The Inside Scoop on Freeform’s BEN & LAUREN: HAPPILY EVER AFTER?

The Inside Scoop on Freeform’s BEN & LAUREN: HAPPILY EVER AFTER?

Disclosure: This event and trip to LA was an all expense paid journey sponsored by Disney.  All thoughts, opinions and experiences are 100% my own!

Aren’t they the cutest? Tall too, right? I had no idea that they were both so tall (although she did have on some serious heels) but oh my goodness it was so much fun meeting them! You might remember my interview with Chris Harrison earlier this year. As a fan of The Bachelor since season one, I think it is so neat to watch as these real relationships come out of this reality dating show.

In case you are not familiar, Ben and Lauren met on season 20 of The Bachelor. I was actually cheering them on from the very beginning so it is really neat to see that they ended up together and are now in the process of planning their wedding. Freeform (formerly ABC family) is documenting this process for us in Freeform’s BEN & LAUREN: HAPPILY EVER AFTER? and from what I have seen so far, it is darling!

I have now seen 2 epidsodes of Freeform’s BEN & LAUREN: HAPPILY EVER AFTER? and like the true Bachelor franchise fan that I am, I love it. These two are not just a Ken and Barbie look alike couple. They have so much personality and chemistry! Lauren is a real prankster, and I love watching Ben fall for her pranks. During our interview they both expressed how crazy their schedules are and how they are learning to find “normal” after all of the craziness of the media and programing tones down.

I think that you will find yourself laughing out loud while watching this series. I love how Lauren attempts to add her personal touch to what was Ben’s bachelor pad and one of my favorite moments was in episode 2 where Ben decides to reveal one of his guilty pleasures to Lauren.

They also talked about working through the little things like whose family to spend holidays with (they plan on alternating) and what they are going to do for Halloween (sounds like Lauren is working on a prank to play on Ben). Ben also shared some insight into their friendships and why they actually do hang out with fellow Bachelor show alumni.

There are people from my season of The Bachelorette that I just don’t talk to, but there are people I talk to quite often. Same with, with Lauren and our season of The Bachelor. I think first off, we have a shared experience, that not a lot of people can relate with.  And it does change you.  Like, The Bachelor isn’t easy to do.  It isn’t easy to go through. Also, there’s some awesome people.  And the cool part is, with the show, for at least this short season of life, we get to do some really fun things.

And of course, the show isn’t all roses. They also talked about how hard it is to be in love with someone and not tell anyone. They also shared how hard it is to be so happy and in love one moment, and then also have to face the questions and criticism of the entire world. Ben explained that ultimately honestly was his best defense.

My strategy was to tell her everything, right away. Like, as truthful as I could. Let it sit, let it settle, and we’ll work through it as we went. And I think, I would tell any bachelor that ends up with somebody he really cares about, or any bachelorette, to do that. Because it wasn’t easy, but it works.

Lauren seemed to agree, and it sounds like this strategy worked, as she explained:

There was never anything that I was like, oh gosh, you said that? And even with The Bachelor, when he was the bachelor, I was never shocked by anything that happened.  Which was good, because I didn’t feel like I was betrayed any way, or lied to. But it was also hard to relive those things.

Here’s a cute peek at Ben and Lauren’s new show:

Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After? airs on Tuesdays, on Freeform at eight p.m.

I am certain that they are glad that their days and nights on The Bachelor are over, and now we can enjoy them in this new series. In fact, tune in this week as the crew goes camping in an all-new episode of BEN & LAUREN: HAPPILY EVER AFTER? (airs Tuesday, October 25th on Freeform) In this episode Ben and Lauren head to the woods for a camping trip with some former Bachelor contestants, but all hell breaks loose when villain Chad shows up and threatens to ruin everything. 

In the episode  “Chad to the Bone,” Ben and Lauren decide to go on a camping trip to take a break from wedding planning and get some fresh air and a fresh perspective. Former Bachelor contestants Chris Soules, Haley Ferguson, Emily Ferguson, Lace Morris and Grant Kemp join them for the camping adventure and white water rafting. However, when Bachelor nation bad boy Chad Johnson comes to join them in the woods, old emotions and resentment bubble to the surface and things get real.

THE LETTER Airs right after Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After?

I am so excited about this new Freeform original series called THE LETTER. Basically, it is a reality show that follows four close friends who decide to write a letter to a close friend, sharing with them something that they have been wanting to tell them. 

“The Letter” is a bold, new relationship show that asks the simple question: “If you could anonymously tell your best friend in a letter the things that he or she really needed to hear, would you do it?” In each stand-alone episode, four friends draw names and anonymously write to the selected person a thoughtful, yet totally honest letter outlining their opinion of what needs to be changed in order to improve and transform their friend’s life for the better. For one week, each “reader” must follow all the rules and instructions outlined in the letter – culminating in a dramatic and emotionally charged meeting where the authors of each letter reveal themselves to their best friends. The series is narrated by actress Zelda Williams (“Dead of Summer”). 

The next all-new episode of “The Letter,” airing TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25 (9:00-10:00 p.m. EDT), on Freeform.

Here’s a peek at this series:

Photo credit: Freeform and Dusty from As Mom Sees It