CultureMap Exclusive

Kalon McMahon opens up on Bachelor Pad, his tabloid dispute with Erica Rose andvillain life

Keeping in line with his infamous helicopter arrival on episode one of TheBachelorette, McMahon will pull up to the Bachelor Pad house in a Porscheconvertible.
WetPaint.com
Here they are, America — your cast for Bachelor Pad 3.
AceShowbiz.com
After bachelotette Emily Maynard tweeted that seeing Kalon on TV again made herwant to poke out her eyes with dull pencils, he posted this picture.
Kalon McMahon/Twitter
Producers didn't make it easy for Kalon this season with the inclusion ofBachelorette rival Chris Bukowski and trash-talking Houston reality star EricaRose.

After dealing with months of negative press, Houston reality star Kalon Joseph Reid McMahon tells CultureMap that he feels vindicated since wrapping up his time on Bachelor Pad 3 — the elimination-style spin-off of The Bachelorlette franchise that returns to ABC on July 23.

"Seriously, it was like night and day compared to being on The Bachelorette," McMahon says. "There's no central character or plot line to the Bachelor Pad, so it's not as manufactured. The show focuses on different people throughout the entire series, rather than on one specific person."

After his much-discussed departure from this season's Bachelorette, "one specific person" named Emily Maynard does come to mind, especially considering her remarks in the wake of discovering McMahon would be living in the Bachelor Pad house.

"I have a unique history with Erica Rose. We're on OK terms now, but we're not really friends — especially after she sold that story to Star magazine."

"The fact Kalon will ever be on any TV [show] again makes me want to stab my eyeballs out with dull pencils," Maynard tweeted when Entertainment Weekly revealed the cast in June. She noted that she wouldn't be tuning in, either.

"Sorry I'm not sorry," McMahon retorted via Twitter this week. "However, I have never been this excited for Halloween!" Attached is a picture of child dressed as a No. 2 pencil.

Keeping in line with his infamous helicopter arrival on episode one of The Bachelorette, McMahon pull ups up to the Bachelor Pad house in a Porsche convertible in the first episode (a rented Porsche convertible, according to Entertainment Weekly).

Knowing reality TV gold when they see it, Bachelor Pad producers added Chris Bukowski — the recently-eliminated Bachelorette contestant who ratted out McMahon for referring to Emily Maynard's daughter as "baggage" — to the Pad lineup.

Also included in the Bachelor Pad house will be Houston's other reality TV star Erica Rose, who spent the better part of the spring splitting her time studying for the California bar exam and bad-mouthing McMahon.

"I have a unique history with Erica Rose," McMahon explains. "We're on OK terms now, but we're not really friends — especially after she sold that story to Star magazine about an ex-girlfriend of mine who also happens to be friends with her. The whole thing was kind of tacky, but she apologized about it."

In the Star magazine story, Rose charges that McMahon duped and lied to Houston law student Lauren Serice, only to dump her for a shot at reality TV fame.

Regardless of hurdles he faced on this new Bachelor Pad, McMahon said his experience on the show has been nothing but positive and hinted that he made it relatively far in the competition.

"People in the Bachelor Pad house had a specific idea of who I was after seeing The Bachelorette, but after living with them for a day or so they started apologizing and saying things like 'We feel terrible that we felt that way.' In the end, we all got along well and I made some great friends," McMahon says.

"You couldn't have planned it better."

Before returning to Los Angeles in late July for a string of appearances, McMahon will continue working with the Houston non-profit Citizens for Animal Protection (CAP) and will host a special poker benefit for the organization at Del Frisco's Steakhouse on July 13 from 6 to 10 p.m.

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Kelly Clarkson Concert Review

Sold-out Houston crowd sings along at Kelly Clarkson's epic rodeo return

Courtesy of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

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A cross between Pat Benatar and Reba, with a dash of Aretha, Kelly Clarkson headlined Saturday afternoon’s RodeoHouston matinee, 22 years since she debuted at NRG Stadium, in front of 70,007.

It was a true “Ladies Day Out” at RodeoHouston for Clarkson, with roving multigenerational groups of women making the rounds under an only mildly-oppressive Houston sun. Between Clarkson, Lainey Wilson, Megan Moroney, and Lizzo, the 2026 rodeo concert season has been dominated by strong female artists, with Clarkson the most decorated.

The last time Kelly Clarkson played RodeoHouston in 2004, she shared a Tuesday night bill with Y2K it couple Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, a match made in MTV ratings heaven. Other acts on the rodeo roster that year included John Mayer, George Strait, Reba, Willie Nelson, and — fresh from her first stint with Destiny’s Child — Beyonce shared the stage with Alicia Keys two nights later.

The first American Idol winner in 2002, when daresay that truly meant something, she and Carrie Underwood remain the two most successful of winners of Idol all these years later. Clarkson has a permanent seat at the table in Nashville, winning back-to-back CMA Female Vocalist of the Year honors in 2012 and 2013 and never shying away from a little more twang in her power pop. Right out of the chute, she was repping country style, hard to shake when you’re born and raised near Fort Worth.

Clarkson’s current live act has been honed by various residencies at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, playing in front of thousands of Sin City customers. She’s a part of a rare group of performers like Jennifer Lopez, Cyndi Lauper, and even Dolly Parton herself who can command multiple nights. With her syndicated chat show — where her popular genre-bending “Kellyoke” segments were born — ending later this year, it wouldn’t be shocking to see this working mom jump back into regular touring outside of Clark County, especially considering Saturday’s afternoon drawl.

Clarkson emerged from the cocoon of the rodeo’s revolving star stage just before 4:15 pm in a black, glittery jumpsuit straight from Ozzy’s wardrobe closet with “Favorite Kind of High” from 2023’s divorce record Chemistry, her latest album release. The hard-driving Heart-rock of “Behind These Hazel Eyes” debuted some annoying, intermittent sound skippage but Clarkson’s sold-out crowd filled in any gaps. Her pipes were just too strong.

A nod to the female country legends of rodeo’s past, Clarkson gave Tanya Tucker’s “It’s A Little Too Late” a widescreen Vegas makeover with horns and fiddle. “This isn’t sweat, it’s glow,” Clarkson joked, kicking off the torch song “Because Of You.” The singalong of “Breakaway” could more than likely be heard out in the carnival, the first big “Kellyoke” moment of the afternoon.

For “Walk Away” and “Didn’t I,” the horn section and co-ed backup singers that have made Clarkson’s Vegas shows so bombastic got a workout. Clarkson reeled out her Jason Aldean duet “Don’t You Wanna Stay” as a solo. The release was her first country hit and was one of the biggest country duets of the 2010s.

“It’s way more sad this way,” she laughed. “Because I guess he didn’t stay.”

Clarkson threw in 2025’s bar-crawling single "Where Have You Been" in the mix, going rogue from the supplied setlist, accentuating the Queen-esque licks with her own highs. Her post-Idol debut rave-up “Miss Independent” set the table for “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You),”

Clarkson sent the crowd out pogo-ing and screaming with “Since U Been Gone,” making her exit in a SUV like a rock star, with plenty of sunshine to spare.

Setlist

Favorite Kind Of High
Behind These Hazel Eyes
My Life Would Suck Without You
It’s A Little Too Late (Tanya Tucker cover)
Because Of You
Breakaway
Heat
Walk Away
Didn’t I
Heartbeat Song
Don’t You Wanna Stay
Where Have You Been
Miss Independent
Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)
Since U Been Gone

2004 RodeoHouston Lineup

Mar 2: John Mayer
Mar 3: George Strait
Mar 4: Wynonna Judd
Mar 5: B2K / Bow Wow
Mar 6: Martina McBride
Mar 7: Reba McEntire
Mar 8: Enrique Iglesias
Mar 9: Alan Jackson
Mar 10: Amy Grant / Vince Gill
Mar 11: Clay Walker
Mar 12: Legends in Concert (Dwight Yoakam, Buck Owens, Marty Stuart, Connie Smith)
Mar 13: Randy Travis
Mar 14: Bronco / Jennifer Peña
Mar 15: Dierks Bentley / Robert Earl Keen
Mar 16: Jessica Simpson & Nick Lachey / Kelly Clarkson
Mar 17: Dierks Bentley / Keith Urban / Kenny Chesney
Mar 18: Alicia Keys / Beyoncé
Mar 19: Pat Green
Mar 20: Brooks & Dunn
Mar 21: Willie Nelson

Courtesy of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

rodeohouston concert review kelly clarkson