Written by Altina Kamara.
Ben Knobloch, a veteran and California-native, decided to take a chance on a unique opportunity to find love on the hit USA Network show, Temptation Island. Though he wasn’t originally looking for love, his connection with fellow cast member, Ashley Howland, left fans wanting more.
In our exclusive celebrity interview, Knobloch opens up about his past, his relationship with Ashley after the show, and what he’s looking forward to in the future.
Check out our celebrity interview with Ben Knobloch as he spills the tea about his fellow cast members on Temptation Island:
1. What made you go on a reality show to find love?
I wasn’t really looking for love. I wasn’t looking for anything, really. It was a super unique opportunity that they reached out to me. I was just posting silly Instagram videos and somebody reached out asking about the tv show and I’d never heard of it and it seemed like a really unique thing that no one that I know has ever been on a tv show, so yeah, I decided to go for it and honestly, I didn’t even know the premise of the show. I had to do some background research and at least go into it with an open mind, that no matter what happened, whether I was voted off the first night or made it all the way through or found someone to be with, I wouldn’t be upset or heartbroken.
2. I read that you have three sisters. Can you tell us, in your own words, how that has affected you or helped you, or maybe even hindered you?
The three sisters, obviously growing up the only guy, was absolute hell. I remember there were times where they would tie me to chairs and put makeup on me. It was so bad, but the silver lining is I learned what not to do as a boyfriend. I’d see them coming home from dates crying and venting to my parents about what this guy did and what he didn’t do, so slowly in the back of my head, I guess I was taking notes. That led me to be who I am today, so I appreciate it but obviously there’s still some PTSD from wearing makeup when I was 10 years old.
3. You do say that with the three sisters that you know what women want. Can you give us an example of what you think women want?
I think women want a strong partner, whether that’s physically or emotionally strong, if they had to, someone they can rely on if they ever felt short or weak because nobody wants to date, male or female, someone who’s weak. That is the biggest turn-off. It’s not going to last long and if it is going to last long, it’s going to be pretty toxic. Imbalance leads to bad things, so you want to balance a strong relationship with someone you can rely on.
4. Knowing what you know, what do think the difference is between you and Casey?
I think Casey is emotionally immature and it’s very evident, seeing a few episodes back, where he…and obviously I had a preconceived notion about what I thought he was based on what Ashley told me but I knew that was just one side of the story. I was really looking forward to getting to know his side of the story and who he is as a person. Unfortunately, he never showed up to the reunion, so I never got to really meet the guy. I think Casey just has a lot of growing up to do. He’s never really experienced life, he’s never traveled outside of the country, Ashley told me he’s never been in a massive heartbreak before. I’m a firm believer that you have to have your heart broken at least three times before you find who you want to end up with forever.
5. What’s the longest relationship you’ve been in, to date?
My longest relationship was a year and a half.
6. Can you tell us about you and Ashley and where you are now?
I thought we were on good terms and then every once in a while, I’ll get a drunk text or phone call, but I guess there’s some drama updates. I was out of cell service for 4 or 5 days backpacking. I come back to my phone and there are missed calls and FaceTimes from different cast members and apparently, after these little Temptation Island get-togethers on the east coast and the west coast, mainly LA and New York, there’s bad s**t going on. Girls are getting drunk and talking s**t to each other: singles, relationship couples…I’m trying to reach out to the other guys like “What the hell is going on?” And none of the guys have any idea, just the girls, so I’m not entirely sure what’s going on. I think Ash and I are okay right now, but we are not dating…maybe friends, but the last couple of days, she has been not happy with me, for some reason, and I don’t know why.
7. Did you [and Ashley] date after the show?
We hung out after the show a good amount. She flew out a few times to see me and it was fun, but we did have a hard part, like “Hey, you know, you want to go to LA, I’m staying here in Arizona.” I have two years of school left. She has a lot going on with her clothing line, so we figured it was best to separate and still maintain a good, positive relationship without actually being together.
8. Are you dating anybody right now?
I’m not dating anybody right now, no.
9. What qualities do you look for in a woman?
I’m looking for someone who has goals. Someone who aspires to be something in this life, because life is short, and someone who…Someone who’s goal-oriented and driven, someone who works out and takes care of themselves because I take care of my body and then how do I expect them to rely on themselves and take care of me if they can’t take care of themselves, so that’s kind of big in my book. Smart. I like to hold an intellectual conversation, something other than a pretty face. Funny.
10. Do you think you’ll do reality tv or television in general ever again? Do you like the business?
Yes, so that was one of the parts that was most exciting for me with getting on a tv show. Everybody has these rumors on what they think reality tv is or how tv works, but it is completely different, like all the moving parts and the pieces and I thought it was such a unique and awesome experience, so I would definitely be down to do another reality tv show, for sure.
11. You made a post on Twitter and it said something like, “It’s amazing how many snakes come slithering out of the grass as soon as you get on a tv show.” Who are you referring to? Are you referring to people in your life or other people?
I’m referring to every woman who’s ever curved me before I was on tv. They didn’t give me the time of day before I made something of myself. Now that I got on Temptation Island, they’re like “Ooh, I guess he’s doing well for himself. Let’s hit him back up,” but too late. You get one shot.
12. How do you weed through all of that?
I mean, I get it. People change over time, but if they weren’t giving me the time of day before I was on tv, then I just say, “no thanks,” or ignore them completely. Keep them on “read.” That’s the best policy.
13. What did you family think of you going on the show and what do they think now that the show has been on the air?
My mom, she was excited. She’s a huge fan of reality tv, especially Temptation Island. She loves Mark Wahlberg, so that was kind of cool. But my dad was like, “What’s the show called?” And I told him “Temptation Island” and he’s like, “I don’t like the sound of that show,” so there’s kind of both sides playing the field, but they were supportive and they were saying “Have fun, good luck,” and I went on the show and then my mom said it was kind of hard having me not talk to her for 30 days, because we talk regularly, at least weekly. So I get back and let her know how it went and they’re loving it! My family is eating up the show. Every Thursday, I get a phone call from uncles and aunts and cousins like “Aww we saw you, we saw this, did this really happen? Can you talk about that?” So, it’s fun.
14. You’re in Scottsdale? Is that where you grew up and were raised?
No, so I’m actually from Northern California. I was up there until I was 18 and then I spent five years on the east coast following high school and the military and then I got out and was like, “I want to go to school and be a real human again,” so I decided to move somewhere new where I didn’t know anybody and start fresh in Arizona and here I am.
15. On your Instagram bio, it states that you’re a “jack of all trades.” Can you give us some examples of the types of things you do?
Yeah, so I’ve gotten multiple questions about that and it’s kind of funny to explain. “Jack of all trades, master of none,” is actually something an old, wise delta force guy told me a couple years ago, but they’re saying you never want to stick to one thing. You want to diversify your portfolio, in a sense, so any given weekend, I can be found skydiving, scuba diving, hunting, fishing, off-roading, going to the clubs, in a library, just doing whatever I want. I don’t have one single hobby. I kind of do everything and I think that’s a good way to live because it’s never boring and there’s always something to do.
16. How do you think your dating life is going to change now that the show is over?
The show was definitely life-changing, but I’m excited to see what happens after because of it, so I would really love to get into acting, but I refuse to move to Hollywood, so that’s kind of the predicament. I’m excited for the future. I’m just going to keep doing what I do and see what happens.
Want to keep up with Ben? You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
