Hi Steve,
Please have Courtney on every year.
I love it every time she’s on your show. She’s awesome! Also, I was surprised you didn’t recall at the time that you had her on last Spring while she was pregnant.
Anyway, great podcast as always.
Comment: Oh she’ll always be welcome on the podcast. Probably will check in on her in year or so. And congrats to her for having her baby last weekend. Definitely sooner than expected but everything looks good for them. Didn’t she say on the podcast the due date was Dec. 15th? I believe she ended up having her on Nov. 21st. I texted her when I saw the news and she said she’s very happy and they’re home and excited.
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RS, remember you getting the spoiler that John was Katie’s F1?!? A little sus (as the kids these days say – for suspect) now that they announce that they are dating. From what you were hearing over the summer – moving to San Diego, hanging out with John, posting together – were you hearing that they connected pretty quickly once the season started airing?
I see Bachelor Data’s post that outlines their “relationship”.
Comment: I never posted any spoiler that John was Katie’s final 1. I had said I was 99% sure he was in the final 4, which was changed about a week later as he clearly wasn’t.
I didn’t hear anything in regards to their relationship post filming other than what Katie posted on her social media. She always let us know when they were hanging out, and it was quite a few times.
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I wish you could have 2 columns….one for the toxic folk, and one for the rest of us, who enjoyed hearing your take on things, your opinions on what happened, what you think MIGHT happen or MIGHT be the reason why something happened, etc.–all the good stuff we used to get before all the toxic people started ragging on you! Just sayin’….it can’t be fun to have to be so darn careful about everything you put out there because of the way people will react to it.
Thanks for all you do–I probably would have lost interest in these shows a long time ago if it weren’t for your spoilers and commentary.
Comment: I’m just not good with speculation. Especially when I have no details on anything. Seems like speculating is a waste of time in cases like that. And the problem is if I speculate on something, and I make it clear it’s not a spoiler and speculation, it still gets taken as “Reality Steve is reporting.” It’s lazy journalism by others to take something that I’m clearly stating is speculation and write it as fact. And frankly it’s annoying. So I try and stay away from that. But I’d say last week’s 2 page column on my thoughts on Katie’s relationship revelation definitely was my take on things. And I’m still deciding if tomorrow’s column will be centered around John’s response to the public.
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Hi Steve,
I was really surprised tonight’s episode was the one before hometowns. It seemed like there were too many guys left. Usually the one before hometowns has the lead going on a second one on one date with one of her guys and has a smaller group date with 3 guys. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like there should have been another episode before hometowns. I know the show has been different since Covid, but Michelle’s season seems to be closer to normal. Maybe Michelle didn’t let go as many guys early on? But at the same time, she sure didn’t keep those she wasn’t interested in around long.
Would love to hear your thoughts…
Thanks so much!
Comment: Yes, it’s usually been that way. Episode before hometowns is usually 6 or 7 people, with 2-3 1-on-1’s and a group date. But since this season is one episode shorter than most seasons, I guess that’s why they did it.
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Hey Steve,
Long time reader/listener here, I’ve followed since Emily’s season. I love your column and reading your thoughts on the show. I don’t think I’d watch the bachelor/bachelorette without it. The show is just getting a little old to me, frankly. I don’t see it happening, but if the franchise ever ended, what do you think you would do for work? Cover other shows, go back to sports media, retire? I apologize if this question has been asked before!
Another question for you…avid Friday night lights fan here. Who is your favorite/least favorite character? I’m rewatching the series and the storylines they tackle were way ahead of its time IMO. Such a well written show.
Anyways, thanks again for what you do!
Comment: I mean, I don’t think there’s a single character that I didn’t like on that show. I guess maybe Joe McCoy since he was the only built in “villain.” But in terms of Dillon? Yeah, everyone was likable.
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Hi Steve,
My thoughts on Katie: I thought it was weird that she moved to San Diego when her fiancé is in Canada. She seemed to move and get settled and never had plans to go up north. I don’t think Blake and Katie were ever into each other but got engaged for the show. Now Blake can be the sad, dumped guy, everyone feels sorry for with his sights set to be the next Bachelor or at least BIP. Katie always had other plans. Blake is not gonna be the Bachelor. And according to the podcast he did last week, he doesn’t want to do BIP either.
My thoughts on Clayton: He seems like a nice, down to earth guy. I think he was picked because BN didn’t get a chance to tear him down like they have with other leads. I feel it’s the shows way of saying we are in charge now after the Clare/Matt disasters.
My thoughts on Michelle: I like Michelle. She is a good lead, but she seems bored by it all. She was given a lot of problematic guys. It’s getting boring to watch the same format of someone tattling on someone and that person is cut. They rarely have cocktail parties, the dates are not exciting and seemed rushed. They need to revamp the show with better dates and more interesting people. Well, we’ve had 4 seasons of being in a “bubble.” That ends with Clayton’s season. We are back to normal travel and hometowns. Lets see how that goes.
Is Chris related to Clint Eastwood? Chris who? Chris S.? No, LT from Michelle’s season is his grandson.
Is Hannah Brown off contract? Is that how she got to write a book? Anybody can write a book. It still needs to be approved through ABC, and as I’ve said numerous times, none of these books written by former contestants is a rip job on the franchise and revealing all that really goes on behind the scenes. They can’t. They can talk a little about the show and reveal small things here and there (which is mostly stuff that is known now), but no book has truly ever been an expose on the show, nor will it ever be.
Will you ever write a tell all book when this is over? I can’t see myself doing that. People over the years entrusted me with information. Even years after the fact, I don’t see the point of outing sources that’d be for anything other than financial gain.
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Steve,
I am wondering why no one is saying it and dancing around the truth. This is the first Bachelorette season where there are four POC in the final four. None of them were picked for the Bachelor. Clayton, the new Bachelor, is white. He is not only white but a football player for a southern school.
The show seems like they are trying to (desperately I might add) bring back the audience they had before by casting the Bachelor they (hopefully) want to see.
People are asking why Clayton was chosen as the Bachelor. I think the answer is obvious. Am I missing something?
Comment: It’s still an opinion on your part. There isn’t a black and white answer. Do a lot of people feel like you feel? Yes. But that doesn’t mean that’s the answer. This show does whatever they want and they don’t need to explain their reasoning to anyone. So I’m not gonna say definitively that, yes, that’s why Clayton is the Bachelor. I don’t know that. I do think it played a role for sure. I’d be ignorant to say it didn’t. But the only reason? I don’t know that.
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Dear Steve,
Firstly, thank you for all of your work, writing, podcast and spoilers each week. I’ve been a lurker of your site for awhile and now only watch the show with your spoilers. It makes it so much more compelling.
I have two topics I’d like to touch on (buckle up, it’s gonna be a long one, so sincerest apologies in advance):
1) RE: Katie and John’s relationship: I think you covered a lot of it in the column today, but I had some thoughts/observations. I did find it a bit odd Katie was deciding to move to San Diego (which is even further from Canada than Seattle where she originally was from) despite being engaged to Blake. I don’t judge, because I’m a big believer in living your own life and doing what makes you happy, and I figured maybe Blake and she were working out logistics. Also found it endearing how she had such a strong friendship with John, was hanging out with him often in S.D. and was so supportive of the guys on her season. Looking at it now, knowing what we know now, I am wondering if she probably had feelings that she suppressed and wanted to maybe get through the last few months until after she was finished on her season to end things with Blake and start “officially” with John. I kind of felt her relationship with Blake seemed sort of forced on ATFR and maybe she wanted to save face and stay with him long enough until the AFTR was finished before taking a chance on John. Maybe to protect hers and John’s relationship from backlash and avoiding a big producer fueled “twist”, or producer involvement; however, she is clearly laying it on thick with this clout-chasing rollout so who knows. Sucks for Blake (still do NOT want to ever see him on this franchise ever again. He should probably take a looooooooong break from reality tv. Reconnect with the wilderness or something). It almost felt like she harbours some resentment to him or something by going public in this manner without letting him know or giving him a heads up, so I wonder if their relationship ended on very bad terms. I lost a lot of respect for Katie throughout her season, but this sort of seals it for me as I think she’s not as mature as I had initially thought she was. Good points. There were a lot of things wrong with what she did in my opinion. But through all the points I made last week, the one main one I keep going back to is this: she didn’t HAVE to do that. Yet she did.
2) RE: Bachelornation Tea. I know you are reticent to share any tea about BN and all that because of backlash you endured. I am wondering if you would ever consider doing a sort of “cloaked” tea or “blind” tea (where you do not name names or whatever) but still give us sort of a riddle or tidbit of stuff you’ve heard (verified) about BN people on the season or whatnot. Maybe it’s too close for comfort and the crazies of BN would just spin into oblivion with speculation, but it still would be kind of interesting to hear.
Anyway, enough from this old windbag. Thank you for all you do, Steve!
Comment: It would probably make things worse. I could easily do a “Blind Item” once a week for a whole year about a contestant in Bachelor Nation. No doubt it my mind. But I’d never end up revealing the answers so all people would do would bitch that I’m teasing them and not giving them the answers, so I don’t see the point of doing it. Because while I know the things I’d be posting to be true, if I revealed the names, it’d no doubt ruin some people and I wouldn’t be showing any proof since that’d be outing sources. So it doesn’t seem like the most productive thing I could do. But without a doubt, I’ve got enough dirt on contestants in this franchise that, while it would be more juice than you could ever handle because a lot of it would destroy some of your all-time favorites, it would also ruin a lot of peoples reputations and they would get crucified. I’ve just decided to stay away from that now.
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Given how strange things have gone this season with Clayton being the next bachelor and no announcement yet. At this point are they even going to make a Clayton bachelor announcement? They did hint at the end of last weeks episode that one kids said Clayton should be the next bachelor but that’s all we got was a hint.
Comment: Yes. It’s coming on the Men Tell All next week.
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Hello!
I’m really not sure how this works but I’ve been dying to know who Clayton was talking to when he said “you’ve come on a reality show and you’re an actor.” It was in the previews but not aired. I do not know if you’ve answered this already or if you could answer it but im very curious.
Thank you!
Comment: Yeah, one of the 1000 times that something was shown in the season promo but never aired during the season. I don’t know who or what he was talking about.
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Hello Steve,
This is for the first reader email you had from podcast 261.
I disagree that we can’t make or don’t have friends as we get older. I have as many, if not more friends, now in my 40s than in my 20s. A little over half my friends are single and the rest are married. I see my married friends just as often as my single friends.
I was raised by European parents who place a lot of value on keeping up friendships despite your relationship status. At some point, kids will grow up and leave the house, or there’s a divorce or worse, so it’s important to keep up with friends. And if you do get into a relationship, it’s more fun to get together with a group of people.
I don’t see my married friends on “date night” (Saturday night)unless there’s a group dinner planned. But they have me over to the house or we have lunch or go for hikes. Sometimes they bring the kids. It’s healthy to show kids that you can have friends well into adulthood.
Where did I meet them? Most of my friends I met through meet up groups. I joined specific groups (foodies or foreign language to practice my skills). The rest I met while I was doing events on my own and not looking to make new friends (book signing, etc.) or through work.
Please tell your reader he/she CAN and SHOULD make new friends at all ages and find people who feel the same. There are plenty of people in this world who value friendship and don’t spend all their time with their significant other/family. Meet ups are a great place to start.
I wish your reader a lot of luck!
Comment: This was in regards to that first email I read in Podcast #261 for those that don’t remember.
