JoJo Fletcher is a believer.
JoJo Fletcher:There’s a lot to unpack there.
The reality is, no one gets married to get divorced.
There’s a little bit of a stigma behind it.
We wanted to break that and show that you’re not a failure.
There’s hope after heartbreak.
There’s a lot of growth that can come from that.
You didn’t fail at love.
My parents were married before they met each other.
They went through a divorce.
We wanted to show that side of it.
It has all the pieces that you want to watch.
Jordan Rodgers:We are reality show junkies, so we watch everything.
“Married at First Sight.”
Fletcher:“Love Island.”
Rodgers:“Love Island.”
“Temptation Island” is one of our favorites.
But for a good reality dating show, you need balance.
This definitely has the drama.
You got divorcees living together and dating people.
I want you to be happy."
What am I watching?"
to “I’m rooting for this person.
I’m rooting for this couple.”
How did those experiences affect how you approached hosting one?
I don’t even know who I [am] I’m not acting like myself."
Dating on reality shows is weird.
I sat in that chair.
Helping them dig through that and find growth and find connections was fun.
Fletcher:It’s such a unique situation to be in because you are taken out of your life.
There’s never any time in your life when it’s possible for you to just focus on that.
Why are me and my ex not able to move forward?
What are those real reasons?"
You see them actually start to have those conversations.
You’ll see her on our show.
She was our therapist on the show.
Fletcher:I would’ve loved it.
Rodgers:Oh, my God.
Maybe it’s having that resource after the fact, because it’s a real test.
It’s a real emotional rollercoaster that you go through.
Having that [therapist there], you realize how much of a great resource that is.
Reality shows are only getting crazier you’re marrying people before you ever see them.
Rodgers:Like us.
We have the “take five rule” that we learned from Dr. Jada Jackson.
You’re always going to continue to grow.
You’re going to continue to learn.
Take a beat."
You both got to, “All right.
We’re going to take five.
We’re going to walk away from this.
We’re getting a little elevated.
Come back to the conversation and realize that you’re coming back for a better conversation.
Fletcher:With Dr. Jada.
Rodgers:We would sit in there waiting, as they’re waiting for us for hours, sometimes.
Middle of the night, waiting on a night shoot we’re talking to Dr. Jada.
Sometimes you go, “Wait.
Okay, let’s take a break.”
For us, I was like, “Wait a minute.
Fletcher:Even saying, “We’re going to take five,” it was breaking that ice.
It was like, “We both get it now.
Let’s take a minute, and let’s come back.”
De-escalate it, and we realize we were missing each other.
“Let’s hold on.”
Fletcher:That marriage isn’t going to be easy.
We’re not naive to think that because we’ve been together for seven years now.
But there’s continued work.
Never lose sight of your team.
At the end of the day, you guys are not against each other.
There’s these moments where they’re like, “Man, if we would’ve just donethis.”
You never know what’s going to happen there.
Maybe one does and one doesn’t.
Maybe you are ready to be single and find new love.
Either way, it’s great.
But there were multiple couples that went …
Fletcher:“Wait a second.”
We never talked about x, y, and z.”
Fletcher:I got chills again thinking about it.
Rodgers:Once that got out of the way, it’s like, “Wait a minute.”
Fletcher:You look at things a whole lot differently.
Rodgers: “Maybe this could work again.”
Fletcher:“Or not.”
I sat back and go, “I was there.
I got a chance to go talk to him off-camera and share that with him.
That was a moment I was watching behind the scenes going, “I’ve been him.”
I have some memories of moments with individual girls.
There was one individual who you start rooting for because you want this person to find her voice.
It was something that she never had for so long.
It was something that I was like, “You have that in you.”
I had let past relationships break me down little by little.
Coming off of the show and finding a wonderful, amazing relationship was what I had always wanted.
You get your voice back.
You get your independence back.
I just got chills again.
It’s really cool, and you’re rooting for them.
You have also hosted “Cash Pad” and “Battle of the Fittest Couples.”
Rodgers:Actually, we say this all the time.
Fletcher:A competition one.
We’re so competitive.
[Turns to JoJo] Is it Cranium?
Fletcher:All the games.
We don’t lose at board games.
When it’s game night and all the friends are around we don’t lose.
It’s something that we’ve bonded over.
We have all these memories.
Fletcher:And not have any issues.
What advice do you have for other couples who would love to work together?
Rodgers:Renovate a house.
Fletcher:Test yourself.
Rodgers:Throw yourself in the fire.
That’s what we did.
It was what JoJo did.
As soon as [“The Bachelorette”] was done, we went right into renovating a house.
I had no clue what was going on.
She’s the boss.
Fletcher:You know what helps too?
I’m not going to lie and say that we don’t we 100% do.
If you have a partner that you’re able to actually have fun with, that definitely helps.
“The Big D” premieres Wednesday, June 14 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on USA online grid.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
