was staying
Speaker 6: in touch with one of the intruders. It's Adrian, okay,
Speaker 6: interesting ill ill okay.
Speaker 2: And then Jamie I suppose this episode, I'm sure they
Speaker 2: both do it. I'm not sure about Dave. From what
Speaker 2: I've read is Jamie agrees to but the guy stands
Speaker 2: her up. Wow.
Speaker 3: Have you ever been stood off on the date before?
Speaker 2: I don't think so.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Day I went to meet a guy with grinder ones
Speaker 2: and I get to his house and I knocked on
Speaker 2: the door and then I hid him. Walked to the door,
Speaker 2: I looked through the people and not into the door,
Speaker 2: shut up, and grinding just blocked me. You know, technically
Speaker 2: I stood.
Speaker 5: Up and that was that's wait speaking, we haven't speaking
Speaker 5: of Grinder here. Let's talk about your book, Yes, yeah,
Speaker 5: talk us about that and how that came about, because
Speaker 5: I think that is fucking awesome.
Speaker 3: Congrats.
Speaker 5: Yeah, talk me through the whole thing, how you decided,
Speaker 5: like when you started writing, how you kind of came
Speaker 5: up with that and yeah, just the whole process.
Speaker 2: Well, like the both of you. I have a failed marriage.
Speaker 2: Man was a real one and then he left me.
Speaker 2: The start of twenty twenty one, and that was kind
Speaker 2: of like COVID. So we're all very isolated, and you know,
Speaker 2: you just don't know how to process something, and as men,
Speaker 2: maybe we don't turn to our friends or all. My
Speaker 2: family were overseas, so we kind of just hold it
Speaker 2: on in. So writing was just my way of dealing
Speaker 2: with it. So it started like a diary. Yeah, and
Speaker 2: then I was just writing more and more than I
Speaker 2: like tried to convince myself. It was finding my agenda
Speaker 2: by sleeping with random people off Grinder, which is a
Speaker 2: gay app for anyone who does now, and then sex
Speaker 2: is quite instant on there.
Speaker 3: It's so intense.
Speaker 5: I went on it for the first time and I
Speaker 5: was like wow, really yeah, yes as well.
Speaker 3: No, I was my friends.
Speaker 2: Have you ever seen Grinder? No, you'd open it and
Speaker 2: it would say like someone is five meters away, twenty
Speaker 2: meters away, and that's how it works. The grid is
Speaker 2: who's closer to you. So if you're in apartment building,
Speaker 2: there might be someone two flows below.
Speaker 4: And it's just like a hook up a quickly.
Speaker 2: Yeah, so you might be like hey, and then the
Speaker 2: line is what you're into the.
Speaker 5: Oh my god, Actually one of the I would say,
Speaker 5: one of the best covers I've seen in a book
Speaker 5: in a while. I have such an appreciation for book
Speaker 5: covers and like that was just like brilliant, brilliant.
Speaker 2: So yeah, then I was just so the marriage ended,
Speaker 2: I start hooking up with people to convince myself I'm
Speaker 2: over him. Obviously I wasn't. So then I hook up
Speaker 2: with more people and more people, and then before I
Speaker 2: know it, we're in the hundreds. And then I just
Speaker 2: got sadder and sadder with each one. Yeah, and then
Speaker 2: I kept writing, well.
Speaker 3: You gotta look out of it.
Speaker 4: Walk A podcasts.
Speaker 6: Yeah, yeah, no, you seem really happy now still single,
Speaker 6: but you're happy single?
Speaker 4: Right, No, everyone.
Speaker 3: Let's end on a bit of a quick fire.
Speaker 5: We've got some questions and then yeah, we'll just go
Speaker 5: through and you want to start.
Speaker 6: Yeah, who do you think from this season is the
Speaker 6: biggest cloud chaser?
Speaker 2: Oh? Oh, quick fire? I'm trying to think. I would say,
Speaker 2: anyone who's currently on cameo.
Speaker 3: Period, period period. You could not pay me any amount
Speaker 3: of money to do that ship.
Speaker 5: There's stuff I won't do when it's cameo boxing matches,
Speaker 5: club appearances, like people.
Speaker 2: Of this show making money, but I just think that
Speaker 2: you're in every day person.
Speaker 3: I do for three.
Speaker 2: Yeah, the next day's like a hundred dollars for me
Speaker 2: to say.
Speaker 5: Happy birthday, like people DM like, if you want a
Speaker 5: cameo from me, DM me and I'll do it for free.
Speaker 5: That's like a joke, regret. Okay, Next one is who
Speaker 5: do you think is being the most genuine.
Speaker 2: Probably yeah, agrees with that.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's hard.
Speaker 5: It's a very universal experience that she that's seeing on TV,
Speaker 5: and I'm like, it's such an embarrassing feeling feeling like that,
Speaker 5: but it's I feel like every single girl and woman
Speaker 5: has gone through.
Speaker 2: That maybe as well.
Speaker 3: Yeah, because she.
Speaker 2: Just wants to be loved.
Speaker 6: I know, I know she actually actually does.
Speaker 3: She really does.
Speaker 6: Old me because that that was like, Yeah, I was
Speaker 6: so desperate for love back then.
Speaker 4: That was all over.
Speaker 2: That stayed longer than you probably would have.
Speaker 6: I would have done anything to make that marriage work,
Speaker 6: just to prove to myself that I was lovable.
Speaker 3: Anyway, Moving along sounds like grind relatable.
Speaker 4: Who do you think is the most fucked over by
Speaker 4: their edit this year?
Speaker 2: I feel like the ones who have been sucked over
Speaker 2: It's kind of justified. I'd probably say Elliott because he's
Speaker 2: kind of gone full circle, but I do find him
Speaker 2: entertaining now, like his TikTok. You see that side of
Speaker 2: him which was not apparent.
Speaker 4: Yes, true, true.
Speaker 3: Okay, who do you think will end up with the
Speaker 3: most followers Jamie?
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, she wants the UK get behind it. Yeah,
Speaker 2: because that's kind of the difference between like average influencer
Speaker 2: following and like next level.
Speaker 5: I like her because I feel like she speaks to
Speaker 5: a lot of your everyday average girl.
Speaker 3: Not that like that.
Speaker 5: Doesn't sound bad, but I think it's really like relatable
Speaker 5: in a sense, and it doesn't have this like glossy
Speaker 5: kind of feel to it.
Speaker 3: She seems very just like one of like the girls
Speaker 3: that I hang out.
Speaker 2: With Jamie, well not Jamie. What pissed me off I
Speaker 2: comment I read was she's oftenly got no makeup. That's
Speaker 2: my love break of acne. Yes, bro, I saw a
Speaker 2: comment like weish you'd cover that up, and it's like
Speaker 2: why exactly, She's just a normal girl and.
Speaker 5: Like the stress you go through, I was like, progressively
Speaker 5: get worse, and I was like I feel that like
Speaker 5: my skin was fucked as well, and it's just so
Speaker 5: I was like, that's so relatable.
Speaker 2: In fact, she's not like foundation just to cover it.
Speaker 5: Like you know what she's going to get those skincare
Speaker 5: brand deals and waiting for what brand is shot a.
Speaker 4: Pimple patch on last night. I'm like, yes, like now
Speaker 4: we know.
Speaker 6: Now, Well, if you've seen any leaked articules which that
Speaker 6: Clint and Jackie are now together, do you think if
Speaker 6: they were originally matched on the show that they.
Speaker 4: Would still be together?
Speaker 2: Probably not really.
Speaker 4: Why do you say that?
Speaker 2: Well, I feel like Jackie is quite fond of crying.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, so like maybe if it was just a
Speaker 2: happy thing from the start, then do you know what
Speaker 2: I mean? Like, she wouldn't really have been able to
Speaker 2: showcase her range as a performer's It's very puzzling that. Like,
Speaker 2: but what I find fascinating about those two is how
Speaker 2: I think this is spoiler alert whatever, But it was
Speaker 2: within I think two and a half weeks of leaving
Speaker 2: the show breaking up with Ryan, and then she's suddenly
Speaker 2: in tazzy with Clinton. And then I read a comment
Speaker 2: Clint said in an interview I don't know where and
Speaker 2: he says, well, this is no different to people being
Speaker 2: matched on the show, So that's why she just moved
Speaker 2: in straight away like they're doing experiment.
Speaker 3: Wow. Yeah, it's very interesting.
Speaker 5: But I think sometimes like you do, which I guess
Speaker 5: is potentially why they've introduced this like task this week.
Speaker 5: Is the whole some seasons people have got together that
Speaker 5: weren't originally matched together, and people would argue that they're
Speaker 5: more suited. So I think maybe that was like their thought.
Speaker 2: That also makes me laugh how Channel Nina now pushing
Speaker 2: Evelyn and Duncan out like the biggest success story you
Speaker 2: did not make that like they did that, and Channel
Speaker 2: Nana trying to own it, and the fact that they
Speaker 2: have to use those to those two for this nine
Speaker 2: now spinoff whatever, Like it's it's kind of embarrassing for
Speaker 2: Maths because they don't actually have any of their own couples.
Speaker 6: Yeah, yep, so true. The whole Snaffle West Park and everything.
Speaker 2: I'm still not sure what is I'm saying, what stop
Speaker 2: we should bet the out, Let's.
Speaker 5: Not give them, let's suspect that everyone what we're talking about.
Speaker 3: Oh, thank you so.
Speaker 2: Much for coming on all right, thanks for having me,
Speaker 2: and for.
Speaker 6: Everyone who wants to look at Josh's content is maths funny.
Speaker 6: And then yeah, the Spotify and everything, Yeah, listen everywhere.
Speaker 5: Ever, the Noble Player, and then obviously you can follow
Speaker 5: Josh on the socials as well and your book.
Speaker 2: Yeah that's in like big W, the Mix and Shops,
Speaker 2: the Apple.
Speaker 4: Thanks John, thanks for having me, really