THE GOLDEN BACHELOR S2. E0. | MEET MEL OWENS

S2 of ABC’s The Golden Bachelor has been greenlit and is slated to film from Jun - Aug with the premiere being sometime this fall. We don’t have all the details yet, but we do know that Mel Owens (NFL veteran, formerly the founder of Evolution Wear and is currently a sports injury lawyer) will be the lead. He has not previously competed on the show. When we find out about who will be competing in his season, we’ll let you know!

As we do each season, we have shared these images (we’ll update their ABC gallery images) and we’ll begin to make the best guess on who will be going to Hometowns! We can’t wait to see how Grant and Jesse Palmer will vibe as he continues through the season and what surprises will be along the way.

Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE BACHELOR S29. E9. | WELCOME TO THE BACHELOR FINALE

PHOTO CREDIT | ABC/The Bachelor Key Art

PHOTO CREDIT FOR THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS | Disney/Matt Sayles

It’s the finale! We will see how it all goes down as well as getting a recap once the show transitions into After the Rose! Jesse Palmer welcomes us and lets us know that we’re definitely in for a ride here and we’ll have to wait until the very end to see how it all plays out on tonight’s ABC’s The Bachelor!

We’re ready to see what happens with Julianna and Litia and up first is that each of the women get to meet Grant’s family. First up is Litia. She meets his mom, sister, and his father. It’s the first time in 10 years that apparently, his mom and dad have been in the same room! You can tell that she gets along well with his parents and even his sister says that she liked her from the beginning. The family likes her, they both let each know that they love one another which is the first time that she has ever said that to anyone. Their date seems like it went well.

In Julianna’s date you can see that her and Grant are quite a match. She lets his mom know that she has not said that she is in love with him and is hesitant and has been holding back a bit. His mom sees that she may not be there yet. She tells him that if she doesn’t say that she loves him, he needs to walk away. Interestingly enough, she does tell him that she loves him so now it’s interesting to see how everything will play out.

We come back to the stage and see Charity, Gerry, and Clayton who provide their opinions on what it’s like to make those decisions. They give their thoughts and even Joan gets to weigh in as well!

Now that both women have met his family, they will not have their last individual dates. Julianna and Grant are in Punta Cana getting time together as they sail around the island. You can see that they have a great bond with one another. During their night date, he asks her if she will break his heart as an engagement is coming up. She acknowledges that she has held back, but that she doesn’t want to hurt him. She lets him know that through this process, she knows that she can commit to him and that she feels that they can handle the road ahead and she says that she is ready.

Litia’s date includes riding horse and there was a bit of rain that allowed them to talk and connect again. Later on they talk as they try to figure out how they would navigate their life as he wants time to travel and she wants have children. She let him know that when you are with someone, it’s about compromise and she is ready for that.

As he decides who he will pick, his father comes by and tells him that he will make the right decision. We’re back with Neil Lane as he selects a ring for the woman that he intends to ask.

As we finally arrive to the venue which is raining, Grant has to let Jesse know who he will see first. He seems that he is still undecided and he lets him know that he has gone back and forth with his decision.

The first one out of the limo is Litia who makes her way to Grant. Although he said sweet things to her, he opted to not get engaged to her. He definitely let her feel that things were going in a certain direction throughout their time together and to change it up at the end after promising her that it would be them - is shocking. We hear more about what he promised her when she chatted with Jesse and it’s such a shame to see that how he presented himself and what happened is so far apart. Grant makes his way on the stage and Litia tells him that she thinks he started out with great intentions, but along the way he continued to say things to her where she had no way of thinking that he wasn’t sure.

We’re back in Punta Cana and we had to remember that we still have to wait to hear what happens with Julianna! He tells us that he wants to be with her. We know that she wants to be with him as well and ultimately, he does ask to marry her. We can see how happy they look while they are in the Dominican Republic. She receives the final rose.

Grant is back on stage chatting with Jesse after being engaged to Julianna. We find out that they are still together, the families are excited to be together now that it’s public. We also learn that Grant will move to Boston. Jesse gives them a trip to Italy where they can learn more about their pizza making.

RECEIVED A ROSE AT THE FINALE | Juliana.

DIDN’T RECEIVE A ROSE | Litia

Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

---

GRANT GAVE THE FINAL ROSE TO

JULIANA

---

THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEXE

ALLI JO

ALLYSHIA

BAILEY

BEVERLY

CAROLINA

CHLOIE

CHRISTINA

DINA

ELLA

J'NAE

JULIANA

KELSEY

KYLEIGH

LITIA

NATALIE

NEICEY

PARISA

RADHIKA

REBEKAH

ROSE

SARAFIENA

SAVANNAH

VICKY

ZOE

THE BACHELOR S29. E8. | FANTASY SUITES TIME!

PHOTO CREDIT | ABC/The Bachelor Key Art

PHOTO CREDIT FOR THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS | Disney/Matt Sayles

Last week, we enjoyed the Women Tell All and we got to hear from the previous women that were on the show. It’s time for Fantasy Suites on this week’s ABC’s The Bachelor! We find ourselves in the Dominican Republic with Grant who takes some time to play basketball with Jesse Palmer. We know that his first date is with Julianna and she’s catching up with Daisy from Joey’s season - to get her advice. Grant and Julianna go ATV’ing together in the jungle. He lets her know that he likes her and is falling for her. He feels that although she has told him that, that she is still holding back as well. He hopes that she can open up more so that he can get to know her better. They chat with one another at dinner, dig deeper, he says he’s falling in love with her and it seems like she is very happy. When the Fantasy Suites card comes out, they decide to spend time together and he feels that it feels right to be with her. He’s looking forward to being with her away from all of the noise and just to spend time with her. It seems like they both had a great night and Juliana lets him know that she will spiral for a bit while waiting to see him again.

We move onto Zoe who is a bit nervous. This is also the first time that she will have 1-on-1 time with him. She gets the chance to talk with Rachel who was on Joey’s season as she also got the least amount of time when she was competing for him. It will be interesting to see her interaction with him because she has only had stolen moments with him as opposed to an official solo date.

They meet up and learn that they will do a yoga date where they will have to be quiet the entire time. The fact that she has had the least amount of time with him to talk, why would they get a date where there is no talking? There is something to be said for this style of date, it’s just tough when she hasn’t had solo time with him. It’ll be interesting to see what the dinner portion of the date will be.

As they sit down for dinner, he acknowledges that although they didn’t have a 1-on-1 date, he always knew he liked her and wanted to meet her family at Hometowns. Hearing them chat felt like they were in week 1 or even week 3 - we can’t imagine that he will select her even though they went to the Fantasy Suites.

They finish their date with a picnic on the beach the next morning. It seems like they had a good time and he got to know more about her.

We end the Fantasy Suites with Litia - it will be interesting to see how their date goes. She meets up with Kaity from Zach’s season (which she ended up winning). We remember how when Katie was in her season, she was so sad to hear how Zach was having relations with the other women during Fantasy Suites. She validates Litia’s feelings and lets her know it is ok to say that she doesn’t want to know about what happened with the other women. It’s also interesting to hear Litia say that if it is them in the end, they can talk about what happened previously, but she doesn’t want to know what is happening.

We finally see Grant and Litia together and they are going ziplining but she lets us know that she doesn’t like adventure so this is not the date for her. She is excited for her date, but she is apprehensive because she doesn’t want to engage in physical intimacy due to this being a week of dates where this could be happening with other women. As the date continues to dinner, they talk about her being a wife and mother and he knows her timeline is much quicker than his. Although he wanted to delay children for awhile, he recognizes that if he is with her, he will have to push that up to compromise. She also lets him know that she doesn’t want to hear about his relationships with other women that are still there and he lets her know that he respects and understands where she is coming from. He gives her the Fantasy Suite card. She reads it and says that although she thinks that he is a great guy, she lets him know that sex is not on the table for her. He tells her he respects it and he likes her maturity and he knows what her priorty is. He says that he loves her and you can see that she is visibly moved. She tells him that love means safety and support. They go to the room to continue chatting.

The next morning, we see them enjoying breakfast together. You can definitely see a connection with one another and she had let him know earlier that although he met her family in Utah, she would move.

With all 3 dates complete, it’s time to see who will continue to the finale. Jesse meets up with Grant and they chat ahead of his decision. Ultimately, he selects Litia and Juliana.

RECEIVED A ROSE DURING HOMETOWNS | Litia and Juliana.

DIDN’T RECEIVE A ROSE | Zoe

Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

---

WHO CONTINUED BEYOND FANTASY SUITES

JULIANA

LITIA

---

THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEXE

ALLI JO

ALLYSHIA

BAILEY

BEVERLY

CAROLINA

CHLOIE

CHRISTINA

DINA

ELLA

J'NAE

JULIANA

KELSEY

KYLEIGH

LITIA

NATALIE

NEICEY

PARISA

RADHIKA

REBEKAH

ROSE

SARAFIENA

SAVANNAH

VICKY

ZOE

THE BACHELOR S29. E7. | THE WOMEN TELL ALL

PHOTO CREDIT | ABC/The Bachelor Key Art

PHOTO CREDIT FOR THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS | Disney/Matt Sayles

We’re getting towards the end of the season of ABC’s The Bachelor! Last week was Hometowns and next week will be Fantasy Suites - that means tonight is the Women Tell All where we catch up with those who were eliminated and some of the story lines that surrounded Grant and the cast. We also get to hear Jesse Palmer’s take on all of it.

We look at the season overall in terms of an extended trailer and Jesse digs in on some of the moments and storylines that took place during the women’s time on the show. Of course, they mention that Zoe took Grant away for an hour during the group basketball date, he also talks about Carolina and how she became a villain (of course, she shows up to the WTA with a jacket with some of her “famous” quotes), and they try to get into what took place between her and Rose that also became a source of contention as well. Carolina leaves the set as they go to commercial and no one is surprised!

Coming back from commercial, Carolina is still not there but Alexe talks about their relationship with Jesse on the hot seat. Everyone thought that they would go the distance - or at least Hometowns, but Jesse brings another love of her life - the No Drama Llama! During their conversation Carolina comes back walking in front of a camera (couldn’t production have made sure that didn’t happen)? We then hear from Sarafiena who was also someone we thought would make it to Hometowns. Last up is Dina who gets to chat with Jesse. We kind of felt that when her family didn’t come to their date, that would be an issue for him. But it’s not like she didn’t have any representation and it’s a shame that he let her feel that them not being there wouldn’t be an issue for him. It’s an interesting take that because there were some in her family that was interested in meeting Grant and those that weren’t, she didn’t want to create division so she opted to just have her friends there. Of course, Carolina is the final person who comes to the hot seat. She continues to deflect and not take accountability while asking and hoping that Grant will be able to do so!

Grant finally makes his way onto the stage. He talks with a number of the women to talk about their time in the house and lets them know that ultimately, he was looking for the best fit for him. He also chats with Jesse and has a Chubby Bunny competition with him - Jesse won. We also get a bit of a peek into the season finale as well.

RECEIVED A ROSE DURING HOMETOWNS | Litia, Julianna, and Zoe.

DIDN’T RECEIVE A ROSE |

Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

---

WHO WE’LL SEE AT FANTASY SUITES

JULIANA

LITIA

ZOE

---

THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEXE

ALLI JO

ALLYSHIA

BAILEY

BEVERLY

CAROLINA

CHLOIE

CHRISTINA

DINA

ELLA

J'NAE

JULIANA

KELSEY

KYLEIGH

LITIA

NATALIE

NEICEY

PARISA

RADHIKA

REBEKAH

ROSE

SARAFIENA

SAVANNAH

VICKY

ZOE

THE BACHELOR S29. E6. | IT'S TIME FOR HOMETOWNS

PHOTO CREDIT | ABC/The Bachelor Key Art

PHOTO CREDIT FOR THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS | Disney/Matt Sayles

This season has moved quickly - it’s Hometowns on ABC’s The Bachelor. Grant heads to Boston to meet up with Julianna. They’re going to enjoy Little Italy in her hometown and he learns how to make pizza. They pick flowers together and they even make canolis which is a fun way for them to continue to meet one another.

They make their way to her home and he meets so many people and has 1-on-1 conversations with her parents and you can see that they get along. He lets her know that he is falling in love with her as she told him that last week!

He heads out to NYC to enjoy his next Hometown with Zoe. We see them in Central Park walking around. We know that Grant is originally from NJ so it’s familiar for him. He’s going to meet her family and friends. In addition to her working in tech, she takes him to a shoot with BRIDE’S magazine where they will do 3 looks together. They also meet her family and get to know them more. It seems that it went well although we don’t see them going the distance.

His next date takes him to Wyoming to meet Litia. He is nervous as he knows that not being Mormon may be an issue. They ride horses in the countryside together. They meet her family and then her mom lets her know that she has a surprise and there are even more people there then who he met at Julianna’s! Litia’s mom lets her know that she needs to let Grant know how she feels.

The final Hometowns takes place in Chicago with Dina! She tells him that her family is not going to meet with him because they don’t like the process although it is not a reflection on him. She lets him know that if they go forward, he would get to meet them and they would support their relationship. In addition, she lets him know that they will get to be with her friends, but she is nervous about what this will mean for their relationship. Meeting her friends, we think that he can see how they are her family as well and they reassure him that when he finally meets her family, he will be embraced! The fact that none of her 11 siblings showed up is quite a pill to swallow - you would think that someone would have stepped forward.

With the Hometowns being over, Grant meets up with Joey to get his perspective on how he needs to look at the days ahead. While Joey chats with him, the women are back talking with one another. They realize that there isn’t much time left and they talk about their Hometown dates. Dina hears how everyone had people (and in many cases large families there).

The rose ceremony brings the 4 ladies together as he makes his choices. We finally see Jesse Palmer as he decides between Dina and Zoe for the final rose. playing golf and chatting with one another.

RECEIVED A ROSE | Litia, Julianna, and Zoe.

DIDN’T RECEIVE A ROSE | Dina

Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

---

WHO MADE IT PAST HOMETOWNS

JULIANA

LITIA

ZOE

---

THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEXE

ALLI JO

ALLYSHIA

BAILEY

BEVERLY

CAROLINA

CHLOIE

CHRISTINA

DINA

ELLA

J'NAE

JULIANA

KELSEY

KYLEIGH

LITIA

NATALIE

NEICEY

PARISA

RADHIKA

REBEKAH

ROSE

SARAFIENA

SAVANNAH

VICKY

ZOE

THE BACHELOR S29. E5. | WELCOME TO EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND

PHOTO CREDIT | ABC/The Bachelor Key Art

PHOTO CREDIT FOR THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS | Disney/Matt Sayles

We left Madrid and now we’ve moved onto Edinburgh, Scotland for this week’s ABC’s The Bachelor. We see the women walking around the city and taking in the culture and we know this one is key since Hometowns are next week!

We also catch up with Grant Ellis and Jesse Palmer playing golf and chatting with one another. Jesse meets up with the women to let them know that this week is key and that there will be no roses on the dates, but there will be 2 1-on-1 dates during the week. We learn that Julianna is getting the first 1-on-1 date.

Their date takes them away on a helicopter - the other women see them lift off. They arrive at their castle for the day. Upon entering the castle, they meet a stylist who allows them to select a look for an activity that they will enjoy later on. After a selecting a formal outfit, they walk into a ballroom where a quartet plays for them and they are joined by others dancing.

Back with the rest of the women, the next date card arrives. Sarafiena, Alexe. Carolina, Dina, and Zoe are all on the group date together. Litia receives the 1-on-1. Zoe is bummed that she is the only person who has not gotten the 1-on-1. Zoe is sad and opts to go to bed, but Carolina of course is always the wet blanket of the group.

Back on Julianna’s and Grant’s date, they are having dinner together and getting to know one another a lot more. They connect on a series of similarities and we can tell that Julianna is a shoe in to go to Hometowns.

At the group date, they take in the culture of dancing, eating food of the region, and more. Carolina in her confessional says that dating as a group sucks and she doesn’t recomment it and that she will try to stay lowkey - I don’t see it. They begin to play games and to have a good time. Carolina of course goes back to pulling him away from everyone by refusing to play and interact with everyone else. The rest of the women on the date are ariing their grievances with one another about how Carolina operates and steals Grant at every turn. He was gone for the rest of the day. Now, the group date is in the second portion of the date. He lets them know he has fun, but the other women feel that their time was taken and they couldn’t share more about themselves.

The women let you Carolina know that stealing him throughout the date was rude and they can’t understand why she continues to pout and look like a damsel in distress. Dina also tells Grant that Carolina is a lot and he needs to think about whether he is really a match for her. Although he has heard this for weeks, he values Dina’s opinion and feels that there is more credability to what he has been hearing.

His date with Litia takes him around the town and you can see how easy it is with her. We’ve always like her for him and it’ll be interesting to see who will get the roses tonight as there have generally been good dates this week. We know that there will be more conversation between the 2 of them at dinner. She lets him know that she is Mormon and he listens to her and you can see their mutual connection.

The women arrive to find out whether they will move onto Hometowns. Carolina asks to talk with Dina before the ceremony starts. Carolina lets her know that she cares about her and recognizes how Dina stood up for her. Thankfully they get back downstairs in time for the ceremony.

RECEIVED A ROSE | Dina, Litia, Julianna, and Zoe.

DIDN’T RECEIVE A ROSE | Alexe, Carolina, Sarafiena

Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

---

WHO’S GOING TO HOMETOWNS

DINA

JULIANA

LITIA

ZOE

---

THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEXE

ALLI JO

ALLYSHIA

BAILEY

BEVERLY

CAROLINA

CHLOIE

CHRISTINA

DINA

ELLA

J'NAE

JULIANA

KELSEY

KYLEIGH

LITIA

NATALIE

NEICEY

PARISA

RADHIKA

REBEKAH

ROSE

SARAFIENA

SAVANNAH

VICKY

ZOE

THE BACHELOR S29. E4. | WELCOME TO MADRID

PHOTO CREDIT | ABC/The Bachelor Key Art

PHOTO CREDIT FOR THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS | Disney/Matt Sayles

It’s time to travel and we’re making our way to Madris with Grant Ellis and the ladies who are competing for him in this week’s episode ofABC’s The Bachelor. Before we head out, the fallout of The Prom and all the drama that took place between Carolina and Rose took the wind out of everyone’s sales. The women talk about what took place and everyone feels that her extra took time took away from everyone else. She felt that she got the clarity that she needed although it may not have been ideal for everyone.

Jesse Palmer lets them know that they are heading to Madrid and need to meet up with Grant as he has already left. We fast forward to watching Grant walk around the city and the women arrive seeing where they will stay for the next few days. Grant and Jesse catch up playing basketball as well as finding out how the process is going with him. Finally, Grant meets up with the women as they all enjoy sangria. He lets them know there is a 1-on-1 date and he selected Dina to join him. They walk around the city and play soccer with kids in the street randomly. They also dance in the streets for an impromptu session. They head to the Store of Wishes which has letters outside of the shop and they are asked to write a note to affix to the wall. They even take a boat as he navigates around the area. They continue on to dinner where they can get to know one another better. The date ends with them being serenaded as they dance and she receives the rose of the night.

Back at the hotel, the other women are enjoying some down time. They all believe that Dina is coming back with a 1-on-1 and they mention that they would like to have a 1-on-1. Carolina says that she wishes she had more time, but she had her time with him in Vegas and other women have only been on group dates. The women feel that she is ungrateful and entitled and it shows that she does not play by the rules when it comes to sharing him. The group date card arrives and Alexe, Litia, Carolina, Natalie, Rose, Parisa, Julianna, and Zoe will be on the next date. Sarcastically, during Carolina’s confessional, she shares with the audience that of course she is excited to be on a date with multiple women and maybe she will see him kiss other women. That means that Sarafiena will have a 1-on-1 with him.

The group date has arrived and the women are navigating the city on their way to meeting him. They will enjoy a tour and they will ride through the city on donkeys. They train how to be matadors with a wheelbarrow bull. They change into their outfits to compete against one another. Whoever stays on the longest on the mechanical bull will be the winner. They even have an intimate audience watching as well as commentators. Each of the women use a different technique to try and stay on. Alexe and Zoe are the frontrunners and Zoe ends up getting special time with Grant ultimately.

At the after date cocktail party, the women look to spend more time with him. He wants to have good vibes and to be able to learn more about them. Rose chats with Grant about what took place the week before and she lets him know that she didn’t know if she would still be able to stay and hopes that they can continue building on what they have. He lets her know that there is room for growth.

In Zoe’s time with Grant, she lets him know that she can have a hard time opening up to people because she grew up in the South, was adopted, , and there was a lot of abuse that she was involved in. It definitely gives another perspective into how she operates the way that she does.

Carolina complains to the women again about her issues that she has with Grant when she always feels that something wrong is going on. Julianna pulls her aside and lets her know that when she does that and talking about being unsure, she would leave as she thinks it’s unfair for her to stay.

Although she was pulled away, when she comes back Carolina brings it up and they all chat. By the time Grant arrives, she is full on crying and he pulls her aside (again to chat with her) and tries to make her feel better. He decides not to give out a rose for the group date. Julianna feels bad that in pulling her aside to chat has now made all the women get wrapped up in the event.

The 1-on-1 date with Sarafiena kicks off as they are riding around Madrid. They are jumping off the bridge in the pouring rain? After the jump, they make their way to dinner to get to know more about one another. She shares how many times peopel feel that she is good on paper and then things don’t go past that. She lets him know that she is there for the right reason and she wants to be a mom and to have a family. She knows that she didn’t have that kind of love in her life with her family. She gets the date night rose.

The cocktail party arrives for the rose ceremony for the women. Carolina hopes that she won’t cry again which she shares with the women. He lets them know that he has had a great time with the women and that the group date party was a bit much and he heard a few things that were a bit concerning. He asks to see Julianna to find out her side of the story. Julianna tells him that she and the other women do not like hearing the negative things that Carolina says and it bothers them. He tells her that he appreciates her sharing and that it shows how mature she is. Even Grant says that having a private jet and being in Vegas wasn’t enough for her and he finds her behavior to be immature.

He talks with Carolina and lets her know to hear these conversations are having and that she is not telling him what is going on. They speak and yet again there is an issue between Rose and Carolina and other women no longer get the opportunity to speak with him. In addition, Rose decides to leave because she doesn’t feel that it is a healthy environment for her. He lets the women know that Rose has left.

RECEIVED A ROSE | Alexe, Carolina, Dina, Litia, Julianna, Sarafiena, and Zoe.

DIDN’T RECEIVE A ROSE | Natalie, Parisa, Rose (decides to leave)

Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

---

WHO WE THINK WILL GO TO HOMETOWNS

ALEXE

CAROLINA

JULIANA

LITIA

---

THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEXE

ALLI JO

ALLYSHIA

BAILEY

BEVERLY

CAROLINA

CHLOIE

CHRISTINA

DINA

ELLA

J'NAE

JULIANA

KELSEY

KYLEIGH

LITIA

NATALIE

NEICEY

PARISA

RADHIKA

REBEKAH

ROSE

SARAFIENA

SAVANNAH

VICKY

ZOE

THE BACHELOR S29. E3. | CONTINUING ON THE JOURNEY

PHOTO CREDIT | ABC/The Bachelor Key Art

PHOTO CREDIT FOR THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS | Disney/Matt Sayles

We continue on as Grant Ellist navigates the world of ABC’s The Bachelor. We see the ladies competing for him settle into the house and interact with one another. Jesse Palmer arrives and lets them know that in addition to it being an emotional night, he wants them to know about the 2 1-on-1 dates and there will be 1 large group date. The group date includes Natalie, Bailey, Alexe, Alli Jo, Chloie, Serafina, Parisa, Dina, Rose, Litia, Zoe, and Julianna.

With the group date set, we know that Carolina and Beverly will have a 1-on-1 date.

The group date involves The Bachelor School of Finance. Hannah Berner and Daniel Lubetzky of Kind Snacks are part of the date as well. The women don colorful power suits. Whoever wins the most Grant Bucks will win perks in the After Party. Grant Bucks are acquired by answering an array of questions some being finance-oriented and others that weren’t. Bailey ends up winning the most Grant Bucks and looks forward to seeing what that will give her later.

At the After Party, Bailey (in front of the other girls) is given a menu of what she can spend her Grant Bucks on. She decides that she will buy a shirt of his to sleep in as well as desert with him. She leaves him wearing his shirt. Zoe has decided to bring everyone down by being upset in general. She then goes to him and says that she feels that she is being belittled by the other women. He connects with all of the women and gets to know more about the women. Parisa gets the group date rose. He lets the women know that bullying should not taka place. The women figure out the Zoe created this and even when they tried to find out from her, she says that they are being mean to her.

The day after he group date, the women are crying because of how Zoe left everything. Thankfully, we move on to Carolina’s date which starts off with a private jet that will take them to Vegas. They jumped off the side of a building which made them closer and Grant is looking forward to having dinner with her at a beach club. She wants to chat with him to tell her about a condition that she is battling as she knows that for some people, it has been a turnoff. She is prone to seizures and she was very upset by telling him this and he said that he would be there for her.

We find out that Beverly’s 1-on-1 won’t be happening as she is sick and that she won’t be coming back! A date is still in the works as Sarafiena, Litia, and Dina will be going to Vanderpump Dogs to hang out with some puppies. They have photoshoots with the dogs and they take pictures of one another. Lisa Vanderpump herself makes an appearance to see them. She lets them know that they will volunteer with the dogs. Dina and Grant wash a dog together and get to know each other a bit more. Sarafiena and Grant walk a dog together. Litia and him sit outside with their dog to talk about what attracts them to one another. With this 3-on-1 date going so well, he decides to take Litia out for dinner and the other women will go back to the house.

They go to City Hall to have dinner together. He tells Litia about his family life and how his father suffered from his addictions and his mom kept the family going. Litia shares her backstory as she lets him know that her father passed away and they both see that they want to have a solid family. She is given the rose.

Allegedly, Rose tells Carolina that during their first group date, while he was dancing with her, he was actually thinking of Rose which kept her going into a deeper spiral. As the girls talk about the date, Carolina is annoyed that Litia has a rose and even told women earlier that she wishes she didn’t even have her date although it went well. The cocktail party is themed with a prom theme and he sends corsages to all of them. He arrives and let them know that he never went to his high school prom because he focused on basketball. Gary, Jack, Keith and Jonathan from The Golden Bachelorette are with him They all start dancing and take in all of the fun! They enjoy games, pictures, and advice from the men. Even Jack is grilling up a storm - as per usual.

Carolina is so annoyed that while Rose is chatting with Grant, she calls him loudly to say that someone told her that he was thinking of her while she was being danced with. He asks her who said that and lets her know that not only is it a lie, but he doesn’t like that his character is being questioned. Carolina says that she doesn’t want to make it a thing and won’t tell him. Through a process of elimination he realizes it has to be Rose. He asks her and Rose says that that is what she thought she heard him say. He lets her know that that is not what was said and we think that her time is going to be shortlived in the house. The Golden Bachelorette men give Grant the crown as King and each of the women get them as Queens. In dealing with the Rose and Carolina situation the remaining ladies that didn’t have a chance to chat with him are even more annoyed as Carolina had a rose and they had been watching her spiral over the past few days.

RECEIVED A ROSE | Alexe, Carolina, Dina, Litia, Julianna, Natalie, Rose, Sarafiena, and Zoe.

DIDN’T RECEIVE A ROSE | Alli Jo, Bailey, Beverly, Chloie, and Parisa.

Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

---

WHO WE THINK WILL GO TO HOMETOWNS

ALEXE

CAROLINA

JULIANA

LITIA

---

THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEXE

ALLI JO

ALLYSHIA

BAILEY

BEVERLY

CAROLINA

CHLOIE

CHRISTINA

DINA

ELLA

J'NAE

JULIANA

KELSEY

KYLEIGH

LITIA

NATALIE

NEICEY

PARISA

RADHIKA

REBEKAH

ROSE

SARAFIENA

SAVANNAH

VICKY

ZOE

THE BACHELOR S29. E2. | THE DATES BEGIN

PHOTO CREDIT | ABC/The Bachelor Key Art

PHOTO CREDIT FOR THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS | Disney/Matt Sayles

We met the women of this season’s S29 of ABC’s The Bachelor. We also got to learn more about Grant Ellis and what he is looking for as well. We see the women settling in and what they do during their downtime when they are in between dates. Jesse Palmer pops in and he lets them know that they are the 18 women who will get to continue. He reminds Alexe that since she got the First Impression rose, wh will have the first 1-on-1 date. He leaves the date card after telling them that there will be 3 dates. Beverly, Sarafiena, Alli Jo, Natalie, Parisa, Vicky, Chloie, Zoe, Julianna, and Allyshia will be on the first group date. It seems like this date will involve basketball and their date starts now. This date also involves children playing with them as well. They all shoot around, dunk, etc and then when it’s time for Zoe to do it, she forfeits and then decides to shoot her shot by taking Grant upstairs to have a few minutes alone with him. Clearly, the women are not pleased with this move as they felt that it wasn’t the time to do that then. When they arrive to the other women giving them some severe stares, they learn that they will play 5-on-5 and whoever the MVP is will get Grant’s Letterman Jacket in The Bachelor Basketball Showdown. Chloie ends up winning as MVP and gets Grant’s jacket. The women definitely battled it out on the court and even lost some of their press on nails! There are definitely a lot of feelings that took place.

At the cocktail party for the group date, he congratulates them on putting their effort forward. He asks Chloie to spend some time with him and he lets her know that the radiance that she has is amazing. She got a kiss when they were together and she also got one when she received the jacket. While Chloie is with Grant, the ladies let her know that she overstepped when he took her away.

The Group Date Rose is given to Natalie (she helped one of the little girls calm down when she was out of breath) and you can see the other women happy that at least Zoe didn’t get the rose as she had monopolized Grant’s time multiple times throughout the date and cocktail party.

The next day, we see the women lounging and enjoying the house. Alexe has her 1-on-1 date with Grant which is taking place at the Beverly Center which is closed. They enjoy getting to know one another and she received the rose.

The group date is about to kick off as we get to the next day. Bailey, Carolina, Dina, Ella, Litia, Rebekah, and Rose walk into the space and Mario is serenading them! They’re going to write a song to Grant, perform it, and dance in front of a live audience. Robin Antin assisted them with choreography and she is the creator of the Pussycat Dolls. Carolina wins for her lyrics and she gets to dance with Grant and get serenaded by Mario! She also straddles him and goes in for an epic kiss (that was quite long). Clearly that would be uncomfortable for the other women to see.

The cocktail party after the group date begins. He lets them know that he had a great time with them but he feels that the vibe is off (it’s probably because of the makeout session that they all had to watch). He asked to chat with Rebekah and he asked her if he did something wrong. She lets him know that group dates are tough but she understands that he will need to do what is necessary in order to find his person She walks away feeling good with their interaction. Rebekah chats with the women and Caroline asks for why she feels that the vibe is off - she says it’s tough when he can only choose one person. It’s great that she didn’t say, “well you did a major make out session that we all saw.”

He talks with each of the women to know more about them and where they are coming from. He tells Litia that he is also sick of dating and he gets it. Caroline brings up her experience as well. It was definitely a safe space for all of the women. Grant gives the Group Date Rose to Litia.

As the women get ready for the Cocktail Party, all the women are thinking about the time that they have with Grant. He lets them know that he is happy that they are there and he is appreciative of them giving their time to him. He feels that his person is in the room. Each of the women spends time with him to find out more about what he thinks about things that matter to him.

RECEIVED A ROSE | Alexe, Alli Jo, Bailey, Beverly, Carolina, Chloie, Dina, Litia, Julianna, Natalie, Parisa, Rose, Sarafiena, and Zoe.

DIDN’T RECEIVE A ROSE | Allyshia, Ella, Rebekah, and Vicky,

Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

---

WHO WE THINK WILL GO TO HOMETOWNS

ALEXE

ALLI JO

CAROLINA

JULIANA

---

THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEXE

ALLI JO

ALLYSHIA

BAILEY

BEVERLY

CAROLINA

CHLOIE

CHRISTINA

DINA

ELLA

J'NAE

JULIANA

KELSEY

KYLEIGH

LITIA

NATALIE

NEICEY (

PARISA

RADHIKA

REBEKAH

ROSE

SARAFIENA

SAVANNAH

VICKY

ZOE

THE BACHELOR S29. E1. | WELCOME TO THE BACHELOR SEASON 29!

PHOTO CREDIT | ABC/The Bachelor Key Art

PHOTO CREDIT FOR THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS | Disney/Matt Sayles

We are back with S29 of ABC’s The Bachelor which is led by Grant Ellis who was on Jenn Tran’s S21 of The Bachelorette! We watched him navigate his relationship with her until he was eliminated in week 6 right before Hometowns.

We get to meet Grant through a series of photoshoots, seeing him play basketball, we meet his family, and we catch up with why he’s ready to be The Bachelor and how he will navigate the process. We hear about his father’s addiction, his parents divorced, and how he felt that although he loved them, they didn’t say that to one another. Basketball gave him the ability to focus on what he was going through.

We also see him give his First Impression Rose to his grandmother to let her know that he will always love her and she is his number one. He meets Jesse Palmer as his journey is moments from starting and they figure out how he will take on the night.

We meet Rose who steps out of the limo first and she asks him, will he accept this rose? Litia is a cutie who is Mormon and was born in Hawaii. SHe comes from a large family and although she’s not great at basketball, she says that he can bring the skills and she will bring the sparkle. J’nae brought chalk and it was such a cute moment between the 2 of them because she is a basketball fan. The women really brought it by sharing themselves and finding cute ways for him to remember them. It’s always interesting to see the reactions of the other castmembers as they watch the other entrances and this year, having a Llama in the group is quite a sight to see.

All the women have finally arrived and are in the house. He welcomes all of them and thanks them for their entrance and being there. He lets the know he is looking for a wife, he wants, a family and he asks them what does love mean to them? He lets them know what it means to him. He also shares that his mom signed him up for the show in case they weren’t aware. Grant’s sister also swings by to let the women know more about him as well as to meet him.

The First Impression Rose means a lot more this season as she will be guaranteed to come into the mansion but she will also get the first 1-on-1 dayte! Alexe is the first one to get the rose. Going into tonight’s episode, we guessed based on profiles alone that Alexe, Alli Jo, Allyshia, and Julianna would go to Hometowns. We now know that so far all of the women we predicted are closer to getting there.

RECEIVED A ROSE | Alexe, Alli Jo, Allyshia, Bailey, Beverly, Carolina, Chloie, Dina, Ella, Litia, Julianna, Natalie, Parisa, Rebekah, Rose, Sarafiena, Vicky, and Zoe

DIDN’T RECEIVE A ROSE | Christina, J’Nae, Kelsey, Kyleigh, Neicey, Radhika, and Savannah

Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

---

WHO WE THINK WILL GO TO HOMETOWNS

ALEXE

ALLI JO

ALLYSHIA

JULIANA

---

THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEXE

ALLI JO

ALLYSHIA

BAILEY

BEVERLY

CAROLINA

CHLOIE

CHRISTINA

DINA

ELLA

J'NAE

JULIANA

KELSEY

KYLEIGH

LITIA

NATALIE

NEICEY

PARISA

RADHIKA

REBEKAH

ROSE

SARAFIENA

SAVANNAH

VICKY

ZOE

IN TIME | CHARLES VANDERVAART

Currently, you can enjoy the second half of the S7 of STARZ's Outlander which is a historical romance time travel series based on the books written by Diana Gabaldonof the same name. It follows Claire Randall (Caitríona Balfe), a British nurse who travels from the 20th-century to 17th-century Scotland. In the new timeline, she meets and falls in love with a Highland warrior, Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan). With only 1 more season left, we're looking forward to see what other stories will be told in future spin-offs which we're looking forward to.

We sat down with Charles Vandervaart (Holly Hobbie, The Craft: Legacy, Murdoch Mysteries) who plays Jamie's son, William Ransom to find out about how he came to this show, what he loves about it, as well as upcoming projects that he is involved.

ATHLEISURE MAG: What was the first film or series that made you fall in love with acting and when did you realize that you wanted to be an actor?

CHARLES VANDERVAART: I was very young. I remember going to a play at my local theatre when I was about 6, and I was just enthralled by it. In the car home I asked my parents if I could try to do a play. I got my first ever gig at that same theatre. I fell in love with acting playing Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol.

AM: What do you enjoy about storytelling?

CV: Storytelling is so very human, we come together in the telling of stories. We can learn to empathize with and learn from others and in doing so, learn more about ourselves and the world around us. We endure through stories. Beauty that may otherwise be lost is protected and preserved in story.

AM: We've enjoyed watching Outlander and we know a number of fans also enjoy the book, how much did you know about this series before you came to it?

CV: My aunt has been a really big fan for years now. I remember her talking about the show when we would get together for holidays. I watched a couple of episodes on my own before I auditioned, but after my first audition I binged the whole thing and fell in love with the story.

AM: You play William Ransom. Can you tell us about your character and how he fits into the world of Outlander?

CV: William Henry Clarence George Ransom is the bastard son of Jamie Fraser, however he believes he is the biological son of the 8th Earl of Ellesmere, who died on the day of his birth along with his mother. He was raised by Lord John as the 9th Earl. He grew up in affluent circles, learning about the world through the lens of the ultra wealthy in England. English patriotism and a loyalty to the crown became major aspects of his identity. When William learns of his true parentage, his entire identity shatters. He becomes this tornado of rage, feeling betrayed by Lord John and everyone else who kept this secret from him.

AM: How do you approach playing William and what is it like acting in a period piece?

CV: Well I get a lot of help from the writing, costumes, accent, etc to create William. Carol Ann Crawford, the dialect coach on the show was a tremendous help in finding William’s accent. Once I start talking like him, the rest of William quickly followed.

AM: We know fans of the show enjoy the cast and of course, Sam Heughan. What is it like playing against him?

CV: I remember one of my last scenes in season 7 was with Sam, even though we’ve been filming for a year at this point it only hit me then that my character’s dad was Jamie Fraser. It felt a little like I was watching the show in real time. I was feeling very grateful for this amazing journey. He's a hell of a scene partner.

AM: A few weeks ago, S7 part 2 began releasing episodes what can you tell us about this portion of the season?

CV: Identity crisis is central for Mr. Ransom. S7 part 2 involves a great deal of pain for William. He also hurts a lot of people this season. Let's hope he grows from his pain and becomes better. I think he needs some therapy for sure.

AM: In terms of filming a show such as this, we imagine that it can be long hours - what do you do to prepare when you're going on set and what do you once you complete filming for the day?

CV: Coffee coffee coffee!! The long days and early starts can be a lot, no one likes to wake up at 4am. The Scottish Highland air help wakes you up though, one of the many perks of shooting in such a wonderful country.

AM: When you're not on set, how do you stay in shape and what are 3 workouts that you do that we should consider adding into our routines?

CV: Rock climbing has been my go to over the last couple of years. I absolutely love it. It feels nice to have such a simple task to complete that requires creativity and athleticism. As far as gyming goes, my three go to’s are probably hip thrusts for legs, pull ups for my back, and shoulder press for shoulders and triceps.

AM: When you're taking time for yourself, what would we find you doing?

CV: I love a good hike, outdoor rock climbing, gardening.. get me outside and I’m happy.

IG @charles_vandervaart

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 87 Dio Anthony/Groomer Valissa Yoe | PG 88-93 STARZ/Outlander |

Read the DEC ISSUE #108 of Athleisure Mag and see IN TIME | Charles Vandervaart in mag.

THE BACHELOR S29. E0. | MEET GRANT AND THE WOMEN ON THIS SEASON

PHOTO CREDIT | ABC/The Bachelor Key Art

PHOTO CREDIT FOR THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS | Disney/Matt Sayles

On Jan 27th, we will be glued to our screens to enjoy S29 of ABC’s The Bachelor which is being helmed by Grant Ellis who was on Jenn Tran’s S21 of The Bachelorette! We watched him navigate his relationship with her until he was eliminated in week 6 right before Hometowns!

A few weeks back, a first look of the women competing in his season was provided via ABC’s The Bachelor Facebook account!

They just released the contestants official images and we wanted to make sure you see these women.

As we do each season, we have shared these images (we’ll update their ABC gallery images) and we’ll begin to make the best guess on who will be going to Hometowns! We can’t wait to see how Grant and Jesse Palmer will vibe as he continues through the season and what surprises will be along the way.

Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

---

WHO WE THINK WILL GO TO HOMETOWNS

ALEXE

ALLI JO

ALLYSHIA

JULIANA

---

THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEXE

ALLI JO

ALLYSHIA

BAILEY

BEVERLY

CAROLINA

CHLOIE

CHRISTINA

DINA

ELLA

J'NAE

JULIANA

KELSEY

KYLEIGH

LITIA

NATALIE

NEICEY

PARISA

RADHIKA

REBEKAH

ROSE

SARAFIENA

SAVANNAH

VICKY

ZOE

THE BACHELOR S29. E0. | MEET GRANT AND THE WOMEN ON HIS JOURNEY

PHOTO CREDIT | ABC/The Bachelor Key Art

On Jan 27th, we will be glued to our screens to enjoy S29 of ABC’s The Bachelor which is being helmed by Grant Ellis who was on Jenn Tran’s S21 of The Bachelorette! We watched him navigate his relationship with her until he was eliminated in week 6 right before Hometowns!

A few weeks back, a first look of the women competing in his season was provided via ABC’s The Bachelor Facebook account! (where you can see videos that include more information on him as well as sneak peeks on the upcoming season!

As we do each season, we have shared these images (we’ll update their ABC gallery images) and we’ll begin to make the best guess on who will be going to Hometowns! We can’t wait to see how Grant and Jesse Palmer will vibe as he continues through the season and what surprises will be along the way.

Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

---

WHO WE THINK WILL GO TO HOMETOWNS

ALEXE

ALLIE JO

ALLYSHIA

JULIANA

---

THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEXE

ALLIE JO

ALLYSHIA

ANDREA

BAILEY

BEVERLY

CAROLINA

CHLOIE

CHRISTINA

DINA

ELLA

J'NAE

JULIANA

KYLEIGH

KELSEY

LITIA

NATALIE

NEICEY

PARISA

RADHIKA

REBECCA L.

REBEKAH G.

ROSE

SAVANNAH

SARAFIENA

VICKY

ZOE

FOOTBALL + FILM | TAYE DIGGS

After coming off of a full summer which is filled with food, events, and friends, the Fall continues our ability to enjoy staying outside and thankfully with Football season, it gives us a lot of reasons to enjoy games in the stadium, tailgating outside of it, and even having events in our homes. We caught up with actor Taye Diggs (How Stella Got Her Groove Back, The Best Man franchise, All-American) to talk about what he loves about football season, how he enjoys taking in this season's games, his partnership with Lysol and upcoming projects that we'll want to keep an eye out for!

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you realize that you wanted to be an actor?

TAYE DIGGS: When I saw my mother on stage, she went from being my mother into this other person that I didn't know in front of all these people watching her. I was so taken aback and impressed, scared, curious. That was all it took.

AM: We're in the midst of football season - from watching game day with friends whether that’s at the game or elsewhere, tailgating, and just having good vibes. What do you love about football season?

TD: I like going over to a pal's house and watching the game and eating various sundry snacks. I like it a lot better now because I don't have to worry about germs as much because I use Lysol® Air Sanitizer. I used to be one of those people that would just glare at people that used to cough - people don't like to be around that. So I don't have to worry as much and I can enjoy the game and the company without worrying about getting sick. I don't like getting colds and it's that simple.

AM: What are your go-to watch party must-haves when you're watching the game and who are you cheering for?

TD: No specific team, I’m with my son and we like players. That's what the young people are into these days, I don't know that I agree with it, but it's not worth the argument with my son. So when we watch the players, I make sure that the fridge is stocked and that nobody gets too out of hand. I don't like when fights break out. So people know not to bring that mess into my house.

Lysol Air Sanitizer is another must-have for me during watch parties. It actually sanitizes the air - so I use it before people come over to get my space ready and after they leave to sanitize after all that cheering!

AM: You partnered with Lysol Air Sanitizer - why did you want to work with them and how important is it to have whether at a watch party or the stadium?

TD: Football season is one of my favorite times of year, especially hosting game-day watch parties at-home. But I learned through my partnership with Lysol that cheering for your team can result in viruses and bacteria expelled in the air – shouting can produce up to 100,000 droplets per minute (Source)! That’s why Lysol Air Sanitizer is my game day must-have. It kills 99.9% of airborne viruses and bacteria† to eliminate odors in the air*, so you can protect your home while cheering on your favorite team all season long!

AM: In All American, you played coach Billy Baker, a high school football coach. What did you love about playing this role and how did you look at football after doing this?

TD: I thought I knew a little bit about football before that role and realized that I knew nothing about football. I gained a ridiculous amount of respect for professional athletes because we were exposed to so many and the intelligence that these athletes have that people assume they don't. Which is really, really cool. Getting to understand something that you thought you knew. Being able to yell at all these young people, that's a situation where pretending was really, really fun because that is so far from who I am as a person. Which is one of the reasons why I took the role and it was so much fun because in this career, a lot of times you play characters that are kind of close to you and this one wasn't, and I really had a great time.

AM: You're always working on a number of amazing projects. The first film I remember seeing you in was How Stella Got Her Groove Back and I know that you are working on another project from Terry McMillan, Forever on Lifetime. What do you love about her work? Tell me about Forever.

TD: They're great stories and that's where all of this begins. If you don't have this story, for me, you don't have anything. That's where my interest begins. I've had experiences with her, so it was a no brainer. What was interesting about this film was I got to kind of chronicle how far I've come from How Stella Got Her Groove Back and that was kind of cool. I'm a different actor, the way I approach a role, all of that was different, and I noticed it. So that was cool.

AM: Do you have any other upcoming projects that you would like to share that we should keep an eye out for?

TD: I'm a judge on this new show coming out called Second Chance Stage where it gives performers that had a dream and put their dream by the wayside another chance to pursue this dream. It's very eye opening, it's very emotional. These folks are terribly talented and we were put in the positions to give them more opportunities and it was kind of life altering.

IG @tayediggsinsta

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 32 Joey Andrew | PG 34 Second Chance Stage/Magnolia Network | PG 36 - 38/Taye Diggs Social

Read the OCT ISSUE #106 of Athleisure Mag and see FOOTBALL + FILM | Taye Diggs in mag.

THE GOLDEN BACHELORETTE S1. E9. | IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE FINALE

PHOTO CREDIT | Disney/Ricky Middlesworth

How is it the finale of The Golden Bachelorette? We see some of The Golden Bachelor contestants in the audience and Grant, who will start his journey as The Bachelor is in the audience! Jesse Palmer is definitely bringing the energy as he’s with the live audience.

We know that Joan Vassos was sad when Pascal left. She shares how even though she has been vulnerable, her walls have come back up because she is so hurt by what happened - how could he not love her? What will this mean for the remaining men Guy and Chock? Nancy is still on the boat and she comes over to give love to Joan. She also gives her the words she needs to hear to continue on and lets her know that regardless of what happens, the remaining men are there for her and have shown her that - especially Chock when he came back after his mother died! She is the hype woman that we all need when things go left!

She finally gets to see her family and they have a moment and give their blessing to what she has been doing in this process. Chock gets to meet them first! The family thinks he’s a great fit and they also get to chat and hang out on their own. Chock tells her that he loves her and is a bit sad she doesn’t say it back although he understands as there is still another man there.

While Guy gets ready for his date, Joan comes to the realization that after hearing Chock say that he is in love with her, she has fallen for him. She makes her way to Guy as she knows that she can’t go on a date with him as her heart is elsewhere. She sits down to chat with him. She lets him know that instead of putting him through meeting her family and going through the motion, she wanted to tell him now. You can see how Guy is really sad and crying hearing this news.

Back in the studio, Guy is on the couch.Guy and Jesse chat about what it was like to watch it back. Then Joan chats with Guy and you can see how much that she cares for him. She hopes that can double date with one another.

With only Chock left, we see Joan get ready to meet him. He’s still nervous that she hasn’t said that she loves him; however, they are on the beach and he professes his love to her and tells her that he wants her in his life! She talks about their Disneyland date let her know that she wanted him in her life. She knew that when he left because of the death of his mother, that she really liked him and she felt safe. She was excited that he came back adn she saw him differently and she finally says that she loves him. He asks her to marry him, she says yes, and she gives him the final rose! They call Joan’s mom and tell her the good news. We see them float away and it looks like a great match.

Back on the couch, they share more about their love story and what they did after the show. Chock talks about spending time with her, but not being able to tell anyone about it. Jesse gives them a trip to Disneyland that they can enjoy with their families as that was something that they had mentioned when they were on their first date. Jesse also reminds us that The Bachelor will start on Jan 23rd and we have a preview of the upcoming season!

Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

---

JOAN’S FIANCE

CHOCK

GUY

---

THE GOLDEN BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

BOB

BILL

CHARLES K

CHARLES L.

CHOCK

CHRISTOPHER

DAN

DAVID

GARY

GREGG

GUY

GIL

JACK

JONATHAN

JORDAN H.

KEITH

KEN

KIM B.

MARK A.

MICHAEL

PABLO

PASCAL

RJ

THOMAS

THE GOLDEN BACHELORETTE S1. E8. | THE MEN TELL ALL

PHOTO CREDIT | Disney/Ricky Middlesworth

Last week’s The Golden Bachelorette was a tough one! 3 dates with the remaining guys after their Hometowns and Joan Vassos has to really get the answers and insight that she was looking for! Who knew that Pascale would leave as he was always our favorite! Only Guy and Chock are left and we’ll have to waut until next week to see them. As we wait for the part 2 of this finale, we head into the The Men Tell All! This lets us catch up with our favorites and to get more info on what went down during the season.

We join Jesse Palmer who will make sure that we get all of our questions ready and surely, he will tease the upcoming episode as well. Seeing the men back definitely felt like seeing old friends. Jesse lets us know that they have also their kids there as we all loved seeing the videos that were made to share their love for their dads. Jesse talks about their experience, kickball, Chippendales, and so much more! We also got to hear about grill gate and it’s such a nice walk down memory lane. We also hear that Michael was battling cancer when he was on the show. He is fine now, but so interesting to hear some of the backstory that we didn’t know about these men.

The first person to join the hot seat is Jonathan who was eliminated after Joan went to his Hometown. We get to see his experience on the show and we see how emotional he was when he was sent home. He shares that the experience was incredible and she made him feel seen. We also saw the bromance between Mark and Jonathan! Who knew that they were such buddies - Mark leaving the post-it-notes for Jonathan is so sweet!

Mark joins the hot seat as we know him from Joey’s (who is in the audience and taking a break from Dancing with the Stars) season on The Bachelor and we all knew he would be a great contestant for The Golden Bachelorette! We watch how his story unfolds on the show and without a doubt, he was great to be part of this group of men!

The moment we have been waiting for - Charles L is in the hot seat! Who doesn’t love this man? Seeing his journey was such a sweet moment. He even says that he didn’t know who Jesse was at the time and not to take an offense to it! His daughter says that after being on the show, they went to a wedding in London and he had a new confidence and he hit the dance floor! He said he is ready to date again and that his body is lighter and he hopes that he will meet the lucky one. An audience member said that he should be the next The Golden Bachelor and if not, she has a mom who is single.

We see that Pascal gave the men a self-care day with a bit of meditation. They have face masks and even did a meditation that he learned in India. The men enjoyed it.Of course we learn that he didn’t know anything about meditation!

We get to see Kim’s time on the show - including the Mansion Men song. The Gay Men’s Chorus of LA sing Kim’s song the treatment that it deserves and it was a pretty cool way to see the show! You can see how moved Kim is to see his song come to life and he shakes each member of the chorus’ hand.

Pascal comes to the hot seat as we watch how his time on the show progressed until his self-proclaimed exit. We definitely thought that they would end up together, but unfortunately, that was not in the cards. Pascal lets Jesse know that seeing his exit from the show was emotional and that it was so hard for him to say goodbye to her. He did not intend to hurt her, he just knows that he couldn’t give her what she wanted. He said that being with the men, he learned a lot for them about being vulnerable. His son also acknowledges that when he saw him being vulnerable, it helped him see that that is something that he can be without feeling that it makes him less than.

Joan joins the men and looks fabulous! Jesse acknowledges that we saw her last week and we know that she has been going through it, but she looks great sitting on the couch. He talks about the first night and what her experience has been. Gary sends love to Joan’s mother as he wrote a prayer for her when she wasn’t feeling well. Charles says he misses her and that being with her was a turning point. She lets him know that he looks so handsome and that he has such a pure heart. She promises to exchange phone numbers with him. Jonathan also sends love to her and lets her know that has met someone and that he is happy. Pascal and Joan exchange words and you can see the love that is between them. She lets them know that she misses them and she wants to stay friends and in connection with them.

It’s been one of our favorite The Men Tell All episodes! We get to see some amazing bloopers and a peek into the finale episode!

JOAN DIDN’T GIVE ROSES OUT THIS DURING FINALE PART I | Chock, Guy

Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

---

THE FINAL TWO!

CHOCK

GUY

---

THE GOLDEN BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

BOB

BILL

CHARLES K

CHARLES L.

CHOCK

CHRISTOPHER

DAN

DAVID

GARY

GREGG

GUY

GIL

JACK

JONATHAN

JORDAN H.

KEITH

KEN

KIM B.

MARK A.

MICHAEL

PABLO

PASCAL

RJ

THOMAS

THE GOLDEN BACHELORETTE S1. E7. | WELCOME TO FANTASY SUITES

PHOTO CREDIT | Disney/Ricky Middlesworth

This week’s The Golden Bachelorette bring us the first portion of the Finale! With the cold opening, we can tell that something has taken place that has shaken Joan Vassos. Until then, we see her in the airport in LA making her way to Tahiti to be with the remaining men. She has Guy, Pascal, and Chock and while she sails a cruiseliner, she’s excited that her fellow The Golden Bachelor contestant, Nancy is there with her. They catch up as they talk about her experience so far.

We know that Guy told her that he was falling in love with her and she wonders if he is ahead of her in terms of the feelings that he has. She likes Pascal, but she knows that he is guarded, but he lives big just like her husband. Then she knows that Chock is amazing; however, she wonders if he is too good to be true!

Nancy and Joan talk about the importance of Fantasy Suites and that being off camera allows her to have those deep conversations that she is looking for. Nancy listens to her and she also boosts her feelings to let her know that she is where she needs to be. She lets her know that she will stay with her this week as she navigates these next few days while she makes her decisions.

Her first takes place in Moorea with Guy. We see him getting ready for his date and we know that he is excited to meet with her and the fact that he will get to spend all this time with her. He believes he is falling in love with her and he can see a future with her as well.

She can see a future with him and she acknowledges that they are not in the same place in this relationship. So she is looking forward to getting where he is and wants to keep an open mind about him. She talks about their Hometowns and how she enjoyed meeting his family. They enjoyed lounging on a boat and diving underwater.

As they get closer, we see Chock and Jesse Palmer chatting about what the experience has been like thus far. He acknowledges that Guy and Paslcal bring a lot to the table, but he is willing to put his best foot forward and to give it everything that he has.

The evening portion of the date begins and she lets them know that they made good memories together. She lets him know that the overnight of the Fantasy Suites will be about being off-camera and talking. But it will not be about being physical and that she doesn’t want to do that with 3 people and wants to do that with her final person. He lets her know that she respects that and isn’t surprised that that was what she wants to do.

We see Guy leaving his overnight and stating that he had intimacy on an emotional level and he was able to say and got what he needed from the experience! He feels great about where things are between them.

Chock is making his way to Joan for their date. He is excited as he told her he was falling in love with her at his Hometowns in Witchita. Their date is on an HTV as they driving fast throughout the greenery around them. She trusted him and felt safe with him. They had a great dinner and they went to the Fantasy Suites. Chock lets us know he had a great time, it was everything he wanted, and that if Joan wanted to say what went down, she could, but he was just going to keep it to himself.

Jesse and Pascal sit down and chat and they talk about the conversation he had with Joan in Chicago during his Hometowns about opening up to people. He tells Jesse about a previous relationship that he has been involved with where he was in love, but that they couldn’t go forward. He wants to work on bringing his walls down and wants to open up with Joan.

Their date begins and they enjoy a buffet of foods and they are enjoying this. He is excited to have an easy day and then to be able to have serious conversations later. Pascal enjoyed the beginning of the date and they head into the next part, the bonding ceremony which is a traditional one that takes place in Tahiti. They both have to be vulnerable when you are talking about things. Although he thought the ceremony was beautiful, he was surprised about the seriousness of it as he was looking for something light. She feels that the experience has been great for both of them. He feels that he was not ready for this part of the date and he feels scared and he wasn’t ready for all of that.

While they sit down to dinner, Pascal asks the things that he has been thinking about - why she likes him, letting her know about his previous relationship, and he shares that the date scared him and he doesn’t want to hurt her. He doesn’t think that he can get to the place that she needs him to be. He tells her that he knows what love is and that he cares about her as a friend, but he is not in love and he can’t be there. He lets her know that no matter how much fun they have and the care he has for her - the spark is not there. She lets him know that she wishes he was ready and available, but she realizes that this is where they are. He knew that she was hurting and he felt awful that he did this to her. We’re sad to see Pascal go, but there is something to be said about people being honest in where they are at.

Next week, we have the Men Tell All and the week after, we have the second part of the Finale.

JOAN DIDN’T GIVE ROSES OUT THIS WEEK | Chock, Guy

GUYS WHO LEFT THIS WEEK | Pascal

Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

---

THE FINAL TWO!

CHOCK

GUY

---

THE GOLDEN BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

BOB

BILL

CHARLES K

CHARLES L.

CHOCK

CHRISTOPHER

DAN

DAVID

GARY

GREGG

GUY

GIL

JACK

JONATHAN

JORDAN H.

KEITH

KEN

KIM B.

MARK A.

MICHAEL

PABLO

RJ

THOMAS

FAITH, FAMILY, FOOD CHEF AARTI SEQUEIRA

This month, We're making the transition from the Summer to the Fall. We're thinking about all the things that this season is perfect for from still being able to enjoy being outdoors with a few layers, the crispness that begins to encompass the air, a number of fun festivals, apple/pumpkin picking, and so much more! The last few months have involved being out and about with friends and family, and of course the upcoming holiday season.

This sense of community and coming together with food is something that Chef Aarti Sequeira embodies. We've had the pleasure of interviewing her in our NOV ISSUE #71 a few years ago when her My Family Recipe Journal was released. At that time we talked about how she came to food, being a chef, Food Network's Halloween Wars, and more.

This month, we caught up with her to talk about her latest cookbook that came out last year - UNWIND: A Devotional Cookbook For The Harried and Hungry, food festivals that she is participated in and why she likes being involved, hosting Halloween Wars, why she likes being part of the Food Network family and more!

ATHLEISURE MAG: It was so great chatting with you a few years ago where we talked about how you got into food, your food journey and everything that led up to the Family Recipe Journal that you dropped as at that time, you were a few days out from dropping that book!

So before we talk about things that have gone on since that book and things that are coming up, we’d love to know if you remember the dish that you had that made you first fall in love with food?

CHEF AARTI SEQUEIRA: Oh wow! I mean, I don't remember doing this because I was just a baby but my mum, my most vivid memory of me with food is that she would be making dinner and she would just you know pick me up and put me on the counter next to her chopping board and she would just be slicing onions, garlic and ginger and she'd look away for a second. And you know, with my little like you know how babies don't have like knuckles, right?

AM: Right!

CHEF AS: They just have dimples. It’s just those teeny, tiny dimples in a fist and I'd grab the onions and I was just shoving them in my mouth!

AM: Oh!

CHEF AS: She couldn't, she couldn't believe it and I liked it! It’s ironic because I hate raw onions now.

AM: Right!

CHEF AS: But I loved it back then, and I think that, you know, just from then on that the kitchen is just always where I've wanted to be and there's always been food in my mouth haha.

AM: Which is a good thing! I feel like if people were less hangry, that things might be better!

CHEF AS: Well that is true!

AM: Well, when we last chatted you were like a couple of days out actually from the My Family Recipe Journal, but since that conversation in talking with you, you also have released UNWIND: A Devotional Cookbook For The Harried and Hungry. Can you tell us a bit about the book, why you wanted to create it, and what can we expect when we're reading this?

CHEF AS: Yeah, I really created it for people like me and maybe people who are not like me, but anyone who experiences that sort of 4:30pm/5:30pm salt in the wound?

AM: Yes!

CHEF AS: You’ve had a full day and you've been all things to all people and then you’re like, “and now I’ve got to make dinner?”

AM: Right!

CHEF AS: Are you kidding? And it feels you know, it’s the last thing usually between you and bed.

AM: Yeah.

CHEF AS: Haha or you and crappy television, you know what I mean?

AM: Exactly!

CHEF AS: It’s the last hump that you have to get over. And I just found myself taking this thing that had once been my joy and once been my Sanctuary and starting to resent. It was like I started to phone it in and that's not right because you know, I have children now!

AM: Right!

CHEF AS: I didn't want to be giving them or serving them resentment at the dinner table.

AM: Of course!

CHEF AS: So, one of the things that I remembered is that there was this woman that owned an Indian grocery store in LA. and when I had to talked to her about cooking, she had mentioned that she had always prayed before she cooked and that was such a light bulb moment for me! She's Hindu, and I'm Christian. and I just remember going, well if she's doing it - why am I not doing it, you know?

AM: Mmm

CHEF AS: So I did start praying before I cooked and I just found that it opened up a passageway, like a spiritual passageway that took this very mundane chore. This thing that I resented and helped me see it as a moment of sacred connection and it redeemed it, right? And what I found was that in what started off like, "oh Lord, please let this dish turn out right or okay,” you know what I mean? Or let the kids like it or not have anything fall on floor – turned into…

“You know, one of the reasons I'm really upset right now, Jesus is that I'm really feeling discouraged that I didn't get that job that I wanted.”

AM: Right.

CHEF AS: Or, “I'm really scared about this thing that's happening in my family or any number of things.” And so, while I was cooking, that's when that conversation was happening. And I found that there was so much healing.

AM: Yup.

CHEF AS: That healing that was happening through that whole process was amazing. And I was like, well, if it works for me, I would like to be the sort of guide that says, “hey guys, this can work for you too.” This can be a moment, a half hour, 45 minutes in the day, where okay, maybe you didn't have your quiet time today, or maybe you did, and you need another one. This can be It. And I think the lesson that I learned from that is that, you mentioned it! You know, so often when we're walking into the kitchen at that hour, we are tired and we are hungry and we are hangry. And that's when quite often we are in that space. So, if we can get into the practice of turning our eyes towards heaven, when we are at our worst in the kitchen, then we will do that when we are at our worst in the car, in a meeting, doing laundry, talking to someone that's very triggering.

AM: Oh yes!

CHEF AS: All of this stuff, it just builds up muscle in us. So, I now have learned after that experience and after writing UNWIND that how you show up in the kitchen and how you come out of that kitchen, is great practice for how you show up and leave every situation in your life.

AM: That really resonates because a lot of times when there's projects being worked on whether it's a series of business meetings or calls I need to make I'll do a prayer before.

CHEF AS: Yes!

AM: It could be a project or anything I’m doing where I need that reset, it allows my mind to take a pause a beat and then to almost get closer to certain things that maybe have nothing to do with what's going on. But you're able to kind of like categorize it and you just come out a lot better of a person versus me just running out and being like argh!!!

CHEF AS: It is good to sort of slow down. You know, I think a lot of people say, get present. And for me, getting present with myself is just not enough because myself is the problem. So I need to get present with God. That is the one that's going to pull me out of myself and actually fix it.

AM: That's true. That's very true. And, you know, do you find that, because I find that the books that you've done, it is so personal because you are talking about, you know, getting in touch with yourself, getting in touch with God, getting into a better place. Is it is it more difficult to have these books that have a cookbook component as well as this other inspirational component too? Do you feel the process in writing it is longer? Do you feel that you get, you know what I mean - like, because you're doing two different components putting it together. It's beautiful, and seamless, but I know a lot of times if I'm writing something that comes from more of a personal place in my heart, I'm gonna grapple with that for like 80 more hours.

CHEF AS: Yeah, 100%. I mean, I think writing a cookbook is a much more difficult process than I imagined. I think before I kind of got into this world, I was like, oh, well, you know, you just write your recipes and blah blah.

AM: Right!

CHEF AS: But then once it becomes your way of life, at least for me, you know, I'm super critical.

AM: Yeah, same.

CHEF AS: Super critical of myself and so I'm questioning every instinct, every idea, every finished product. Wondering if it's good enough, wondering, if I've written it well, wondering - you know saying the worst things to myself. And so, then couple that with trying to be an ambassador for God.

AM: Right.

CHEF AS: There is always like, there is so much room for failure. I did find it to be a really, really difficult process. We also did it so quickly. We did the whole thing in about 6 or 7 months.

AM: Whoa!

CHEF AS: You know, most people take like a year or 2 years because, you know, some of the people that I'm seeing putting cookbooks out, they're like, “you know, this has been the past 2 or 3 years of my life,” and I'm like, oh my God! You know, I don't know what's worse. Like I don't know if it's worse to live with something for 3 years and live with that kind of pressure for three years.

AM: Exactly.

CHEF AS: Am I a marathon runner or am I a sprinter? I think I've always been a sprinter.

AM: Yup.

CHEF AS: So I think that God kind of knew, you know, what kind of project it needed to be for me. But yeah, I mean, I think I even posted on my social media about how difficult it was that like the process of creativity was not like - was not like a scene from Ratatouille and it has never been for me. It's never been - it's very rarely a moment of like the muse, you know, and going to bed where it’s saying, “hey, why don't you pull tamarind and ginger together and build ribs,” like it’s very rare that that happens. A lot of it is full on. It feels like you're working out, you are throwing weights around picking them back up again, throwing them down again that was the process for me and getting to write that book meant that I had to employ 2 very different parts of my brain and try to make them make sense. But it was also a great challenge, like, I really enjoyed it and I sort of felt like this idea for me felt like a download from heaven and so I was like at this moment in time, I'm the only person that is doing this. So I have to believe that I am also being totally equipped to do it. I have to thank my husband who helped me so much because he loves words and he loves the Bible and so it's really helpful to have him at my side literally for some of them like writing portions of it and then me being able to then put it in my own words. He was like such a such a rock to me.

AM: That's amazing!

Are you already thinking about that next cookbook? I mean, you've already done, you know, these last two. I mean, I know you had one before obviously, but you know, that's so quick between the recipe book. Now it's UNWIND! Is there something in the future that you're kind of sketching out?

CHEF AS: I don't know, you know, I think cookbooks are so hard because frankly there are just so many of them and it's hard to capture people's attention in between. I mean, I'd love to write another one, but I think I also would like some time to really fine tune you know, where is my cooking at this point? What is it that excites me. And what you know? I just feel a little bit all over the place because my career has really, has really taken off it feels like this year.

AM: Yeah.

CHEF AS: I’m traveling, so much of that. I'm probably cooking for other people more than I'm cooking for my family.

AM: Wow.

CHEF AS: And yeah. And so, I want to get back to cooking for my family because I feel like that's like truly the essence of who I am or who I want to be. And so, I'm open to it, of course, and I'm open to even doing another one because I, I do think that I'm proud of it. I really, I'm really proud of it. And even, you know, and every time, just even the other day, someone sent me a photo of one of the recipes that they made and the fact that they were doing it in their small group and they were going through the devotions together. I mean, it just is like so meaningful to me more meaningful than anything else I've worked on, because yes, they're making the recipes, but they're also reading the words that I wrote and reflecting and when I read the words that I wrote, I'm so very convinced that I was not the one that was writing them because I don't recognize it!

AM: Haha right!

CHEF AS: You know, I'm a little nervous to go through that whole process again because, frankly, it was really rough. But when I look at it and I look at the fruit of it, I'm like, well, I mean, hi, I get to partner with God again and that’s kind of amazing.

AM: One thing I love when I'm looking at your IG, I love your Monday Motivations. I think they're so amazing.

CHEF AS: Oh thank you!

AM: And as we are dropping on Monday, do you have a Monday Motivation for us that we can share with our readers?

CHEF AS: Ooo. What have I been toggling in my mind? I think the message that I feel like keeps coming up is - if God is knocking on the door, he's kind of yelling through the door at you.

AM: Ha! I feel that one!

CHEF AS: Which is kind of, “are you more interested in what I can do through you or are you more interested in spending time with Me?”

AM: Ooo ...

CHEF AS: Because I have to say, I took inspiration from someone who posted it online - that concept, at least. But I have been feeling it -

AM: Yeah.

CHEF AS: You know what I mean?

AM: Yeah.

CHEF AS: The first one is about me.

AM: Yup.

CHEF AS: And the second one is about God.

AM: It's about Him. Yeah, you gave me goosebumps because I yeah, I thought about something very similar to that, a couple months ago, and I was like, well am I really trying to do that because I want to amplify Him or am I trying to do it so I can boost myself up? Like wow, yeah.

CHEF AS: Yeah, it hurts. So I did not like it.

AM: 100%

CHEF AS: When I saw it on IG and I still don't, but I think that's the point. I think that it's –

AM: It’s uncomfortable -

CHEF AS: It’s uncomfortable and I think those of us who are sort of our own turbines, who are in that sort of entrepreneurial space, it becomes a lot about me and what can I do? What can I accomplish and what's the next thing to build? How do I build on what I've already built? All that stuff and so then we try to kind of loop God into it saying, “you know use me for whatever it is that you want,” but you know intrinsically, we're like yeah we want to get some action, right?

AM: Right.

CHEF AS: You want to rustle up some action. And I think, especially for me, like I'm not really good at sitting very quietly.

AM: Same

CHEF AS: Or sitting in a posture of listening or just being or just any of those things.

AM: It's a good reminder.

CHEF AS: Yeah, that would be my Monday Motivation is just go sit and do nothing for a minute.

AM: Yeah, wow. Yeah.

CHEF AS: Haha I know!

AM: Well, you are always traveling! You were just on an amazing trip in Peru with some of our faves who have previously been in our issues - Chef Duff Goldman, Chef Fariyal Abdullahi who was our AUG ISSUE #104 cover, and Chef Marcel Vigneron. I love an immersive trip and it seemed like you guys got to combine your culinary knowledge along with those that were indigenous to the area and people, as well as to be part of some amazing cultural activities!

Right now your IG has a number of food festivals you’ve been at as well as those that are coming up! We are looking forward to the Food Network NYC Wine Food Festival that takes place mid Oct. and I know that you’re not involved in that one, but Iove being able to go to festivals like this. What do you love about participating in food festival and can you tell me more about the Del Mar Wine + Food Festival that is next month? I mean that Spice Girls Dinner seems pretty amazing.

CHEF AS: Yeah, food festivals are so fun because it's sort of like, you know, that everybody there is one of you, you know what I mean?

AM: Yup!

CHEF AS: Like, these are people that love food and love food television and love to celebrate and love to gather!

AM: Yes!

CHEF AS: The Gathering thing to me has really been feeling more and more important. I think because we have so many years of not gathering.

AM: Yeah that was tough!

CHEF AS: I heard once I was listening to a podcast and I'm not saying I've ever read Alexis de Tocqueville, but I guess when he visited America he was like, “the thing that's very interesting about Americans is that they love to gather.”

AM: Facts!

CHEF AS: They will find any reason to gather and so when we weren't gathering, it was like one of the most un-American things that we could have done.

AM: Yeah.

CHEF AS: So I think that's one of the things that I have come to really appreciate about food festivals is we're all together. We're breaking bread, we're maybe having a couple cocktails.

AM: Yes!

CHEF AS: You sort of feel like, this is who we are. This is the essence of our humanity, the essence of our identity as a people, you know? It's a very unifying moment. I think, especially for people who are creating content, whether it's, you know, on traditional streams, or on social media streams, or YouTube or whatever it is, you know, it kind of goes out into the ether and even if you get likes, yes, you get some sort of feedback, but to see the actual faces! To sort of interact with the actual spirits of people who were like, “I saw when you did that thing.” Oh, it feels real and it feels really gratifying in that moment, selfishly. And it feels very encouraging, honestly - to say, okay, I'm on the right path, I'm going to keep going because it can feel like a very isolating experience.

You know, basically, like I remember when Twitter came along we were all like, oh, doesn't it sort of feel like there's one million people and each of them has a megaphone and they're all yelling? So no one's listening to each other and so sometimes things like food festivals can be so gratifying because here are the people that have been listening!

AM: 100%

CHEF AS: You can see, you can then engage like, oh this is what touches people. And this is what people find necessary. And this is what sort of they find unique about when they come to my corner of IG and it can help sort of fine tune your voice.

AM: Exactly!

Tell me about the Spice Girls Dinner at the Del Mar Food Festival!

CHEF AS: Yeah, I'm excited about Del Mar because not only because it's a very beautiful food festival, this whole thing was spearheaded by Troy Johnson and his wife, Claire Johnson and you know I've known Troy forever for like decades through Guy's Grocery Games.

AM: Ok!

CHEF AS: No, no it’s not been that long! So this is the, you know, they already have babies, but this is another baby of theirs. They're really putting their money where their mouths are and trying to encourage the same thing, the sense of community and gathering, and celebration, and celebrating chefs who are, you know, taking risks in the kitchen and so, I'm really excited to go see people, but also support people who are risking it all you know.

AM: Wow.

CHEF AS: Like Troy and Claire, I think our dinner is going to be so interesting because I love Claudia Sandoval (winner of MasterChef S6, Judge on MasterChef Latinos, Host of Taste of the Border on Discovery+). I love the way she cooks. She has a really strong connection to where she comes from and in a way that I love because she sometimes will take the humblest of dishes, like, her grandmother's beans and she won't change it all that much. She will present it just like that because she's like they're actually good enough. That's very inspiring to me because there's, you know, a lot of the food that we all grew up with, it's not restaurant food.

AM: Correct.

CHEF AS: It's home food. I'm trying to figure out a way to gussy that up so that it looks pretty in an Instagram photo sometimes can feel very difficult!

AM: Daunting, yeah.

CHEF AS: So I I think that it's, I think it's really, it's been very inspiring to me to go, no, the dal, just the way it is. The dal just the way I grew up with is enough and good enough! So, I'm really excited to see where our spice palettes cross over, compliment each other, and contrast with each other. I think it's going to be a really fun dinner and I'm really excited also for the wine pairing because Neeta Mittal, owner of LXV Wines - she's Indian and so she's got a particular palette when she's looking at wines because she's going well, what wine will play well, with these spices - will amplify them and vice versa. So, I think it's gonna be a really interesting unique dinner in that way.

I'm relatively new to this circuit you know, compared to some people that have been doing it for a while and so you're only honestly, you're only as good as the organizers of the festival. It is such a beast to organize these things. There's always something that you didn't think about.

AM: Right, for sure.

CHEF AS: So that's a huge factor to me! I want to be at a festival where we’re all you know, you do your job, I do my job, but we do our job so that we can support each other and make each other look good. That's, you know, that's one of the big things.

AM: That's amazing.

CHEF AS: I love going to festivals where there's a lot of great food on display, you know, especially a lot of adventurous food because I'm like, oh, the people that are going to show up here are going to be willing to try things that, you know, they've maybe never tried before.

I just did the Ilani Wine and Food Festival at the Ilani Resort just outside of Portland. That one was so amazing because even though you know this festival's been going on forever, I made these Jackfruit Sliders with a date barbecue sauce. That was a two for two in terms of things that people haven't tried before. People were so willing like, when you know, I remember someone came over and they were like, “your pulled pork was amazing.” I was like, “that was jackfruit!” So I love going to festivals where I can bring something that someone hasn't had before. Not just for the the purpose of maybe trying something new but, then also that people go home and they're like, I'm going to buy that and I'm gonna work that into my meal plan, or whatever it is. You know, that's just like I want to be of service, and that's really helpful but I love festivals like that where I can be of service.

AM: I think that that’s amazing. And I saw those pictures of the Jackfruit Sliders. And I was just like, whoa, I've had jackfruit but never thought about barbecue sauce and dates – but ok!

CHEF AS: Yeah, well, you know, I had the barbecue sauce ready to go. I had that idea. I was just trying to think because I didn’t think that I was gonna have the time or the energy to like slow cook a ton of pork.

AM: Right.

CHEF AS: So then it was like, what about, you know, I think actually I was talking to Damaris Phillips (2013 winner of Food Network Star, Guy’s Grocery Games Judge, author of Southern Girl Meets Vegetarian Boy) about it and then we came up with that idea together, so that was super helpful.

AM: Love that! Ok, so Halloween Wars. I mean, first of all, I can't even believe that we're sitting in the fall.

CHEF AS: Yeah!

AM: It's rainy here in New York today and I'm like, wait, the holiday season is around the corner. I always know it's around the corner because I see the promos for Halloween Wars.

CHEF AS: Ha ha! I know! It’s all a long slippery slope from there!

AM: Yup! So what are you excited about for this season? I always look forward to the different things and I'm always amazed at how grotesque in the best way possible that some of the things end up being, I'm like, oh my God, who does that? I'm so scared! But at the same time, the baking capabilities and dedication to craft is next level when they’re on the clock!

CHEF AS: This season is so great because each of the teams is helmed by an All-Star. So each of these people have won before, they know what it feels like and they know what it takes. So, they’re kind of acting like team leaders to their teammates. There's a lot to, you know, you whenever you go into competition, you don't cook, carve, sculpt the way that you do –

AM: Exactly.

CHEF AS: At your bakery or at your place, you know? You've got to, you've got to do it in a way that is a work smarter not harder kind of mindset.

AM: Yeah.

CHEF AS: And yet, you're still going for perfection as possible. So that's why this season is so great because and that's why that from day one like the displays were already almost like finale level.

AM: Ooo.

CHEF AS: Perfect, right?

AM: Yeah -

CHEF AS: You had these people who are veterans informing the entire process. So that's what's so great about this season.

AM: That is so exciting!

Tyler Florence’s, The Great Food Truck Race is one of my favorite shows. So, seeing you on the finale, this last season, I was like, wait, there's Aarti!

CHEF AS: Ahhh. Yeah, the food was legitimately awesome! You know, sometimes it's like you know with competition you have a lot of grace because things are not gonna - you just don't have the same amount of time that you would at home or in a restaurant. So I was so impressed, every bite that I took, I was like this tastes completely dialed in. It was amazing. It was truly amazing.

AM: Well, are there any other shows coming up that we should keep an eye out for because I always love when I see you at, like, Tournament of Champions or you're on Guys Grocery Games. And I'm like, this lady is working.

CHEF AS: I'm trying to work. I am trying to work. I just got something and I don't think they've announced it yet.

AM: Okay.

CHEF AS: That's going to be super exciting!

AM: Amazing.

CHEF AS: Thank you! And then you know, all the usual like Grocery Games and all that kind of stuff is still coming down the pipe. Yeah, it's just always such a privilege to be part of the part of the family over at Food Network. Whenever we get to see people, you know, you get the sense that that Food Network is on all day.

AM: Exactly.

CHEF AS: For some people, you know what I mean? It's just very cool that even if I'm not currently shooting something and they turn it on, more than likely one of us is on there. You know? It feels really intimate to be in people's homes that way, and I think that that's how they feel about us, you know, based on the reactions we get. So it's really such a privilege.

AM: I love that and are there just any upcoming projects In general that you would like to share to get out there or or, you know, just things that you have going on?

CHEF AS: Yeah. I mean, one of the most exciting things that's coming up in the short term is that I'm expanding my line with QVC.

AM: That’s amazing!

CHEF AS: Yeah, really amazing! It's such a huge community to be able to dive into and QVC has been so generous and so sweet with me to sort of pull me into the fold and say, hey what do you think about doing this? And here are the kinds of things that our people love and how would you put your own spin on it. And so, you know, it's a select few people that get to do that and I was really hopeful when we started the line last year that we would get to do this, and It has expanded exponentially and some of the things that we've got in the line, I use on a daily basis. They're unbelievably good quality, you know, I really wanted to make sure that it would be something I would use and it's just really exciting, so I think that's going to launch at the end of October.

AM: Congratulations on the continued success of your line with them and I’ve seen the cute kitchenware!

That's so exciting. Yay!

CHEF AS: Yeah!

AM: I just love that every time I see you on shows, you just have such a love and zest for food, and like you're talking about community and people coming together! What do you want your legacy, you know, to be in terms of the imprint that you've left on all of these different things that you're doing and whatever ends up being in the future - that may not be happening at this moment?

CHEF AS: Gosh. Well, I mean, the most important thing to me obviously is my family, right? And just for my girls to know that I did the best I could to balance these two parts of my life. But that they were always way more important than anything else, you know, for them and my husband to know that.

But outside of the home, I guess that I want people when they think of me to think of someone – who really valued coming around a table. Like, I really think that there are so many things that are coming in to distract us from connection with each other, you know, phones and social media. And I know there's been a lot of discussion and study recently on, you know, the impact of phones on kids.

AM: Yes.

CHEF AS: And teenagers. And what that does to the family and I really think that something as simple as sitting around the table and having dinner as many nights as possible is one of the most powerful things that we can do to combat that. Like so that would be probably part of my legacy. Then the other part is that, so often when I'm competing and doing things like that, I'm doing stuff that I feel completely out of my depths doing.

AM: I feel that.

CHEF AS: I'm, you know, like just recently I got booked for a bunch of things and it made me so scared. I was like crying in a fetal position.

AM: Oh no!

CHEF AS: It was bad because I was like, I cannot do this. I don't know how I'm gonna fail like. That has no matter how many times I do it, it just feels like it's something that I'm constantly fighting and I don't think I'm the only one.

AM: Nope!

CHEF AS: So I suppose part of my legacy, I hope these are very big words. It's just that, I was loud about feeling unequipped to do things, but doing them anyway!

AM: Which is huge! I tell people all the time, I’m always in my head, mulling over things and nervous before I do something. Even if it's like a million times, whatever, because everything is a little bit different and you just, I don't know, it's a thing, but I was like, if I feel that shaky about it, I have to kind of tell myself that you feel shaky because you want to do so well, and you care so much about what it represents for myself and what it is for the other people involved. So I try to turn it, although I'll still sit there and be like, I gotta run to the bathroom. This is crazy, but in the end, it does end up being lovely.

CHEF AS: Yeah, I think that there's the sense of like, if it isn't going easily, then you must be doing something wrong or you must be in the wrong place. Yeah, you must have made the wrong decision and I think that as I mean I'm 46 now. So hopefully it'll stick this year …

AM: It hasn’t yet, but it’s tough.

CHEF AS: Yeah, hopefully, but you know for the first time this year, I was like, after I had my little fetal position breakdown. I was like wait. Why don't I ever say to myself, “yes, I don't know how to do these things. I feel completely out of my depth. But the second half of that is, I'll figure it out.”

AM: Yeah.

CHEF AS: Yeah, figure it out. Just saying that has started to change things where I'm like, okay, you know, it may not go smoothly and it may not go off without a hitch.

AM: Right.

CHEF AS: But, I will figure it out. You know what I mean? It doesn’t have to go perfectly. I'll land something out of there. And that has felt very empowering actually. I think that just saying that to ourselves can be very edifying.

AM: 100% I like that. I will try to remember that the next freakout that happens.

CHEF AS: I will figure it out!

IG @aartipaartipics

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | FRONT/BACK COVER, PG 16 - 22 Rowan Daly | PG 25, 26 + 38 Food Network |

Read the SEP ISSUE #105 of Athleisure Mag and see FAITH, FAMILY, FOOD | Chef Aarti Sequeira in mag.

COOL AND CHILL | DEREK HOUGH

It’s always a pleasure to watch those that are truly one with their work! You see their passion and the care that they have for their craft and Derek Hough is one of those people! Whether you’re watching him dance, judge those on Dancing with the Stars, or working with other clients to get their vision to the stage in the way that they want it, he is a man who is full of life and shares that love with everyone who watches him! We had some time to chat with him to find out more about how he became a dancer and choreographer. This 4X Emmy winner for Outstanding Choreographer and 6X Mirror Ball winner for DWTS sat down to talk with us about his life and passion for dance, what we can expect from this season of DWTS and his partnership with Pepcid.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you first fall in love with dancing and when did you realize that you wanted to do it as a career?

DEREK HOUGH: I first fell in love with dancing when I was about 11 years old, my mom actually made me go to dance class. I have four sisters and she dragged me to dance. I walked in and I had an amazing teacher and he just made it really cool. He gave me a nickname, Heavy D, and I was like, oh, that's cool. But for me, I fell in love with dance really just with the music, just the way it made me feel, moving my body, syncing it up to the beats and the rhythms. I just fell in love with it, and I got to travel, and compete, and I had a great community. So dancing has been a really important part of my life, not just in the art form of it, but the social aspect of it as well, feeling a part of something, a community. So, yeah, dance has been part of my life for a long time.

AM: Your career has been phenomenal from being a dancer, choreographer, you even choreographed a dance routine for Olympians who were World Ice Champions for Sochi 2014 where they won Gold, you've acted and more! Did you imagine that dancing would allow your creativity to have access to these opportunities?

DH: You know, it's crazy growing up, we always want to be like rock stars, right? You're listening to music and you're playing air guitar on your bed, jumping up and down and imagining being on stage. It's kind of crazy to think that I'm able to sort of live out those childhood dreams but through dance, to go live on stage in front of tens of thousands of people, hundreds of thousands of people, honestly, perform in front of millions of people on television and meet an eclectic group of people. I’ve met astronauts and Oscar winners, Emmy winners, race car drivers, just people from all walks of life because of dance. I met my wife because of dance. I owe so much to this beautiful art form and this sport as well. It's an incredible gift that keeps on giving.

AM: You've been involved with Dancing with the Stars since Season 4 when you were a guest instructor and then in Season 5, you came on as part of the professional cast. What was it about the show that drew you to want to be part of it?

DH: Well, it's funny actually, originally, the producers asked me in season four when I was a guest on there they said, “Are you interested in doing the show?”. I was like, “No, it's not for me.” I'm in London doing a musical and this show isn't really my vibe and then my sister won season four and I was like, “Wait, hold up, hold up. What's this show again? Hold up, what's going on?” So I joined season five. It's funny that people back then were like, “oh, this show, it's so ridiculous, it's not going to be around that long." It's so interesting how it's one of the longest lasting shows honestly, knock on wood, it keeps going. But yeah, I love it, I love it so much. Again, the gift that keeps on giving. It really is, each season is just unique and different every time.

AM: What are you looking forward to this season?

DH: I'm looking forward to obviously all the contestants in their journeys and just seeing how it all evolves. There's a few little things that I'm actually planning, there might be a performance in the future, so I'm preparing for that. I'm looking forward to that, and I think this season holds something special. It's been a very interesting year with lots of highs and lows and challenges, and so to do something on this season, that will be meaningful. I'm looking forward to that, that's all I am going to say without saying too much about it.

AM: Being on the show as well as other projects that you're part of has to be a lot, how do you take time to relax so that you can be ready for the next day?

DH: There's so many different projects that I'm a part of - doing my tour, doing Dancing with the Stars, and it's important. It's about balance and the best way for me to switch off my brain because my brain just keeps going nonstop. One of my favorite things to do actually is I go home and I do my little snacking and streaming, just like we all do. Get home and watch my favorite show and I bust out the snacks and I am a prolific popcorn eater. I love popcorn so much, but it doesn't love me, but I had to have it anyways. It actually works out great because to manage that sort of heartburn if I overdo it, I have Pepcid Max Icy Cool Mint and it just works really fast, it lasts all night unlike those antacids, and it provides an instant cooling sensation, which is great and again, it lasts all night. So I kind of call it my Chilling with Pepcid. I'm chilling with Pepcid, but that way I can enjoy my snacks, I can enjoy my shows, my hot sauces. Honestly, before I actually go on stage as well when I go on tour, because there's nothing worse than when you eat something and you go on stage, you have to sing and perform and talk and host, and you just have that burning sensation. So it's great to have that instant cooling sensation with Pepcid Max Icy Cool Mint. (Editor’s Note: Based on 9-hour acid control studies during the day and 12-hour acid control studies during the night. Acid control does not imply symptom relief.)

AM: Obviously, dancing is a total body workout, what are other things that you do to stay in shape as well?

DH: Lots of stretching, I do yoga, working out, and just strength exercises to sort of engage the muscles to turn them on. Speaking of icy cool, man, it’s ice baths pretty much twice a day and just PT work. I have to do all the things, you know what I mean? I'm almost 40 years old and I was told that my dancing career will be over by like 22 years old. So I'm like, we'll see about that. It's important that I'm mindful and I take care of my body for longevity and I do anything and everything I can to sort of maintain that. There's lots that goes into it for sure.

AM: When you're traveling due to tours or being on set, what are your must have travel essentials?

DH: My dog, my baby, Luna, she's sort of the emotional therapy dog. I must have water. My physical therapist is a must have, I have to have that because the training is so vigorous and the performance is so intense, that we need to have that. I'm a pretty simple guy, honestly. I'm pretty simple, you know, my rider, you know, how people have riders, like, in their things, I’m pretty basic. I'm pretty boring, honestly. I should be a little bit more of a diva honestly but I'm not, I'm really simple, I just like simple things. When I get back on the bus, especially on days off, I just enjoy myself with the snacks. All the snacks, popcorn, nuts, I love chips and salsa, jalapenos. I love jalapenos so much, I can just eat them in a bowl just raw by themselves, it's delicious. Some chocolate stuff, peanut M&M's, Red Vines.

AM: You have partnered with Pepcid recently. Why was this synergistic with you to work with them?

DH: I think that that's part of it really, was that ability to sort of have something on hand that works fast, it lasts all night, and when I perform where I get that heartburn before going on stage and to have that instant relief that, that cooling sensation, it's really genuinely, really helpful. It also allows me to have a bit more balance in my life to enjoy myself a little bit. I have a really strict regimen in my training and when I'm on tour and my diet and everything I do, but it's also nice to just enjoy myself, and just chill and snack, snack down a little bit and popcorn doesn't love me, but I still love popcorn.

IG @derekhough

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 64 -69 Disney/Eric McCandless | PG 70 Jesse Bauer |

Read the SEP ISSUE #105 of Athleisure Mag and see COOL AND CHILL | Derek Hough in mag.

THE GOLDEN BACHELORETTE S1. E6. | WELCOME TO HOMETOWNS

PHOTO CREDIT | Disney/Ricky Middlesworth

This week’s The Golden Bachelorette brings us to Hometowns where we get to know more about the men and to see their families! Joan Vassos has a busy week ahead with the 4 men.

We start off in Lake Tahoe, Nevada with Guy! They ride around his boat and throw wishing stones which is a nice portion of their date.

They then meet Guy’s family and catch everyone up on what they have been up to. The family really likes her and they can imagine having her with them.

We make our way to Chicago and we’re now with Pascal! We can’t wait to see what his salon looks like. He shows it to her and she gets treatments and it’s nice to see his space and how he operates! They openly talk about their feelings and where they are. It’s nice to see him when he’s a bit quieter and he lets her know that he is guarded because he has been hurt, but that he cares for her. It’s nice to see his friends and family. Joan fits in so well and we see how much he loves his family.

Joan is staying in Chicago to hang out with Jordan. They take in some of his favorite places that he likes to eat at. They meet his family and you can see how loved he is and how much they support him. Joan lets one of his daughter’s know that she is concerned that he wouldn’t pick her. She lets her dad know as she wants him to get there and to be able to talk with Joan.

Joan Finally leaves Chicago and makes her way to Witchita, Kansas to meet up with Chock! SHe is meeting his friends and family and she notes that their family has had a hard time due to the death of his mother. That would be difficult for anyone to navigate. They plant a tree at the ranch in honor of Chock’s mother. She talks with his friends and family and he speaks with them as well. It’s nice to see that wherever she went across the 4 dates, the families were very warm and receptive to her.

It’s time for the rose ceremony and there is still 40mins left of the show. We know that she feels that Pascal and Jordan have been a bit noncomittal versus Guy and Chock. She is handing out 3 roses and she doesn’t know what she will do. Jesse meets up with her to check in on how she is feeling. She lets him know that after Hometowns, she is feeling even more conflicted. She feels a strong connection with Chock and can see a future with him. Guy is another one that she feels is easy and that they have synergistic values. Now she’s talking about Chicago although she had a great day with him, she notes that he never said that he feels there is a future. She feels that Pascal is also in that same boat. She feels very strongly about him as well and she is concerned that he may need more time to get there. So sending someone home who needs more time is something that she is concerned about.

After their debrief, she arrives at the rose ceremony and thanks them for their time! She knows that she is getting closer to finding her person and to is looking forward to commit to one of them. We’re down to 3 people now and they will leave the mansion and they’re heading to Tahiti.

JOAN GAVE ROSES TO | Chock, Guy, Pascal

JOAN DIDN’T GIVE ROSES TO | Jordan

Each night during this season, we will tweet about The Golden Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were from the last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns.

We also suggest a podcast that we’ve become obsessed with over the past few seasons, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour to get their feedback!

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

---

HERE’S WHO’S GOING TO HOMETOWNS

CHOCK

GUY

PASCAL

---

THE GOLDEN BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

BOB

BILL

CHARLES K

CHARLES L.

CHOCK

CHRISTOPHER

DAN

DAVID

GARY

GREGG

GUY

GIL

JACK

JONATHAN

JORDAN H.

KEITH

KEN

KIM B.

MARK A.

MICHAEL

PABLO

PASCAL

RJ

THOMAS