Speaker 1: This is the most dramatic podcast ever and iHeartRadio podcast.
Speaker 1: This should be interesting.
Speaker 2: That's a word for it.
Speaker 1: I guess this should be interesting. Sitting down with Brad Wollmack.
Speaker 2: Huh, here we go. Man, I'm almost I'm a little
Speaker 2: scared about this. I'm gonna be honest, buddy, I am too.
Speaker 1: I was thinking about what you and I were going
Speaker 1: to talk about, sure, and then oddly I drew a blank. Okay,
Speaker 1: but there's but there's so much material and so much
Speaker 1: we haven't talked about, even though you and I have
Speaker 1: been friends. What year let's see, what year were you
Speaker 1: the Bachelor?
Speaker 2: I'll tell you exactly the first time two thousand and seven,
Speaker 2: and then second time was twenty.
Speaker 1: Ten, two thousand and seven.
Speaker 2: Yes, yes, I'm old. I'm very old.
Speaker 1: How old are you?
Speaker 2: Fifty one?
Speaker 1: I say, you're a year younger than me.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that was like the rare time you and Byron Velvick,
Speaker 1: the bass fisherman who actually maybe have to look he
Speaker 1: might be older than me. So we did this, like
Speaker 1: you know, that was the our version of the Golden Bachelor.
Speaker 1: Back then. It's like, let's do an older guy, and
Speaker 1: so we got Byron Velvic, this bass fisherman, and that
Speaker 1: season didn't go awesome. Yeah, but he but we kept
Speaker 1: in touch too. He's a really good guy. Still we
Speaker 1: still chat. And then you were the next one where
Speaker 1: it wasn't old at the time, because what were we
Speaker 1: back in what two thousand and seven?
Speaker 2: Was thirty four I believe, yeah, thirty four, thirty thirty four, yeah, yeah, yeah,
Speaker 2: thirty four. Jesus see, that's how old I am. I
Speaker 2: can't even remember things in the past.
Speaker 1: Fourteen years ago.
Speaker 2: It was a long time teen years ago.
Speaker 1: Holy cow, so I would have been thirty eight.
Speaker 2: Wow, yeah, yeah yeah. So well, good times though, really
Speaker 2: good times. That's nuts kind of but it was. I
Speaker 2: had to throw that in there. We're good.
Speaker 1: Well, I'll tell you what. I think we have to
Speaker 1: break this up. Well, because you were the only person
Speaker 1: to be on two Bachelor seasons. You were the Bachelor
Speaker 1: twice for those that don't know, Brad was the Bachelor
Speaker 1: in seven and ten, ten, twenty ten, and we had
Speaker 1: never done that before. I think they'll never do it
Speaker 1: again after that. But this is also back in the day.
Speaker 1: This is old school when we would get really good
Speaker 1: guys find them. You didn't have to be on the
Speaker 1: show before, right, yeah, yea, you know it's you know,
Speaker 1: Bob Guiney had come off the Bachelorette. There were a couple,
Speaker 1: but it was more like Aaron Burgee, Andrew Firestone, you
Speaker 1: and some of these others where we had never met
Speaker 1: you before. The first time we met you was when
Speaker 1: you were the Bachelor.
Speaker 2: Right yeah, yeah, pretty organic way to do it, I
Speaker 2: would imagine, you know, for you guys, and yeah.
Speaker 1: It's well, it was a scary thing because sure we
Speaker 1: liked it because you got to build a story and
Speaker 1: you got to know somebody on the show. But the
Speaker 1: other thing is we really you could cheat a little bit,
Speaker 1: and if they were on a prior show, there was
Speaker 1: a built in audience, right. People loved you, people hated you.
Speaker 1: They had an idea of what they thought about you. Therefore,
Speaker 1: there was a story built in when the store, when
Speaker 1: the season starts, Okay, I already know what I think
Speaker 1: about Brad Walmack. Now I'll just meet the ladies and
Speaker 1: we're off and running makes sense, And so that was
Speaker 1: kind of the change of the show. We felt like
Speaker 1: that was the kind of tie we always wanted to have.
Speaker 1: But with you, you were kind of a throwback too.
Speaker 1: We just met Brad Walmack, this bar owner from Austin, Texas.
Speaker 2: Sure, yeah, yeah, how.
Speaker 1: Did you become the bachelor? Who found you? How to happen?
Speaker 2: I'll tell you it's actually a funny story. It's my
Speaker 2: brother and my business partner at the time. It was
Speaker 2: a Sunday afternoon and as Chad your chid, my twin
Speaker 2: brother and my other business partner, Jason, and true story,
Speaker 2: I'm just gonna be honest. We were doing a little
Speaker 2: day drinking and so we wound up at a popular
Speaker 2: restaurant in Austin and and you guys were casting for
Speaker 2: the girls, and so we were eating. Casting agent came down,
Speaker 2: tapped me on the shoulder and said, hey, this sounds crazy.
Speaker 2: Have you heard of the Batcher? And I'm not gonna lie.
Speaker 2: I was a big fan of the show. And then
Speaker 2: you guys, of course were making waves and.
Speaker 1: It would have been huge back then at seven it.
Speaker 2: Was big, man, it was really big, and so there's
Speaker 2: obviously a very flattering encounter. Of course, my first reaction
Speaker 2: was I don't know if I'm going to be the
Speaker 2: right guy, you know, And she said, well, we can
Speaker 2: be very convincing at least give me your number and
Speaker 2: we'll call you. And sure enough, you guys called it
Speaker 2: think the week after and I was on my way
Speaker 2: to LA So I mean, just I mean fast track,
Speaker 2: can do you know? This wild adventure? You know?
Speaker 1: And who did you meet first? Like, how did that
Speaker 1: all go? Because it was different back then than it
Speaker 1: is now. I mean it's it's gotten so much more professional,
Speaker 1: so much more there's so many more levels you got
Speaker 1: to get through back then, right, I'm guessing it was
Speaker 1: you know, a couple of the executive producers and you
Speaker 1: met a couple exis it is and we're off and running.
Speaker 2: That's exactly who what? Who it was? It was well
Speaker 2: Mike of course, and then the show, right, and then
Speaker 2: uh Lisa at that's her? Yeah, yeah, And then I
Speaker 2: was fortunate enough to meet the president of ABC at
Speaker 2: the time. But it was such a whirlwind. Man. You
Speaker 2: take a guy from Austin that I had no aspirations
Speaker 2: being TV man, I'm sure you see.
Speaker 1: And then you're sitting down, I'm guessing it was Lloyd
Speaker 1: Braun back then. Was that the president of ABC at
Speaker 1: the time?
Speaker 2: Truly connect it was, And.
Speaker 1: So you're sitting down with the president of ABC exactly.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1: I mean you're like, and they're asking you about love,
Speaker 1: and you're like, what do you want out of life?
Speaker 2: Yeah? Well that's actually what it was, you know. And
Speaker 2: then you know obviously what I did for living on
Speaker 2: this lowly bar guy. Yeah, and this well no, I
Speaker 2: mean just uh and and I mean, but I'll tell
Speaker 2: you it was one of the coolest experiences of my
Speaker 2: life meeting people of that caliber, of course, and then
Speaker 2: you know, it's a it's a story that I'll hold
Speaker 2: on to.
Speaker 1: I was trying to think the first time you and
Speaker 1: I met, I think.
Speaker 2: It was it was either the very first night. I mean,
Speaker 2: obviously we had to have taped something, but.
Speaker 1: We didn't get to hang out a lot before. Like,
Speaker 1: there's a lot of times where either it well I'll
Speaker 1: get to know the guys the prior season and you
Speaker 1: hang out a little bit and then you keep in
Speaker 1: touch as they lead into the Bachelor. Other times they'll
Speaker 1: just be in town and I'll get to see them,
Speaker 1: maybe we'll go out to dinner before I just my
Speaker 1: recollection is, I don't think that ever happened with you.
Speaker 1: I think you came in hot and I didn't get
Speaker 1: to see you really probably and maybe that first night.
Speaker 2: I think that's right. I got to tell you. I'm
Speaker 2: going to sing your praises real quick. I just want
Speaker 2: to tell you something you I was most nervous about meeting.
Speaker 2: I just seen you all over the place, and you're
Speaker 2: this larger than life personality, and I have to hand
Speaker 2: it to you could not have been cooler man. And
Speaker 2: so we had a lot.
Speaker 1: I think the fact that, well, first of all, thank you.
Speaker 1: Second of all, you and I kind of are cut
Speaker 1: from the same cloth. I think we got each other
Speaker 1: and I found you to be a breath of fresh
Speaker 1: air and a bit of a relief. Well, not that
Speaker 1: I disliked. I mean, Andrew Firestone's one of my best friends.
Speaker 1: So is Bob Ginney. I love those guys. But when
Speaker 1: there was a guy from Texas, yeah, and about my age,
Speaker 1: I'm like, I can do this, like this, I get like,
Speaker 1: I understand this.
Speaker 2: It was very.
Speaker 1: Easy for me to get to know you, because that's
Speaker 1: part of the pressure for me was to try to quickly.
Speaker 1: You know, again, if I meet you on the driveway
Speaker 1: as a Limos pulling up, I got to figure out
Speaker 1: what makes this guy tick? Who is he? What are
Speaker 1: the buttons I need to push? How can I get
Speaker 1: him to these emotional areas, et cetera. And with you,
Speaker 1: I found it very easy.
Speaker 2: I appreciate you because.
Speaker 1: I feel like you know, you and I are very similar.
Speaker 2: Well again, I appreciate that coming from you. But yeah,
Speaker 2: I mean you could not have been more welcoming, and
Speaker 2: frankly I needed it. I mean that was a very
Speaker 2: overwhelming experience, especially day one, you know, And yeah, you
Speaker 2: welcomed me with open arms, and so I thank you
Speaker 2: for that.
Speaker 1: Did you? Obviously, I'm sure you had some trepidation and
Speaker 1: be human if you didn't. But to have your business
Speaker 1: and what's your business? By the way, lowly bar guy,
Speaker 1: you and your brother and your business partner, you guys
Speaker 1: owned own bars here in Austin at the time. I
Speaker 1: think it was just Austin were you. They were massively
Speaker 1: successful and you guys were killing it.
Speaker 2: Thank you.
Speaker 1: And by the way, back in the day, that was
Speaker 1: also the concept of the show. Bachelors would have jobs
Speaker 1: and they would be successful, so therefore you would actually
Speaker 1: be considered a catch.
Speaker 2: Okay, I'll take that whatever it takes.
Speaker 1: Right, It's an old concept. We got away from it. It
Speaker 1: became like broken people with no jobs.
Speaker 2: And I'll tell you, guys, they've had some amazing candidates.
Speaker 1: Of course, because I kid, actually a kid, because we
Speaker 1: don't care.
Speaker 2: I like that. I like that.
Speaker 1: But no. So so that was the original concept, and
Speaker 1: that was like Chris Soles, this farmer from Iowa, you know,
Speaker 1: hugely successful and if it wasn't for the show, you know,
Speaker 1: could they find love? And so that was the premise
Speaker 1: of bringing in a guy like Brad Womack of this
Speaker 1: guy's working his ass off opening bars. The only thing
Speaker 1: he really hasn't found his love.
Speaker 2: Sure, yeah, good premise, of course.
Speaker 1: Yeah too bad. It did work.
Speaker 2: Hey, thanks thanks for reminding me, man, and I'm out. Thanks.
Speaker 2: It was a great like drop, good seeing you.
Speaker 1: But you get into this, you had to have some trepidation,
Speaker 1: and I'm sure there was the this will promote the
Speaker 1: bar business, but what were the other things where you're like, man,
Speaker 1: I don't know if I want to do this.
Speaker 2: Man, you know, I got to tell you, I'll back
Speaker 2: up a little bit. I don't know if you realize.
Speaker 2: So I never one time mentioned the bars on air,
Speaker 2: and I did that purposely, you know. And so one,
Speaker 2: I didn't want to sell out, but of course, I
Speaker 2: mean it went without saying that, you know, you would
Speaker 2: get some exposure, of course, but I took my career
Speaker 2: at the time especially very seriously, and I was a
Speaker 2: little worried about it damaging the career. And another thing
Speaker 2: is I know you know me very well, but people don't.
Speaker 2: I'm a really, really shy person, and so I was
Speaker 2: petrified of losing anonymity, you know. I mean for so
Speaker 2: many years I had just gone to work, like you said,
Speaker 2: and built a career, tried to find a good girl.
Speaker 2: She wasn't having me, and so anyway, but so I
Speaker 2: went into the first night, admittedly with a lot of
Speaker 2: fear and anxiety.
Speaker 1: Well, what was interesting with your time is again remember
Speaker 1: seven were coming into this with Brad. Yes, it was
Speaker 1: a huge show, and yeah there was probably twenty twenty
Speaker 1: four million people watching at the time, So you think,
Speaker 1: how did you want anonymity? But we also didn't have
Speaker 1: social media.
Speaker 2: You're exactly right.
Speaker 1: That was the huge thing. You're exactly You weren't being bombarded. Yes,
Speaker 1: you had to do People Magazine and Entertainment Tonight and
Speaker 1: all that stuff, but you weren't faced with the social
Speaker 1: media dilemma that everybody is now. Sure, so you still
Speaker 1: got to you know, the idea was you could leave
Speaker 1: and come back and live your life.
Speaker 2: Right, Yeah, yeah, well that's a good point. I think
Speaker 2: I was just I'm really concerned with what people think
Speaker 2: of me. Unfortunately, you and me both, man.
Speaker 1: That's honestly, it's one of the things as we bond
Speaker 1: over I agree to a fault.
Speaker 2: Yes we do, and yes we do.
Speaker 1: Sure our therapists will could get together.
Speaker 2: We might have the same one. I don't think they
Speaker 2: can disclose that, but we might have the same one anytime.
Speaker 2: She's nodding very aggressively, like I've heard this before. Now
Speaker 2: I know what Harris. Okay, yeah, you guys are it.
Speaker 1: Makes us good at what we do. Sure, it actually
Speaker 1: makes me a good host because it makes me very
Speaker 1: empathetic and I care, and again I care too much.
Speaker 1: You're the same being in the service industry that you
Speaker 1: get in, not your whole life. But you know, for
Speaker 1: the most part, sure it serves you.
Speaker 2: Well.
Speaker 1: Well, I appreciate one of our greatest weaknesses is also
Speaker 1: a strength.
Speaker 2: Well yeah, okay, well I like that take on it,
Speaker 2: of course, and I do want to sing your praises
Speaker 2: another time as far as you caring, but you're by
Speaker 2: far the most compassion one of the most compassionate people,
Speaker 2: and so it makes it easy for guys like me
Speaker 2: or contestants, whatever you want to call it. Whenever you
Speaker 2: do come in with that anxiety, you kind of tamp
Speaker 2: that down a little bit. So we appreciate you. Man.
Speaker 1: It's like it's a weird thing. And I always I
Speaker 1: was always very empathetic because it was interesting that people
Speaker 1: in the control room they're removed, right, they're just looking
Speaker 1: through a monitor and they're they're looking on screen and
Speaker 1: they they they're not going to get dirty, they're not
Speaker 1: going to get oil on them, so it's easy for them.
Speaker 1: And they're in their little earpiece to like or in
Speaker 1: my earpiece to say, hey, say this to Brad or
Speaker 1: make Brad do this, or you know, they're not feeling
Speaker 1: the nerves, the tension, the fear, the excitement, the sorrow,
Speaker 1: all those emotions that I would feel by standing on
Speaker 1: that wet driveway sure as the limos pull up, or
Speaker 1: as a girl just walked through, and you know, there's
Speaker 1: so many things you guys are trying to do that
Speaker 1: gets lost because we're watching the show and we just
Speaker 1: want you guys to you know, you're kind of jumping
Speaker 1: through hoops all that, but you guys are kind of
Speaker 1: serving a lot of masters. And I'm sure you felt this.
Speaker 1: You can speak to this. You wanted to please me,
Speaker 1: you wanted to please the network, You want to make
Speaker 1: sure your family's proud, you want to like you know,
Speaker 1: there's a thousand things other than just I would like
Speaker 1: to find love.
Speaker 2: Well, another thing and the most important thing I'll be
Speaker 2: the first admit again, is I wanted to make a
Speaker 2: good impression on the women. Yeah. I mean, let's face it,
Speaker 2: you guys, there are some amazing I know I use
Speaker 2: that word too much, but there are some amazing women
Speaker 2: that come through that show. And then seeing every single
Speaker 2: one of them get out of the limo and you're thinking, well,
Speaker 2: you know, you almost kind of have imposter syndrome. What
Speaker 2: the hell am I doing here?
Speaker 1: You know, I would think so, of course.
Speaker 2: I mean, I'm standing next I'm not again just building
Speaker 2: you up, but standing next to Chris Harrison. I'm on
Speaker 2: one of the most popular shows on television on one
Speaker 2: of the most popular networks. And then meetings some just beautiful, achieved,
Speaker 2: I guess, motivated women. And so yeah, it was just
Speaker 2: it was really nerve wracking.
Speaker 1: Well, it's hard to understand the power of the mansion.
Speaker 1: The lights. Of course, everything's on you. And then when
Speaker 1: you you know, we talk about it and we get
Speaker 1: you ready and we prepped you and all that, but
Speaker 1: until it's you know, until the director, you know, Fuke
Speaker 1: says all right, you know, roll the first limo in sure,
Speaker 1: and you have that realization of because then I leave
Speaker 1: and you're standing there alone.
Speaker 2: Where'd you go, buddy?
Speaker 1: You're standing there by yourself on that driveway and the
Speaker 1: limo pulls up. You're like, oh shit, right, you see
Speaker 1: the lights, the camera and its action time. That's that's
Speaker 1: a big pill to swallow.
Speaker 2: It is and and but it's so exciting man, and
Speaker 2: and you know, of course I do have some regrets
Speaker 2: just on some of the things I personally did before
Speaker 2: and after the show. But I'm so grateful for that time, man,
Speaker 2: and and the relationships that I made with you and
Speaker 2: some of the girls and some of the producers and everything.
Speaker 2: So yeah, wouldn't have traded anything.
Speaker 1: What regrets before and after, during and after you.
Speaker 2: Know, well, some of the things I say and do.
Speaker 2: I'm a complete idiot, man, I'll be the first to say.
Speaker 2: I mean, we all are it Jesus buddy. But you
Speaker 2: know I didn't carry myself in in ways that I
Speaker 2: normally do back home. I don't know if I got
Speaker 2: up in moments. I don't have specific examples, but I
Speaker 2: really do. It's not like I watch it back, especially now,
Speaker 2: but some of the episodes, I'm thinking that that's not you.
Speaker 2: I don't know if I was trying to put on
Speaker 2: a facade, and because that's typically not like me.
Speaker 1: You know, I don't think you were putting on airs like.
Speaker 1: I never got the feeling you were being disingenuous.
Speaker 2: I hope not.
Speaker 1: But what I think is if I was your therapist,
Speaker 1: and I was for a short.
Speaker 2: Time, yes you were. Yes, you're much appreciate. In fact,
Speaker 2: you still have an invoice to me. Thank you.
Speaker 1: No, what I saw from you is you try so hard.
Speaker 1: You always do this, and this happens in our own
Speaker 1: life when we're at dinner or whatever. You try hard
Speaker 1: to make everybody feel loved and appreciates.
Speaker 2: Man.
Speaker 1: So you know when you were with those women, I
Speaker 1: think again, you were trying to please everybody. You're trying
Speaker 1: to please the camera guy, the audio, you know, the
Speaker 1: producers and take care of these ladies. And I think
Speaker 1: the way that you really have to go through that
Speaker 1: show is you got to be a little selfish.
Speaker 2: You know what. That's a that's an outstanding point, actually,
Speaker 2: And I don't That's one thing I'll give credit for.
Speaker 2: I don't think I have a selfish bone in my body, right,
Speaker 2: And I think a lot of that. I could see
Speaker 2: a lot of that same fear and anxiety and the
Speaker 2: women and come on, man, we're supposed to be protectors
Speaker 2: as men, you know, we just start even if I
Speaker 2: just met these girls, and whether they asked for that
Speaker 2: protection or not, but so a lot of times I
Speaker 2: would I try to make them feel okay, and all
Speaker 2: the time I'm just going absolutely insane inside. But it
Speaker 2: worked out, man, And so maybe, you know, regret might
Speaker 2: be a strong word. I just look back and I wonder,
Speaker 2: you know, what was I thinking at that moment, you know,
Speaker 2: because I was.
Speaker 1: Going to ask you are you were a regret guy.
Speaker 1: I'm not a big regret guy.
Speaker 2: I'm not either. I'm not either. So maybe again that
Speaker 2: might have been the wrong word. So maybe I just
Speaker 2: would have done things differently. I mean, I have the
Speaker 2: benefit of watching it if I want to change anything.
Speaker 1: Well, that's like when you wake up on Monday and
Speaker 1: watch the Sunday football game. It's easy to break down game.
Speaker 2: There you go, it's easy.
Speaker 1: There you go, Monday Morning Quarterback. But that's why the
Speaker 1: show is so great, right, And there's still that audience,
Speaker 1: that insatiable appetite for these reality shows and shows like
Speaker 1: this sure is because we get to judge. I mean,
Speaker 1: you are the Monday Morning quarterback and you get to
Speaker 1: watch Brad Womack and everyone like him, you know, trip
Speaker 1: and fall and make mistakes and find love or not
Speaker 1: find love, and we get to watch that and judge it.
Speaker 2: You know what on that Yeah, that's actually an exciting
Speaker 2: way to put it, you know. And so you're right,
Speaker 2: but sometimes, you know, court of public opinion could be
Speaker 2: really brutal. We all know that. We all know that.
Speaker 2: Just try not pick you get anybody.
Speaker 1: That leads us to Okay, we're in season one, So
Speaker 1: this is two thousand and seven, and it's not like
Speaker 1: we had had a run of great success. It's not
Speaker 1: like we had all these marriages by then. Trista had
Speaker 1: been married. Yeah, yeah, you know, we had gone through
Speaker 1: several seasons where there had been engagements, but nothing hugely successful,
Speaker 1: right other than Tristan Ryan. You're still hanging on.
Speaker 2: To that one the way the best great people.
Speaker 1: It just had her on the podcast not too long ago,
Speaker 1: and it's still like we fall right back into place.
Speaker 1: Like when you come in. It's like there's just certain
Speaker 1: moments in time and certain people from the show where
Speaker 1: I see him and I don't care if I haven't
Speaker 1: seen you for five years, yeah, man or five minutes.
Speaker 1: We're just you just fall right back into it. I agree,
Speaker 1: we're you're concerned percent. When you walked in the door,
Speaker 1: I just you came. You just came to the door.
Speaker 1: By the way, this is only the second home interview
Speaker 1: I've done.
Speaker 2: No kidding, Yeah, oh now I feel I'm damn sure.
Speaker 2: It feels special, taking large part.
Speaker 1: Because no one wants to see me, I think, secondly
Speaker 1: because now I live in Austin. But so Jason Tartick
Speaker 1: was here. Oh nice Jay, Jay did it. And so
Speaker 1: you're you're the second home interview.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I've heard good things about Jason. By the way,
Speaker 2: he's a Nashville guy. Right he is.
Speaker 1: Yeah, he's trying to get out now. So yeah, you're
Speaker 1: you're number two.
Speaker 2: Well, I appreciate the invite very much.
Speaker 1: It's the only way I could get you to come
Speaker 1: out to the house.
Speaker 2: Come on, man, you know when Chris Harris, I think
Speaker 2: I told your producers this whenever they texted me and
Speaker 2: asked me to come on here. But if you asked
Speaker 2: me to do anything, I'm doing it. Period. I mean
Speaker 2: it's it's I'm doing it.
Speaker 1: So I've always been that good.
Speaker 2: Well, no, no, no, no one. I'm not looking for accola
Speaker 2: or a pat on the back. I'm just saying one,
Speaker 2: I know you always come from a good place. And two,
Speaker 2: I just want to see you. I mean, this is
Speaker 2: cool and all. I just want to hang out with you.
Speaker 1: Well, I will tell two stories that will define Brad Womack.
Speaker 1: Uh oh, and I tell these stories all the time.
Speaker 1: You are still the only person who's ever been on
Speaker 1: the show that gave me a parting gift.
Speaker 2: Oh well, thanks man, I mean you never of course
Speaker 2: I do. I'm getting embarrassed, but yeah, what it was,
Speaker 2: I don't remember what it was. I know I gave
Speaker 2: you a gift.
Speaker 1: There was a shirt I love that you had. This
Speaker 1: is okay, this is back before you know, I kept
Speaker 1: wardrobe and all that stuff, and you had a shirt
Speaker 1: and I'm like, god, I love that shirt and you
Speaker 1: wore it maybe a couple of times on the show.
Speaker 1: And clearly, if you're looking at this video, we're not
Speaker 1: the same size. I'm actually a normal sized human. Jesus man,
Speaker 1: you are a bulk of a huge Come on, we'll
Speaker 1: get into that in a minute. Sure, clearly we're not
Speaker 1: the same size. I'm a sh medium and you're an excel.
Speaker 1: So what you did, though, is when the show was over,
Speaker 1: you wrote me a note and you went and bought
Speaker 1: that shirt and you gave it to me. It was
Speaker 1: like this plaid, red and blue shirt, gotcha. And you
Speaker 1: also got something for Carrie Fetman, who should wardrobe, and
Speaker 1: Gina Medica, who has been my longtime makeup artist. And
Speaker 1: to this day, you were the only bachelor or bachelorette
Speaker 1: who has given me a little something, just said just
Speaker 1: to say thank you, even though at the first season
Speaker 1: was a disaster, did go well and it didn't go
Speaker 1: well for you, but you gave me. Now, there is
Speaker 1: one other bachelor and I will not out him.
Speaker 2: Okay, Okay, he did.
Speaker 1: Kind of give me, Carrie and Gina a gift. Okay,
Speaker 1: it was a signed headshot.
Speaker 2: No it wasn't. I know, it wasn't. I shit you not, Brad,
Speaker 2: if I ever give you a head shot much less assign,
Speaker 2: wouldn't punch me in the face.
Speaker 1: Swear to you. Really, it was the weirdest moment. I
Speaker 1: thought it was a joke at first, and then I
Speaker 1: realized there was a note written on it and he
Speaker 1: sincerely gave us a headshot say thank you gift. Well,
Speaker 1: and I thought, you know what, I'm going to take
Speaker 1: the positive here, and he thought of us enough to
Speaker 1: write something on his own photo that he gave. I
Speaker 1: think I still have it. I think I kept it
Speaker 1: in this draw right behind his ear. But so these
Speaker 1: head shots, I don't even know if they still do this.
Speaker 1: But when a bachelor would come in, we do our
Speaker 1: fittings for clothes and all that we have the ABC photographer,
Speaker 1: we would do like a whole press kit. We would
Speaker 1: do photos for you. So if we ever went out
Speaker 1: and you know, did a press meeting or whatever, we'd
Speaker 1: sign you'd had those those head shots and you know,
Speaker 1: it used to be that was kind of a bigger
Speaker 1: deal than you know, again, pre social media, you would
Speaker 1: sign photos. Sure, So that was the only other person
Speaker 1: that's given a gift is was this bachelor who will
Speaker 1: remain nameless. You're welcome, but he gave us signed headshots
Speaker 1: and I'll never forget because he gave it to us.
Speaker 1: And he walked out and Gina and Carrie and I
Speaker 1: were sitting there packing up, and we all just looked
Speaker 1: at each other, like did that just happen?
Speaker 2: That's uh. I feel bad for how I feel inside
Speaker 2: after it was so because I want to think that
Speaker 2: came from a sincere place, but yeah, it was who.
Speaker 1: Knows not great? Do you remember any of the women
Speaker 1: from your first season?
Speaker 2: Could you? I'm not that old, okay, I.
Speaker 1: Think we all know. I think unless you are too
Speaker 1: young and you haven't watched the show, which is shoot good,
Speaker 1: but I could watch it. Deanna pappas of course, Jinny
Speaker 1: Croft where your final two? Who were some other kind
Speaker 1: of stars from that first season? First and foremost man
Speaker 1: who I love still to this day. I love to
Speaker 1: death and deep into the show, Yeah, of course, And
Speaker 1: I mean just an amazing girl. Anyway, did we travel
Speaker 1: at all for that first season?
Speaker 2: Not much. I mean I think I think you guys
Speaker 2: were going through a rough patch.
Speaker 1: Twelve two thousand and seven, we didn't do well. We've
Speaker 1: kind of hadn't gotten to the point where we traveled
Speaker 1: a whole bunch. That was really kind of kickoff in
Speaker 1: Charlie O'Connell's season. Good then, But by the time he
Speaker 1: came back in twenty ten, we did right, We definitely
Speaker 1: traveled well.
Speaker 2: So we went to Cabo in two thousand and seven,
Speaker 2: and I know you know where I'm going with this, right,
Speaker 2: tell the story. I want to sing your praises. I
Speaker 2: always thought highly of you, but this is when I
Speaker 2: knew you were a very real man. If this makes sense.
Speaker 2: So we're in Kabo San Lucas and unfortunately, well let
Speaker 2: me let me back up a little bit. I'll make
Speaker 2: it quick.
Speaker 1: Yeah, no, tell the whole story.
Speaker 2: We had a very rare night out. Yeah, okay, and
Speaker 2: Kabo San Lucas a pretty wild spot. We all know
Speaker 2: that it's fun, but it can get a little rough.
Speaker 1: But this is also before this is kind of old
Speaker 1: school days where there weren't really many rules to our
Speaker 1: production and what I mean say is there's no there
Speaker 1: was no professionalism, there was no line between production casts whatever.
Speaker 2: You know, said yes, okay.
Speaker 1: So that changed dramatically after a huge flame out and
Speaker 1: a big blow up, massive proportions that almost killed the show,
Speaker 1: and you know, people went off to rehab and many
Speaker 1: things happened. But back then, as you know, we would
Speaker 1: wrap for the night and then we would all go out.
Speaker 2: You and clude and man. Yeah, and so we're all
Speaker 2: in a van, yes, and three of the production guys, which,
Speaker 2: by the way, I love that whole cruise.
Speaker 1: So we went to do you remember where we went?
Speaker 2: I think it was squid Row or Giggling Marlin.
Speaker 1: We went to a few plays where it's squid Row.
Speaker 2: Okay, So squid Row is again and there was a
Speaker 2: dust up and and I know it was with three
Speaker 2: of the production guys, and you and I were already
Speaker 2: in the van, right.
Speaker 1: We had left and we had pulled around.
Speaker 2: That's exactly right. And we look over and these guys
Speaker 2: are in in a little dust up with some locals,
Speaker 2: and you said, I'm not going to watch this happen.
Speaker 2: I'm going to get out of the van and help him.
Speaker 2: Of course, I'm going to help him too. We're both
Speaker 2: trying to get after him, and of course it was
Speaker 2: one of the executive producers, but threatened both of us
Speaker 2: with a lawsuit. I don't know if you remember that. Okay, yeah,
Speaker 2: you can get out of the van. You're both going down.
Speaker 1: And we were in like a twelve seater van. Yes,
Speaker 1: we were rows, and you and I were kind of
Speaker 1: two rows back from the door right and we were
Speaker 1: pulling around, you know, from the parking lot because you
Speaker 1: and I were heading back to the hotel. And you
Speaker 1: were the first one that said, oh, ho crap, there's
Speaker 1: a fight, and we're like, I thought it was kind
Speaker 1: of cool at first, and then we saw oh my god,
Speaker 1: that's our crew. Sure, and you know, we think of
Speaker 1: those guys as brothers, family, and so I was like,
Speaker 1: screw that. Stop the car, the guy the driver stops
Speaker 1: the car. Sure, I go to grab the door. I'm
Speaker 1: climbing over the seats, just coming after me, and we're
Speaker 1: like going to jump into this frakas outside of the
Speaker 1: squid row.
Speaker 2: And yes we were.
Speaker 1: And that's when I think it was David David Albrick.
Speaker 2: That it had to have been David, because I mean,
Speaker 2: he made no bones about it.
Speaker 1: And she jumped in front of the door. You cannot
Speaker 1: get out of this van, threatened us and told the
Speaker 1: driver to drive. And we were screaming as we were
Speaker 1: pulling off, trying to get out of the car to
Speaker 1: join this fight with these locals.
Speaker 2: Well, he definitely mentioned a lawsuit and whether it was
Speaker 2: just instill fear. But I got to tell you, man,
Speaker 2: that shows your character that you know, above anything else,
Speaker 2: you are a good friend to people. You care about people.
Speaker 2: And so I tell that story. I've told that story
Speaker 2: a thousand times over. I might embellows it a little bit,
Speaker 2: like I was the first one jumping out of the van.
Speaker 2: I'm kidding, but I held you back.
Speaker 1: But it is funny, Like how funny is that when
Speaker 1: I think about if David hadn't been where he was,
Speaker 1: Like if we had been reversed, if you and I
Speaker 1: had been sitting in the front seat, he had been
Speaker 1: in the back. And there's no reason it wasn't the opposite.
Speaker 1: We just happened to get in the van first and
Speaker 1: you and I hopped in the back. If it had
Speaker 1: been the opposite, you and I. In two thousand and seven, sure,
Speaker 1: the Bachelor and the host. You would have jumped into
Speaker 1: a fight outside squid Rus. Yes, we would have probably
Speaker 1: gotten this kicked out.
Speaker 2: Of course we would have come on, man, I mean,
Speaker 2: neither one. I don't know about you. I can't fight.
Speaker 2: I don't want to fight.
Speaker 1: You and I would have been going at it.
Speaker 2: But it would have made for a good story.
Speaker 1: It would have made I mean, luckily, it makes for
Speaker 1: a good story. And despite the fact of how you
Speaker 1: see me, I've never broken this nose, but that like,
Speaker 1: we came moments away from just being in a full
Speaker 1: out brawl in the streets of Mexico.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean. And again, the takeaway from that story
Speaker 2: is just how much you care for your friends, you know.
Speaker 1: And so I love the crew, and I still have
Speaker 1: friends on the crew and producers as well, and and
Speaker 1: and love them because, as you know, it is very intimate,
Speaker 1: it's very personal. We would travel, you know, we saw marriages, divorces,
Speaker 1: babies being born, people passing away in our lives, and
Speaker 1: you know, we were this it was almost like a
Speaker 1: traveling circus or a rock group that would travel, you know,
Speaker 1: on tour. We were together a lot and alone a lot. Yeah,
Speaker 1: you rely on each other, and so these people meant
Speaker 1: a lot to us all, and he tried to take
Speaker 1: care of him. And even if it was you know,
Speaker 1: after we had way too many tequila shots at squid Row.
Speaker 1: But that was I mean, those were the old days
Speaker 1: where we finished shooting. Remember Cassie was there, he and everybody.
Speaker 1: We were, you know, doing shots and dancing our asses off,
Speaker 1: and we were soaking wet, just sweating and had a blast.
Speaker 1: And then we got up the next day and shot
Speaker 1: more dates.
Speaker 2: Yes we did, Yes, we did. It was a good time, man,
Speaker 2: And so, yeah, you're right. Even in twenty ten it
Speaker 2: changed a little bit. Yeah, I mean I could tell,
Speaker 2: you know, it was like, oh, no, you're not going
Speaker 2: anywhere after we're filming, you know, And so I just
Speaker 2: hid in my little corner and did what I was.
Speaker 1: Well, there was a downtime you mentioned that, and there
Speaker 1: was a downtime in the show where I had heard
Speaker 1: Lloyd Brown actually had canceled the show. Oh, where the
Speaker 1: show was dead and it was not coming back right,
Speaker 1: And partly because they you know, deep down, I think
Speaker 1: they wanted to kill it. They did not like the
Speaker 1: creator of the show. There was all this horribly contentious
Speaker 1: relationship between the network and the production interesting.
Speaker 2: I didn't know that.
Speaker 1: Then they hated each other, okay, and then there was
Speaker 1: me that was like the bastard stepchild, kind of like
Speaker 1: trying to keep everybody happy and trying to be the
Speaker 1: liaison between these two warring factions. And it was really weird.
Speaker 1: But you know, rumor had it that he had canceled
Speaker 1: the show. And then that's when we did Doctor Travis
Speaker 1: Stork and we went to France.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, okay, and we.
Speaker 1: Went to Paris and we're like, screw it, We're just
Speaker 1: gonna go shoot in Paris and spend all the money.
Speaker 1: And then his show did really well, and then the
Speaker 1: next thing, you know, we came back and then there
Speaker 1: was Doctor Andy Baldwin and the show's back. Yeah, and
Speaker 1: you know, in Jake Pavelka and then you know, now
Speaker 1: we've gone for twenty some odd years, but back then
Speaker 1: there was that time when we had really gone high.
Speaker 1: And then because it was a dysfunctional family at the time,
Speaker 1: we were kind of falling apart.
Speaker 2: So you're told, meself, why I was selected. I throw
Speaker 2: anyone in there, it doesn't matter.
Speaker 1: Know what I'm saying is this is what I wanted
Speaker 1: to ask you had to. I know you felt I did.
Speaker 2: That I did, and and that's something yeah, I think
Speaker 2: about often.
Speaker 1: I know there was a couple of executive producers that
Speaker 1: you you know, we will name names, we'll go into
Speaker 1: too many intimate details. But there were some rough nights.
Speaker 2: There you hit the nail on the head. And you know,
Speaker 2: I'll admit there were some times what the hell am
Speaker 2: I putting myself into? You know, like why did I
Speaker 2: even make this decision? I don't have to do this,
Speaker 2: you know, And I try to kind of go with
Speaker 2: the flow a little bit. I was extremely grateful for
Speaker 2: the opportunity, but it sure didn't seem reciprocated. And and
Speaker 2: you could tell, I mean, anybody with half a brain
Speaker 2: could tell that there were a lot of different people
Speaker 2: going in a lot of different directions, you know, and
Speaker 2: and frankly, it didn't seem like anyone cared about the
Speaker 2: actual show, you know. And so I mean, you know,
Speaker 2: you've got a guy, like I said, completely untalented, and
Speaker 2: you know, I'm just trying to do what I'm told.
Speaker 2: But yeah I did. I butted heads with some of
Speaker 2: the producers big time. And on that same note, though
Speaker 2: I fell in love with some of the other producers, right,
Speaker 2: you know.
Speaker 1: And that's the thing is there was this well and
Speaker 1: so back in O seven especially, I was really you know,
Speaker 1: separated from talent from you, you know. I mean we
Speaker 1: were together, we'd go out and stuff like that, but
Speaker 1: as far as the production side of things, I wasn't
Speaker 1: there to protect you. I wasn't there to produce. I
Speaker 1: wasn't even really a producer per se at the time.
Speaker 1: I was just kind of doing what I was told
Speaker 1: by the executive producers that were really running the thing.
Speaker 1: And like you said, then there was this big gap
Speaker 1: between the executive producers at the time and then those
Speaker 1: producers under them, And I think those under them are
Speaker 1: the ones you really found to be lovely and became
Speaker 1: very good friends with, and they were really intimately trying
Speaker 1: to help you. Then there was the executive producers that
Speaker 1: were it was a mess.
Speaker 2: It was rough, man, I mean it was rough. And yeah,
Speaker 2: you know, just uh again, I don't know what to
Speaker 2: expect in that situation. I don't know what I'm getting in,
Speaker 2: would you exactly? And so I'm a little unfair, but
Speaker 2: I mean, hey, look, trust may I'm no one to
Speaker 2: have a victim mentality. It's just I think we made
Speaker 2: it through, and unfortunately it turned out how it did well.
Speaker 1: That was season one, and obviously there is a season
Speaker 1: two to come for you that we didn't know about.
Speaker 1: But at the end of season one, all I remember
Speaker 1: is we get to the end. Yes, and again I'm
Speaker 1: a little bit separated. So when I show up that
Speaker 1: final day, we shoot your final day in Malibu, that's
Speaker 1: how old school the show is. We're still shooting in
Speaker 1: l A. Yeah, sure, we have a beautiful house, noting
Speaker 1: a beautiful house. And I remember showing up that day
Speaker 1: and this is how naive I was back then. I asked,
Speaker 1: Who's who's he gonna propose to? Yeah, that's how out
Speaker 1: of it out of touch?
Speaker 2: Are you kidding me? You didn't know.
Speaker 1: No, I didn't know, because I would, you know. I
Speaker 1: was definitely on a need to know basis back then.
Speaker 1: They they When I say they, I'm talking about there
Speaker 1: are two or three executive producers who were really running
Speaker 1: the show back then. They were uh, control freaks and
Speaker 1: definitely kind of megalomaniacs in their personalities, and they really
Speaker 1: controlled information. That's how they controlled you. That's how they
Speaker 1: controlled the producers under them. That's how they controlled everybody
Speaker 1: h and myself included. That's how they wanted to you know,
Speaker 1: they really wanted to have everybody under their thumb, and
Speaker 1: part of that was by controlling information. And so I
Speaker 1: didn't really know exactly what was going to happen that
Speaker 1: final day.
Speaker 2: Can I ask you something honest question? Yeah, not the
Speaker 2: not the podcast answer, but an honest answer. Really, were
Speaker 2: you disappointed in me that I didn't pick any.
Speaker 1: No, but I was shocked. I told you so when
Speaker 1: we talked that day. So again, if you guys didn't
Speaker 1: remember this season, it was the first time ever that
Speaker 1: a Bachelor didn't choose anybody. At the end of the show.
Speaker 1: It was down to Deanna and Jenny and two lovely women.
Speaker 1: You really appreciate it and like them both. I knew that,
Speaker 1: and Brad Womack didn't choose anybody. Here's what I remember
Speaker 1: about that day. There was a guy named Jason, who
Speaker 1: was Jason Carbone who worked on the show at the time,
Speaker 1: and you were tight with him, and he was working
Speaker 1: with you intimately. And then there were the executive producers,
Speaker 1: and I remember the tension. I remember walking on set
Speaker 1: that day and everybody was really fired up, like what's happening.
Speaker 1: It's supposed to be you know, it's final day. And
Speaker 1: they said, he's not going to choose anybody, but we're
Speaker 1: working on him. We'll get him to flip, We'll get him.
Speaker 1: And I'm like, okay, well, just that sentence alone is
Speaker 1: really left up. Of course, if he doesn't want to
Speaker 1: pick anybody, and we're going to try to convince him
Speaker 1: to do something that he clearly doesn't want to do. Sure,
Speaker 1: we're in a pickle. This is this is not great. Sure,
Speaker 1: and I saw you and you were despondent and definitely
Speaker 1: uh detached.
Speaker 2: Of course. Yeah, can I explain that, Yes, I give
Speaker 2: you my word. This is as sincere as I can be.
Speaker 2: I was thinking more about the girls, and and only
Speaker 2: because I knew I had already dug my grave. Man,
Speaker 2: I mean, I knew this was going to be really bad.
Speaker 2: And again mentioning the producers, they let me know it
Speaker 2: was going to be really bad for me. And it's
Speaker 2: not It's not a good thing to walk into, right,
Speaker 2: but but I swear to God above man thinking about
Speaker 2: both Jenny and Deanna because I did care for both
Speaker 2: of them. They deserved much better than me. But they
Speaker 2: also deserve the truth, right, and so that show unfortunately,
Speaker 2: you know the premise you kinda even if it's involveoluntarily
Speaker 2: lead people on, you just do. Yeah. I never said
Speaker 2: the word I love you to either one of them.
Speaker 2: I was very adamant about that. But anyway, so I
Speaker 2: was thinking about this, and I was really nervous about
Speaker 2: how that would go for those two women. I didn't
Speaker 2: want them to think I was trying to publicly embarrass them. Yeah,
Speaker 2: and again I had, unfortunately producers in my ear kind
Speaker 2: of beating me up a little bit. Oh yeah, normally
Speaker 2: we have a rap party. You're not getting wey, I
Speaker 2: mean telling me that before we're filming.
Speaker 1: With Okay, you're being too nice. I remember, Yeah that day, Yeah,
Speaker 1: there was a knockdown drag out five.
Speaker 2: Yes there was. There was. I'm glad you're bringing that up.
Speaker 2: Yes there was. It was just wild. It's kind of
Speaker 2: Hollywood stuff, you know. And and let's just call it
Speaker 2: the proverbial open checkbook to make me change my mind, right,
Speaker 2: And I'm so glad I have a chance to tell
Speaker 2: people this right now, because i'd hold back. But and
Speaker 2: I very very proudly.
Speaker 1: Declined I've never heard this.
Speaker 2: You didn't know that hand to God. That's a true story, man,
Speaker 2: I believe I'm a hand to God. And and I've
Speaker 2: never heard that story. And and that's it did get.
Speaker 1: I wasn't in the room that day. Yeah, they kept
Speaker 1: oh no, you weren't.
Speaker 2: It was uh, well, you know, yeah, four of the
Speaker 2: it was the four right and and so, and it
Speaker 2: was just one of those things that basically, what will
Speaker 2: it take? And and I'm really proud about that moment.
Speaker 2: But after that, after they knew there was no flipping
Speaker 2: because again I never knew they said, We're going to
Speaker 2: try to flip into you and and so, but it
Speaker 2: got really rough. Man reminded that, you know, I'm nothing
Speaker 2: without the show, and okay, great. I mean, you know,
Speaker 2: one last thing I'll say about that whole situation though,
Speaker 2: in my very initial interview went by the very first
Speaker 2: one in LA and it was all on camera. I
Speaker 2: looked to the camera and I was laughing saying this,
Speaker 2: and I said, I want to say this to the camera.
Speaker 2: I might not be the right guy because if I'm
Speaker 2: not feeling it, I'm not going to pick anybody. And
Speaker 2: I brought that up in that meeting that I was
Speaker 2: telling you about, and I said, please review the tape
Speaker 2: man and so anyway, but yeah, unfortunately they didn't take it. Well.
Speaker 2: I get it, there's you know that show, there's an
Speaker 2: expected ending, But to me, that's real life. I didn't
Speaker 2: go on there to fake it.
Speaker 1: And what when you asked me, was I ever disappointed?
Speaker 1: My answer is absolutely not, because I thought that was
Speaker 1: the most real ending we'd ever had. And that's not
Speaker 1: to say obviously Ryan and Trista and people got married,
Speaker 1: that was very real. But what I mean by that
Speaker 1: is this was the truth, like, this is what happened.
Speaker 1: I never thought the show was successful or that it
Speaker 1: was predicated on the fact that it had to be
Speaker 1: successful in the end. I think the realism is sometimes
Speaker 1: it doesn't work out sure life, and to pretend and
Speaker 1: to have a fake, you know, proposal, which we had
Speaker 1: had up to that point. We had had a few
Speaker 1: couple fake ones. Sure that they just wanted an ending
Speaker 1: and the person felt pressure, probably like you did, and
Speaker 1: they they caved, maybe they took a check, who knows,
Speaker 1: who knows, but at the time they did propose, and
Speaker 1: then you know, they would quickly fall apart and there's
Speaker 1: different reasons for that, right, you want to impress everybody,
Speaker 1: You want to, you know, keep the girl happy, you
Speaker 1: want you know, you you do things for a lot
Speaker 1: of reasons. But in your situation, I thought I had
Speaker 1: no problem with it. My only problem was I really
Speaker 1: liked you as a friend by then, and I was thinking,
Speaker 1: this guy is going to get crushed.
Speaker 2: Oh man, he's.
Speaker 1: Going to get his ass kicked in the court of
Speaker 1: public opinion. And I did, even though you let everybody
Speaker 1: down gently and you were very honest, honest about it. Sure,
Speaker 1: but you got your ass.
Speaker 2: Kicked, buddy. I this is another thing you don't know
Speaker 2: that I'll tell you. I'll tell you how bad it got.
Speaker 2: I can sum it up, you know, about three months
Speaker 2: after that, and I was just getting railed, man, And
Speaker 2: thank god there was no social media then. I can't imagine.
Speaker 2: I mean, I just can't imagine.
Speaker 1: And the show wasn't exactly protecting you because they were
Speaker 1: mad at you.
Speaker 2: Oh no, I mean they And you know, I actually
Speaker 2: kind of understand that I was thrown under the bus
Speaker 2: by the show. But I kind of understand that. I
Speaker 2: get it. I get it, I mean, shield of course,
Speaker 2: but also I mean just call it clickbait for ratings.
Speaker 2: I mean, you know, yeah, he's a terrible persone. I
Speaker 2: get all of that to understand it kind of what
Speaker 2: I signed up for. But about three months into that,
Speaker 2: the the public beating, I lost my voice for like
Speaker 2: eight weeks straight. I couldn't speak, and I mean I
Speaker 2: mean literally had to write.
Speaker 1: Down my stress.
Speaker 2: Stress. Yeah. I would go to every specialist and then
Speaker 2: finally a I went to the therapist and she realized
Speaker 2: there was stress. And I'm kind of embarrassed to a
Speaker 2: bit that because I wish I could say that I
Speaker 2: have such thick skin. Shit. But I mean I lived
Speaker 2: in a high rise, right. People would come to the
Speaker 2: front door, try to get up and just to tell
Speaker 2: me to f off and thank God for security. I mean,
Speaker 2: I'd be at gas stations and sweet looking young girls
Speaker 2: would come up just give me the middle finger walk away.
Speaker 2: True story, yeah, true story.
Speaker 1: So but anyway, it was uh a wild time because
Speaker 1: you know, when anybody says, and I'll defend anybody on
Speaker 1: the show, I don't care who you are, when anybody
Speaker 1: says you signed up for this, sure, yes, technically you
Speaker 1: signed on the dotted line, but there is no way
Speaker 1: that a bar owner from Austin, Texas is in any
Speaker 1: way prepared for what you're going to face and whether
Speaker 1: it was good or bad.
Speaker 2: Well, I agree with that. Man.
Speaker 1: It's like I always say, it's like being shot out
Speaker 1: of a cannon without a net on the other side. Yes, sir,
Speaker 1: you know you No one prepares you to go from
Speaker 1: you know, the concrete cowboy over in Austin to Jimmy
Speaker 1: Kimmel Live, and back then was probably Jay Leno the
Speaker 1: morning shows. You know, like you just you're the Dance
Speaker 1: and Chicken all of a sudden absolute it is. It's
Speaker 1: hard to fathom how much attention you get, especially back
Speaker 1: then before social media, but the interest level was so high.
Speaker 2: Well and on that note, man, you know what's so
Speaker 2: funny and one of the main motivators of me doing
Speaker 2: the show is and now I think you know me
Speaker 2: very well. Now I'm a really shy person. Man, I
Speaker 2: don't like attention you are. Yeah, well, I don't know
Speaker 2: what I'm thinking here knowing.
Speaker 1: You later after the second season, I never I'm like,
Speaker 1: how the hell and why the hell did this guy
Speaker 1: ever do the show?
Speaker 2: I'll tell you why. Man. I was talking about twin
Speaker 2: brother Chad and said before I ever went on and said,
Speaker 2: maybe this is a good way to force me out
Speaker 2: of that box. I mean, I'm in a very social industry,
Speaker 2: meaning bar business and hospitality, and maybe this is a way.
Speaker 2: Maybe that's why I haven't met the right one who knows,
Speaker 2: you know. And so anyway, and we mentioned at the
Speaker 2: beginning of this, I do care what people think. So
Speaker 2: it was a rough time.
Speaker 1: But yeah, it's funny. Your personality is not one that
Speaker 1: I would think because it's not like you have this
Speaker 1: type a overly you're a charismatic guy. But you know,
Speaker 1: when you're in an intimate situation, you're you're fantastic. But
Speaker 1: I get the shyness in you. Surely you're not a
Speaker 1: I want to be in the lifelike kind of g
Speaker 1: I'm still not on social media today.
Speaker 2: I still love that. I think I'm the only dinosaur
Speaker 2: that is never Actually I tried Instagram for about six
Speaker 2: weeks and posted one thing and it made my skin crawl.
Speaker 2: It was so disingenuous.
Speaker 1: God bless you made it out alive, man.
Speaker 2: I mean, I'm telling you. And so anyway, yeah, it
Speaker 2: was just rough just being thrown at that spotlight, especially
Speaker 2: such a negative one.
Speaker 1: Before we go on this episode. What was the reaction
Speaker 1: of Deanna and Jenny when you did? You know, obviously
Speaker 1: in the moment we all watched it on TV. But
Speaker 1: after did you ever talk to them later? Do you
Speaker 1: keep in touch with either one of them?
Speaker 2: You know? I wish I kept in touch, you know
Speaker 2: that when I talked to them after that. The first
Speaker 2: time was when we filmed the first night of my
Speaker 2: second season. Okay, and so many people thought that was scripted.
Speaker 2: I'll tell it it was not there. It was not.
Speaker 1: It was scripted by us. We had planned it clearly,
Speaker 1: of course you did.
Speaker 2: I didn't know it all. And there were a couple of
Speaker 2: times Deonna and I stayed in touch. I really cared
Speaker 2: for her, Yeah, and actually I really cared for Jenny.
Speaker 2: But Deanna and I definitely had a connection and her reaction,
Speaker 2: and in particular, she's a very, very caring human being,
Speaker 2: and from what I know of her, she wears her
Speaker 2: emotions on her sleeve, and I'm saying that in a
Speaker 2: good way. She's not afraid to let you know.
Speaker 1: She went on to be a great bachelorette. Yes, And
Speaker 1: if we talked about Jenny as well, Jenny I think
Speaker 1: was in Arizona and got married kids. I ran into
Speaker 1: her or heard from her not too long ago, and
Speaker 1: actually I hear from Deanna quite often. We still keep
Speaker 1: in touch little bit. You're just like a sweet, sweet woman,
Speaker 1: both of them. Yeah, we really are. This is a
Speaker 1: might be tough and you could take the fifth. You
Speaker 1: do not have to answer this. Tell you how close
Speaker 1: were you to actually proposing, you know? Or was that
Speaker 1: just completely a.
Speaker 2: No, nowhere close? Okay?
Speaker 1: And if it had been, if you had chosen gun
Speaker 1: to your head, sure, were you closer to Deanna or
Speaker 1: Jenny Deanna?
Speaker 2: Hands down?
Speaker 1: I thought so too.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I think that's been publicly said, and I want
Speaker 2: to publicly say it's nothing against Jim. It's just you know,
Speaker 2: you have certain connections. Yeah, I really had feelings for Deanna.
Speaker 1: Y'all are more similar anyway. Your personality is I could
Speaker 1: see that, especially back then.
Speaker 2: She's tough man, she's an obs person. I love that.
Speaker 2: I love when people are very direct, right, you don't
Speaker 2: have to sugarcoat anything with me.
Speaker 1: So, but I kind of had that feeling that if
Speaker 1: it had been somebody, it would have been Dianna. Yep,
Speaker 1: such a tumultuous time after the show. Sure you're getting
Speaker 1: your brains beat in. Sure people are, like you said,
Speaker 1: coming to the door of your condo, and sure coming
Speaker 1: after you. And you decide, m h, I'll do this again.
Speaker 2: I knew where this was going and and I'm actually
Speaker 2: happy to say this. I give you my word. I
Speaker 2: mean this. I believe in that show. I believe in
Speaker 2: that show, and I believe and I'm not a guy
Speaker 2: that needs redemption for anything. I think life happens how
Speaker 2: it should man, And and I really really really derailed
Speaker 2: my life in that in the first season. But yes,
Speaker 2: I did do it again because you know, I believe
Speaker 2: in second chances. But again, it wasn't redemption at all.
Speaker 2: It was I believe in the possibility of seeing that
Speaker 2: one person that it just gives you that spark and
Speaker 2: it's fun and it's it's exciting. You know.
Speaker 1: Well, there was a season two of The Batchel with
Speaker 1: Brad Womack. What in the world was he thinking? How
Speaker 1: did it turn out? And what's he up to now?
Speaker 1: Is he still single? Business wise? How is life for
Speaker 1: Brad Womack? That will be in our next episode. Thank
Speaker 1: you were the Bachelor twice you get two episodes of
Speaker 1: the most dramatic podcast ever. Has there ever been a
Speaker 1: more appropriate reason to have two episodes? We'll see you
Speaker 1: next time. Thank you, buddy, Thanks for listening. Follow us
Speaker 1: on Instagram at the Most Dramatic Pod Ever, and make
Speaker 1: sure to write us a review and leave us five stars.
Speaker 1: I'll talk to you next time.