We first met Susan Noles when she joined The Golden Bachelor’s inaugural season back in 2023. While her time on the hit show came to an end after five episodes, Noles’ reality TV journey wasn’t done yet as she recently starred in Hulu’s newest competition series Got To Get Out.
“I think I was born to be on TV, but it was a late thing to happen in life,” Noles told DECIDER in a recent Zoom interview. “The Golden Bachelor started it and I just am having a ball. I am unapologetically, authentically Susan. I’m not an actress. This is who I am.”
So, now that Noles has walked away with nearly $43,000 in winnings from Got To Get Out, where will she go next? Bachelor Nation’s Jesse Palmer previously told DECIDER that he’d love to see her on a Golden Bachelor in Paradise. However, Noles said she wouldn’t be accompanying her former co-star Leslie Fhima at the beach this summer, exclusively telling DECIDER that while she initially intended to join the spinoff, life had other plans for her.
“I have met someone and I’m in love,” she confessed, before gushing over her new man. “We met in St. Martin. He’s from France so we have a language issue, but we’re getting better. I’m actually practicing my French words. But it’s really difficult for me. That language is hard. He’s doing better with English than I am with French. And I asked him, ‘Is it a deal breaker if I never speak your language? Cause tell me now.’”
Noles praised her boyfriend for caring for her after she recently fell and broke her wrist while hiking in St. Martin, resulting in surgery to install a plate and seven screws. “He was unbelievable. It was broken so we wrapped it to get in the shower, and I went, ‘I need to shave.’ He would shave my legs, my armpits. This man took such good care of me,” she mused.
The hairdresser might not be joining Bachelor in Paradise — even though she had initially “taken off the time” to do it — but she’ll certainly be jetting back to the tropical island of St. Martin Enough soon. “It’s a great love story, it really is,” she said.
Noles also spoke to DECIDER about snoring “on national TV” in Got To Get Out, which scene producers wanted her to recreate in case they “missed” anything, and her hopes to join the next season of Dancing with the Stars. Check out the full interview below.
DECIDER: You were so much fun to watch on Got To Get Out. What made you decide to sign on for the show? Did you ever expect you would have such major reality TV fame at this point in your life?
SUSAN NOLES: You know what? I think I was born to be on TV, but it was a late thing to happen in life. The Golden Bachelor started it and I just am having a ball. I am unapologetically, authentically Susan. I’m not an actress. This is who I am. Nothing’s changed in my world. But my phone was blowing up like, “Why are you telling everybody?” I said, “Guys, I wasn’t ready to escape yet. Think about it.” And then falling asleep? Oh my goodness. I woke up at five in the morning to make the meatballs and I knew I had a couple of hours. So I said I need to rest. I had my guys all set up and they didn’t wake me up. I just wanted to die. I make myself laugh. I have to re-watch it over and over again.
You were given the nickname Susie Looselips after you announced your exit strategy to everyone in the house. Do you think that was a fair nickname?
Absolutely. Have a big secret? Don’t tell me.
Looking back, do you wish you kept that one a secret?
No! Because I was having so much fun and I wasn’t ready to leave. It wasn’t that much money. So, I thought, “I’m just going to tell everyone. And then when I did get a good one, they’re going to think I’ll tell every time.” But I didn’t. So, yeah.
So there was more strategy there!
There’s a little strategy.
You touched on it a bit before but the other exit strategy you orchestrated, you ended up sleeping through. Are you still kicking yourself for that one?
You have no idea. I will never live that down. And you heard him say, “And don’t worry, Susan, it’ll be forever available on Hulu.” I’m like, “Oh, my God.” They bleeped out what I said – “You effers, why didn’t you wake me up?” And to snore on national TV, really? My kids are like, “Mom.” I was tired.
You were tired! You were making meatballs all day.
Yes! What they didn’t show is, I thought it was Shane, had an exit down by the pool and when I shouted, “Who’s ready for Mimi’s meatballs?” His light turned green. He goes, “I actually hesitated. I’ve been waiting for the meatballs all day.” I was everyone’s mother in the house, you know?
For sure! I want to talk about Rashad because he completely turned on you! You went off on him and told him that you voted for him on Dancing with the Stars even though you didn’t vote for anybody and that he was dead to you. Do you think you’ll ever forgive him for that?
Yes, I already have. It’s part of the game. When he was telling me he’s ready to go, I missed my baby, and I was hugging him, like, I have so much empathy, it’s not even funny. I wear my heart on my sleeve. So, I really trusted him and at that last minute when he did that – and then poor Steve, I got Steve in there and he pulls his hamstring, and then I was so caught up in Rashad and couldn’t remember what I was supposed to say. Oh, God, the moments. I mean, you can’t make this shit up. It is real. But I was like, “I can’t believe you did that to me. You went with Yahné?” Well, they must have already had a plan when I asked. And he played the game well, Rashad.
One of my absolute favorite moments was when you ran from the watch tower and practically tackled Spencer Pratt to hit that button. How proud of yourself were you? And did you know you had that in you?
No. So, first of all, I’m up there, and it was at a moment the lever wouldn’t work and Rob yells, “Run!” And I took off. My feet did not hit the ground. And that attic was like 200 degrees. I’m running and ducking and the whole time I’m pounding my feet, hit the effing button, because I was hoping they wouldn’t say it on TV. But they didn’t show the whole thing. By the time I got to the kitchen and I went up against the wall, they go, “We got it! We got it!” I was like [breathing heavily]. And the producers had come out and said, “Oh, my God, Susan, how did you do that?” I go, “I don’t know. I just reacted.” And they said, “You’re gonna be a star! Could you do it again in case we missed anything?” I was like, “What? I’m the oldest person in the house!” But then for Spencer to try and block the button, I was like, “Oh, no, you don’t.” I didn’t want anybody to leave.
Spencer was another interesting character. What did you think of him?
My first 24 hours, I didn’t know. He’s different. And I didn’t know anybody walking in there. So I got to know him and I think he’s hysterical, actually. And I love him wearing his wife’s shirt. Everything that happened to him, with the fire and all, I’m rooting for him. He’s good people, though. He is.
Cynthia Bailey and Stein were the only two to get out. What did you think of them?
She parked herself down by that button. They had the perfect strategy. And Stein, I just absolutely adore him, both of them. And for her to ask him was the smartest thing she’s ever done because he kept under the radar a little bit. He was quiet. Great guy, great guys. I’d love to travel with him. He’s all over the place. But it was perfect. It was perfect. And for her not to hit that button – and did you see when they were all screaming and she was just standing there and then when they weren’t actually there, she was pretending [like she was going to hit the button]? She didn’t even know if he made it or not. That was wild. And then we were all so depleted, like, the clock goes to zero and that’s when we realized he got out.
I can’t imagine how you all felt.
But then for him to tell his story – he’s never seen that kind of money, like, my heart, I was jumping up and down inside. Like, good for you.
He was even better for splitting it with her in the end!
Well, it was her clue so he better, yes. And Rob, in the beginning, saying, “You know, I had the key to the car and [I’m not going to use it].” I was like, “Oh, my god, you’re good people.” He taught me so much on that tower. The last 24 hours, I said, “Watch out, people, because I’m playing defense. Nobody’s getting out. Nobody. Not on my watch.” We were upstairs, and he was a police officer and he showed me how to look for shadows. Like, I was in it to win it at this point. I’m not leaving with nothing. He even tricked me up there, too.
I think everyone at one point or another gave up trying to get out and just decided to make sure no one else could.
Can you imagine if somebody escaped on my watch at the last minute? They would have killed me! I lived on that tower. I got sunburnt during the day and eaten by mosquitoes at night. But I was not leaving that tower.
Mimi’s meatballs were certainly a hit. Would you ever consider hosting your own cooking show? And if so, who from the Got To Get Out cast would make the perfect sous chef?
Oh, man. Yeah, I would do it in a minute. I sell them on QVC actually, but they priced them so high that nobody buys them. Who would I pick? There’s a few of them that helped me. Rob would definitely help me make meatballs, I think.
I can’t let you go without bringing up Bachelor Nation. Jesse Palmer told us that he’d love to see you on a Golden Bachelor in Paradise. Would you be open to heading to the beach this summer with your friend Leslie?
I have met someone and I’m in love. So I’m not going to [Bachelor in Paradise]. I want to go to Dancing with the Stars, however. They didn’t show Val and I practicing and he goes, “Alright, let me see what you got.” Like, I’ve been begging for two years. I’ve danced all my life. But, you know, I’m old now so I don’t have what I used to have. Val and I were like Bonnie and Clyde. I mean, he’s my guy. He goes, “Let me see what you’ve got.” So we salsa. And he’s on the second count of eight, and he goes, “Stop, wait.” And I go, “What? What’d I do wrong?” He goes, “Susan, I lead.” I go, “You’re gonna make me cry. I know you’re going to make me cry when you drill me and teach me.” That’s my bucket list.
I would love to see you on Dancing with the Stars! How did you meet your new guy?
We met in St. Martin. He’s from France so we have a language issue, but we’re getting better. I’m actually practicing my French words. But it’s really difficult for me. That language is hard. He’s doing better with English than I am with French. And I asked him, “Is it a deal breaker if I never speak your language? Cause tell me now.” And that’s where I [broke my wrist]. I was gonna film him and his son surfing. And we had this hike up in Anse Marcel and I was just about there, you could see where we could go. It was like a 25-minute hike from where you park your car. And it was uphill, water hitting the rocks. It’s beautiful. And my foot hit gravel and I slid and I went to break my fall and broke my wrist. I had to go to a French hospital. I was scared to death. And they casted it and said, “Wait 24 hours. You can’t fly yet but you need a plate and screws.” And when I got back here, the doctor said, “They were exactly right.” So I have some faith now in the French hospitals in St. Martin. So he’s been living there for about 10 years and that’s his life there.
Has he been a good caretaker since your accident?
He was unbelievable. It was broken so we wrapped it to get in the shower, and I go, “I need to shave.” He would shave my legs, my armpits. This man took such good care of me.
That’s amazing. And you have a beautiful island to visit whenever you want!
Yeah, because I had taken off the time for Paradise because I thought I was going to go and now I’m just going back to St. Martin. It’s a great love story, it really is.
I’m so happy for you and thank you so much for taking time out of your day to chat with me. I hope your wrist feels better!
It’s getting there. I gotta be able to dance!
