I admit it: watching The Bachelor/ette, Bachelor in Paradise, and even Bachelor Winter Games is a serious guilty pleasure of mine. It’s like a trainwreck you can’t look away from. Yes, they get a bunch of desperate, beautiful people together and feed them a bunch of alcohol and film all the fun that ensues. But also, it makes me feel like I have my shit together, because when a relationship I’m in doesn’t work out, I don’t cry into the camera wondering what I could have done differently to make him like me.
I’ve also been a fan of Ardin Myrin’s since she was on MADtv with a girl I once waited tables with in LA, Crista Flanagan. (Although, my bad – I just found out I’ve been saying her name wrong all these years: it’s muh-REEN, not MEER-in. Sorry, Ardin!) I also try to catch Paget Brewster at least once every time she comes to SF for Sketchfest. So when I spotted the listing for a live podcast (Will You Accept This Rose?) featuring both ladies, plus Rob Benedict, Bryan Safi, and several former Bachelor cast members? I knew I couldn’t miss it. And that’s how I found myself at Swedish American Hall on a Saturday afternoon last weekend, in a room full of self-professed “Bachelor Nation” fans chanting “drink, drink, drink!” every time the word “sloth” was mentioned by the cast.
Myrin was, naturally, the first to be take the stage, stopping to give hugs and high fives to fans all the way there, jumping up and down when she finally reached the front of the room. I haven’t heard the podcast yet, so I don’t want to repeat any of the goodies that you’ll get when you listen, but one thing I can tell you is that Myrin relaying the story of a virtual reality stand-up set she performed earlier that day (“at the crack of noon”) was hilarious, and made anyone who wasn’t sure confident that the next hour or so would be a good time. (“Did I die?”) For example, I noted: her energy is so fun. She’s equal parts hilarious and adorable, and it’s perfect.
Next to be introduced was Benedict, who is pretty handsome in person. The two discussed how Popsugar seems to be convinced that Benedict looks like (actually is?) Chris Harrison. I don’t see it, but to be fair, I noted: Harrison wishes. Next came Safi, who I was unfamiliar with, and then Brewster, who made a grand entrance to Heart’s “Barracuda,” rocking super short, sexy hair. She then immediately admitted to feeling super self-conscious about her hair because she’s going a little grey, and she’s been wearing a wig on her TV show. I literally tweeted her that day to tell her how amazing it looks, because it does & I noted that before she said she was feeling skittish about being seen with a little grey.
Eventually the cast was joined by three former Bachelor contestants: John “Venmo John” Graham, Annaliese Puccini (whose entrance to Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” might have taken the cake), and Wills Reid (who gave her a run for her money, entering to Sade’s “Smooth Operator”).
All in all, it was a fun afternoon. After dishing about the current season and asking the former contestants to divulge some Bachelor gossip, Myrin decided to go a bit late and play a game with her guests. I honestly don’t remember who won, but it was fun just to watch them try to guess the word/phrase (related to the show, of course) the other people were trying to describe without saying it. (You know, kind of like that game Taboo?) And then the next thing I knew, it was over and I was back out in the rain, headed off back to the real world.
Want to hear the whole episode? It’s now live here.
