Hey Steve,
Been a long time reader and I love your blog and podcast!!! Thanks!!! A couple notes:
(1) Not too long ago, the researcher who discovered BRCA gave a talk at the school I’m at. She confirmed that it should be pronounced as B-R-C-A. so saying the actual letters. So anyway, in case you or readers were interested, there it is! Ok, well thank you. I feel less stupid now. It’s just when Lesley was pronouncing it “BRACA” I just assumed I screwed up since I knew nothing about it before her story.
(2) These podcasts have been so helpful to me. A lot of times, your interviews discuss the former contestants’ relationships. It has been helpful to hear about other people’s relationships – like how they were in long relationships and realized they weren’t happy, what it’s like to break up with someone you are so close to (especially when they know their partner’s family and everything), how they recover and end up being ok in the long run, etc. Hearing everyone’s process and how they ended up in their current happier situation helped me jump the gun and get out of an unhappy relationship myself. That being said…I’m looking forward to hearing your new podcast with Sharleen!
Thanks again!
Comment: Thanks. Glad it could help in some areas. Looking forward to the podcast with Sharleen. Should be a lot of fun. Already have a couple calls lined up for our first podcast, including one which is an update from a previous caller I had on back in the day. For someone like yourself interested in hearing about breakups and the hardships that come with it, you’ll definitely want to tune in to that one. Sharleen is great. Can’t say enough good things about her and I’m glad she’s my co-host.
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Hi Steve! I love your site, not just because spoilers are fun, but because of the real and interesting perspective you have on the show. I love hearing about how it all works, know what is fake and real, and the whole production of it all. That said, have you ever considered discussing some of your blog/scoop/recap content in your podcasts?? I’d love to hear you discuss it verbally and/or with your podcast guests. I love hearing the guest perspective, but we want to hear Steve too! It would be a nice addition to the podcast outside of only interviewing the guest. Plus it helps people like me who might not have time to always read all the posts but can listen to podcasts on commutes, etc.! Thanks for reading!
Comment: In a few of earlier podcasts I did, but definitely not as much lately. I just feel like diving into these former contestants stories, plus talking about their time on the show and what they’re up to now, it’d just kind of come to a halt and stop down the interview if we discuss Rachel stuff for any significant amount of time. I’ll try in the future to maybe ask their thoughts and if they’re enjoying the season, but to break down the episode and all its dates is probably not gonna happen. I want to make my podcast different than others, and it seems from what I know that that’s what most podcasts that cover the Bachelor/ette do. Just not for me I guess.
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Steve, I’ve really been enjoying your podcasts. I feel like you’re allowing me to get to know some very cool people, who are so much more interesting the Bachelor show makes them out to be!
Have you had a chance to watch that other Mike Fleiss show, The Love Connection?
I’ve mainly watched because I’m an Andy Cohen fan, but it seems less “Andy Cohen” and more like a piece of The Bachelor with a more honest premise: three one-on-one dates leading to an overnight date, with a little Love or Money thrown in at the end.
Comment: No, I haven’t. No interest. And not because it’s Fleiss or anything like that. I’m just not interested because there’s been so many “dating” shows since the original “Love Connection,” nothing on there that any of the couples say or do would shock/surprise me. The original “Love Connection” was great because of the time period it was in and the lack of dating shows there were. Now in 2017? Psssshhh. We’ve basically seen and heard everything.
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I have absolutely nothing notable to say besides the fact that when I was reading your blog post and ran across the words “Temptation Island,” I actually screamed. Out loud.
That show ran when I was in high school and I fucking loved it. We would throw parties. I remember a girl we nicknamed DSL because the guys said she had d**k sucking lips. That’s about the only thing I specifically remember. I hadn’t thought about the show in at least a decade but reading those words was a serious blast from the past.
Great show, honestly. It didn’t hide what it was… unlike some other shows i know! It knew it was sleazy, however, in some strange way it seemed real, too. Like, something that would actually happen, unlike getting engaged to someone you’ve known 72 days and maybe spent a total of 12 hours with. If BiP did a TI-like twist, I could be down with that, but really it would just be best if they brought on some of the nauseating Bachelor couples and then threw singles at them. Just rip off TI shamelessly.
#BringBackTI
that’s all. Thanks for bringing back some good memories for me!
Comment: “Temptation Island” was another show that, for its time, was great trash TV. Fox was the first network to start throwing in these reality shows that were a little messed up, and that was certainly one of them. But again, after all these years when we’ve seen everything possible up to this point, that show just wouldn’t resonate now as it once did because we’ve seen so many shows where exes have been brought in, and people have cheated on camera before. But in it’s time, TI was a pioneer to that and was really “must watch TV” back in the day.
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I know it’s just a total coincidence but I find it odd we have back to back “Dallas bachelorettes” and possible back to back “Wisconsin bachelors”. I know that it is by pure coincidence, but do you think they ever take that into consideration? I don’t think it would be a positive or a negative. I look at it as pretty much a non factor in their next choice.
I’m only upset that your spoiler was wrong because I get major Josh Murray vibes from Bryan. An overly aggressive confident man from Florida gets engaged to an attorney. It’s like Andi all over again.
With both Bryan and Rachel having established careers there is no chance either person will move. I give this less time than Nick and Vanessa.
Anyways thanks for the spoilers. It is the only way I get through watching. You do what no one else can even get close to doing, so hopefully most people understand that. I’m wrong once a day at my job!
Comment: I don’t really get the Josh vibes from Bryan, but then again, we don’t know him enough just yet. But you aren’t the only one I’ve heard that from. Is it a Miami thing?
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Hey Steve!
Two things:
1. Can’t wait for your interview on Olivia’s podcast. I know she has said over and over again that she won’t be on BIP but do you think she would even be allowed if she wanted to because she is in contract with CBS now? So what’d you think of it? I’m so glad I got to talk to her. She’s quite interesting to say the least. She was in Dallas for a girls weekend, so I actually met up with her in a studio out here to do the interview. I can tell you that she is quite stunning in person. And quite self aware.
She could absolutely do Paradise. I don’t think her podcast being with CBS Radio would prevent anything. I mean, she was in talks to be on it. I’m guessing they wouldn’t have gone down that road if she couldn’t.
2. I know you can’t say if you have contacted her about being on the podcast, but I would love to hear from Ashley Salter (Brannen) about her edit on the show/ how she thought she would be edited.
Comment: I mean, I can say if I did or didn’t. I just choose not to. Nothing is preventing me. I just don’t feel like these people need to be scrutinized if I give a list of people who’ve said “no” and people who just haven’t responded.
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Hi Steve,
As a long-time reader, I just want to let you know, it doesn’t shake the foundations of my world when you get a spoiler wrong. I enjoy reading any info you have, I know you are diligent and do the best you can, so it’s not a big deal when something is wrong here or there. You’re always upfront with your readers and admit when you’ve made a mistake. It’s still a silly little show, so who cares really? Thanks for all the work you put into the site, keeping us informed, and especially the podcasts you’ve been doing this year. I love them!!
Comment: I appreciate it. I know the ones who flip out and have their world turned upside down because of it are in the minority, but yeah, it does suck to be wrong and have to change the spoiler. Because all it really does is open up a new flood of questions that usually I can’t answer.
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Hi Steve,
Do you ever worry that the Bachelor franchise will do something similar to Survivor when “contestants” are eliminated and it will be difficult to spoil the show? Survivor sends them on a pre-jury trip so that spoilers won’t get out, and then obviously the jury is sequestered at Ponderosa.
If that happened, and they didn’t go home after being eliminated, wouldn’t it be next to impossible to get spoilers (at least episode-by-episode) because of no social media sightings?
Thanks for the entertainment and go Lions!
Comment: “Survivor” is currently filming season 36 (season 35 just wrapped filming). They’ve been doing the same format for every season where all contestants are kept out there for all 39 days no matter how long you last.
The “Bachelor” franchise just finished filming season 34 with Rachel. They’ve never filmed it that way so it makes no sense for them to start now. It’s easier to do on “Survivor” because they stay in the same location for 39 days. You really think some dbag who gets sent home night 1 then want to fly around the country for 2 months? Never going to happen. So to answer your question, no, not worried at all they’ll ever do that.
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Steve,
You had previously mentioned that Peter was packing up and moving to TX to be with Rachel. Does that mean that A) Peter is still moving out of WI? B) Is there any word on if Bryan is moving to TX? Both Rachel and Bryan have state-specific professional certifications and both seem to love their home state. Also, would The Bachelor avoid Peter as the Bachelor so they don’t have back-to-back Wisconsinites?
Thanks for all of the the new info
Comment: Wait, Bryan can’t be a chiropractor in Dallas? Why not? I said when I thought Peter was the winner that if they were to make it, he would have to move because Rachel isn’t. And Peter corroborated that on their first date saying he would absolutely move. Now knowing he’s not engaged, would he move out of WI? I don’t know.
Rachel’s roots are here. She doesn’t seem like she’s moving anytime soon. So if it’s going to work out with her and Bryan, he’s gonna have to move here.
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I’d been back and forth on pointing this out, and maybe it’s because I’m also from the south (because, let’s face it, we aren’t as evolved in the south as we’d like to think) that I’ve noticed this. But, after seeing many comments on twitter about the number of white vs black guys being kept, it occurred to me that it’s another example of producer manipulation. While they, thankfully, haven’t pointed out much that Rachel is black, the fact that three of her final four are white, in my opinion, points to production not wanting to completely change the demographic of the show. If production wasn’t how they are I wouldn’t necessarily think anything of it, but, well, they are. That being said, Rachel is refreshing and by far the best bachelorette they’ve had in a long time.
Comment: I think Rachel has been great so far. As for her final 4 having only one black guy, as much as I criticize production, I can’t put that on them. We just don’t know, and that’s a slippery slope to speculate on.
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Hey RS,
I read the episode spoilers post and saw some of the feedback you were getting. I know it’s got to be hard when you post wrong information and then have to retract it. I just wanted to shoot you an email and let you know I’m not bothered by the occasional flub and really enjoy reading your posts. You were able to get the correct spoiler in the end and there is still plenty of time until the finale so for me, the world isn’t ending. But man, some of the tweets to you and hateful comments to Rachel have been crazy. I can’t believe so many people were so “invested” in Peter/ Rachel in just two weeks that they would send her threats and question her intelligence. How disgusting! It happens. I don’t understand it either, but, I just know it exists. Nothing I can do about it.
Now that that’s off my chest, I’ve been meaning to email you about something but I haven’t because I just know you are probably going to eye roll the hell out of this lol. What’s the possibility of Rashad Jennings as the next bachelor??? He was on DWTS and tweeted out a photo with nick and captioned it “A bachelor and the bachelor…”(https://twitter.com/rashadjennings/status/859463861518311424) The tweet kind of seemed like a way to put his relationship out there that he was a bachelor. Then he was recently on the “Cousin Sal” podcast and in the episode, Sal was telling him that he bet on him on DWTS and was glad it paid off and was looking forward to “betting on him again when he becomes the bachelor” (~59 minutes in, episode 4 https://theringer.com/against-all-odds-with-cousin-sal-ecb72393f0fe ) It just seemed like it was completely random. Rashad laughed and then no more was said about it. no funny comeback or anything so I wasn’t sure if it was a joke or something that he wasn’t at liberty to get in to. Add to that, he did an interview recently about his love life and how he’s single and open to love. http://people.com/tv/rashad-jennings-dancing-stars-champ-talks-finding-love-after-broken-engagement/ So yea, appease me lol… thoughts on that ever happening?? Rashad made it clear he wants to play in the NFL again. Meaning he will either be in someone’s training camp all of August, or working out in hopes to getting a try out with somebody. The “Bachelor” films smack dab in the first two months of the NFL season. Unless Rashad is lying, I don’t see him giving up his dream to get back in the NFL to go on a silly reality dating show. They have NFL players all the time on DWTS because it’s in the offseason. The “Bachelor” wouldn’t be. Don’t see it happening.
Also, one more thing I noticed today when reading comments on Instagram checking out the feedback to your new spoiler. I’m sure you’ve probably been made aware of this already, but on the small chance that you hadn’t, I thought I would bring it to your attention. Apparently Jojo and Jordan recently unfollowed each other on Instagram and then earlier today refollowed the other. It was being talked about on a few fan accounts. I took a screen shot of their activity in my feed and am including it in my email. From the gist of reading the bachelor accounts, some of the commenters were speculating that it had to do with the fact that Jordan was snapped questionably close to a woman at a bar. There was an Instagram account that had a story up of him with his hand on a woman’s back leaning in to talk to her. Idk if that was enough to cause an unfollow and then refollow or if there was something else going on, but I just wanted to send it your way. Whatever happened, neither Jordan nor jojo seem to want people to realize there was an issue. They’ve both been monitoring their comments sections on Instagram deleting comments about it. I wish I had thought to screen shot some of the comments when I was reading them to send you. I’ve been periodically checking their photos for more comments but haven’t had any luck lol.
Comment: A couple people have brought this to my attention that they unfollowed then followed each other, and it happened to coincide with Jordan being snapped near another woman at a bar. It was the first I’d heard of it and haven’t heard anything since. So I really don’t know what to make of it.
