Latest / The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast / Happily Ever After with Zach Shallcross and Kaity Biggar

Transcript

Happily Ever After with Zach Shallcross and Kaity Biggar · The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: This is the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous podcast
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: with iHeartRadio.
• 0:06
  Speaker 2: Oh my goodness, this is a big episode of the
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: Almost Famous podcast. This is always one of my favorite
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: times for the Almost Famous podcasts because we get it,
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: get to interview people and love and today we have
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: Zach and Katie.
• 0:19
  Speaker 3: Welcome to Almost Famous.
• 0:20
  Speaker 4: Thank you so much.
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: We just confirmed that this is your first time on
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: Almost Famous since you two have been together.
• 0:27
  Speaker 5: Yeah, well, yeah, it's my first time.
• 0:29
  Speaker 4: Super exciting.
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: And you came on and interviewed with Ashley before I
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: believe the season even started, or somewhere in the middle
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: of it.
• 0:35
  Speaker 6: It was actually right before the season started. Yeah, And
• 0:39
  Speaker 6: it's a pretty good interview, but a little little harsh,
• 0:41
  Speaker 6: little rough, and it actually was oh yeah, oh.
• 0:45
  Speaker 5: Yeah, oh yeah.
• 0:48
  Speaker 6: Right.
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: You know, we have a theory here on Almost Famous,
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: because I've sat in your seat before Ashley has at
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: some level as well, is we want to clear the air.
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: So we want to ask the questions that Mike seem
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: harsh for you to respond to, not to trick you,
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: but to allow you to respond, and hopefully when vulnerability
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: is offered, people fall in love with that. Right, People
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: respond really well to honesty. It's really hard to dislike
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: somebody when you get to know somebody exactly. So that's
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: what we're gonna do today. I'm very excited to have
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: the two of you catch us up on your relationship
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: since the show.
• 1:22
  Speaker 6: Yeah. So right after the show, we flew right to
• 1:27
  Speaker 6: New York and we did like the three day crazy
• 1:30
  Speaker 6: press circuit of just going everywhere and anywhere, and I
• 1:34
  Speaker 6: think one day we had, you know, nineteen different interviews
• 1:38
  Speaker 6: in podcasts.
• 1:39
  Speaker 5: In one day up for like twenty six hours.
• 1:41
  Speaker 6: We did sleep twenty six hours no sleep.
• 1:43
  Speaker 4: Almost miss Gma.
• 1:45
  Speaker 6: Almost to Miss Gma. Were getting a right tell us
• 1:47
  Speaker 6: why well, our flight, like the traffic to get to Lax,
• 1:50
  Speaker 6: the flight was delayed multiple times. We're just enjoying our
• 1:54
  Speaker 6: time together on a plane, finally just being in public.
• 1:57
  Speaker 6: And then we land and there's crazy traffic, there's car trap,
• 2:01
  Speaker 6: and Katie's putting on makeup and there.
• 2:03
  Speaker 5: I didn't do yeah, like fifteen minutes before They're like, yeah,
• 2:06
  Speaker 5: you need to have your hair and makeup done, and like,
• 2:08
  Speaker 5: I've been on a flight, yeah for like six seven.
• 2:10
  Speaker 4: Hours, are you kiddie mean?
• 2:11
  Speaker 5: Like so, yeah, Gma, I did my my makeup in
• 2:15
  Speaker 5: the car and hair.
• 2:16
  Speaker 6: I'm walking out of the car to go into GMA
• 2:18
  Speaker 6: with my pants half down, point it up. Yeah, I
• 2:21
  Speaker 6: mean it was it was wild, but it kind of
• 2:23
  Speaker 6: like woke you up and it was like, all right,
• 2:25
  Speaker 6: there you go, because it was the morning after the
• 2:27
  Speaker 6: live finale, so we were kind of just in the
• 2:30
  Speaker 6: surreal state. But then after that, pretty quick after Katie
• 2:35
  Speaker 6: moved immediately back to Austin to start work. I took
• 2:39
  Speaker 6: about a week to kind of gather my things from California,
• 2:42
  Speaker 6: and then I caravaned out to California and now we're
• 2:46
  Speaker 6: both living in Austin.
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: Caravan to Texas. You left California to go to Texas, right.
• 2:52
  Speaker 6: Yeah, because I was previously living in Texas. But I back.
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: Okay, because did you move out to California for a
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: while for the show?
• 2:59
  Speaker 6: For it just didn't make sense. But I had lived
• 3:01
  Speaker 6: in Austin for four years before Bachelor Bachelorette, and then
• 3:05
  Speaker 6: when those opportunities came, I was like, yeah, I can't
• 3:08
  Speaker 6: have a spot at both places right now. And then
• 3:12
  Speaker 6: meet Katie and then it's like all right, I'm going
• 3:14
  Speaker 6: back back to Austin.
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: Well, the Bachelor world is weird because you go from
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: zero to one hundred very quickly. But and Zach, this
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: is mostly for you. You know, you're on the Bachelorette,
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: you get announced as the bachelor, but there's really never
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: a moment of like where you feel it because it
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: feels Yes, it's weird to be in a mansion, Yes,
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: it's weird to be on TV. Yes it's weird to
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: be dating a bunch of people. But there's nothing else
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: outside of that. You're in your own little bubble, so
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: the attension isn't really there. There's never once in my
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: life I felt like more of a celebrity than that
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: flight or the drive away from the final rows to
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: the airport. Did they escort you guys through the airport
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: quickly to get to your flight?
• 3:56
  Speaker 3: Like did they push you through?
• 3:58
  Speaker 6: Not really? No?
• 4:00
  Speaker 3: Okay, well then you just mentioned this.
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: Then you get in a car and you drive up
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: to GMA, your biggest television appearance yet, and you walk
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: out and like you're on the stage at GMA, like
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: twelve hours after the final rows. It's a very weird time,
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: Like that is the weirdest time for in the whole process.
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: For me, is that like twelve hours in between la
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: New York television interviews.
• 4:24
  Speaker 5: It was super fun though very exhilarating experience.
• 4:27
  Speaker 6: Yeah, like seeing like actual New York Papa Razzi for example,
• 4:32
  Speaker 6: Like that.
• 4:32
  Speaker 5: Was a great Yeah, that was like the first time
• 4:34
  Speaker 5: I think it felt like.
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: Oh, this is a huge like people are taking pictures
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: of me. Yeah, they're going to sell these, like my
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: picture is worth money. It's very odd. And then twenty
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: four hours later it all ends. They're like, yeah, no,
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: it it ends like next Yeah. I remember the final
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: interview on that day, like there's a producer with us
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: from The Bachelor that traveled out with us that kind
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: of like coordinated everything, and then at the end of
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: the day they left and it's pretty much over at
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: that point, like there's really no contact you ever really
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: have again unless there's like a special appearance that you
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: have years later, but it just cuts off.
• 5:17
  Speaker 3: Was that a weird time for the two of you.
• 5:19
  Speaker 4: I don't think so.
• 5:20
  Speaker 5: I think we actually quite enjoyed it.
• 5:22
  Speaker 6: In a sense. It was refreshing, Yeah, because like you know,
• 5:26
  Speaker 6: this the process from when you're done filming the show
• 5:29
  Speaker 6: to when the show is airing, and then throughout the end,
• 5:31
  Speaker 6: like you're constantly doing stuff like you're doing interviews, you're
• 5:34
  Speaker 6: doing podcast to promote the show, You're doing events. So
• 5:38
  Speaker 6: like I was constantly with producers well after the filming,
• 5:42
  Speaker 6: so I became very close with them, and you know,
• 5:45
  Speaker 6: I regard a lot as great friends. But we just
• 5:49
  Speaker 6: kind of looked at it as now we get to
• 5:52
  Speaker 6: focus on ourselves and know more of like kind of being.
• 5:55
  Speaker 6: I don't want to say baby sap, but you kind
• 5:56
  Speaker 6: of are in a sense. Yeah, when you're in that.
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: It is it is refreshing. I personally had a lot
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: of I didn't have like mental trauma. I just it
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: took me a while to get back into the world.
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: Did you two feel that Like it felt weird, Like
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: life didn't feel right for me for a while.
• 6:18
  Speaker 4: It is such a weird feeling.
• 6:20
  Speaker 5: I had to go back home to Canada because I
• 6:22
  Speaker 5: was like, I need to be around family and friends
• 6:24
  Speaker 5: because it was such a weird world. Being on the Bachelor.
• 6:30
  Speaker 5: It is unlike anything else. Nobody knows what it's like
• 6:34
  Speaker 5: unless you've lived it. It is unlike anything else.
• 6:38
  Speaker 6: And I feel like like I was home for like
• 6:41
  Speaker 6: a short period of time, like during the holidays, like
• 6:44
  Speaker 6: after the filming just kind of recuperating, I guess, or
• 6:50
  Speaker 6: recouping after the craziness of it, Like I lived through
• 6:53
  Speaker 6: it with The Bachelorette and needed that time. But i'd
• 6:57
  Speaker 6: even say now, like as normal as it does feel like,
• 7:00
  Speaker 6: it's still a weird adjustment that we're getting used to.
• 7:03
  Speaker 6: Like she's already back at work. I'm going back for
• 7:08
  Speaker 6: but that's like it's been so long of not doing
• 7:10
  Speaker 6: my normal job and wanting to get back into that.
• 7:14
  Speaker 6: But like also it's been a year of being in
• 7:18
  Speaker 6: front of a camera, So yeah, strange stuff.
• 7:20
  Speaker 3: It takes a while.
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: I was talking to a few friends earlier and I
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: went back to my job. I took a month off
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: after the film, I went back for two years and
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: then kind of moved on from that. But even that
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: adjustment is a weird life adjustment that the listeners here
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: don't always understand is you're not used to this. This
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: is not something you've been prepped for. You don't really
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: have a skill set to be on TV or to
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: date publicly, and so you get thrown into it. Life
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: switches up very fast, and it takes a while to
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: adapt back to just functioning. And that's where I want
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: to go into now. You guys are still together, happily,
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: you're sitting by each other. You're certainly are you're certainly
• 7:59
  Speaker 2: to get Yeah there, How has your relationship changed now
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: since that last interview in New York City to today?
• 8:06
  Speaker 3: Uh, just walk us through. What does life look like?
• 8:09
  Speaker 5: Yeah?
• 8:11
  Speaker 6: Uh, you know it was like such a like you know,
• 8:17
  Speaker 6: high intensity time for us in New York and the show,
• 8:21
  Speaker 6: and then we got to focus on ourselves with going
• 8:23
  Speaker 6: back to Austin. Sure, we had to you know, do
• 8:26
  Speaker 6: some long distance in between when the show was filming,
• 8:28
  Speaker 6: but like, truly, I think and I think you'd agree
• 8:33
  Speaker 6: that our relationship got stronger and stronger where you know,
• 8:36
  Speaker 6: it could be really easy for it to like cause
• 8:38
  Speaker 6: a lot of issues and we've seen it in the past,
• 8:40
  Speaker 6: but you know, we've got great communication and there's this trust.
• 8:45
  Speaker 2: And let me pause you there though, because that's a
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: lot of couples at this point in time are like we.
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: They sit down with us a few months later and
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: they're like breaking and you can see it in them.
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: You're stronger than ever. You're saying your communication was out.
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: How did you make it through? Like, give us some
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: details on how you helped each other through that time.
• 9:01
  Speaker 6: Yeah, I mean, like as Katie knows, like I'm someone,
• 9:06
  Speaker 6: I mean, I just kind of tell it how it is,
• 9:08
  Speaker 6: and I wear my heart on my sleep all the time,
• 9:10
  Speaker 6: for better for worse.
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: Yep.
• 9:11
  Speaker 6: But I think in general, like there is really no
• 9:15
  Speaker 6: hiding or guessing what I'm feeling or what's going on.
• 9:18
  Speaker 6: And Katie does a really good job at that. So
• 9:20
  Speaker 6: that's hard to do, you know, via text and FaceTime,
• 9:23
  Speaker 6: and that obviously presents challenges for like the period of after.
• 9:27
  Speaker 4: You know, and we're with each other like a lot.
• 9:29
  Speaker 6: Too, and now we're with each other a lot.
• 9:31
  Speaker 5: It's like twenty four to seven.
• 9:33
  Speaker 6: Yeah, so yeah, so we're like basically like a like
• 9:36
  Speaker 6: a fully married couple. We just haven't officially moved in yet.
• 9:40
  Speaker 3: But yeah, you haven't officially moved in. You're not living together.
• 9:43
  Speaker 4: You're not living together yet. I'm waiting for my least to.
• 9:47
  Speaker 5: Come up and say with Zach and then we're going
• 9:49
  Speaker 5: to move in together in July. Yeah, so that's going
• 9:52
  Speaker 5: to be different for us. But we basically, you know,
• 9:55
  Speaker 5: like I've spent maybe since he's been back in Austin
• 9:59
  Speaker 5: maybe three nights in my house.
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: Like yeah, so pretty much she's got.
• 10:09
  Speaker 5: But yeah, we've just been like so strong and just
• 10:13
  Speaker 5: getting to know each other more. We learn each other's
• 10:16
  Speaker 5: quirks and everything, and I'm like more in love with
• 10:21
  Speaker 5: him like every single day, like truly, And I know
• 10:25
  Speaker 5: it sounds corny to say that, but like I learned
• 10:27
  Speaker 5: something new about him every day and he's an amazing man.
• 10:42
  Speaker 3: I'm gonna ask you the worst question ever.
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: I've never asked anybody this question because I've never felt
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: confident enough to do it. Do the two of you
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: see any way that you don't get married.
• 10:55
  Speaker 5: We've talked about like where we want to get married.
• 10:58
  Speaker 5: I've already like started looking at Ben you but also
• 11:02
  Speaker 5: like at AFR. We said twenty twenty five. And I
• 11:06
  Speaker 5: think that's just realistic, and I think that's smart. I
• 11:09
  Speaker 5: don't think we need to put pedal to the metal,
• 11:13
  Speaker 5: like we have our whole lives together, like why rush
• 11:15
  Speaker 5: into things? Yeah, but yeah, and we just want to
• 11:19
  Speaker 5: make sure it's right, like just like then you wise
• 11:22
  Speaker 5: and the time.
• 11:24
  Speaker 6: But like to your question, like it's funny, we were
• 11:26
  Speaker 6: actually just talking about this. We were at the pool
• 11:27
  Speaker 6: earlier and we're just talking about like our relationship and
• 11:34
  Speaker 6: I told her. You know, going into that whole process
• 11:37
  Speaker 6: of the Bachelor, I wanted to make sure that I
• 11:39
  Speaker 6: was one hundred percent certain that I wanted to spend
• 11:41
  Speaker 6: the rest of my life with a certain person, a
• 11:44
  Speaker 6: specific person. And if I wasn't sure, then I don't
• 11:46
  Speaker 6: think I would propose. I actually I know I wouldn't have.
• 11:49
  Speaker 6: And when I told Katie there was not a single
• 11:52
  Speaker 6: doubt in my mind. I was like, I'm going to
• 11:53
  Speaker 6: marry that woman. I can't imagine not. And I still
• 11:56
  Speaker 6: feel that way and even stronger now because I get
• 11:58
  Speaker 6: to know her more. Yea, and we still I'll learn
• 12:00
  Speaker 6: a lot about each other, sure, like every other couple
• 12:03
  Speaker 6: or this and that, but it's like the love is there, yeah,
• 12:06
  Speaker 6: which I just like didn't think was fully possible like
• 12:10
  Speaker 6: this point or through a TV show really, but it
• 12:13
  Speaker 6: kind of just feels like a blessing or just really lucky. Yeah.
• 12:18
  Speaker 3: How does that? I mean, go into that a little bit.
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: You guys been on a television show and not the
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: easiest ways, right, not the most conventional way, with a
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: lot of weird, tough things happening from the start to
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: the finish that you guys had to navigate. And now
• 12:34
  Speaker 2: you sit here today saying hey, Katie, saying I love
• 12:37
  Speaker 2: you more than I ever have, and you're saying I
• 12:39
  Speaker 2: was confident that I wanted to marry you.
• 12:42
  Speaker 3: Does that just ever feel weird? Like that you met
• 12:45
  Speaker 3: your person?
• 12:46
  Speaker 4: Oh, we were saying this earlier.
• 12:48
  Speaker 5: So many times we look at each other and like
• 12:50
  Speaker 5: that was was so messed up, like so strange, but
• 12:56
  Speaker 5: like we're so grateful for it.
• 12:58
  Speaker 4: It is, it is, It is so weird.
• 13:00
  Speaker 5: We just we met each other and we both live
• 13:02
  Speaker 5: in Austin, Like we.
• 13:03
  Speaker 6: Just met to save us a lot of trauma and stuff.
• 13:06
  Speaker 6: But like write the story and it put us through
• 13:09
  Speaker 6: tests that I think like overaw help the strength of it.
• 13:13
  Speaker 2: So okay, So one day, if you guys choose to
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: as a couple have kids, would you definitely having kids,
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: We're definitely having kills. Would you let your kids watch
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: that season back?
• 13:26
  Speaker 4: Oh that's a good question.
• 13:29
  Speaker 6: Parts.
• 13:32
  Speaker 3: I think Katie is going to say the whole thing,
• 13:34
  Speaker 3: let him get to know dad, Wow, talk about I.
• 13:44
  Speaker 5: Think maybe at a certain age I would. I would
• 13:47
  Speaker 5: let them all of it.
• 13:52
  Speaker 3: Zach, you guys talked us out for a second.
• 13:57
  Speaker 6: This is good.
• 13:58
  Speaker 5: I don't know that's a good they would have to
• 14:00
  Speaker 5: be a certain age for sure.
• 14:04
  Speaker 6: I mean, they're gonna get it, like whenever they find
• 14:05
  Speaker 6: I think.
• 14:06
  Speaker 5: I think, yes, there's some very hard moments in that,
• 14:11
  Speaker 5: but also like that is our love story. That's how
• 14:13
  Speaker 5: we found each other. How like literally our first conversation
• 14:17
  Speaker 5: or first kiss, everything, our first moments were on television.
• 14:22
  Speaker 5: And I think that's so cool that we have the
• 14:24
  Speaker 5: opportunity to watch that back. And yeah, I would be
• 14:28
  Speaker 5: okay with it, but they would just have to be
• 14:30
  Speaker 5: a certain age and maybe we'll get the editors just
• 14:35
  Speaker 5: a different version.
• 14:36
  Speaker 4: But yeah, I don't know what about you, babe, what
• 14:38
  Speaker 4: do you think about that?
• 14:39
  Speaker 6: I think regardless like whether we want them to watch
• 14:43
  Speaker 6: it or not, they're going to. They're going to find out,
• 14:46
  Speaker 6: they're going to want to see. So I would just
• 14:49
  Speaker 6: make sure that it's like it's an open conversation if
• 14:52
  Speaker 6: they want to ask me any questions or ask you
• 14:54
  Speaker 6: any questions if they have that questions. And I hope
• 14:58
  Speaker 6: they're a little bit older, more mature when they ask him,
• 15:01
  Speaker 6: because they're gonna not they're not gonna understand what yeah
• 15:03
  Speaker 6: the hell they just saw, but they'll get it.
• 15:06
  Speaker 2: Yeah, Well it is uh and Katie, this is for you.
• 15:09
  Speaker 2: It is such a unique process and there's really no
• 15:13
  Speaker 2: right way. I've always said there's no right way to
• 15:15
  Speaker 2: do it as the lead of the show, for the
• 15:17
  Speaker 2: Bachelor or the Bachelor, there's nobody that comes out of
• 15:19
  Speaker 2: it unscathed without making a decision that they might look
• 15:22
  Speaker 2: back on and be like, I wish I would have
• 15:23
  Speaker 2: done that differently. But obviously with your season, there are
• 15:29
  Speaker 2: unique storylines that took place that you guys had to
• 15:31
  Speaker 2: like confront stuff on television that maybe you would have
• 15:36
  Speaker 2: rather not confronted. The question I have for you because
• 15:39
  Speaker 2: I don't think TV does it justice. Why didn't you
• 15:43
  Speaker 2: give up on this relationship? Why didn't you walk away?
• 15:45
  Speaker 2: Why did you choose to stay?
• 15:47
  Speaker 5: Yeh with sech good question because the moments that I
• 15:51
  Speaker 5: had with him, the time that I did to get.
• 15:54
  Speaker 4: To know him, I genuinely I knew your heart.
• 15:59
  Speaker 5: I knew that you were such a good man, and
• 16:03
  Speaker 5: I'm a very I felt like in that moment I
• 16:06
  Speaker 5: was and I am a very understanding person, and I
• 16:10
  Speaker 5: couldn't imagine.
• 16:11
  Speaker 4: What you went through.
• 16:12
  Speaker 5: But I loved you, and I knew you were a
• 16:16
  Speaker 5: good man, and I knew that we could get through it.
• 16:19
  Speaker 5: And yeah, and.
• 16:23
  Speaker 3: You knew who he was exactly.
• 16:25
  Speaker 4: It's a great man.
• 16:27
  Speaker 2: So then for you, Zach, you're in the conversation with Katie, Yeah,
• 16:35
  Speaker 2: were you freaking out? I mean, in that moment when
• 16:38
  Speaker 2: you're for the first time really all season, the two
• 16:41
  Speaker 2: of you have an issue where she could have easily
• 16:46
  Speaker 2: and everybody would have said, hey, we get it, like
• 16:48
  Speaker 2: she didn't want to be a part of whatever this
• 16:50
  Speaker 2: was going to end up being. You're telling her knowing
• 16:53
  Speaker 2: that this is also the person that you want to
• 16:55
  Speaker 2: spend your life with. And for a while, I think,
• 16:58
  Speaker 2: I mean maybe television just over dramatize it, but for
• 17:01
  Speaker 2: a while, I think the viewers watching going she's gone,
• 17:05
  Speaker 2: like she's at she's gonna she's gonna leave. She didn't, obviously,
• 17:09
  Speaker 2: But in that moment, for you, what's going through your mind?
• 17:12
  Speaker 2: Were you holding on for dear life? Were you freaking
• 17:15
  Speaker 2: out internally? Like walk us through what's going on inside
• 17:17
  Speaker 2: of you?
• 17:17
  Speaker 6: Yeah? I mean it was like the scariest moment I
• 17:20
  Speaker 6: went through. Actually, it was the scariest moment I went through.
• 17:23
  Speaker 6: And my heart was pounding through my chest. I could
• 17:29
  Speaker 6: hardly speak, but and we've talked about. This is what
• 17:32
  Speaker 6: was most important, Like I guess looking at it and
• 17:36
  Speaker 6: myself at that moment was being as honest as I
• 17:39
  Speaker 6: could be because I do take engagement seriously and I
• 17:43
  Speaker 6: felt like I couldn't commit to someone holding something back
• 17:49
  Speaker 6: or not telling the whole truth because like, yeah, that's
• 17:52
  Speaker 6: like the design of the show, that the show is
• 17:55
  Speaker 6: what it is. But also I don't look at it
• 17:56
  Speaker 6: that way. I look at it. It's like, oh no,
• 17:57
  Speaker 6: if I can find my wife through this, i am,
• 17:59
  Speaker 6: and I'm going to treat this as normal as possible
• 18:03
  Speaker 6: in unnormal or unique circumstances. So it was the scariest moment.
• 18:10
  Speaker 6: It was pouring on us.
• 18:12
  Speaker 4: Yeah, it was.
• 18:13
  Speaker 2: It was it looked and I mean it was one
• 18:19
  Speaker 2: flip flops on it's raining.
• 18:21
  Speaker 5: I'm like, this is the worst spot to have this conversation,
• 18:26
  Speaker 5: and it's just like, oh it was. It was just
• 18:29
  Speaker 5: really bad.
• 18:30
  Speaker 6: I mean, it was like the worst day.
• 18:31
  Speaker 4: It was very awkward.
• 18:33
  Speaker 6: It was hard.
• 18:34
  Speaker 4: It was so awkward.
• 18:36
  Speaker 3: But you made it through.
• 18:38
  Speaker 2: We certainly did, and Zach, there obviously was repercussions from
• 18:44
  Speaker 2: that conversation, right, there's other people involved looking back on
• 18:48
  Speaker 2: that moment, now, clarity understanding. Let's just assume that the
• 18:53
  Speaker 2: two of you would be sitting on the couch still
• 18:55
  Speaker 2: with or without that conversation.
• 18:57
  Speaker 3: Would you have done anything differently?
• 18:59
  Speaker 6: Well, I mean it's like there's I look back and
• 19:03
  Speaker 6: and change a lot of things. I mean, it's you're
• 19:09
  Speaker 6: put under this intense lens constantly, and you're you're forced
• 19:13
  Speaker 6: to make these decisions. And you know, with that whole
• 19:16
  Speaker 6: week of me like creating those boundaries or creating that
• 19:20
  Speaker 6: no sex week type thing, like I would take that
• 19:23
  Speaker 6: back because like what that did was took away everyone
• 19:26
  Speaker 6: else's decision. Katie knows where my heart was at making
• 19:31
  Speaker 6: that decision, because I was just trying to, you know,
• 19:34
  Speaker 6: make it as les messy as possible and totally and
• 19:42
  Speaker 6: I would I would like I would have changed that,
• 19:44
  Speaker 6: and that would have avoided a lot of actually all
• 19:46
  Speaker 6: of that issue, to be honest, and I'm I'm looking
• 19:51
  Speaker 6: at myself the way you guys are looking at me,
• 19:53
  Speaker 6: like duh.
• 20:06
  Speaker 2: And I will say, Zach, Katie, credit to you, because
• 20:11
  Speaker 2: it is a weird thing. Again, there's no right way
• 20:14
  Speaker 2: to always do this. There are things we can look
• 20:16
  Speaker 2: back on say I wish I would have done differently,
• 20:18
  Speaker 2: But kudos to you for being understanding and getting to
• 20:21
  Speaker 2: know him and his intentions and letting him have that
• 20:24
  Speaker 2: space and also hopefully behind the scenes, explaining yourself so
• 20:30
  Speaker 2: that she does understand it. It doesn't always happen, and
• 20:32
  Speaker 2: I will tell you, in the years that I've seen this,
• 20:35
  Speaker 2: these are the things that break couples afterwards. Like if
• 20:38
  Speaker 2: you can make it through this, and I think we
• 20:40
  Speaker 2: said this after the show, you can make it through
• 20:42
  Speaker 2: probably anything, you know, like, this was a really hard
• 20:47
  Speaker 2: This was probably, in my mind, one of the most
• 20:50
  Speaker 2: real difficult conversations and situations, not only for the two
• 20:55
  Speaker 2: of you, but also for Gabby that I've ever seen
• 20:58
  Speaker 2: on the show. But you guys stuck through it together,
• 21:02
  Speaker 2: and I just think that's you. There's something unique in
• 21:05
  Speaker 2: that that that makes me think this isn't ever Like
• 21:07
  Speaker 2: I'm not going to see a headline in two months
• 21:09
  Speaker 2: it says that you guys are splitting.
• 21:11
  Speaker 4: Oh heck nobol not.
• 21:15
  Speaker 6: All right?
• 21:16
  Speaker 2: Well, that was sweet, Okay, moving on to lighter things then,
• 21:20
  Speaker 2: because I really wanted to understand how you guys got
• 21:24
  Speaker 2: through this, and also I wanted to see now Zach
• 21:27
  Speaker 2: for you with that decision and making the no sex
• 21:30
  Speaker 2: week to see if you could see how much that
• 21:35
  Speaker 2: also affected the other people involved, the women involved, and
• 21:38
  Speaker 2: how that boundary probably if you go back, like you said,
• 21:41
  Speaker 2: it wouldn't have been set. It just now with good intentions.
• 21:44
  Speaker 2: It was like really backfired in an amazing way.
• 21:50
  Speaker 4: In an amazing way.
• 21:52
  Speaker 3: It was wild television. It was wild television. But now
• 21:58
  Speaker 3: to the good parts.
• 21:59
  Speaker 2: As you guys look back on your journey together through
• 22:01
  Speaker 2: the show and maybe even after the show, what are
• 22:04
  Speaker 2: some moments that stick out to you as monumental, as
• 22:06
  Speaker 2: really exciting, as good good memories that are taken from
• 22:10
  Speaker 2: this experience.
• 22:12
  Speaker 6: Like from the actual show, yeah, or after the show.
• 22:15
  Speaker 3: Yeah, both, just in life.
• 22:17
  Speaker 2: Now, as you sit here today and you look at
• 22:19
  Speaker 2: your relationship, what stands out to you.
• 22:23
  Speaker 5: That's an interesting question. I don't even know if I'm
• 22:28
  Speaker 5: going to answer this properly because I don't think there's
• 22:31
  Speaker 5: no right answer here.
• 22:32
  Speaker 4: I don't know.
• 22:34
  Speaker 5: Zach and I are just like very adventurous together. We
• 22:37
  Speaker 5: have so many great moments together, whether it's laid in
• 22:40
  Speaker 5: bed and we're just like laughing and we can't breathe,
• 22:43
  Speaker 5: or you know, we've gone zip lining we've gone to
• 22:48
  Speaker 5: Brewize together.
• 22:49
  Speaker 4: We've done so much and I don't, I don't everything.
• 22:54
  Speaker 4: Every moment with you is great.
• 22:56
  Speaker 5: We've made so many memories since filming, and even while
• 23:00
  Speaker 5: we've been filming that they didn't show like we always
• 23:03
  Speaker 5: talk about this, but you know, there was like it
• 23:05
  Speaker 5: was my twenty eighth birthday, the day after the morning
• 23:13
  Speaker 5: of our fantasy sweet Night. I think I said that right,
• 23:18
  Speaker 5: and he brought in like a chocolate cake and then
• 23:20
  Speaker 5: we smeared it all over each other's faces and like,
• 23:23
  Speaker 5: in that moment, it was just so fun, so lighthearted,
• 23:26
  Speaker 5: so Goofy and I always talk about that, but I
• 23:29
  Speaker 5: love Goofy fun moments.
• 23:31
  Speaker 4: So I think the answers a question for me.
• 23:34
  Speaker 3: It does.
• 23:35
  Speaker 6: Yeah, yeah, And even like the little things of when
• 23:39
  Speaker 6: we were in our happy couple houses where you really
• 23:42
  Speaker 6: are limited to where it's just like takeout and like
• 23:45
  Speaker 6: going incognito on walks, that's like that was even a blast,
• 23:49
  Speaker 6: and like those little things all add up of like
• 23:53
  Speaker 6: and just constantly reaffirm like all right, yeah, this is
• 23:57
  Speaker 6: this is my person with out of doubt and then
• 24:01
  Speaker 6: chocolate Kick was a lot of fun y.
• 24:03
  Speaker 3: So Katie, you're back in Austin. The show has moved on.
• 24:10
  Speaker 2: As we talked about the beginning, it's a very weird
• 24:11
  Speaker 2: break when all of a sudden they're all right, we're.
• 24:13
  Speaker 3: Done with you.
• 24:14
  Speaker 2: You guys do your thing. Yeah, here's the next person,
• 24:17
  Speaker 2: and the focus shifts. Have you stayed in close relationship
• 24:24
  Speaker 2: with any of the other women from the show.
• 24:26
  Speaker 5: Oh yeah, absolutely, I'm really I would say I'm closest
• 24:30
  Speaker 5: with Mercedes, like literally from night one. That woman has
• 24:35
  Speaker 5: a heart of gold, and she's so funny, so sweet.
• 24:38
  Speaker 6: She's so sweet, she's awesome, awesome.
• 24:40
  Speaker 5: And Jess as well as Gabby and Ariel. We actually
• 24:44
  Speaker 5: just got back from Miami not too long ago, so
• 24:47
  Speaker 5: I would say, and Dabia Daby is.
• 24:49
  Speaker 4: Amazing as well.
• 24:50
  Speaker 5: Those are like the women that I've probably stayed in
• 24:53
  Speaker 5: contact the most with. But some of the other women,
• 24:57
  Speaker 5: like Charity I've talked to a little bit broke Glenn.
• 25:00
  Speaker 5: They all want to come to like Austin.
• 25:02
  Speaker 3: So yeah, so you have.
• 25:05
  Speaker 2: I mean it has any of it been difficult to
• 25:07
  Speaker 2: keep these relationships?
• 25:09
  Speaker 4: No?
• 25:10
  Speaker 3: No, no, you've all been supportive of each other.
• 25:12
  Speaker 5: Is it very supportive? We've I mean it was we
• 25:16
  Speaker 5: all leaned on each other during that experience, and we
• 25:21
  Speaker 5: built such great relationships, great friendships, and I was hopeful
• 25:27
  Speaker 5: that they would continue after the show, like while we
• 25:30
  Speaker 5: were filming, and they did, and it's great. We still
• 25:34
  Speaker 5: we still confide in each other, we still support each other,
• 25:37
  Speaker 5: and it's truly just I love, I love my friendships
• 25:41
  Speaker 5: with each and every one of them.
• 25:42
  Speaker 3: Do they ever slip up and talk about Zach in
• 25:45
  Speaker 3: front of you and make it right?
• 25:47
  Speaker 5: Sometimes we'll talk about Zach, But I mean it doesn't
• 25:52
  Speaker 5: like the girls are really they're they're good about it,
• 25:56
  Speaker 5: like they don't. They're very cautious of like, oh hope
• 25:59
  Speaker 5: that didn't hurt your feelings, and even then, like again,
• 26:02
  Speaker 5: I'm an understanding person, like yeah, I'm just kinda laughed off,
• 26:09
  Speaker 5: like yeah really yeah, I.
• 26:12
  Speaker 6: Mean I even like doctor to anyone minus Mercedes, yeah,
• 26:16
  Speaker 6: a couple, but other than that, Like I just but
• 26:19
  Speaker 6: I feel like it gets.
• 26:21
  Speaker 4: Not so weird.
• 26:23
  Speaker 2: Would you be anxious, Zach if if all the girls
• 26:25
  Speaker 2: came to Austin and they were staying together and you
• 26:28
  Speaker 2: are out like you're you're at the house and you
• 26:31
  Speaker 2: just happened to go out and see them, would you
• 26:33
  Speaker 2: be nervous?
• 26:33
  Speaker 3: For that interaction.
• 26:34
  Speaker 4: We literally are talking about this.
• 26:36
  Speaker 6: We were saying that, like there might be plans that
• 26:37
  Speaker 6: some of the girls July, and yeah, how much are
• 26:45
  Speaker 6: they going to roast me? But I mean it'd be
• 26:48
  Speaker 6: great to see everyone that.
• 26:49
  Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, I would have been nervous. Oh yeah, that's fair.
• 26:52
  Speaker 6: Yeah, come on, they.
• 26:55
  Speaker 3: All tagged team up on Zach.
• 26:56
  Speaker 2: Now, there's no reason why they just can't go at you.
• 27:00
  Speaker 3: Nothing to hold back on.
• 27:02
  Speaker 4: I'd sit back and watch Ladies due thing.
• 27:07
  Speaker 2: Uh so you're not living together yet. July seems to
• 27:10
  Speaker 2: be the time that you're going to move in together.
• 27:13
  Speaker 2: You mentioned Katie you're back to work now, Zach, you're
• 27:16
  Speaker 2: thinking about going back to work, Remind me what is
• 27:18
  Speaker 2: what is the job that you will be entering back
• 27:21
  Speaker 2: into tech sales.
• 27:22
  Speaker 6: I mean that's what I was doing for the past
• 27:24
  Speaker 6: four years. I really like it. Right now, I'm kind
• 27:28
  Speaker 6: of in that job hunting phase right now, interviewing because
• 27:32
  Speaker 6: I don't want to go back to the same old
• 27:33
  Speaker 6: company anymore, but just kind of getting back into that
• 27:38
  Speaker 6: normal sea and routine because it's kind of weird and
• 27:41
  Speaker 6: you don't Yeah, it is, we have that. It is.
• 27:44
  Speaker 3: I was in tech sales buddy.
• 27:45
  Speaker 2: I went back for two years in Denver, Colorado at
• 27:48
  Speaker 2: a small back office processing financial services software. Okay, all right,
• 27:54
  Speaker 2: familiar with Yeah, it was uh, it was something two
• 27:57
  Speaker 2: years of it and then uh and then I'm on.
• 28:00
  Speaker 2: But it was good to get back into normalcy and
• 28:02
  Speaker 2: I hope, but it took me a while. It took
• 28:03
  Speaker 2: me a couple of months to feel like one I
• 28:05
  Speaker 2: could sit and focus, in two I could do it
• 28:09
  Speaker 2: and do a decent job at my job. But I
• 28:12
  Speaker 2: did do it, and I do believe it is a
• 28:14
  Speaker 2: good step as you figure out whatever's next. And speaking
• 28:17
  Speaker 2: of whatever's next, you guys did mention that you're looking
• 28:21
  Speaker 2: still at twenty twenty five for wedding. Yep, yep, okay,
• 28:24
  Speaker 2: And that's just because it feels right. It's not because
• 28:27
  Speaker 2: you you're trying to figure it out and make sure
• 28:29
  Speaker 2: that you're right for each other.
• 28:30
  Speaker 4: It just feels like, oh, we're right for each other.
• 28:32
  Speaker 6: Okay, it could be twenty twenty four, it could be
• 28:35
  Speaker 6: twenty fo. Yeah, it's like we kind of picked like
• 28:37
  Speaker 6: a very date.
• 28:38
  Speaker 5: Because it's like to also work like I have. I've
• 28:42
  Speaker 5: worked eleven weeks since September.
• 28:44
  Speaker 3: Like, oh, Jesus, you've got some time.
• 28:47
  Speaker 4: I have to hustle.
• 28:48
  Speaker 6: Like wedding, I heard it takes it takes a long time.
• 28:51
  Speaker 2: Like Yeah, and in your full time job, as what Katie,
• 28:55
  Speaker 2: I'm a nurse.
• 28:56
  Speaker 3: You're a nurse.
• 28:56
  Speaker 2: Okay, so yeah, you got to get back into it.
• 28:59
  Speaker 2: You got to the hours, take off the hours. Yeah,
• 29:02
  Speaker 2: that makes sense exactly. Final question for the two of you.
• 29:06
  Speaker 2: Thanks for being honest, thanks for being open during this
• 29:08
  Speaker 2: whole interview. It's been great and I really appreciate you
• 29:11
  Speaker 2: guys sitting down with us and just catching catching us
• 29:15
  Speaker 2: up on your life. So as we look forward to
• 29:17
  Speaker 2: the future, and each of you, if you can answer
• 29:20
  Speaker 2: this individually, what are you most looking forward to as
• 29:24
  Speaker 2: a couple and as a person that our listeners and
• 29:29
  Speaker 2: the fans of the two of you can pay attention to.
• 29:33
  Speaker 6: Okay, there you go.
• 29:35
  Speaker 5: You want to go first, I think, and I don't
• 29:39
  Speaker 5: think this is necessarily going to be something that you
• 29:42
  Speaker 5: are thinking that we're saying, but I don't know. For me,
• 29:46
  Speaker 5: the the thing I'm looking forward to the most is
• 29:51
  Speaker 5: getting a house and having kids.
• 29:53
  Speaker 6: Really, the starting a family was Yeah, Yeah, that's.
• 29:58
  Speaker 5: What I'm looking forward to.
• 30:00
  Speaker 3: That's incredible. Yeah, well, I'm going to be shocked.
• 30:03
  Speaker 2: Our listeners are going to be shocked right now if
• 30:05
  Speaker 2: we don't see the two of you walking on the
• 30:07
  Speaker 2: aisle in well at some point. We wish you the
• 30:11
  Speaker 2: best here. Thanks for coming out, thanks for joining us.
• 30:17
  Speaker 2: Just tons of success in your relationship and your personal
• 30:20
  Speaker 2: lives thrown on you from this whole family here at
• 30:23
  Speaker 2: the Almost Famous Podcast.
• 30:25
  Speaker 3: Zach and Katie, thank you.
• 30:27
  Speaker 6: Thank youks Man, appreciate it and one.
• 30:29
  Speaker 2: Of the most exclusive, intimate, honest interviews since their time
• 30:35
  Speaker 2: on the show. Zach and Katie joined us on The
• 30:38
  Speaker 2: Almost Famous Podcast and we're very appreciated for it. Hey
• 30:42
  Speaker 2: send him some love. Wish them the best we do
• 30:44
  Speaker 2: here at the Almost Famous Podcast. But until next time,
• 30:47
  Speaker 2: I've been Ben.
• 30:49
  Speaker 1: Follow the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast on
• 30:52
  Speaker 1: iHeartRadio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.