The Eds: unEDited with Matt Ginella

Summary

Two Ts in a Pod: The Eds unEDited with Matt Ginella

Podcast: Two Ts In A Pod with Teddi Mellencamp and Tamra Judge
Host: iHeartPodcasts
Episode: The Eds: unEDited with Matt Ginella
Date: December 9, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode features a candid conversation between Eddie Judge, Edwin Ariabe, and special guest Matt Ginella—husband to Real Housewives of Orange County cast member Katie Janela. The discussion dives deep into Matt's background as a travel storyteller and journalist, his and Katie’s journey through reality TV, navigating the drama of RHOC, and the personal and familial impacts of being cast members’ spouses. The episode steers clear of superficial housewife chatter, instead focusing on authenticity, support, and truth-telling in the high-stakes world of reality TV.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Bravocon 2025 Recap & The “Househusband” Dynamic

• First Bravocon Experience:

  • Matt describes the energy: "It's the Super Bowl of this Bravo verse...the energy is sustained for that many days in a row.” (04:26)
  • Reflects on the contrast between the difficult season for Katie and the overwhelming support at Bravocon: “For her to go then to Bravo Con and feel the love...from so many fans...and cast members from other shows… it was fun. It was exhausting, but it was fun.” (05:49)

• Navigating Fame as a Spouse:

  • Eddie shares his side: “I didn’t do anything to be on the show. I’m just a supporting cast member for my wife...My M.O. is to stay the hell out of the way and not be a sixth or seventh housewife.” (08:08)
  • Matt observes the “rock star” quality of even the husbands at such events and the positive interactions. (07:47)

• The “Househusband” Circle:

  • Matt enjoyed interactions with other RHOC husbands and Bravo celebrities, such as Charles Oakley and Louie (Teresa Giudice’s husband), and comments on the solidarity and candid off-camera chats. (09:48-12:16)

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Matt Ginella’s Backstory and Media Career

• Upbringing & Family Roots:

  • Grew up in Santa Rosa, CA; youngest of five, “a total surprise” to his parents.
  • Family deep-rooted in California sports—his grandfather was an original part-owner of the San Francisco 49ers. “From that five thousand dollar investment, he put like 23, 24 grandkids through college...it’s an amazing story of investment.” (14:52-17:23)

• Journey into Golf & Journalism:

  • Early passions in sports and horseback riding; shifted to golf in high school after a pivotal event.
  • Career trajectory: gofer, photo editor, and travel writer for Golf Digest, then host on Golf Channel, then entrepreneurship in travel media: “I started my own production company, travel and lifestyle...the month before COVID.” (18:00-22:32)

• Sacrifices & Grit:

  • On balancing grad school and work: “I think back to that time where I had no free time. I was exhausted...At the core of it, this is what I knew I wanted to do. This is what I loved. It was exhausting but it didn’t feel like work.” (22:59-25:24)

• Disrupting Old Media:

  • Frustration with traditional media waste: “I used to say, we killed the cow and only ate the filet. All this other stuff would go to waste.”
  • Vision for digital content and direct storytelling: “For me, it was like, let me help you tell your story and you’re going to own your story.” (25:56-30:07)

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Entering the World of Real Housewives

• How They Were Cast:

  • Multiple outreach attempts from casting, solicited via friends (Byron Scott & Cece Scott from ‘Basketball Wives’).
  • Initial reluctance to join but eventually saw it as a unique opportunity for Katie and for their “Tea Shots” business: “It was literally like, let’s give it a go.” (32:57-37:29)

• Concerns About Credibility:

  • Matt admits reputation wasn’t a concern—until recently: “Not until about two weeks ago, quite honestly.” (30:07)

• Authenticity vs ‘TV People’:

  • Matt draws distinction: “There are people who do TV, and then there are TV people...What you see on anything I do on TV is exactly who I am. And Katie is the same.” (38:17-39:13)

• Family Impact:

  • Despite the strain, being on the show made them a stronger family unit: “It’s made us closer as not only a couple, but as a family. I love her more today than I ever have.” (41:40)

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RHOC Drama: Lies, Loyalty, and Support

• Season 19 & Being Cut Midway:

  • Matt and Eddie dissect the season’s toxic dynamics, with Matt defending Katie: “This whole season really was a mix of lies and bags of lies...you guys were the ones telling the truth.” (43:05)
  • On the reunion: “I just saw a strong man...surrounded by lions...trying to get at you and poke at you and just, you know, trying to get you to get upset and say something really bad. And you just held yourself like a very gracious man with a lot of confidence.” (41:40)

• Conflict With Other Cast Members:

  • Intense focus on the antagonism from Ryan, Slade, Gretchen, Jen, and the lack of authentic resolution: “Their hate for Tamra...that is their tunnel focus is to go after her and you.” (45:37)
  • Dismisses various accusations and narrative twists as “blatant lies” and “a clown show”. (47:03)

• Housewives’ Social Dynamics & Production Realities:

  • Eddie reflects on the show’s editing and incentive for toxicity: “The more toxic the show gets, the more ratings...all the real stories, the good things...are not going to make it.” (50:57)

• Staying True to Self:

  • Matt says he and Katie have stuck to authenticity through it all: “We are who we are. There’s nobody who’s like, that’s not the Janellas...But narratives get twisted.” (39:13)

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Lessons from Reality TV

• Good Takeaways:

  • Stronger marital/parental bonds, better knowledge of family’s and friends’ loyalty.
  • Matt’s appreciation for production: “I’ve been more fascinated by the production of it all from the very jump...They have like 20, 30 people showing up.” (63:14)
  • Bravocon as catharsis and validation: “I see the fact that people see through the smoke and the shade and do see her for who she is and that definitely has meant something to me.” (63:14)

• Advice for New Househusbands:

  • “Love and support your wife...It is Real Housewives of Orange County, but by virtue of them and their lives, we play a role...Just loving and supporting.” (67:35)
  • “If by being such a good husband means you just love your wife and you tell the truth, then okay, I’ll take it. But that’s literally it.” (77:38)

• Staying Out of the Fray:

  • Eddie: “Just don’t get involved with the fight.” (70:03)
  • Matt: “There’s a reason why it’s not the Real House Husbands of Orange County—guys would just be like, ‘Alright, alright. I said that. Well, yeah, go f*** yourself. Alright, well, that’s fine. Let’s go play golf.’” (71:33)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Surviving the Reunion:

  • “I saw a strong man...surrounded by lions...and you just held yourself like a very gracious man.” – Eddie (41:40)

• On Authenticity:

  • “There’s people who do TV, and then there are TV people.” – Matt (38:17)

• On Truth in Reality TV:

  • “If telling the truth is being rude, then you’re not gonna ever convince somebody with a brain that’s not rude. The truth is not rude.” – Eddie (77:28)

• On Real Stories vs Manufactured Drama:

  • “All the real stories, the good things about the Housewives are not going to make it...there’s so much toxicity available.” – Eddie (50:57)

• On Taking Sides & Loyalty:

  • “What am I going to do, say no?...If I didn’t show up, then this bullying behavior has no backstop.” – Matt (67:46)

• Advice from Ron White (via Matt):

  • “Figure out who you are and then see how far that will take you...There’s no way around anything other than being who you are.” (84:43)

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Noteworthy Timestamps

• Bravocon Recap: 04:26–08:08
• Meeting Other Housewives’ Husbands: 09:48–12:16
• Matt’s Family & 49ers Connection: 14:52–17:23
• Journey into Golf & Media: 18:00–22:32
• Work-Life Balance & Passion: 22:59–25:24
• Moving to RHOC/Casting Process: 32:57–37:29
• On Authenticity in Reality TV: 38:17–39:13
• Season Toxicity & Defending Katie: 41:40–47:03
• Production Insights: 63:14
• Advice to New Househusbands: 67:35
• On Telling the Truth at the Reunion: 77:28–78:02
• Would Matt & Katie Return? 86:33–90:33

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Final Thoughts

The episode is a revealing look at the human side of reality TV and the toll (and growth) that comes from living in the spotlight. Rather than gossip or drama-for-drama’s-sake, listeners are treated to a conversation about legacy, honesty, and family. Both Eddie and Matt highlight the importance of staying true to self—and each other—amidst the whirlwind of public scrutiny and contrived television narratives.

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For new or seasoned “househusbands,” Matt’s journey is a playbook for staying authentic, supportive, and unshakeably committed in a notoriously chaotic reality TV landscape.

Transcript

[Eddie Judge]

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[Eddie Judge]

All right, welcome to another podcast of the Eds. My name is Eddie Judge and we have our co host, Edwin Ariabe, and we have a special guest today. He is well known as the husband of Katie Janela of the Real Housewives of Orange County. Katie and Matt have been on the show for two seasons now. They have four children. And interestingly enough, Matt is a travel storyteller and journalist, and he owns his own production company, Fire Pit Productions. And I can't wait to hear all about that. That sounds like a very, very interesting business mattress. Welcome to the show.

[Matt Janela]

Thank you, guys. Thank you for having me. I appreciate this. I have to correct you. Technically, I think Katie's really only been on a season and a half.

[Eddie Judge]

That is a good technicality, right? What a season. I don't think it's ever happened like that since I've been on where, you know, a housewife comes on and halfway through the season, she's out. So it definitely is unprecedented. So, hey, Matt, we're going to really get to know you. I've gotten to know you a little bit better. We got back from Bravicom. We got a really awesome time to have dinner together with Mike and get to know each other. I think the conversation really revolved more around, like, medical conditions, which is typical of our age, right?

[Matt Janela]

Bunch of old guys waxing poetic about their health issues.

[Eddie Judge]

Old guy talk. You'll get there soon, Edwin.

[Matt Janela]

I'm getting there. Don't you worry.

[Eddie Judge]

So first off, let's just recap a little bit about Prabhakan. Did you have a good time? Is that your first Bravicon?

[Matt Janela]

That was my first. I, I, I feel like I've, you know, a lot of people, like, what was Bravo con? How was Bravo? You know, and I'm, you know, we're still sort of processing the whole thing. I, I've tried to describe it as, you know, I don't know, it's like a college football game, tailgate party, face painters. But it's, but it's, but it's like three days. It more like a college football festival or, you know, like, it is, it's, it's, it's the super bowl of this Bravo verse, right? Like, and, and it was, it was incredible. The energy is, is for the energy be to be sustained for that many days in a row. Obviously Vegas supports all of that and then all the different events that are, that are happening. And I, you know, personally, for me, considering, you know, what Katie has endured in terms of, you Know, this. This show and these. This. This particular cast and how she was, you know, in my opinion, I'm biased, but from what I saw, it was pretty. That was pretty. Pretty hard for her. So for her to go then to Bravo Con and then feel the love and see her get the love from so many fans, not only the fans, which. Which are. Are sort of avid. These are avid followers of the show, as you would know, but then there's also these cast mates from all these cast members from all these other shows coming up to her and reaching out to her and supporting her, making. Make Going out of their way to find her. I think for me, as someone who has watched all the tears and the heartache and some of the stuff, she's going to then see that it was. It was fun. It was fun. And getting a chance to sit down and have, you know, even just hear from you, someone. You. You've been around this a lot longer than I have, so to be able to have good, healthy conversation with people who, you know, again, some. Some of the other husbands came up and talked, you know, I was like, wow, this is really cool to get this opportunity. So, yeah, it was fun. It was exhausting, but it was fun. Yeah.

[Eddie Judge]

To say the least. No, I. I totally, sincerely understand your viewpoint on what they did with the. With the show this season. And I was curious to see how Katie's appearance was going to be at Bravocom, because my experience from the first Bravicon is that everybody there, I would say 99 of the people that are there, are super supportive, super fans, and there's never every negativity or. Or. Or bad energy when you're there talking to the fans. They all want to take pictures with you, and it feels good. I always say I didn't do anything to be on the show. I'm just a supporting cast member for my wife. Right. But everybody, you know, seems to, you know, want to support me and take pictures with me, and it feels good to be. To be a part of that.

[Matt Janela]

You're a rock star, by the way. I was privy to the idea. I saw firsthand that almost. I mean, I couldn't believe that just that first day. Yeah, it was. It was cool to also see how many people reacted to you and supported you specifically. That was amazing.

[Eddie Judge]

Yeah. No, I have to say, I do love the Bravo fans. I think that's. That's a really cool experience. And I would. I would honestly say that it would be a lot more rewarding if I was a main character or actually did something you know, for this show. But as you know, my M.O. is to stay the hell out of, way out of the way and let them, you know, do their thing and not be a sixth or seventh housewife. That's just not my thing.

[Edwin Ariabe]

Did you have a line around the corner of just people wanting to take pictures with you?

[Eddie Judge]

No, no, I actually didn't get a chance to do that, but I did throw myself in the mix of it. There was a, at the main expo hall where everybody's at and they have booths and everything. My wife and a number of other housewives were up there doing a talk about something and I just got a little bored, so I threw myself into the crowd and just started walking around. I really wanted to see what the booths were out there. And I thought, you know what, this is going to be risky. I'm not going to get through this without taking a thousand pictures. And sure enough, I took Michelle, our hair girl, and she was my camera girl the entire time. I took about a thousand pictures. And at one point, these two guys were walking by behind me. They're like, I think that's, I think that's Tamara's husband. Yeah, yeah, that's Tamara's husband. And I couldn't help it. I just couldn't hold it in any longer. It's been so many years. I had to turn around and say, my name is Eddie Judge. I have an identity. So I'm okay, you know, with being Tama's house husband, but I do have a name.

[Edwin Ariabe]

Awesome. And Matt, who did, other than Eddie. What other husbands did you enjoy meeting down there?

[Matt Janela]

Let's see. Well, Charles Oakley, which, you know, again, as a sports fan. Oh, yeah. I think he was very friendly. He was friendly. He's also just cool. He's. Yeah, like, he looks cool. He looks like he could still short of the, the gray hair. But even the gray hair looks so cool on him. I, I, I, he, he is fit. He's like, he is, he, he was a, a beast, obviously in the NBA and continues to be looked like he could still go. He finished, I finished his career with 10 rebounds and 10 points a game. Finished with a double double. Basically retired with the double double. I can guarantee you he could still get 10 and 10 right now, tomorrow. Let's see. So Teresa Giudice.

[Eddie Judge]

Oh, Teresa. Her husband, Louis, Louie.

[Matt Janela]

And then he came up to me and sat down next to me. You, you, you had come up there at the end of that conversation. He came up to me. Teresa has been like out of, gone out of her Way to be supportive of Katie. And he came up to me and sat down next to me and we sort of talked about, you know, I didn't even, we just talked about just sort of life on the show and just how what it is like to be a husband of a housewife kind of a thing. And then, you know, and then Paulie, the guy from Ireland.

[Eddie Judge]

I love Polly.

[Matt Janela]

I listened to your interview with him. I'm, I'm, you know, I'm, I'm, you know, I'm part Irish. I've spent a lot of time in Ireland. I love all things Ireland and the Irish. And so I got introduced to him, we had a brief conversation and then I feel like I know him now because I listened to your podcast with him, which was really cool, but. And there are others. I, I, you know, I, I was sitting next to Vicki's, you know, I would say significant other partner. I don't know. Yeah, Mike, at the time in which Vicky essentially accepted the orange from Andy and Mike is, I think Mike is very clearly going to be a guy, you know, assuming Vicki is on in season 20, is going to want to be like you, Eddie, where he's just, I don't think he, you know, he is in support of Vicki. Yes, but he was like, he did very clearly did not know Vicky was coming on for.

[Eddie Judge]

That was, yeah, he was sitting right behind me. I turned around and I looked at him and he had this deer in the headlight look, like, oh.

[Matt Janela]

He actually verbalized the words, oh. And then, you know, but then he very quickly was like, look, this is her thing. I'm supporting her. You know, she. Good for her. Like, I'm happy for her. So, yeah, it was very funny.

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[Eddie Judge]

So let's, let's go back a little bit. You said you grew up in Northern California. Tell us a little bit about your upbringing. Where'd you grow up? Do you have siblings?

[Matt Janela]

Yeah. So Northern California, Santa Rosa. Youngest of five kids. My father was a civil engineer for Bechtel Power. My mom, you know, obviously they had four kids in four years and then had me nine years later. So I was, I was, I was told all along that I was always planned, but it turns out, like maybe it was my 30th birthday. My sister was like, you know, by the way, you were a total surprise. Right? Like, I mean. Yeah, yeah. Shattered my whole sort of thought of who my existence. But yet. So then I, you know, very idyllic childhood in Northern California, you know, in a great neighborhood. My father commuted to San Francisco from Santa Rosa, literally bought a house in Santa Rosa, I think, to make sure that we as a family had a better upbringing in this, you know, outside the San Francisco. He grew up in San Francisco? Yeah, outside the city. So. But yeah, my, my grandfather actually. You'll appreciate this, Edwin, that he was one of the original part owners of the San Francisco 49ers. So you, as a Rams fan, mean. Yeah, really? We are. Really, we are, we're, we're rivals. But it was like all these Italian guys in San Francisco businessmen got together and put together the first hundred thousand dollars that it took to, to own a franchise in the NFL at that time. And my grand, the Morbido brothers had 55 grand between the two of them and they needed nine friends at five grand each to be part of the 49ers. And my grandfather went in and eventually all those guys died off and it became kind of an ownership of widows. Right. All these widows were the owner of the 49ers and they ultimately sold to the DeBartolo family. And, and as a result of that 5% investment into the 49ers, my grandfather had written in a trust that he would put all of his grandkids through college knowledge of their choice. We had tickets, we got tickets at the 50 yard line at Candlestick Park. And you know, so essentially from that five thousand dollar investment, he put like 23, 24 grandkids through, through college, plus then some. Right. Like it was, it's an amazing story of investment. So, yeah, through and through. A 49er fan. And then went to St. Mary's College.

[Edwin Ariabe]

Family tree.

[Matt Janela]

Yeah, no, the dynamic, everything.

[Eddie Judge]

Right.

[Matt Janela]

I mean that was an amazing thing. So went to St. Mary's College in Moraga.

[Edwin Ariabe]

Did you start golfing?

[Matt Janela]

I played, I started golf at an early age. I, I went to a camp, but I played all sports in Northern California. So it was very typical. You know, I was playing baseball, football, basketball, soccer, you know, all those things. And then I actually started riding horse. I was a three day inventor for years. Very athletic, owned five horses. Know that I'm, I mean I'm, I'm very, I'm, you know, I'm kind of, you know, I just did a lot of things. Right. I don't know whether or not it was like, but I did own. We had five horses. So I really focused in on horses and it was at a horse event in my senior in high school. Having grown up around golf, worked in golf, I was always working on the, you know, maintenance crews for my summer jobs and stuff. But I, it was the senior year in high school when one of my horses colicked right before one of my biggest events and I wasn't able to compete. And in that, in my mind, that was a bit of a sign for me. I was like, all right, that's it. I was like, do I want to pursue this horseback riding thing and forego college and try to chase the Olympics or do I need to sideline this and focus on college? And go. And so I took that as a sign, sold all the horses, all the equipment, and essentially turned to golf at that point from a competitive standpoint, my senior in high school and then went and played at St. Mary's College. Now mind you, in the early 90s, pre Tiger woods turning, you know, essentially pro in 1996, almost anyone can play college golf. Like if you, if you could break 80, you could play college golf. Division one. And, and I did. And that, that and I played four years at St. Mary's and then ultimately went to New York City. Chasing dreams. I wanted to work at espn. I did a bunch of radio all throughout my, my life and career. I wanted to be the play by play announcer of the Padres. That was my dream.

[Eddie Judge]

So you didn't want to be a professional golfer?

[Matt Janela]

No, no, no, no. Never, Never wanted to be a professional golf.

[Eddie Judge]

Okay.

[Matt Janela]

It was all my, my whole background is in communication, storytelling, radio. It goes back to the beginning and that's awesome. Ultimately went and landed a job at Sports Illustrated 1995 as an unpaid intern and eventually caught on. I was full time employee in 1996. They made me the golf photo editor at Sports Illustrated the same week Tiger woods turned pro in 1996 at the Milwaukee Open. And so I caught lightning in a bottle and work was working with Tiger for several photo shoots at Sports. I posed Tiger with a Tiger, which is one of my all time great stories that will go in a book someday, but which was on the COVID of the 1998 Sports Illustrated Masters preview issue.

[Eddie Judge]

A real Tiger.

[Matt Janela]

Yeah, like a real wow. Yeah, no, that was, trust me that my, my whole life and career was on the line at that point. You know, tiger eats Tiger. That, that would have not been, that would have been the end of my.

[Eddie Judge]

Whole different Tiger Wood story.

[Matt Janela]

Yeah, we would not be on this, this podcast right now. But then I went to Columbia Journalism School because at Sports Illustrated I realized I wanted to try to write the stories and not just help illustrate the stories and enrolled in Columbia Journalism School. Did that part time while I was working. Meantime, got director of photography job at Golf Digest, kept doing journalism program, graduated from Columbia's journalism school in 2003 and became the travel writer for Golf Digest in 2006.

[Eddie Judge]

Wow.

[Matt Janela]

So it was this, it was this, this, you know, at this time, I'm early, late 20s, early 30s, and I'm, I become the travel writer for Golf Digest. And I set off on this incredible journey as a single guy traveling the world, getting paid to write stories about golf destinations, buddies trips and where to stay, where to play. And then social media came along and was kind of the first adopters of all of, you know, Twitter and Instagram and had my own blog and eventually got the job in 2013 as one of the co hosts of a show on Golf Channel called Morning Drive. And it was an ensemble cast of characters and I was the, I was the travel guy, I was the travel insider. So I ultimately went to a, had a show called Janella's Journeys and I, I turned everything that I was doing, writing wise into this, this video, you know, crew and we'd go again, travel the world with, with a crew and tell people where to stay and play and share stories. And that, that kept going all the way until I, I left golf channel in 2020 and started my own production company, travel and lifestyle production company. February of 2020, the month before COVID.

[Eddie Judge]

Hit, right before.

[Matt Janela]

All the good vibe and the good luck and the good place and the good timing actually came to a screec that, that month of March 2020.

[Edwin Ariabe]

I was just going to ask Matt what from that time, you know, I think 96 to 2020, what was the hardest part of that, of that career? Because it sounds like it was just great the entire time, but I'm like, it could have been that great for 25 straight years.

[Eddie Judge]

That's amazing.

[Edwin Ariabe]

Did you have some moments where you just really struggled that really sort of catapulted you to where you're at, where.

[Matt Janela]

You got, I mean, I think, you know, obviously it's interesting. That's a, that's, I've never been really asked that question before, but I, I, I think back to, I think back to I was working full time and going to Columbia Journalism School part time in New York City and I was living in New York City in like the Upper east side. Columbia Journalism School was on the Upper west side and Golf Digest was in, in Connecticut. So I was, I was managing all of Engulf Digest, was very great and very supportive of what I was doing to finish up my degree at Columbia. And I'm very grateful to that. But I think back to that time where I had no free time. Like, I was, it was, I was exhausted. Talk, you know, it, I think back to myself, how could I have possibly done that? How did I make time? Now again, I'm single, right? You know, could have never done this if you actually had family or other obligations outside. So I was fiercely selfish in that sense. Where I was just. This was. And when you go to journalism, when you go to. When you go to get a master's degree and you're further along in life, I tell kids all this time, all the time, take some break between, you know, undergraduate and graduate school to make sure. Because when, when I was at Columbia at that time, I knew that's exactly what I wanted to be doing. This was exactly what was worth my time, effort and energy because I had figured out that I wanted to be a writer. Yeah, well, that was. That helped me get through what I would call. I mean, there were certainly tough days and. But if you're really asking about a stretch of time that year and a half that, that I was making all of that work, it was really based on the fact that at the core of everything, it was my passion. Right. That's what gets you through. What, what's going to make sure that you actually get to the finish line of a marathon or whatever, you know, whatever journey you're on. It's at the core of it. This is what I knew I wanted to do. This is what I loved. So it actually didn't feel. It was exhausting, but it didn't feel like work. It didn't feel. It did feel tough.

[Edwin Ariabe]

Yeah, well, Matt, I love that answer because a lot of times people don't realize the type of sacrifice that it takes to get to where you got to in your career. And, you know, they just see sort of the end result, but they don't see the sacrifice that you have to put the work ethic, the time, you know, that just. So I'm glad you shared that and 2020, what made you want to leave what sounds like a pretty comfortable position to now starting entrepreneurship and dealing with the uncertainty of that.

[Matt Janela]

So at, at the time in Golf Channel, there were rumblings that, again, Golf Channel had been sort of, you know, become part of this bigger network machine, right? NBC, Comcast. And so Golf Channel was. Was successful in making money, but at the bottom line of the big business, as anybody knows any in this world, a lot of times you got to make cuts or, you know, you got to make cuts to one thing that might actually be successful and profitable to try to account for other failings of other verticals within a business. Right. I knew enough people at Golf Channel, I knew there were. There was change coming 2018, 2019, there were rumblings that things were going to be. There was. Things are going to need to be addressed at the bottom line and at the Same time I, because I was, I was in the travel business and I would go out and shoot for five days in Ireland, for example, sunrise to sunset, sunrise to sunset. We'd come back with five days worth of footage and we would only end up using 20 minutes of it. And, and, and that, that was soul crushing for me because I knew what we had, right? So I was watching look at Barstool Sports, right, Where the great sort of cage rattle to distribution of content and stories was happening. Linear distribution or mag. I had watched kind of the weekly news, weekly magazines become irrelevant. Sports Illustrated, Golf World magazine, you're not getting those until days after the actual event. Well, Internet came along. Everything was it then, Then I was working at a monthly magazine. Well, we were going from 400 pages down to like 120 pages. So I saw the, the decrease in the relevancy of these different distribution models. And then linear TV had the disruption of, you know, streaming and all these other outlets, YouTube. And that was concerning for me. I saw that the inefficiency of having, you know, I used to say, we killed the cow and only ate the filet. All this other stuff would go to waste. So for me, it was like, if I start a production company and I can work directly with these destinations or these brands and say, let me help you tell your story and you're going to own your story and we can be more efficient and effective with the stories we tell and do a read, watch, listen long, medium short. Let's put everything out in all these different, you know, aspects of distribution that to me made more sense of where I was and what I was doing. The, you know, Covid caused a lot of challenges. It forced me to pivot into a media company that ultimately failed. And I learned a lot of hard lessons there. But what did happen is I started a podcast, the Fire Pit podcast, in which, like Covet everybody was available. I was telling some of the great, best stories I had ever heard or was interested in. I sat around and I was getting multiple voices to tell one story and piecing it all together so those all still exist. I, you know, that's something I hope to get back to because I have my radio roots and storytelling. I love podcasting. I think it's one of the coolest and purest forms of having conversation. And you can get to the heart of some matters just like you guys do on a regular basis. And then that, you know, you take those cuts from the podcast and you create social diseases. And, you know, to me, that's all part of what I saw when I was, you know, sort of in this linear model, and it was giving me anxiety and I was like, I think I need to do something else. So that's ultimately why I started what was Dawn Patrol Productions and then became Fire Pit Collective and now it's Fire Pit Production. So I'm back to the production company model that I had originally started in 2020, and I got back to that two years ago, and now I've got, you know, a lot more success from the same model that I kind of had to sideline for two years.

[Edwin Ariabe]

Did you have any concerns going into Real Housewives with maybe your credibility, reputation being put to the test? Was that a concern for you?

[Matt Janela]

Not until about two weeks ago, quite honest.

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[Eddie Judge]

I think we should go back a little bit further to when you were first asked. I'm curious to, to know what was your first thought when you thought about it and were you familiar with the show? Like holy shit, are we really doing this or what went through you guys head and why did you say yes the first time?

[Matt Janela]

They reached out to Katie and they meaning I guess it's casting, right. There's a, there's a layer to all of this. I don't think people always understand that there's, there's people out there who are. Who get utilized to try to find potential cast, you know, cast, I don't know cast members. Yeah.

[Eddie Judge]

Some of them literally go to bars and restaurants in Orange county to talk to, you know, the people in that circle or that social gathering to get to know people. I've heard stories like that where they're sitting there just totally analyzing you, like yeah, that could be a good housewife. And then it goes from there.

[Matt Janela]

So that, that did not happen to us. But what happened was in 2020, right as my we are moving from Florida because I was out in Florida for Golf Channel. So I went from Northern California to New York City to Florida. And then my father wasn't doing well. He had been diagnosed with, with Alzheimer's and my little guy was in a week. So we moved during that time of COVID and that sort of redoing the business and we moved across country and settled in San Diego. The day we were moving into the house we rented in Del Mar, Katie got a call from somebody relating to Bravo saying hey, you guys are friends with Byron Scott and Cece Scott. Byron Scott of Showtime Lakers. You know, I, I'm golf buddies with Byron Scott. We met in one of my travel shows for Denzante Bay in Mexico. We co hosted a group of people down there. He brought his buddies, I brought mine. We had this incredible time. Byron Scott is a very gracious, kind, loving human. I love Byron Scott and we've played many rounds of golf. Great guy. Well, they were on a show, I, I want to say it's called Basketball Wives and they were asked, oh, do you know anybody in Southern California who might be, you know? And I was around, I was in and around tv. Katie is, you know, beautiful and has done modeling and done some TV herself. And we got recommended. That's how Byron and CeCe Scott recommended us. And we got a phone call as we were moving into San Diego, and Katie said, you know, sort of had this. I didn't even know. I had no idea what Housewives is.

[Eddie Judge]

Oh, okay.

[Matt Janela]

I, I, I had heard the term Desperate Housewives. I had no idea there was Real Housewives. You know what I mean? Like, I was like, what? I don't even know what this. So this is 2020. And she said that we're moving into a house in, in San Diego. There's no, we're, you know, it's not happening. So then they called back in 2021. Still not happening. They called back in 2022. Like, it was, they kept kind of circling around this. Now, at the time when I, as I said I failed, I failed with the, the media company Fire Pit Collective. We got too big, too fat. We had dropped that Phil Mickelson article on, on what he had said about the PGA Tour and all this stuff. You know, we dropped that. It went globally viral. We thought, oh, this is amazing. This is going to be easy. No, it wasn't that easy. So at that time, when I was pivoting out of the, the media company and trying to get back to the production company, they called again. And we had also started this, this other company called Tea Shots, a flavored alcohol shots and golf balls, you know, shot, you know, dispensers that we're going to put in sleeves is a good idea. This and that. And when they called, it was like, oh, our partners are up in Orange County. We can get closer to them. Move to Orange county, get in, get in with them and, and, and use Housewives as like, a platform to prom, you know, oh, if we're gonna, if we got this product, this could be good marketing. I had been in and around tv. I was kind of familiar with the idea, you know, and then she knew Housewives, whatever, and it was literally like, let's give it a go. That's how it all kind of came about. It was over quite a long period of time before there was an official, like, let's do this. And at that time, I was also feeling like she had done nothing but supported me. I had traveled the world. She has been always like, you know, she had, we have three kids from her previous marriage, but Also one together. She had been amazing. And I really actually said out loud, this is your time. Go do. Show the world who you are and what you are. And I looked at it as probably very naively, but looked at her as a really cool opportunity to. For people to get to know the woman I fell in love with.

[Eddie Judge]

Yeah.

[Matt Janela]

And. And didn't necessarily go that way, but that was the idea. You know what I mean?

[Eddie Judge]

No, I. I think it went that way. It's just, unfortunately, we don't have any control to what is edited and how it's edited. You know, at the end of the day, my experience with my wife on the show, and I think Edwin can share the same sentiment, is as long as you're authentic to who you are, there's nothing that can go really wrong, you know, really, really wrong. Except you're called an. Or a villain or something. But we're not in jail. We're not getting investigated by the FBI. You know, none of that's happening to us.

[Matt Janela]

Not yet, anyway. I mean, you know. No. Yeah.

[Eddie Judge]

No, but I mean, my point is, is we don't. We don't. We're not that kind of people to be on tv.

[Matt Janela]

That was. We obviously had several conversations about this. And I know, you know, again, having been around TV for a better part of a decade, but even. Even before that, it's even at Sports Illustrator, Golf Digest. I'm around a lot. I was around a lot of media, and I. I have friends who have had very successful careers in. In television. And I always say this. There's. There's people who do tv, and then there are TV people. Right? There are people who had. Just happen to have a career in tv.

[Eddie Judge]

Yeah.

[Matt Janela]

And they are. They are people. They are that. They are who, you know, what you see on TV is exactly who they are in real life. And then there are, like, TV people, like, kind of. They become cartoon characters. They sort of lose touch with reality. And I'm not talking about Housewives right now. I'm just talking about TV in general. Right.

[Eddie Judge]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Matt Janela]

And they never break character of what they are on tv. And we. I have always been. Because I just can't help myself, fiercely committed to just being myself. What you see on anything I do on TV is exactly who I am. And Katie is the same. There's no. We are just. We always were going to stay committed to who we are. We have a great inner circle of friends. We have the typical family issues, just like every family does with the, you know, the ups and downs and the volatility. Of, of relationships, whether that be siblings or parents or grandparents, whatever that is. But, but we are, we are who we are. There's nobody who's like, that's not the Janellas, you know, yeah, that's who we are. But narratives get twisted or, you know, allowed enough people can, you know, say things in certain ways that make people question whether or not or don't know who we are. And that's, that's, we know, we understand that. Like, I, I, we get it. The only, the only time that I've really been dragged into this, so to speak, was, was relating to, you know, sort of blatant lies. And then, you know, I was willing to, you know, tell my truth, which is the truth. But, and I did that for her, you know, for, for my wife is not many people. Thankfully, Tamara was willing to, was willing to take time and, and have conversation with it, but the others weren't. And that, that's really the reason why it is where it is, you know, right now as we're sitting here November 2025. But honestly, it's made us closer as not only a couple, but as a family. I, I love her more today than I ever have. There's, there's never, you know, I, yeah, I, I, I, you know, people say, will you do it again? If the way I said this is her choice? Yeah. Right. If she wants to do this, if she's willing to do this, I'm very willing to continue to support her and love on her and do what needs to be done at the house as she goes off and does different things, because she's always been very willing to do that for me throughout the first 10 years of our relationship. Relationship. Yeah. So.

[Eddie Judge]

Well, I got to give it to you, Matt. I watched a little clip about the third or the second reunion where you were at the reunion, you were the only guy up there, and you were telling, you know, your side and defending your wife and speaking the truth, and, and, and it's just like I, I just saw a strong man sitting in a, in the, in a, in a environment surrounded by lions, and they're all coming after you, just trying to get at you and poke at you and just, you know, trying to get you to get upset and say something really bad. And you just held yourself like a very gracious man with a lot of confidence. And, and obviously, you know, you have a confidence in, in all your experience with journalism, the truth always prevails. And, and that's all I could see is you're just telling the Truth. Truth. This is what happened. This is what really happened. Your lies and your twisting and your, you know, story on how you want to make this happen is not what happened. I'm here to tell the truth. And I was like, man, that's a, that's a tough place to be. Right, Edwin? Like you mentioned it many times, like, I don't want to go against any of these women because one, they know how to chew you up and spit.

[Edwin Ariabe]

You out, let alone all of them at the same time.

[Eddie Judge]

Yeah, and. Yeah, exactly. And.

[Edwin Ariabe]

And I would not have done that.

[Eddie Judge]

It would have been very difficult for me to be in those shoes. But I definitely have a lot more respect for you because you were there to support your wife. You weren't there for TV time. You weren't there to be a sixth or seventh housewife. You were there to really protect the truth of what your wife was going through. And this whole season really was a mix of lies and bags of lies. I truly believe it started before the season started, but it was a very interesting season to, to say the least. But to see what happened in your guys's journey and how you guys were cut off mid season, that's wrong in my opinion. When in reality, you're not the liars in this whole world of, you know, season 19. You guys were the ones telling the truth. And, and your truth is the truth, like you mentioned, not the lies that these guys were conspiring to try to take my wife down. And anyone around, you know, that, that supported or was associated with my wife. It was, it was a to for my wife.

[Matt Janela]

I, I, the all lot said there. And I go back to, you know, that night at that dinner as three couples and I mastros, dinner masters who I did. I had no idea. I had Slade and Gretchen and, you know, that I didn't even know who these human beings things were. Yeah. We were going to dinner with. With Jen and Ryan, and then they came along and, and all of a sudden it was like, oh, wow, you know, and I've said this many times and, you know, look, one thing I will say about your wife is she speaks the truth. It may not always be. I said this to you in, in Vegas. It may not always be the time, you know, someone wants it said or, or in. In what? And the end of the day, like, it's the truth. So it like, you know, and what she does is she advances storylines because it's like, hey, this needs to be said. We might as well say it now and let's get it out and let's talk. And I, I agree with her, which she says, hey, let's get it out there, let's talk about it, and then let's move on. Okay, great. That, that, that is the show. Conflict resolution, moving on, Growth, evolution, whatever. You know, if, if, if, if from what I'm seeing, that's, I think that's what it's supposed to be.

[Eddie Judge]

Yeah.

[Matt Janela]

I will tell you, and this is a very obvious to me now, and I think to everybody that the hate that these people, and I would say it's probably actually more so Ryan and Slade than it is Gretchen and, and Jen. But their hate for Tamra and, or I don't know if, if you, or whatever that is. I don't even know that. That is so, that is so blinding to them or so important to them that they, that, that is their tunnel focus is, is to go after, you know, her and you and that, that, that, that was very obvious. This is. I, I, if I wish I could know what I know, you know now and go back to that time. Yeah. But it's that, that's not possible. So here we are. And then you know, just the whole, this narrative that my wife is the liar and that she talks to bloggers and that that lie detector test was somehow at all, at some somewhat something other than a, than a, than a clown show. Like that was, that was very obviously actors doing whatever it is that Emily conspired to do to, to get Katie out. It was like, I don't, I still can't actually figure out, out what the hell is going on here. You know, as slade is calling me 91 1. I don't know what's going on.

[Eddie Judge]

I think it's the latter. I, I truly believe he has no power. He truly thinks he's got some power. And he's a good liar too.

[Matt Janela]

Yeah.

[Eddie Judge]

He will say anything, anything to be on tv. So I, I would say he was trying to play you the entire time. Mostly because you're newbies, if you will. You know, being on it at year two, I mean, what's the biggest difference between the first year and the second year for you?

[Matt Janela]

Yeah, that would be, that would be this slate and Gretchen, I mean, you know, year, Year one, it was like, I, I, you know, there was this thing with Heather and when, you know, again, we know media, we know photographer, in my opinion, she called the pop ride. Whatever. And then it was like this thing and it was like, okay, like even that is like, you know, and then.

[Eddie Judge]

Our dog, that was harmless.

[Matt Janela]

Our daddy Our daughter babysat for Emily, and the kids said what they said, and it's not surprised anybody and no one. Katie wasn't out to try to take her down or attack her kids. And what really. The real massive twist and the. The first indication like, wow, this is really toxic and gross was what. What took place at the reunion after the season one, where Emily, obviously, and Gina and then, you know, went in on her about her past, which is a failed first marriage for reasons and, you know, none of which really needed, in my opinion, needed to be brought up, but they felt inclined to do so as some sort of get back on Katie, I don't know. And then started season two right out of the gates with Gina coming on with Emily blindsiding with it like another, you know, I don't know, ambush of sorts. And it was like, oh, wow, this is. This is taking a really dark and twisted turn. And it just never stopped. It didn't stop until she was out. And I don't, you know, and again, I've said this many times. My wife was adopted Korea, by a very, you know, sweet but very white couple in a very predominantly white neighborhood in. In a suburb of Georgia. She was always. She's always felt. Felt different. I've heard her talk. I've heard her stories. I've heard her story. She got pregnant at the age of 19. She got into a very dysfunctional and, you know, you could say very abusive first marriage. She got out of that without a lot of support from her family, and she. She, she. She emerged. Yeah, she, you know, and we found each other, and we are in love, and we are. We have moved on, and she is. She's done a lot of incredible things. So my frustration is like, wouldn't that be at all interesting in a group of women trying to articulate to a larger group of women about what it is to navigate life? If this truly is a show about Real Housewives, I have a real housewife who, to me, is phenomenal, but she is being sort of of, you know, snuffed out and. And diminished and belittled and bullied and, like, I'm like, what are we doing here?

[Eddie Judge]

Yeah.

[Matt Janela]

What is the point of this show?

[Eddie Judge]

Yeah.

[Matt Janela]

If it's not to try to at least get in there and. And reveal some of that. So that's my frustration as a storyteller and someone who loves a good story, who is always trying to unearth and. And share some of the what's good out there in this world, which there's plenty. My wife is one of them, but, but for whatever reason, that, that's not, she's not afforded that opportunity for, she's afforded the opportunity for conflict, but I don't see any opportunity for resolution. And maybe that'll come, I don't know.

[Eddie Judge]

Well, from a production side, I'm not a producer or ever had my own production company, but I'm sure you can understand this, what I'm about to say. And that's when you have an ensemble of six to eight Meet Housewives, and each of them have their own storyline, and you're trying to make a TV show out of it. And you know that historically, meaning in the last five years, the more toxic the show gets, the more ratings, the more eyes, the more talk, the more it's, it's more, more, more that you want. So you start taking all the shock factors that are either true or not. Not, it doesn't matter to them at all. But it's the shock factor that they want their audience to get so that they can come, continue to come back and see the show over and over and over again. So to me, that means all the real stories, the, the good things about the Housewives are not going to make it. There's just not enough room because there's so much toxicity available that it's coming out of their pockets. Right. One of the questions I had for you was how has it, it affected your marriage? And it sounds like you answered my question. It's just been great for you guys, brought you closer together. And, and that's, that's good because that just solidifies that you guys are meant to be together. And this is, this is who you are, and you guys can get through almost anything. To me, this season felt like everybody except Katie, because Katie was not on for more than half the season. Everybody was trying to take my wife down. And in one sense, I'm like, okay, it takes that many women to take my wife down because she is a badass. But in another sense, come on, you know, what's up with this gang of. This is not entertainment. To me, it's not entertainment.

[Matt Janela]

I completely agree. And I certainly, again, having had the conversations we had in Vegas, I appreciate also you've been doing this a lot longer than I have. So I look to people like yourself where I'm like, yeah, you know, it's, it's nice to hear from somebody who's, who can also, you know, it's very relatable for me to hear from you. I, I, I think, I think at the end of the day, going Back to again, that concept of real people who actually do TV and then. TV people. Yeah. I think, you know, you look at these other franchises and we were around some of these other Caspers and I watched, you know, here, and I see the social clips of Salt Lake City. Well, you know, Salt Lake City is having this great one. I, I guarantee you Salt Lake City is a. And I haven't watched it. But my, My guess is production affords the opportunity to allow authentic organic conflict resolution to happen anytime. As anybody in any storytelling or any, you know, if the. What. What do we gravitate towards on Netflix or, you know, Amazon, whatever, Hulu, all these different outlets, we're gravitating towards the stuff that's authentic, that's real, that, that, that. Because we can sniff out something that is overproduced or we're given false narratives or we watch people flip and flop on their ideals and who they are as people.

[Eddie Judge]

Yeah.

[Matt Janela]

The minute you start seeing that these people are listening to the, you know, the production of it all, they lose going back to. You got to be true to yourself. Yeah. And, and I, I agree with this whole Gretchen thing and the likes of the post, I would have, and I agree with many people who said I would have more respect for her and them if they actually said, you know what, what, these are our beliefs. It's rooted in our religion or whatever they are, whatever that is, at least own it and just be it. But the, the flipping and flopping and then trying to say, this is someone else who did this, when everybody in the world know, like, are. Do. Do they think we're as dumb as they look? Do they really does this? Are we actually led to believe that. That they are. This is some sort of thing that we're the masses would follow along with and be like, you know. Right, yeah. Tamara went in and did this years ago with the idea that maybe Gretchen would come. Like, are we. Are they out of their minds?

[Eddie Judge]

They. They. Honestly, that's the same MO they had back when they were on the show. And I think that's why they were fired and not brought back for so many years. And frankly, I don't know why they were brought back because they don't make good tv. They really don't. It's not interesting at all.

[Matt Janela]

But in their minds, they're really good tv. But.

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[Edwin Ariabe]

Do you have to film in front of the slave guy? I don't know him, but I just know when you bring up his name, your body language changes. I mean, it just looks like you. You can't be in front of the guy because he would beat his ass. Do you just not show up when he's filming? Or how do you contain yourself when you're around the guy?

[Eddie Judge]

I am not around the guy. And the only, the only time I was was when we were. I mean, I was. I had to go because my wife was not going to let her go by herself to that rodeo charity thing that Emily did. And I just went there to support her and keep an eye on her and keep and protect her. Really. You know, I was willing to, you know, throw down if I had to if he was going to get physical. But, you know, when they, when they walked up to her and, and again, try to gang up on her, she's just like, I'm not doing this. We walked away. And as we're walking away, I had this. I couldn't resist. But, you know, throw the middle finger up and tell them to go fuck themselves. We're not going to do this. And at the end of the day, I, I tried not to go as much as possible because I do have a lot of confidence in my wife, but I also know what kind of scumbag he is and what kind of story and twisted things he would do. And, and to boot, it's not just them. It's their cohorts, Ryan and Jen, who are just jumping on the bandwagon to try to take my wife down. So in one sense, I felt like, you know me, I don't want to be a part of this stupidity.

[Edwin Ariabe]

It sounds like it could escalate pretty quick. Like, I could, I could see you guys brawling with the way you go.

[Eddie Judge]

Oh, yeah, oh, yeah. And, and, and, you know, funny enough, I don't know if you heard this in our conversation, Matt, but talking to Mike, he. Oh, yeah, he was at dinner and he says, listen, I, I don't put up with this, and I don't know how you do it, Eddie, but if, if this kind of shenanigan was to come up in front of me, I, I, I, I'd had some trouble, you know, dealing with my, my temper with these guys, and I'm like, oh, Mikey, you don't want to.

[Matt Janela]

I would not want to be on the wrong side of Mike. I, he's got that, he's like Texas strong. You know what I mean? Like, he's, there's no, he's an immovable force.

[Eddie Judge]

This is why I like him.

[Matt Janela]

I know, exactly. Which is why. Cut to dinner. We're like, oh, we're having a good time. But I, yeah, it's a fascinating thing. I, quite frankly, the idea that, that they exist in a world where that is deemed compelling TV to me is, that's, that, that's, that's a whole nother conversation.

[Eddie Judge]

Yeah, I, I don't even care to try to analyze it either, because it's just a waste of time. I'd rather talk about the important things, like your experience. What was a good takeaway from the last two seasons of being on the Housewives?

[Matt Janela]

No, I, I really do. I, this is true. No matter what happens, right? If, if this is. If, if, if Whatever comes of, Of Katie's future as it relates to Bravo and this, specifically this show, one thing that we will take is we, we've. We've met actually some really cool, interesting people. We have had. I've had the opportunity to learn more about my wife life through this, through this perspective of her going back and revisiting as dark and, and dysfunctional as it. As was for her in her life. You know, I think she compartmentalized a big chunk of that. And of course, we have had conversations about this. We went through a couple years of a custody battle on her, on her kids. And so I, I certainly knew that, but I learned a lot about my wife. It was actually therapeutic, I think, not only for her, but for our daughter. Kylie and I have become a lot closer through this process. I would say Gavin, who's 19, and I have become closer. We, we as a family unit, became very, very tight through all of this. But, yeah, I think by virtue of being attacked, you know, like, these microaggressions and all this stuff that was happening to us, I think by virtue of that, we got closer. We learned a lot about who our friends are. We also learned about who our friends are not. Right. They're by virtue of this platform and these. I. But you find everybody's coming at you. Can you do that? Can you. You know, and it's like, wow, whoa. You know, and then all of a sudden, people come out of the woodwork to be your friend who weren't your friends for a long time, and all of a sudden, like, oh, we want to be your friend. It's like, whoa, whoa, wait a minute. We hadn't heard from you for, you know, a long time. And now. So that's interesting. Yeah, I, I think the, the interpersonal and the psychology of it all has been fascinating. And again, as a storyteller and someone around production, I've been more fascinated by the production of it all from the very jump. Like, even when we get into those big group gatherings, I'm always engaging with the crew, the camera people, the. I'm always looking over shoulder. I love that. I love. Wow. This is, you know, I used to go out with a crew of two to three people. They have like 20, 30 people showing.

[Eddie Judge]

Yeah.

[Matt Janela]

And I'm like, wow. You know, you, you go behind a black curtain, and then all the execs are back there. You're like, wow, this is a big, big production. And I, I've been impressed by that. And, But I, I, I, you know, I still look at this, you know, and I, and I watch BravoCon and I watch my wife. I see the fact that people see through the smoke and the shade and, and do see her for who she is and that, that definitely has meant something to me. And we'll, we'll, we'll go on and live another day one way or the other. We are not, not ever going to deviate from who we are. We are who we are. And whether we're on it or not on it or doing this or doing something else, the, you know, Matt and Katie Janela are the same people. And I, and I've enjoyed getting to know you. Thanks for this opportunity in this conversation and I know it's not our last and Edwin, I look forward to maybe a Padre Dodger game at some point, you know.

[Edwin Ariabe]

Yeah, that or around Niner game.

[Matt Janela]

Yes. Yes, exactly. I don't the Rams might win at all this year, I'm afraid. I, they, they, they look, they look really good. I don't think McVeigh gets his, gets his due and, and hard to not like Stafford and Puka. Nukua looks amazing and Devonte Adams fell in your lap. What a gift.

[Edwin Ariabe]

And I was just at the game last night. They look great.

[Matt Janela]

Yeah.

[Edwin Ariabe]

By the way, since you've done all this golf and stuff all around the world, what's the best golf course course you recommend for people?

[Matt Janela]

So the Houma Golf St. Andrews, the Old Course. I am a massive old Tom Morris fan and, and this is a guy who in the 1800s essentially helped develop championship golf architecture. The golf equipment, Andy and, and agronomy. Like he, he was one of the first superintendents tending to the, to the Old Course. And he is, he's the, he's the, the father of golf. Right. Like he's, he's the man. And to go to the Old Course and, and to immerse yourself in the town of St. Andrews, which is to me one of the great little towns in the world. Even if you don't like golf. Because on Sunday, Sundays, if you rock up to the Old Course on Sundays, this is where they've hosted I don't know, 25 Open Championship, whatever the number is. I've seen number of open championships on Sundays. It is a park, that golf course is closed and it is covered with people on bikes and dogs and walkers and it is, it is publicly owned land that also six days a week serves as this world class, world famous, famous a golf venue. And, and old Tom Morris had the thought of golf for all he believed in, this should be a sport for everybody. And I play all my golf at Goat Hill park in Oceanside, California. 35 municipal. That was saved by my, by my dear friend John Ashworth of Ashworth Golf Apparel originally. And then now he went on to start Link Soul. But now he is solely dedicated to tending to Goat Hill park, which is where they. It was dead. It was going to be going away. He saved it. Now they have junior caddy Academy. They have 35 municipality, and it's golf for all. And you show up in T shirts and, you know, there's no dress code. You bring your dogs, your kids, everything. It's a beautiful place. And I called John Ashworth old, Old John Morris because that same mentality of the Old Course at St. Andrews exists this, you know, down the street here at Oceanside, California. And I think if every town had a Goat Hill park or an Old Course, the world would be a better place. You know, community, community for kids and community first. So.

[Eddie Judge]

Absolutely.

[Matt Janela]

And that's my love of golf. So St. Andrews Old Course. Go play it. Grab a pint afterward and cheers to old, you know, old Tom Morris.

[Eddie Judge]

If you were to give a incoming house husband advice on the show, what would that be?

[Matt Janela]

You know, I, I think based on what I know now, I, I wouldn't, I would not change a thing about who I've been, what I've been to her, for her, with her. I got invited to that reunion. I said yes because I was simply asked to go on and address Ryan and Slade about that dinner and the story and the phone calls and the text messages, and I was very willing to do that. I have shared all of, you know, that is the truth. That's, there's no deviating from that. I, I, I, I just think love and support your wife. It is Real Housewives of Orange county, but by virtue of them and their lives, yeah, I, we play a role just like kids do, just like their careers do. Just like anything else. It's not, you know, we don't hold an orange, but we are right there, you know, shoulder to shoulder, just like they are with our lives. I, this is so, I just think, you know, loving and supporting. You know, she's my best friend. What, what, what, what am I, what am I gonna do? Say no to not, you know, what if I didn't show up? You know, then these narratives and this bullying and this behavior has no backstop. So to me, it was like, yeah, I'm very willing to go on and, and tell the truth. And no one else seems willing to, to, to, to try to admit to it or. Or. Or confront it, but I am.

[Eddie Judge]

Well, you had every incentive because you have the truth, and that's all you had to tell. You know, you didn't make up any lie. You didn't have to manipulate the story to stay relevant or anything. And then I truly believe, and this is just my opinion, had you said no to showing up to the reunion, those other two would have totally stepped up for their camera time just to, you know, embellish their lies. So big kudos to you for stepping in and telling your truth and more importantly, supporting your wife and loving her the way you do. I really admire that. I think that's great advice is just support your wife 100%. And I'll just, you know, add to that. Just don't get involved with the fight.

[Matt Janela]

I mean, you know, and again, I. I saw, you know, go back to our house in Newport when we had that dinner in season one.

[Eddie Judge]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Matt Janela]

And I didn't know anything about. I didn't know anything. There was. I didn't know anything. I think right before you guys show up, K. Oh, by the way, you know, there's some tension between Ryan and Eddie. I was like, wait, what? You know, and I. Again, I didn't really know anything. And. And then it's brought up, and then going back and look, I don't really have anything. Ryan is. Has always been decent to me. I don't have anything against Ryan in that. In that, you know, I was just getting to know everybody equally. Right. Like, you know, right out of the gate and that moment where the two of you were going back, and I was like, holy, what the hell is going on here? Yeah, but. And then the ladies walked off, and I will say you guys had a. You guys had a fairly straightforward, truthful conversation. It seemed, in my mind to get essentially resolved and addressed. And it was like, hey, this is what I heard. This is what I heard. I heard, well, you know, okay, you might not go on to be friends, but, like, it was actually a conversation that took place. And I was impressed, equally impressed with both of you for the fact that you just had a conversation and said, this is what I heard. This is what I heard. This is what I said. It's not what I said. Okay. And it was like, you got over it.

[Eddie Judge]

Yeah.

[Matt Janela]

And I. I walked away going, you know, I think that's why it's not Real House Husbands of Orange county, because it wouldn't actually be much of a show. Guys would just be like, all right, all right. I said, that. Well, yeah, go yourself. All right, well, that's fine.

[Eddie Judge]

All right, let's go.

[Matt Janela]

Yeah, let's go play golf. You know what I mean? Like, there's a reason why it's not the real House Husband. I just don't, I saw a very snapshot that it just got, you know, it got cleared up fairly, you know, easily. And I, I don't, I don't, I don't ever see that happening with Slate. I don't, I don't. That's not happening. I don't, you know, I'm, that I've learned now that is not my type of person. I'm, you know, just avoid it and. Yeah, and we move on, and it's fine. I don't, you know, it is what it is at this point.

[Eddie Judge]

So, Yeah, I don't think that's any different than coming to work for a big corporation and, you know, just unfortunately finding yourself befriending the wrong people in that company. The non producers, the Cancers, they just don't do for the company. So you'll learn as you go. But it's unfortunate that you have to go through that and get your feet muddy and dirty and all that and just wash them off, clear them off and know who you are. And it goes back to just doing what you're doing, just being authentic. I mean, that's what Edwin and I have been talking about this whole time. Just be yourself, stay away from the show. And, you know, you're the only exception so far to that rule, Matt, because you, you took on a huge role at that, at that reunion. And, and like I said, you know, I, I couldn't see myself standing there trying to.

[Matt Janela]

Have you ever been to re, have you ever been on a reunion?

[Eddie Judge]

No, no, no. I, I, I, My worst experience out of this entire show is being in the same room with all the women ready to go at it, because that's what they're there for, right?

[Matt Janela]

Yeah.

[Eddie Judge]

And, and it's the most uncomfortable, unsettling. I don't know if you've ever experienced that on those, on the show, but I, I tried to avoid those moments because it's just, I, I know the shit's gonna hit the fan, and I, I hate to see it, but my wife can handle herself. She's really good at what she does. Except when it's manipulated and lied and, and created so that she looks bad. Right? That's, that's not cool.

[Matt Janela]

Well, that, that season one finale, we go to Jen's engagement partner.

[Eddie Judge]

Oh, yeah.

[Matt Janela]

And I knew full well, that they were all coming for my wife. Right. Like that. I was sexually told that I sensed that I was, I was, you know, like I said, I had a brief conversation. I peeled into the back. Back. I wanted nothing to do to this. I saw her getting yelled at. I had no inclination to go, I, I, she can handle herself. I have no problem. You know, I, I was off myself, literally going, how much longer? And, you know, I, I, we were two hours in, and I thought, okay, it's got to be wrapping up.

[Eddie Judge]

Yeah.

[Matt Janela]

And, and the producer I was standing next to goes, we got about another two hours. I was like, two more hours. This can't possibly be. Which is, you know, an hour, three is when Shannon came at me and, you know.

[Eddie Judge]

Yeah.

[Matt Janela]

And I was like, oh, you know, I was trying to be concerned. Consoling voice. I had known. Met Shan, I thought, oh, you know, and she then yelled at me for no apparent reason. And I, that's when I was like, you know, I was trying to stay out of. I won. No, I had no intention to be involved at all, ever. And yeah, by virtue of just by being, you know, in the saloon, so to speak, when the gun starts going off. I mean, some. You're, you're in a gunfight whether you like it or not. Not. You just happen to be at the bar. And that's. And that was my first. And I was like, holy, you know, this is crazy. And then, you know, year two did what it did and is what it is, and I ended up in that. On that set. And by the way, what people don't know is they brought me out onto that set about 20, 25 minutes before I even sat down on that couch, and I watched my wife basically being yelled at for 20 to 25 minutes before I even sat down. And so I was already kind of fired up. Like, I can't, you know, like. And they're, you know, yelling lies and things, and she's going back. And it was her and Jen going back. And I was like, oh, my God. So I sat down already kind of, you know, triggered in it, so to speak. And I really did try to try to hold the line in terms of, for lack of better terms, to use Slade's term, in, in trying to be. I wanted to answer Andy's question.

[Eddie Judge]

Yeah.

[Matt Janela]

And. And I wanted to tell the story about what happened and was getting interrupted and talked over and yelled at and, you know, called all those things. And I, and I think I actually haven't watched the full thing. I've seen little Clips, but I can't actually watch it. It's just. I haven't watched the show itself since season one, episode four. I just like, peel. I was like, I can't watch this. But I, they. For the small amount of people that have said that I was rude or obnoxious, like, I, I don't feel like I was, I was trying to stay true to the, the answer. Like I'm being accused of being rude. I didn't call anybody any names. I didn't, I was trying to stay true to this. Yeah, to this, to this reason why I was out there in the first place. And I, you know, I wasn't rude. I, I, if I were. Was rude, I would have, I would apologize, but I don't think that I was. And I didn't say anybody's name and I just told the truth, so.

[Eddie Judge]

Well, if telling the truth is being rude, then you're, you're not gonna ever convince somebody with a brain that not rude. You know, the truth is not rude.

[Matt Janela]

Yeah. And, and, and I, and I think, you know, at Bravo Con, a lot of people were saying, oh, you know, oh, you're such a good husband. And I was like, I don't know. I just, I. If by being such a good husband means you just love your wife and you tell the truth, then okay, I, I'll, I'll take, I'll take it. But that's literally it. And I, and I would, I would tell anybody, you know, what would we tell Mike?

[Eddie Judge]

Right.

[Matt Janela]

Going into this situation, Mike is never going to deviate from not being him. He's just going to be himself.

[Eddie Judge]

Yeah.

[Matt Janela]

So.

[Eddie Judge]

Yeah.

[Matt Janela]

And he's, you know, he's going to support Vicki and probably at all costs. And that's, that's what you can, that's the only way to do it.

[Eddie Judge]

Yeah. Yeah. I, I think it's going to be a little bit tough for Mike from the little bit that I know about him. He's just a straight no kind of guy. And there's a lot of that. No, there's a lot of. In this show, you know, particularly with some of the casts that we had this season. And hopefully it changes next season because I really hope it goes back to being fun, because it was fun when I first got on it and my wife was on the show and her and Vicki had a great time and, you know, they had less toxicity, more fun times. That was entertaining, and I do hope that it goes back to that. But it shouldn't be as toxic as it's been for the last couple seasons.

[Matt Janela]

I think it's very simply, you know, there are people on there that are insecure, they are threatened. They felt, you know, Katie coming in. You know, I, seems really obvious to me. She, she got a lot of love and support right out of the gates from a lot of different people. You know, I can't believe that, that 2025, right in front of our faces that somehow, some way, shape or form, that the only person of color is the one that they're going to just actually bully and sideline and not listen to and, and, and not extend the same grace, hold her to a whole different set of standards than everybody else is being held to. Like, are, are we actually supposed to just go along with this, this narrative as though this is being done without irony? I, I, that seems shocking to me.

[Eddie Judge]

I, I think a lot of that had to do with sacrificing her because she was willing to speak the truth. She wasn't willing to continue on that bandwagon of making up lies and manipulating the truth to make themselves more relevant. I don't think she's the kind of person that's going to lie to be relevant. You know, it's, it's not her mo. She doesn't strike me as that kind of, of sleazy, slimy kind of person. She's just straight up Katie.

[Matt Janela]

Yeah, they act like she's so vindictive. And, you know, Kiki, Monique asked her to lunch. Right. Like, I mean, so, so. And they're talking in theory about Gretchen, even though Gretchen wasn't even on the show at that time. But this was Katie's.

[Eddie Judge]

Yeah.

[Matt Janela]

You know, vindictive demeanor.

[Eddie Judge]

I, I don't, you know, none of it makes sense.

[Matt Janela]

None of it makes sense. It was Kylie who came back to say, oh, that Emily's kids. But somehow that's Katie being vindictive. I, you know, like, you know, is it that vindictive that, you know, and so shocking that Heather might say, hey, by the way, we're going to be at Disneyland. We're going to, you know, do you mind coming and taking some photos of us? Because there's some shit out there and we'd like to sort of set the record straight with, you know, showing that we love each other. Is that so crazy?

[Eddie Judge]

No, that's crazy.

[Matt Janela]

Get her out of here.

[Eddie Judge]

You know.

[Matt Janela]

You know, recording. Shannon. Shannon. You know.

[Eddie Judge]

I don't even want to talk.

[Matt Janela]

I know, I know, I know. It's like, you know, I don't know.

[Eddie Judge]

Anything else you'd like to share with us of your experience on the show.

[Matt Janela]

No, I, I, I, no, this is, this is therapeutic in itself. Getting a chance to actually have. I, as I said, no, when we were talking, I just felt, felt, you know, it was nice to actually have some time, you know, in that, in that setting of, of that world of the Bravo verse.

[Eddie Judge]

Yeah.

[Matt Janela]

To have some, to feel, to feel that, to see her feel that, that was, that was cool. And then being able to have some of the conversations that you and I had and then, you know, just some of the other opportunities to, to, to listen and listen in on some interesting people sharing it. Just interesting stories. So.

[Eddie Judge]

Yeah, we've met some interesting guys at the, at the event too. Like, I was surprised how friendly they were and how cool they were, but you know, that speaks volumes of the person that's willing to just say, hey, hey, my name is, you know, so and so and I'm part of the show. What's your part? You know, it's just like networking. Right. We're just here for each other. We're not here to take each other down.

[Matt Janela]

No, I, yeah, I met a guy from the like, yeah, it was just a very, it was very interesting. Interesting the whole thing. And I found that to be one of the coolest things was the mixing up of the first night we went. Gertie's husband, Russell. Gertie, by the way, we had a dinner with Gertie and, and actually Charles Oakley's wife was there. And then there was, it was all a, it was a big group of women that Gertie had picked who had, had had rough either seasons or had had rough narratives within the framework of this Bravo verse. And she hand picked this group of people to come to dinner and it was the first night we arrived and I will tell you right now, that in itself was worth doing this. Two years worth of this. Gertie's a rocket ship. She's amazing, but it just bullet full of energy and she'd written a book and, but then everybody else in the room went around and shared their stories and talked about different things and walked out of there going, wow. There within the, within the structure of this craziness.

[Eddie Judge]

Yeah.

[Matt Janela]

There is some true authenticity, some warmth, some reality.

[Eddie Judge]

Yeah.

[Matt Janela]

Around reality TV that I think does actually make, make for good tv.

[Eddie Judge]

I agree.

[Matt Janela]

And that, and, and I think that's your, you've been your point all along. Don't ever deviate from who you are. You don't have to worry about anything and let the chips fall where they may. I, Ron White is a famous comedian. And I asked him early on and when I was doing a story for Golf Digest because he's a golfer, I said, what advice do you have to young comedians? He said, I of. This is the advice I have to all entertainers in general. I don't care what form of. Of. Of. Of entertainment you're in. You have to do two things in order to be successful. Figure out who you are and then see how far that will take you. And there's no other ways around that. You have to be true to yourself, Figure out who you are, be true to that person. Person, and then see. See how far that takes you. But there's no. There's no fake in it. You can't actually deviate from that truth. Otherwise you're just basically a facade. You're. You're ultimately going to be a flop and people will figure it out.

[Eddie Judge]

Yeah.

[Matt Janela]

And I've. I've thought about that pretty much every day since. There is no. There is no way around anything other than being who you are.

[Eddie Judge]

Yeah, well, you know, I learned that lesson when I was young. I don't remember who told me, but when you lie, you can never make that the truth because it's always going to be a lie. And you're always going to be wondering, is anybody going to figure this out? You're going to be stressed, you're going to be anxious. You're going to be somebody who's going to find out that I lied. That's the worst way to live. You know, and if you tell the truth and they ask you 10 years again about. About what happened, it's the same story. It's not the lie that I made up, that I forgot that I made up. This is the story. This is the truth.

[Matt Janela]

I. And I also say, like, my wife is fiercely true to who she is. She can't help herself. She can't be any. And that's part of the reason why I love her and why she's fun and funny. Her. Her. What she says and how she says it and where she said, yeah, it's hysterical and it's fun and we have fun living life. Yeah, that's, you know, that's. She's not gonna change. She's not changing now. She's not changing ever. And, you know, whether they like that or want that or invest in that.

[Eddie Judge]

Yeah.

[Matt Janela]

To be determined. But, you know, we're good. You know what I mean? We're.

[Eddie Judge]

We're okay. Last. Last question. I love if Bravo was to send you contracts for next season Would you guys come back?

[Matt Janela]

That again, this would be totally hurt decision. Honest to God. I, I do think, and I've heard her say this and she, you know, I'm gonna paraphrase, but I, I feel comfortable saying this because I heard her answer that very question so many times.

[Eddie Judge]

Okay.

[Matt Janela]

And it's. I don't. I think she would want a chance, another chance to actually show who she is and what she is.

[Eddie Judge]

Yeah.

[Matt Janela]

And I think she. There's a big part of her that doesn't want to give in and give up and let this. This bully behavior get the best of her. Right. I. I think very, very particularly pointed at someone like Emily, who, Who clearly holds her to a different set of standards, has been actually overly aggressive and, you know, in my mind, abusive to. To my wife. So I, I think there's this actual thought that I'm not. I don't want to. I don't give up. And if that's the path she wants to go, then I'm. I'm not going to deviate from supporting her now ever. You know what I mean? It's going to be the same attitude, attitude and energy, which. How can I help? How can I support, you know, and not nothing but love.

[Eddie Judge]

I, I'd have to say the same thing. For me, it's up to my wife. Ultimately. I support her and whatever she wants to do. I know she understands the level of toxicity it, it brings to our life, but it also, like you said it, she's not going to walk away from this story the way it's been said and let, for lack of better descriptions, let the other side win. Right. And not that we have any control of that. At the end of the day, my wife is who she is. She's authentic and, And I'm sure she's willing to go back, but it is a question that I had to ask because it is a. A decision that's based on both of you, and it is a decision based on both of us, too. We don't. It's not just her, you know, it includes me. And it's a big decision that, that we have to make together.

[Matt Janela]

Yeah. And. And I think if there was actually an offer, we would definitely sit down and truly have another conversation before there would be some sort of signature involved. But I, and, and we would do it. You know, I'm sure you too, but as a family, we, you know, we have, you know, kids. I, you know, our daughter is very. She. She's. She's a. She's. She's a Badass too, right? She's, she's got her own world and life and social media handles. She's been subjected to bully behavior. She, she knows what she's doing. She's. She can help us navigate this world because that's how, that's how in tune they are with what's going on. And our, our son is amazing. I don't even think he really. He's just doing his thing, right? He's being who he is. He's a big hearted human being who absolutely adores his mom and loves and supports it like, like crazy and is very cool part of this, this life we have and we're living. And our, you know, obviously our little guy is. He's the tie that binds. So, yeah, that, that's definitely the most important thing and the only thing that truly matters. And then you start, you know, expanding from that and I think, think it's hard to watch what she goes through on a day to day basis during filming and, and all of that, but at the same time, it's her call. Yeah, it's, it's. And I see, I think she also sees the upside and the fun and the opportunities she gets and is getting. And BravoCon was another example of where she gets to look really beautiful and feel the love and appreciation and, and, and hear from a lot of people and make some new friends and so, you know, we'll see how it all shakes out. The good news is we're gonna, we're gonna be okay regardless.

[Eddie Judge]

100. 100. Well, Matt, it was awesome, awesome having you on our podcast. We always enjoy interviewing house husbands, especially, you know, real guys like yourself. And it's been so positive so far. I, I say that because I really don't want to interview those house husbands we don't like. Right, Edwin?

[Edwin Ariabe]

Yeah, no, man. Great job. We wish you the best. Again, very, very courageous what you did, supporting your wife like that. So continue doing it, man.

[Eddie Judge]

Yeah.

[Matt Janela]

I walked off that and I, I literally. She came back in the trailer and I was like, holy. Like, it's literally like putting two fingers into a light in a light socket. I was like, like, that's what you've been dealing with. Like that. That's crazy. I was felt. I walked away with more respect for her than anything. I was like, wow, that's intense stuff. So no wonder why you can't get a word in. That's insane.

[Eddie Judge]

Yeah. Yeah. Again, thank you so much for coming on. That was Matt, Janela, you guys, if you have any questions or comments, should put them on our podcast Questions Email us. We always love your feedback and appreciate any opinions you have.

[Edwin Ariabe]

Awesome. See you guys.

[Eddie Judge]

Thanks for listening.

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[Matt Janela]

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