EXCLUSIVE: Charles L. on His ‘Golden’ Journey

00:00:02
Speaker 1: Hey, everyone, welcome back to Better Happy Hour. I'm Joe and I'm Serena, and we are here with a bonus episode. You guys have asked for it and everyone's talking about Please welcome Charles to the podcast. Charles, you, thank you, thank you good.

00:00:18
Speaker 2: I'm terrific. Thanks, you know, everybody.

00:00:21
Speaker 1: How's everything going?

00:00:24
Speaker 2: So far so good? You know, as if you like during the you know, filming time, you know, as as you probably noticed that I've been traveling also, so I do hear the news or feedback. Particularly, I want to thank my fans, you know, I want to thank for their love and support. As you know, some of the information is coming from my daughter Sofia. So so far, so good. I'm very happy, and so I'm very grateful to everybody.

00:01:00
Speaker 1: Yeah, very very well deserved. Where you've been traveling? Where are you currently right now?

00:01:07
Speaker 2: Okay? Good? You know, the trip was planned way way early, you know, and as Sofia said, oh, Daddy, you really should be here this time in the States rather than traveling. But I thought, Sofia, you know, unfortunately or fortunately this travel plan was kind of you know, scheduled way way early. So first I went to London. You know, to attend friends a dollar's wedding, so you have to have some kind of British accent, you know.

00:01:37
Speaker 1: When I'm there, we were we were actually we were actually just in London. We just got back.

00:01:42
Speaker 3: Ye were nice.

00:01:43
Speaker 1: Yeah.

00:01:44
Speaker 2: So when I was in London, you know, I also sneak out a few hours here and there and visited Buckingham and I observe something. So I did make some comments. I don't know, maybe some fans already saw my comments and they might join me, you know, to to help a little bit, to clean up. You know, I don't it's appropriate, but that's my personality, you know, I try to do something that I can.

00:02:13
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, that's good.

00:02:15
Speaker 3: So just to clarify, you were cleaning up Buckingham Palace.

00:02:19
Speaker 2: Oh not yet, No, no, you think they should.

00:02:23
Speaker 1: You thought it was journey.

00:02:24
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a kind of idea. You know, I'm pretty you know, clean here and there. So this is what I saw, and this is the kind of idea. And I think there are quite a few echoes from my fans. You know. It's a good thing note and a good suggestion. So if I be there next time, of course, I have to ask for permission. First, you know, as you know, you know, the police may arrest me for whatever reason, you know, So that's that's the first trip there. Yeah, do you have something? Yeah?

00:02:56
Speaker 1: Do you have Do you have a favorite a favorite place in the world that you have traveled to?

00:03:02
Speaker 2: Well, actually, honestly everywhere, you know when I travel, I love seems like, you know, all the places that I go to. But my favorite place it has to be something to do with the water, anything river or water. It's kind of my favorite area. So in London, the Paris, you know, when I see the rivers there, I'm always excited.

00:03:27
Speaker 1: Got it? And then where where are you podcasting from right now?

00:03:31
Speaker 2: Oh? And now I'm in China near Shanghai. Okay, yeah, I'm you know, visiting my relatives, friends, you know, a classmates, teachers, you know, and also do some side scene. But of course, you know, one major party is really really enjoy my childhood food?

00:03:52
Speaker 3: And what's your favorite food from your childhood fish?

00:03:56
Speaker 1: Fish? Yeah. How how old were you when you came to the States?

00:04:03
Speaker 2: Somewhere around the twenty six okay, yes, around twenty six years old. Yeah, I mean I was very young, you know at that time.

00:04:12
Speaker 1: And what where did you where'd you come? What state?

00:04:16
Speaker 2: The first? The city? Well, besides I went to the States, I also went to other countries briefly. But anyway, I went to Boston first, Okay, and I love it. It's a gorgeous as you know, Harvard and mi T even though you know, I'm not qualified to attend those kind of colleges.

00:04:35
Speaker 1: But how many people Not many people are, Charles, Not many people are.

00:04:40
Speaker 3: So did you come to the States for work purposes?

00:04:44
Speaker 2: No? I came to the States as a graduate student. Okay, study and yeah, go ahead there.

00:04:52
Speaker 3: And then what do you do for work? Now?

00:04:55
Speaker 2: Well, actually, now I'm retired, but I kind of switched, you know, a career. Before I retired, I was in pharmaceutical companies, you know, research new medicine, you know, analyzed data, so on and so forth.

00:05:10
Speaker 1: Yeah, oh that's what you did.

00:05:14
Speaker 2: That I made a living.

00:05:16
Speaker 1: Okay, do you like it? Oh?

00:05:18
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I really enjoyed it, as you probably can tell now my personality. You know, I love people, and luckily people love me, so I really enjoyed it. Yeah.

00:05:32
Speaker 1: Okay, So let's talk about how you got on a show like The Golden Bachelorette.

00:05:40
Speaker 2: It's a kind of accident in a sense. You know, a few months ago, when Sophia and my daughter, you know, and paid a visit to my hometown here, you know, in Marvin, and I think it probably two days before she was leaving, and we will looking some seafood in the kitchen, and while we were eating and she said, Dad, you know, I show you some program which is you know, Golden Bachelor last year from last year. And she asked me, did you know about it or here? But I said, Sophia, barely, you know, honestly, you know, I have to admit, you know, I didn't watch Golden Bachelor before, you know, for the younger or senior age groups. So she showed me. Then the next day she continued show me some episode, explained, discuss Then suddenly she said, Dad, you should apply for this program. I said, what she said, You'll be fine. But also I said, you know, I mean even during the application process, I doubt you know, I'll be enrolled or accept she said, you never know, you know, just have a try. So for whatever reason this time, I made a decision very quickly. I said sure, so so so we went online and basically, you know, we we look at the application, and then we typed, you know, and pretty fast in English, sent the application in cas what. No, I can't. I can't remember exactly. The next morning or in two days, I received phone call and that game start rolling.

00:07:24
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, that's that's when it that's when it goes quick. Before you, before you applied for the show, were you dating at all? Was was there a dating life?

00:07:34
Speaker 2: No? No, yeah, probably heard. I don't know how many episodes so far have been shown on TV, as you know, I'm away, you know, I assume it's three episodes, and probably got some of the stories for the show. Yeah, yeah, it's unfortunately, you know, something happened to me and my family so quickly and so sadly. Yeah. And later on as you the COVID nineteen situation, so no, yeah.

00:08:05
Speaker 1: And then did you feel ready to start dating when you decided to go on the Golden Bachelorette.

00:08:16
Speaker 2: I was thinking of that, but still not totally ready.

00:08:19
Speaker 1: Yeah that's okay.

00:08:21
Speaker 3: Yeah, Well you have had such a positive response from people watching. How was your experience when you were there? Were you excited? Were you attracted to Joan? What was it like for you?

00:08:36
Speaker 2: Well? Yeah, first of all, I would say from the very beginning. I would use the word a kind of a surprise, a surprise that I say that because I was accepted. I think probably compared with some of my cast members, maybe I was not the most nervous person laid on Ireland. You know, I would was a little bit nervous, but as we opened up our conversation, I became, you know, easier and easier. So so it was kind of a little bit of nervous at the beginning, But when the conversation started and we continued, and I realized John John is such a you know, nice sweet lady, and it was very easy to communicate, and obviously, you know, she understood quote unquote my English very well. So the conversation went on pretty pretty smooth.

00:09:38
Speaker 1: Yeah, So what was it like getting into the house after you meet Jown and realizing that you are about to live with twenty other guys.

00:09:59
Speaker 2: First of all, the first impression of the mansion was great. You know, it was much bigger than I thought, because before the ban I heard there's a kind of mansion. But when I entered, it's a kind of feeling wow, as you know. Besides, we were in the first early groups to enter into the mansion, So there were not many people there, and actually one thing really caught my eyes first is the fireplace and the kitchen. And the kitchen really you know. So then because there were not many guys, you know, we say hi and we spoke a little bit. Then I gradually shipped into the kitchen and I say, wow, Then that's the you know a lot of stuff that I kind of barely experienced before. It's a huge, huge, you know, cooking area.

00:10:50
Speaker 1: Yeah, do you cook? Mm hmm? What what's your what's your signature dish?

00:10:58
Speaker 2: I would say, you know, Jue, next time when you come to my house, I will entertain you with a fish.

00:11:06
Speaker 1: Okay, what kind of fish?

00:11:08
Speaker 2: Fish? Yeah? I mean I can cook a many many, many types of food, you know, many dishes, and I'm not bragging. With that kind of kitchen in the mansion, I can prepare properly eighteen dishes within three hours.

00:11:23
Speaker 1: Oh got.

00:11:26
Speaker 2: I mean yeah, with with a little bit of help from one aid, you know, like a mark or somebody else.

00:11:33
Speaker 3: Yeah, you have to drink Sophia to be your sou chef, right right, So.

00:11:38
Speaker 1: Out of all the guys, who are you closest with.

00:11:45
Speaker 2: This is this is a very very difficult question to answer. Why mathematically, I think that they are pretty very equal. I would if I would say, I would start with a few eleman that I met, you know, the first day, Grag for example, Dan, and then of course my roommates, you know, a guy, uh, Gary and Michael and Chuck. Yeah, I think yeah, And as you know, they care about me, and I'm friendly with everybody, So I would say all of them, yeah, including Jung.

00:12:28
Speaker 1: Was there was there anyone that you didn't like?

00:12:30
Speaker 2: Nope?

00:12:31
Speaker 1: Okay, what was what was Charles? What was happening with you? What was happening with you? And Gary? You guys went to a convenience store? What were you buying?

00:12:46
Speaker 2: Oh? Yeah, it's a I think it's probably it's an idea, you know, coming out from us. And as you heard from the stories, people snow as people get tired and people cannot sleep well, so on and so forth. So so it's a kind of idea. Well, we ask if there's any you know, a local drug store that we can purchase something so we can help. So then you know, we went to a local store and we look around and find something very nice. So we got them and brought them back to the guys who who are grateful to us and very happy to see these items on the table.

00:13:29
Speaker 3: And did it help with the storing and the sleeping.

00:13:33
Speaker 2: I didn't test, but I think that those items will grab us so quickly. So that sent you a message.

00:13:41
Speaker 1: Yeah, somebody wanted them. So you you One of the scenes that we saw is you took you took a top bunk because you were in better shape than most of these guys. What uh, what's your secret?

00:13:55
Speaker 2: Well, you know, in five of us gathered in the room and we had two bunk beds and one flat bed. So easily, you know, we have to you know, assign who to what. So first question we ask our age so and then realize, I, I'm the oldest one. But when I look around, you know, I hate to say shape wise, hide twice some one so forth. So I volunteered, you know, to be on the bank bet on the second level. Yeah.

00:14:31
Speaker 1: Do you do you exercise?

00:14:33
Speaker 2: M I go to the gym, you know about four times a week.

00:14:37
Speaker 1: That's good. That's good. And then how about what's your diet? Look like.

00:14:42
Speaker 2: I'm not a scientist in sense, but I do read, I listen to you know, a lectures. Yeah, and plus along with my common sense, and I try to avoid, you know, a meet as much as I can, and I try to you know, eat as much vegetables or fruits, but with with only limited amount each time. So I want to make sure you know I'm in good fit.

00:15:12
Speaker 1: Yeah, got it. Let's pivot a little. Let's pivot a little to the show. We see you have a pretty heartfelt, serious conversation with guy about the passing of your wife. Can you just kind of talk us through that a little bit?

00:15:27
Speaker 2: Yes, And as I explained at the very beginning that the standards just happened so quickly. I mean, that is, my wife literally a fell from my shoulder. It was sad, and I didn't anticipate, anticipate at all it would be that severe, you know, at that time. But anyway, once that happened, and when the doctor told me, you know that the sad is the story on the earth, you know, I could take it. And I still didn't believe at the beginning. But then later on, and as I was kind of feeling a little bit better, I tried to recall what happened, the questions I had and the answers I was looking for and obviously other parts. Probably I got my answers, except the blood from her mouth that you know, made me very sad. I couldn't figure out so until you know. I one day I sat down with guy who is a year doctor, and he heard my story again and I asked his question and ask Guy, what really which is coming from so based on my information, Guy analyzed and he said, probably it's a bite from her, you know ton. Unfortunately, that you know the bloodin I was very sad, but at the same time I was relieved because that was the answer I was searching for for the last few years.

00:17:06
Speaker 1: Do you think after having that conversation and maybe getting that clarity from guy, you were maybe a little more ready to start taking dating more serious.

00:17:21
Speaker 2: I tend to agree with you, Joe, you know, because once you get answer and you relieved. As a Probably in the show I mentioned, you know, if my wife or alive or what she saw what I'm doing, she might say, you know, Charles, you need to move on. You know that that kind of message, you know, So yeah, yes, I would agree with you, Joe, Yes kind of you know, tend to be readier than before.

00:17:51
Speaker 1: If your wife, if your wife could give you advice when it comes to dating. What do you think she would tell you if she was watching the show.

00:18:00
Speaker 2: Right now, she would tell me always, you know, Charles, the first character you should look for is the intelligence, and the second one that's sweetness.

00:18:13
Speaker 1: That's good.

00:18:13
Speaker 2: So so these are the kind of two characters I would look for, you know.

00:18:20
Speaker 3: Yeah, what are your friends and your family that are watching. What are they saying about the show? What do they think about everything?

00:18:28
Speaker 2: Well, again, you know, since I'm traveling, you know, not like other cast members in the back in the States. You know, I don't watch with them, but I would anticipate there are lots of surprises to them, you know, in the episodes. But at the same time, you know, particularly my daughters and my family members, they want to see a happy Charles, you know, like in the old days. Yeah, I didn't have bothered them in the last few years as well. You know, they are worried about me, and as you know, you know, I'm pretty cheerful person in the old days, if I can say, yeah, otherwise, so they wanted to see me the real chance again. So the program, I think now they would say, you know, it's a good decision. You know, really really it's worth it, and probably they are also grateful to what all the producers, everybody involved, you know, that helped me.

00:19:27
Speaker 1: Yeah, do you Yeah, I was gonna ask do you feel do you feel happier now?

00:19:32
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, yeah, if I can say, I feel my body is a little bit lighter than before in a sense.

00:19:43
Speaker 1: Yeah, that makes sense. We watched you play a little kickball and you had a lot of fun doing that. Was that the first time you played kickball?

00:19:58
Speaker 2: Yeah? Yeah. You know, if I describe this show is it's four of surprises for me, you know, so the kickerboy is another big surprise, you know, and also the kickboard. And there's another terminology you mentioned is baseball, you know, the kickboard baseball at the beginning, So when the when the our bus brought us over there, I said, what are we doing here? Then some guys maybe this, maybe that. Then we saw some coaches, so so the kick ball started. And then as you know, as the time when I went by, you know, we have to divide into two teams, and I kind of guessed the other team was very delighted that I'm in the other team. Why because I didn't have any knowledge experience whatever. So they were sure that they're going to win.

00:20:55
Speaker 1: And then and then who won? You guys won, right.

00:20:59
Speaker 2: Of course the team with Charles l.

00:21:02
Speaker 3: Of course, Charles elst why.

00:21:06
Speaker 2: Now again it's a surprise, but also Luck and the coach and team members, you know, coach me a little bit, you know, before the game, and they show the diagram and explained to me, Charles, what are the rules here and also what I should do. Basically, rather than they tell me, Charles what you shouldn't do, they keep telling you do what we are told and then go on and this exactly. I don't know how the TV was showing in the real but I think at the end I might tell myself probably Charles was the fittest person on the field that day.

00:21:46
Speaker 1: I think you were. I think you were, Charles. I believe that. Do you are? You? Do you have a favorite sport?

00:21:53
Speaker 2: Not necessary? You know, in college, I'm not very strong with sports. But on the other hand, I love all kinds of sports, so I play around anything. And these days, actually, you know, the pickable is my kind of favorite sports.

00:22:09
Speaker 1: Now nice, Yeah, Pickleball's fun. I enjoyed playing it.

00:22:13
Speaker 3: We saw you on another fun group day, which was a little earlier in the season, which was the prom date.

00:22:20
Speaker 1: How did that go for you?

00:22:22
Speaker 2: Oh, that's I'm glad you mentioned this, you know, Serena, it's it's a it's a surprise. As you know, historically I never had a chance to go to prom, and I didn't know much about the prompt per se, you know, until you know I was involved. Sure, you know, my daughters were involved prompt, but as a kind of a general concept, sometimes they are involved, you know, me to do this, do that. But I never went into the real prompt so until that day and they brought me and asked for what is as you know, actually you know that morning when we assigned into a group date and the details about the prom, and I was, you know, asked to pick the suit first, you know, at the very beginning, you know, after the announcement, and for whatever reason that the color you know that I saw it seems like in a match to my style. So I picked that suit and then other ties and vot tax something like that. You know. It turned out to be very very nice.

00:23:35
Speaker 1: Yeah, And then overall, how how is your relationship with Joan? Do you is there a spark there?

00:23:44
Speaker 2: Yeah? Then it was actually the first date, and of course, you know, we start in a limo. You know, we had a champagne, you know, I think it also sat sounds, you know, on the way to the stadium and wait, wait, you see I played games with Joan and I danced with young and other people. We had conversations, and I think later on we had a very atlantic conversations and all distance and narrowed, and it began to you know, I feel about her, and also she you know, noticed that Charles probably the way you know, I kind of behaved or acted, she approved it, I can tell. Yeah.

00:24:34
Speaker 1: That's good, that's good. Were there any from your observation? Were there any other guys that you thought maybe had a really strong connection with Joan that they know, not that date, not that day, but how about how about overall.

00:24:51
Speaker 2: You mean later on?

00:24:52
Speaker 1: Yeah, I just just I would say, just yeah, like where we're at in the season, your opinion, like who has a really strong connection with John Good?

00:25:03
Speaker 2: You know, talking about opinion, there's a kind of circulation around it, you know, as we know, as you know, we discussed a lot. So I kind of joked with the guys, which they believe, they said, I said, I have the data.

00:25:18
Speaker 1: Hm.

00:25:19
Speaker 2: So, so that became a kind of, you know, a popular phrase. So each time when they are puzzled, see Charles has the data, let's go and ask him. So I did analyze the first thing, you know, I thought, who has more roses? And who is more aggressive? You know? So I sensed it.

00:25:41
Speaker 1: Yeah, so who fit that equation?

00:25:44
Speaker 2: I can't tell you at this moment. I think.

00:25:48
Speaker 3: You can't spoil it was was Kim in your room?

00:25:53
Speaker 2: Nope?

00:25:54
Speaker 3: Do you remember Kim's Mansion Men's song by any chance? We just saw it on the last episod.

00:26:00
Speaker 2: Oh yeah. And he sound very well. Actually, he impressed me the first night, you know, I said, wow, we have a navy officer here, and we talked and he's he's very elegant, you know, he talks well and he knows a lot, you know, I mean besides his career as a navy I think a captain, you know, in a sense. And I get along very well with him as well. And the sounds also touched me. I think he's saying, not only the one on the TV. He's said the first night, you know, we met in the mansion. So it's a great guy. In the late time also heard about his own story as well. You know, he has said the story along with him unfortunately.

00:26:51
Speaker 3: Yeah, what would be your advice to people that have lost their spouses and are looking for again.

00:27:01
Speaker 2: I would say, you know, it's it's it's unfortunate, it's very sad, and we have to tell ourselves, you know, we have to admit that. That's the very very tough first action I would use. You have to admit. Then second, you know, be involved, try to be active, you know, don't don't sit in your room or your library. Life will make more miserable. You have to reach out and if somebody you feel like, you know it's comfortable, just say something. You know, you know, people say it was a child, see why it looks so sad today. Then you can open it up. Like one day I was in the other gym that I met my with my you know ex you know, colleague, and she was kind of shocked, and then I began to open it up and I told her story and she was very very sad. So that's the sacond. And you know you have the third. You know, if you're lucky as myself, you know, when your kids kind of you know, support you and try to guide you, in a sense, to into the new direction of your new life. That would be you know, it's the time you should have moved on.

00:28:18
Speaker 1: I think that's yeah, I think that's good advice. Do you want to play a quick game? We're gonna play a game with you.

00:28:25
Speaker 2: I beg your pardon, Joe, you want to you want.

00:28:27
Speaker 1: To play a game, We're gonna play a quick game. Get to know a little about it.

00:28:32
Speaker 2: Pick a ball is a one off game? Or I love to play chess.

00:28:35
Speaker 1: No, we're gonna play a game right now, now, yeah, right now. I'm gonna just I'm gonna ask you. I'm gonna ask you a bunch of questions and it's about you and the first thing that comes to your head. Okay, sure, all right, it's rapid fire, so you don't have to overthink them. Okay, sure, all right. This is get to know Charles favorite food or cuisine fish, yah, favorite place you.

00:29:01
Speaker 2: Visited, any any Rivers related.

00:29:06
Speaker 1: Favorite thing about being a parent, m reading, favorite Britney Spears song.

00:29:16
Speaker 2: That might be tough, but as I mentioned, you know, I listened to all kinds of songs. But I'm not a kind of artist. So any something nice with I listen.

00:29:27
Speaker 1: Yeah, favorite way to unwind after a long day.

00:29:32
Speaker 2: Relax.

00:29:34
Speaker 1: What's the most adventurous thing you've ever done?

00:29:38
Speaker 2: Call me into some very high mountain?

00:29:41
Speaker 1: Oh? I like that? What mountain?

00:29:44
Speaker 2: And what they call it? A yellow mountain in China?

00:29:48
Speaker 1: Okay? Wow? What was the elevation on that?

00:29:52
Speaker 2: I don't know exactly, but pretty high?

00:29:55
Speaker 1: Okay, Go to drink at a bar.

00:30:01
Speaker 2: For me, I would grab a beer. May disappoint you beer, No, no, no, wrong with that.

00:30:07
Speaker 1: If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

00:30:12
Speaker 2: Boy finance?

00:30:16
Speaker 1: I like that? Me too? Me too, Charles, me too. What's one thing you would tell your younger.

00:30:21
Speaker 2: Self caring about yourself and others?

00:30:28
Speaker 1: And if you could sum up Jones season of The Golden Bachelorette in one word, what would it be?

00:30:37
Speaker 2: Spectactular? Wow?

00:30:39
Speaker 1: I love that. I like that. I like that.

00:30:41
Speaker 3: Okay, Charles, Well, it's been such a pleasure having you on to chat with us today. Thank you so much for taking the time. But before you go, could you close out this episode with a few bars from the Mansion Men song if you remember it?

00:30:57
Speaker 2: Sure you know the Kam's fame fame of science, like we are the mentionment and someone and so forth. You know these sound way better than myself. Yeah, but we'll got the gist. Yeah.

00:31:11
Speaker 1: Well, Charles, thank you so much. We really appreciate you taking the time. And to all our listeners, thank you guys so much for tuning in to Better Happy Hour. We'll have exclusive interviews and recaps coming for you every week.

00:31:23
Speaker 3: Thanks for listening. Don't forget to subscribe. Bye.