AWARDS SEASON | 27TH ANNUAL CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS NOMINATIONS

The Critics Choice Awards TV nominations were provided today and the Film nominations will be shared on the 13th of this month. The Critics Choice Awards will take place on Sunday, January 9th on The CW and TBS from the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel. As always we’re weighing in on who we believe will win (bold) and in a future post will share who won that we didn’t answer correctly (italicized) and those that we correctly answered (bold italicized).

TELEVISION NOMINATIONS FOR THE 27TH ANNUAL CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS

BEST DRAMA SERIES

Evil (Paramount+)

For All Mankind (Apple TV+)

The Good Fight (Paramount+)

Pose (FX)

Squid Game (Netflix)

Succession (HBO)

This Is Us (NBC)

Yellowjackets (Showtime)

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Sterling K. Brown – This Is Us (NBC)

Mike Colter – Evil (Paramount+)

Brian Cox – Succession (HBO)

Lee Jung-jae – Squid Game (Netflix)

Billy Porter – Pose (FX)

Jeremy Strong – Succession (HBO)

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Uzo Aduba – In Treatment (HBO)

Chiara Aurelia – Cruel Summer (Freeform)

Christine Baranski – The Good Fight (Paramount+)

Katja Herbers – Evil (Paramount+)

Melanie Lynskey – Yellowjackets (Showtime)

MJ Rodriguez – Pose (FX)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Nicholas Braun – Succession (HBO)

Billy Crudup – The Morning Show (Apple TV+)

Kieran Culkin – Succession (HBO)

Justin Hartley – This Is Us (NBC)

Matthew Macfadyen – Succession (HBO)

Mandy Patinkin – The Good Fight (Paramount+)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Andrea Martin – Evil (Paramount+)

Audra McDonald – The Good Fight (Paramount+)

Christine Lahti – Evil (Paramount+)

J. Smith-Cameron – Succession (HBO)

Sarah Snook – Succession (HBO)

Susan Kelechi Watson – This Is Us (NBC)

BEST COMEDY SERIES

The Great (Hulu)

Hacks (HBO Max)

Insecure (HBO)

Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)

The Other Two (HBO Max)

Reservation Dogs (FX on Hulu)

Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)

What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Iain Armitage – Young Sheldon (CBS)

Nicholas Hoult – The Great (Hulu)

Steve Martin – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)

Kayvan Novak – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Martin Short – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)

Jason Sudeikis – Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Elle Fanning – The Great (Hulu)

Renée Elise Goldsberry – Girls5eva (Peacock)

Selena Gomez – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu) 

Sandra Oh – The Chair (Netflix)

Issa Rae – Insecure (HBO)

Jean Smart – Hacks (HBO Max)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Ncuti Gatwa – Sex Education (Netflix)

Brett Goldstein – Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)

Harvey Guillén – What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Brandon Scott Jones – Ghosts (CBS)

Ray Romano – Made for Love (HBO Max)

Bowen Yang – Saturday Night Live (NBC)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Hannah Einbinder – Hacks (HBO Max)

Kristin Chenoweth – Schmigadoon! (Apple TV+)

Molly Shannon – The Other Two (HBO Max) 

Cecily Strong – Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Josie Totah – Saved By the Bell (Peacock)

Hannah Waddingham – Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)

BEST LIMITED SERIES

Dopesick (Hulu)

Dr. Death (Peacock)

It’s a Sin (HBO Max)

Maid (Netflix)

Mare of Easttown (HBO)

Midnight Mass (Netflix)

The Underground Railroad (Amazon Prime Video)

WandaVision (Disney+)

BEST MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Come From Away (Apple TV+)

List of a Lifetime (Lifetime)

The Map of Tiny Perfect Things (Amazon Prime Video)

Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia (Lifetime)

Oslo (HBO)

Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas (The Roku Channel)

BEST ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Olly Alexander – It’s a Sin (HBO Max)

Paul Bettany – WandaVision (Disney+)

William Jackson Harper – Love Life (HBO Max)

Joshua Jackson – Dr. Death (Peacock)

Michael Keaton – Dopesick (Hulu)

Hamish Linklater – Midnight Mass (Netflix)

BEST ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Danielle Brooks – Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia (Lifetime)

Cynthia Erivo – Genius: Aretha (National Geographic)

Thuso Mbedu – The Underground Railroad (Amazon Prime Video)

Elizabeth Olsen – WandaVision (Disney+)

Margaret Qualley – Maid (Netflix)

Kate Winslet – Mare of Easttown (HBO)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Murray Bartlett – The White Lotus (HBO)

Zach Gilford – Midnight Mass (Netflix)

William Jackson Harper – The Underground Railroad (Amazon Prime Video)

Evan Peters – Mare of Easttown (HBO)

Christian Slater – Dr. Death (Peacock)

Courtney B. Vance – Genius: Aretha (National Geographic)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Jennifer Coolidge – The White Lotus (HBO)

Kaitlyn Dever – Dopesick (Hulu)

Kathryn Hahn – WandaVision (Disney+)

Melissa McCarthy – Nine Perfect Strangers (Hulu)

Julianne Nicholson – Mare of Easttown (HBO)

Jean Smart – Mare of Easttown (HBO)

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE SERIES

Acapulco (Apple TV+)

Call My Agent! (Netflix)

Lupin (Netflix)

Money Heist (Netflix)

Narcos: Mexico (Netflix)

Squid Game (Netflix)

BEST ANIMATED SERIES

Big Mouth (Netflix)

Bluey (Disney Junior)

Bob’s Burgers (Fox)

The Great North (Fox)

Q-Force (Netflix)

What If…? (Disney+)

BEST TALK SHOW

The Amber Ruffin Show (Peacock)

Desus & Mero (Showtime)

The Kelly Clarkson Show (NBC)

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC)

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (Bravo)

BEST COMEDY SPECIAL 

Bo Burnham: Inside (Netflix)

Good Timing with Jo Firestone (Peacock)

James Acaster: Cold Lasagne Hate Myself 1999 (Vimeo)

Joyelle Nicole Johnson: Love Joy (Peacock)

Nate Bargatze: The Greatest Average American (Netflix)

Trixie Mattel: One Night Only (YouTube)

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE BACHELORETTE S18. E7. | IT'S HOMETOWNS!

Tonight’s episode of ABC’s The Bachelorette continues in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Michelle Young’s for the week that we all look forward to, Hometowns! Tayshia Adams and Michelle talk about what it will be like and the kinds of things that she should ask and look for. Kaitlyn Bristowe lets the guys know that their families are there and it’s time to get ready for everyone to meet.

Brandon is up first. He takes her to his hometown in “Portland” and they’re skateboarding! Although we were expecting some insane tricks, we can see that he’s trying to get the rust off. We also see Michelle get on the board too - shakily. But, it’s a cute date and we can see their connection. She meets his mom, dad and brother. Noah’s brother is the kind of brother that you would want to have. He’s honest and digs in asking Michelle about why she likes him. Seeing Michelle connecting with Brandon’s dad was sweet to see. She won her family over as his mom felt that they were so similar and his dad stated outright that he liked Michelle! Michelle lets him know that she also has strong feelings that she is falling for him as well.

Rodney is up next! Even she says that she didn’t expect that the man dressed like an apple would be here! Their date includes going to the place where an apple known as the First Kiss, only grows in her home state! Their apple date including picking them, throwing them into buckets and just having an easy time with one another. When she meets his family, they are nice to her, but they are hesitant as it’s a tough situation to be in.

Michelle brought Joe to her high school in an earlier episode. On this episode, Michelle is taken to his high school where he can show her his experience through his eyes. The date continues on to Prom! He didn’t go to his and he knows that she was picked last at hers. So it was nice to see them do all the Prom things and to make that memory. Seeing Joe’s family, we see that he gets his quiet nature from his dad, but it’s clear that his family likes her and they draw her in.

The final date for Hometowns is with Nayte. He shows her his love for walking in the park when he is in Austin - so that’s part of her date. But, he lets her know that 3-4 days a week, he likes to kayak. It’s a competitive and fun part of the date. He reminds us that he got the first impression date and he’s still here and they will continue to build on their chemistry.

It’s interesting that Michelle will be the first woman that Nayte has ever brought home to his family! That would make any woman nervous about what that experience will look like. Nayte seems excited, but he doesn’t really know what that means. Michelle feels that it’s a bit of red flag that no one has evermet his parents. She is meeting his mom and step father - who they recently divorced and both are skeptical as this is new territory for everyone. Even his step father says that he will call things out if he does or doesn’t see a fit. Even Nayte talks about how he and his parents never talked about feelings and relationships. His step father was very clear in saying that he doesn’t know the difference between being in love, being married and being engaged and that he questions whether he is ready to take those steps because it is so new. We see Nayte and his step dad connect and say that they love one another for the first time!

As Michelle debates what she should do, Serena and Brie who were on Matt James’ season with her pop by.

The men are at the rose ceremony. Michelle gives roses to Brandon, Nayte and Joe. Rodney is not given a rose and it’s heartbreaking to see him standing there without one. She wants him to know that he is enough and not an underdog, even though she sent him home because her feelings weren’t there in the same way that they were with others. He lets her know that he is still in love with her. The next dew days are going to be interesting. Next week, the Men’s Tell all takes place for The Bachelorette, Clayton will be the next The Bachelor and his season starts in Jan.

Each night during this season, we tweet about The 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!

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THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEC T, 29 | North Charleston, SC

BRANDON J, 26 | Portland, OR

BRANDON K, 29 | Austin, TX

BRYAN W, 31 | Chicago, IL

CASEY W, 36 | Miami Beach, FL

CHRIS S, 28 | W. Hollywood, CA

CHRISTOPHER G, 28 | Nova Scotia, Canada

CLAYTON E, 26 | Columbia, MO

DANIEL T, 26 | Austin, TX

EDWARD N, 27 | Los Angeles, CA

GARRETT A, 33 | Salt Lake City, UT

JACK R, 33 | Philadelphia, PA

JAMIE S, 32 | San Diego, CA

JOE C, 28 | Minneapolis, MN

JOMARRI G, 26 | Fresno, CA

LEROY A, 27 | Dallas, TX

LT M, 38 | Bellevue, WA

MARTIN G, 29 | Miami, FL

MOLLIQUE J, 36 | San Diego, CA

NAYTE O, 27 | Austin, TX

OLUMIDE O, 27 | Newark, NJ

PARDEEP S, 30 | Brooklyn, NY

PETER I, 26 | Port St Joe, FL

PJ H, 30 | Houston, TX

RICK L, 32 | Los Angeles, CA

RODNEY M, 29 | Rancho Cucamonga, CA

ROMEO A, 32 | NY, NY

RYAN F, 30 | San Jose, CA

SPENCER W, 25 | Cleveland, OH

WILL U, 28 | Santo Domingo, DR

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE BACHELORETTE S18. E6. | MICHELLE CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR LOVE

Tonight’s episode of ABC’s The Bachelorette continues in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Michelle Young’s hometown. The remaining men talk amongst themselves as there are 8 left and whoever received a rose will be going to Hometowns!

We also see Michelle’s students. 4 of them will get to meet the prospective men. They share insights that they have on her as they see her through the lens of Ms. Young. Michelle feels that a child’s opinion says a lot.

The kids let the men know that they are taking over the week and planning all of the dates. They kick off with questions asking if they have been grounded, whether they have bad breath and if they can do handstands - essential skills. We have to admit that the kids feedback is pretty spot on. They like Olu and see that he’s sweet, but they feel Martin just shows off and they don’t think that he is a good fit. Clayton suggests that they should build a fort and he is hoping that by doing it, he may be able to get a 1-on-1 date.

The date card arrives and the 1-on-1 date goes to Clayton. Michelle’s students are in charge of who is on the group and 1-on-1 dates and they are also planning all the activities. They start off with a limo and they have pizza and candy waiting for them in the car. It’s pretty cute - but then again, they’re in 5th grade so we can imagine that that would be a great idea to them. They make their way to the museum and Michelle knows that she has been there with her students before. A night date at a museum is a pretty cool idea. They run through the museum with their socks on, they catch butterflies with scrolls to get to know more about one another and they go to the planetarium where the students put an audio-visual presentation together which includes facts on the solar system while encouraging the two to be together.

The next date card arrives Rick, Rodney, Nayte, Joe, Martin and Olu are on a group date. That means that Brandon will have a 1-on-1 date. Back on Clayton’s date, they’re not sitting down to dinner and it’s time for them to get to know more about one another. Although they have a great conversation, it seems like Michelle is a bit unsure although she feels that she’s getting to know him more. She lets him know that he checks the box on all of the qualities that she is looking for. But, she feels that something is holding her back and that she can’t give him the rose and take that step to get to know his family. She doesn’t give him a rose. She does tell him that he is enough and that although she feels connected to him, it’s not the right connection for a relationship and he feelings won’t be able to get there. She knows that he is not her person and that there will be an amazing person for him. Clayton meets 2 of the kids and each of them give him a note. Both notes are sweet and they have positive things to say to him as well as saying that they wish he had been a fit for Michelle. Could this mean that he will be The Bachelor?

The kids plan a farm date for the group date. The guys milk cows (Rick is a natural and Rodney looks overwhelmed). Joe and Nayte turn milking a cow into a compeition. They also hang out with the baby cows and feed them. Churning butter is another activity on this date - Joe is an excellent butter churner apparently. Cleaning up the poop from the cows is yet another activity. They also have a nighttime hayride to end the last group date. To end this portion of the evening, everyone gets dressed up and has the afterparty from the group date. Michelle encourages them to have the conversations that need to be said.

Nayte decides that he wants to talk about family. He lets her know that he has never brought a girl home to his family because his dad didn’t want to meet anyone - we’re assuming that he only wants to see the one. Nayte lets her know that he is strongly falling for Michelle and that he has never felt that way before. She tells him that she feels very stronlgy about him as well. She says that she is tumbling down a hill so fast for him.

Michelle compliments Joe on his nurturing behaviour and he tells her that his grandparents ran a dairy farm - thus why he was so good at all of the chores and at home doing them!

Rick wants to make sure that he has left everything on the table and lets her know that if she has questions, she lets him know.

Rodney makes his pitch about why he wants her to see his Hometown and to know why he is the way that he is.

Once again, Martin is talking smack about Michelle and saying that they had a miscommunication because she didn’t get where he was coming from. Olu hears this and you can tell that he’s not having it. When Martin chats with Michelle, he says he wants her to see his friends and family so that she can know more about him. He continues to say that she misunderstands him and they have miscommunications.

Olu comes in hot and tells her about Martin and the red flags that he sees. He references that Michelle’s story and what she went through is perceived by Martin as her not dealing with her issues and being immature. Michelle feels that Olu is trustworthy and she can’t believe that Martin would weigh in on how she felt unseen.

She sees the guys and before giving the group date rose, she asks him to come chat with her. She lets him know that he is two-faced and that his thoughts on her poem, opening up and being vulnerable is immature to him that she hasn’t resolved that. Martin says he didn’t say it, but would like to tell her what he actually did say. He says that there is a difference between being insecure and having insecurities. He talks over her and cuts her off - which we know is a pet peeve of hers. She tells him that he hasn’t been honest and that he doesn’t listen to why she has been hurt. She feels that he is not to be trusted and that she is walking him out. She is hurt by the fact that she has opened up and been vulnerable with him and he has taken that information as a character flaw. He’s not mad that he’s going home, he doesn’t like the way that she handled it and he feels sorry for her and feels she doesn’t deserve his time. Nayte receives the group date rose. Hearing Olu’s take that he was happy to share the information and that he wasn’t upset that he didn’t get the rose.

Brandon is on his 1-on-1 date with Michelle. He’s excited that they’re getting ice cream. It’s one of Michelle’s favorite spots and it’s only open during the summers. They’re having a great date and she takes him to the place where she has the most memories - her home! Brandon is so excited and nervous. But there’s no need because her parents aren’t home, but he can see her childhood home. I think that that’s a special moment for him and one that he cherishes as well. They take a dip in the pool and she gives him her dad’s trunks. Although she didn’t think they were coming, her parents arrive! After the initial awkwardness, they put their clothes back on and they chat together. They have a nice interaction and Brandon has time alone with her parents and asks that should it get to that point as he loves her, that he would want to marry her and wanted their blessing. They said yes before they continue onto their date. They talk and he gives her a bracelet that his mom made for him. His mom said that if she felt that Michelle was the one, that he should give it to her so that they know to give her the same love that they have for him. He received the rose and is going to Hometowns.

Now the remaining 4 Rodney, Rick, Olu and Joe need to optimize their time for the cocktail party. Olu is the only person who has yet to receive a 1-on-1 date. Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams let them know that the cocktail party has been cancelled as she knows what she wants and they will go straight to the rose ceremony. Only 2 roses will be given out tonight. This last group of guys that appeared at the rose ceremony as well as Clayton were a great group of guys and it’s sad to see that Rick and Olu didn’t make it; however, we can see how those with roses are a great fit for her.

Michelle gives a rose to Nayte, Brandon, Joe and Rodney

Michelle sends home Clayton, Martin, Olu and Rick.

Each night during this season, we tweet about The 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!

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THEY’RE GOING TO HOMETOWNS

SEASON 18 | EPISODE 6

Last week, we felt that Joe, Martin, Nayte and Olu would go to hometowns.

This week, we weren’t surprised that Martin was sent home and we were sad to see that Clayton, Rick and Olu were eliminated. Joe and Nayte have always been in our mix for those would be at Hometowns. But we have also liked Brandon and Rodney so it’s nice to see that they will get to have their families meet with Michelle.

BRANDON

JOE

NAYTE

RODNEY

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THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEC T, 29 | North Charleston, SC

BRANDON J, 26 | Portland, OR

BRANDON K, 29 | Austin, TX

BRYAN W, 31 | Chicago, IL

CASEY W, 36 | Miami Beach, FL

CHRIS S, 28 | W. Hollywood, CA

CHRISTOPHER G, 28 | Nova Scotia, Canada

CLAYTON E, 26 | Columbia, MO

DANIEL T, 26 | Austin, TX

EDWARD N, 27 | Los Angeles, CA

GARRETT A, 33 | Salt Lake City, UT

JACK R, 33 | Philadelphia, PA

JAMIE S, 32 | San Diego, CA

JOE C, 28 | Minneapolis, MN

JOMARRI G, 26 | Fresno, CA

LEROY A, 27 | Dallas, TX

LT M, 38 | Bellevue, WA

MARTIN G, 29 | Miami, FL

MOLLIQUE J, 36 | San Diego, CA

NAYTE O, 27 | Austin, TX

OLUMIDE O, 27 | Newark, NJ

PARDEEP S, 30 | Brooklyn, NY

PETER I, 26 | Port St Joe, FL

PJ H, 30 | Houston, TX

RICK L, 32 | Los Angeles, CA

RODNEY M, 29 | Rancho Cucamonga, CA

ROMEO A, 32 | NY, NY

RYAN F, 30 | San Jose, CA

SPENCER W, 25 | Cleveland, OH

WILL U, 28 | Santo Domingo, DR

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE BACHELORETTE S18. E5. | WELCOME TO MINNEAPOLIS

We pick up tonight’s episode of ABC’s The Bachelorette in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Michelle Young’s hometown. We meet her parents which are pretty cute and we know that she will get more clarity now that she will be able to connect with them. You can tell that they have a very close bond with one another.

Hopefully the guys remember what she has told them about putting her first and making her feel seen AND wanted. They all assemble and find out that there will be a 1-on-1 date which will start now with Joe. As both are from Minneapolis, this will be something for them to experience the city. There are 2 more dates - another 1-on-1 and a group date that is available for tonight’s episode.

They make their way to the Minnesota Twins game and Michelle throws the pitch and since it was a strike, she gets a kiss. They go to her high school and she shows him her locker. She also shows him her trophies and accomplishments, her year books and other memories that will give him more insight. Of course, they make their way to the basketball gym and begin playing 1-on-1. She reminds us that he was Mr. Basketball as well as she was Mrs. Basketball. She tells him that he reminds her of her dad and brother as they are reserved people. She doesn’t think that that is a bad thing, but she notices it. He lets her know that he is really trying to be more open as it’s not natural for him, but he wants to be this way with her.

The remainder of the guys are at the hotel when a group date is delivered. The group date will include Casey, Rodney, Martin, Leroy, Rick, Clayton, Olu, Chris and Brandon. They’ll meet her at the stadium for their dates with her. Chris is made because he feels that Nayte doesn’t deserve a solo date and that he went out on a limb to talk with Michelle and it fell on deaf ears. We guess he also feels the burn because he hinted that he felt that he would get a 1-on-1 with her.

Back on the date with Joe, they have went from a Twins game, her high school to dinner and potentially a Ferris Wheel? They have a deep conversation about medical and career traumas that he had. Ultimately, he gets the rose for the date.

Michelle is excited for the Minnesota group date. The guys (although excited to be at the football stadium) all stay focused on her. Although the Vikings play at the stadium, Vikings from the 1600’s showed up to teach them fighting skills. She is pleased that they are making small moments with her. Each guy sees this as a part of their redemption with her. They change into their viking costumes and they eat traditional foods. They finish with a bit of arm wrestling. Clayton wins the challenges of the group date. The group moves on to Semple Mansion to have some cocktails and more conversation at the after party. Clayton is always an interesting one to watch. We can tell that Michelle has an interest - is there a vibe between them, no but if rumors are to be believed - this will be the next Bachelor. Poor Brandon ate a number of foods that he really had to push through. As they chat, she tells him to close his eyes and fed him Swedish fish. Everyone seems to be taking what she said to heart, although the guys feel that Chris has not stepped up to the plate. Chris wants to tell Michelle that he should have received the 1-on-1 because of the info that he shared. The guys feel that he’s acting off, but they continue to remain focused and enjoy having personal time.

Nayte’s date card arrives and Joe lets him know that she is, “looking for a man that’s not afraid to test the waters.”

Back at the after-party, Michelle returns, Chris isn’t even there to greet her. She asks if anyone is missing and then Chris, with a drink in hand pops up. She gives Clayton the date rose.

Nayte and Michelle have a date on a pontoon boat where they also meet up with her 2 best friends. They ask the tough questions as they have seen her hurt before. They ask whether he has issues with any of the guys and he lets them know that there was an issue with Chris, but it’s not up to him to weed them out as he’s sure that Michelle will be able to do that herself. Although her besties didn’t stay for the entire date, they did seem to give them their approval. They sit down to dinner to continue to chat and to get to know one another more.

But then Chris decides that he needs to have a conversation with Michelle now while she is on her date with Nayte. He walks in on them and says that they have to talk and it’s important. Chris says he’s disappointed because he didn’t get to talk to her the night before and he feels that he was played because he shared his thoughts with her and what he said, fell on deaf ears. He lets her know that she has been warned and that he doesn’t want her making the wrong decisions. Although Michelle can appreciate that he wanted to speak up for her, she doesn’t need him to do that and he needs to support her. She tells him that they are not on the same page and she offers to walk him out. She feels that he is coming from a genuine place, but she doesn’t need him in that role. She gives Nayte the rose.

The guys prep for the cocktail party and rose ceremony. They know that there are only 10 of them now that Chris is gone. Rick and Michelle take a glam walk around the city. They dance on the sidewalk and he says that he would move to the city. Michelle brings Brandon a birthday cake which is pretty sweet. We see Olu and her connect. Leroy and Clayton grab some time with her as well. Rodney and Michelle head to the rooftop to see the city. It’s nice to see that this night has no drama and everyone is just focused on keeping the peace and getting to know The Bachelorette more.

Of course, those moments of zen are short-lived when Martin chats with her and questions whether the compliments that she has given him are authentic as he implies that she has said them to others. He also talks about how men can’t be high maintenance, but women could. Michelle has a few mantras that she has said throughout this show - one of them that she doesn’t like her integrity being questioned, she wants to be seen, etc. This conversation definitely can’t be good in the long run. There are only 5 roses left and Michelle reminds them that she has to continue to follow her heart. We also see Kaitlyn Bristowe and Tayshia Adams who hasn’t been around very much this episode.

Michelle gives a rose to Joe, Clayton, Nayte, Rick, Olu, Brandon, Martin,

Michelle sends home Chris, Leroy and Casey.

Each night during this season, we tweet about The 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!

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HOMETOWN NOTES

SEASON 18 | EPISODE 5

Last week, we felt that Joe, Martin, Nayte and Olu would go to hometowns.

This week, Chris really put his foot in his mouth and was eliminated before the rose ceremony. We think the 4 below will be at Hometowns just like last week. We’re not the biggest fans of Martin, but Michelle or the producers will continue to include him in the mix.

JOE

MARTIN

NAYTE

OLU

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THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEC T, 29 | North Charleston, SC

BRANDON J, 26 | Portland, OR

BRANDON K, 29 | Austin, TX

BRYAN W, 31 | Chicago, IL

CASEY W, 36 | Miami Beach, FL

CHRIS S, 28 | W. Hollywood, CA

CHRISTOPHER G, 28 | Nova Scotia, Canada

CLAYTON E, 26 | Columbia, MO

DANIEL T, 26 | Austin, TX

EDWARD N, 27 | Los Angeles, CA

GARRETT A, 33 | Salt Lake City, UT

JACK R, 33 | Philadelphia, PA

JAMIE S, 32 | San Diego, CA

JOE C, 28 | Minneapolis, MN

JOMARRI G, 26 | Fresno, CA

LEROY A, 27 | Dallas, TX

LT M, 38 | Bellevue, WA

MARTIN G, 29 | Miami, FL

MOLLIQUE J, 36 | San Diego, CA

NAYTE O, 27 | Austin, TX

OLUMIDE O, 27 | Newark, NJ

PARDEEP S, 30 | Brooklyn, NY

PETER I, 26 | Port St Joe, FL

PJ H, 30 | Houston, TX

RICK L, 32 | Los Angeles, CA

RODNEY M, 29 | Rancho Cucamonga, CA

ROMEO A, 32 | NY, NY

RYAN F, 30 | San Jose, CA

SPENCER W, 25 | Cleveland, OH

WILL U, 28 | Santo Domingo, DR

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE BACHELORETTE S18. E4. | MICHELLE CONTINUES ON HER JOURNEY OF LOVE

Tonight’s episode of ABC’s The Bachelorette begins with some of the guys debriefing about Jamie and how he brought drama into the house. We also see kick off the episode with Michelle Young talking with Kaitlyn Bristowe about how she is looking forward to the week and how she will continue to remain open!

Tayshia Adams swings by the guys to let them know that this week there are 2 1-on-1 dates and 1 group date. The first date card goes to Martin. Olu feels that Martin and Jamie were close and he doesn’t trust him! He feels that he is not deserving of her and definitely has his eye on him. Apparently, Michelle is also aware that he was close with Jamie as well and she’s looking to get her answers! Initially, we weren’t the biggest fan of Martin - but it was nice that he caught up with Michelle when the drama was going on to make sure she was ok. So, it will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.

Although they have fun racing on the track, there is a conversation that they have where he says that Jamie was a good guy. This leaves Michelle feeling like her decision and position is being questioned. When they are in the dinner portion of the date, Michelle brings it up and Martin explains that he is not a great communicator but it was not his intent to make her feel that way. She gives him the date night rose.

During their date, we find that Leroy, Olu, Clayton, Nayte, Joe, Will, Chris S, Brandon, Casey, Romeo Clayton and Chris G will go on a group date and that Rick will get the 1-on-1 date.

The group date is a slumber party which includes Twister, cotton candy, snacks and even a spa session! Michelle notices that the guys are so in slumber zone, they’re not paying attention to her. When the Bella Twins show up, they let them know that they will do a Teddy Bear Takedown where they will have to fight in teams. She feels that this activity will continue to take attention away from her, but decides that she will focus on the activity. After being split into 2 teams, the winning team gets to have additional time with Michelle. Michelle pulls Kaitlyn aside and tells her that she doesn’t feel seen and that her poem from the previous week talked about how this was an issue with her. At the group date cocktail party, she lets the guys know her concerns and we see Olu have a visceral reaction and he’s upset that his actions missed the mark. Ultimately, Olu receives a group date rose.

Rick and Michelle go on their 1-on-1 date where they become one with nature. They connected even more and she evens calls him their little lettuce wrap. She also gives him a rose.

At the cocktail party, what could possibly go wrong? Apparently Chris S. He tells Michelle that Nayte felt that he “had it in the bag” when it came to getting a 1-on-1 date. Michelle lets everyone know that no one has it “in the bag.” Nayte pulls Chris S aside asking why he threw him under the boss and he puts him on notice that he sees him for what he is.

At the rose ceremony, Will, Romeo and Chris G were sent home.

Michelle gives roses to: Martin, Olu, Rick, Brandon, Leroy, Chris S, Joe, Rodney, Clayton, Casey and Nayte.

Michelle sent home: Will, Romeo and Chris G.

She informs the remaining men that they will be leaving Indian Wells/Palm Springs and making their way to Minnesota so that they can see where she is from and understand her background. We’ll see what’s in store for next week.

Each night during this season, we tweet about The 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!

---

HOMETOWN NOTES

SEASON 18 | EPISODE 4

Last week, we felt that Martin, Nayte, Jamie and Peter would go to hometowns.

This week, we had another series of dramatic events! But thankfully, some of the distractions have been removed - Peter and Jamie. There still seems to be someone in the mix - we’re looking at you Chris S, that may still want to shake things up. But we’re staying with last week’s picks as those that we can see coming to hometowns. We think that Joe, Martin, Nayte and Olu have a great chance.

JOE

MARTIN

NAYTE

OLU

---

THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEC T, 29 | North Charleston, SC

BRANDON J, 26 | Portland, OR

BRANDON K, 29 | Austin, TX

BRYAN W, 31 | Chicago, IL

CASEY W, 36 | Miami Beach, FL

CHRIS S, 28 | W. Hollywood, CA

CHRISTOPHER G, 28 | Nova Scotia, Canada

CLAYTON E, 26 | Columbia, MO

DANIEL T, 26 | Austin, TX

EDWARD N, 27 | Los Angeles, CA

GARRETT A, 33 | Salt Lake City, UT

JACK R, 33 | Philadelphia, PA

JAMIE S, 32 | San Diego, CA

JOE C, 28 | Minneapolis, MN

JOMARRI G, 26 | Fresno, CA

LEROY A, 27 | Dallas, TX

LT M, 38 | Bellevue, WA

MARTIN G, 29 | Miami, FL

MOLLIQUE J, 36 | San Diego, CA

NAYTE O, 27 | Austin, TX

OLUMIDE O, 27 | Newark, NJ

PARDEEP S, 30 | Brooklyn, NY

PETER I, 26 | Port St Joe, FL

PJ H, 30 | Houston, TX

RICK L, 32 | Los Angeles, CA

RODNEY M, 29 | Rancho Cucamonga, CA

ROMEO A, 32 | NY, NY

RYAN F, 30 | San Jose, CA

SPENCER W, 25 | Cleveland, OH

WILL U, 28 | Santo Domingo, DR

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE BACHELORETTE S18. E3. | MICHELLE CONNECTS WITH THE GUYS

We kick off tonight’s episode with Michelle Young of ABC’s The Bachelorette still thinking about the drama that took place at the Cocktail Party and she’s rethinking the guys. Even the guys are talking about how it’s awful that Michelle feels that her character is being questioned! Casey thinks that as a group, they should ban together and find out who spoke to Michelle with the information. Again Jamie is acting like he wasn’t involved. There are 2 group dates and 1-on-1 date. The first date card is given out by Kaitlyn Bristowe and we see that Martin, LT, Olu, Spencer, Clayton, Nayte, Joe, Rick, Will and Peter are all on the first date. The guys make their way to the airfield. Top Gun Maverick star’s Jay Ellis and Glen Powell explain what the date will be.

In addition to doing the G-Force challenge, they have to do a battle and of course Will and Peter fight each other. Peter doesn’t win and he continues to be mad and increase this feud that has been going on. Will wins the round, gets the jacket and gets to ride in the vintage car in Top Gun: Maverick. At the after party of the group date, Michelle enjoys being able to talk with the men 1-on-1 and it’s nice that at this point, that the drama is low. Of course Peter and Will are fighting back and forth

The remainder of the men are chatting and the next date card arrives. Rodney is on the 1-on-1 date. That means that Jamie, Brandon, LeRoy, Casey, Chris G, Mollique, Chris S and Romeo will have their time with Michelle.

Back on the group date, while Will is chatting with Michelle, Peter puts the jacket in the pool. Will is hurt that Peter disrespected him in that way. Clayton tells him that it wasn’t cool to do that and that their actions impact all of them. Will comes back after taking a breath - we don’t get hear what could have happened because Michelle comes back and gives the rose for this date to Martin because he pulled her aside to ask how she was doing. She then tells him that they have a mini date planned. Will decided not to tell Michelle what happened (in that moment) because he didn’t want her to create drama.

Now Rodney is getting ready for his 1-on-1 date. They play truth or dare and Rodney has to run naked through the lobby while Michelle says, “this is our journey.” Some of the guys as well as Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn look out at this dare. As they relax in her suite and continue on to the truth portion of the date, Michelle says that he is chipping away at the friend zone and is coming out the other side - good for him! They continue on to the last portion of the date by paddling to the other side of the property. They have a great conversation and Rodney receives the rose! She lets him know that she doesn’t see him as an underdog and that he is attractive.

The next group date finds the guys walking into a room where Rudy Francisco, a known spoken word artist, is sharing his poem. We learn that Chris G is a huge fan of this artist and is so giddy to see that he is there. The men are tasked with writing a poem that talks about them lives that they can share with her. The other guys are watching the date as well. Everyone else does their poem and Jamie says he lost his book and instead tells a story that is not about him and is more of a Ted Talk. Michelle ends the date with her sharing her poem. Her poem talked about her journey and also shared how she wants to empower other black, brown and white girls so they can live in their best self.

At the post cocktail party for the 2nd group date, she continues to get to know more about the men who are there. Although we saw great conversations with everyone, she gives the group date rose to Brandon. Jamie felt that he had it in the bag. Jamie pulls the producer aside and tells her that he thought there should have been a stronger group of guys and that the he thinks that she is going Spring Break mode.

So, we move on to the cocktail party. The guys are still wondering about who blew up last week’s event. Jamie says that he can’t wait to chat with her and that he wants that 1-on-1 time. Nayte take some time with her to catch up. They run around the property and you can definitely tell that she is such a light-hearted person. Rick tells Michelle that no one questioned her character and that there was no way that anyone in the house would have said that. Michelle tells Rick that Jamie was the one that told her and now she feels that there are a number of red flags that popped up. Of course Rick tells some of the guys what happened. Rick let her know that Michelle told him that it was Jamie. Now all the guys know that Jamie was the one that threw them under the bus. Michelle loops in Tayshia and Kaitlyn and goes down to the guys. She realizes that the energy is off and asks why. Jamie makes an explanation and then Michelle shares what he said and then pulls him outside for them to talk. She feels that their trust is broken and she walks him out. She cancels the cocktail party and moves immediately to the rose ceremony.

Going into next week, we’ll see: Martin, Rodney, Brandon, Joe, Rick, Leroy, Nayte, Casey, Chris G, Chris S, Clayton, Olu, Romeo and Will.

She sent home: Jamie, Peter, Mollique, Spencer and LT.

Each night during this season, we tweet about The 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!

---

HOMETOWN NOTES

SEASON 18 | EPISODE 3

Last week, we felt that Martin, Nayte, Jamie and Peter would go to hometowns.

This week, we had another series of dramatic events! But thankfully, some of the distractions have been removed - Peter and Jamie. There still seems to be someone in the mix that may still want to shake things up. But we’re staying with last week’s picks as those that we can see coming to hometowns.

JOE

MARTIN

NAYTE

OLU

---

THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEC T, 29 | North Charleston, SC

BRANDON J, 26 | Portland, OR

BRANDON K, 29 | Austin, TX

BRYAN W, 31 | Chicago, IL

CASEY W, 36 | Miami Beach, FL

CHRIS S, 28 | W. Hollywood, CA

CHRISTOPHER G, 28 | Nova Scotia, Canada

CLAYTON E, 26 | Columbia, MO

DANIEL T, 26 | Austin, TX

EDWARD N, 27 | Los Angeles, CA

GARRETT A, 33 | Salt Lake City, UT

JACK R, 33 | Philadelphia, PA

JAMIE S, 32 | San Diego, CA

JOE C, 28 | Minneapolis, MN

JOMARRI G, 26 | Fresno, CA

LEROY A, 27 | Dallas, TX

LT M, 38 | Bellevue, WA

MARTIN G, 29 | Miami, FL

MOLLIQUE J, 36 | San Diego, CA

NAYTE O, 27 | Austin, TX

OLUMIDE O, 27 | Newark, NJ

PARDEEP S, 30 | Brooklyn, NY

PETER I, 26 | Port St Joe, FL

PJ H, 30 | Houston, TX

RICK L, 32 | Los Angeles, CA

RODNEY M, 29 | Rancho Cucamonga, CA

ROMEO A, 32 | NY, NY

RYAN F, 30 | San Jose, CA

SPENCER W, 25 | Cleveland, OH

WILL U, 28 | Santo Domingo, DR

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

AWARDS SEASON | PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS 2021 NOMINATIONS

Awards Season continues and today, the nominees for the People’s Choice Awards (you can vote at the link or on Twitter through Nov 17th) were announced over 40 categories across movies, television, music and pop culture. Make sure to watch on NBC or on E! as it will air simultaneously at 9EST and will be hosted by Kenan Thompson. As always, we’ll share who we think will win which will be in bold, the person who actually wins that we answered correctly will be in bold italicized and the winner who we did not identify correctly will be italicized.

THE MOVIE OF 2021

• Black Widow

• Coming 2 America

• F9: The Fast Saga

• Dune

• No Time to Die

• Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

• The Tomorrow War

• Venom: Let Their Be Carnage

THE COMEDY MOVIE OF 2021

• Coming 2 America

• Free Guy

• He's All That

• Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard

• Jungle Cruise

• Space Jam: A New Legacy

• Thunder Force

• Vacation Friends

THE ACTION MOVIE OF 2021

• Black Widow

• F9: The Fast Saga

• Godzilla vs. Kong

• No Time to Die

• Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

• The Suicide Squad

• The Tomorrow War

• Venom: Let There Be Carnage

THE DRAMA MOVIE OF 2021

• A Quiet Place Part II

• Cruella

• Dune

• Fatherhood

• Halloween Kills

• In the Heights

• Old

• Respect

THE FAMILY MOVIE OF 2021

• Cinderella

• Luca

• Raya and the Last Dragon

• The Boss Baby: Family Business

• The Mitchells vs. the Machines

• Tom and Jerry

• Vivo

• Yes Day

THE MALE MOVIE STAR OF 2021

• Chris Pratt (The Tomorrow War)

• Daniel Craig (No Time to Die)

• Dwayne Johnson (Jungle Cruise)

• Eddie Murphy (Coming 2 America)

• John Cena (F9: The Fast Saga)

• Ryan Reynolds (Free Guy)

• Simi Liu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings)

• Vin Diesel (F9: The Fast Saga)

THE FEMALE MOVIE STAR OF 2021

• Awkwafina (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings)

• Charlize Theron (F9: The Fast Saga)

• Florence Pugh (Black Widow)

• Jennifer Hudson (Respect)

• Leslie Jones (Coming 2 America)

• Margot Robbie (The Suicide Squad)

• Salma Hayek (Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard)

• Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow)

THE DRAMA MOVIE STAR OF 2021

• Anthony Ramos (In the Heights)

• Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place Part II)

• Emma Stone (Cruella)

• Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween Kills)

• Jason Momoa (Dune)

• Jennifer Hudson (Respect)

• Kevin Hart (Fatherhood)

• Timothée Chalamet (Dune)

THE COMEDY MOVIE STAR OF 2021

• Dwayne Johnson (Jungle Cruise)

• Eddie Murphy (Coming 2 America)

• Emily Blunt (Jungle Cruise)

• Leslie Jones (Coming 2 America)

• Melissa McCarthy (Thunder Force)

• Octavia Spencer (Thunder Force)

• Ryan Reynolds (Free Guy)

• Salma Hayek (Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard)

THE ACTION MOVIE STAR OF 2021

• Charlize Theron (F9: The Fast Saga)

• Chris Pratt (The Tomorrow War)

• Daniel Craig (No Time to Die)

• Florence Pugh (Black Widow)

• John Cena (F9: The Fast Saga)

• Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow)

• Simi Liu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings)

• Vin Diesel (F9: The Fast Saga)

THE SHOW OF 2021

• Cobra Kai

• Grey's Anatomy

• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

• Loki

• Saturday Night Live

• The Bachelor

• This Is Us

• WandaVision

THE DRAMA SHOW OF 2021

• Outer Banks

• 9-1-1

• Cobra Kai

• Grey's Anatomy

• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

• The Equalizer

• The Walking Dead

• This Is Us

THE COMEDY SHOW OF 2021

• Brooklyn Nine-Nine

• Grown-ish

• Never Have I Ever

• Only Murders in the Building

• Saturday Night Live

• Ted Lasso

• The Upshaws

• Young Rock

THE REALITY SHOW OF 2021

• 90 Day Fiancé

• Bachelor in Paradise

• Below Deck

• Jersey Shore: Family Vacation

• Keeping Up With the Kardashians

• Love & Hip Hop Atlanta

• The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

• The Real Housewives of Atlanta

THE COMPETITION SHOW OF 2021

• America's Got Talent

• American Idol

• Dancing With The Stars

• RuPaul's Drag Race

• The Bachelor

• The Bachelorette

• The Masked Singer

• The Voice

THE MALE TV STAR OF 2021

• Anthony Mackie (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier)

• Chase Stokes (Outer Banks)

• Dwayne Johnson (Young Rock)

• Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso)

• Kenan Thompson (Saturday Night Live)

• Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead)

• Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us)

• Tom Hiddleston (Loki)

THE FEMALE TV STAR OF 2021

• Angela Bassett (9-1-1)

• Elizabeth Olsen (WandaVision)

• Ellen Pompeo (Grey's Anatomy)

• Kathryn Hahn (WandaVision)

• Mandy Moore (This Is Us)

• Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)

• Queen Latifah (The Equalizer)

• Yara Shahidi (Grown-ish)

THE DRAMA TV STAR OF 2021

• Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead)

• Angela Bassett (9-1-1)

• Chase Stokes (Outer Banks)

• Ellen Pompeo (Grey's Anatomy)

• Mandy Moore (This Is Us)

• Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)

• Queen Latifah (The Equalizer)

• Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us)

THE COMEDY TV STAR OF 2021

• Andy Samberg (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

• Dwayne Johnson (Young Rock)

• Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso)

• Kenan Thompson (Saturday Night Live)

• Selena Gomez (Only Murders in the Building)

• Steve Martin (Only Murders in the Building)

• Wanda Sykes (The Upshaws)

• Yara Shahidi (Grown-ish)

THE DAYTIME TALK SHOW OF 2021

• Good Morning America

• Live with Kelly and Ryan

• Red Table Talk

• The Ellen DeGeneres Show

• The Kelly Clarkson Show

• The View

• The Wendy Williams Show

• Today

THE NIGHTTIME TALK SHOW OF 2021

• Full Frontal With Samantha Bee

• Jimmy Kimmel Live

• Last Week Tonight With John Oliver

• Late Night With Seth Meyers

• The Daily Show With Trevor Noah

• The Late Late Show With James Corden

• The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

THE COMPETITION CONTESTANT OF 2021

• Cody Rigsby (Dancing With the Stars)

• Gottmik (RuPaul's Drag Race)

• JoJo (The Masked Singer)

• JoJo Siwa (Dancing With the Stars)

• Katie Thurston (The Bachelorette)

• Matt James (The Bachelor)

• Symone (RuPaul's Drag Race)

• Wiz Khalifa (The Masked Singer)

THE REALITY TV STAR OF 2021

• Erica Mena (Love & Hip Hop Atlanta)

• Joe Amabile (Bachelor in Paradise)

• Kandi Burruss (The Real Housewives of Atlanta)

• Khloé Kardashian (Keeping Up With the Kardashians)

• Kim Kardashian West (Keeping Up With the Kardashians)

• Lisa Rinna (The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills)

• Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino (Jersey Shore: Family Vacation)

• Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi (Jersey Shore: Family Vacation)

THE BINGEWORTHY SHOW OF 2021

• Cobra Kai

• Loki

• Mare of Easttown

• Outer Banks

• Sex/Life

• Squid Game

• Ted Lasso

• The White Lotus

THE SCI-FI/FANTASY SHOW OF 2021

• Loki

• Lucifer

• La Brea

• Shadow and Bone

• Superman and Lois

• The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

• The Flash

• WandaVision

THE MALE ARTIST OF 2021

• Bad Bunny

• Drake

• Ed Sheeran

• Justin Bieber

• Lil Nas X

• Luke Combs

• Shawn Mendes

• The Weeknd

THE FEMALE ARTIST OF 2021

• Adele

• Billie Eilish

• Cardi B

• Doja Cat

• Halsey

• Megan Thee Stallion

• Olivia Rodrigo

• Saweetie

THE GROUP OF 2021

• BTS

• Coldplay

• Dan + Shay

• Imagine Dragons

• Jonas Brothers

• Maroon 5

• Migos

• Twenty One Pilots

THE SONG OF 2021

• "Butter" (BTS)

• "Bad Habits" (Ed Sheeran)

• "Easy on Me" (Adele)

• "Good 4 U" (Olivia Rodrigo)

• "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" (Lil Nas X)

• "Peaches" (Justin Bieber feat. Daniel Caesar & Giveon)

• "Stay" (The Kid Laroi & Justin Bieber)

• "Up" (Cardi B)

THE ALBUM OF 2021

• Certified Lover Boy (Drake)

• Culture III (Migos)

• Happier Than Ever (Billie Eilish)

• Justice (Justine Bieber)

• Montero (Lil Nas X)

• Planet Her (Doja Cat)

• Sour (Olivia Rodrigo)

• Star-crossed (Kacey Musgraves)

THE COUNTRY ARTIST OF 2021

• Blake Shelton

• Carrie Underwood

• Dan + Shay

• Kacey Musgraves

• Kane Brown

• Luke Bryan

• Luke Combs

• Miranda Lambert

THE LATIN ARTIST OF 2021

• Anuel AA

• Bad Bunny

• Becky G

• Daddy Yankee

• J Balvin

• KAROL G

• Maluma

• Natti Natasha

THE NEW ARTIST OF 2021

• 24kGoldn

• Bella Poarch

• Giveon

• Olivia Rodrigo

• Rauw Alejandro

• Tate McRae

• The Kid Laroi

• Tomorrow X Together

THE MUSIC VIDEO OF 2021

• "Butter" (BTS)

• "Easy on Me" (Adele)

• "Good 4 U" (Olivia Rodrigo)

• "Location" (Karol G, Anuel AA, J Balvin)

• "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" (Lil Nas X)

• "My Universe" (Coldplay X BTS)

• "Peaches" (Justin Bieber feat. Daniel Caesar & Giveon)

• "Stay" (The Kid Laroi, Justin Bieber)

THE COLLABORATION SONG OF 2021

• "Best Friend" (Saweetie feat. Doja Cat)

• "Industry Baby"(Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow)

• "Kiss Me More" (Doja Cat feat. SZA)

• "Leave the Door Open" (Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak))

• "Peaches" (Justin Bieber feat. Daniel Caesar & Giveon)

• "Stay" (The Kid Laroi & Justin Bieber)

• "Way 2 Sexy" (Drake feat. Future & Young Thug)

• "You Right" (Doja Cat, The Weeknd)

THE SOCIAL STAR OF 2021

• Addison Rae

• Britney Spears

• Charli D'Amelio

• Dwayne Johnson

• Justin Bieber

• Kim Kardashian West

• Kylie Jenner

• Lil Nas X

THE POP SPECIAL OF 2021

• Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry

• Demi Lovato: Dancing With the Devil

• Friends: The Reunion

• Justin Bieber: Our World

• Olympic Highlights With Kevin Hart and Snoop Dogg

• Oprah with Meghan and Harry

• Pink: All I Know So Far

• Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 3

THE COMEDY ACT OF 2021

• Back to Abnormal Tour (Trevor Noah)

• Bo Burnham: Inside (Bo Burnham)

• From Scratch Tour (John Mulaney)

• Sorry, Harriet Tubman (Phoebe Robisnon)

• The King's Jester Tour (Hasan Minhaj)

• The Milk & Money Tour (Ali Wong)

• Vaccinated and Horny Tour (Chelsea Handler)

• You Know What It Is (Marlon Wayans)

THE GAME CHANGER OF 2021

• Alex Morgan

• Bubba Wallace

• Carl Nassib

• Naomi Osaka

• Patrick Mahomes

• Serena Williams

• Simone Biles

• Sunisa Lee

THE POP PODCAST OF 2021

• Anything Goes With Emma Chamberlain

• Armchair Expert

• Call Her Daddy

• Chicks in the Office

• Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend

• Couple Things With Shawn and Andrew

• SmartLess

• Why Won't You Date Me? With Nicole Byer

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

THE BACHELORETTE S18. E2. | HEAD OF THE CLASS WITH MICHELLE

We’re back with Michelle Young of ABC’s The Bachelorette! We see her debriefing with Tayshia Adams about how she is enjoying being on the season and the guys that she has remaining. As they chat, Kaitlyn Bristowe delivers the first date card. Brandon, Romeo, Rick, PJ, Will, Olu, Casey, Danny, LT and Peter make their way to Michelle and she lets them know that she has brought along 3 friends that won’t go easy on them. The friends are in a 5th grade classroom and they are her students! Who didn’t think that a date at some point would be in a classroom setting?

Their sessions include math, chemistry, spelling and musical chairs. We also see that Will is not Peter’s biggest fan and that he doesn’t care who knows it. When the men are asked to spell narcissist, he writes Peter’s name down which makes Peter annoyed that he has been called out in front of Michelle and her friends. The guys win participation prized and head to the second half of the date where they can enjoy cocktails with her and see who gets the group rose date. They find themselves sitting with Michelle on a pop up beach. Michelle cracks on Brandon for not being a great speller, but you can see a bit of the chemistry between them. She plays 1-on-1 cornhole with another. Peter asks Will to take some time to chat with him - hopefully to resolve their issue.

The next date card arrives Jamie receives the 1-on-1 date card. The guys don’t like his response as he spent more time talking about his wild life, flying to third world countries etc. The guys felt hat he wasn’t grateful so we see another person in the group that causes a bit of stir amongst the guys.

The guys on the group date ask why he felt that need to address his issue at that moment and take away from the group. Michelle pulls Peter to the side to ask why she did that. Michelle said that his screaming is not appropriate and that she doesn’t want to have him an issue and then come across in a negative way because she feels that he could have a temper. We think it’s safe to say he won’t get the group date rose. Michelle gives it to Brandon.

Jamie and Michelle set off on their 1-on-1 date. In Jaime’s confessional, he shares that this is a key date (which we know), but if it’s not a fit for him then he wouldn’t want to stay either. They head to Joshua Tree to have a picnic. To get to the picnic, they are rock climbing! They coach one another to get to the top and it’s definitely a tough date! The second part of their date involves dinner between the two of them. Jamie talks about his life and how his upbringing was not as idylic as Michelle’s. We learn about his mom’s mental health issue which eventually led to her committing suicide and how he had to learn to care about life. We definitely did not see his story coming but seeing what he has gone through, it’s easier to understand his personality and how he presents himself. Jamie receives the 1-on-1 date rose. THey hed off to a personal performance from Caroline Jones on their own private dance floor.

The second group date is taking place on the basketball court. The remaining man head to the court. We know that Michelle played Division I and it’s her favorite sport and her first love! The date also has 2 WNBA stars who are also on the date. Joe (his basketball coach passed away earlier that day) is on this date and was Mr Basketball Minnesota in 2011, she was also Mrs Basketball in the same year, but was a runner up. In addition Chris S, Spencer, Rodney, Pardeep, Nayte, Mollique, Clayton, Martin, LeRoy and Chris G are on the date. After warming up and playing 1-on-1 with Michelle, the guys are divided into a red and blue team. The winning team will get to spend more time with her and the losing one will go back to where they are staying. Although Joe did well, his team didn’t win. Michelle gave him an MVP so that he could have time with her along with the winning team. The remainder of the losing team was bummed that they would not receive time with him and we’re sure that the winning team would rather that he didn’t get the time either. It will be interesting to see when everyone learns that she knows Joe (although to be fair, they just talked socially and it seems like it was a long time ago).

The after-party begins and Joe takes her to the side. He lets her know about a previous basketball coach that passed away. They connected and played another round of 1-on-1 together. The losing team comes home and the guys at the house are shocked that Joe got to be there. The guys at the after-party are wondering about Joe as well. While the guys wonder about one another, Nayte says that he is not focused on what’s going on outside of his relationship with her. He doesn’t want to get in the middle of all the emotions that are going on so that he can stay focused. The group rose goes to Joe!

The cocktail party is about to start. The house is aware that they come from the same city, were both college basketball players and that they have a vibe. How this will continue to manifest means that the guys need to stay focused on their relationships. So the house is wondering to what level they know one another. Surprisingly, Jamie who has a rose, is throwing all of these suspicions and he feels that the house needs to know. Now he’s beginning to spread “information” that he thinks he knows. Jamie confronts her with what he feels he knows. She lets him know that she appreciates that he talked with her and that she wants to confront this situation directly. She talks with the men as a group and lets them know that she had never met Joe prior to when he arrived and that they had only communicated online years ago and he ghosted her. She also explained that there were rumors that she was a light skinned black man and she let them know that where she grew up, even if she was dating a white man and was seen with a black man - that it would be assumed that she was with him. Michelle gives them the opportunity to say something and the room is silent. She leaves and is annoyed and the guys are aggravated that the issue has made it seem like the house has been talking about this when in fact, most of the people are confused as this wasn’t an issue. The truly annoying part is the fact that Jamie is acting like he has no idea and is just as confused as everyone else. We’re all Peter and Rodney who both question how out of the loop are they that they are not aware of this issue.

Since no one wanted to talk about it, Michelle leaves them and sends the hosts to the men to inform them that the cocktail party has ended and she will see them in the rose ceremony. She tells them that if they accept a rose tonight, that they are accepting her and being in the process as she is with them.

Going into next week, we’ll see: Brandon, Jamie, Joe, Nayte, Rodney, Martin, Rick, LeRoy, Spencer, Casey, Chris G, Mollique, Olu, Chris S, Will, Romeo, LT, Clayton and Peter who all received roses.

She sent home: Alec, Daniel, Pardeep and PJ. Both fire fighters were eliminated tonight! It looks like next week, there will be quite a lot of drama and will the rest of the house figure out what Jamie set in motion?

Each night during this season, we tweet about The 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!

---

HOMETOWN NOTES

SEASON 18 | EPISODE 2

Last week, we felt that Martin, Nayte, Olu and Peter would go to hometowns.

This week, we looked through all the drama (we’re looking at you Peter and Jamie) and although we’re staying with Martin, Nayte and Olu for a second week in a row, we’re swapping out Peter for Joe. We can definitely see these 4 making it to that pivotal week.

JOE

MARTIN

NAYTE

OLU

---

THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEC T, 29 | North Charleston, SC

BRANDON J, 26 | Portland, OR

BRANDON K, 29 | Austin, TX

BRYAN W, 31 | Chicago, IL

CASEY W, 36 | Miami Beach, FL

CHRIS S, 28 | W. Hollywood, CA

CHRISTOPHER G, 28 | Nova Scotia, Canada

CLAYTON E, 26 | Columbia, MO

DANIEL T, 26 | Austin, TX

EDWARD N, 27 | Los Angeles, CA

GARRETT A, 33 | Salt Lake City, UT

JACK R, 33 | Philadelphia, PA

JAMIE S, 32 | San Diego, CA

JOE C, 28 | Minneapolis, MN

JOMARRI G, 26 | Fresno, CA

LEROY A, 27 | Dallas, TX

LT M, 38 | Bellevue, WA

MARTIN G, 29 | Miami, FL

MOLLIQUE J, 36 | San Diego, CA

NAYTE O, 27 | Austin, TX

OLUMIDE O, 27 | Newark, NJ

PARDEEP S, 30 | Brooklyn, NY

PETER I, 26 | Port St Joe, FL

PJ H, 30 | Houston, TX

RICK L, 32 | Los Angeles, CA

RODNEY M, 29 | Rancho Cucamonga, CA

ROMEO A, 32 | NY, NY

RYAN F, 30 | San Jose, CA

SPENCER W, 25 | Cleveland, OH

WILL U, 28 | Santo Domingo, DR

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

DISCOVERY OF POWER WITH LO BOSWORTH

We first learned about Lo Bosworth as one of the cast members of MTV's Laguna Beach as we were introduced to a friendship group in Orange County of young people that navigated the transition between high school and college. We continued on with her and other members as they navigated adulting post college in The Hills. Lo was always a grounded member of this friend group who we would learn after these succeful reality shows that she had a passion for wellness and would become the founder and CEO of Love Wellness which focuses on self-care with a focus on body positivity and science. We catch up with Lo to talk about her brand, partnership with Baileys and how she takes time for herself.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When you were on The Hills, there wasn’t programming that focused on adulting in that way. The show also laid the foundation for a formula that we look for in these shows from friendship groups, getting to know main character’s facets of life, introducing audiences to popular boutiques/restaurants and designers that are being worn – which is standard now. What does it mean to you that you participated in a show that laid this groundwork and what did you learn by being involved in these shows?

LO BOSWORTH: I learned the power of my own voice and community. I'm so fortunate to have been given the opportunity to connect with an audience on a large scale and have always tried to do my best with the opportunities given to me.

AM: Back in 2019, we attended a fitness event that Love Wellness hosted. I was drawn to the packaging and your messaging. What led you to creating this self-care brand and what role does self-care play in your life?

LB: I became more interested in health and wellness when I dealt with a few health setbacks in both 2014 and 2019. Going through these challenging moments forced me to focus on my well-being, search for alternatives, and when I was able to heal, I was inspired to share my journey able to heal, I was inspired to share my journey through the founding of Love Wellness.

AM: What products can we find at Love Wellness?

LB: We make everything from vaginal suppositories to de-bloating supplements. Our total body care products for women are made with clean ingredients, are innovative and trendsetting, and give women the real results they're looking for from a wellness company.

AM: You guys just launched probiotics – tell us more about this.

LB: Our recent probiotics launch was actually an expansion of this product category at Love Wellness. One of our original products, Good Girl Probiotics, launched 5 years ago with a focus on improving vaginal and urinary tract health with the use of diverse live bacteria strains organic to the vagina. After closing in on selling one million units of Good Girl Probiotics, we made the decision to expand our probiotics category to focus on other microbiomes in and on the body. Our new best-sellers include Clear Skin Probiotics for reducing the number of acne pimples on the skin, and Gut Feelings Probiotics which is a pre-probiotic blend that helps support overall gut health and immunity.

AM: What are you currently working on whether it’s with Love Wellness or outside of it?

LB: I'm the founder and CEO of Love Wellness and operate my business full-time everyday alongside my excellent team in New York City. My primary focus is helping women discover our innovating products, education, and community.

AM: As we’re all continuing to venture out after the past 19 months that we have endured, it seems like every opportunity to celebrate whether solo or in small groups is a must! How can we host the appropriate end of summer party or kick off to the fall?

LB: Aside from putting together a fun group and great spread of food, Baileys Deliciously Light is one of my secrets to entertaining at home. Baileys Deliciously Light is a delicious and versatile treat that can be enjoyed so many ways including over ice, chilled, in a smoothie or with hot, iced or whipped coffee so there’s truly something for everyone!

AM: Why did you want to partner with Baileys Deliciously Light?

LB: I always make sure to partner with brands that represent my lifestyle. Baileys Deliciously Light gives me a chance to treat myself to a delicious cocktail or baked good, and it’s also made with 40% less sugar and 40% less calories than Baileys Original Irish Cream so it gives me the balance I always look for in my life!

AM: We’re all enjoying that transition into fall weather and in many cases, that also means our cocktails take this journey as well! What’s your go to fall cocktail that we should think about including into our rotation?

LB: I love experimenting in the kitchen and making new things for me and my friends to try. Baileys Deliciously Light is a delicious and versatile treat that can be enjoyed in a variety of ways – but my favorite is including it in hot and iced coffee drinks or even espresso martinis. One of my favorite cocktails to make this season is the Baileys Frothy Coffee – it’s made with Baileys Deliciously Light, espresso and frothy milk. It’s the perfect, simple fall drink that’s a major crowd pleaser.

BAILEYS FROTHY COFFEE

Ingredients

2.5 oz Baileys Deliciously Light

2 oz Espresso

2/3 Cup Frothy Milk

Preparation

1. Combine Baileys Deliciously Light and espresso into a coffee mug.

2. Heat up milk and blend/whip until frothy.

3. Top coffee and enjoy!

AM: When you’re not running your business or taking on a project, how do you take time for yourself?

LB: I take baths, eat amazing meals at my favorite restaurants in New York City, and spend quality time walking my neighborhood with friends.

IG @LoBosworth

PHOTOGRAPHY | Baileys Deliciously Light

Read the SEP ISSUE #70 of Athleisure Mag and see Discover of Power with Lo Bosworth in mag.

THE BACHELORETTE S18. E1. | MICHELLE'S SEASON BEGINS

It’s finally here. Season 18 with Michelle Young of ABC’s The Bachelorette kicked off! We first met her when she was competing during Matt James’ season on The Bachelor. Ultimately, during his After the Rose episode, we learned that they were announcing 2 Bachelorettes from his season - Katie Thurston that we saw earlier this summer.

Of course, we begin by seeing more about Michelle as well as her parents. But we also get to find out more about the men that will be vying for her attention this season as we see them traveling, settling in and in some cases - plotting how they can be the ideal contestant - complete with tips, charts etc - it’s a bit strange. We get this access while we watch our hosts Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe popping into the rooms to get to know about them and then what they have lying around.

Both of the hosts meet Michelle when she exits out of her limo to let her know she has a great crop of men. They also want to know more about what she hopes to get out of the experience. With that, the men begin to make themselves known to her. Jaime’s comment “that dress was just fabric until you brought it to life,” was definitely a line that stuck out in our heads and made us smile. Peter the Pizzapreneur with the accessorized suit jacket was another one that we liked. We met Ryan with the playbook and although his ice cream truck was cool, we still can’t get past all of his intel that he brought to his hotel room.

When we saw Joe Coleman as one of the contestants we wondered if they may have known one another since they are both from Minnesota. We love how Michelle thought he was familiar and then asked him if she had ever slid into his DMs. Although he was coy, she finally asked if his last name was Coleman and then we knew that he was in face familiar! We then find out that they had talked about basketball back and forth, and that he ghosted her! In talking with him, she found out that he ghosted her because they were communicating during the George Floyd Movement. We saw her take some extra time with Ryan and although they had a great second conversation, Tayshia and Kaitlyn loop her in. After Michelle talks with Ryan directly, she looks at the documents herself and deems Ryan unfit for being there - she sends his home.

The first impression rose was given to Nayte- she liked how he was vulnerable even though he said it would be hard for him. We can see the two of them being together.

With that, the first rose ceremony begins. Next week, we’ll see: Nayte (first impression rose), Jamie, Leroy, Martin, Spencer, Rick, Clayton, Peter, PJ, Mollique, Romeo, Daniel, Brandon J, Will, Chris S, Rodney, Alec, Pardeep, Christopher G, Casey, Olu, LT and Joe.

Michelle sent home: Ryan (from earlier in the night), Jomarri, Jack, Garrett, Edward, Bryan and Brandon K.

Each night during this season, we tweet about The 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!

---

HOMETOWN NOTES

SEASON 18 | EPISODE 1

This week these 4 stick out in our minds as the group that would be going to hometowns. We could see Martin, Nayte, Olu and Peter in hometowns! This season, we will mark how many weeks we have had them in hometowns as well as we continue our weekly predictions.

MARTIN

NAYTE

OLU

PETER

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THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEC T, 29 | North Charleston, SC

BRANDON J, 26 | Portland, OR

BRANDON K, 29 | Austin, TX

BRYAN W, 31 | Chicago, IL

CASEY W, 36 | Miami Beach, FL

CHRIS S, 28 | W. Hollywood, CA

CHRISTOPHER G, 28 | Nova Scotia, Canada

CLAYTON E, 26 | Columbia, MO

DANIEL T, 26 | Austin, TX

EDWARD N, 27 | Los Angeles, CA

GARRETT A, 33 | Salt Lake City, UT

JACK R, 33 | Philadelphia, PA

JAMIE S, 32 | San Diego, CA

JOE C, 28 | Minneapolis, MN

JOMARRI G, 26 | Fresno, CA

LEROY A, 27 | Dallas, TX

LT M, 38 | Bellevue, WA

MARTIN G, 29 | Miami, FL

MOLLIQUE J, 36 | San Diego, CA

NAYTE O, 27 | Austin, TX

OLUMIDE O, 27 | Newark, NJ

PARDEEP S, 30 | Brooklyn, NY

PETER I, 26 | Port St Joe, FL

PJ H, 30 | Houston, TX

RICK L, 32 | Los Angeles, CA

RODNEY M, 29 | Rancho Cucamonga, CA

ROMEO A, 32 | NY, NY

RYAN F, 30 | San Jose, CA

SPENCER W, 25 | Cleveland, OH

WILL U, 28 | Santo Domingo, DR

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

9LIST ROUTIN3S | LO BOSWORTH

Read the SEP ISSUE #69 of Athleisure Mag and see 9LIST ROUTIN3S | Lo Bosworth in mag.

THE BACHELORETTE S18. | SEE THE MEN OF MICHELLE YOUNG'S SEASON

On Oct 19th, we finally see Michelle Young on ABC’s The Bachelorette. If you remember back to Matt James’ season on The Bachelor, you know that there were 2 Bachelorette’s chosen - Katie Thurston that we saw earlier this summer and Michelle Young.

Prior to any season, ABC releases who will be the contestants on the show. We have a number of people that we’re already thinking will make it far this season.

Each night during the season, we tweet about The 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!

---

SEASON 18

We’re sharing who you can expect to see on the upcoming season of S18 The Bachelorette.

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THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

ALEC T, 29 | North Charleston, SC

BRANDON J, 26 | Portland, OR

BRANDON K, 29 | Austin, TX

BRYAN W, 31 | Chicago, IL

CASEY W, 36 | Miami Beach, FL

CHRIS S, 28 | W. Hollywood, CA

CHRISTOPHER G, 28 | Nova Scotia, Canada

CLAYTON E, 26 | Columbia, MO

DANIEL T, 26 | Austin, TX

EDWARD N, 27 | Los Angeles, CA

GARRETT A, 33 | Salt Lake City, UT

JACK R, 33 | Philadelphia, PA

JAMIE S, 32 | San Diego, CA

JOE C, 28 | Minneapolis, MN

JOMARRI G, 26 | Fresno, CA

LEROY A, 27 | Dallas, TX

LT M, 38 | Bellevue, WA

MARTIN G, 29 | Miami, FL

MOLLIQUE J, 36 | San Diego, CA

NAYTE O, 27 | Austin, TX

OLUMIDE O, 27 | Newark, NJ

PARDEEP S, 30 | Brooklyn, NY

PETER I, 26 | Port St Joe, FL

PJ H, 30 | Houston, TX

RICK L, 32 | Los Angeles, CA

RODNEY M, 29 | Rancho Cucamonga, CA

ROMEO A, 32 | NY, NY

RUAN F, 30 | San Jose, CA

SPENCER W, 25 | Cleveland, OH

WILL U, 28 | Santo Domingo, DR

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

9LIST STORI3S | JAMIE GRAY HYDER

Read the AUG ISSUE #68 of Athleisure Mag and see 9LIST STORI3S | Jamie Gray Hyder in mag.

9DRIP | POOCH HALL

POOCH HALL IMAGE CREDITS | MANAGEMENT Zero Gravity Management | PHOTOGRAPHY Derek Blanks | STYLIST Ryan Christopher |

Read the JUL ISSUE #67 of Athleisure Mag and see 9DRIP | Pooch Hall in mag.

9DRIP | JORDAN ANDINO

Read the JUL Issue #67 of Athleisure Mag and see 9DRIP | Jordan Andino in mag.

MANIFEST YOUR LIFE WITH LONDON BROWN

This month, the anticipated release of STARZ's Power Book III: Raising Kanan premieres. Before it has even aired, it has already been greenlit for a 2nd season with the cast currently filming. We caught up with London Brown, who plays Marvin Thomas, Kanan's nephew to talk about the new series that takes place in South Jamaica Queens in 1991. We talk about his career from Fuse's The Hustle, his breakout role in HBO's Ballers and how he has evolved as an entertainer. We also talk about how important it is for him to stay grounded as he navigates the industry and his focus on giving back in the ways that he can.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you realize that you wanted to be an entertainer? You cover a number of areas as you’re an actor, dancer and a comedian.

LONDON BROWN: I think it’s just a thing that I remember early on always being into the arts. I felt that the arts came very naturally. Between the arts feeling like they were already part of my proclivity, I enjoyed them as well, fortunately. A lot of times, people are gifted and are good at what they do, but they’re not necessarily drawn to them. I was always very passionate about the arts in general. I just remember that it started when I did Easter plays and that sort of thing. So I did it and at school I realized that they had more plays there, so I did those and played the Scarecrow and in Black communities where you grow up in religious households, you go to church – so you’re playing an instrument, you’re singing – you’re doing something on that level. So all these things were just kind of normal and it transmitted to school and so throughout high school, I was involved in bands, was in plays and that’s when I started to take it seriously. I had a theater teacher that saw more in me than I did and encouraged me to take it more seriously.

From there, I went away to school and one of my friends encouraged me to dance. He was a choreographer with a dance team and he said, "you should join the dance team." I told him, "nah, I'm not going to do that.” He then told me that I should do it because he was gay, the rest of the team were all girls and since I was straight, that that would be a great match. So I did and I danced, I kept doing it and I taught dance which allowed me to pay the bills all while I became a teacher where I taught high schoolers theory of acting. While this was going on, I took some auditions to get into the groove of my art. It’s funny because while I was teaching for the high school, a fellow teacher told me about a comedy show that the school was putting on and I asked about it and they suggested that I should sign up to be part of it. I realized that the same energy of the instant gratification that we get from doing live theater, I can also get it from doing standup as it’s just a one man show. Doing standup, I finally felt that I had a voice. I do a lot of different things, but I also feel that with all of the things that I do, God gave them to me because he knew that I would also give them away. So teaching, I inspired a lot of other young people to do whatever they do now.

I was doing standup for about 2 years and I ended up connecting with Chris Tucker and we hit it off. I started touring with him as his opening act for a few years. Somewhere in there, I land my first TV show, The Hustle. That was 2013, it was a small network, but the creator was also the showrunner for Insecure, so Prentice Penny saw a bunch of young actors and said, “hey I want you guys to do this,” gave us a call and we auditioned and he took chances on us. In Hollywood, they want familiar faces so the fact that he took a shot on me, I did a season of The Hustle, Chris had stopped touring and with no TV show, I no longer had an agent or a manager.

So now, I am agentless and I get a call from a friend of mine who asked if I had auditioned from Ballers. I let him know that I had heard about it, but at the time, I was a choreographer just trying to pay bills. He said he would pass my information along. I go in, this is during 2014 and I audition for Ballers and they said they liked me. Initially the character was only supposed to do 1 or 2 episodes. After the audition that I did, they wanted to make me a lead on the show and keep me all 5 seasons. I moved to Miami, filmed and then finished the other half of the season in LA, so after that, the series ends in 2019 and Dwayne pulls the plug as I think that he was just busy because it was still #1!

AM: For sure, we loved watching it every week and although your character generated a lot of reactions and people didn’t like him. But we enjoyed your character. The growth that you did as the character, it’s interesting to see someone who was in a situation where he was trying to protect his friend, try to do what’s right, but you’re in an industry that you really have to learn quickly and to see the progression of the character season by season. We weren’t familiar with your work previous to that show, but when you have a knee jerk reaction to a character, they’re acting their ass off to make you feel that way. It’s not easy to come off that unlikeable.

LB: Right? For me, that’s why it was so important because on paper, the character wasn’t going to be around as that wasn’t the plan initially. He was supposed to be character A, Reggie the best friend. I knew that I really needed to be able to establish my presence 1, a lot of the guys that were on there had established resumes and had been in the industry a long time. I knew the opportunity and the weight that that project was going to have. It had the #1 entertainer with Dwayne Johnson and also it’s HBO, a very credible network. For me, I was going to exhaust whatever energy from whatever scene to make sure that I wasn’t doing too much but I was standing out on some kind of level. And 2, I became the antagonist by accident because we’d be on set and I was improvising a lot because they didn’t have any lines for me because I wasn’t supposed to be around. They said, “ok, let’s let him go and let’s see what we come up with.” So I was giving them stuff and then we kind of found this voice of Reggie as far as making him the fly around the food. So once I tapped into that, I knew I could amp it up wherever they allow me to go. At the same time, as an actor, in the development of making a character 3 dimensional, in season 1 and part of season 2, he was the annoying guy. But we wanted to take him to such a place that by season 5, he’s more responsible and he’s trying to get it together so that he’s really advising Vernon in positive ways. I wanted to make sure that I kept the character interesting and not just fall and be a character like Best Friend #1.

Now, we find out on Instagram that the show is over so I’m like, ok. I’m not worried because from a spiritual place, I don’t even put all my energy into man anyway. So, I feel that I will be fine. I’m working clubs, on the road and touring. So now it’s the fall of 2019 and I get a call from Robi Reed who does all the casting for Spike Lee’s projects and is really great. She calls and asks if I can do American Soul to play Bootsy Collins. I get down there and I learn the guitar and whatever I have to do for the part. I then do a horror film in Canada so I’m doing these 2 projects and my manager says that there is a young agent who is familiar with my work and wants to work with me. I tell him it's cool and he says that he likes what I do and asks me to read the sides, which are pieces of the script.

On the sides I see Power at the top. I think to myself that this can’t be the real Power because I had seen billboards all over Times Square that they are on the final season. So I thought that it was a mock because sometimes, they put a fake title on there. So I went in, I read the part and felt that it flowed well and that whoever was writing it had good language and it’s how I would talk so I thought it was cool. I sent the tape in, I didn’t hear anything and after the Christmas break, the new agent that I’m building with because we are just feeling each other out, I visit the people at the office and they let me know that I have a callback. I do 6 or 7 takes and then I go in and long story short, the agent said that they liked me and wanted to offer me the part. So I agreed and I’m still unaware that it’s Power and then I hear that it’s Raising Kanan. Mind you, I had never watched anything from Power at all. When I would run into fans on the street, they would say, “hey man, my favorite show is Ballers, Game of Thrones and Power.” So I wanted to be part of Power, but I was grateful for what I did have. I wanted to do Power so badly that I didn’t even want to watch it because I was already committed in my current project at the time. So when they said, Raising Kanan, I was confused, but I knew it was a show and it took place in the 90’s. I get on set and I start to connect the dots. People are telling me that this is the backstory of Kanan and I knew that 50 Cent had done something with Kanan because the streets were talking.

It wasn’t until I really got into filming the shoot that I realized that this was a spinoff – Power Book III: Raising Kanan! We’re an official spinoff because we’re the prequel. The other ones continue the story. So when I found out it's 1991, this character is not like Reggie – he’s Reggie on steroids and he just goes there. He’s short-tempered, but he loves and is loyal to his family. There’s a leadership power struggle between him and his siblings because his younger sister is running the whole family operation. She’s showing love to the younger brother because he’s really cool, calm and collected. So my character feels a certain type of way about that. My daughter and I have a strange and strained relationship because my character had done some time and she got a whole other life. So the only person that my character is able to flex some leadership on is my nephew Kanan (editor’s note: in Power, the flagship series Kanan is played by 50 Cent). So I’m the guy who introduced my nephew to this nefarious lifestyle that he begins. So, I’m like the muscle of the crew. My sister gives the orders, I carry them out and sometimes I go beyond what she asks for and that causes some animosity between us but in the end, it’s the loyalty that keeps us very connected to each other.

So, that answers your question and gives you the spill on how this all came out!

AM: You took us on a great journey! The way you presented your story makes me think about something I tell people all the time. When you’re building your brand and taking opportunities that are based on your interests or become available, you never know the people that you come into contact with and the projects that come your way. It’s the sliding doors that you enter and exist that allows you to build your career and sometimes it’s completely unplanned but each link adds another to get to your end result.

LB: You’re right. I know that for a lot of people, when they first saw me, it was from Ballers. But people didn’t know that there were a lot of foundational things that took place when I was doing theater that helped me to have a presence when I was playing across to Dwayne. That’s one side and the other is, if you can’t be the hero, the antagonist is the next best thing. It all just lined up! Even for people who didn’t know me, the fact that all my scenes in season 1 were with Dwayne, it pushed me into a space that I couldn’t have been more grateful for.

My first TV show allowed me to transition from theater and to learn how to play everything inside of a small frame. Ballers helped me to establish my onscreen presence. So by the time I got to Power Book III: Raising Kanan, I have more of a handle on what’s going on and how to play to it. I think that people will really connect with the project and my character Marvin – especially my friends because I do more cursing and drinking on TV then I do in real life! He’s charming but he is intense. My friends who know me, they find it funny that I’m playing Marvin because I’m cursing and rude and I’m so not these guys. But that’s why I enjoy playing them so much because I’m so the other way. I’m chill and very easy going. With Reggie, he didn’t care and he was loud. This character is shooting, fighting and doing all kinds of stuff. So I think people will connect with it very much so!

AM: Power Book III: Raising Kanan released earlier this month. When you got this role, what did you do to prep for it? It takes place in the 90’s. How did you get into the vibe and feel for this series?

LB: For me, I’ve always been a champion for the 90’s from the sitcom, the clothes and the music. I love the 90’s. It’s already part of my regular life so what I did in terms of preparation, I listened to a lot of Nas and 90’s hip-hop to understand the language. We had a dialect coach on set to just keep us where we needed to be in terms of the accent and dialect. I just tried to stay very present. My home is still LA, but for filming we all relocated and I’m actually here now in NY because we got a pick up for the next season already!

AM: Which is awesome because you were confirmed for a 2nd season just days before the premier dropped!

LB: I know and it’s such a blessing! I think that maybe the producers saw what they needed to see and they know it’s rich. I’m not even mentioning me, these guys performances are just strong. Mekai Curtis who plays Kenan is very connected. Our lead actress, Patina Miller (plays Raquel Thomas) she just gives it up - she won a TONY coming from theater. So a few of us have come from theater so already between that and when we came together, we didn’t have any egos. Sometimes in auditions, you meet each other and have chemistry tests and you vibe and they put people together and pair you up to see. We didn’t have any time for that. They booked us, we flew out to NY, we had a photoshoot and the first day was like a family scene. If we were playing like we were in high school on the first day of class, we could play with the awkwardness of real life on screen. But we’re playing a family that’s a tight unit. So we can’t be with the weird stuff. Everyone needs to be present and professional. Anything outside of that has to be left at the door because it can affect the chemistry. Fortunately, day 1, everyone was just cool and supportive of each other. The offscreen energy read very well for what we did onscreen.

The whole thing should come together well. The costumes definitely helped us. The hairdos – I’m in a high top. I spoke to the costumer just yesterday for the fitting and he felt that my character was one of the ones which helped to sell the era. They put me in some Dapper Dan. I mean the budget to make it come to life – even renting the cars so that every car all the way down the block and in the view of the camera was taken back to ’91. They really got all of the aesthetics down for it. I just hope people enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed making it.

AM: How was it working with 50 and Courtney Kemp?

LB: After all the shenanigans that people feel 50 does, they have to understand that the dude is a very smart tactile guy! At the end of the day, 50 is very charming, but he is onto something. I had the chance to talk to him a few times and he really believes in the project, he’s really invested into it and Courtney’s energy and her last say so’s of things with her vision and I think that they both work well with guiding the ship in the right direction. We had a great lead writer, Sascha Penn, she wrote the hell out of the script. All of them were very open if we didn’t understand something or we felt that the character wouldn’t do this or that, it wasn’t about doing it like the way they said, it was very collaborative. They would ask, what do you think and I’d say that I didn’t think Marvin would do it this way, but we could play with it this way. Even with the hair or other items – everyone was really cool. I think again, all the way around the set because we didn’t have egos or dictatorship energy, it allowed people to give their opinions even if we didn’t agree. They were still open to hearing and we found a medium place. That I think is what helped this project all the way around.

AM: Do you find as an actor, that it’s difficult to prepare for a character when it’s a series versus a movie? Then when you’re looking at a series, is it difficult as you go in and out of that character when you’re picking it up to get back into the character when it takes place over multiple seasons? Is that hard for you to separate yourself from that character?

LB: For me, I always separate it from the emotional stuff. I just stayed in the dialect. I didn’t want to be back and forth. So the whole time I was filming, I stayed with the dialect. So now, I have to get back into it because we’re about to film again and I have been in and out of it today. But when I’m filming I stay that way throughout the filming and even off set. The emotional stuff, I leave at work so that I can live, breathe and process because my character is doing all kinds of stuff so I don’t need to bring any of that at home! When I come out of the costume, jump into my sweats and get dropped off, I’m back to that. Also, we were in the pandemic. I'm glad at the time, there was no real social stuff going on. For me, my routine was hitting the gym everyday, I’m a sneakers guy and I’m living in Harlem so I passed by 8-10 sneaker shops and walk in everyday and if I saw something new, I'd grab those and get some groceries. Then, I’d be home to study. I had a very simple vibe of things that I did. I just locked in and tapped in. We were in the middle of winter. I’m from LA and I realized that I was the only one that gave a damn about the snow. Everybody else was indoors and I’m the only one that was outside glad to be in the street and walking to the gym in the snowstorm. But that’s how simple I am – I just enjoyed it. I was grateful to work and grateful to see the snow. I do photography so I went out and would shoot. In my mind, going back to what you said about one path leading to another path and so forth, I’ve always wanted to live in NY but I didn’t want to uproot and to leave LA. So just like this is setup is exactly how I wanted it to be. My things are in LA but I can be here for a period of time but I can still go back home. This is just like how I would have wanted it to happen even though I didn’t ask for this. That’s how I know I’m where I’m supposed to be.

That’s why I encourage people to go out there for what they want to do. There are things on your list that you’re unaware of that automatically come with what they do. I have friends who say that they love to travel, getting free stuff and clothes and I’m like, “do the things that you’re supposed to do and the other things will come.” My core goal is to be an actor, but the other things as a result is living in NY, being able to travel and the free stuff. There’s the love that you get and even helping other people. I don’t complain, I’m just really grateful that people care enough to even want to sit down with me and talk with me so thank you!

AM: What are the workouts that you do and clearly with your job you always have to be ready for whatever is coming at you.

LB: I do a few things. I change up the routine so that my body doesn’t get too comfortable. At one point, I was doing a Dwayne exercise which we would focus on a particular muscle group for that day so Mon – chest, Tues – back legs, Wed – shoulders, Thurs - abs, Fri - arms. I was doing that for awhile. Right now, I’m doing a compound full-body approach. I do something for each muscle group but as a full-body type of thing. When we start filming, I will probably do an upper-body routine and then a lower body the next day. I try to do abs every day usually – at least 200 of something for abs. Again, even with Ballers, in season 1, they were like, “London, we need you to put this tank top on.” I was like, “ahhhh not right now.” At the end of season 2, not that I turned into Dwayne, but I filled out a bit and worked on some stuff. When I did that pool scene, I got myself together with my arms.

Even with this, I got some intimate scenes in season 1 and I’m still vacillating between ideas of what I look like because that was one scene that I wish I could have gone back and taken a look. Not that I could have have changed what I looked like that day, but I know that that scene is coming up and I just hope that I look ok! Because it’s onscreen and this is now locked in forever. That’s why I don’t waste any time. They were making jokes at me for going into the gym, but I was telling my co-stars that this is the first time that people will see whatever they are seeing of us and on the branding side of things, I have done a few photoshoots outside of this. So if people reach out because they think your body looks nice, they may want you to be the face of Levi Jeans or Gap Jeans. I’m thinking way past the scene – it’s the branding side of it. I’m also thinking about the leading guy side of it. Will Smith was The Fresh Prince of Bel-Aire until we saw him in I Am Legend for example. We saw him chiseled up and then we saw him in Ali and he put some size on him. Or even Michel B. Jordan, we were like, “hey that’s the handsome looking Black guy." Then he sized up for Creed and people were like, "ooo Michael B. Jordan." The response that women had when they said his name, I was like, “ok he leveled up!” When he did Black Panther, now he’s in a different league and he is a leading guy. These are the things that I am thinking about so when people are joking about me being in the gym, I’m like, “listen, we’ve got to think past Power if we’re thinking about the next level. We’ve got to look good.”

AM: Absolutely. You don’t know where it’s coming from. You’re right with Michael B. Jordan, we had his trainer who is a Body Transformation Specialist, Corey Calliet who also does a lot of the people in the Marvel Universe etc as our July cover in 2018. He talked about how he transformed his body and you’re right, when he started taking on those roles with that physique, he’s a leading action hero! Now he’s in Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse. So you’re definitely ahead of the game!

LB: I’m just thinking advanced because I live in anticipation and I believe that I can have it and I manifest it. I don’t have any doubt and I am just preparing for the things that I believe are going to come. It’s like when Noah had the arc and people said, there’s going to be a storm and you need to get on the boat and people were like, “yeah sure - right.” I’m just trying to tell my friends that we have to get ready. Everyone mentally is not able to function in that capacity. But I know of many things that I have said and they did happen and when I spoke about Power and to be on Power, I had no idea it would be in the spinoff and I knew I wanted to do it. There are a couple of things on the list and I am just trying to do the best that I can to be prepared for them as I know that they are on the way.

AM: Do you have other projects that you’re working on that we should keep an eye out?

LB: Right now, it’s Power and now that the clubs are opening up, I will get back into doing standup. But there is a book of photography that I’m working on. I want to use the photos for the income from the book to help with homeless people. I do a lot with homeless people. Growing up, I always have helped street people and would feed them. LA has a huge homeless problem so I am working on this coffee table book. As people look at the homeless people from the different places that I have traveled to, it’s a way to keep us very grounded and to remind us on how we look at things. It’s very easy, not that I am in a high position, but even in the position that I am in, you can get caught up and think it’s about you. The best way for me to keep my heart in check is that I am always giving. By doing this book and what have you, it will help people that when they sit down and their rich friends come over and they take off their Rolex, there’s a book there that you can just tap into every so often and they can say that they are grateful for their apartment, house or whatever they have. That book will remind them that there are people who don’t even have a bed or food. I would give these people a pear, apple, PB+J and they would say, “thank you, I appreciate you.” I would talk with them and I realized that people aren't just crazy or on drugs. They may have went through a depression, a divorce, were in the military and they just fell on tough times. Even with this pandemic, it showed how people had troubles and everyone was shut down. Now people have to reup and regroup and focus. I did a table read during the pandemic and one of the actors was complaining about something and I’m like, “brother, we’re doing a table read. We’re working.” That’s the angle, I’m not mad at him. It just reminds me that I need to keep giving and keep myself very connected and grounded because the truth is, if I stay on the ground, if I fall or stumble, I’m already down there. But when people get besides themselves and spiritually, I’d rather keep myself humble then to have God do it – I got it and will do what I need to do because I don’t want Him to do it. I'll stay in check.

AM: So when you’re not on set or on stage and all of the things you do, what do you do to take time for yourself?

LB: If it’s not the gym, I’m going live and cooking. I do a lot of live stuff and interact with my followers. Or it’s my photography, I’m out and about with my camera shooting or just trying to help friends with their headshots. I also cut hair so if I'm in the city or I'm at home, guys want to come up, I cut hair. I’ll be home if anything, I’m really easy going. I like the self-care of cooking at home or going to the gym or giving to others in some capacity – the homeless and feeding them and trying to be of service.

IG @RealLondonBrown

PHOTO CREDITS | PG 127 London Brown | PG 128 + 131 HBO/Ballers | PG 132 - 139 STARZ/Power Book III: Raising Kanan |

Read the JUL ISSUE #67 of Athleisure Mag and see Manifest Your Life with London Brown in mag.

A JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY WITH NYESHA ARRINGTON

Storytelling comes in many forms that take place with food as a medium. It especially resonates with us as you get to know something about the chef, share an experience with others and even learn about the culture that it is derived from. We took some time to talk with Chef Nyesha Arrington about her culinary journey as well as cheffing in a TV landscape. We were first introduced to her on BRAVO's Top Chef Season 9 Cheftestant and since then, she has appeared on a number of shows from Food Network's Tournament of Champions and Guy's Grocery Games to name a few. This fall on FOX, she will be on Next Level Chef alongside Gordon Ramsay and Gino D'Acampo as each of them mentors a recruited group of talented chefs. We talk about her culinary journey, the power of identity, her health journey and being her authentic self wherever she goes.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you first fall in love with food?

CHEF NYESHA ARRINGTON: Well, I honestly feel like being a chef and being in the food space is really something that was always part of my life journey and it was definitely written in the stars before I was born. It’s something that has always been a passion of mine and it’s not something that I had to learn how to love, it comes very naturally to me. Sharing, the idea of nurturing and celebrating people and artists and Mother Nature as a whole, is kind of what is my grounding force in terms of craft and career.

AM: What was your culinary journey in terms of where you trained and kitchens that you worked in?

CHEF NA: The first kitchen I worked in was a restaurant called Jiraffe which was in Santa Monica. I was an intern there for about a year and I was there while I was going to culinary school in 2001. From there, I went to another restaurant called Melisse a 2-star Michelin. I was there for a long time and after there, I went to a 3-star Michelin restaurant called The Mansion which was helmed by Joël Robuchon and he was the Chef of the Century and has the most Michelin stars. He’s a legend to say the least! I worked for him for a few years and then I moved to the Virgin Islands and I was there for a year and that’s when I had my first Executive Chef job which was an interesting experience to meet people that are not of your same background. It was a challenge and it really taught me a lot of leadership skills and how to motivate people that aren’t of the same background as you. From there, I moved to Hawaii and I was there for about a year in Maui. But that’s when Top Chef called and said, “hey Nyesha, you’ve been on our radar.” So, I did Top Chef and that’s what sparked my venture into TV land and cheffing. That was back in 2012 for Season 9. All the while, prior to that it was about laying down that foundation and groundwork to being a good chef and learning technique. It was about learning how to be a food person I guess you could say.

I did Top Chef and I did a few other shows. One was on Food Network that aired shortly after that and that’s kind of the large brush stroke of the journey!

AM: That journey is amazing. We’re huge fans of Top Chef and have had the pleasure in including their stories in our issues from Chef Brooke Williamson, Gail Simmons and Richard Blaise to name a few. What was it about that community as your Instagram shows how you are involved with so many people from there. What was it about the show that made you want to align your brand with what they have going on?

CHEF NA: I think that at that time, I was seeing people in the food space that were on TV. I think that because I grew up in a sports background and I played soccer in high school soccer, I was playing softball in the very early stages of my life when I was 6 years old until I was 13. My dad was the coach of my softball team and I think that those early stages of my life, playing on a team, being part of a squad so to speak and for sure being competitive, really resonated with me in terms of life skills and brain development. The idea that you can be on a team and win, that’s what drove me to do Top Chef because ultimately I can still hone my craft in this kind of aesthetic. I’ve slowly started to accept the fact that I am a competitive person and not so much against other people, but myself! I like to be a person that is a growth mindset person who loves to put out their best. It’s what drew me to it. I hadn’t actually watched the program – maybe an episode or two but there are some really die hard Top Chef fans out there. I wasn’t one of those people because I was living in real life and cooking in real life. Then I went on the show and did the competitions. It was awesome and a great experience and being part of the Top Chef community is amazing. It definitely helped launch my brand if you will. I remember, this is when I was at my first Executive Chef position at the time and people were coming to the restaurant. Sales were doubling and people recognized who I was as a character and they would come in and say, “you were such a class act, humble and gracious and fun to watch.” You know, it was super cool and an amazing experience to feel that. I had never been recognized before and it was really fun.

AM: Shake Shack is an office favorite in our studio. Tell me about the collaboration that you had as well as your line of sauces that you are releasing separately from this eatery.

CHEF NA: I did a collaboration with Shake Shack earlier this year with a sauce that I have called Aisoon Sauce. We do very limited editions of the sauce and it’s inspired by my grandmother and she’s a Korean ingredient and essentially, it’s a grilling sauce so you can use it on vegetables, meat, a soup base or a vinaigrette base. It’s an all purpose, all around Korean-inspired sauce that was inspired by my grandma.

AM: That’s really interesting and how does your background as an African American and Korean Chef inspire the foods that you create?

CHEF NA: You know, it’s interesting because I come from a French fine dining background in terms of the kitchens that I have worked in and is very influential in how I approach technique. So that’s an interesting way to look at cooking as a whole. It’s either driven by ingredients, where you source them and also technique. So, my background being African American-Korean, I grew up with a lot – let’s say from, 0-6, being influenced by my grandmothers food from the Korean side very traditionally and a lot of foreign flavors. That’s what I saw as that’s what she cooked and it was very traditional. Then, after she passed away, being influenced by the other side of my family was huge! My dad’s side is from Pass Christian, Mississippi, I’m a 3rd generation Angeleno – but on his side, there was a lot of Hot Water Cornbread and delicious Southern style cooking and those are the foods that I grew up eating.

Life is a journey and it’s all about learning. Right before the pandemic, I did this dinner and it was the first time that I explored a menu that I felt was truly a form of self-expression. It was a very Afro-Korean inspired menu and that was super cool. My style is very global. I draw from an inspiration of Los Angelos being my terroir – I cook very seasonally and I try to cook what Mother Nature is celebrating at that time so right now it’s stone fruit, corn, chilis and eggplants which are things that are eating very well and I think that that’s important to be in this sort of idea of a circadian rhythm and our planet has a pulse and there’s a time when she’s giving us things based on a temperature and climate that is going on. That ethos is based in my cooking and I don’t know if that is even being rooted in my race. I think it’s about celebrating the human race and that’s what drives my cooking which is so very unconventional because what you see is chefs that are Mexican are making Mexican food and those from China are making Chinese food and that’s not how I am approaching food and it’s so interesting and something that I have a lot of conversations with internally because the idea of identity and how the world sees you and how you receive and perceive the world! Anyone can be their own individual and it’s like for me, my inspiration in cooking is that it transcends the idea of ethnicity and it’s really about human connection and that is my favorite ingredient and that’s what draws and drives my passion for connectivity. Food happens to be that media for me and food is that form of self-expression. It’s also a form of nurturing and for me that’s what drives me and that it is an art. It’s not art on the wall but it is a craft and it can be applied to anything. The idea of something being someone’s craft, it’s a lifelong journey of discovery. I love to share that with people and my food from that lens. I know it’s long winded, but I wanted to be able to articulate that.

AM: I like this answer. As a Black Co-Founder of this magazine and as a fashion stylist, when you’re talking about fashion, I don’t style from a Black background, I have a luxury meets high/low meets Boho aesthetic which is also vibing off of the person and the project that I am working on. I love if you have a pair of sneakers and pair it with an exotic top and making this visual texture experience. That’s not me necessarily being Black, it’s just me loving what I love and mixing it together to tell that particular story.

You’re probably the first person that I have spoken with that in talking about how they approach their food, it’s not based on the background that you’re perceived to come from per se. I love that food storytelling much like in style which has visual texture and storytelling can have those same roots and thought processes. People do need to understand that the experience you are giving others doesn’t always have to come from a prescribed place of an actual experience that you have grown up in and that one can assume that your dishes are going to be collard greens and ham when you want to share another experience entirely.

CHEF NA: I’m telling you man! It’s so nice to have this open and honest conversation about this. I have to tell you that it has been a real reckoning of learning how to explain that because that is how I feel and I have to assume that not everyone knows where I am coming from and so I have to say the words and to hear from yourself as a POC to explain that theory behind art and the vibe – that is the true art of the craft. The whole collard greens and things like that, the thing is that’s such an interesting dialogue because I don’t think that I’m doing a disservice by not cooking the ancestral food, I’m Black everyday – you know? It’s about the lens of an artist! It’s also, I’m a woman so those two things, I have to be frank because when people ask me in interviews all the time – “what’s it like to be a woman in the kitchen, tell me about your Korean background,” – that specifically because in 2008, that’s when my first PR piece came out for me as a brand and as a chef. They talked so much and it stuck in the media and I’ve been seeing it for the last 17 years that the conversation is, “Nyesha Arrington Korean and Black,” and I’m like, ok yeah but I don’t know. It’s interesting to see what sticks and now after all of these talks about inclusion and I’m like, “wow, what’s really going on?” I’m an artist at the core of my being and that comes from my father who is my best friend. He is the best human that I know who happens to be my dad. He’s just an amazing person who has such a universal perspective about life, well read person, he puts himself in other people’s shoes all the time and he would give an ant a piece of food. The guy is an angel and I’m just so grateful for him and I just try to make my family proud with my cooking and things. So this whole Next Level Chef, it’s going to be a huge pillar in my life and I think it just puts a different outlook on cooking, sharing that in the media space and it’s going to be so powerful you know?

AM: I have to say that your scope on identity is a conversation that everyone needs to have with themselves and others especially when it comes to those that have management and people so that they can understand understand how you want to be presented and they’re in step with your vibe. Because if it can’t be articulated to them and they can’t embrace that this is who you are, what it means, etc it’s tough because you will continue to see that disconnect from them and those that reach out to you as the message isn’t being properly placed.

CHEF NA: It’s becoming –

AM: A fight.

CHEF NA: Yeah man and I’m just leaning into it. I think before, I didn’t know and as life happens, you just collect the data and as humans that is who we are. We are literal expressions of what is happening to us. Our duty is to celebrate the past, have the life experience and then carry that into the future because at the end of the day, we’re all storytellers – what else do we have? We’re telling stories and we’re trying to continue and share that. It’s interesting with the integration of tech – it’s fascinating!

AM: For sure!

From what we've been reading, your show Next Level Chef is an interesting concept and has a range of dynamics that make it unique in the food genre. Tell us more about this!

CHEF NA: Basically, probably 6 months ago, I went to guest chef on Gordon’s MasterChef. I went in and I did a dish and this dish which is so ironic because Gordon worked for Joël Robuchon. I did too. I made the classic Robuchon potato and he was – I can’t even tell you. He was standing off to my right and I was cooking and doing the potato and demoing it for the 4 cooks in front of me. The task was for them to recreate it. As I’m doing it, I can feel Gordon’s energy emanating off of him and vibes are real. What words couldn’t tell me, he pictured himself in me on the line and that was the energy that I was receiving and it fed me and I was like, wow this is so cool! Someone who worked for the same chef as me, who’s doing the TV life and is the #1 chef monetarily.

As a 17 year old girl on the line, I found this very early on when I was at a 2-star Michelin restaurant and it’s challenging to say the least. I remember saying to myself, “Nyesha, you need to push and work your ass off to eventually get out from behind the stove.” Because, I saw very quickly that if you don’t create options for yourself for growth, you get stuck and I never wanted to be that. I always had a big dream. I say that because when I did some research, Gordon Ramsay was always one of those people that’s doing it right and scaling properly in terms of brand building and all the things. In that moment when I was cooking the dish, it was just so cool to see a set and by that time, I had been on many sets – but to see a set driven by a chef was just a whole new world. It’s not a random producer who’s like painting this dream for the crew to recreate. It’s a kitchen and it felt like I was on a real kitchen again.

I did the dish, was on the show, left the set and Gordon basically came running out and was like, ”hey, who are you?” and shook my hand. My heart was pounding and he hugged me and tears just fell out of my eyes. It was a beautiful moment because I felt safe and I knew that this guy sees me. We shared that moment, his assistant was there and he was like reach out to her and they actually did! So how it came about was the Executive Producer who was there that day, we started talking and he asked me what a show would look like for me. It’s just like what I said to you, celebrating people, storytelling and I’m saying this more and more and leaning into it – I am not a conventional chef and I shouldn’t try to shove my circle into a square peg, let me be a circle and that’s ok! It’s pretty cool and empowering. They saw my authentic self and they asked what spoke to me and I said, the idea of mentorship, coloring outside of the lines – knowing the rules for sure, but being an artist. We had a few chats and then he reached out and said, we have a show called Next Level Chef, he gave me the premise and let me know that it would work well for me as it would be mentor based. I would have a small team of 5 and Gordon would have a team of 5 and we would mentor these chefs to win $250,000 – life changing! I am so freaking excited to say the least! I am so stoked and I can truly make an impact on people with just sharing. We’re looking for a 3rd judge and it’s going to be so cool.

AM: Before we let you go, in prepping for this interview, when looking at your IG, which is a great way to get some insights, we know that fitness is important to you. We noticed that you have worked out with Lacey Stone and we have featured her a few times here at Athleisure Mag and we love her vibes! She just has an authenticity and when I talked with her in person, I connected with her in so many ways and found myself just opening up and being vulnerable with her. She truly cares about her craft and just has a love for people.

CHEF NA: Um you freaking should be, I just had dinner with her a couple of days ago and it was the first time that we had actually hung out without working out. I have to be honest. She really changed my life and I want to pay her mad respect right now. In 2019, I joined her squad camp. Girl, this is real facts right now and it was a real epiphany for me. I was surrounded by strong, badass, kind, vulnerable, authentic humans and it literally changed my life and the idea of strength. Strength shouldn’t only be associated with masculinity and I had never been led by a strong female. The way she conducted her program, her professionalism, her classes, she’s a very present human – it changed my freaking life. I had only been led by European males so I think that in the background, I had only associated strength and ego from that perspective because how else is a European male supposed to lead me other than by what they know, you know? It’s toxic actually because there is a lot of that in my field. So to be lead by that and quite frankly, I have lead like that early on because that is what I was taught. So it has been a process of unlearning.

So when I went to her bootcamp girl, it changed my life! I was the most fit – that was pre-pandemic and now I’m the strongest that I have been in my whole life. I did her class yes and I started out with her 2019 and I lost 22lbs and gained a ton of muscle and it really kickstarted my healthy lifestyle. She’s doing these outdoor workouts on this cool tennis court and she was like, “girl, you’re strong AF and I want to come out and workout with you now!” So, she’s going to come out to my gym which I am going to mention in my ROUTIN3S because it is my favorite!

IG @NyeshaJoyce

PHOTOS COURTESY | Nyesha Arrington

Read the JUL ISSUE #64 of Athleisure Mag and see A Journey of Discovery with Nyesha Arrington in mag.

CELEBRATING FLAVORS WITH CHEF ERIC ADJEPONG

When we connect with a master chef, they take us on a journey exploring their voice through food. Chef Eric Adjepong was a finalist on Season 16 of BRAVO's Top Chef and competed the following season on Top Chef: All Stars LA. He brought West African cuisine and its stories to the dishes he created and ultimately to millions of eyes. He has continued to serve as a judge or guest host/judge on a number of programs including Top Chef: Amateurs and Food Network's Battle of the Brothers (Bryan and Michael Voltaggio) on Discovery+.

His passion for his Ghanian American heritage has led him to participate in a restaurant concept in Ghana as well as launching flavorful food in his newest project with AYO Foods. We delved into his culinary point of view, his background and how important it is to share it with others.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We have enjoyed seeing you on Top Chef as well as a number of other programs. When did you first fall in love with food and when did you realize that you wanted to be a chef?

CHEF ERIC ADJEPONG: It started at a very young age for me around 6 or 7. I was enamored by chefs on cooking shows growing up – Julia Child, Yan Can Cook and I thought it was super, super cool to use fire and to create food. Watching my aunts, uncles and mom especially making food and just seeing that super power and I still think it’s a super power watching them cook to make a meal, which makes everyone stop what they’re doing and come to the dinner table. I have always admired that. I think that’s when it started for me and I’m lucky enough to have parents that fostered that.

AM: Before we delve into some of the projects that you’re involved in, we find it interesting that you have a Masters in Nutrition and you have cited that Chef José Andrés inspired you to do that. What was it that he was doing that lead you on that path?

CHEF EA: Definitely, I went back to study for my Masters in 2012 and a lot of that was spawned by the work that Chef José was doing with World Central Kitchen which was right around that period of time. It was fascinating honestly. I had my Bachelors in Culinary Nutrition so I had already gotten into it. Knowing better and doing better with my food and to be able to go full circle with what I started with, I wanted to be able to present myself as a one stop go-to kind of shop so to speak for food, anything regarding nutrition and culinary. I went to England and studied for about a year or so and it was a lot of fun and an awesome experience. I got to go to Ghana and I got a huge understanding of a global climate – what people are eating, how they are interacting with one another and that was an awesome experience for me. I think that a lot of that experience, the ideas, thoughts, inspirations and what I learned there has influenced me today.

AM: Can you share your culinary journey?

CHEF EA: I’m born and raised in NYC. My family came from Ghana in Kumasi. I was the first person born in the US from my family and I think that that gives me a unique perspective from the food that I cook and everything that I kind of do, it’s woven into me not just the food, but the culture, the way that I greet my parents, greet the elders, the way that I dress – it’s just all West Africa. It just so happens that I fell in love with cooking and have been able to bring to the forefront the food of the diaspora in a way that I think is unique to me, but also super authentic to the flavors to the places that I get my inspiration from.

AM: It was great seeing you on Season 16 of Top Chef as a finalist and then coming back for the next season for All-Stars in LA. What drew you to want to be part of that community which has such a dynamic platform to be involved in. How did you connect into it and you continue to be involved as I know you’re Top Chef Amateurs as well.

CHEF EA: I think it was just my admiration for the franchise even before I got in on my season. I was just a huge fan of the show period. I remember watching in culinary school and was just enamored by the talent and different characters coming out. I knew that if I was ever lucky enough to get on, I wanted to be able to celebrate West African culture as much as possible. I don’t know how it happened to be honest, it was kind of a blur, I was telling my now wife about it when we went out on a date. She helped me to apply which was cool. I did a tasting for them which was awesome and I was expecting a call months later or something like that. They called relatively quickly in a day or so and that just got the ball rolling. It’s an awesome fraternity and network that I love being a part of and not only in my season, but I can reach back to seasons past and it’s the same for those in the future. Even for the chefs that were in their season from Portland, you’ll have those folks reach out that want to do something like a collaborative dinner or to ask a piece of advice – how you handle certain things when it’s their time to be on the show. It’s a pretty huge community and I think it’s pretty cool to have Gail, Tom and Padma close by and you can reach out to them. They’re also ultra supportive as well to all of the chefs. They do a great job on the franchise to support all of us.

AM: From the Portland season, it was great to see one of the episodes focusing on West African foods. Thinking back to your season specifically, it was the first time that we remember seeing this brought forward. You really introduced us to a number of foods that we hadn’t been aware of and now are things that we have been able to eat by you presenting it in your dishes every week. Why was that so important to you to be able to include that in your repertoire of dishes that you were making?

CHEF EA: I knew going in that when I got the green light and I knew I was going to be cast, I had studied Modern American, Modern Italian, French and I knew that I could have gone that route. I think that if I had stayed on that line of thinking, that I could have been weeded out and I wanted to present something that was 1. very second nature to me and 2. that I hadn’t see on the franchise as I was such a fan. In 15 seasons, I hadn’t seen anybody cooking food from the continent of Africa really in a forceful way. So I figured, why not me, why not now – it was a great opportunity and I hit the ground running. I served a Raw bay scallop with Ghanian shito honey glaze, pickled shallots and celery garnish and it was super spicy and flavorful. They had no idea what was going on in their palette but they kept asking me to just keep cooking and I found myself in the finale cooking the same food, telling the same stories and I thought, I could really win off of doing this. I didn’t but I think in the long run, it boosted the profile of not only myself, but for the food of the diaspora.

AM: Absolutely and for those that are not familiar, what are the spices and foods that are indicative of West African foods?

CHEF EA: It’s a lot of warm spices and dry spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, star anise which is used quite often. Rosemary and thyme are huge and really we celebrate flavors and a lot of what is naturally grown in the area and in the region. So peppers, they come from literally everywhere and we use them in a variety of ways. Ginger, habanero, garlic, peanuts, plantains are huge. A lot of dried and fermented fish which we use essentially to what’s readily available. The sun is a great preservative and something that we can use to preserve and ferment and we do that often. It’s a great way to bring out strong and unique flavors in our food. I would say that that is pretty much the calling card and you will see that throughout the diaspora and the Caribbean with the use of cassava and plantains in South Africa, the use of corn and hominy here in the American South with jambalaya and gumbo which means okra – all of these little dishes which go back to the African diaspora in West Africa.

AM: Those are great points when you’re looking at the impact diaspora from a culinary standpoint. We were going to ask you how that affected the foods of the regions.

CHEF EA: Massively. One of the dishes that we’re presenting with AYO is Waakya and it’s a classic rice and beans dish. I call it the OG of the Peas and Rice dish because you will see this variation all throughout the diaspora because you’ll see it in Jamaica, parts of the Caribbean islands, a pretty popular rice and beans dish pretty much everywhere in South Africa and you’ll see it in Haiti. I’m really excited to talk about that and it’s really about the ingredients that we use. The peanuts, the plantains, the cassava and using those in really unique ways. You have to think that when people were being enslaved, they tried to grab what they could and to work with what they had. They braided rice in their hair and took what they could to the New World. They made use of what they had and whatever they couldn’t find or weren’t used to they adapted to what was readily available to them in the new land. You’ll see different variations of a very similar dish with a slight ingredient change and that happens all throughout the Caribbean as well. We use the scotch bonnets, it’s heavy and I think those traces are something that I like to be able to do and to celebrate as much as I can.

AM: How did the partnership between you and AYO Foods come about and what made you decide to introduce the two that will be coming out?

CHEF AE: Pretty organically funny enough. The founders Perteet and Fred Spencer of AYO Foods had reached out and they saw everything that I had been doing and very seamlessly, it was like an easy puzzle. They were pretty much preaching the same gospel that I have been doing if that makes sense and they have been pushing this food forward to get it into the grocer’s frozen and hot sauce aisles. I’m doing nutrition and a bit of fine dining. So the synergy was there and then making it work was something that we had to figure out, but I’m happy that we did be ause not only is the food really good and delicious but the branding is vibrant just as West Africa is. They have done a phenomenal job from beginning to end and I’m happy with the Chicken Yassa dish that we have which is beautifully braised chicken thighs and a rich roasted garlic and ginger sauce, a lot of onions, lemon juice and mustard and it’s cooked down to a beautiful jam with this jasmine rice. Waakye is the rice and peas dish. We have a red rice cooked like a sorghum millet leaves so it leaves this beautiful earthy note with a nice magenta color and we add a little coconut oil, roasted garlic and we season that and serve it with a really delicious sauce. It’s super traditional in terms of how the food is presented and is served, but as far as how it is shown, when you look at the box it’s so eye catching and catches the vibrancy of the plate – I really love what they did with it.

AM: Do you foresee that you will do additional dishes with them? Do you have a list of foods that you would like to add in down the road?

CHEF AE: I would actually! We’ve been able to kick things off without a hitch and have already started talking about collaborating on another dish or two or a sauce. For now, we’re focused on the Waakye and the Yassa and bringing these two dishes out as hard as I can. We both have a really strong effort to do that and I think that when people catch onto that wave, then we’ll definitely open the floodgates with a lot of dishes.

AM: In support of these 2 dishes what will you do in terms of driving awareness? Will you be doing IG Live or things of that nature?

CHEF EA: Yeah, anything that we can do to generate this like an IG Live, Zooms as those are things that people are normally doing to kind of break up the monotony with food and food stories. Doing demos, I’m totally down. They’ve been awesome and we’ve been able to do culinary classes as well with the folks at AYO which has been a lot of fun. If we can continue to do that in different ways to begin talking about this food, then it would be awesome. I’m always excited to do virtual classes as I do them anyway so doing it with AYO, I think that that’s really great.

AM: True, you’re already on that front doing your virtual classes. The fact that you and your wife are doing them together, it's great to see power coupleship!

CHEF EA: It’s been great and thank you for noticing! She’s been great and it’s been awesome and there is a lot of pivoting that had to happen as I’m sure that people are recognizing from last year. Being able to do these virtual classes and my wife being around helping out as much as she can has been awesome. It’s a great way to keep things different and being inside for the past year!

AM: It’s been a long 18 months!

CHEF EA: It has been yeah!

AM: You have 2 books coming out which is insane! Are you working on them now?

CHEF EA: You’re right it’s insane and I’m in the process of doing both of them and am writing them. It was a really smart idea when it was presented to me, but I’m feeling it now and it’s a lot of work. I’m glad I’m doing it this way so that I can get it out and it helps because I can piggyback off of one book to the next one. So the children’s book is somewhat feeding off the adult cookbook. So there are little gems in there and Easter eggs that you will see throughout. It tells the fictional story of a young kid in the inner city who is dealing with identity and food very much so like me growing up. So, I’m excited to share that story. For the adult cookbook, the contemporary one, there will be a huge spotlight on the traditional Ghanian and West African dishes and inspirations from modern times to the places that I have traveled to and what I have learned in between! I’m excited to present both books which will be out next year in Oct and I’m working on them now! For anybody that is writing a book, it’s quite a process so it won’t be out until next year, but I am in the thick of it right now!

AM: Do you have additional projects going on that you’re able to share as you're juggling quite a few.

CHEF EA: Yeah maybe I should slow down ha! But I am working with great organizations and great brands just like AYO and I’m really thankful for that. I have a little bit more TV in the future with Top Chef: Amateurs, the Discovery Network which I’m really proud of and the cookbooks. I’m taking a lot of time as a father and a husband is a title which is its own time and world as well. Hopefully when things kind of settle, I can get back into restaurant mode.

I helped open up a restaurant in Ghana last year which was an amazing experience. It’s been a busy few 18 months as you mentioned, but I like to stay busy and I’m really blessed to be in this position to do what I’m doing as I definitely dreamed about this. I want to take full advantage of this as much as I can.

AM: Why did you want to be involved in opening a restaurant concept in Ghana?

CHEF EA: Yeah definitely, a good friend of mine, who runs a hospitality business that is running the restaurant, East End Bistro in Accra the capital of Ghana in the Cantonments area, he and his partner have run a really successful bar called Bloom Bar. It’s probably one of the most successful bars in all of West Africa, they have expanded and they were looking to hop into the restaurant space. We had a relationship from the Bronx and he moved outand went to Ghana and started his dream with his hospitality venture. It was the perfect moment, I was available because I was not opening up a space here, so I left.

I went to Ghana and I was there for about 8 weeks from start to finish. We opened up, and did the training. I’m definitely open to extending my reach as much as I can not only to cooking in the continent of Africa but also to anywhere that is open to good food.

AM: What do you want your legacy to be in terms of the impact that you created?

CHEF EA: Wow, I’ve never been asked that. I think it’s reputation, being a good person is #1 and something that I should always strive to be regardless of my profession or what I do in my life. I want to make people feel good and decent. That is my personal legacy. I think that career-wise, I just want to be a better chef every single day, every single year. I know that that sounds cliché but the better that I am, the better that I can be of service to people around me. Honing my skills and being the best chef that I can be, I will allow as an artist as it’s not up to me. It’s up to the masses to settle in on how impactful I have been when I pass or move on is. Hopefully, the cookbooks aid into a little of that legacy so to speak where I can have something that will be longstanding and will be around a lot longer then I will be physically. Kind of honing in and being better, will make me a happy person.

AM: How do you do take time for yourself?

CHEF EA: I am probably watching basketball when the season is on. I love watching basketball, sports, going to the gym and listening to music. Listening to music in the dark which I know sounds odd, is so peaceful to me. Listening to an album or two with dimmed lights. If I'm reading or working on something, I'm just jotting it down so that I can see. But I like some good music and some low lights which is probably the best way for me to wind down!

IG @ChefEricAdjepong

PHOTOS COURTESY | Chef Eric Adjepong

Read the JUL ISSUE #67 of Athleisure Mag and see Celebrating Flavors with Chef Eric Adjepong in mag.

MAKE IT WORK WITH TIM GUNN

Tim Gunn is known well for his career at Parsons School of Design which started in 1982, he served as Associate Dean from 1989 - 2000 and would go on to becoming the Fashion Design Department Chair in August 2000. He is noted for retooling and invigorating the curriculum for the 21st century. His mentorship went mainstream as we watched him and supermodel Heidi Klum for 16 seasons on BRAVO's Project Runway. Last year, this fashionable duo debuted Amazon Original's Making the Cut and its 2nd season premiers this month. We chatted with Tim about his career, the show and how we "make it work."

ATHLEISURE MAG: We have been such a fan of yours for years. Looking at the depth of your career and how you have helmed the careers of so many people in the fashion industry, did you ever think that you would be doing what you are doing now?

TIM GUNN: Oh, never in a million years, never! This entire television phenomenon didn’t happen to me until after I turned 50. I had had a very satisfying career as an educator. I never dreamed that this would happen, it’s completely and totally surreal. I still pinch myself!

AM: It’s absolutely amazing and it’s also great to see how you have been such a powerhouse in the industry by sharing your insights. How important is it to you to be able to be such a mentor to so many designers that you’ve dealt with directly as well as to those that you may not have known that you have?

TG: I have to say that it’s a great honor and it’s a role that I take very very seriously. As a teacher for many many years, the greatest satisfaction for me was watching my students bearing witness to them having that kind of epiphany for what they can achieve, what they can do and having that “ah ha moment.” To be able to nurture that and to cultivate that and then to be able to actually see that happen, it’s just hugely satisfying and rewarding. I have the same thrill when I’m working with the Making the Cut designers. I don’t take any credit for their successes and I also don’t blame myself for things that go awry, but I do take great pleasure and honor in being a kindred spirit of sorts and kind of an angel on their soldier that’s there to tell them the truth, to be a cheerleader and to be a shoulder to cry on if necessary. It’s extremely satisfying for me and it’s a huge honor.

AM: We enjoyed the inaugural season of Making the Cut last year. What initially drew you to the format of this show and what did you want viewers to take away from it?

TG: Well, the concept of the show, the format is a concept that Heidi and Sara Rea, uber Executive Producer and I have had for a very long time. We had been forming it, we had been developing it – owing to the success of the other show that Heidi, Sara and I had did – Sara was the showrunner the last 10 seasons of Project Runway. We couldn’t do this, we couldn’t execute this vision. So when Heidi, Sara and I decided to leave, we shopped the show and our dream was to be with Amazon because of the creative flexibility that Amazon provides and the potential of the shoppability aspect. So we wanted first of all, to show a broader view of what the fashion industry is like rather than just showing the making of clothes.

We wanted to talk about branding because without that aspect, it’s just a pretty dress, who cares? For the viewers, we wanted them to be able to shop that look immediately as opposed to, “well you’ll get it in 6 months.”

All of that came into fruition and it was rather miraculous! I still pinch myself when I think about it. We’re just savoring this experience. It’s been phenomenal.

AM: It’s really great to hear that as my background was in Visual Merchandising as well as in Wholesale and I have worked corporate at a number of brands including Lacoste. What you shared is exactly what I love about this show - that perfect balance between creating something beautiful, but also understanding the business behind it which is so important!

TG: Yes!

AM: How do you decide the cast that’s on the show? Last season there were those that I was familiar with and others that were new to me. What are you looking for in terms of that dynamic?

TG: Well, we’re looking for people that have that vision, that have something to say visually, spiritually and practically! We’re looking for – in terms of the group of designers, we’re looking for diversity and points of view. We don’t want a sameness as that wouldn’t be very interesting for the viewers. We’re certainly looking for people who are hungry and really know that this is an amazing experience for them whether they win or they don’t - because of the exposure and because of the profound link of being a part of the Amazon family.

At the same time Kimmie, I have to say that you don’t know, you’re throwing the dice. You don’t know how exactly people are going to perform on the show. You don’t know how they are going to respond to the intensity of the environment and the fact that there are no breaks, we just keep go-go-going. You don’t know and when things do go awry, you hope that you’re able to pick people up and help them along so that they can self-correct in some kind of way. It’s never a dull moment I’ll say that!

AM: With the second season, what are you excited about as I’m sure it was challenging in terms of filming during a pandemic. Here at Athleisure Mag, we went to virtual photoshoots and found a different way to continue. So what are you excited about?

TG: I’m just excited to get the show out and up and to get people watching it! I want to learn things from their feedback. As we know, Season 1, we traveled around the world. Season 2, we stayed put and we were on a ranch in Malibu, California, but the venues that that ranch presented were all so incredibly different, it looks as though we had traveled. It’s hard to believe that we didn’t. We knew that we had to be very diligent and responsible in how we conducted ourselves during that very intense COVID period and we were successful I’m thrilled to say! But it took a lot of diligence and very responsible behavior.

AM: We’re definitely looking forward to seeing you and Heidi as we love your dynamic together. What is it like working with her and having that synergy that you guys naturally seem to have together?

TG: You know, working with Heidi, she’s like a safety valve for me. I relax when I see her, I know that everything is going to be ok, I know that we’re going to have a lot of fun and laugh a lot. She’s like my great antidote to everything that’s bad or unhappy in the world. She brings happiness, she brings light, she brings her incredible spirit – she’s a joy! I’m the luckiest guy in the world!

AM: Tim, it’s been such an honor to be able to talk with you and to hear your insights. I know around Athleisure Mag, whenever there are a number of projects going on from a photoshoot, releasing an issue, organizing schedules etc, I do think about you saying, “make it work” and it just kind of begins to organize the priorities as we approach deadlines.

TG: Absolutely, get that issue out and make it work!

IG @TimGunn

@MakingtheCutTV

@AmazonFashion

PHOTOS COURTESY | Amazon

Read the JUL ISSUE #67 of Athleisure Mag and see Make it Work with Tim Gunn in mag.

THE BACHELORETTE S17. E10. | IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS

Tonight’s ABC’s The Bachelorette brings it all together as so much has taken place over the season and last episode!

The guys are told that Greg has left, but they will still have time with her uninterrupted. Blake and Katie Thurston began their date with throwing paint balloons. She then runs down Michael and Greg and what happened, while saying she had a strong connection with them. We all see Blake’s face as he is surprised how close she was with other men.

They continue their date at dinner. Blake lets her know that he loves her and is excited about life with her. Katie tells him she loves him too. They head out to the Fantasy Suites. They wake up happy and connected.

She debriefs with Kaitlyn and lets her know that she was satisfied many times. She even admits that her heart is with Blake! Now, she’s got her date with Justin, what does this mean for him? Although Justin is excited for their date, Katie talks with him to let her know where she is. She tells him about Blake’s date and that she can’t go forward with him. She doesn’t see a point in him meeting her family. On the couch, Justin saw his scene and is still grappling with it but still has love for her. He feels Katie didn’t give him a real shot and he was there by default. She says that that isn’t true. From that uncomfortable moment, we go to a reel of his faces -awkward transition, but funny moments.

Blake is about to meet Katie’s family and he knows that he is the only one left. He’s meeting her mom and aunt. Katie’s aunt, Lindsey, is tough and asks the hard questions while telling him how it is. Lindsey grills Katie too! Katie’s mom asks pointed questions too. There are a lot of logistics to figure out.

They have another date after meeting the parents. She lets him know it will be serious. They do an exercise to leave negativity behind by sharing their concerns and fears. Neil Lane is called and Tayshia brings Blake the rings. We see Katie getting ready. It seems like Blake is on the fence in terms of proposing.

Katie arrives to give her final rose. Blake at least arrives with his suit and Tayshia lets Kaitlyn know that he was battling about his decision. Blake and Katie are finally together and she has nothing, but amazing things to say to him. Blake talks about their time together, how great she is and he asks her to marry him.

Of course, we head to the remainder of After the Rose. Greg is the last bit of old business that they need to tackle. He got the first impression rose, got thefirst 1-on-1 date but towards the end, it devolved. Katie comes out and is pissed. She says he was never ready for an engagement because she validated him each week. She accuses him of gaslighting her.

Each night, we tweeted about The Bachelor and we chatted along with you (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to talk about what took place!

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SEASON 17, EPISODE 10

Blake and Katie are engaged.

BLAKE 29 - Hamilton, Ontario Canada

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THE BACHELOR CONTESTANTS

AARON 26 - Walnut, CA

ANDREW M. 31 - Walnut Creek, CA

ANDREW S. 26 - Waukegan, IL

AUSTIN 25 - Mission Viejo, CA

BLAKE 29 - Hamilton, Ontario Canada

BRANDON 26 - Mokena, IL

BRENDAN 26 - Toronto, Canada

CHRISTIAN 26 - Newburyport, MA

CODY 27 - Montclair, NJ

CONNOR B. 29 - Columbia, IL

CONOR C. 28 - Edmond, OK

DAVID 27 - NY, NY

GABRIEL 35 - Charlotte, NC

GARRETT 29 - Salinas, CA

GREG 27 - Edison, NJ

HUNTER 34 - San Angelo, TX

JAMES 30 - NY, NY

JEFF 31 - Cranford, NJ

JOHN 27 - Santa Cruz, CA

JOSHUA 25 - Pembroke Pines, FL

JUSTIN 26 - Ellicott City, MD

KARL 33 - Miami, FL

KYLE 26 - Sarasota, FL

LANDON 25 - Bakersfield, CA

MARCUS 30 - Vancouver, WA

MARTY 25 - Reno, NV

MICHAEL A. 36 - Akron, OH

MIKE P. 31 - Surprise, AZ

QUARTNEY 26 - Arlington, TX

THOMAS 28 - San Diego, CA

TRÉ 26 - Covington, GA

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.