1
00:00:00,720 --> 00:00:03,760
Speaker 1: This is the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous podcast

2
00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:10,480
Speaker 1: with IR Radio. Hey, Almost Famous nation. Ben is still away,

3
00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:13,440
Speaker 1: but we got breaking news. So who's going to break

4
00:00:13,520 --> 00:00:16,160
Speaker 1: down the breaking news with me? The guy that sleeps

5
00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:18,480
Speaker 1: in the same bed with her, which is why I'm here. Ni,

6
00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:21,960
Speaker 1: So I was the easier. They were like, who can

7
00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:25,920
Speaker 1: we get? Actually, look to your left, get that guy. Well,

8
00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:28,800
Speaker 1: here he is. Because I can't break news on myself.

9
00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:31,080
Speaker 1: Everybody knows I'm very awkward if I have to like

10
00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:33,280
Speaker 1: it to myself. No, no no, no, no, I can break

11
00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:36,199
Speaker 1: the news down, baby, I'm saying that. Like you know,

12
00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:37,879
Speaker 1: I can't talk to myself, so I need to have

13
00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:43,440
Speaker 1: somebody here to talk about things too. But Ben and you,

14
00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:45,200
Speaker 1: you could just get out on a mic with nobody

15
00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:47,600
Speaker 1: else listening and just sound normal. Yeah, I mean we

16
00:00:47,600 --> 00:00:50,920
Speaker 1: talk to ourselves constantly. Well, I'll say that you do

17
00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:53,680
Speaker 1: feel a lot more comfortable talking to yourself around the

18
00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:56,800
Speaker 1: house than I in the house, out of the house, anywhere.

19
00:00:56,840 --> 00:00:58,360
Speaker 1: I talk to myself all the time. So if you

20
00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:00,600
Speaker 1: just put a mic on me, I'll have a phone conversation.

21
00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:05,480
Speaker 1: We're burying the lead here. So we're here because Bachelor

22
00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:09,000
Speaker 1: creator Mike Fleiss is parting ways with the franchise after

23
00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:13,039
Speaker 1: more than two decades. That is right, Bachelor creator Mike

24
00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:18,280
Speaker 1: Fleiss is parting ways. So let me read the Variety

25
00:01:18,440 --> 00:01:21,000
Speaker 1: article really quick. We don't get a ton of detail

26
00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:24,520
Speaker 1: in it, and every article out there basically uses the

27
00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:27,880
Speaker 1: exact same quotes and the information. There's not a lot

28
00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:32,560
Speaker 1: of detail. Bachelor creator Mike Fleis is parting ways with

29
00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:36,800
Speaker 1: the mega dating franchise he launched more than two decades ago.

30
00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:41,800
Speaker 1: Flights will be replaced by new showrunners Claire Freeland, Jason

31
00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:45,440
Speaker 1: Erlick and Bennett. You know, Bennett's a great friend of mine,

32
00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:47,160
Speaker 1: and I have no idea how to say his last

33
00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:53,440
Speaker 1: name Grabner. I don't know, Anne, It's Bennett, and we're

34
00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:57,000
Speaker 1: very happy for Bennett. But yeah, so they've all had

35
00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:00,480
Speaker 1: long term ties to The Bachelor. Jared and I know

36
00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:03,960
Speaker 1: firsthand that Bennett is the one that has been the

37
00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:08,240
Speaker 1: most involved with the American version of The Bachelor for

38
00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:12,600
Speaker 1: the longest, non interrupted time. He has been there since

39
00:02:12,639 --> 00:02:16,520
Speaker 1: we began. So Mike Fleis is walking away or parting

40
00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:19,600
Speaker 1: ways with The Bachelor. What's crazy about this article? It

41
00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:22,160
Speaker 1: says nearly fifty five seasons of the collective shows have

42
00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:25,200
Speaker 1: all been created by Flis. What Bachelor shows have not

43
00:02:25,400 --> 00:02:28,359
Speaker 1: been created by Fliz? I don't even know, Yell. I

44
00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:31,400
Speaker 1: believe that they all have so obviously the fact that

45
00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:34,839
Speaker 1: the franchise is moving forward, Charity season is filming right now,

46
00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:38,640
Speaker 1: Paradise has already been announced, and I would imagine that

47
00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:41,239
Speaker 1: The Bachelor is going to be picked up once again,

48
00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:45,720
Speaker 1: Fleiss said, first and foremost congratulations are in order for

49
00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:48,520
Speaker 1: Zach and Katie. I wish them a long and happy

50
00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:52,280
Speaker 1: life together. I want to thank wb TV and ABC

51
00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:55,400
Speaker 1: for twenty one extraordinary years. They found the perfect creative

52
00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:58,240
Speaker 1: team for me to entrust the Bachelor franchise and keep

53
00:02:58,280 --> 00:03:01,440
Speaker 1: this lightning in a bottle bold and moving forward. Let

54
00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:04,640
Speaker 1: the journey continue, Those with l said. He said it

55
00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:09,919
Speaker 1: in a statement directly to Variety. The man is most

56
00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:13,799
Speaker 1: known for his tweets. He's not most known for his tweets,

57
00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:16,320
Speaker 1: but he is very well known for his tweets because

58
00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:19,080
Speaker 1: he's always teasing that something very very dramatic is going

59
00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:21,800
Speaker 1: to happen, and then like nothing really super dramatic happens,

60
00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:24,840
Speaker 1: or he says a good, big, huge news, So we

61
00:03:24,919 --> 00:03:27,480
Speaker 1: will be missing those big teas. I mean, he might

62
00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:30,120
Speaker 1: still do those who knows he's not deleting his Twitter.

63
00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:33,680
Speaker 1: I was surprised that he didn't announce this in a tweet.

64
00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:36,000
Speaker 1: I mean, I've no idea if he did or not.

65
00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:38,640
Speaker 1: I imagine not if he's setting out a statement right now.

66
00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:43,160
Speaker 1: But I think that the show's not going to I mean,

67
00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:45,120
Speaker 1: I guess we'll find out if we see any changes

68
00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:49,240
Speaker 1: in the show. You know, they even say in this

69
00:03:49,320 --> 00:03:51,200
Speaker 1: article that he hasn't been really a part of the

70
00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:53,960
Speaker 1: day and day for over a decade. For over a decade,

71
00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:57,560
Speaker 1: so you know, I don't think that much is going

72
00:03:57,600 --> 00:03:59,760
Speaker 1: to change with the show. But Fleiss, I mean, let's

73
00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:02,360
Speaker 1: be on his flace created. He created one of the

74
00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:06,960
Speaker 1: most polarizing and popular reality TV shows that have ever

75
00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:10,000
Speaker 1: hit airways. So and Mike, if you are listening to this,

76
00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:13,680
Speaker 1: we are grateful that you created this show, because if

77
00:04:13,680 --> 00:04:17,880
Speaker 1: you didn't, then Jared and I really probably wouldn't have met. Yeah,

78
00:04:17,920 --> 00:04:20,400
Speaker 1: have our family our whole life now. So we are

79
00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:24,400
Speaker 1: very grateful for your craft. Well we were never We

80
00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:26,599
Speaker 1: never interacted with Mike all that much. They would be

81
00:04:26,680 --> 00:04:28,880
Speaker 1: kind of I remember seeing him for the first time.

82
00:04:28,920 --> 00:04:31,599
Speaker 1: I think it. He might have showed up at the mansion.

83
00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:33,640
Speaker 1: I can't really remember, but he would always wear philp

84
00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:35,800
Speaker 1: flops and like this Tommy Bahama shirt, and I'm like,

85
00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:38,159
Speaker 1: I thought that he was always in black with his

86
00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:40,840
Speaker 1: tinted sunglasses. That's what I always think of. And when

87
00:04:40,839 --> 00:04:43,279
Speaker 1: you look at him up online. Oh no, I remember,

88
00:04:43,640 --> 00:04:45,440
Speaker 1: I remember Phili flops. That's what I remember. I don't

89
00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:47,480
Speaker 1: know why that stuck in my head, but I remember

90
00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:50,640
Speaker 1: somebody saying like, oh, that's that's my place. He is

91
00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:52,880
Speaker 1: the guy I was like, oh my god, especially when

92
00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:54,560
Speaker 1: you first cast it on the show and you're filming

93
00:04:54,600 --> 00:04:56,760
Speaker 1: and you know, it's so nerve wracking, and so we

94
00:04:56,839 --> 00:04:59,360
Speaker 1: never had too many interactions with Mike, but I remember.

95
00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:02,080
Speaker 1: That's where I'm meeting up to, is that this past

96
00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:05,000
Speaker 1: season of Paradise that Ashley and I had the opportunity

97
00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:07,080
Speaker 1: to go on, we were walking to an interview and

98
00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:10,200
Speaker 1: we saw Mike with his family, and it's always nerve

99
00:05:10,240 --> 00:05:13,480
Speaker 1: wracking because he's not our boss, obviously, but also he's

100
00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:17,599
Speaker 1: the guy that like is obviously giving like a saying yeah, okay,

101
00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:19,599
Speaker 1: you can have Ashley and Jared back, which we're always

102
00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:21,559
Speaker 1: super grateful for us, so it's like, oh my god,

103
00:05:21,640 --> 00:05:25,599
Speaker 1: like this is weird. And then me but we had

104
00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:27,359
Speaker 1: such a pleasant car He came up. You know, we

105
00:05:27,360 --> 00:05:30,480
Speaker 1: said hi, and he knew who We were very grateful

106
00:05:30,520 --> 00:05:34,120
Speaker 1: to have you guys, like really, thank you so much. Yeah,

107
00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:35,960
Speaker 1: it was a really nice interaction. He said that, you know,

108
00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:38,280
Speaker 1: he thanked us for everything we've done for the franchise,

109
00:05:38,360 --> 00:05:40,240
Speaker 1: and it's like, ah, you don't need to thank us,

110
00:05:40,680 --> 00:05:42,719
Speaker 1: but that means the world to us. So thank you,

111
00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:47,000
Speaker 1: because you know, we don't know if he cares who

112
00:05:47,040 --> 00:05:50,040
Speaker 1: we are, but he did. What Let's talk about how

113
00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:53,880
Speaker 1: his departure will impact the show, because you know, it

114
00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:56,320
Speaker 1: says he didn't have a like day to day hands

115
00:05:56,360 --> 00:06:01,080
Speaker 1: on create. It wasn't a day to day producing that

116
00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:05,159
Speaker 1: he was, although was he considered the show runner. This

117
00:06:05,279 --> 00:06:11,320
Speaker 1: is what we understand from just other producers and all

118
00:06:11,320 --> 00:06:14,440
Speaker 1: the seasons that we were involved in. It was that

119
00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:17,240
Speaker 1: he had the ultimate say in a lot of the

120
00:06:17,279 --> 00:06:22,040
Speaker 1: big decisions, most notably who would become the lead. And

121
00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:24,920
Speaker 1: then he'd show up two things like tell alls and

122
00:06:25,040 --> 00:06:27,280
Speaker 1: he'd make a visit to the mansion a couple of

123
00:06:27,320 --> 00:06:31,279
Speaker 1: times a season. It's not creating storyline, so like that,

124
00:06:31,480 --> 00:06:34,080
Speaker 1: So I would imagine, how do we think him leaving

125
00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:36,040
Speaker 1: will affect the show. I do think it's gonna be

126
00:06:36,240 --> 00:06:39,479
Speaker 1: I think it's going to affect a lead choice, especially,

127
00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:41,120
Speaker 1: I think it's gonna affect the lead choice. I'm just

128
00:06:41,160 --> 00:06:43,799
Speaker 1: gonna kind of leave it at that. Yeah, it could.

129
00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:49,040
Speaker 1: But also I'm imagining it's not Flice. I would imagine

130
00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:51,599
Speaker 1: that Flice over the years hasn't come in and be like,

131
00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:53,720
Speaker 1: I want this person to be the Bachelor, and that's that.

132
00:06:53,839 --> 00:06:56,760
Speaker 1: I'm sure that just like any business these you know,

133
00:06:56,800 --> 00:06:59,000
Speaker 1: a lot of the producers have brought him options and

134
00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:01,599
Speaker 1: saying okay, well down to so you know this person,

135
00:07:01,720 --> 00:07:04,280
Speaker 1: that person, and this person, and like, we think that

136
00:07:04,279 --> 00:07:06,120
Speaker 1: this person could be really good here, but we also

137
00:07:06,160 --> 00:07:08,200
Speaker 1: think that that person could do really well here, and

138
00:07:08,200 --> 00:07:11,480
Speaker 1: then he probably makes the ultimate decision. So I don't know.

139
00:07:11,560 --> 00:07:13,480
Speaker 1: That's why I think I think the ultimate decision might

140
00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:15,720
Speaker 1: be changed because I think if you were to look

141
00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:19,880
Speaker 1: at like the possible batches from the from Clayton the

142
00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:24,000
Speaker 1: Zach eras, I think you look at the lead choices

143
00:07:24,040 --> 00:07:26,280
Speaker 1: and you're you definitely think that Zach could be like

144
00:07:26,400 --> 00:07:29,000
Speaker 1: in the bunch of contenders. But you also think that

145
00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:31,360
Speaker 1: Zach's not the one that gets chosen of the contenders.

146
00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:34,920
Speaker 1: I think that he's the one that made those choices. Yeah,

147
00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:37,760
Speaker 1: I mean honestly, I guess time will tell, you know,

148
00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:41,280
Speaker 1: watching the show and see if we as an audience

149
00:07:41,440 --> 00:07:44,280
Speaker 1: notice anything different with it now that the creators stepped aside.

150
00:07:44,400 --> 00:07:49,640
Speaker 1: My assumption would be, I don't know what my assumption is.

151
00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:52,400
Speaker 1: I guess we'll find out. Twice leaving could mean lots

152
00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:55,120
Speaker 1: of things. Yeah, but I think the most important thing,

153
00:07:55,440 --> 00:07:58,240
Speaker 1: or not the most important thing. But like, my lasting

154
00:07:58,280 --> 00:08:01,680
Speaker 1: impression of Flice leaving is that it really is a

155
00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:05,200
Speaker 1: changing of the guard almost because even though he hasn't

156
00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:13,840
Speaker 1: been involved, Like Flice created The Bachelor. That's crazy. Imagine

157
00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:16,600
Speaker 1: being Imagine meeting someone and be like, yeah, I am

158
00:08:16,640 --> 00:08:20,480
Speaker 1: created survivor. Like huh mean you created it? And really

159
00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:22,960
Speaker 1: I thought of it and then I made it happen. Yeah,

160
00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:24,880
Speaker 1: that's what Mike Flie can say for the rest of

161
00:08:24,880 --> 00:08:27,800
Speaker 1: his life, be like, yeah, you know the show The Bachelor, Yeah, yeah,

162
00:08:27,800 --> 00:08:31,160
Speaker 1: I created that. Yeah. So what was he known as

163
00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:33,520
Speaker 1: do we think? Was it executive producer? And now he's

164
00:08:33,520 --> 00:08:37,400
Speaker 1: not executive producers? I have no idea. It says creator,

165
00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:40,840
Speaker 1: so whatever that means, okay, but it's will forever be

166
00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:43,640
Speaker 1: the creator. So you can't like step down as creator.

167
00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:46,480
Speaker 1: Well yeah, I guess it can't be former creators. So

168
00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:49,520
Speaker 1: I don't know what exactly he's stepping down as because

169
00:08:49,559 --> 00:08:52,720
Speaker 1: like he said, it's just it's as creator. It doesn't

170
00:08:52,720 --> 00:08:54,960
Speaker 1: say that and his hands on and he hasn't been

171
00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:57,600
Speaker 1: hands on, so maybe he wasn't. Again, I think that

172
00:08:57,640 --> 00:09:03,520
Speaker 1: he was just executive decision maker and that's what we'll

173
00:09:03,559 --> 00:09:08,439
Speaker 1: be changing. So whether that's lead choices or whether that

174
00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:12,520
Speaker 1: is what other what other things could possibly be changed?

175
00:09:13,840 --> 00:09:17,679
Speaker 1: Maybe I think everybody really talks about lead choices and

176
00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:20,040
Speaker 1: Cassie well, of course, because those are the biggest decision

177
00:09:20,040 --> 00:09:21,880
Speaker 1: to be made, who's going to be the Bachelor of

178
00:09:21,920 --> 00:09:25,320
Speaker 1: the Bachelor, Like you know, should we travel here, we

179
00:09:25,600 --> 00:09:28,080
Speaker 1: travel there? Those are all minute decisions, Like the biggest

180
00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:30,400
Speaker 1: decision is who's going to be the lead. So yeah,

181
00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:32,360
Speaker 1: I mean flights leaving, We'll see if we notice any

182
00:09:32,440 --> 00:09:35,320
Speaker 1: changes with the show. But then also, like Fly said

183
00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:37,520
Speaker 1: and this in this article said, it seems like the

184
00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:39,680
Speaker 1: show's in really good hands. Now, I don't know two

185
00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:41,880
Speaker 1: of the three producers, but the one producer that we

186
00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:44,720
Speaker 1: do know personally is so good at his job, and

187
00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:47,920
Speaker 1: I have no doubt that he's going to continue creating

188
00:09:48,559 --> 00:09:51,160
Speaker 1: a great show for all of us to watch. YEP,

189
00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:54,120
Speaker 1: but I agree. I agree. Well, thank you Jared for

190
00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:58,760
Speaker 1: you know, being so wonderful and articulate and feelings better

191
00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:02,319
Speaker 1: than I could. Ever, that's very wrong. It's not wrong.

192
00:10:02,360 --> 00:10:03,920
Speaker 1: I don't know where you come from. I think you're

193
00:10:03,960 --> 00:10:05,199
Speaker 1: just trying to be nice, and you said that, but

194
00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:10,720
Speaker 1: I'm not. I just say things, and it's just to

195
00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:13,040
Speaker 1: say it's just to make noise. That's what I do

196
00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:15,720
Speaker 1: on these podcasts. I just say things to make noise

197
00:10:16,200 --> 00:10:19,640
Speaker 1: and then hopefully sometimes it makes sense. Love you guys. Bye.

198
00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:24,640
Speaker 1: Follow the Benn and Ashley I Almost Famous podcasts on iHeartRadio,

199
00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:27,240
Speaker 1: or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.