Honeydew Farms with Shea Couleé

It is the season 8 FINALE and we've got the iconic Shea Couleé here with us for a tale of love and ambition amongst polyamorous bee farmers. Watch Shea in IRONHEART on June 24th and follow her on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/sheacoulee/?hl=en. Get your tickets for the Normal Gossip Live tour here https://www.normalgossiplive.com/! Subscribe to our newsletter for writing from Rachelle, Se'era, Jae, Alex, and Kelsey, plus blog recommendations and secrets! https://defector.com/normal-gossip-podcast You can support Normal Gossip directly by buyingmerch https://defectorstore.com/collections/normal-gossip or becoming a Friend or a Friend-of-Friend atsupportnormalgossip.com https://defector.com/products/normalgossip. Our merch shop is run by Dan McQuade. You can also find all kinds of info about us and how to submit gossip on our Komi page:https://normalgossip.komi.io/ Episode transcript here https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RNme1Sesauo9Eqj1M2VpN4WKJbE0VeH5IJG4ty7BaPw/edit?usp=sharing. Order Kelsey's book, You Didn’t Hear This From Me, here! https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/kelsey-mckinney/you-didnt-hear-this-from-me/9781538757406/?lens=grand-central-publishing Follow the show on Instagram@normalgossip https://www.instagram.com/normalgossip/, and if you have gossip, email us at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 26-79-GOSSIP. Normal Gossip is hosted by Rachelle Hampton (@heyydnae https://www.instagram.com/heyydnae/?hl=en) and produced by Se'era Spragley Ricks (@seera_sharae https://www.instagram.com/seera_sharae/?hl=en) and Jae Towle Vieira (@jaetowlevieira https://instagram.com/jaetowlevieira?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==). Alex Sujong Laughlin (@alexlaughs https://www.instagram.com/alexlaughs/) is our Supervising Producer. Justin Ellis is Defector's projects editor. Show art by Tara Jacoby. Normal Gossip is a proud member ofRadiotopia https://www.radiotopia.fm/. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices https://dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

• 0:06Speaker 00

  Hello and welcome to Normal Gossip. I'm your host, Rachel Hampton, and in each episode of this podcast, we're gonna bring you an anonymous morsel of gossip from the real world. Y'all, oh my God, we did it. It is episode 10, the last episode of season eight, the last episode of my first season as captain of this gossip ship. Anyone who knows me will not be surprised that I simply cannot let this moment pass without talking about my feelings. And if there's anything I've learned from watching exactly five episodes of Below Deck Australia, it's that as the captain, I get to do whatever I want. So,

• 0:47Speaker 00

  I'm gonna be so honest right now and say that the past few months have been some of the hardest of my life. I don't really have a hard job. Like, I'm actually really fond of saying that there's no such thing as a podcast emergency. Like, I'm not a nurse, or a teacher, or a plumber, or even a cashier at Trader Joe's. Why don't they let them sit down? Like, Trader Joe's, let them sit down. Anyway, most of my days are spent sitting behind my desk in the comfort of my home, which means that I'm very aware of the fact that I make my job much harder than it needs to be. A week or so after season eight launched, our business guy, Jasper Wang, told me something that has really stuck

• 1:31Speaker 00

  with me. He had asked how I felt about the premiere, which had honestly gone better than anyone could have ever really anticipated. Like, host transitions in the podcast world tend to be pretty divisive, so we were all kind of just waiting to see what would happen. And what happened was a level of kindness and support and grace from y'all, our audience, our little gossip birds, that continues to humble me to this day. But at the time when Jasper asked me how it was going, all I could really think about was how much I wish I could have changed in that first episode, and with how much I wish I could still change

• 2:11Speaker 00

  in every episode that has released. And Jasper told me that this show requires the host to be a perfectionist, but the structure of it might actually be kind of perfectly designed to drive perfectionists insane. Every episode y'all hear has been recorded about four to five weeks in advance. The script has been finished before that. And after the story is recorded, my incredible partner, Ciara Spragley-Ricks, turns what can be two hours of tape into the final episode y'all hear. And as a writer at heart, I'm used to being able to edit until the very last minute. And to some degree, I still have that ability as a host. Like, sometimes we're making little precision cuts the day before the episode launches because there's like a pause that's too long.

• 2:56Speaker 00

  But once an episode is recorded, I can't really change anything essential to the story. I can't edit the way I laugh. And I certainly cannot edit my way into being Kelsey. I mean, like, I could try, but I don't think any of us would actually be happy with the outcome. This is getting really, really long, so I'm gonna wrap up this feelings corner with what I actually really want to say, which is that as someone who is almost never satisfied with the quality of their own work, I have been so absolutely blown away by how well this first season has gone. It has been so deeply humbling to learn on such a public stage. I think if I didn't have a team behind me and an ad calendar to abide by, I would

• 3:41Speaker 00

  probably still be tinkering with that first episode. So it really, truly means so much to me that from that very first episode, y'all have been so vocal in expressing how much you've been enjoying my time as the captain of this ship, even as I feel like I'm figuring out exactly what direction we're going in. Y'all are easily the best and easiest part of this job. It is so much fun to be in the middle of writing a script or going through gossip stories or booking guests and thinking, ugh, they're gonna fucking love this one. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you all for making my job easy. That is the end of Feelings Corner. I'm so excited to meet some of you all this September

• 4:26Speaker 00

  on tour. Tickets for Ciara and I's very first tour went on sale on Friday, May 9th. So that means that if you are listening right now and live in New York, Boston, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, Denver, Dallas, Austin, Chicago, or Minneapolis, then you can go buy a ticket immediately at normalgossiplive.com. We are already dreaming up the live show. It's gonna be so fucking fun. And I guarantee that I will cry out of gratitude at at least one of these shows. Probably more than one if I'm being honest. So if you want to place bets on which city it'll be, that could be a fun game.

• 5:10Speaker 00

  Anyway, that is all the housekeeping for today's show. Now on to the gossip. Today for our season eight, season finale, I am so excited to be joined by none other than Shay Kool-Aid. Shay Kool-Aid is an internationally acclaimed, non-binary drag artist, actor, and recording artist from Chicago. You might know them from a little program called RuPaul's Drag Race. Yeah, Shay won season five of Drag Race All Stars, so they are a legend among legends. Starting June 24th, you can catch Shay as a series regular in Marvel's Ironheart

• 5:48Speaker 00

  on Disney+. I am well and truly so honored to be joined by Shay. Shay, hello. Thank you so much for joining me.

• 5:59Speaker 01

  Hey, Rachel. Oh, my God. It is so good to finally be here. I know that like this has been something that's been in the works for like a little minute. And I'm just like, oh, my God, today is the day.

• 6:09Speaker 00

  I'm literally so honored that you're here. This is like such an exciting crossover event for me. The story I have for you is one of my favorites. Before we get into it, I did want to ask, what's your relationship with gossip?

• 6:25Speaker 01

  I don't really spill a lot of tea. My cup. Run it over like it really people love to like pour in stories to me because I'm a really good listener. I'm like that person catches a lot without even trying. And then like probably the two or three people in my like closest circle when it's like really juicy. I'll like spill it because it's it's always coming. It's gotta go somewhere. You know what I'm saying? So I'll give it to my partner. I'll give it to like my like two other besties. And like that's normally where it lies, but I catch a lot of tea.

• 7:02Speaker 00

  Yes, yes, yes. The little birdie told me that you have some gossip for me.

• 7:07Speaker 01

  Oh, oh, yes. Oh, my gosh. Oof, this one. Oh, baby.

• 7:19Speaker 01

  This was like 2010. I'm freshly 21 years old. And um, at this time, this was like one of like the nicest places I've ever lived in. It didn't make sense, but like my friend's dad owned this condo. It's like two floors, right? And there was like three of us that lived there. And we shared this kind of like loft space upstairs. And our other roommate, we'll call him Tito. Tito, he was precious, sweet kid from Wisconsin, but like conservative.

• 8:03Speaker 01

  Um, nice. We were opposites, very much so like different human beings. So anyway, you know, he's supposed to be gone for like the weekend going to this game. I'm at a friend's housewarming party and meet this couple. Them and then this other guy having a good old time, right? So I was just like, oh, my God, like, you know, I have this really cute little condo. And we could go back there and like keep hanging out.

• 8:38Speaker 00

  Oh.

• 8:41Speaker 01

  We're chilling there and I remember like when we walked in, you know, like lights are all off, like just how it left the place. But we had this entryway that you would come through and then like the kitchen was to the right. And on top of like the bar, cause there was kind of like a countertop eating situation. There was a pack of beer and I remember walking in and like we were already like three sheets to the wind.

• 9:15Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 9:16Speaker 01

  But I remember walking in and noticing that specific thing in my kitchen that I did not remember seeing before I left. And I was like, hmm, that's a little odd. But anyway, we're having a good time. There's this like L shaped leather sectional. Next thing I know, all four of us are like butt naked, getting it on full on foursome, early twenty one, early drinking days messy.

• 9:45Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 9:45Speaker 01

  This couple, Tim and Jim, myself and Lorenzo, while Tito was supposed to be out of town.

• 9:54Speaker 00

  Oh, no. Oh, no, not sweet conservative Tito.

• 9:59Speaker 01

  Had the most fabulous night.

• 10:03Speaker 01

  And I wake up the next morning and Tito is sitting there like in the kitchen, like eating a bowl of cereal, just so quiet. And I like have this moment where I like look at that beer on the counter. And then I look at him over on the table and I was just so like, he was in his bedroom. On the first floor, yeah, because it was like past that entryway, like his bedroom was like the first thing that you walked in. So, you know, whatever. Walked right on past it into the living room. Had this crazy foursome.

• 10:39Speaker 00

  Mm hmm.

• 10:40Speaker 01

  And poor little Tito was like locked up in his room the entire time and heard everything. Everything. Talk about gossip.

• 10:55Speaker 01

  He heard it. Everything.

• 10:58Speaker 00

  Oh, my god.

• 10:59Speaker 01

  I was like, hmm, I only like acted out in such just like, you know, a crazy way because I was like, I have the place myself.

• 11:08Speaker 00

  Yes, yes.

• 11:09Speaker 01

  So like, of course, we go get busy.

• 11:11Speaker 00

  Of course. Take advantage of all that space.

• 11:14Speaker 01

  So, yeah, I made sure I gave that leather couch like a good, nice and like bite down.

• 11:20Speaker 00

  That's really considerate.

• 11:24Speaker 00

  I wonder if Tito is also telling this gossip some way, you know?

• 11:34Speaker 00

  Like, I, I want to hear Tito's side of this story.

• 11:37Speaker 01

  My gosh, I'm just thinking of him just like clutching his cover.

• 11:42Speaker 00

  No, exactly. He would not be telling it with like the joy that you told it. It would be like.

• 11:47Speaker 01

  Horror story. Like sharp violins, just like shee, like, you know.

• 11:53Speaker 00

  Yes, yes. Wow. Um, that was incredible gossip. And now I have some for you. Are you ready?

• 12:02Speaker 01

  Oh, yes, I am so ready.

• 12:08Speaker 00

  I'm gonna admit something embarrassing. I know, shocker. I have not had a bedside lamp for um, an undisclosed amount of months, long enough that I basically haven't read before bed for a really long time. And I only realized this because I'm hosting a friend and I was like, wow, they deserve to have a light by their bed at night. I don't. But uh, this finally inspired me to find the perfect bedside lamp. And I had a vision in mind, Wayfair. They had exactly what I need, which is one of those library style lights with like the green lampshade and little pull cord. I have been having this image in my mind of having one and now I have one because of course Wayfair had it.

• 12:51Speaker 00

  For all things hosting, Wayfair delivers high quality, customer trusted products for your home so you can host and celebrate without distress. When refreshing your home this holiday season, Wayfair delivers exactly what you need. Head to wayfair.com to shop all things home. That's W A Y F A I R dot com.

• 13:13Speaker 00

  We've been cooking up a fun, special holiday project for y'all over here at Normal Gossip. And usually when work gets crazy, I kind of just try to continue my life like nothing's happening. But recently, thanks to therapy, this time around, I was like, what if I did not try to pour from an empty cup? And that is what growing feels like. If you've been thinking about starting therapy, then I think you should check out today's sponsor, Growth Therapy. Growth Therapy is built for therapy that actually feels like care. You can find therapy based on what matters most to you, like insurance taken, mental health specialties, identity, or night and weekend availability if you're working a lot.

• 13:58Speaker 00

  Book your first session in minutes and you can start in as little as two days. Sessions average $21 with insurance and some pay as little as $0, depending on your insurance plan. Prepare for holiday glimmers instead of holiday stress. Visit growtherapy.com/gossip to get started today. That is growtherapy.com/gossip. Availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan.

• 14:25Speaker 02

  This show is supported by Odoo. When you buy business software from lots of vendors, the costs add up and it gets complicated and confusing. Odoo solves this. It's a single company that sells a suite of enterprise apps that handles everything from accounting to inventory to sales. Odoo is all connected on a single platform in a simple and affordable way. You can save money without missing out on the features you need. Check out Odoo at O D O O dot com. That's O D O O dot com.

• 15:00Speaker 00

  Today, our friend of a friend is named Lynn. And Lynn is in her mid to late twenties. And for most of her life, Lynn has lived in one of the square states, like Wyoming, New Mexico.

• 15:18Speaker 01

  I worked in Wyoming once and it's very square.

• 15:21Speaker 00

  It's so square. It's so, it's so perfectly square. This is where Lynn got her bachelor's degree in philosophy.

• 15:30Speaker 00

  This is where Lynn met her boyfriend and this is also where Lynn spent the first year of the pandemic.

• 15:37Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 15:38Speaker 00

  So, our story takes place in 2021 and like a lot of people in 2021, our girl Lynn isn't entirely sure what her life is gonna look like over the next few years.

• 15:51Speaker 01

  Tea.

• 15:55Speaker 00

  Not relatable at all.

• 15:58Speaker 01

  We were all scratching our heads like.

• 16:02Speaker 00

  Certainly didn't have an existential crisis.

• 16:04Speaker 01

  Oh, my goodness. Every day.

• 16:07Speaker 00

  Yeah. So Lynn has spent the last few years working as a technical writer, which she doesn't love doing, but it was a fully remote job during the pandemic. So she's pretty grateful for it. Lynn is at the point where she is seriously considering a PhD in philosophy, which I think we all know is a cry for help.

• 16:33Speaker 01

  I, okay, I have a friend who has their minor in philosophy, and I will say they're one of the most charismatic people I've ever met.

• 16:48Speaker 00

  I mean, a minor, that I can see that.

• 16:50Speaker 01

  You'd be like, okay, I'm getting a PhD in charisma with a minor in uniqueness, with a focus on nerve and an emphasis on talent.

• 16:59Speaker 00

  Definitely uniqueness. I will say it's definitely unique.

• 17:03Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 17:06Speaker 00

  Have you ever had a moment like this in your life where you're kind of just like grasping at straws? And you're like, maybe I will finally move to LA.

• 17:14Speaker 01

  Uh, no.

• 17:16Speaker 00

  No?

• 17:17Speaker 01

  No, that, uh, like, I don't like to think about the apocalypse, but if and when.

• 17:26Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 17:27Speaker 01

  Chicago's a really great place to be.

• 17:29Speaker 00

  That is so real. That is really real. I have been thinking about this. Fresh water.

• 17:34Speaker 01

  I could walk to it right over there.

• 17:35Speaker 00

  Yes, yes. And there's no like real natural disasters, like you're not by the coast, no wildfires.

• 17:41Speaker 01

  No fires.

• 17:41Speaker 00

  No, I, yes, correct.

• 17:43Speaker 01

  About to be all apocalyptic.

• 17:47Speaker 01

  But I think about that.

• 17:48Speaker 00

  Yeah. Yeah. Lynn also doesn't really have strong feelings about LA, but she doesn't have strong feelings about anything right now. She's like searching for any kind of motivation.

• 18:02Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 18:03Speaker 00

  So when her boyfriend Cameron develops a new obsession during like the second season of the pandemic, Lynn is like, you know what? Fuck it. A passion is a passion. And Lynn and Cameron have been dating for almost two years now. It's one of those relationships that probably lasted longer than it should have because they had gone through lockdown together.

• 18:27Speaker 01

  Got you. People were like, I'm afraid to be alone.

• 18:30Speaker 00

  Yes. And Cameron has always been a good boyfriend. He has an incredible memory, so he always remembers little details about Lynn's life. And he's tall and he's really good in bed.

• 18:42Speaker 01

  Okay, come on, Lynn.

• 18:45Speaker 00

  And Cameron's one true passion in life right now is bees. How do you feel about bees?

• 18:51Speaker 01

  I mean, we need bees.

• 18:53Speaker 00

  We do.

• 18:54Speaker 01

  They're them. So he's out here trying to save bees.

• 18:59Speaker 00

  Yeah. Yeah. Cameron knows a lot about bees, but Cameron's new obsession has less to do with bees and more to do with a place that we are gonna call Honeydew Farms.

• 19:11Speaker 01

  Honeydew Farms.

• 19:13Speaker 00

  Honeydew Farms.

• 19:14Speaker 01

  Okay. Tastes sweet like Honeydew Farms. Okay.

• 19:20Speaker 00

  So Honeydew Farms is a worker owned bee farm in the woods of Northeast America, and it's kind of a big deal in the bee world. They've got like half a million followers on TikTok and Instagram. They do like educational videos detailing how male honeybees are kicked out of the hive during the winter, which I find to be iconic.

• 19:45Speaker 01

  Bye.

• 19:46Speaker 00

  Exactly. They're like, you're not helping us.

• 19:48Speaker 01

  You're not helping. Bye. You're not gonna eat this, no.

• 19:52Speaker 00

  Exactly.

• 19:52Speaker 01

  Queens.

• 19:55Speaker 00

  But if you look at the comments on the Honeydew Farms videos, it is very easy to tell that a decent chunk of the audience is there because a lot of the beekeepers are hot. And because all the hot beekeepers really seem to love each other. Like, they have incredible on-screen chemistry. It's kind of giving like the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen before it imploded.

• 20:22Speaker 01

  Mmm, okay, yes, no, I see where we're, okay. Mm-hmm, okay, I'm listening, I'm actively listening to what I give you.

• 20:35Speaker 00

  Well, just like the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen circa 2019, Honeydew Farms is doing really well financially. Well enough that like in early 2021, they open up a few six-month-long apprenticeships on the farm. And Cameron obviously applies. He has Lynn help him film his little video to go along with his application. And in May, Cameron finds out he's been accepted to Honeydew Farms. So now our girl Lynn has a choice. She can either fill out grad school applications in her square state, or she can go with Cameron to Honeydew Farms for six months. But before Lynn can really make her decision,

• 21:19Speaker 00

  she has to think about Raven. Do you have any like D-list celebrity crushes? Like people you could feasibly run into at an event?

• 21:29Speaker 01

  Oh, my God, oh, oh, my God, that is, ooh, that is a good one. All the people I'm attracted to are also A-list. I have such incredible, high-end tastes.

• 21:42Speaker 00

  Such great taste. I don't go for D-list celebrity.

• 21:47Speaker 01

  I'm like, oh, I'm like, no, I'm trying to screw up.

• 21:50Speaker 00

  Yeah, I, I actually think that is a great

• 21:55Speaker 00

  way to live your life.

• 22:00Speaker 00

  So Raven is one of Cameron's D-list celebrity crushes. And Raven just happens to be one of the stars of Honeydew Farms. Raven's been working at Honeydew for nearly five years now. And Lynn is mature enough to admit that Raven is objectively like cool as hell. She has like 90s Julia Roberts hair.

• 22:23Speaker 01

  Bad hair. We go up for Julia Roberts.

• 22:26Speaker 00

  Yes, and she looks really cool. She's always wearing these like really nice red cowboy boots. Like, she's a third generation beekeeper and she's famous on the Honeydew Farms channel for never, ever getting stung by a bee, even after like sticking her hand in the beehive with no gloves.

• 22:46Speaker 01

  Wow.

• 22:48Speaker 00

  So like before he even applied to the six month of print-ship, Cameron couldn't shut up about Raven.

• 22:55Speaker 01

  Oh, Cameron. Cameron, he's simple.

• 23:01Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 23:02Speaker 01

  I mean, sorry to just jump to a snap judgment conclusion, Cameron.

• 23:07Speaker 00

  That's the point of the show, is snap judgment conclusions.

• 23:11Speaker 01

  It's giving a little bit simple. Yeah, a little bit simple.

• 23:16Speaker 00

  Yeah, yeah. But Lynn is like, you know what? Everyone is allowed their little crushes, including my boyfriend. And Cameron has always been such a good boyfriend to her and he is so tall. And he's so good in bed. So she's like, a crush is a crush.

• 23:33Speaker 01

  Yeah. She's like flirt all you want with little Raven, just as long as you just be coming home, bringing all that back to mama.

• 23:44Speaker 00

  So do you let your boyfriend go to the sexy beekeeping farm where his crush lives by himself? Or do you go with him?

• 23:52Speaker 01

  Oh, oh.

• 23:58Speaker 01

  I mean, change the scenery, change the pace.

• 24:01Speaker 00

  Yeah, yeah.

• 24:03Speaker 01

  Uh.

• 24:04Speaker 00

  It's only six months.

• 24:05Speaker 01

  Oh, and six months is gonna fly by, girl, yeah.

• 24:08Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 24:08Speaker 01

  Yeah. Mm-hmm. We gotta, we gotta go meet this friend Raven together.

• 24:15Speaker 01

  The three of us are gonna become best friends.

• 24:17Speaker 00

  Mm-hmm. So you and Lynn are on the same page. Lynn decides to go with Cameron. Uh, she told us, quote, "It was pretty exciting to tag along on something like this. Not only was there this weird internet celebrity aspect, but the beekeeping community is kind of romantic and strange."

• 24:38Speaker 01

  Oh, okay.

• 24:41Speaker 01

  It's giving wanderlust.

• 24:43Speaker 00

  Well, at first Lynn loves living on Honeydew Farms. Like, up until this point, she pretty much spent her entire life studying or working a desk job, so it's really refreshing to live off the land. She's never had eggs this fresh in her entire life. Everywhere she looks, there are mountains in the distance. The staff at Honeydew Farms lives in crew houses on the property, and the house that Cameron and Lynn are given is honestly nicer than the apartment they had been splitting back home in the square state.

• 25:14Speaker 01

  Oh.

• 25:14Speaker 00

  Like, there's a skylight in the kitchen and an outdoor shower and floor-to-ceiling windows.

• 25:21Speaker 01

  Bang!

• 25:22Speaker 00

  Right?

• 25:23Speaker 01

  Okay, I see you letting Cameron, okay? Good choice, girl, I see. We made the right choice, Lynn.

• 25:29Speaker 00

  You did. Well, Lynn finds out a few days after arriving that the renovation was apparently fully paid for by a fan of the Honeydew Farms channel. Like, just a random subscriber donated a shit ton of money. What would you expect everyone's vibe at Honeydew Farms to be like?

• 25:45Speaker 01

  So, it's giving, um, I feel like they fucking.

• 25:54Speaker 01

  I feel like they really are. It's giving, um, yeah, no, they, they, it's giving, like, folks are passing it around. Like, it's not just the joint, but like, they're passing, they're passing it around over at Honeydew Farms. Like, it's just like, oh, yeah. That is what my gut said. So I said, let me just speak that out. Well, I don't, you know, we still, we still have some story to go, but I just feel like they fuck it.

• 26:19Speaker 00

  We do, but definitely keep that in mind. Keep that, keep that suspicion in mind.

• 26:25Speaker 00

  So the vibe of everyone is what Lynn was most nervous about. Like, I'm sure we've had the experience of meeting internet famous people in real life and being like,

• 26:42Speaker 00

  yeah.

• 26:44Speaker 00

  But everyone at Honeydew Farms is actually like really cool and down to earth. They tell Lynn that the bees keep them humble. Lynn's like, this is working out great. She's still working her technical writer job and saving a bunch of money since she's not paying rent. And Cameron's having a great time. He keeps talking about how Raven is even cooler in person, but Lynn is still like, a crush is a crush and I have access to all the honey I could ever want. So everything's going great.

• 27:11Speaker 01

  All right, Mariah Carey.

• 27:15Speaker 01

  Have access to all the honey I want. Okay, what you mean by that, Lynn?

• 27:19Speaker 00

  So the very first time Lynn thinks that she maybe made a mistake is the first time that she sees Cameron and Raven interacting IRL. Like, every other week, all the beekeepers hang out at a bar in town. And as soon as Lynn walks into her very first of these happy hours, she's immediately like, uh-oh. It is so clear that Raven and Cameron have insane chemistry. Like Lynn told us, they were both two big goofballs, passionate about beekeeping with their little inside jokes and these looks that they give each other. And the inside jokes are the kind that aren't even funny, you know? Like Cameron is always asking Raven if she

• 28:03Speaker 00

  has an extra hair tie, but he'll just add the extra hair tie to his man bun, which was already tied down.

• 28:14Speaker 01

  Um, I would be so turned off. I'd be like, baby, what?

• 28:22Speaker 00

  Yeah. Do you think this is worth having a conversation about?

• 28:25Speaker 01

  Yeah, I would be like, what was that?

• 28:29Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 28:29Speaker 01

  Because if you're gonna, if you're gonna flirt, I have little things in front of me, they better be fucking captivating.

• 28:35Speaker 00

  No. They, these jokes better be funny.

• 28:39Speaker 01

  Like, we out here together, so we are representations of each other.

• 28:47Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 28:48Speaker 01

  And corny flirting, putting extra hair ties in your man bun, that is corny loser behavior.

• 28:55Speaker 00

  It is corny.

• 28:56Speaker 01

  Don't do that, baby. Don't do me like that.

• 28:59Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 28:59Speaker 01

  Not out here, not with all these influencers.

• 29:01Speaker 00

  Not with all these strangers.

• 29:03Speaker 01

  Not with the bee people.

• 29:07Speaker 01

  Everybody will be a buzz.

• 29:14Speaker 00

  Well, Lynn does bring it up with Cameron, but Cameron kind of just makes Lynn feel like it's her problem. He's like, jealousy is a totally normal emotion, but I actually think it's kind of retrograde for you to think that I can't have expansive friendships with women and still be devoted to you. And then he's like, trying to control your partner is actually kind of emotionally immature. Cameron tells Lynn that basically everyone at Honeydew Farms is non-monogamous, which Cameron thinks is so interesting and super evolved. And this isn't the first time Cameron has dropped some not so subtle hints and Lynn has mostly ignored these.

• 29:54Speaker 01

  Oh.

• 29:55Speaker 00

  Until she meets Chase. Chase is one of the hot beekeepers at Honeydew Farms. He's a Marxist and he's got like salt and pepper hair.

• 30:05Speaker 01

  Oh, ooh, okay, daddy. Wait, what is it? Chase? Is it? That were, mhm, okay.

• 30:14Speaker 00

  Chase has been married to his wife for 10 years and both of them live on the farm and their marriage is open.

• 30:19Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 30:21Speaker 00

  Up until this point, Lynn's always been monogamous, but now she's like, I can't lie. I'm a little intrigued.

• 30:27Speaker 01

  Uh huh. Mm hmm. Because little Mr. Cameron out here with Raven, I can only imagine her meeting this chase.

• 30:38Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 30:39Speaker 01

  Pepper, a little seasoned, you know, seasoned.

• 30:44Speaker 00

  Out on the farm.

• 30:45Speaker 01

  Mm.

• 30:46Speaker 00

  Probably wearing a flannel.

• 30:47Speaker 01

  Oh, I'm I'm imagining like the Brony man like all grown up.

• 30:51Speaker 00

  Oh, yes.

• 30:54Speaker 00

  Yes. Yeah, you and Lynn are actually on the exact same page because Lynn is not feeling super attracted to Cameron right now.

• 31:01Speaker 01

  Man, yeah, I feel you, girl.

• 31:02Speaker 00

  Between his crush on Raven and the fact that he's been acting a little weird since they came to Honeydew Farms.

• 31:10Speaker 01

  Mm hmm.

• 31:11Speaker 00

  Like, the whole reason they had come was because Cameron was obsessed with bees, right? But he doesn't even really seem to care that much about learning the ins and outs of beekeeping. Instead, when Cameron comes home, all he can talk about, besides Raven, is what content is being filmed that day? Or like what advertisers Honeydew Farms is working with? Lynn can't help but notice how often Cameron appears shirtless in the back of like the Honeydew Farms live streams. And she's like, that doesn't seem wise considering they're working with bees. But what do I know? It is giving her a little bit of the ick.

• 31:47Speaker 01

  I'm feeling it too. I'm feeling it too, girl. Like, my stomach is literally going. Like, it is churning, like, I'm sitting here listening to this in the way. Man bun shirtless.

• 32:03Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 32:04Speaker 01

  In the background of these live streams. Oh, my God.

• 32:08Speaker 00

  It is corny. That's such a perfect word for it. Like, it's so corny.

• 32:12Speaker 01

  Like, it's just, oh, the way my coochie was right up.

• 32:16Speaker 00

  Yeah, so our girl Lynn is in a bit of a conundrum because she's kind of starting to get the ick from Cameron. But she's also like, we can't break up. Where will I live?

• 32:27Speaker 01

  Right, right.

• 32:30Speaker 00

  Yeah. All of this comes to a head a few weeks after Cameron and Lynn arrive at Honeydew Farms. The staff throws their annual Midsummer's night party. There is.

• 32:41Speaker 01

  My God. Because I was like, this is already giving like midsummer and like this way.

• 32:51Speaker 00

  It's got weed infused honey. They've got honey wine. They've got shrooms that are probably also somehow infused with honey, I'm sure.

• 32:59Speaker 01

  Yeah, they're gonna go through another plane.

• 33:01Speaker 00

  Yeah, so Lynn decides to partake of the shrooms.

• 33:05Speaker 01

  I'm sure. Hmm, yeah, it's a party.

• 33:08Speaker 00

  Yeah, so Lynn's on her little shroom trip and she's hanging out by the fire when she sees Cameron and Raven like sidle up to each other. And she's feeling a mix of emotions and then she sees Chase, our hot Marxist, sitting with his wife. And Chase catches Lynn's eye and winks and Chase's wife smiles at Lynn.

• 33:31Speaker 01

  Yes, Lynn, Lynn, you better, Lynn.

• 33:36Speaker 00

  Lynn is like, maybe it's the shrooms, but I feel like I'm having an epiphany.

• 33:40Speaker 01

  Go and be at the top of that sexy little pyramid. This triangle, girl.

• 33:49Speaker 00

  Yes, Lynn looks back and forth between Cameron and Raven and then she looks at Chase and his wife. And Lynn's like, what if my relationship doesn't need to end? What if it needs to grow?

• 34:19Speaker 00

  So later that night Lynn tells Cameron that she wants to open their relationship and Cameron is over the moon. He's like, we should talk to Raven about this. She's been non-monogamous forever. Lynn's like, you know what, whatever, knowledge is power. Except when they talk to Raven the next day, Raven is suddenly acting really fucking weird. Like Raven is Miss Tough Bitch who doesn't get stung. Except now Lynn told us Raven's talking to me in this voice like a wounded little animal. Like a bit like how Mia God speaks and this is how she will talk to me for the rest of my relationship with Cameron.

• 35:00Speaker 01

  No, not that, not Raven, ew. What, I hope she called her out. I would be like, miss, stop it. That's why, why are you being like this?

• 35:13Speaker 00

  Well, now that Lynn is no longer high on mushrooms and it's the light of day and she's hearing Raven's weird little wounded animal voice, Lynn's like, what the fuck did I agree to?

• 35:22Speaker 01

  Oh, my god.

• 35:24Speaker 00

  What's your like usual response to stress?

• 35:26Speaker 01

  I just wanna lay in bed and like doom scroll.

• 35:30Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 35:30Speaker 01

  Or eat.

• 35:31Speaker 00

  Yes, yes. Those are also some of my stress responses. One of them I have is Googling. Like, I think it's because my mom was a researcher, but if I'm ever feeling anxious about something, I try to find like as much information about it, cuz I'm like, then I can control the outcome, right? And this has never once backfired for me. I've never had to block my own access to WebMD cuz I thought I had cancer when I didn't.

• 35:57Speaker 01

  WebMD will get ya.

• 36:00Speaker 01

  She will get ya.

• 36:01Speaker 00

  She's dangerous. Yeah. Lynn has the same kind of response. Lynn's like, mama, let's research. She basically becomes like a self-taught scholar of non-monogamy. She speed reads PolySecure and The Anxious Person's Guide to Non-Monogamy. She learns about the Relationship Escalator and its alternative, the Relationship Menu. She learns that being polyamorous doesn't actually mean like a free-for-all. She still gets to have boundaries, which is why one night, while she and Cameron are in bed, Lynn turns to Cameron and she's like, I wanna start this new chapter of our relationship out on a strong note. And then she's like, if I'm being so honest, I don't think I would feel secure in this relationship if you were to hook up with Raven. Do you think this is a fair boundary?

• 36:45Speaker 01

  Yeah, no, it is absolutely is. Boundaries are part of it. It isn't a free-for-all.

• 36:51Speaker 00

  Yeah. Lynn's honestly like a little worried when she asked him not to hook up with Raven because of all this, but Cameron's like, you know what? I totally get that. I want you to feel secure, so I won't hook up with Raven. Do you believe him?

• 37:04Speaker 01

  No.

• 37:07Speaker 01

  No, no, ma- no. Never trust somebody with a man bun, sweetie.

• 37:15Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 37:16Speaker 01

  What is he hiding up there?

• 37:17Speaker 00

  Exactly.

• 37:18Speaker 01

  What is he hiding up there?

• 37:20Speaker 00

  His hair is full of secrets.

• 37:21Speaker 01

  Secrets, yeah, girl.

• 37:24Speaker 00

  At first Cameron is true to his word. Give him credit, he starts dating another beekeeper at Honeydew Farms named Vanessa, which would be fine, except that Vanessa is Raven's best friend. So Lynn's like, that's a little bit weird. And Raven in her weird little baby animal voice is like, they're so cute. So Lynn's like, I can't pitch a fit if Raven doesn't care.

• 37:48Speaker 01

  Okay, with the act, Raven.

• 37:51Speaker 00

  At this point Lynn and Chase are hot Marxists, have officially started dating. So Lynn is a little bit like, you do you, I don't actually care. Like Chase has a motorcycle, so she spends a lot of afternoons on like winding mountain roads on the back of his bike. She's like, I don't give a fuck what you're doing back at the farm.

• 38:08Speaker 01

  I wouldn't give a fuck either Lynn, if I was riding on the back of that motorcycle in the woods. Oh my god.

• 38:13Speaker 00

  With Mr. Bronny, yes.

• 38:14Speaker 01

  Yeah, those vibrations, oh my god.

• 38:17Speaker 00

  Exactly. And like, honestly, for a while, things actually go well in this newly open relationship. In addition to Lynn's request that Cameron hold off on dating Raven, they set down some ground rules. So rule number one is if they like someone, they have to talk about it first and tread lightly since they're living in like a really tight knit community, so word gets around very easily. Rule number two, no dates in the house. And then rule number three, for sexual health reasons, they have to check in with each other before getting physical.

• 38:48Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 38:49Speaker 00

  Lynn told us, at the end of the day, we were gonna do what we wanted to do, but the point was to show care and consideration, to not blindside anyone. So at this point in our story, Lynn is elated. She's like, we're being so mature, everyone should be poly. Chase has been non-monogamous for so long that by being in a relationship with him, Lynn is like, I'm learning so much about myself and my own boundaries and like what I want in a relationship. She even starts volunteering at Honeydew Farms on the weekends so she can spend more time with Chase. She texts him with Cameron first to see if that would be too much. She's like, I can totally pump the brakes, Chase and I are just having fun. And Cameron's like, it's a little weird, but I'm willing to work through the discomfort. Do you have any experience with non-monogamy? I feel like straight people have only recently discovered it, like in the past 10 years.

• 39:35Speaker 01

  Um, yes, it's really about like what she said, setting boundaries. So that like, everybody feels comfortable and like, safe and like, taken care of and being able to have like, conversations. I'm actually really shocked that Cameron, Mr. Shirtless Man Bun, is able to navigate these complex

• 40:02Speaker 00

  Right.

• 40:02Speaker 01

  conversations. Like, it actually, I'm sitting over here. I'm gonna give him the credit that I feel like I can, so far.

• 40:14Speaker 00

  So far.

• 40:15Speaker 01

  Uh, see? See?

• 40:19Speaker 00

  So far. But you're right, up until this point, he's doing pretty well. Um, so one night in mid-July, Lynn and Cameron both have dates with Chase and Vanessa, which isn't uncommon. What is uncommon is how squarely Cameron is being when he gets back from his date with Vanessa. Lynn's like, how was your date? Like, checking in. And Cameron's like, it was good. And then he's like, we were actually supposed to hang out with Raven, but then Vanessa didn't feel great. So Vanessa went to bed early. And Lynn's like, how early? And Cameron's like, I guess a few hours ago. So Lynn's like, what have you been doing since then?

• 40:59Speaker 00

  And Cameron's like, just hanging out with Raven, but he's like, refusing to meet Lynn's eyes. And Lynn's like, y'all were just hanging out. And that's when Cameron's finally like, I'm sorry. He's like, we were at the bar and one thing led to another. And yeah, I'm really sorry, Raven and I hooked up.

• 41:18Speaker 01

  Boo. Boo. See, that's what I was saying so far.

• 41:26Speaker 01

  Knew it.

• 41:28Speaker 00

  Yeah, he lasted like two weeks.

• 41:31Speaker 01

  Two weeks.

• 41:31Speaker 00

  He didn't go for two weeks. Lynn like feels her heart drop. She's not like jealous necessarily. Like she's a little jealous, like her and Cameron have been together for two years at this point, but mostly Lynn is like, I just feel really betrayed. Like this was my one big clear boundary that I gave you. So your partner's just broken the clearest boundary you set down. What do you do?

• 41:52Speaker 01

  All right. You know, it's just like, we'll have to have like a conversation and like, we're all human.

• 41:57Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 41:58Speaker 01

  We don't make mistakes. I don't feel like man bun is gonna prove to be worthy, but I'm sure there's more. I'm sure there's more we'll get from Cameron.

• 42:12Speaker 00

  And you're right, there is more.

• 42:13Speaker 01

  Oh, my God.

• 42:17Speaker 01

  I was just like, dude.

• 42:20Speaker 00

  After this, Lynn's like, I need some space and Cameron's like, yeah, of course. The next morning Lynn has a hike planned with Chase. She texts him like, I'm probably not gonna be in a fun flirty mood. Like I had an argument with Cameron last night and Chase is like, that is totally fine. So they go on their hikers plan and Lynn just kind of like unloads everything on Chase. She's like, is it even okay that I'm mad? Like, I don't want to be controlling. And Chase is like, yeah, of course you're allowed to be mad. He crossed like a major boundary. And she's like, how do I handle this? I don't know if I want to break up. We still live together, you know? And Chase is like, yeah, that's really, really tough. And he doesn't really have any answers, but it feels good to just talk it through together.

• 43:02Speaker 00

  And Lynn is feeling a little bit better by the time they start heading back to Honeydew Farms. So of course that is when Cameron texts her.

• 43:09Speaker 01

  Of course.

• 43:10Speaker 00

  And he's like, Vanessa's coming over for a date tonight.

• 43:13Speaker 01

  Oh, all of a sudden she's feeling so much better, huh? Huh? Is Raven gonna come with Vanessa?

• 43:20Speaker 00

  No, Raven does not come, but it's like one of their only rules is no dates in the house.

• 43:25Speaker 01

  Oh, my God. Okay. Cameron.

• 43:29Speaker 00

  Yeah. Every single ounce of emotional maturity leaves Lynn's body.

• 43:35Speaker 01

  What left mine too?

• 43:38Speaker 00

  She walks into the house. She sees Vanessa on the couch with Cameron and without a second thought Lynn is like, hey Vanessa. And then she's like, you might want to look out for this guy. He's not very considerate or communicative. Did he tell you that he hooked up with your best friend last night? And that our one hard boundary is that he can't date Raven? And then Lynn goes upstairs, locks the bedroom door, washes her face, does a honey mask and goes to bed.

• 44:06Speaker 01

  That's so funny because she said every ounce of emotional maturity left her body. To me, that was a bucket full of emotional.

• 44:17Speaker 00

  That's real, yeah.

• 44:18Speaker 01

  I would have snatched him. So yeah, stand ten toes down, Lynn, and tell Vanessa what was up.

• 44:27Speaker 00

  By the time Lynn wakes up the next morning, Cameron is already gone. And Lynn suspects that he's at Raven's, but she doesn't have the time or energy to figure it out because she has got a volunteer shift at Honeydew Farms that morning. Could you give me like three tasks that you think a volunteer might have to do at a honey farm? That mostly seems to employ influencers?

• 44:49Speaker 01

  Um, I would say move the honey. Scrape the honey.

• 44:55Speaker 00

  Yeah. Harvest the honey.

• 44:58Speaker 01

  Yeah. Uh, girl, take pictures of people working with the honey.

• 45:04Speaker 00

  Set up the ring light?

• 45:05Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah.

• 45:06Speaker 00

  Yeah, those are great choices. So Lynn arrives at Honeydew Farms, ready to just like spend some time in her body and not in her mind. She's like, let me do some physical tasks. Except who else is on duty with her that day? But Raven and Vanessa.

• 45:23Speaker 01

  Okay, mm, oh, oh, oh, oh, y'all think that you're gonna show up with your like little best friends and try and jump me on my shift? Oh, no. No, it's okay. You got this, Lynn. You got this, Lynn. Don't, don't think just because she got her little friend with her that you're outnumbered, Lynn, that you can't take these house, okay?

• 45:46Speaker 00

  Yeah, Lynn's like, I can't fucking deal with this shit.

• 45:54Speaker 01

  And you know what, you were well within your right to feel that way, too.

• 45:58Speaker 00

  Yeah, yeah. And the thing is, at first, the vibes are actually horrendous. Like, it's early in the morning, so everyone's barely awake. One of the beehives had swarmed the day before, which is like when an old, clean leaves with like two thirds of the bee colony to find a new location. So everyone's working really quickly to get the new colony set up. So everyone's like sweaty and stressed out, and Lynn is doing her best to avoid being left alone with Raven and Vanessa, which she manages to do until lunch, when Raven and Vanessa corner her.

• 46:30Speaker 01

  Okay, so what the fuck is y'all gonna say?

• 46:32Speaker 00

  You're about to be trapped in a conversation with your boyfriend's other two girlfriends. What do you do?

• 46:38Speaker 01

  I'm his main bitch, so what the fuck are y'all gonna do?

• 46:44Speaker 01

  Yeah, I knew him when he was in a square state, bitch. What the fuck?

• 46:50Speaker 00

  I knew him before he got into bees.

• 46:52Speaker 01

  Right. I knew him before he had hair long enough to snatch up into a bun.

• 46:58Speaker 00

  I watched him grow that man bun.

• 46:59Speaker 01

  Yeah. I watched it when it was a boy bun, okay? The fuck? So what the two of you gonna do?

• 47:09Speaker 00

  Lynn doesn't even really have a chance to do anything because Raven immediately apologizes. And she even does it in like a normal grown up voice. She's like, Vanessa called me last night after she left your place. And then she's like, I had no idea that you'd ask Cameron not to hook up with me. I like would not have made a move if I wasn't under the impression that it was okay. Do you believe her?

• 47:32Speaker 01

  Okay, you're giving me your real voice. You ain't giving me this little, little baby voice telling me that you didn't know and that you made the move, Raven. I'm gonna take you at your word. I'm gonna take you at your word, but don't let me find out.

• 47:51Speaker 00

  You were lying.

• 47:51Speaker 01

  And these, yeah, and these honeycomb streets.

• 47:56Speaker 01

  That you were lying.

• 47:58Speaker 00

  Well, Raven seems to be like legitimately upset. And Lynn kind of feels like the wind of righteous anger get taken out of her sails because Vanessa is also corroborating everything Raven is saying. Lynn has also long suspected that Cameron probably didn't tell Raven or Vanessa that he had agreed not to hook up with Raven. So Lynn is like, I'm gonna be honest, I had a feeling Cameron didn't tell you.

• 48:24Speaker 01

  Mm hmm.

• 48:25Speaker 00

  And then she's like, this is mostly Cameron's fault. If we're being honest here.

• 48:31Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 48:32Speaker 00

  And from here, the floodgates just open. Like shit starts spilling out. Lynn and Raven finally confess like how jealous they've been of each other and how they both tried to deal with it the best they could. Raven's like, yeah, I had a really big crush and I was trying to be diplomatic, but I think I just made it awkward. And Lynn's like, yeah, you fucking did. You talked to me like a wounded baby animal.

• 48:58Speaker 01

  Yes, thank you for finally calling her out on it. Oh, period. I was hoping you would. Yeah. But it's nice that you guys could do the, in like in this moment where you're coming together to like really realize how corny Cameron is.

• 49:10Speaker 00

  Yeah. And Raven's like, I'm so sorry. That's a stress response I have. I didn't mean to talk like that. Lynn is like, this is maybe one of the realest conversations I've ever had with someone.

• 49:21Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 49:22Speaker 00

  Like, I could picture us being friends after this.

• 49:24Speaker 01

  Oh.

• 49:25Speaker 00

  And at this point, Lynn and Raven and Vanessa just start trauma bonding over how dumb Cameron is.

• 49:31Speaker 01

  I love it. Yes, how dumb, how dumb is he?

• 49:37Speaker 00

  Well, they're like, God, he's so good in bed, right? But he always poops with the door open and he clips his nails in bed?

• 49:46Speaker 01

  Oh, my, no.

• 49:50Speaker 00

  Yeah.

• 49:51Speaker 01

  Oh, so he does that in multiple beds. He did that.

• 49:53Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 49:56Speaker 00

  Raven and Vanessa are like Cameron is always trying to get on camera and he won't shut up about growing our platform. He even suggested that we make inroads with the raw milk community and we hate those guys.

• 50:09Speaker 01

  Oh my God.

• 50:12Speaker 00

  Lynn's like, okay, well, since we're doing like truth and reconciliation, I've been dying to know, is Cameron actually any good at beekeeping? Like, I could never ask him, obviously. And Raven and Vanessa both sort of giggle and then they're like, yeah, not really. They're like, honestly, we've both low key been covering for him. And at this point, Lynn is feeling a bit chaotic. So she's like, what if you just stopped covering for him?

• 50:41Speaker 01

  Oh.

• 50:42Speaker 00

  All three of them agreed to take some time away from Cameron. Lynn just tells him she needs space to process her emotions and she's going to stay with Chase and his wife for a few days. Is Raven redeemed in your mind at this point?

• 50:54Speaker 01

  I love it when bad bitches link up to maximize their joint slay.

• 50:59Speaker 00

  Yes.

• 51:00Speaker 01

  Cause I feel like that's what's on the horizon.

• 51:06Speaker 00

  No, I, I love this, this little triad.

• 51:08Speaker 01

  Ah, yeah. Oh my God.

• 51:12Speaker 00

  Cameron very quickly finds out about this John Tucker must die situation. He doesn't know what they said, he just knows that it happened.

• 51:19Speaker 01

  He is like, um, hmm, hmm, something's up. He's like, they all switched it up on me all at once.

• 51:27Speaker 00

  He's like, I feel like the village idiot. Can you guys just give me some grace? And Lynn's like, you are the village idiot and right now is not the time to be asking for grace.

• 51:37Speaker 01

  Tell him Lynn, let him know, let him know.

• 51:41Speaker 00

  Lynn also can't help noticing that over the next few days, Cameron stops talking about Raven and sponsorships and he starts complaining about the bees and how much work they are. And at one point, he's like, I don't even know if I want to be on this stupid farm anymore. I keep getting stung by bees. Lynn, at this point, is like, I could not possibly care less than I do because she's still living with our hot Marxist and his wife. And she and Vanessa and Raven have a group chat now where they just bitch about Cameron. So everything's low key coming up Lynn.

• 52:16Speaker 01

  Yes, yes, I love it. Good for you, Lynn. What do you even need him for anymore now?

• 52:23Speaker 00

  No, exactly. You're good. You're free.

• 52:26Speaker 01

  Yeah, you're living over here with hot Marxist and his wife. Should they make some like, pretty okay food?

• 52:32Speaker 00

  I'm sure their pancakes are good.

• 52:33Speaker 01

  I'm sure they make a mean pancake.

• 52:35Speaker 00

  Right?

• 52:38Speaker 01

  On a fierce griddle at a farmhouse with a double wide outdoor shower.

• 52:43Speaker 00

  Yeah, so the next time Lynn sees Vanessa and Raven is at the monthly Honeydew Farms staff meeting. And usually this meeting is just like, should we plant lavender instead of clover so that our honey tastes different? But this meeting is different because at the beginning of this meeting, Raven stands up. And she's like, I've been talking with some of the senior beekeepers. We've noticed that the people who do the most work are too busy to film content. And then Raven's like, in the interest of fairness, we think time on camera should be directly proportional to time spent doing actual manual labor. That way, no one's doing too much of any one thing.

• 53:26Speaker 00

  And she is very poignantly not looking at Cameron when she says this. And Lynn's like, wait, do I have a crush on Raven now?

• 53:35Speaker 01

  I do.

• 53:38Speaker 01

  Yes, Julia Roberts.

• 53:41Speaker 00

  Exactly. She redeemed herself.

• 53:43Speaker 01

  Yes, early twenties Julia Roberts, like, yeah.

• 53:48Speaker 00

  How do you think Cameron will react to this?

• 53:50Speaker 01

  He is sweating out the edges on that man bun. I know that shit is lifted.

• 53:55Speaker 00

  Frizzy.

• 53:56Speaker 01

  Lifted.

• 53:59Speaker 01

  Sweating. He's like, oh my God, not on camera anymore.

• 54:04Speaker 01

  Oh, gotta work with the bees. Yeah.

• 54:08Speaker 00

  Yeah, he throws a bitch fit, not at the meeting because he's a bitch. But over text later with Lynn, he's like Raven did that because she's jealous of how much the subscribers like me. And then he's like, I do carry my weight. I do so many things. He's like, I made us a media press kit on Canva.

• 54:35Speaker 01

  Crazy flex, bro, but go off.

• 54:40Speaker 00

  He's like, what about that PowerPoint I made on a potential partnership with the raw meat diet subscription box?

• 54:47Speaker 01

  Oh, my God.

• 54:49Speaker 00

  He's like, I bought our new ring light. I contributed so much to the branding.

• 54:54Speaker 01

  Oh, baby. And you're saying this after being told that you were the village idiot, that you didn't think this would sound very village idiot-esque right now, my sweet baby.

• 55:08Speaker 00

  Yeah, at this point, Lynn is like, you know what? Maybe it is actually time for me to go to grad school just to get away from Cameron. Do you think Lynn should start studying for the GRE at this point?

• 55:19Speaker 01

  At this point, okay, it's like we're so pandemic, still feeling a little aimless. Like, do you feel passionate about being a part of this beekeeping community? Or have you had your little moment where you're like, okay, it was fun. I did it for like a little month. Kind of felt like a little sexy summer camp. And now I'm ready to like move on with my life. I would say if you don't see like a future here at Honeydew Farms, uh, then maybe, yeah, girl, start looking into to grad school, just to have it as a safety net.

• 55:50Speaker 00

  Yeah, well, luckily Lynn never has to pick up a practice test for the GRE because without Raven and Vanessa covering for him, everyone on the farm starts slowly figuring out that Cameron is useless.

• 56:05Speaker 00

  His six month long apprenticeship isn't extended when his contract runs out. And it's at this point that Lynn decides to officially break up with him. So Cameron leaves town with no job and no bitches.

• 56:17Speaker 01

  None, none, none one. After a while, they're like, oh, mom, yeah, it's gotta go.

• 56:23Speaker 00

  Yeah, you actually have to do work here. That's the point. It's a worker's co-op.

• 56:29Speaker 01

  Yeah. You gotta work, bitch. Just like Britney Spears said.

• 56:34Speaker 00

  Yes, yes. Lynn does know how to work. So she gets accepted for her own six month long apprenticeship at Honeydew Farms because turns out she's a natural at beekeeping.

• 56:46Speaker 01

  See, see, look at you learning this new skill.

• 56:51Speaker 00

  Yes. Raven even teaches her how to stick her hand in a hive without getting stung. While she continues to date our hot Marxist Chase, who is a model of being poly.

• 57:02Speaker 01

  Yes.

• 57:03Speaker 00

  A few weeks into her apprenticeship, Lynn and Raven are like scrolling on TikTok together. And you know, when you get a video on your FYP from someone in your contacts?

• 57:12Speaker 01

  Oh, yeah. Oh, my God.

• 57:17Speaker 00

  So on Lynn's FYP is a video from a phone contact and it's none other than Cameron. And he's like, hey, guys, it's me, Cam. And here's how I eliminated seed oils from my diet.

• 57:31Speaker 00

  And that's the end of our story.

• 57:36Speaker 01

  Oh, my God. Oh, that was some good, good, good, good gossip. Good for you, Lynn. That's a great one. That one was so good, so juicy. I mean, did you and Raven ever hook up? Because that's where it was doing it for me. That's where in the romance novel, it was going off for me. I was like, oh, I know where it goes after that.

• 58:03Speaker 00

  No, exactly. You're holding hands with piles of bees.

• 58:06Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah.

• 58:13Speaker 00

  Thank you for listening to Normal Gossip. If you have a gossip story to share with us, email us at [email protected] or you can leave us a voicemail at 2679 gossip. If you love this podcast and want to support us, become a friend or a friend of a friend at supportnormalgossip.com. You can follow the show on Instagram and TikTok at Normal Gossip. You can follow me on all social media at HeyDane.

• 58:40Speaker 00

  This podcast was produced by Sarah Spragley-Ritz and Jay Tolvier. Thank you to Samantha Gatzek, our audio engineer, and thank you to Danielle Hewitt for your additional production help this season. The co-creators and Dowager Queens Normal Gossip are Alex Dujong-Lowflin and Kelsey McKinney. Justin Ellis is Defectors Projects Editor. Jasper Wang and Sean Kuhn are Defectors Business Guys. Alex Dujong-Lowflin is Defectors Supervising Producer. Tom Lay is our Editor-in-Chief. Dan McQuade runs our merch store, which you can find at normalgossip.store. Tara Jacoby designed our show art. Thank you to Catherine Chu, Brandy Jensen, Louise Paez-Pumar, Chris Thompson, Jasper Wang, Sabrina Imbler, Dave McKenna, Patrick Redford, and Ray Rado for all your help on

• 59:25Speaker 00

  this season. Thank you to the rest of the Defector staff. Defector Media is a collectively owned subscriber-based media company. Normal Gossip is a proud member of Radiotopia. I'm your host, Rachel Hampton, and remember, you didn't hear this from me.