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US Weekly (Bachelor Nation Journey)
142 Plays5 years ago
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Transcript
Introduction & Guest Welcome
00:00:02
Speaker
Hello everyone and welcome to Here For The Right Reasons, Us Weekly's Bachelor podcast.
00:00:09
Speaker
I am your host, Sarah Herron, and this week I was joined by Eric
Eric's Bachelor Franchise Journey
00:00:13
Speaker
Figger.
00:00:13
Speaker
If you don't remember Eric, he was on Rachel Lindsay's season of The Bachelorette.
00:00:18
Speaker
He was in third place.
00:00:20
Speaker
right after Fantasy Suites, he went home.
00:00:22
Speaker
He then was on Bachelor Winter Games for a minute and he was on Bachelor in Paradise season five a couple of years ago.
Producer Relationships & Franchise Future
00:00:29
Speaker
And he has written books with Chris Randone from Paradise.
00:00:33
Speaker
He has a great Instagram following.
00:00:35
Speaker
And he was very candid about his time on the show.
00:00:38
Speaker
We spoke a little bit about Chris Harrison and where the franchise should go from here.
00:00:42
Speaker
But then we kind of went back and he spoke
00:00:45
Speaker
a lot about his relationship with the producers on and off camera of his season, which I thought was super interesting.
Bachelor in Paradise Reflections
00:00:51
Speaker
And similar to Blake, who I spoke to a few weeks ago, Eric had a similar thing where he was very beloved when he was on his original season.
00:00:59
Speaker
And then Paradise sort of flipped the script a little bit.
00:01:02
Speaker
It wasn't quite Blake, Kaelin and the text messages, which if you haven't listened to my interview with Blake, but Eric had that whole thing with Angela and he was dating Angela on season five for a while.
00:01:11
Speaker
And then he switched.
00:01:12
Speaker
Cassandra showed up and he had interest with her and they framed it like he broke Angela's heart.
00:01:16
Speaker
And he owned that and spoke about how it's very hard in that environment and how to figure out how to navigate it.
00:01:23
Speaker
So I really think you're going to enjoy my chat with Eric.
00:01:26
Speaker
We played Bachelor Regrets.
00:01:27
Speaker
We talked about the upcoming seasons of The Bachelorette.
Ranking Bachelor Experiences
00:01:30
Speaker
and so much more.
00:01:30
Speaker
So without further ado, here's Eric.
00:01:33
Speaker
I'm back now with Eric, who you may remember from Rachel Lindsay's season of The Bachelorette, season five of Paradise, Bachelor Winter Games.
00:01:42
Speaker
Don't never forget that.
00:01:43
Speaker
Hello, Eric.
00:01:44
Speaker
How are you?
00:01:45
Speaker
How's it going?
00:01:46
Speaker
I'm good.
00:01:46
Speaker
I think I need to put you on the spot right now and do a quick ranking of most enjoyable to least enjoyable filming of Paradise, Winter Games, and Bachelorette.
00:01:55
Speaker
Most enjoyable is definitely the Bachelorette.
00:01:58
Speaker
You know, the six countries fell in love.
00:02:01
Speaker
It was amazing.
00:02:02
Speaker
And people don't know, I actually spent an extra, I think 10 to 12 days in Spain while I got sent home.
00:02:10
Speaker
So I actually was able to enjoy Spain a little bit.
00:02:14
Speaker
Yeah, I would say the least enjoyable was probably like Winter Games, because I went home first week.
00:02:20
Speaker
That was kind of a bummer.
00:02:22
Speaker
But I believe that was due to because I haven't regressed or like came down off the high of the Bachelorette and, you know, processed my life.
00:02:30
Speaker
And so I was just changing, you know, December of that year.
00:02:33
Speaker
I'm back on TV trying to find love.
00:02:35
Speaker
So I wasn't ready for that.
00:02:37
Speaker
But in all, it were beautiful journeys.
00:02:40
Speaker
I had great times and great moments and learning lessons and blessings.
00:02:44
Speaker
And it was great.
00:02:45
Speaker
Good.
00:02:46
Speaker
Well, we're going to get into some specific random stuff from your time on the show, but I also wanted, and your fitness and everything you're up to now and catch everyone up.
00:02:52
Speaker
But I also wanted to
Diversity Importance in the Franchise
00:02:53
Speaker
ask you a little bit about this past season and what's going on in the bachelor world.
00:02:57
Speaker
Did you watch Matt James season?
00:02:59
Speaker
I watched some, some episodes.
00:03:01
Speaker
I didn't, I didn't watch most of it, but I saw enough to kind of realize where things were going and it made sense.
00:03:09
Speaker
So I get it.
00:03:11
Speaker
You get the gist.
00:03:12
Speaker
I mean, what was your... From everything you did see, this conversation that's been going on in The Bachelor for a while now that obviously came up a lot more about diversity and the show in general, what were your biggest takeaways?
00:03:22
Speaker
What's something that you want to see the show do?
00:03:26
Speaker
Like the biggest key that they're missing here so we don't keep having the same conversations and this narrative needs to move along, if that makes sense.
00:03:33
Speaker
I think...
00:03:35
Speaker
The first and the most important thing for any show of that behalf, you know, predominantly, you know, by audience that trying to bring in diversity, I think, um, I think you got to hear people, right?
00:03:50
Speaker
Like, and it's not just minorities, it's all people.
00:03:53
Speaker
There's, there's, there's, there's just people in general.
00:03:56
Speaker
And I think I had an interview with daily beast and I was, um, discussing that.
00:04:02
Speaker
I think, um,
00:04:05
Speaker
They should do like a survey.
00:04:07
Speaker
They should do a questionnaire.
00:04:09
Speaker
They should get everybody's feedback from past season that all diversity and see what they think they should do.
00:04:17
Speaker
Because it's like this, right?
00:04:20
Speaker
if you come to me as a trainee and you want to get in shape and I'm looking at you from my perspective, right?
00:04:26
Speaker
Without saying anything or noticing, I'm just going off what I know, but I haven't asked you a question about how you feel, where you grew up, where you're from, what's your background, where you believe in.
00:04:36
Speaker
Like I think in the interview process or the, when you got a, what is the word?
00:04:44
Speaker
Casting.
00:04:45
Speaker
Yeah, the casting process.
00:04:47
Speaker
There should be.
00:04:48
Speaker
Have you dealt with racism?
00:04:49
Speaker
How do you feel about being whatever ethnic group you are?
00:04:53
Speaker
I think there should be more detailed like questionnaires and conversations when they bring in castmates.
00:04:59
Speaker
Right.
00:05:00
Speaker
Also, I think if you're going to have a diverse cast, the people in the behind the scenes should be diverse as well because you want them to relate and understand.
00:05:12
Speaker
And here's the thing, like they can do what they want.
00:05:14
Speaker
Their show is their platform.
00:05:16
Speaker
You know, I always tell people like we can get bad at ABC and the network and, you know, people at the show, but it's a business at the end of the day.
00:05:24
Speaker
And if my business generates revenue from a certain demographic that makes sense for my audience, then that's what it is.
00:05:32
Speaker
But if you're going to intervene and add different people into your network or your platform, you got to be aware.
00:05:40
Speaker
You got to be conscious of who you're dealing with.
00:05:42
Speaker
You got to know what you're up against.
00:05:44
Speaker
And you're not going to you're not it's not going to be a perfect 10 every time.
00:05:47
Speaker
But at least if you're showing people that you're trying and you want to make change and you want to make progress and a diverse stratosphere for the show.
00:05:56
Speaker
I think people get it.
00:05:58
Speaker
People have compassion.
00:05:59
Speaker
People have understanding.
00:06:00
Speaker
Granted, people are going to be upset.
00:06:02
Speaker
Things are not always going to go their way or whoever way.
00:06:05
Speaker
It's life.
00:06:06
Speaker
But I think with, you know, having, you know, JoJo and Tejas, you know,
00:06:13
Speaker
the host for next season, I think is a great start.
00:06:16
Speaker
I think it is time to see some women faces and women empowerment.
00:06:20
Speaker
And, you know, you do what you can and not what you can't, but I think you just got to ask questions, the right questions.
00:06:26
Speaker
You got to get feedback from all diverse, I mean, from all people.
00:06:30
Speaker
You can't just shoot the ball in the basket and think, okay, I think this will work.
00:06:34
Speaker
You can't think, you got to know.
00:06:35
Speaker
And it's important to have that discussion and conversation.
00:06:38
Speaker
Totally.
00:06:40
Speaker
With Chris Harrison and everything, I mean, it's kind of been played out.
00:06:44
Speaker
Everyone's talked about it nonstop.
00:06:46
Speaker
But do you have any feeling either way of whether you think he should be back, the show should just move on?
Chris Harrison's Situation & Open Dialogue
00:06:52
Speaker
I mean, it's kind of just like we're in this weird lull now, I feel like.
00:06:55
Speaker
It's going to be weird to have it without him, but I get both sides of it, I feel like.
00:06:59
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, like, I love Chris Harrison.
00:07:02
Speaker
Chris Harrison, if you're listening, if you're going to see this, hear this.
00:07:04
Speaker
No, seriously, like, I know him personally.
00:07:06
Speaker
He's a great individual.
00:07:08
Speaker
He calls me the miracle man.
00:07:10
Speaker
I call him the miracle man.
00:07:11
Speaker
It's a miracle season.
00:07:12
Speaker
Here's the thing, right?
00:07:13
Speaker
What I try to tell people, we all fall short at times.
00:07:17
Speaker
We all make mistakes.
00:07:18
Speaker
No one's perfect.
00:07:19
Speaker
I think in that moment, he made a big mistake.
00:07:23
Speaker
This mistake, he messed up.
00:07:26
Speaker
You know, if I saw him today and I had the conversation, like, you made a mistake, buddy.
00:07:29
Speaker
It's okay.
00:07:30
Speaker
You know, you know, just like if I, when I was in paradise and I made some mistakes, right?
00:07:34
Speaker
He's like, yeah, you had a tough time, Eric, in paradise, right?
00:07:37
Speaker
It's like, yeah, I did.
00:07:39
Speaker
So,
00:07:40
Speaker
Everyone, no one is exempt, right?
00:07:43
Speaker
Everyone has to pay for their decision.
00:07:46
Speaker
There's consequences, right?
00:07:47
Speaker
It's a cause and effect of everything.
00:07:48
Speaker
And I believe Chris Harrison, they should be suspended and he should have some time off and he should kind of like rethink and maybe educate himself in some ways and do some work and...
00:08:00
Speaker
you know, build some time with thyself.
00:08:02
Speaker
But I don't think he should be canceled.
00:08:05
Speaker
Like, come on, we're not even being real.
00:08:06
Speaker
Like, so you're telling me no one can show up and be a person and make mistakes?
00:08:10
Speaker
Like, here's the thing.
00:08:11
Speaker
I tell people all the time, I say, look, we live in a world, we live in a culture that everyone comes to work with a mask on, right?
00:08:21
Speaker
And I'm not saying the N95s.
00:08:22
Speaker
Yeah.
00:08:24
Speaker
I'm talking about the professional that's okay.
00:08:26
Speaker
I'm going to be an interviewer today.
00:08:28
Speaker
I'm going to be a trainer.
00:08:29
Speaker
I'm going to be a TV star where we all play the role we're acting.
00:08:35
Speaker
We're playing the role to fit the role to present our profession.
00:08:38
Speaker
And it's okay.
00:08:39
Speaker
It's understandable, but we all know, let's be clear outside of the TV and the, the podcast and behind closed doors,
00:08:50
Speaker
People are talking shit.
00:08:51
Speaker
People are saying things they know they shouldn't say.
00:08:53
Speaker
So let's be human for once and think about, yeah, no one's perfect.
00:08:59
Speaker
We're all as guilty as what we see in everyday society.
00:09:04
Speaker
And some people are more, you know, worse than others, but...
00:09:10
Speaker
Unconditional love is important in these times.
00:09:12
Speaker
I think he should have suspension.
00:09:15
Speaker
I think he should learn from it.
00:09:16
Speaker
And I think he should have a, I believe there should be an open conversation with Chris Harrison and Rachel Lindsay.
00:09:23
Speaker
And I think what happened is for people from African-American culture, I think on my behalf, from my perspective, it's like, we want people to feel what we feel, but they can never feel what we feel because they're not in our skin.
00:09:36
Speaker
They're not in our body.
00:09:37
Speaker
So we can't project
00:09:39
Speaker
and reflect what we're thinking and feeling from our experience on Salon, who's not us to say you should do this.
00:09:45
Speaker
You're held accountable.
00:09:46
Speaker
Now we can hold them accountable for something they did wrong or something they should be aware of.
00:09:52
Speaker
That's great.
00:09:53
Speaker
But sometimes just because we think, and this is anybody, this is women, men, this is Hispanic, Asian, whatever.
00:10:01
Speaker
Just because we think a person should know about that the way we do, doesn't mean that they do.
00:10:07
Speaker
So we got to start adding context to what we're saying and what we're believing.
00:10:12
Speaker
We got to start educating people in the moment.
00:10:16
Speaker
instead of just fighting them.
00:10:17
Speaker
And I was listening to a podcast this morning.
00:10:20
Speaker
I was working out and I think the words was just because someone disagrees with you, doesn't mean they dislike you.
00:10:29
Speaker
Foolful thought.
00:10:31
Speaker
We can't project what we believe and what we think and tell that person you're wrong because you don't believe or believe or you're not as aware.
00:10:38
Speaker
You should be educated.
00:10:39
Speaker
You're in this position.
00:10:40
Speaker
And here's another thing.
00:10:42
Speaker
What I do know, I'll just put something up with DMX on my story.
00:10:45
Speaker
We have to trust people for who they really are.
00:10:49
Speaker
If a person is just a bad person, that's just who they are.
00:10:52
Speaker
If they are a person who continuously lies, you have to accept people for who they really are.
00:10:57
Speaker
I think in America, it bothers us that when people don't like us, people don't fit the narrative that benefit our world, it makes us uncomfortable.
00:11:07
Speaker
I'd rather someone be truly who they are than them fake it to be something else they're not.
00:11:12
Speaker
And then I find out later they always was that person.
00:11:15
Speaker
Yeah.
00:11:15
Speaker
So I just think we just got to be authentic about how we feel and why are we so bothered by someone's real opinion about something?
00:11:22
Speaker
Why does it matter so much?
00:11:23
Speaker
Like, why does that bother me?
00:11:24
Speaker
And so the work has to be, there's a quote that says, don't question, don't worry about why she or he bothers you.
00:11:33
Speaker
Uh, uh, uh, question.
00:11:35
Speaker
They said, don't worry about what she or he did question.
00:11:37
Speaker
Why does it bother you?
00:11:39
Speaker
Cause it's not about them.
00:11:40
Speaker
It's about you.
00:11:40
Speaker
You're triggered.
00:11:41
Speaker
You're, you're offended for what reason.
00:11:44
Speaker
And I think we've got to dig deep and kind of like look at ourselves in the mirror and say, look,
00:11:48
Speaker
okay i was triggered there's emotional wound here that something happened when i was young or something i was taught in school or raised by and i don't like that cool how about express that in the moment of altercation right and explain it's like hey look you're you're hurting me right now this is very uncomfortable for me and
00:12:08
Speaker
And then maybe that'll help the discussion.
00:12:11
Speaker
But I think the discussion needs to be public.
00:12:13
Speaker
I think Chris Harrison is a decent human being.
00:12:16
Speaker
I think if he's open, he's willing and Rachel and whoever else wants to get involved, I think they should have a discussion and talk about what was done and what was the past.
00:12:27
Speaker
And like, I'm all about solutions.
00:12:30
Speaker
I'm not into recreating narratives because six months, a year from now, somebody else is going to say something.
00:12:34
Speaker
What are we going to do, counsel them to?
00:12:36
Speaker
It's a cycle.
00:12:37
Speaker
It's a cycle.
00:12:38
Speaker
Yeah, it's a cycle.
00:12:39
Speaker
I don't like cycles.
00:12:40
Speaker
I like to create a new cycle, a new wheel.
00:12:42
Speaker
So, yeah.
00:12:43
Speaker
I totally agree.
00:12:44
Speaker
I find it bizarre that he had, not that I don't know what's going on to see behind the scenes, but that he's been so quiet and that it almost would have made sense to have him a part of that finale in some way.
00:12:53
Speaker
I think Emmanuel Acho was great and he was the perfect person to lead the Rachel Mack conversation.
00:12:57
Speaker
But I think maybe we should have seen Chris Harrison and Emmanuel Acho have a conversation too.
00:13:01
Speaker
Like it doesn't make sense.
00:13:03
Speaker
Oh my God.
00:13:06
Speaker
Why did they call me?
00:13:07
Speaker
That's the aha moment.
00:13:08
Speaker
Us Weekly.
00:13:09
Speaker
There it is.
00:13:10
Speaker
Bing, bong, boom, baby, boom, boom.
00:13:11
Speaker
That's the conversation right there.
00:13:13
Speaker
He should have been on the finale with what's his name again?
00:13:16
Speaker
Emmanuel Acho.
00:13:17
Speaker
Emmanuel.
00:13:18
Speaker
Like that should have been that should be the discussion.
00:13:21
Speaker
It just would have helped everyone move forward.
00:13:22
Speaker
I feel like the verses.
00:13:24
Speaker
Here's the thing.
00:13:25
Speaker
You know why it'd have been great for Chris Harrison?
00:13:27
Speaker
Chris Harrison over his history of doing a bachelor.
00:13:31
Speaker
He is able and has been a part of everyone's happiness, joy, turmoil, disaster, trials and tribulations.
00:13:40
Speaker
He has witnessed it.
00:13:41
Speaker
He has talked to people, he has seen people emotional.
00:13:44
Speaker
We need to see the vulnerable Chris Harrison.
00:13:47
Speaker
We need to know what Chris Harrison childhood was like.
00:13:49
Speaker
We need to know what Chris Harrison went through in his life.
00:13:51
Speaker
We need to know.
00:13:53
Speaker
Who is Chris Harrison that we don't know?
00:13:55
Speaker
I think that is more beneficial to the world than bashing him and counseling him and saying, you're this, you're that, nothing he can say is right.
00:14:04
Speaker
You know, it's like, come on, man.
00:14:06
Speaker
Sorry.
00:14:07
Speaker
But I think if that was, I think that still can happen.
00:14:10
Speaker
I think that would be great.
Racism Controversies Impact on Contestants
00:14:12
Speaker
Thank you.
00:14:12
Speaker
There are.
00:14:14
Speaker
You should hit them up.
00:14:15
Speaker
Hey, look.
00:14:16
Speaker
So by the way, I got a great idea.
00:14:17
Speaker
I got a great idea.
00:14:18
Speaker
You can do it on Us Weekly's YouTube channel.
00:14:20
Speaker
We'll all work together.
00:14:22
Speaker
There are these reports that there are people I mean, I know one I think a few people have said this, that they maybe are apprehensive to go on Paradise or spinoff shows because the show is now kind of associated with racism and the scandal and stuff.
00:14:33
Speaker
Part of me doesn't necessarily believe that because I feel like, you know, Bachelor Nation, they want their chance to be on the beach.
00:14:38
Speaker
But I don't know.
00:14:39
Speaker
Do you think there's any truth to that?
00:14:41
Speaker
Um, there's truth only to the people who believe that, you know what I'm saying?
00:14:45
Speaker
To the people who are convinced, who, who, who are influenced and, uh, and motivated by that.
00:14:51
Speaker
I think as people, we got to stop allowing, you know, narratives and trends to dictate our lives and what we believe.
00:14:57
Speaker
Because at the end of the day, I tell all my castmates and people from past shows, I say, look, you know, cause some, most of the people don't know about being a public figure.
00:15:05
Speaker
Being on a big show like that, it's great.
00:15:07
Speaker
We go through a lot of stuff on that television, behind the scenes, on scenes.
00:15:11
Speaker
And it's emotional.
00:15:13
Speaker
It's a roller coaster.
00:15:14
Speaker
And post show, you deal with a lot of mental stuff, a lot of stuff you can't prepare for.
00:15:18
Speaker
But I always tell people, I say, I tell them, look, you're complaining about Reddit.
00:15:23
Speaker
You're complaining about news articles.
00:15:26
Speaker
You're complaining about the hate.
00:15:27
Speaker
And I was like, by all means, great.
00:15:29
Speaker
I said, look at your life.
00:15:30
Speaker
Look at the life you live.
00:15:33
Speaker
Many people don't get a chance to be on TV.
00:15:36
Speaker
And so you have a chance to be on TV and you're bashing it because it didn't go your way.
00:15:41
Speaker
But if it would have went your way, you wouldn't even feel your way.
00:15:43
Speaker
So
00:15:45
Speaker
You know, that's why I said I always judge people when adversity and bad things happen because that's what they really are.
00:15:50
Speaker
Everyone can be great when it's great.
00:15:53
Speaker
So I think the opportunity to go on TV, no matter what's going on, now granted, everything is timing because when I got off my season of The Bachelorette 2017, I had an opportunity to go to Paradise because of my positioning, I felt I shouldn't go.
00:16:08
Speaker
And thank God for that because that was when a scandal came out and that was a really bad time to go.
00:16:13
Speaker
Things kind of got off, got off track.
00:16:16
Speaker
But you gotta follow your gut, you gotta follow your heart.
00:16:18
Speaker
And I think some people will boycott or neglect going or,
00:16:24
Speaker
At the end of the day, life goes on, man.
00:16:27
Speaker
We can't live in the past.
00:16:29
Speaker
We just got to... That network, that show has put a lot of people in powerful positions to this day, even including myself.
00:16:36
Speaker
I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for ABC and The Bachelorette and Rachel and all the people that put that show together.
00:16:42
Speaker
So who am I to say, you guys are bad for like...
00:16:46
Speaker
Hey man, this is TV.
00:16:48
Speaker
I did it today.
00:16:49
Speaker
It's a business.
00:16:49
Speaker
So I just think I'm more of a person of gratitude and I try to look at, I find solutions to problems and it's a big picture.
00:16:57
Speaker
What's the big picture?
00:16:58
Speaker
The big picture is a year from now, two years.
00:17:00
Speaker
And now no one's going to remember that.
00:17:02
Speaker
Now the people who were involved will, but it's going to, this will, this will soon pass.
00:17:06
Speaker
And we'll be talking about, Oh my God, did you see so-and-so?
00:17:09
Speaker
It looks so cute.
00:17:12
Speaker
You know, the bachelor world never ends.
00:17:14
Speaker
It's not going anywhere.
00:17:16
Speaker
It's entertainment, man.
00:17:17
Speaker
Like, let's be clear.
00:17:19
Speaker
We want someone to get all lovey dovey.
00:17:21
Speaker
And oh, my God, did you see him?
00:17:23
Speaker
Look what he did.
00:17:23
Speaker
You know, it's entertainment at the end of the day.
00:17:26
Speaker
So can't take it too serious.
00:17:28
Speaker
You know, no, totally.
Influence of Producers & Personal Responsibility
00:17:29
Speaker
And I think there's also this balance because, you know, people come out and they blame the
00:17:32
Speaker
producers or the edit.
00:17:34
Speaker
And I think there's obviously it's a television show.
00:17:36
Speaker
There's some truth to that.
00:17:36
Speaker
But I'm always from the state of mind of whatever you said or however you present yourself.
00:17:41
Speaker
Yeah, they can manipulate it and twist it.
00:17:42
Speaker
But they're not creating, in my opinion, entirely different things of who you that's a side of you.
00:17:47
Speaker
It might not be the side you want everyone to know.
00:17:49
Speaker
But there's some truth to that.
00:17:50
Speaker
I mean, is that fair to say?
00:17:52
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, it is.
00:17:54
Speaker
It's like, you know, because it's like putting a bunch of people on an ant farm and shaking the ant farm up and you see how they react, right?
00:18:00
Speaker
And you shake them up.
00:18:01
Speaker
You can't prepare for that show.
00:18:03
Speaker
There's nothing to, people think they can go and prepare how to be like, trust me, you can't.
00:18:07
Speaker
Like, it's not one of those things like, oh, I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do that, I'm gonna do this.
00:18:11
Speaker
At the end of the day, if you win on the front end, you're going to get burned on the back end.
00:18:15
Speaker
Right.
00:18:15
Speaker
And if you lose on the front end, you're going to win on the back end.
00:18:20
Speaker
Or it just be a neutral journey.
00:18:22
Speaker
You might not go as far or get involved because you're not open as much.
00:18:26
Speaker
You know, you got to be willing to fall in love.
00:18:29
Speaker
You got to be willing to fail.
00:18:30
Speaker
You got to be willing to, you know, sacrifice.
00:18:32
Speaker
Like we've gone, I was gone for 10 weeks.
00:18:35
Speaker
I had no phone.
00:18:36
Speaker
I had no outside connections to anyone.
00:18:40
Speaker
That's a sacrifice.
00:18:41
Speaker
You know, when I got home, I felt so weird.
00:18:44
Speaker
So I think it is, you know, it is a show at the end of the day.
00:18:48
Speaker
I tell people, so people, it's produced for sure.
00:18:52
Speaker
But at the end of the day, it's not,
00:18:55
Speaker
It's not scripted.
00:18:56
Speaker
It's not like, oh, say this and do that.
00:18:57
Speaker
Like, no.
00:18:58
Speaker
So most of it, you know, it's you.
00:19:01
Speaker
You know what it is?
00:19:03
Speaker
It's your real self, your pretending self, the self you're trying to be on camera.
00:19:08
Speaker
And then your shadow self comes to surface.
00:19:10
Speaker
The shadow self is a self you neglect or you hide or you suppress because you don't want people to know, but it comes to surface because you're triggered.
00:19:17
Speaker
Right.
00:19:18
Speaker
So it's a great therapy.
00:19:20
Speaker
It's great therapy.
00:19:21
Speaker
It healed me in so many ways and evolved me in so many ways.
00:19:24
Speaker
So
00:19:25
Speaker
It's a tough cookie, but it will groom you for sure.
00:19:30
Speaker
Are you done?
00:19:31
Speaker
Or if they called you up and they said Mexico, Summer Games, Bachelor, would you entertain it or would you hang up?
00:19:40
Speaker
I haven't got any calls.
00:19:43
Speaker
I would love to be like, I mean, I just, I just saw they announced a shots out to Kevin.
00:19:48
Speaker
He's a bartender in a paradise.
00:19:50
Speaker
I would love to do a job like that, but I think it's paradise Canada.
00:19:54
Speaker
Oh, they're not doing paradise America.
00:19:56
Speaker
They are, but I think Kevin's going to be on paradise Canada.
00:19:59
Speaker
Cause they're him and after living Canada, I think, but that just came out this morning.
00:20:03
Speaker
Yeah.
00:20:03
Speaker
Yeah.
00:20:04
Speaker
Yeah.
00:20:04
Speaker
Got it.
00:20:04
Speaker
Got it.
00:20:05
Speaker
Maybe maybe right.
00:20:05
Speaker
Cause I didn't see that.
00:20:06
Speaker
I just thought it was so maybe Wells is still in his position.
00:20:09
Speaker
Um,
00:20:11
Speaker
I don't know.
00:20:11
Speaker
I just think I'm so past that phase of like just being in that type of environment.
00:20:16
Speaker
It's so much you have to deal with.
00:20:18
Speaker
And look, it's tough, man.
00:20:20
Speaker
It's if it's no one there you're really into or you really like, it's like you got to settle for what's there if you want to stay and get to know someone.
00:20:30
Speaker
And that's not a bad thing, but it's tough.
00:20:34
Speaker
So and there's no one on any season that I'm like, oh, yeah, they go.
00:20:38
Speaker
I'll go.
00:20:39
Speaker
I'm like,
00:20:40
Speaker
You know, a lot of the, I think a lot of women were younger from past few seasons, if I'm not mistaken.
00:20:46
Speaker
Yeah, for sure.
00:20:47
Speaker
I don't know.
00:20:48
Speaker
I just never really like, oh, I got to get back in paradise.
00:20:52
Speaker
But there are some people I think should go to paradise.
00:20:54
Speaker
Like who?
00:20:56
Speaker
I think grocery store Joe should go.
00:20:58
Speaker
I think Matt Munson for my season.
00:21:01
Speaker
I think Chris Randone should go.
00:21:04
Speaker
Chris Brown too?
00:21:04
Speaker
Yeah.
00:21:05
Speaker
Yeah, I feel like Demario should get another shot.
00:21:08
Speaker
I mean, Iggy, if he's not in a situation, I mean, these are guys from my season.
00:21:15
Speaker
But yeah, I think, you know, Blake should get back out there too.
00:21:17
Speaker
I mean, you know, all those guys.
00:21:19
Speaker
I mean, he was a good guy.
00:21:20
Speaker
So, yeah.
00:21:22
Speaker
Maybe Robbie.
00:21:23
Speaker
How's Robbie?
00:21:23
Speaker
I haven't seen Robbie in a while.
00:21:25
Speaker
Robbie, he went to see us to keep for a minute.
00:21:29
Speaker
I mean, we got to get him back on TV.
00:21:31
Speaker
Yeah, so we'll see.
00:21:33
Speaker
I'll let the universe decide.
00:21:35
Speaker
But no, I haven't had the urge.
00:21:36
Speaker
I haven't felt anything.
00:21:37
Speaker
And I haven't gotten an email from at least from that world.
00:21:41
Speaker
Got it.
00:21:42
Speaker
But not ruling it out.
00:21:42
Speaker
OK, I like that.
00:21:43
Speaker
I have to ask you this because you're on a season that actually had a success.
Predicting Rachel Lindsay's Choice
00:21:47
Speaker
Obviously, Rachel and Brian happily married, adorable couple.
00:21:50
Speaker
How early did you know Rachel was going to pick Brian?
00:21:54
Speaker
We knew first day.
00:21:56
Speaker
Actually?
00:21:57
Speaker
First day, first week.
00:21:58
Speaker
We just knew like, so here's the thing.
00:22:00
Speaker
Brian was the oldest.
00:22:01
Speaker
I think he's like 37 at the time.
00:22:03
Speaker
So that was one key factor.
00:22:05
Speaker
Two, you know, he got the first impression rolls.
00:22:08
Speaker
And then as the show went on, we always knew him and Peter was top two.
00:22:12
Speaker
We just knew it.
00:22:12
Speaker
Like all the guys in the house just know.
00:22:14
Speaker
We knew at least Brian was going to be top two no matter what.
00:22:18
Speaker
Like it just was like, I don't know, just something about him.
00:22:21
Speaker
And when he got with her, it just was like, man, this was, you know, it was like a layup for them.
00:22:27
Speaker
Like, yeah, it was easy.
00:22:29
Speaker
We knew Peter was going to be top five.
00:22:32
Speaker
And then we knew those two guys were like, they front runners for sure.
00:22:35
Speaker
Did you know you were going to be top three?
00:22:38
Speaker
I don't think I knew I was going to be top anything.
00:22:40
Speaker
Honestly, I was kind of confused coming in.
00:22:42
Speaker
I was uncomfortable.
00:22:44
Speaker
I was trying to figure everything out.
00:22:46
Speaker
And then, you know, week three, I kind of loosened up and started realizing what the show was really about and how I had to play my role and get to where I needed to get to for my benefit throughout the show because it's tough, you know, but
00:23:02
Speaker
We just knew those two guys were gonna be in a run.
00:23:05
Speaker
They gonna be, I didn't think, most people didn't think I was gonna make it that far.
00:23:08
Speaker
I remember Louie, shout out to Louie, one of the, I think he's EP down over there.
00:23:14
Speaker
We were in Spain, we were in an alley, like one, two in the morning.
00:23:18
Speaker
And I'm like, Louie, what the hell is going on, brother?
00:23:23
Speaker
He was like, man, you did it.
00:23:24
Speaker
I'm like, what do you mean?
00:23:26
Speaker
Like, how is this even real?
00:23:27
Speaker
Like, it's two in the morning.
00:23:29
Speaker
I'm about to have a, this was the night of fantasy suites.
00:23:35
Speaker
When you get the card and,
00:23:37
Speaker
He's like, he said, listen, he said, a lot of us didn't believe you would make it this far, but you did it, my man.
00:23:41
Speaker
Like, oh, congrats to you.
00:23:44
Speaker
I was just like, this is so surreal.
00:23:45
Speaker
What is this?
00:23:46
Speaker
Is this a dream?
00:23:47
Speaker
Like, it didn't feel real to me.
00:23:48
Speaker
Cause I'm like, huh?
00:23:50
Speaker
You know?
00:23:50
Speaker
So I think what happened was I figured out how I needed to be.
00:23:54
Speaker
And I think because I was so anxious and so in fear, I was trying to move fast.
Producers as Coaches
00:24:00
Speaker
Like, I think the first question I asked Rachel was, um,
00:24:03
Speaker
What's your biggest fear?
00:24:05
Speaker
Or are you afraid of love?
00:24:07
Speaker
It was something like that.
00:24:08
Speaker
It was just like one of those questions is like, oh, bro, slow down.
00:24:11
Speaker
Just met the girl.
00:24:12
Speaker
Like, that's just the first thing you ask on a date, you know?
00:24:15
Speaker
That's the show, though.
00:24:16
Speaker
As time went on, you know, because my shots are the Eddie Young, one of the producers, producers on the show.
00:24:23
Speaker
We will be on a date.
00:24:25
Speaker
You know, he's in a background.
00:24:26
Speaker
And he's like,
00:24:29
Speaker
Like too much bro, say that for nighttime.
00:24:33
Speaker
Like we on a day date and I'm talking about deep stuff during the day.
00:24:39
Speaker
Like, you know, talk about the environment, talk about it's too much, say that this is good content for the dental portion.
00:24:45
Speaker
So I had to kind of learn like,
00:24:47
Speaker
You know, I was going deep too fast, but it worked out in the end.
00:24:51
Speaker
So I'm happy.
00:24:52
Speaker
I spoke to someone recently and they kind of described their relationship with the producers as like a coach.
00:24:57
Speaker
And that's kind of similar to what you said.
00:24:58
Speaker
So it is a coaching thing.
00:25:01
Speaker
And in a way where you trust them.
00:25:02
Speaker
But in the back of your mind, are you like, how should I trust you?
00:25:06
Speaker
Like, is that a mind game too?
00:25:08
Speaker
It is.
00:25:09
Speaker
I mean, for me, I can kind of see what someone's like BSing me.
00:25:13
Speaker
Like, come on, bro, stop.
00:25:15
Speaker
But here's the thing.
00:25:17
Speaker
Sometimes
00:25:19
Speaker
you can get in some hot water.
00:25:21
Speaker
And so I had a situation where I was trusting the coach, but the coach wasn't trusting the player.
00:25:27
Speaker
I'm like, bro, look, I'm in the playing field.
00:25:29
Speaker
Like I'm telling you play by play what's really going on.
00:25:33
Speaker
They're like, no, no, just trust.
00:25:34
Speaker
I said, listen, watch what happened.
00:25:37
Speaker
I followed them and then the show came out and I know it.
00:25:41
Speaker
Is this your paradise love triangle moment?
00:25:43
Speaker
Yeah.
00:25:43
Speaker
And I was like, look, I know it.
00:25:45
Speaker
I was like, listen, I know people.
00:25:47
Speaker
I said, it wasn't about me making a decision, right?
00:25:50
Speaker
It was about how I made a decision.
00:25:52
Speaker
You know what I'm saying?
00:25:54
Speaker
It was about how.
00:25:55
Speaker
It wasn't that idea.
00:25:56
Speaker
I can change my mind, but it was,
00:25:58
Speaker
You know, I should have had the conversation first, you know?
00:26:01
Speaker
Yeah.
00:26:02
Speaker
I didn't do that.
00:26:03
Speaker
That backfired.
00:26:04
Speaker
It still would have been a mess, but it's also was strategic on my part because, you know, it's easy to say you're into someone and you like someone.
00:26:12
Speaker
Well, let me go left real quick and see if you're really right for me.
00:26:16
Speaker
Let me see how bad you say you into me.
00:26:18
Speaker
Let me go do something and see where your heart is.
00:26:21
Speaker
Because that's going to really tell me if you really into me like you say you are.
00:26:25
Speaker
And, you know, it made sense.
00:26:27
Speaker
And so when I made a decision, it was tough, but I had to follow my heart in the moment because I wasn't feeling what the person was saying.
00:26:33
Speaker
That's what people don't know.
00:26:34
Speaker
Yeah, that's why I made the decision.
00:26:36
Speaker
And so when I made it, the person was upset, of course, and I forgive them.
00:26:39
Speaker
I apologize.
00:26:39
Speaker
It all out of camera.
00:26:40
Speaker
You should show it.
00:26:43
Speaker
When the show was over, that person was in a situation, right?
00:26:46
Speaker
So it was just like, clearly it was what it was, but it was all love.
00:26:51
Speaker
What advice do you give to the people who are going to be filming Paradise this summer?
00:26:55
Speaker
How do you navigate that?
00:26:57
Speaker
Because I feel like on that show more than The Bachelor or Bachelorette, because there's one lead, it's a little different.
00:27:02
Speaker
And then on Paradise, it's an open playing field.
00:27:05
Speaker
You can go on as many dates.
00:27:06
Speaker
You're dating more than one person.
00:27:08
Speaker
Everyone's talked beforehand.
00:27:09
Speaker
There's all this drama.
00:27:10
Speaker
There's past relationships.
00:27:12
Speaker
How much do you lean into that and worry about what's going to show versus actually genuinely just trying to have fun or find a connection?
00:27:17
Speaker
Because you get crucified.
00:27:19
Speaker
if you go on dates with too many people, but you get sent home if you don't.
00:27:22
Speaker
So I feel like you can't really win.
00:27:24
Speaker
I just think going in, people got to understand anything can happen, right?
00:27:28
Speaker
That's first and foremost.
00:27:29
Speaker
Anything can happen, good or bad.
00:27:31
Speaker
So you got to have that in your mind.
00:27:33
Speaker
Also, you have to just be yourself, and however that is.
00:27:38
Speaker
And know that don't go in trying to be too cool.
00:27:42
Speaker
Don't go in being uptight.
00:27:44
Speaker
Be open.
00:27:45
Speaker
Learn from the experience.
00:27:46
Speaker
Let the experience teach you instead of you trying to teach it.
00:27:49
Speaker
Like, let it teach you something.
00:27:50
Speaker
And have fun.
00:27:51
Speaker
Like, enjoy it.
00:27:51
Speaker
Like, it's a long journey.
00:27:53
Speaker
Like, it's a lot that goes on.
00:27:55
Speaker
The process is a lot.
00:27:56
Speaker
You know, so many things you got to do between you and get there.
00:27:59
Speaker
Then when you get there, it's a lot.
00:28:01
Speaker
So you just got to be ready for...
00:28:05
Speaker
party when the cameras come on, baby.
00:28:08
Speaker
Lights camera action, it's time to, hey, baby, it's action.
00:28:11
Speaker
So I just think you gotta be open.
00:28:13
Speaker
You gotta be mindful of your surroundings, be yourself, be authentic, and just know anything can happen.
00:28:18
Speaker
So you're not in control of that.
00:28:20
Speaker
It's just like the universe.
00:28:21
Speaker
Anything can happen today.
00:28:22
Speaker
Matter of fact, this morning, I woke up really early.
00:28:24
Speaker
I was up at like 3.50, 3.54 to be exact.
00:28:27
Speaker
I couldn't go to sleep.
00:28:27
Speaker
I tried to, you know, they were like 4, 430, 440.
00:28:31
Speaker
Earthquake.
00:28:32
Speaker
Literally had an earthquake here.
00:28:33
Speaker
My world was shaking up, but it was like, I can't control that.
00:28:37
Speaker
What was the odds of me waking up middle of the night and earthquake is happening?
00:28:41
Speaker
Yeah.
00:28:41
Speaker
But so that's like paradise.
00:28:43
Speaker
You don't know what you're going to get until you show up.
00:28:46
Speaker
So have fun.
00:28:48
Speaker
Enjoy it.
00:28:49
Speaker
A lot of people don't get to go
'Miracle Season' Mantra & Personal Growth
00:28:50
Speaker
on TV.
00:28:50
Speaker
Don't take it for granted.
00:28:52
Speaker
Be grateful for the opportunity and do your best.
00:28:56
Speaker
I can't wait.
00:28:58
Speaker
I'm ready.
00:28:59
Speaker
I'm ready.
00:29:00
Speaker
Okay, so tell me what you've been up to now.
00:29:01
Speaker
What is Miracle Season?
00:29:02
Speaker
Tell me everything.
00:29:03
Speaker
Yeah, so it's Miracle Season was established March 13, 2017 when I went on Africa Final Rolls to meet Rachel Lindsay.
00:29:11
Speaker
I was in my trailer in Burbank and Louis was my producer at the time and I kept saying, it's Miracle Season and it came to me.
00:29:18
Speaker
It was like something that came to me, you know,
00:29:21
Speaker
God given source, higher self, whatever you want to call it, it's coming to me, right?
00:29:26
Speaker
And he said, listen, I think you should say that when you get on stage.
00:29:30
Speaker
And so when I got on stage, you ever have something you wanted to say to someone and then you never say it?
00:29:38
Speaker
And you know what that feels like.
00:29:39
Speaker
Yeah, for sure.
00:29:40
Speaker
Didn't you ever have something to say to this one and you said everything.
00:29:44
Speaker
That's what that moment.
00:29:45
Speaker
So when I said that on stage, what's meant to be, will be.
00:29:48
Speaker
I said, it's a miracle season, Rachel.
00:29:50
Speaker
What's meant to be, will be.
00:29:51
Speaker
Looking for, it was like I hit a game winning shot.
00:29:54
Speaker
Boom.
00:29:54
Speaker
So when that happened, the crowd went crazy.
00:29:57
Speaker
I was like, this feels great.
00:29:59
Speaker
That's how I knew it was something special about that season for me.
00:30:03
Speaker
And the miracle for me, because I didn't know what I was saying.
00:30:06
Speaker
It just was coming to me.
00:30:07
Speaker
A foreshadow.
00:30:08
Speaker
So the foreshadow was the miracle was me falling in love for the first time.
00:30:13
Speaker
But to get that miracle, I had to go through a metamorphosis.
00:30:15
Speaker
I had to go through a process of evolving and shedding off layers and growing and becoming a man on TV, you know?
00:30:24
Speaker
And that was my miracle season.
00:30:27
Speaker
I won that season in my eyes for me because I fell in love, I allowed myself to be vulnerable, I opened up and my life changed afterwards.
00:30:35
Speaker
So me not being with her wasn't bad.
00:30:37
Speaker
I actually won from falling in love and being open and grown as a man.
00:30:41
Speaker
And just, you know, so that was the miracle, but it was tough to get that.
00:30:45
Speaker
So it's miracle season is a miracle that anyone can have.
00:30:48
Speaker
You can get a raise in your job.
00:30:51
Speaker
You can get a attractive, best relationship.
00:30:54
Speaker
You can make more money, whatever it is that you want to gravitate to or accomplish.
00:31:00
Speaker
It's going to take a process to do that.
00:31:02
Speaker
It's not going to be easy.
00:31:03
Speaker
But once you get that thing, that's the miracle.
00:31:05
Speaker
The miracle is the tough part, the process.
00:31:07
Speaker
And once you get it, you're like, man, this was a miracle.
00:31:10
Speaker
It's miracle season.
00:31:11
Speaker
So yeah, that's been a brand, you know, that's been a hashtag and tags.
00:31:15
Speaker
I went to Miracle Season.
00:31:16
Speaker
But on top of that, I released two books this past
Eric's Books & Inspirational Themes
00:31:21
Speaker
year.
00:31:21
Speaker
I mean, last year with Chris Rendon, we got a book, Change Your Mindset, Change Your Energy, Change Your Life.
00:31:27
Speaker
Translation is a workbook.
00:31:30
Speaker
We give you exercise and daily routines to do for 30 days, 28 days to reclaim your power.
00:31:36
Speaker
It's 28 days, you know, for four weeks.
00:31:39
Speaker
And it helps people transform from an internal perspective and basis.
00:31:43
Speaker
And then I just released a book not too long ago in February, 100 Days of Wisdom.
00:31:49
Speaker
It's 100 days of quotes, my quotes, personalized quotes that I put together.
00:31:55
Speaker
And I have a Facebook group.
00:31:57
Speaker
Shots out to my Facebook group.
00:31:59
Speaker
A lot of people, they miss me.
00:32:01
Speaker
I haven't seen them in two days.
00:32:02
Speaker
We're on like day 63, because I'm breaking down each quote in a group and just giving people motivation and giving people quotes to live a more inspired life.
00:32:12
Speaker
So you can get both books on Amazon.
00:32:15
Speaker
100 Days of Wisdom is an e-book.
00:32:17
Speaker
Transformation is a physical version.
00:32:20
Speaker
Yeah, and just working on projects, constantly reading books and just evolving as a person.
00:32:26
Speaker
I want to bring more value to my audience.
00:32:28
Speaker
I want to bring more value to my platform and to the people I connect with and people who reach out.
00:32:34
Speaker
And I got my IG Live series, Bigger Talks.
00:32:37
Speaker
So I have like...
00:32:38
Speaker
Like the last quarter or the beginning of the year, I was doing one a week.
00:32:43
Speaker
So it's like a podcast, but interview.
00:32:46
Speaker
So I want to do 30.
00:32:48
Speaker
So I'm at like 12 right now.
00:32:49
Speaker
So I think I'm going to push out the next...
00:32:52
Speaker
five or six weeks and probably try to do two a week to get to that number.
00:32:57
Speaker
And so just putting out more content to help people think in different ways and give a perspective.
00:33:02
Speaker
I think, you know, I have a lot of information.
00:33:04
Speaker
I got to give it to the people.
00:33:06
Speaker
I can't.
00:33:06
Speaker
Absolutely.
00:33:07
Speaker
You know, but yeah, it's yourself.
00:33:09
Speaker
Yeah, so that's really it.
00:33:11
Speaker
And I'm looking forward to being on TV soon.
00:33:13
Speaker
You know, like, I think that's another thing, like really looking forward to being on TV and we'll see how that plays out this year.
00:33:20
Speaker
But I think my chances are high of being on TV.
00:33:24
Speaker
Where are we going on TV?
00:33:26
Speaker
I don't know.
00:33:26
Speaker
You know how you just had that feeling like
00:33:29
Speaker
I don't know, I just feel like I need to get back on TV, right?
00:33:32
Speaker
Okay.
00:33:33
Speaker
Yeah, I don't know if you ever had feelings where you like, I was telling my manager, I was like, I think I need to get back to TV.
00:33:37
Speaker
Like, it's time.
00:33:38
Speaker
Like, I've been on TV for a long time.
00:33:40
Speaker
It's been since what?
00:33:41
Speaker
I did a commercial in 2019, but like reality or something like The Bachelor is 2018, so it's been a minute.
00:33:48
Speaker
So I think it's just time to get back on TV.
00:33:50
Speaker
What would be your like ideal if it's another show or like a hosting thing?
00:33:54
Speaker
Like what would be your ideal situation?
00:33:56
Speaker
I would love to have my own talk show.
00:33:58
Speaker
Honestly, I would even like to have my own talk show where people come on and interview them and ask challenging, fun questions.
00:34:05
Speaker
Or I would love my own reality show, my day to day of me living life.
00:34:12
Speaker
People get to see how inspiring and motivating and how I stay positive and
00:34:16
Speaker
And people often see all the negative stuff that I deal with that people don't see.
00:34:20
Speaker
So they can get a more inside on like what it's like to be me.
00:34:24
Speaker
Because I think people like, how are you so positive?
00:34:26
Speaker
You know, it's like, I do a lot of things before I wake up, before I get to my platform or I go outside.
00:34:33
Speaker
There's a lot of things I'm doing internally.
00:34:36
Speaker
They say, which you practice in private, you will be rewarded for in public.
00:34:40
Speaker
So I like that one.
00:34:41
Speaker
Yeah.
00:34:42
Speaker
So I do a lot of work behind, you know, scenes working on myself to be a better person.
00:34:47
Speaker
And it shows up in my life, like with these interviews or opportunities with meeting new people and attracting like things on
Current Dating Life & Career Focus
00:34:54
Speaker
those frequencies.
00:34:54
Speaker
So yeah.
00:34:56
Speaker
Love it.
00:34:57
Speaker
Are you dating anyone right now?
00:34:59
Speaker
I'm not.
00:35:00
Speaker
Left turn question.
00:35:01
Speaker
I was dating someone over the summer.
00:35:04
Speaker
I was in a decent situation this past summer.
00:35:07
Speaker
It was like six months.
00:35:08
Speaker
It was fun.
00:35:09
Speaker
I learned a lot.
00:35:10
Speaker
It didn't work out, but it wasn't bad.
00:35:13
Speaker
It just was, I think it was one of those
00:35:16
Speaker
moments of clarity of just learning.
00:35:18
Speaker
Right.
00:35:18
Speaker
I think sometimes you got to put yourself in positions to learn.
00:35:21
Speaker
And I learned a lot about women as well.
00:35:24
Speaker
Like this was different.
00:35:25
Speaker
This was a different one.
00:35:26
Speaker
Like, oh, OK, I'm learning over here.
00:35:30
Speaker
You know, it was it was good.
00:35:31
Speaker
And, you know, I'm at a point in my career where my career is like priority and my purpose is my focus.
00:35:37
Speaker
And if someone doesn't align with that, it's hard for me to kind of give to another person when I'm focused on my purpose.
00:35:43
Speaker
You know, so if it happens, it happens.
00:35:46
Speaker
I'm not saying no to a situation, but I'm not focused on that.
00:35:49
Speaker
I got to have someone.
00:35:50
Speaker
I want to be with someone.
00:35:51
Speaker
Got it.
00:35:53
Speaker
You got it.
00:35:54
Speaker
Alright, my last question before Bachelor Regrets.
00:35:56
Speaker
Because you're talking about your books and your platform and how it's a huge... The show gives you this platform and you do with what you want to or navigate it.
00:36:05
Speaker
Obviously, you found this motivational and quotes and everything fitness.
00:36:10
Speaker
How hard is it to navigate that post show when you're getting these random brands throwing opportunities at you?
00:36:16
Speaker
I'm kind of obsessed with seeing where people go and like what their direction is and who's going to post every sponsored content, who's going to get the book deal, who's going to try to go on the MTV.
00:36:25
Speaker
Like, how do you navigate that?
00:36:27
Speaker
Well, it's you navigate it based on where you are in your life at the moment.
00:36:32
Speaker
Like I said, I had the opportunity to first go on Paradise post my first show.
00:36:36
Speaker
It was a no.
00:36:37
Speaker
But I went the next season.
00:36:38
Speaker
You see what I'm saying?
00:36:41
Speaker
I think for me, I've always worked for myself most of my life.
00:36:45
Speaker
I had a few jobs here in L.A., but I had always been in my own world.
00:36:51
Speaker
So to go on a show and to see like what that show could do for me in the back of my mind, I already had my mind made up that my intentions was no matter what happens, I'm going to do my best with what I'm giving.
00:37:04
Speaker
Right.
00:37:05
Speaker
So I'm going to take advantage of whatever is given to me, however, like
00:37:09
Speaker
You can't go on the show and say, oh, this show is this show will be this and I'll do that.
00:37:14
Speaker
Like that was never my intentions because you got to last first of all.
00:37:18
Speaker
I didn't think I would go 10 weeks, fall in love with the six countries.
00:37:21
Speaker
Right.
00:37:22
Speaker
Yeah.
00:37:22
Speaker
But prior to the show, I've always was doing self development, always working on myself.
00:37:27
Speaker
So it was bound to happen.
00:37:29
Speaker
I just think I saw the big picture.
Life Changes Post-Bachelor & Opportunities
00:37:31
Speaker
And the thing is, shout out to Bennett.
00:37:33
Speaker
I miss that guy.
00:37:35
Speaker
Bennett is a EP of the show.
00:37:37
Speaker
We're literally in Spain, we're in Spain in a hotel room, laying in the bed.
00:37:41
Speaker
He was on one bed a little bit.
00:37:42
Speaker
He said, listen, you know your life is gonna forever change, right?
00:37:46
Speaker
I'm like, what you mean?
00:37:48
Speaker
He's like, just know your life will never be the same once you leave here.
00:37:52
Speaker
But I didn't understand what he was saying.
00:37:54
Speaker
Like, I'm like,
00:37:55
Speaker
And he would give me advice like, listen, anytime you're on TV, you need to be out every night.
00:38:00
Speaker
And I literally went out every night.
00:38:02
Speaker
And on top of that, I had a great manager who was a friend before he became a manager.
00:38:05
Speaker
We were friends for like eight years.
00:38:07
Speaker
And he had the idea of a photo shoot.
00:38:09
Speaker
He had the, shout out to Michael Collins, I love you brother.
00:38:12
Speaker
He had the idea of a photo shoot to get the publicist.
00:38:15
Speaker
And that kind of just took my stock up because I was doing things that other people wasn't even on.
00:38:20
Speaker
So it put me so far ahead.
00:38:22
Speaker
So if you Google me or did, you know, research stuff come up, cause I was doing interviews.
00:38:26
Speaker
So you navigate it based on what you want out of life.
00:38:28
Speaker
You know, I was a hustling Uber driver, fitness trainer, worked at the nightclub, selling water.
00:38:34
Speaker
I was doing whatever it took to make money.
00:38:37
Speaker
And so here I can have a great opportunity and it turned out great.
00:38:41
Speaker
I had to take advantage of it.
00:38:42
Speaker
So it was more of, I will make something of this.
00:38:46
Speaker
I don't know how, but I'm gonna do great.
00:38:49
Speaker
I love that.
00:38:50
Speaker
All right.
00:38:50
Speaker
Now we're going to play bachelor regrets and talk about things you may or may not regret.
00:38:53
Speaker
Some of these are generic.
00:38:55
Speaker
I ask everyone, some are going to be specific to you because I did go back and watch a few clips, you know, from your time just to keep it, make it personal.
00:39:02
Speaker
So the first one, do you regret not wearing more comfortable shoes to rose ceremonies?
00:39:07
Speaker
No, I mean, they didn't, they were fine.
00:39:10
Speaker
No, I don't regret it.
00:39:11
Speaker
I think women probably regret it more than we would as men.
00:39:14
Speaker
No, no.
00:39:14
Speaker
Fair.
00:39:15
Speaker
Do you regret not eating the food on one-on-one dates?
00:39:19
Speaker
No, because we actually ate right before.
00:39:23
Speaker
They would tell us to eat your food, you know, because you can't eat on camera.
00:39:26
Speaker
So we had dinner before dinner.
00:39:28
Speaker
Interesting, right?
00:39:29
Speaker
Yes, that is interesting.
00:39:31
Speaker
Do you regret any packing choices when it came to Paradise?
00:39:35
Speaker
No, I don't regret it.
00:39:36
Speaker
You know, I'm an overpacker.
00:39:37
Speaker
I think I overpacked and then I left some things behind, but whatever.
00:39:41
Speaker
Any fashion regrets on any of these shows?
00:39:44
Speaker
Oh yeah.
00:39:45
Speaker
Well first y'all I didn't have, I didn't have no fashion sense.
00:39:48
Speaker
That was two buttons button on a shoe.
00:39:50
Speaker
Like I just was all over the place.
00:39:52
Speaker
I had like two peas.
00:39:53
Speaker
I was looking like I was going to prep school.
00:39:55
Speaker
I had like a blue blazer with khaki slacks and a baby blue shirt with a colorful tie.
00:40:00
Speaker
I was just, I had no fashion sense, but it's all good.
00:40:04
Speaker
That was the rookie.
00:40:04
Speaker
I was a rookie.
00:40:07
Speaker
Do you regret any hot tub time on The Bachelorette?
00:40:11
Speaker
No, hey, listen, my hot tub time was, oh, my hot tub time was great.
00:40:16
Speaker
You know what I'm saying?
00:40:17
Speaker
It kind of sparked something in me.
00:40:18
Speaker
That was, okay, I'm good.
00:40:20
Speaker
You know?
00:40:20
Speaker
That actually was, that probably was the dopest date, honestly.
00:40:24
Speaker
Like, Copenhagen, yo, it's love.
00:40:26
Speaker
Do you regret appearing on the Bachelor Winter Games?
00:40:29
Speaker
No, because I discovered like emotionally I just wasn't there.
00:40:33
Speaker
Like and I needed to that experience at least see to check in and no, it was just like, you know, it wasn't meant to be there.
00:40:39
Speaker
Do you regret any sponsored Instagram posts?
00:40:42
Speaker
I think you learn from them all.
00:40:45
Speaker
I think, you know, it's funny, I'll, you know, I'll say this.
00:40:48
Speaker
Instagram is a marketplace for ads and advertisement and sponsors, right?
00:40:54
Speaker
So here's the thing, like I've done things like McDonald's, I done AT&T, Gatorade, Dorito, I've done a lot, right?
00:41:01
Speaker
So the interesting thing, you know, I'm fit, I'm a trainer, right?
00:41:04
Speaker
You don't eat this, right?
00:41:05
Speaker
So the interesting thing is that if I would have booked a commercial from like a fast food restaurant, everyone would be praising me.
00:41:14
Speaker
Oh my God, congrats, man.
00:41:16
Speaker
You got that national, man.
00:41:17
Speaker
You killing it.
00:41:19
Speaker
You get an Instagram.
00:41:21
Speaker
Oh man, go ahead, man.
00:41:22
Speaker
You get all this.
00:41:23
Speaker
So it's like, it's just funny that
00:41:26
Speaker
The ads you see people in and then versus if you saw them on TV, you have a different perception.
00:41:33
Speaker
But people don't understand for me at least, there's some of the stuff, you do take it in and you do have it here and there.
00:41:41
Speaker
People might not know, but it's also a business at the end of the day.
00:41:45
Speaker
And I think people who are not in that space, it's easy for them to criticize it because they don't understand it.
00:41:50
Speaker
A lot of times, a lot of these gigs that I'm getting, I will go auditions for, but that's what people don't know.
00:41:55
Speaker
You know, so it's funny, but life is a trip for sure.
00:41:59
Speaker
Do you regret anything involving the Paradise Love Triangle situation?
00:42:06
Speaker
Nah, no, because I already knew what it was before I got in it and I got out of it.
00:42:13
Speaker
And that was what I kept getting...
00:42:16
Speaker
slack on it.
00:42:16
Speaker
It's like, how do you know?
00:42:17
Speaker
That's like premature for you to say.
00:42:19
Speaker
And I'm like, listen, I know what I know.
00:42:21
Speaker
My intuition is speaking to me, but no one wanted to believe me.
00:42:23
Speaker
And then it all came out.
00:42:24
Speaker
I'm like, see, told you so.
00:42:26
Speaker
But I needed to go through.
00:42:27
Speaker
Because here's the thing.
00:42:28
Speaker
This is what I'll tell people.
00:42:29
Speaker
It's great to be a fan favorite, right?
00:42:32
Speaker
It's always great.
00:42:33
Speaker
But to be the villain, whoo!
00:42:36
Speaker
But see, I needed, I had the perspective of a fan favorite, but I needed the perspective of the villain because it's a perspective you get from that.
00:42:42
Speaker
And I needed that to bridge the gap, to bring things together and get clarity on not only being a complete person, because like I said, we make mistakes, but really understand the world I'm living in far as TV wise and then understanding America.
00:42:58
Speaker
People will love you, they hate you, they love you, they hate you.
00:43:00
Speaker
So it was interesting.
00:43:02
Speaker
I learned a lot and it was tough.
00:43:04
Speaker
It was tough.
00:43:05
Speaker
I had a breakdown.
00:43:06
Speaker
But it was only tough because it was so many things that I did that people didn't get to see.
00:43:12
Speaker
And that's the thing that bothered me the most was like, I did so much that you guys didn't really get to experience.
00:43:19
Speaker
And so, you know, but I did it today, it's TV.
00:43:22
Speaker
So can't take it personally.
00:43:24
Speaker
I really don't regret any of those things because I wouldn't be here today.
00:43:26
Speaker
I wouldn't be the man I am.
00:43:28
Speaker
So...
00:43:29
Speaker
maybe in a moment I regretted it, right?
00:43:31
Speaker
Some of those decisions, like, yeah, honestly, some of those decisions I do regret in the moment.
00:43:35
Speaker
But when I look back, I'm glad I made them.
00:43:37
Speaker
It's one of those things where it's the, it's if you get a good editor, you're beloved on one show, it's a risk to go on the next one because it's very rare, I feel like, to come out both unscathed because, again, there's all different sides of everyone.
00:43:50
Speaker
So that was the risk of, you know, being beloved.
00:43:52
Speaker
And then, you know, all of a sudden, there's a lot of people's feelings involved.
00:43:56
Speaker
But I think it's good.
00:43:57
Speaker
Like you said, you get to see both perspectives.
00:43:59
Speaker
You can handle it.
00:44:00
Speaker
And you get to learn from it.
00:44:01
Speaker
And the funny thing is I got more followers from being the fan favorite.
00:44:06
Speaker
So that was just interesting.
00:44:07
Speaker
I love that.
00:44:07
Speaker
Well, you don't have any bachelor regrets, I feel like, besides some clothes, which that's good.
00:44:11
Speaker
I feel like most people have more.
00:44:12
Speaker
So congratulations.
00:44:14
Speaker
I'm cool.
00:44:15
Speaker
I get it.
00:44:16
Speaker
All right.
00:44:17
Speaker
Eric, thank you so much to everyone where they can follow you and your books again.
00:44:20
Speaker
And I'll let you go on with your
Gratitude to Fans & Supporters
00:44:22
Speaker
day.
00:44:22
Speaker
Thank you.
00:44:23
Speaker
You've been great.
00:44:25
Speaker
Great.
00:44:25
Speaker
We go ahead.
00:44:26
Speaker
Yeah.
00:44:27
Speaker
So you can follow me on Instagram.
00:44:28
Speaker
Eric Bigger, E-R-I-C-B-I-G-G-E-R.
00:44:32
Speaker
Follow me on Twitter.
00:44:33
Speaker
I am on Twitter posting daily.
00:44:35
Speaker
Eric underscore Bigger.
00:44:38
Speaker
My books, Transformation, Change Your Mindset, Change Your Energy, Change Your Life is on Amazon as well as 100 Days of Wisdom.
00:44:47
Speaker
So you can find those two and you can click the link in my bio because I have all my stuff on there.
00:44:53
Speaker
Also, I have merch.
00:44:54
Speaker
It's Miracle Season merch.
00:44:55
Speaker
I have mugs, I have hats, I have hoodies.
00:44:59
Speaker
Yeah, you can get some Miracle Season merch as well.
00:45:01
Speaker
Just click the tap link in my bio on Instagram.
00:45:05
Speaker
DM me if you like this interview, tell me about it.
00:45:09
Speaker
And I just appreciate this platform from Us Weekly and Sarah.
00:45:12
Speaker
And just thank you.
00:45:13
Speaker
Really appreciate it.
00:45:14
Speaker
And to anyone who has supported me over the years and watched me grow, thank you.
00:45:19
Speaker
Because of you, I've been stronger and better.
00:45:21
Speaker
Because a lot of times, you know, people don't get to see our tough times or our tough days, but it'd be moments where a fan might just watch a show for the first time in South Africa, right?
00:45:31
Speaker
And it'd give me so much motivation or I might be having a tough day of getting things done and someone's like, man, I'm so inspired by your quotes.
00:45:39
Speaker
Like, so much as we are people's savior, people love us, but I appreciate the fans and the people who support and it's been there since day one.
00:45:48
Speaker
If I could hug everybody, I would.
00:45:50
Speaker
So I don't take those people for granted because they help.
00:45:54
Speaker
And a lot of times that they don't know, just like I help people a lot of times that I don't know.
00:45:58
Speaker
So it's an even exchange and I'm thankful for it.
00:46:01
Speaker
I'm feeling inspired.
00:46:02
Speaker
All right.
00:46:03
Speaker
I got to go.
00:46:03
Speaker
I got to make the most of this week now.
00:46:05
Speaker
I can't waste this.
00:46:06
Speaker
Yes, indeed.
00:46:07
Speaker
Yes, indeed.
00:46:08
Speaker
Motivation.
00:46:09
Speaker
Thank you so much, Eric.
00:46:10
Speaker
All right.
00:46:11
Speaker
Well, have a good one.
00:46:11
Speaker
Thanks again.
00:46:12
Speaker
Peace and love.
00:46:16
Speaker
Thank you all for tuning in to another episode of Here for the Right Reasons.
00:46:19
Speaker
Thank you, Bachelor Nation.
00:46:20
Speaker
And thank you, listeners.
00:46:21
Speaker
And don't forget to subscribe and leave a five-star review on iTunes.