Latest / The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast / Almost Famous OG: A Golden Pioneer with Joan Vassos

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Almost Famous OG: A Golden Pioneer with Joan Vassos · The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: This is the almost famous podcast with iHeartRadio.
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: Well thanks for coming on the almost famous og podcast,
• 0:07
  Speaker 2: because you know you kind of are an og.
• 0:11
  Speaker 3: A crazy I know, I know, I know, I know.
• 0:15
  Speaker 3: I can't believe I'm in the same category.
• 0:17
  Speaker 4: As you, right too, Pioneers too, like the first I
• 0:22
  Speaker 4: love it.
• 0:22
  Speaker 3: Yeah, we'll be linked forever.
• 0:26
  Speaker 5: For good reason.
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: Yeah. So okay, so what Obviously you've done this interview
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: a billion times, right, So what are they? I would
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: ask like if you can share anything, but you know,
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: everyone's probably asked all the questions and the person probably
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: sitting right past your screen is telling you don't say
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: anything that you're not supposed to say.
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: That's right.
• 0:50
  Speaker 4: So obviously you're meeting a ton of people, You're going
• 0:53
  Speaker 4: through a ton of things right now.
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: Honey, how how is this whole experience are you? Are
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: you feeling fatigue by it? Yeah? Are you still just
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: crazy having a great time?
• 1:03
  Speaker 3: I'm crazy having a great time. I was really tired
• 1:06
  Speaker 3: after taping and you guys know like how that journey is,
• 1:09
  Speaker 3: and it's like it's emotionally exhausting. You don't sleep a lot,
• 1:13
  Speaker 3: you have so much going on, and then you come
• 1:15
  Speaker 3: home and you like get a breather, and then you
• 1:18
  Speaker 3: start this pressed up and then like you're re energized.
• 1:21
  Speaker 3: So I'm super energized right now, and I'm just excited
• 1:24
  Speaker 3: that you finally get to see this journey because like,
• 1:27
  Speaker 3: the men are so fun, we have to do such
• 1:30
  Speaker 3: great things. I just think it's going to be. I
• 1:33
  Speaker 3: really really really hope it's going to be as an
• 1:34
  Speaker 3: exciting as a season as I think it is.
• 1:38
  Speaker 4: Well, I'm sure it will be. I mean, look at
• 1:39
  Speaker 4: look at who's the lead. I say this all the time,
• 1:42
  Speaker 4: but Trista knows this, as we both feel this way.
• 1:45
  Speaker 4: You know, you can have the greatest cast of guys
• 1:47
  Speaker 4: on this show, but if you can't carry a conversation
• 1:50
  Speaker 4: with them, it doesn't really do much for anybody. Right,
• 1:53
  Speaker 4: You've got the hardest job on the show. So I
• 1:55
  Speaker 4: love that you're in this position. And I know we're
• 1:58
  Speaker 4: all very excited about the cast. I love the cast
• 2:01
  Speaker 4: thing obviously for the Golden Bachelor, but I feel like
• 2:03
  Speaker 4: for the Golden Bachelorette, it's they they amped it up again.
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: It's really good.
• 2:08
  Speaker 3: I know I was really worried that no one was
• 2:11
  Speaker 3: going to apply. You know, they like men are ready
• 2:16
  Speaker 3: to like, you know, put themselves out there that they're
• 2:18
  Speaker 3: just like, I'm good. You know, I go with my
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  Speaker 3: buddies at night. I'm fine. I'm looking for a woman
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  Speaker 3: or if I do it, I'm certainly not going to
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  Speaker 3: do it on national TV. So I was really worried
• 2:27
  Speaker 3: that they weren't going to have a lot of applicants.
• 2:29
  Speaker 3: So I was really so happy when they started stepping
• 2:33
  Speaker 3: out that limo and I was like, Okay, we're good.
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: I could see a future with some of these guys,
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: like this is going to be a yeah, yeah, Okay.
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: I have a question because obviously you left on Gary
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: season of Golden Bachelor and you know, to be a family,
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: which I so respected.
• 2:52
  Speaker 5: I still do.
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: And since Gary single, now, is there a chance that
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: he's going to make an appearance on your seat?
• 3:01
  Speaker 3: What as a matter of fact, she does what intuitive?
• 3:06
  Speaker 3: You've been around Bachelornation way too long, you know what?
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: An unexpected twist?
• 3:13
  Speaker 3: Oh never before seen on Bachelor Nation before. I gotta
• 3:19
  Speaker 3: have that sound by it sometime. Yeah, that's right, he
• 3:22
  Speaker 3: absolutely does make an appearance. Yeah, yeah, that's all I'm
• 3:26
  Speaker 3: telling you. Yeahs intuitive good conversations.
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: Yeah, you know that's good.
• 3:34
  Speaker 4: I think, you know, one of the things that I
• 3:36
  Speaker 4: loved when I was the Bachelor, right after Trista had
• 3:39
  Speaker 4: kicked me to the curb, was was, you know, was
• 3:43
  Speaker 4: she was such a really a guiding light for me.
• 3:47
  Speaker 4: I mean, you know, you think you know the situation
• 3:50
  Speaker 4: right until you're in the situation where you have to
• 3:52
  Speaker 4: hand out flowers or not and hurt people who have.
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: Never done anything wrong. And know, I mean I remember
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: that was Yeah, it's such a crazy experience.
• 4:01
  Speaker 4: That is the one thing I remember Trista, you know,
• 4:04
  Speaker 4: really making sure that I was aware of was that
• 4:06
  Speaker 4: it was super hard in those moments, and I thought
• 4:09
  Speaker 4: I knew, but obviously I didn't know until I was
• 4:11
  Speaker 4: the one in that position.
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: Did you go through that a little bit yourself?
• 4:15
  Speaker 3: Oh my god, it was agony. I didn't sleep the
• 4:18
  Speaker 3: whole night before when there was a rose ceremony. I
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  Speaker 3: agonized every decision, and then I just felt like I
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  Speaker 3: So there's a part of me that thought, you know,
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  Speaker 3: I loved being on the other side of receiving a
• 4:30
  Speaker 3: rose because I kept thinking, you know, if I don't
• 4:32
  Speaker 3: receive a rose, my heart will be a little hurt.
• 4:34
  Speaker 3: I'll be maybe like a little embarrassed or whatever, but
• 4:39
  Speaker 3: I'll get over it. It was so much harder being
• 4:42
  Speaker 3: on the other side of the side that you're going
• 4:44
  Speaker 3: to hurt somebody, and I hated that. And I also
• 4:47
  Speaker 3: feel like older men that are willing to put themselves
• 4:52
  Speaker 3: out there and be vulnerable are very fragile, and I
• 4:56
  Speaker 3: felt so responsible for not hurting them, and because they
• 5:01
  Speaker 3: had done this really hard thing. They'd come on a
• 5:03
  Speaker 3: show and like been vulnerable in front of a bunch
• 5:05
  Speaker 3: of other men and in front of a million people
• 5:08
  Speaker 3: or a million of people, and how hard that is,
• 5:10
  Speaker 3: and so sending them home made me feel like I
• 5:13
  Speaker 3: felt like crap. I hated rose ceremonies. I like begged
• 5:16
  Speaker 3: you more roses. I wanted it to be different, and
• 5:20
  Speaker 3: I knew that everybody knows what they're getting into and
• 5:23
  Speaker 3: that only there's only going to be one man standing
• 5:25
  Speaker 3: at the end, and we all get like the rules
• 5:29
  Speaker 3: and how this works, but it still does not make
• 5:31
  Speaker 3: it any easier.
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: No, I agree, I agree, Yeah.
• 5:35
  Speaker 5: So hard. Okay.
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: So another thing that really stood out about you when
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: I was watching Golden Bachelor is how you talked about
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: when you get older, you feel invisible, you know, and
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: that you don't feel seen and people.
• 5:53
  Speaker 5: Kind of forget about you.
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  Speaker 2: And you know, Bob and I are I'm almost fifty two,
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: he is fifty three, and we're getting you know, we're
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: getting older. We're the ogs after all, the old guy
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: and old gal. So I feel that I when you
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: said that, I was like, that is really interesting, because
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  Speaker 2: especially in Bachelor Nation, I feel that a lot. Even
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: though I quote unquote and the most successful whatever, it
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: doesn't matter. It's like I feel like the younger versions
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: of you know, our characters on the show, we just
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: keep getting replaced, and in a way, I feel a
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: bit invisible. I feel very lucky in the past, Like
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: a couple of years after being on Golden Bachelor and
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: then being able to go to the wedding and you know,
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: doing other things, I feel more connected in and more
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: seen again. But do you still feel that way? And
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  Speaker 2: have you heard from anyone who has reached out and said,
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: I'm I'm sure I have to assume that you've heard
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: from thousands of people saying the same thing, but they
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: feel that way.
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  Speaker 1: You know.
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  Speaker 3: I said it and thought that I was the only
• 7:09
  Speaker 3: person that felt that way, and I just kind of
• 7:11
  Speaker 3: blurted it out. I never planned to talk about it.
• 7:13
  Speaker 3: It's just a feeling. And I think it was maybe
• 7:15
  Speaker 3: the first time I ever actually verbalized it, to tell
• 7:17
  Speaker 3: you the truth, and I I was so surprised to
• 7:23
  Speaker 3: hear how many people that that statement resonated with, and
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  Speaker 3: also people saying I never knew how to verbalize it,
• 7:30
  Speaker 3: but that you just said it perfectly, that I feel invisible.
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  Speaker 3: And I think, you know, I put a lot of
• 7:35
  Speaker 3: thought into it, like how did I all of a
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  Speaker 3: sudden become invisible? I went from being visible and feeling
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  Speaker 3: like kind of important in the world, or at least
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  Speaker 3: important in my little world, to being like a nobody,
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  Speaker 3: And like, I tried to figure out how this happened,
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  Speaker 3: and I kind of came to the conclusion that, you know,
• 7:52
  Speaker 3: as you get older, the upcoming generation becomes more important,
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  Speaker 3: and that they are the people that people are focusing on.
• 7:59
  Speaker 3: They're the ones they are going to be taking the
• 8:01
  Speaker 3: you know, we're all going to be like getting towards
• 8:03
  Speaker 3: retirement age, or like our careers are not as important
• 8:06
  Speaker 3: to us, or that we are slowing down on them.
• 8:08
  Speaker 3: We're not wanting to work eighty hour weeks, And so
• 8:11
  Speaker 3: the next generation that is willing to work the eighty
• 8:13
  Speaker 3: hour weeks and is going to be maybe the next
• 8:16
  Speaker 3: you know, big guy at the company or big woman
• 8:18
  Speaker 3: at the company, Like they become more important and we
• 8:21
  Speaker 3: become less significant because this next generation is replacing us.
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  Speaker 3: And not only that, I felt like coming on this
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  Speaker 3: journey to find love was really like counteractive to the
• 8:34
  Speaker 3: way I was maybe feel kind of guilty because I
• 8:37
  Speaker 3: felt like it's our responsibility as we get older and
• 8:41
  Speaker 3: we've become less significant to now play a support role
• 8:44
  Speaker 3: in this next new generation that's coming up, So like
• 8:46
  Speaker 3: you should be there to babysit the grandchildren, or you
• 8:49
  Speaker 3: should be able to help, you know, with whatever they
• 8:51
  Speaker 3: need help with so they can assume this like more
• 8:54
  Speaker 3: important position. But I figured, like I don't feel like
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  Speaker 3: I'm ready to take that backseat yet. And it took
• 9:00
  Speaker 3: a while for me to get to that that I
• 9:02
  Speaker 3: still have like a lot of living to do and
• 9:05
  Speaker 3: it may not be like I don't want another big career.
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  Speaker 3: I've had all that. I don't want to raise a family,
• 9:10
  Speaker 3: but I don't want to take a back seat yet.
• 9:13
  Speaker 3: I still have a light, you know, I still have
• 9:15
  Speaker 3: like a fun life I could have In fact, like
• 9:18
  Speaker 3: maybe more fun than I had when I was doing
• 9:20
  Speaker 3: all that, Like I love knowing in life with my husband,
• 9:23
  Speaker 3: I loved raising my children. But then I look at
• 9:25
  Speaker 3: like what I had planned for this second half of
• 9:27
  Speaker 3: life with John, and like we finally had the resources
• 9:29
  Speaker 3: and we were going to have time, and like there
• 9:32
  Speaker 3: was a lot of fun and a lot of travel
• 9:35
  Speaker 3: and adventure that was going to be the next part
• 9:37
  Speaker 3: of our life. And when he passed away, like that
• 9:39
  Speaker 3: all went away. So although I felt selfish thinking that
• 9:43
  Speaker 3: I get to have the second chance and I don't
• 9:45
  Speaker 3: want to be in the support role, I really do
• 9:46
  Speaker 3: feel kind of guilty about that. Like I'm not dying
• 9:49
  Speaker 3: to babysit my grandchildren four nights a week. I'll babysit them,
• 9:53
  Speaker 3: but you know, I still feel like I want to
• 9:55
  Speaker 3: have a life, And so that felt really selfish for
• 9:58
  Speaker 3: a while. But now, like that whole thing about being invisible,
• 10:02
  Speaker 3: like I don't accept that anymore. You just I'm not
• 10:05
  Speaker 3: accepting that. You know, you need to live your best life,
• 10:07
  Speaker 3: damn straight.
• 10:18
  Speaker 4: One of the things I was thinking about when trist
• 10:20
  Speaker 4: To asked you that question was, you know, I think
• 10:24
  Speaker 4: about my mom and I think about people who you
• 10:27
  Speaker 4: know are are much older than you, obviously, but I'm
• 10:29
  Speaker 4: just thinking about like when they move into this phase
• 10:31
  Speaker 4: of their life and they put everyone before themselves, and
• 10:34
  Speaker 4: that's what you do, right as a grandparent, and and
• 10:37
  Speaker 4: it's I see it as a as a father, you know.
• 10:39
  Speaker 4: I know Trista sees it, you know, I see it
• 10:41
  Speaker 4: with my little kids. I'm always like, well, it used
• 10:44
  Speaker 4: to be so important to me to do this, this
• 10:45
  Speaker 4: and this, and now I'm like, it's my reason not
• 10:47
  Speaker 4: to do things.
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: You know, I got sorry, guys, I got kids.
• 10:50
  Speaker 3: Now.
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: Can't be the I can't.
• 10:52
  Speaker 3: Say out after eight it's not me. I'm fine.
• 10:55
  Speaker 4: Oh yeah, I'm perfectly fine. I can tell yeah. No,
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  Speaker 4: I love that you said that. I think I think
• 11:00
  Speaker 4: you might be probably one of the least invisible people
• 11:02
  Speaker 4: in the world right now.
• 11:03
  Speaker 3: So I think from that perspective for this one little moment.
• 11:07
  Speaker 4: Yeah, feel comfortable and confident knowing that. But I think
• 11:10
  Speaker 4: I think you have a way about you that's really lovely, Joan,
• 11:13
  Speaker 4: I really do. And I think that for you to
• 11:14
  Speaker 4: be in this position, much like when Trista accepted the reins,
• 11:18
  Speaker 4: you know, so many years ago, I think it's all
• 11:20
  Speaker 4: about the right people and I and I definitely am
• 11:23
  Speaker 4: so thankful that it's you, because I just I love
• 11:25
  Speaker 4: when we Matt, and I think you're just such a
• 11:27
  Speaker 4: wonderful example of how to embrace this stage. And and
• 11:31
  Speaker 4: I just am so excited to watch your season.
• 11:33
  Speaker 3: Thank you. I think the story is way less about me.
• 11:37
  Speaker 3: I mean, I do agree with you. You have to
• 11:38
  Speaker 3: have a person that's in the lead position that can
• 11:40
  Speaker 3: carry in a conversation. But if you have somebody good
• 11:42
  Speaker 3: on the other end, the story like shifts from you
• 11:45
  Speaker 3: and goes to them, because like everybody kind of knows
• 11:47
  Speaker 3: me now, and we have those them's all those guys
• 11:51
  Speaker 3: are really good.
• 11:52
  Speaker 4: Yeah, it's a good looking crew of older gentlemen. I
• 11:56
  Speaker 4: will tell you that much.
• 11:57
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I know, and they are.
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: It got me back into the gym.
• 12:03
  Speaker 4: I actually literally I was like looking at your guys,
• 12:06
  Speaker 4: I'm like, what the hell am I doing sitting on
• 12:07
  Speaker 4: the couch.
• 12:08
  Speaker 1: And I got back after it.
• 12:11
  Speaker 3: Come Bob, you have all your hand but you're good
• 12:13
  Speaker 3: luck in.
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: Oh thanks, I love it.
• 12:17
  Speaker 5: It's amazing. It inspired Bob Guinea to get back in
• 12:20
  Speaker 5: the gym.
• 12:21
  Speaker 3: Maybe.
• 12:22
  Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean that's a headline right there.
• 12:26
  Speaker 3: That's that's the that's the sound bite from this interview.
• 12:28
  Speaker 1: There's one.
• 12:31
  Speaker 3: I had nothing good to say.
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: Oh gosh, okay, So last question before we go. If
• 12:38
  Speaker 2: you get married and if you get married on well,
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: if you get married on television, can I'm hoping I
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: can be invited, but because Bob holds it against me,
• 12:48
  Speaker 2: like every single time we talked, can Bob be invited
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: to JO?
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: Before you even answer that, I will tell you this.
• 12:56
  Speaker 3: You give a good gift.
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: I give great gift.
• 12:59
  Speaker 4: But the things I have not been invited to in
• 13:01
  Speaker 4: Bachelor Nation, I haven't worked out.
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: I'm just going to say it.
• 13:05
  Speaker 4: They the ones that I have been at, are all
• 13:10
  Speaker 4: still going strong. That's all I'll say.
• 13:12
  Speaker 3: If I get married, if I get married on JEP,
• 13:15
  Speaker 3: if I get married at all, you guys both are invited.
• 13:18
  Speaker 3: And with the ones because I've never met your wife
• 13:21
  Speaker 3: and Bob, I need to meet your wife.
• 13:23
  Speaker 4: Oh you do.
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: You would love her, You would love her?
• 13:26
  Speaker 3: Everybody You're both are invited. O my god, I mean
• 13:29
  Speaker 3: I love you guys. You know there's a special bond
• 13:31
  Speaker 3: that you have with other people from Bachelor Nation. That's
• 13:33
  Speaker 3: weird because like most of us are total strangers until
• 13:36
  Speaker 3: we meet, and then once you meet, we're like the
• 13:38
  Speaker 3: best of friends because we've shared this weird journey. So
• 13:40
  Speaker 3: you guys are so and of course awesome.
• 13:42
  Speaker 4: Thank you Trista, Thank you John. Of course I'm so
• 13:46
  Speaker 4: much happier now. I feel like the way the world's
• 13:48
  Speaker 4: off my shoulders because that was on my list.
• 13:51
  Speaker 3: So that's why you need to go to the gym because
• 13:52
  Speaker 3: of that way to the world.
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: Check that one off the.
• 13:57
  Speaker 3: Okay, now you know I'm going to be required to
• 13:59
  Speaker 3: come to all your children's weddings.
• 14:01
  Speaker 4: Okay, Oh absolutely, you're in minor ways off.
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: I think.
• 14:07
  Speaker 3: I follow you on Instagram. I see your little ones.
• 14:09
  Speaker 4: Oh yeah, they're exhausting but wonderful, but wonderful.
• 14:14
  Speaker 3: Yes, I know I had.
• 14:15
  Speaker 2: Four, So I know you have one more interview and
• 14:19
  Speaker 2: you've been sitting in that chair all day long.
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: Yes, so let you go.
• 14:23
  Speaker 5: But thank you so much for coming on the almost
• 14:25
  Speaker 5: famous o G.
• 14:27
  Speaker 3: I love you guys. This was when I was working.
• 14:29
  Speaker 3: I was looking forward to the most out of all
• 14:31
  Speaker 3: of them today. So I love seeing you guys, and
• 14:33
  Speaker 3: thank you for wanting to talk to me.
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: Absolutely, we love you too.
• 14:36
  Speaker 4: We wish you the best and here's to the best
• 14:39
  Speaker 4: season so far.
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: We're very excited for it.
• 14:41
  Speaker 3: Thank you, I'm excited, text me, tell me, but you will. Oh,
• 14:46
  Speaker 3: I know all right. I love you.
• 14:50
  Speaker 2: By bye.
• 14:51
  Speaker 3: Follow the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous podcast on iHeartRadio,
• 14:55
  Speaker 3: or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.