WEBVTT - EXCLUSIVE: Blake Horstmann Interview, Part 1 0:00:02.000 --> 0:00:04.920 Hey guys, and welcome back to Bachelor Happy Hour. I'm 0:00:05.000 --> 0:00:07.920 Rachel and I'm here of course with none other than Alan, 0:00:08.560 --> 0:00:11.039 and we have a great podcast for you today. We 0:00:11.680 --> 0:00:13.880 really do. And I know, I know we say this 0:00:13.920 --> 0:00:16.239 every week. We're like Chris Harrison, right, how Chris we are? 0:00:16.280 --> 0:00:20.079 Harrison says the most dramatic rose ceremony ever or finale ever. 0:00:20.520 --> 0:00:24.640 But this really is a great podcast because we have 0:00:24.760 --> 0:00:26.439 Blake here. We had Dean last week, so thank you 0:00:26.480 --> 0:00:28.400 so much for tuning in last week. But this week 0:00:28.520 --> 0:00:31.680 with Blake is going to be good. Yeah, this is 0:00:31.720 --> 0:00:35.559 a really big week because, unfortunately, to the dismay of 0:00:35.640 --> 0:00:38.599 Bachelor Nation, we saw the end of Paradise. But at 0:00:38.640 --> 0:00:42.120 the same time we saw three engagements, which I don't 0:00:42.120 --> 0:00:44.400 know is that on par Is That a record? Because 0:00:44.720 --> 0:00:47.960 I have to admit this, I've actually never finished a 0:00:48.000 --> 0:00:51.519 full season of Bachelor in Paradise. This is the first 0:00:51.560 --> 0:00:54.320 time I have watched beginning to end. So of course 0:00:54.520 --> 0:00:56.120 this is why I have so many opinions, because I've 0:00:56.120 --> 0:00:58.240 seen it in a way I've never seen before. But 0:00:58.360 --> 0:01:02.160 at the same time, things come in three right engagements. 0:01:02.720 --> 0:01:05.559 We saw the inn of Paradise, but we also got 0:01:05.760 --> 0:01:08.920 a new bachelor, a new bachelor, and let's go right there. 0:01:09.000 --> 0:01:11.679 Let's just go with that, all right, go ahead, because 0:01:11.760 --> 0:01:14.160 you know I'm pumped that Peter is a new bachelor. 0:01:14.200 --> 0:01:16.560 I've been rooting for him from the get go. But 0:01:16.680 --> 0:01:20.400 you we're hoping for someone else. So tell me, Rachel, 0:01:20.800 --> 0:01:23.199 Pretend I'm your therapist here. Tell me what's how you're feeling. 0:01:23.920 --> 0:01:29.720 I fell asleep for a second when you're talking about man. Okay, 0:01:30.000 --> 0:01:33.520 in all honesty, I'm saying is I'm joking. Remember compliment sandwich. 0:01:34.000 --> 0:01:38.080 I think Peter seems like a super sweet guy. He's 0:01:38.120 --> 0:01:41.560 an attractive guy. He seems to be easygoing and fun loving. 0:01:41.800 --> 0:01:43.679 And I am not saying that he won't be a 0:01:43.680 --> 0:01:47.840 great bachelor. Not my issue. Um, but I have to 0:01:47.840 --> 0:01:50.720 say that I'll be watching this season through a lens 0:01:50.760 --> 0:01:55.560 of sadness because I know people will jump on me 0:01:55.560 --> 0:01:57.360 and they're going to interpret this whole thing that I'm 0:01:57.360 --> 0:02:00.600 against Peter, and I'm not. It's it's honestly, it's not 0:02:00.640 --> 0:02:04.160 about Peter. For me, it's truly bigger than Peter because, 0:02:04.880 --> 0:02:07.240 as I've said multiple times, whether it be on this 0:02:07.280 --> 0:02:11.640 podcast or in some other form of media, Mike Johnson 0:02:11.880 --> 0:02:15.040 should have been the Bachelor of season twenty four period. 0:02:15.680 --> 0:02:19.640 That's my opinion. It's time. It's bigger than a Peter. 0:02:20.080 --> 0:02:24.080 We have seen so many seasons of Peters, and I 0:02:24.160 --> 0:02:26.720 just feel like now it's the time for something different. 0:02:27.040 --> 0:02:29.880 But I will say, I'm going to assume that if 0:02:29.960 --> 0:02:34.800 Mike wasn't chosen, there's a reason. I'm gonna go ahead 0:02:34.840 --> 0:02:36.920 and say that. I'm gonna admit that if I don't 0:02:36.919 --> 0:02:39.600 know what that reason is, but if he wasn't chosen, 0:02:39.760 --> 0:02:43.119 from the friendships and what I know about production, there 0:02:43.160 --> 0:02:45.320 has to be some good reason why they chose not 0:02:45.400 --> 0:02:47.800 to pick him. But I feel like there is a 0:02:47.840 --> 0:02:50.160 bigger problem here, and there's a bigger issue, and I 0:02:50.200 --> 0:02:52.880 can't excuse it, and I can't look past it. This 0:02:52.960 --> 0:02:57.520 show has been on for seventeen years and in twenty nineteen, 0:02:57.639 --> 0:03:01.880 it disappoints me that the Bachelor franchise does not reflect reality. 0:03:02.480 --> 0:03:04.760 It's not reflective of what the real world looks like 0:03:04.880 --> 0:03:08.079 or what real life relationships look like. And I can 0:03:08.120 --> 0:03:10.800 go beyond color, I can talk about the way people look, 0:03:11.440 --> 0:03:15.919 you know, ages whatever it doesn't it isn't reflective of that. 0:03:16.000 --> 0:03:18.600 And I personally don't feel like I want to watch 0:03:18.600 --> 0:03:23.480 another season where you know, the same people make it 0:03:23.480 --> 0:03:25.880 as far as they do, the leads look the same way. 0:03:26.360 --> 0:03:29.280 You have, certain people make it to a certain point 0:03:29.400 --> 0:03:32.040 to fill a quota, and I just don't want to 0:03:32.040 --> 0:03:35.120 watch another season that caters to one specific audience and 0:03:35.200 --> 0:03:37.880 just isn't reflective of what the real world looks like. 0:03:38.840 --> 0:03:42.040 And to be honest, I'm bored. I'm not necessarily bored 0:03:42.040 --> 0:03:44.560 with the drama, because I think Hannah had an entertaining 0:03:44.560 --> 0:03:47.400 season and so did Colton, but I'm bored with the 0:03:47.480 --> 0:03:50.040 cast and I'm bored with the way they look like. 0:03:50.360 --> 0:03:56.040 And I'm sorry, Vanilla isn't the only dessert that's out 0:03:56.040 --> 0:03:59.480 there flavor of dessert, and white isn't the only color 0:03:59.520 --> 0:04:02.800 in the crayon box. But if you watch Bachelor Nation 0:04:03.000 --> 0:04:05.760 Bachelor franchise, that is what we see when it pertains 0:04:05.800 --> 0:04:10.920 two leads, And I think my biggest thing is that 0:04:10.960 --> 0:04:15.720 the system isn't working. And that's what's upsetting to me, because, 0:04:16.120 --> 0:04:19.599 as I said, I have friends in production, I don't 0:04:19.920 --> 0:04:23.440 I don't have anything negative to say about the franchise 0:04:24.200 --> 0:04:27.599 in that sense, but you have to admit that and 0:04:27.640 --> 0:04:29.560 I think that they want to see a person of 0:04:29.600 --> 0:04:33.360 color as the lead. But whatever, but the system as 0:04:33.360 --> 0:04:36.560 it stands isn't working to put a person in place. 0:04:36.720 --> 0:04:38.560 And this is the thing, it's a weird thing, because 0:04:38.560 --> 0:04:42.520 you're right, with Peter being the Bachelor, we probably will 0:04:42.520 --> 0:04:44.920 see similar girls from past seasons make it far, and 0:04:44.960 --> 0:04:47.479 whoever makes it far becomes the next lead, right, And 0:04:47.480 --> 0:04:50.839 it's a cycle, right, like you're saying, So someone who's 0:04:50.880 --> 0:04:53.840 different needs to make it far in order to be considered. 0:04:54.520 --> 0:04:58.400 And unfortunately, I just don't think Mike made it far enough. 0:04:58.960 --> 0:05:01.359 Well you can't that because he made it farther than Hannah, 0:05:01.360 --> 0:05:02.880 and Hannah got to become the lead. And I didn't 0:05:02.880 --> 0:05:05.800 think Hannah should have been the lead. But and I agree, well, 0:05:05.839 --> 0:05:07.839 but for different reasons, because I just wanted somebody who 0:05:07.880 --> 0:05:09.640 was older, and I thought that they should just go 0:05:09.680 --> 0:05:12.320 back and do what they haven't done in a bauchlor 0:05:12.360 --> 0:05:15.200 Rest season, what we've seen for Bachelor's seasons. But in yeah, 0:05:15.240 --> 0:05:17.159 we liked Hannah as a lead. Yeah, when she was chosen, 0:05:17.160 --> 0:05:19.560 we were like everybody was. And if you if you 0:05:19.600 --> 0:05:22.840 say different, you're lying. But I think, like I said, 0:05:22.880 --> 0:05:25.040 with Mike, I'm assuming if he wasn't the lead, there 0:05:25.160 --> 0:05:27.720 is some reason for that. I get it. I want 0:05:27.760 --> 0:05:29.599 to talk about it from a bigger issue, and I 0:05:29.720 --> 0:05:32.200 just feel like I don't want to hear anything about 0:05:32.240 --> 0:05:35.680 the process and in picking the lead because I have 0:05:35.839 --> 0:05:39.960 watched over these last three years the franchise for quote 0:05:40.040 --> 0:05:43.000 unquote break the rules. Okay, now, granted I started just 0:05:43.040 --> 0:05:45.480 watching this show three years ago, so there's also that, 0:05:46.080 --> 0:05:49.920 but they broke the rules in Nick Vile season, Ari season, 0:05:50.120 --> 0:05:52.560 and in Hannah b season, and then they changed the 0:05:52.640 --> 0:05:56.680 rules for Colton's season. Nick wasn't from the season before 0:05:56.880 --> 0:05:59.839 they went back years in Picnic. Same thing they did 0:05:59.880 --> 0:06:02.920 for Ari. They broke the mold with Hannah Bee because 0:06:02.960 --> 0:06:06.320 they didn't pick somebody out of the top four. I 0:06:06.360 --> 0:06:09.239 don't know what she was, eight nine, seven, tenth something. 0:06:09.279 --> 0:06:10.640 She wasn't in the top four. She didn't make it 0:06:10.720 --> 0:06:13.680 to hometowns. With Colton, they changed the rules because he 0:06:13.760 --> 0:06:18.120 jumped fence through a fit and basically got to do 0:06:18.160 --> 0:06:20.000 it his way to get the girl that he wanted, 0:06:20.040 --> 0:06:22.599 which worked out for him. And I think the best 0:06:22.640 --> 0:06:25.200 example and this is what I will hang my hat on, 0:06:25.520 --> 0:06:28.360 and the franchise has given me a scapegoat for it 0:06:28.400 --> 0:06:32.960 is the Demi Christian situation, because I am all for 0:06:33.400 --> 0:06:36.200 Demi and Christian and their relationship, and I think it 0:06:36.360 --> 0:06:38.640 is very reflective to the argument that I'm making of 0:06:38.640 --> 0:06:42.360 what the real world looks like. Same sex relationships are prevalent, 0:06:42.600 --> 0:06:44.719 they are real, and they happen all the time, and 0:06:44.760 --> 0:06:48.560 I think it was beautiful that the franchise highlighted that. However, 0:06:48.920 --> 0:06:52.599 the franchise broke the rules to highlight that they brought 0:06:52.640 --> 0:06:56.520 somebody who has never been a cast member into the 0:06:56.560 --> 0:06:59.920 franchise to reflect this, because otherwise we wouldn't have seen it. 0:07:00.000 --> 0:07:02.680 And people are praising it and they're excited about and 0:07:02.680 --> 0:07:06.279 they're happy about it. So my thing is, why can't 0:07:06.320 --> 0:07:10.080 you break the rules again to bring an outsider in 0:07:10.080 --> 0:07:14.840 the franchise to demonstrate having a person of color as 0:07:14.880 --> 0:07:17.480 the lead. And I don't mean black because I'm black. 0:07:17.520 --> 0:07:19.679 I'm talking. It could be Indian, it could be Asian. 0:07:20.760 --> 0:07:23.000 I'm not going to Cali one baffalo because it was 0:07:23.040 --> 0:07:25.920 just such a disaster. Back in the day, they used 0:07:25.960 --> 0:07:28.680 to interview people as the lead, So why are we 0:07:28.720 --> 0:07:31.080 not doing that again? If you really want to see 0:07:31.120 --> 0:07:33.880 a person of color in that role then freaking start 0:07:33.920 --> 0:07:36.560 interviewing people, because we can all admit that the system 0:07:36.640 --> 0:07:39.360 as is is absolutely not working and I need to 0:07:39.360 --> 0:07:41.760 interview people. Sorry, I just don't. So when they would 0:07:41.760 --> 0:07:43.920 bring people in as the lead, they didn't come from 0:07:43.920 --> 0:07:46.560 the past season. Necessarily for the women they did, but 0:07:46.640 --> 0:07:49.640 for the men, they would interview people. They would interview 0:07:49.720 --> 0:07:52.600 leads to come like the Prince or whoever it is, 0:07:52.640 --> 0:07:54.040 and I feel like this is like I didn't watch 0:07:54.040 --> 0:07:57.920 it back then, but these people weren't from somebody else's season. 0:07:58.000 --> 0:08:00.680 When it came to the Bachelor, I'm meant that they 0:08:00.800 --> 0:08:05.760 interviewed candidates. And again, thank you, because you gave me 0:08:05.960 --> 0:08:08.680 something to hang my hat on. Now that I've seen 0:08:08.720 --> 0:08:10.480 what you did with Christian, I know you can do 0:08:10.520 --> 0:08:13.000 whatever the fuck you want to do. And so I'm 0:08:13.040 --> 0:08:18.680 saying at this point, time is up, and ILLY fully 0:08:19.120 --> 0:08:22.160 expect to see a person of color as the Bachelor 0:08:22.200 --> 0:08:25.800 in season twenty five. I truly do, because there's no 0:08:25.880 --> 0:08:29.000 excuse at this point because you've bent the rules too 0:08:29.000 --> 0:08:33.000 far in the Demian Christian situation. I cannot argue with that. 0:08:33.080 --> 0:08:36.400 I completely agree. Listen. I feel like I could go 0:08:36.480 --> 0:08:39.480 on and on about my issues and what I think 0:08:39.600 --> 0:08:41.600 is the bigger issue in what I think should be done. 0:08:41.640 --> 0:08:43.200 But I feel like at this point I've said my 0:08:43.240 --> 0:08:45.040 piece and I have to put a pin in it 0:08:45.280 --> 0:08:48.080 and I have to move on. Peter's the Bachelor. Congratulations 0:08:48.120 --> 0:08:50.640 to Peter. And we have a lot more to talk 0:08:50.679 --> 0:08:53.120 about other than just who's the next Bachelor. Yeah, we 0:08:53.200 --> 0:08:57.400 absolutely do. Because Blake is here today. He is nervous. 0:08:57.440 --> 0:08:59.400 I saw him up in the hallway. He's like seriously 0:08:59.480 --> 0:09:01.760 shaking um. But we have a lot to talk to 0:09:01.840 --> 0:09:03.240 him about. So we're going to do that in just 0:09:03.440 --> 0:09:08.760 a minute. All right, Shall we just jump in here? 0:09:09.559 --> 0:09:11.800 Do it? Talk about how we're all matching right now? 0:09:11.960 --> 0:09:13.960 How weird is it? You guys? All right? So for 0:09:14.000 --> 0:09:15.720 those of you who cannot see us right now, which 0:09:15.720 --> 0:09:19.520 is all of you because this is a podcast. Somehow, Rachel, Blake, 0:09:19.559 --> 0:09:22.559 and I all showed up wearing white T shirts pretty 0:09:22.640 --> 0:09:26.160 much the exact same white T shirts and jeans Crew 0:09:26.200 --> 0:09:29.160 white teash. Yeah, but we but we have different shades 0:09:29.160 --> 0:09:33.280 of jeans, ironically, but we all came I think subconsciously. 0:09:33.600 --> 0:09:35.760 We all follow you, Ali, and we know what your 0:09:35.760 --> 0:09:37.720 feed looks like and they're like, you know what, Ali's 0:09:37.720 --> 0:09:39.160 going to take a picture. We want to make sure 0:09:39.200 --> 0:09:41.199 that we're on brand. Thank you. But I also think 0:09:41.200 --> 0:09:43.560 it's the sign of a really good podcast. That's what 0:09:43.600 --> 0:09:45.439 we're about to have. That's right. I like it. I 0:09:45.679 --> 0:09:48.480 wonder what it says about each of our personalities because 0:09:48.480 --> 0:09:52.559 of our shade of gene. Probably nothing, No, I think 0:09:52.559 --> 0:09:57.480 it does. Mine are ripped up, raggedy, rough around the edges. Hello, 0:09:57.600 --> 0:10:01.760 all right, what are yours? They're kind a little beat up? Okay? 0:10:03.280 --> 0:10:04.760 Is that how you're feeling right now? A little bit 0:10:05.080 --> 0:10:10.360 little bruise. Yeah, let's let's get into all of this. 0:10:10.760 --> 0:10:13.720 Um where should we begin? I would say let's just 0:10:13.800 --> 0:10:18.160 start with asking how are you? I'm doing I'm doing better. 0:10:18.200 --> 0:10:20.679 I'm doing good. Um, yeah, I mean it's been a 0:10:20.760 --> 0:10:25.480 rough summer, say the least. It's been some some low 0:10:25.520 --> 0:10:29.360 lows for sure, but I am doing better. Finally see 0:10:29.360 --> 0:10:30.920 the light at the end of the tunnel. And that's 0:10:30.920 --> 0:10:33.480 something that I've been I've been waiting for, kind of 0:10:33.480 --> 0:10:36.280 taking it day by day and yeah, so how dark 0:10:36.320 --> 0:10:38.200 has this tunnel gone? Because we've talked about this on 0:10:38.240 --> 0:10:42.360 the podcast before, is that this show as amazing as 0:10:42.400 --> 0:10:44.760 it is, we'll have to watch it. Great love stories 0:10:44.760 --> 0:10:48.440 come out of it. There's also a lot of mental 0:10:48.880 --> 0:10:52.040 and emotional I don't know, baggage, I don't even know 0:10:52.080 --> 0:10:54.440 how to say it, but just stuff that comes along 0:10:54.440 --> 0:10:55.840 with the show, and it can really take you to 0:10:55.880 --> 0:10:59.320 a dark place like did did you get there? Like? Yeah, 0:10:59.360 --> 0:11:02.000 I mean I would, you know, I'm not quite ready 0:11:02.000 --> 0:11:04.280 to talk about just how kind of low and dark 0:11:04.280 --> 0:11:07.480 it got for me. But it was a little harder 0:11:07.520 --> 0:11:10.400 maybe for me too, because coming off of Becka season, 0:11:10.440 --> 0:11:12.840 I kind of was there wasn't too much. I didn't 0:11:12.880 --> 0:11:14.240 get too much hate, you know, too much hate coming 0:11:14.280 --> 0:11:16.199 out Becka season. So then to suddenly get as much 0:11:16.200 --> 0:11:19.960 as I did right away, it was it was really hard. 0:11:20.000 --> 0:11:23.520 And it's for me. I'm really hard on myself sometimes 0:11:23.559 --> 0:11:25.760 not sometimes all the time, whether it was you know, 0:11:25.960 --> 0:11:28.719 like school, sports, relationships. I've just always been pretty hard 0:11:28.720 --> 0:11:32.520 on myself. And I felt a lot of shame because 0:11:32.559 --> 0:11:34.319 I felt like I had disappointed a lot of people 0:11:34.360 --> 0:11:35.680 and I'd kind of let down a lot of people 0:11:35.720 --> 0:11:39.600 in my life. And so right when I got back 0:11:39.640 --> 0:11:42.280 from the show there in like July, like before it 0:11:42.360 --> 0:11:45.240 even started, I was already kind of starting to go 0:11:45.280 --> 0:11:48.000 into that deep hole of where I just didn't want 0:11:48.000 --> 0:11:50.160 to leave, you know, my apartment because I felt like 0:11:50.320 --> 0:11:52.000 there are people out there, so many people out there 0:11:52.040 --> 0:11:54.559 that I disappointed. And so once I was able to 0:11:54.640 --> 0:11:57.960 kind of almost kind of forgive myself in a sense too, 0:11:58.000 --> 0:12:00.480 you know, like you didn't you know, he didn't do 0:12:00.480 --> 0:12:03.480 anything too terrible. I was kind of able to get better. 0:12:03.559 --> 0:12:05.720 But it took a long time and I'm still working 0:12:05.720 --> 0:12:08.400 on it. Yeah, And I think what you're saying is 0:12:08.440 --> 0:12:11.400 really interesting, and I you mentioned some things and I'd 0:12:11.400 --> 0:12:13.600 like to go back, you know, maybe back to the 0:12:13.640 --> 0:12:15.680 beginning when you said you came off Beck a season 0:12:16.040 --> 0:12:18.920 you were the guy. You know, I'll say it for you, 0:12:19.280 --> 0:12:22.679 big fan. I couldn't understand why Becca didn't pick you. 0:12:23.160 --> 0:12:26.720 Was rooting for you. Wanted you to find love and 0:12:26.640 --> 0:12:29.280 in the best way. But because you made it so far, 0:12:30.000 --> 0:12:32.920 you had like a full year off before you actually 0:12:32.920 --> 0:12:37.400 went to Paradise. So do you think that that year 0:12:37.440 --> 0:12:43.360 off affected affected you coming into Paradise. Yeah? Absolutely, And 0:12:43.640 --> 0:12:45.160 people asked me, know, why didn't you do Paradise or 0:12:45.240 --> 0:12:46.960 time around? There was no way I was ready. I 0:12:46.960 --> 0:12:49.240 mean that basically started filming, you know, like right after 0:12:49.640 --> 0:12:51.360 the season it ended, so there was no way I 0:12:51.360 --> 0:12:53.200 was in a mind frame to go on that first Paradise, 0:12:53.480 --> 0:12:55.439 And I'm glad I didn't because I wouldn't have been 0:12:55.480 --> 0:12:59.439 there fully, you know. Yeah, that year was. I mean 0:12:59.440 --> 0:13:01.640 a lot happened when you go from I was selling beer, 0:13:01.679 --> 0:13:03.520 you know, to like click stars and grocery stores to 0:13:04.120 --> 0:13:06.560 suddenly kind of being thrust in the spotlight like I was. Yeah, 0:13:06.559 --> 0:13:09.120 it was. It was kind of a crazy whirlwinds of 0:13:09.160 --> 0:13:13.439 a year, and in a good way, in a good 0:13:13.480 --> 0:13:14.760 in a good way, in a lot of a lot 0:13:14.760 --> 0:13:18.199 of good ways, to be honest, m and I had 0:13:19.160 --> 0:13:20.120 there for a long time. I was like, you know, 0:13:20.160 --> 0:13:21.559 I don't know if I'm never gonna be Paradise. I 0:13:21.600 --> 0:13:22.600 just don't know. I just don't know. But I think 0:13:22.600 --> 0:13:25.160 in the back of my head Paradise was kind of 0:13:25.160 --> 0:13:28.400 always looming a little bit, I really do um And 0:13:28.480 --> 0:13:32.600 so now that I'm done, like and that's kind of gone, 0:13:32.640 --> 0:13:34.079 I think it's going to be a bit of a 0:13:34.120 --> 0:13:36.440 relief to not have it looming over my head. And 0:13:36.480 --> 0:13:39.040 so that'll be nice, you know, after this is finally finished. 0:13:39.559 --> 0:13:41.719 I guess when I ask you did it affect you? 0:13:42.160 --> 0:13:45.560 I'm more so thinking because you were the guy. You know, 0:13:45.600 --> 0:13:47.600 there's really no other way to say it than that's 0:13:47.600 --> 0:13:50.920 who you are, and you were placed on such a pedestal. 0:13:51.520 --> 0:13:54.040 And I mean I even heard stories like I heard, 0:13:54.120 --> 0:13:56.240 you know, when all y'all went to Toronto for that event. 0:13:56.640 --> 0:14:00.400 I heard the girls were around the building. People were 0:14:00.440 --> 0:14:03.520 screaming your name, you and Jason, and then you and 0:14:03.600 --> 0:14:05.480 Jason before he got with Kaylin. You guys have you 0:14:05.480 --> 0:14:07.440 still have a bromassa But it was like you were 0:14:07.480 --> 0:14:10.920 two guys just hitting the road. And I know I've 0:14:10.960 --> 0:14:15.360 never shared this publicly, Leghit swear to god. Girls would 0:14:15.440 --> 0:14:18.800 DM me and ask me if I knew you really 0:14:19.080 --> 0:14:21.320 so they could get in contact with you because they 0:14:21.360 --> 0:14:23.600 thought that you were just such a great guy. If 0:14:23.640 --> 0:14:26.280 I'm getting those dms for somebody who hadn't even met you, 0:14:26.560 --> 0:14:29.480 I can only imagine what you're getting. And so I'm 0:14:29.520 --> 0:14:32.040 prefacing that to say when I say, do you think 0:14:32.040 --> 0:14:35.680 that it affected you because of what we have learned 0:14:35.720 --> 0:14:38.800 what happened right before Paradise? Do you think that maybe 0:14:38.800 --> 0:14:41.040 you got caught up in the world a bit, Yeah, 0:14:41.080 --> 0:14:44.040 I mean absolutely, I mean yeah, there was a I mean, yeah, 0:14:44.240 --> 0:14:48.480 a lot of tension, to say, Lison. And it was 0:14:48.520 --> 0:14:51.400 a weird time for me because I had just come 0:14:51.400 --> 0:14:56.160 off of this heartbreak and I did in a way finally, 0:14:56.320 --> 0:14:58.040 like you said, hit the road, and I was distracting 0:14:58.080 --> 0:14:59.440 myself and I was kind of trying to feel that 0:14:59.480 --> 0:15:02.840 that empty in that void with you know, this attention 0:15:02.960 --> 0:15:05.360 and these I mean I was traveling like crazy, you know, 0:15:05.400 --> 0:15:06.880 going in a different city a couple times a week, 0:15:06.920 --> 0:15:08.880 and you know, doing these fun appearances and it was fun, 0:15:09.200 --> 0:15:10.640 but at the same time, I didn't take a lot 0:15:10.680 --> 0:15:13.960 of time for myself. I didn't and um, yeah, it 0:15:14.400 --> 0:15:18.480 definitely this last year leading into Paradise. Um, I lost 0:15:18.520 --> 0:15:21.560 myself a little bit. I did, and I had getting 0:15:21.560 --> 0:15:23.680 your heartbroken on national television, you know, in the public 0:15:23.680 --> 0:15:25.640 eye like that. I had a lot of insecurities. I did. 0:15:26.040 --> 0:15:29.680 And sometimes you know, um, you try and be somebody. 0:15:29.720 --> 0:15:31.840 Maybe I I think I was somebody that I was 0:15:31.840 --> 0:15:34.320 trying to be somebody that I wasn't um, because I 0:15:34.360 --> 0:15:37.360 had a lot of insecurities about you know, how I 0:15:37.400 --> 0:15:40.360 how I got my heartbroken and how the way I 0:15:40.400 --> 0:15:43.520 was emotional. Um. And so I think that that year 0:15:44.160 --> 0:15:46.120 I did. I did. I did kind of get distracted 0:15:46.120 --> 0:15:47.960 and I lost myself. I did. What do you mean 0:15:48.000 --> 0:15:52.240 by that you lost yourself? I like a lot? What 0:15:52.400 --> 0:15:54.280 you hooked up a lot? Like what do you mean 0:15:54.360 --> 0:15:57.000 by that? Yeah, I mean I wouldn't say like a ton, 0:15:57.160 --> 0:15:58.920 you know, it's not like I that's the thing is 0:15:58.920 --> 0:16:01.680 like this the stage Coach weekend. You know, there was 0:16:01.720 --> 0:16:03.520 like obviously that's like this huge thing and now people 0:16:03.520 --> 0:16:05.280 think that's how every weekend was for me, you know, 0:16:05.320 --> 0:16:06.920 and it wasn't. But I mean, I'm not going to 0:16:06.960 --> 0:16:08.600 sit here and act like there wasn't a lot of 0:16:08.640 --> 0:16:10.600 opportunities to go on dates like there were, you know, 0:16:10.720 --> 0:16:13.320 more than obviously I've ever had. And I did go 0:16:13.320 --> 0:16:14.680 on dates, and I did try. I think would be 0:16:14.760 --> 0:16:16.200 hypocritical of me if I was like, yeah, I want 0:16:16.200 --> 0:16:17.840 to find my person and then I just sit at 0:16:17.920 --> 0:16:19.320 home and I don't do anything, you know, I don't 0:16:19.360 --> 0:16:21.040 go out there and actually try and meet people. And 0:16:21.080 --> 0:16:23.920 so well, yeah, I definitely when I say I lost myself, 0:16:23.960 --> 0:16:30.360 I guess I when you're getting that much attention, you 0:16:30.480 --> 0:16:31.920 let it kind of you do, you build it up, 0:16:31.920 --> 0:16:33.760 and you do you get I can't, I know him, 0:16:33.760 --> 0:16:35.200 not the first, and I know there's been others where 0:16:35.400 --> 0:16:38.920 you get that attention and you do feel almost invulnerable. 0:16:38.920 --> 0:16:40.800 I guess, I guess in a sense, you know. And 0:16:41.560 --> 0:16:43.280 obviously I've learned from that, and I learned I'm not 0:16:44.000 --> 0:16:46.960 And so yeah, this last year, I've learned a lot. Yeah, 0:16:47.000 --> 0:16:48.560 I've learned a lot this last year. To say, it 0:16:48.600 --> 0:16:51.320 goes to everybody's head a little bit, I say a 0:16:51.320 --> 0:16:53.920 lot of bit, a lot of it, It really does. 0:16:54.040 --> 0:16:56.520 And I think something including us, including me and you sure, 0:16:56.640 --> 0:16:58.480 and I think something that he said is key. He 0:16:58.600 --> 0:17:01.040 was trying to be somebody he wasn't. Yeah, you know, 0:17:01.120 --> 0:17:04.040 you're one person when you enter this world and then 0:17:04.080 --> 0:17:08.159 your life changes, it is completely turned upside down in 0:17:08.200 --> 0:17:11.159 a way that you know. I know, Instagram wasn't around 0:17:11.440 --> 0:17:14.040 when you were on this show, Ali, and even even 0:17:14.080 --> 0:17:15.919 for me, it's gotten even bigger since when I was 0:17:15.920 --> 0:17:17.240 on it, and I was on two years ago. It 0:17:17.280 --> 0:17:19.600 just keeps getting bigger and bigger. So I can't even 0:17:19.600 --> 0:17:22.560 imagine what that does to you. When you've got people 0:17:22.600 --> 0:17:24.680 like me getting dms to talk to you, to hook you. 0:17:24.720 --> 0:17:26.159 I could have hooked you up, you know what I mean. 0:17:26.359 --> 0:17:28.679 My girlfriends are texting me asking me, do you know 0:17:28.760 --> 0:17:31.400 Blake just because I'm in the Bachelor World. Well, I mean, 0:17:31.480 --> 0:17:34.639 I guess. So Baschel Nation is a small world, and 0:17:35.840 --> 0:17:39.680 so coming off the show, there's obviously a lot of tension. 0:17:39.720 --> 0:17:42.000 But also it's in a way, I mean, it's easier 0:17:42.000 --> 0:17:44.280 to get dates, but it's harder to actually meet somebody 0:17:44.280 --> 0:17:46.000 because you're not sure who you can trust, you know. 0:17:46.080 --> 0:17:48.760 And so when people in Baschel Nation, you know this 0:17:48.760 --> 0:17:51.400 this weird family we have in a way, you feel 0:17:51.400 --> 0:17:53.919 like you can't trust them, and you have this you know, 0:17:54.000 --> 0:17:56.760 this thing you've been through together. You have this common thing. 0:17:56.800 --> 0:17:58.920 You can relate a lot. And so yeah, I mean 0:17:59.320 --> 0:18:00.800 I would go to these events. There's be a lot 0:18:00.840 --> 0:18:02.440 of vach Nation people there, and I would we would 0:18:02.480 --> 0:18:04.200 hit it off because we have this this common ground 0:18:04.200 --> 0:18:07.640 to talk about. And so yeah, I mean it's I'm 0:18:07.640 --> 0:18:09.959 not the first to you know, data round in vater Nation. Um, 0:18:10.160 --> 0:18:14.680 and so absolutely not, definitely aren't. It's pretty common because 0:18:15.240 --> 0:18:17.520 I mean it's a lot of good looking people are 0:18:17.520 --> 0:18:20.000 all in common and we're all hanging out all the time. 0:18:20.040 --> 0:18:23.359 I mean, yeah, it's it's Um, it's easy I guess 0:18:23.359 --> 0:18:25.359 to kind of like meet people within vater Nation. Yeah, 0:18:25.400 --> 0:18:27.439 and I think that there is a lot of crossover, 0:18:27.800 --> 0:18:30.600 and you do have I remember when I was I 0:18:30.800 --> 0:18:34.719 just finished next season and a producer said to me, listen, 0:18:34.840 --> 0:18:37.639 you're going to have all these people from past seasons 0:18:37.680 --> 0:18:40.680 sliding into your DMS and messaging you. And it's just 0:18:40.720 --> 0:18:43.400 a thing. It happens. It's just the first time we've 0:18:43.400 --> 0:18:47.000 seen it play out on an actual season. Um. Something 0:18:47.040 --> 0:18:48.760 you said that I think is interesting and I think 0:18:48.760 --> 0:18:50.560 we can come back to it when we really get 0:18:50.560 --> 0:18:52.880 into the depths of this. But you said vatch Nation 0:18:53.040 --> 0:18:56.159 is like this family. It's not a family. I do 0:18:56.240 --> 0:18:58.439 not know. I'm dead ass serious. I don't consider it 0:18:58.480 --> 0:19:01.840 a family because family these blood. You're born into that 0:19:02.000 --> 0:19:04.440 and you can't help that. I would describe Batchelnation more 0:19:04.440 --> 0:19:07.440 as a fraternity and a sorority. We all went through 0:19:07.440 --> 0:19:11.399 this one experience. It's crazy experience together and it's something 0:19:11.440 --> 0:19:14.360 that we can all relate to because we've been through 0:19:14.359 --> 0:19:17.880 it and it's such a select few. But we're definitely 0:19:17.960 --> 0:19:21.000 not family. And I think and I think that you've 0:19:21.080 --> 0:19:23.000 learned that and we can speak to that as we 0:19:23.119 --> 0:19:24.919 as we really get into the depths of this. You 0:19:24.960 --> 0:19:27.919 have learned that these these people aren't your fucking family, 0:19:28.119 --> 0:19:29.920 and they're not your friends. Yes, you can curse on 0:19:29.960 --> 0:19:34.720 this podcast, they're not and and and you, and honestly 0:19:35.119 --> 0:19:37.880