E1150 - Love Island's Sean Talks Recoupling and Justice For Peter Weber

The Viall Files - Nick Viall

Nick Viall discusses the controversy surrounding former Bachelor producer Julie Laplac's upcoming book about her relationship with Peter Weber, emphasizing the power imbalance and emotional manipulation inherent in reali

Key takeaways

• Producer-star relationships involve extreme power imbalances

Transcript preview

What's going on everybody? Welcome back to another episode of the Vauphiles reality recap you did? Reality recap edition. Reality Recap edition. I'm your reality recap edition. I'm your host Nick. I'm extremely activated. I have, I spent all weekend. not his wife's not here she's nesting sira is here we have Mary we have suzy Justin's in the room we also have you know it's a full room also if nally spent all weekend hearing what I'm about to say oh I can't wait she's got all the versions of it but I had the while this weekend and I feel like I'm being gaslit by the internet and I don't know what's going on in Bacheloration I think there's like a currently the biggest scandal in reality TV is going on before our very eyes they don't understand the context I feel like I'm losing my goddamn mind. Hell us activated I know I'm just like you to get it off my chest. What's going on? There is a so there is a book that is about to be released on I think July 7th. It's called the love producer It is written by a former bachelor producer I don't know entirely what's in the book her name is Julie Laplaca I know a little bit she started she started on she actually I think she got her start on Andy season which was my first season I didn't I didn't interact I didn't interact I didn't interact I didn't interact I don't know I know I know she's a little bit I do know about her nice okay but she wrote a book about apparently this relationship she had with Peter Weber pilot Pete pilot Pete when he was the bachelor what and during the season I think so I don't there's only degree there's only degrees of wrong yeah isn't that fucked up so anyways but what I'm so shocked about is that like first of all I heard about this a couple months ago because she reached out Now I didn't pay much attention to it because I honestly without knowing much about the story like already thought it was like gross like that a bachelor producer who like again like there's so much nuance when it comes to we talked so much about the about it on the show about this relationship between reality TV star and producer and it is incredibly nuanced as you know Susie right it's it's a tradeoff but for a bachelor producer to whatever the relationship was and I didn't know much about it I didn't think it was much to exploit that experience and to write a book about it I thought was gross, right? But I also just didn't, I didn't pay much attention, I know the context of the story. I went out to dinner. Now I went out to dinner, now I went out to dinner with one of my good friends, also one of a former executive producer on the Bachelor franchise. And they were just like, have you, did you hear about this book, and I didn't really know about it. And they told me about this relationship, And then I found out that some of my peers in Bachelor Nation are having her on their podcast and talking about it. And again, I'm not sending smoke their way because I'll get, I'll explain why that I actually like just have a lot of grace and empathy for like, again, all of us Bachelor people who like, you know, listen, we have a lot of pros and cons and things that go on Bachelor Nation, but like I feel like I'm the only one who knows the truth. I feel like I'm the whistleblower. I don't know, because it makes no sense to me, because it makes no sense to me that like, like oh my god tea what's the truth well set this story for us okay so here's the thing that people really I don't here's the thing that I think maybe I know that I know that I know or maybe I'm just maybe I'm just like detached from reality I don't know I don't know but I think what people don't understand what's going on here is one just the overall relationship as we talk a lot about about reality TV star and producer but not every producer is There is a big difference between an executive producer and let's say a field producer or a date producer Storyline producer the storyline producer or the lead the bachelor or the bachelorette their main producer Now this person Julia was Peter's main producer now let me explain this relationship now this person is their fucking shadow this person is their lifeline this person is their therapist least six months, pre-production, during production, post-production, while they're producing the show. This person literally has their passport, their ID, their phone. This is the person who like is letting their family know when they land in a different country to make sure they're okay. They're the ones who have intimate conversations with Peter and his family being like, they're like, take care of our child. And they're like, I promise I'll take care of your child. is their whole universe. They're the one doing every single interview with the lead to like keep them opened up to relationships and keep exploring their thoughts and feelings. The immense power that this person has over the lead is like I can't even articulate how in like how much it is now just in general like I think a lot of people are fascinated with the relationship between producer and reality TV star I was talking to some executives. I talked a lot over the weekend, but even when the Taylor Frankie Paul stuff came out we were talking about and we were talking about and we were talking about how the importance of like protecting reality TV stars and that's so fascinating about this world that we all live in right like that we all talk about and you're seeing it a little bit on love island by the way we have Sean from love island on the episode today we have a great conversation with him and there's so much love island stuff to get too. like this kind of contract, this unofficial contract that reality TV star and reality TV producer has, which is basically like the best analogy, I don't know, there's a couple of analogies I came up with, but I've been sticking with the Whitewater Rafting one, which is basically if you go Whitewater Rafting you go take a vacation, you sign up for an excursion, you go to Colorado. This is something you would never doing your own because you don't know this world, right. It's literally dangerous. And the tour guys like, listen, I'm going to promise you're going to promise you're going to promise you're going to promise you're going to promise you're going to this really this really this really this really this really this really this really this really this really this really this really this really this really this really this really this, this, this really this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this really, this, this really, this, this, be incredibly scary, I'm gonna like, you know, but we're when we're all done you're gonna make it through safe, right? Like that's the relationship and there's this understanding that you're going into the world or even a better one more on the nose is the therapist. Like it would be like if your therapist's job was to lie to you and you kind of knew that but they're also person that you would get advice from and support and emotional support but like you know but you really trusted him because you don't really know this world right. your trust in a universe where you have no support system. You don't have the ability to reach out to your family. You literally don't know what's going on in the real world. It is that person's job to let them know what's going on in the real world if it's relevant. And their job is to drip information when it has the biggest impact, not tell them information when they're going to get the biggest emotional reaction. And again, when we talk about these shows, I'm not saying this to like finally expose the basher producers, because again there's this like you know we get a lot from this experience right like most of us all end up okay you know what I'm saying like even Ari who and I was sorry because apparently he comment I can't wait to read it but and I give a lot of my peers grades because I think we're all dealing with this trauma in our own way and honestly I have no idea if the former leads know what I know I think we all know various versions of how like how you know just how much bullshit and how much and all the lies that were told to us and we all kind of process a different way. I mean you look at Ari for example right this is a man who at one point was the most hated man in America but like even then even the producers who were like yo you're gonna be okay he is okay he's like he met his wife he's got a beautiful family he seems like he's living his best life he's still it seems like he's monetizing the experience he's doing just fine even that's a that's a, I bring that's a bring that up example because that's the producer is to do is seduce these people. You don't get to like, I don't know what she exposes, but she wrote this book and it's like this is not, this is her, I did it. If I did it? Like the OJ thing. She's telling on herself. Is there not HR? Like, like, so here's what's so fast. And I want, I want to be clear, I'm only speaking on this because I got Peter's permission. I called him up. Oh my God. Because I was this like Florida. I was like, I was like Florida, I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't, what is, what is, what is, what is, what is going on here. How is this happening? He answers he's in Bangkok, he's a pilot. I saw his real. Yeah, he's in Asia right now. It was one of those weird conversations and I don't want to say too much because I'm just I just wanted to acknowledge that like I'm only speaking on this because I I have his I know You know you know those conversations you're like this? This might ruin his day I don't I don't know how he's processes I don't know where I hadn't spoken to him about this I hadn't spoken to him about this I hadn't I hadn't I hadn't I hadn't I haven't I don't I don't I don't I don't I don't I don't I don't I don't know how I don't I don't know how I don't I don't know how I don't know how I don't know how I don't know how I don't I don't I don't know how I don't I don't know how I don't know how I don't know how I don't I what I'm hearing I don't know how this has affected you I don't even know what your point of you on this experience is but let me tell you mine because I honestly don't even know if he knows what I know anyway I got his permission to talk about it is like as long as you like as long as what you share is the point of you know he's like but you just shared with me because I was like listen I don't want to talk about this is gonna bring you any distress like this is not my goal but I think I think I think I think what you I think what you to you is really wrong and I think it's fucked up no one has your back and I think it's it must feel fucking Chris Harrison wrote the fucking forward to this book yeah it's fucking crazy and I have a ton of grace for my bachelor peers because again I just I don't even know if they know the full truth right again half most of us when we are like processing and decompressing from our experience it's best to just move on it doesn't help us to just like figure out every lie we don't need closure I'm like what 12 12 years from 10 what here are we in the year 20 so it's been 10 years since my last bachelor season it's been 14 years since my first bachelor season and I do have a lot of friends who were producers and even to this day every once in a while will be having a conversation about my experience and they will like almost accidentally tell me something about like a in a way I was lied to I have that experience right and it's kind of a very very it's like it's kind of an icky feeling say something that you realize like they like I have a friend that said something like oh she trusted me so I blah blah blah blah blah and I'm like wait that's actually so crazy that you just like admitted that to my face that you totally took my trust it's weird it's weird it's weird yeah but you just like in honestly it's not productive to go back and like what it's not you know you just move the fuck what are those relationships like now for you guys like with that knowledge kind of again it's it's nuanced it's nuanced it's nuanced to it's I we had kind of not actual beef but like we kind of had like I mean that ending of that season was insane yeah and I don't think he liked me or like that we ended up together and like there was a little bit of turmoil for a while and now we're like totally cool but similarly it's like it serves neither of us to have any kind of like animosity like I see him and we're cool and honestly we have a lot in common you know but it is like there's so many relationships with the truth is that that specific relationship the lead Like, it's always intense, right? My former producer, like she's like a sister to me. Like, we don't talk much, but if she called me up in need, I would be there for her. It's an intense relationship. Sometimes the leads don't even talk to their producer anymore because again, intense, it's always intense. What it's never should be is romantic. I can't, I just can't, and then so anyways, I was, one thing I will say about my conversation with Peter, because I was like I was, I felt like, I felt like, I felt like, I felt like, I felt like, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, I was, his eyes. I felt honestly really bad for him because I don't like I just don't think everyone knows the full scope of just how manipulated we have been over the years and again usually there's a trade-off usually we just kind of all end up okay right like we you know my whole life I'm sitting here today because of that show whatever happened to me in that world it's it's all worked out it's net positive it's net positive but I wasn't I wasn't like coerced into a relationship at a time where I was the most vulnerable and then be exploited for it. Also we know that Peter begged not to come out with the book. Asked her, point blank, please don't do this. Please don't exploit my story and she did it fucking anyways. And you know what's even darker or more cynical about this? You know why you haven't heard from any bachelor producers about why? Because I've talked to many over the weekend and they were all mortified and disgusted by this book existing. You know why? Because they all signed an NDA and they are not allowed. to speak on some of their like you know dark behavior as producers in the shit they have to do to produce the bachelor it would be career suicide they'd be sued the fuck out of I said this to Peter had the same question very innocently and I said well Peter I haven't read the book but I'm gonna go ahead and guess none of that shit's in the book she didn't write about the fact that she had harassment training at work and then decided to groom fucking Peter into like feelings you know what I'm saying she didn't talk about the fact that her job is would probably never otherwise do in that world. It's literally her you know who Peter goes to when he wants to talk to his therapist he gets to yes to go to fucking Julia and get permission to do that like the again like she is literally his whole world in that period of time I have a question so say he's having issues with like the contestants or doesn't know who he wants to choose I'm assuming she's the one that he's going to for like I'm going to hit her for everything she's literally like a hidden contestant on the season and he probably didn't even realize you know what I mean you know what I mean quote from the book that's like the lines were blurred. No they no they fucking shouldn't have been not for you it was literally you literally had harassment training you literally had training about the responsibility as a producer and the power you have over these people the fact that they were blurred it's like this is a delusional person who has basically decided instead of like acknowledging like the crazy thing that she is literally doing she is diluting it into some like ramcom I just think that like it doesn't always work this way with situations because men and women are different in a lot of ways but if the rules were reversed if this were my producer from the bachelor and he was writing a story about how I was the bachelorette or a contestant on the show oh my god if if he even crossed that line I would I mean looking back you there'd be so many lawsuits if he wrote a book about intimacy with me like that would like in that perspective it is actually so absurd and so disrespect so gross it's so gross and honestly shame on Chris Harrison he should fucking know better why do you think Caitlin had this producer on I don't know but like I'd again I give Caitlin a ton of grades because again like we've all had had a bunch of trauma for this I would I will say this I imagine that if Caitlin here's my perspective I would be shocked if she didn't agree with me and I think that like again I also think in that world I think we've all about all this drama, right? I think we've all, every lead, certainly know what it's like to get like fucking harassed by online and like there's a part of you that like I hate to say it but you're almost like at least it's not me when the tea comes out so to speak. But I, you know, and it's the territory, it's like weirdly the territory that we live in is like scandals happen and like they kind of push your career your narrative and it's as f-f'd is like it's also a part of it's a little bit a little bit of it's a little bit of it's a little bit of it's a little bit of it's Trauma bonding is one of the terms that's the most misused out there. Trauma bonding for all of you. It's not two people on the bachelor talking about what happened as the kids. Trauma bonding is what is when you're, the person who's taking advantage of you, when you bond with that person. That's trauma bonding. The person who is like creating the trauma, right? So every bachelor produced a, they've produced drama in your life. They have put you through it, right. Again, part of that is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, you know as we'll get into Love Island this this obviously this episode and this is why we're always like telling the audience is just like you know what honestly just take pause a little bit we do not know the conversations that these islanders are having with producers we don't know how they're being guided we don't know what information is being withheld for them that's given to others like all that happens right but they are it's the job of for that reality TV producer to create these tension moments create these tension moments create these heightened moments because like you know there might be a moment where, you know, Melanie has had her highs and her lows, but when Melanie is creating, through the help of producers is an army of fans who relate to her because they are pushing her in these situations. It's heightened reality. It's, you know what I'm saying? It is, and there's a bit of a trade-off. I've said this multiple times that like in the moment when I went to quote unquote proposed the Cait Caitlin in my second season, at the time I thought other producers were like the most evil people for allowing me to do that for allowing me to do that because they gave me an opportunity to shine, right? And that is the contract we have, is that you're going to fuck with me, you're going to put me in unsafe situations, but you're going to help guide me through that situation, and I'm going to put my unconditional trust in you because like I don't know this world, I'm also going to be, you're going to withhold information from me. And there's that trust. You do not get to seduce this person and exploit that story for your own benefit. wrong. There is no versions of this where it is anything other than wrong and I don't know how much she told on herself and what's in that book but there's only degrees of wrong. I agree and also like what's weird to as Caitlin had asked her like did you have Peter Weber dreams that were vivid and she literally responded still last week and it's annoying. Sika go. Sika that's weird. So like it's still happening. It's giving fan behavior that's like what was. I have some of it here. There's a lot of tea being spilled. So, it's a lot of these pages, but there's so much more beneath the surface that readers will find relatable and inspirational. Come for the gossip, but stay for the lessons, dot, dot, dot. The lessons of what? How to exploit? Well, according to Chris, you will be compelled to laugh and to cry, but more importantly, to look in the mirror and ask yourself some very serious questions that will lead you to a better life. I was like, what part of this story is inspirational. been a question I don't know it's a question for Peter I don't I think he lived it I don't think he needs to read it I'm curious like what what she's actually written like I'm sitting here curious like is there any way that she's like exploiting this story like to us maybe or the the world is but then the book isn't that intimate like is there any world I don't know she's clearly on a book tour yeah I mean she's talking about it there's also apparently she has this so nothing that's kind of fucked almost a bachelorette, right? And so, yeah. So, yes. And I, and I, and I, like, and like, and like, I was, hold on, hold on, let me just tell you the story. I was, and I was, it was, this was confirmed by the, my friend who I had dinner with, that like, there was a meeting. And again, I talked to a lot of, I was, I was on the phone all day, I was on the phone all day, I was, I was, you know listen there there are so many meetings about being the lead it's called casting as one executive told me yesterday like it's not that serious there are more meetings about like who could be the potential lead that doesn't mean you were almost the lead but whatever I digress but there was a meeting and I was like how did you like my understanding to the people I talked to is they no one knew about this actual this relationship wait so you're saying your friends confirmed there was a meeting but didn't know about the relationship so yeah doesn't make sense to me because I get you know but apparently so I guess these rumors started because again post filming that you're filming wraps used to wrapped around Thanksgiving time and then you'd have between Thanksgiving and New Year's was like a downtime again you're still talking to your lead producer every day because you're hiding everything you're hiding again they're hiding again they're the only they're the only person you literally can have an honest conversation with because you can't tell the truth to anyone else again like an incredibly abusive power the New Year's Rocking Eve or whatever and apparently I don't know they kissed or didn't kiss rumor started spreading about maybe something going on between them it is my understanding that no one like no one no one no one no executive or knowing there like knew about it knew about it or even believed it was true because it would have been so fucking crazy but this was a season where again they had no good options because if you remember Peter's end of season was so messy this was a man who was engaged to Hannah Ann had feelings for Maddie it also had feelings for Kelly Flanagan and now you look at that and you think back holy shit the person most responsible for his feelings even more so than Peter was this Julie girl who was clearly thinking about her own interests that's why I said she was like a hidden contestant nobody knew and so so she took this meeting and like the meeting went nowhere fast like again they were they're just like I don't know they heard about a rumor they had a conversation clearly didn't pick her tells it with Caitlin is that she's telling it and by telling it the way she tells it she's to the audience it makes it seem like the producers did know about it and therefore kind of like downplaying the seriousness of her behavior and almost giving us like a permission structure to not think what she's doing is that fucking bad that's what I'm saying like she's she's like out there and no one really knows the truth of just how fucking sinister her actions are because I don't think most people understand the intimacy of this and how much fucking power she had in Peter's life in this period of time, but the way she tells the story is if like people did know about it and they contoned it. Even, Caitlin posting the clip, she in a comment and I'm assuming what Caitlin was saying is like, oh, they had the meeting even though they knew about it and then Julie doesn't answer. She knows. There's no way she doesn't know this is fucking wrong. Or she's literally delusional and unsafe. No one knew that there was actually something going down. But there was a casting meeting? The fans speculated and there was a buzz online. And these producers are just looking for buzz, right? So they followed the buzz. And the buzz was that here is this producer who's out there looking for love and she was like, again, taking advantage of her access to Peter. Again, keep in mind this chick only has access to Peter because it's her fucking job. Yeah. Nine to five. And when we meet these producers, we meet these producers, we're just like, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I guess, I I can't trust you and it's like again there's it we know you can't trust like you we know they lie to us right it like there's an understanding I'm gonna survive this and I'm not gonna nitpick the in between for example like my my producer I'll never forget this time and I probably I never even told her this and if she listened to this episode I don't know what she'll think but we were doing pick up. And she was trying to get me to say something I don't remember what it was and honestly don't think it was that serious but it was but it felt like I was at this and it's so long ago. I'm not saying that because I just I in my mind I can see how you guys could use that and that's not I'm not down with that and we went back and forth and back and forth and clearly you could tell that they were like you need to get Nick to say this and then she started crying. Now granted I at the time thought they were real tears and I felt bad and if I and this is the part where I don't know like she might be upset that I'm saying this I believe now I believe now that she was she had an exhausting day. I do know her mentor was known for fake crying. Again, it's these people's job to make up stories about their personal life and about their personal trauma to get us to open up about our trauma, right? That is literally her job. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think this producer was also in a relationship at the time, a long-term one, or it had ended right before. Something about there was a long-term relationship and now... So I guess there's another po quote quote to saying something I told, I told more things about your fucking job. She writes it like is if like she's pulling the whole like Amanda like you can't help who you love card. Yeah. Like well you know even for Amanda for all the critics at least in Amanda's world it actually is kind of allowed to like explore the relationship as a reality TV star you literally had like multiple classes about like this is the shit you better not fucking do if you're in this job. Also if you feel at any point you're like developing feelings for somebody when you're in a