Forget practicing law–I’m going to open my own Blizz franchise and be a part of the wonderment that is Dr. Paul Nassif’s frozen yogurt empire. That’s right, the Botched doctor isn’t just performing plastic surgery these days. He’s branching out–delving into the froyo business, milking cows, starring along side Terry Dubrow in an amazing spin-off (Botched by Nature), and (pinch me, I’m dreaming!) speaking to me all about the upcoming season of said spin-off!
I know, I know, you can’t believe it either, but it’s true. I was lucky enough to get to interview both Paul and Terry about their new series Botched by Nature which premieres tonight, Wednesday, August 3rd at 9 PM ET on E!. The show will be followed by Botched Post-Op (more on that in a bit), and it’s sure to be a hit. You know how there are certain celebrities you think hung the moon, only to hear that someone met them and they were rude or boring? Well, that is not at all what happened to me. I loved Paul and Terry’s antics pre-interview, but after chatting with them, my adoration is at an entirely new level…plus, I kind of want to live in Heather Dubrow’s closet! (see pic below)
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Not only did I get to fan girl over the Botched doctors, I got to watch the first episode of Botched by Nature in advance of the premiere. Terry and Paul’s fabulous bromance is in full effect, and trust me when I say you’ll want to have tissue on hand when you meet the amazing folks featured this season. Before I get to the good stuff, I just want to gush a bit more about how genuine and affable these gentlemen were throughout the interview. They teased each other unmercifully, they both addressed me many times by my first name (funny how something so little can make such a big impact!), and they were incredibly gracious and humble throughout our twenty minute conversation.
After introductions (as if I can’t tell who is who my voice alone), I get down to business. On the premiere of Botched by Nature, Paul and Terry hit the farm where they are schooled in the art of milking cows. Of course I have to ask who had more skill. Paul jokes, “Me, of course, because you know I’m used to doing outdoorsy types of things. That’s out of Terry’s comfort zone,” to which Terry jumps in, “He’s single, Lauren, so he spends a lot of time stroking an object–” Paul interrupts, “Lauren, Lauren, don’t write that part!” He was laughing though, so I think (hope!) he was kidding.
Describing the new series, Terry begins, “Botched by Nature is our new spin-off show, as you know, where Paul and I go out there and try to help people who have congenital deformities or who have been victims of of traumatic accidents. The reason we have to leave the office to do that is because it’s a completely different circumstance. These people have had these problems for their entire lives, most of the time, and it has had such a profound effect on their lives and the lives of those closest to them, that these aren’t easy problems to fix. Before we decide that it’s worth the risk to take on and try to fix these people, we really have to determine the true effect these problems have had on their lives. The only way to do that is to get out of the office, get on the road, and go immerse ourselves in their world. For the most part, these are people who really didn’t have access to plastic surgeons and thought they had hopeless problems. It’s something that was very, very deep for us, very risky.”
Terry adds, “We got to know each other better than we ever did before, and we were great, great friends before, and we got to experience things both surgically and environmentally, for example, eating squirrel, than we ever could have imagined. There’s a whole other world outside Newport Beach and Beverly Hills, I can tell you that. Not to mention, I saw part’s of Paul’s anatomy that to this day I cannot un-see,” to which Paul retorts, “He’s just so jealous of the things he’s seen. He’s full of envy.”
When questioned whether they ever get emotional seeing their patients’ transformations, Terry responds, “I’m going to make a general comment before Paul speaks. I can tell you that virtually every single one of these stories is so touching, that here we are, hardened, experienced plastic surgeons used to dealing with the hardest to fix and riskiest problems, and we–or at least I did–spent most of the season choking back tears when we met these people. It’s unbelievable what you’re going to see,” with Paul concurring, “I’ve got to say that truly sums it up. Every story is very touching.”
Dishing on the upcoming season, Terry reveals, “For example, without going into too much detail, we saw a soldier who did tours of duty in Iraq come home only to be struck by lightning. We saw a woman who is absolutely gorgeous develop a disease that causes her tissues to digest themselves and now her nose is basically falling off. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. You can only imagine how deep and profound these stories are and at what cost it is to go out there and get in their world and tell them, yes, we think–and the emphasis is on think–we think we can help you, and then to take them on as cases, bring them back to Los Angeles, put them under anesthesia, knowing now we have this personal connection, and what’s at risk from a surgical point of view and a social point of view weighs very, very heavily.”
Paul interjects, “Let me add to that. You’ve only seen the first episode that features Nate. As you saw, he’s a twin. One twin is affected by this disease process, and the other one isn’t. And is such a great guy…all you want to do is help this guy so that, besides the patient himself, his children don’t feel awkward or uncomfortable if their father is being teased.”
The doctors see such extreme cases, there have to be times when they haven’t been able to do as much as they’d hoped for their patients, right? Paul shares, “There is a patient I’m working on right now, and I don’t really want to give away too much, but this patient, despite numerous procedures, you know there is some improvement, but not nearly as much as I’d like to help this patient.”
Drawing from past Botched experiences, Terry asserts, “The difficult thing for us, Lauren, at this point, we’re now three full seasons into Botched. We, surprisingly even to ourselves, have been able to take patients that even we thought were unfixable, like Raji from last season with cement in her face. We’ve figured out ways to fix them, and we now have a different level, a different standard that we’re comparing our results to so sometimes.
Referring to Nate’s surgery, Terry continues, “You saw Paul say, ‘I just didn’t get that nose as straight as I wanted.’ But that nose was a straight as could be. We’re our harshest critics. We can’t even figure out what’s ‘good enough’ now because we’ve been able to sort of blow through our own expectations with many of these patients.”
Before Paul has to leave the call for a meeting, I have to ask the two most pressing questions. One, will Blizz (you get to see the guys gorging on waffles and toppings on the premiere) be coming to my neck of the woods any time soon? Duh, when I buy a franchise! And two, is there a lucky lady in Dr. Nassif’s life? My co-worker Brooke is especially interested in this information given her long-standing crush on Paul.
You could almost hear Paul blushing through the phone as he hedges, “I am single, am I dating? Actually in the last month–and I know Terry’s going to say it’s not true, but it’s true–I’m not dating as much right now, because I think that while it’s fun, it’s takes a lot of energy and a lot of time. We’ll say it that way. If I found someone I felt was special, I’d probably go all in, but right now, I’m not looking.”
Have you ever had one of those moments when the words just come hurling out of your mouth and you realize there is nothing you can do, short of inventing a time machine, to put them back in before they’re heard? Granted, I have those moments daily, but I blurted, “So, I guess, like Terry said, you’re spending a lot of time with yourself then?” Kill. Me. Now. The three second delay on the call did me no favors as we sat in silence before I was greeted with belly laughs from both men. “You got me, Lauren!”
At this point, Paul has to leave and he was so kind and appreciative of my time–um, I’m sorry! It needs to be the other way around–I was so excited to get to speak with him! But this allows Terry to give the real dirt on Paul’s love life, He quips, “Up until the last month, quote, unquote, of what he’s telling everybody, this guy was like the most eligible single guy in Los Angeles. Now, there is a rumor that he’s switching teams and his celebrity crush is Chris Hemsworth. No, in all seriousness, I think Paul wants to meet someone who is significant and real…until Katy Perry comes along.”
Remember that after show I referenced a million paragraphs ago? Terry shares, “Heather is hosting Botched Post-Op which is our after show. Every episode of Botched by Nature is immediately followed by Botched Post-Op which is hosted by Heather Dubrow, my wife, thank you very much….Heather basically takes you inside Botched–more into the stories, things you didn’t see, takes you to the Botched production offices, interviews the crew, and then asks a lot of probing questions about what it’s like on the road, with deleted scenes and so on. That starts at 10 PM, August 3, right after Botched by Nature on E!”
One can’t have a conversation with a staple of Real Housewives of Orange County without wondering if Terry is making more time for his family as he’s promised Heather. He responds, “So we’ve moved into our house. We’ve been there one week and it’s been incredible. Botched and Botched by Nature are on hiatus right now, although we’re casting for Botched Season 4. Right now, every night I’m home and I’m not leaving town. Although Heather and I are very busy with our book and our skin care line, I’m really at home and present. Coco is still being mean to me, but the way…just a little sidebar there. I’m having trouble winning Coco over, but it’s Coco’s world and I just live in it. Things are really good. I imagine there will be some challenging time in future with new seasons of Botched…but I think I’m learning how to be present when I’m at home, and, when I’m not around that much, to make sure that when I come home I’m spending really quality time,” further stating, “Botched is one of those opportunities that you get once in your life, and it’s a unique experience. Despite what you see on Real Housewives of Orange County that it’s been hard, my family understands. We’re in a very good place right now.”
While I could have kept blabbering to Terry for another hour while he was driving to L.A., I’m sure he wanted a reprieve. However, he did sum up his experience on Botched by Nature, concluding, “I would tell you that I’m a pretty routine, insular person, meaning that I have a pretty programmed life. I get up at four o’ clock, three o’ clock in the morning. I exercise. I see patients. I see my family. I go to bed. For me, getting out of my world–and the only way I’d ever get out of my world and my programmed life is to get on a plane with my best friend and go to a town I’ve never been to, whether it’s in Louisiana, South Carolina, New Jersey…and just immerse ourselves in things we’ve never done. There’s so much of that on Botched by Nature. From sun to snow to hiking to everything else, it was truly just the most amazing experience in my life, far and away…the most rewarding, the most surprising and eye-opening, and the most affirming and heart-warming. Botched by Nature is one of those shows that if it does well, fabulous, but if people don’t respond to it, I think they’re going to miss something that’s really important, really fun and crazy, and really worth seeing.”
Y’all be sure to tune in for the premiere of Botched by Nature on August 3rd on E! You’re going to want to set a season pass on your DVR. Terry and Paul could not have been more lovely to speak with and they were highly entertaining and incredibly passionate about what they do. Thank you both for taking time out of your very busy schedules–y’all certainly made my month (and I can’t wait for my Blizz franchise…)!
TELL US – ARE YOU EXCITED FOR THE PREMIERE OF BOTCHED BY NATURE? ARE YOU AS ENAMORED WITH THE DOCTORS’ BROMANCE AS I AM?
[Photo Credit: Instagram]
