Emily: We have a very special guest here today, I'm at the Brain Scoop.
We are visited by Kendall Long, who was a
contestant on The Bachelor and The Bachelor Paradise. And today we're gonna dissect some owl pellets.
They're actually from Kendall County, Illinois.
Kendall: It's meant to be.
Emily: Yeah, and they are from a long eared owl we learned Kendall: Kendall long
Emily: Kendall Kendall: It's double meant to be Emily: It's like, fate. Kendall: Serendipitous. Emily: Yeah, but um, yeah, these are just
collected from a single roost. So you you want first pick, pick your pellet.
Kendall: This guy looks really fat and juicy
Emily: So you are a lifelong lover of zoology. Has taxidermy always been a part of that interest?
Kendall: Yeah, I think it grew with my love of nature,
so as I was a huge outdoor kid, I would just find things and keep them.
I think the first museum I went to was actually along a hiking trail and they had
taxidermy there, so I'm in California, so they had
bobcats and mountain lions and all kinds of really cool taxidermy there.
And so I just loved being really close up and seeing all the details of everything.
My first mount that I ever got was this Bore Head mount and his name's Peggosiville, my dad named him.
I was literally so crazy ecstatic. My sister took a picture of me and I'm like,
Really, so excited.
Emily: I feel like I make that face on this program fairly regularly. Kendall: See? that is the best kind of face.
Emily: We are weird friends. Kendal: See,
the pure excitement of taxidermy face. Emily: Yeah. How did your family feel about that?
Kendall: My family kind of thought it was a phase.
Emily: They were like, I can't wait Kendall outgrows this. Kendall: Yeah
it's like a punk phase or a goth phase like like, oh just a
taxidermy phase and eventually. Emily: And you you still haven't grown out of it.
Kendall: I still haven't grown out of it I don't hope to anytime soon
Emily: Yeah,. You also, as we mentioned , were a contestant on I believe season 22 of The Bachelor.
Kendall: Yes, with Arie.
Emily: Yeah, like how did you one, become a contestant on the show and two,
when did your interest in taxidermy
sort of (Kendall: come brought to light?) come out?
Kendall: I never really imagined myself being somebody that would be on the show because
it just seemed like, all these girls going for one guy. Why would I do that?
But I was watching the show with my sister. I might have had a glass of wine or two,
Um, I was like, I'm gonna do it.
So I did it and I signed up and they called me the next day.
but the words that I said where I am a ukulele playing taxidermy collecting twin and
I think right then they're like that's
someone that's (Emily: yeah) , that's intriguing.
Emily: We haven't, we haven't had that type of program. We've had taxidermy
Ukulele playing people who aren't twins. Kendall: but not the twins. So that was the key element.
But and I think they encouraged taxidermy throughout the entire experience
So they had my roommates like, you know
Let them in and they brought like, some of my taxidermy to show Arie and uh.
Emily: The bachelor.
Kendall: Yeah. the bachelor, and he you know, he he wasn't he was it kind of into it. Emily: Yes.
Emily: And then you had the opportunity to pick a one-on-one date with Arie, the bachelor,
and can you tell me a little bit about that experience? Kendall: Hometown.
The hometown date is initially supposed to be something where you can take the bachelor to your home and
Show them more about you and your life and your family
And so I initially wanted to do a picnic at a cemetery because
they're really beautiful, and then another idea was well,
I've never done taxidermy before I've never actually physically made taxidermy,
Cause I wanted the ways wanted to do it
Yeah, I mean I tried before but never really succeeded and they're like, yes, like that's a good idea.
So yeah, we just ran with it. Emily: What was your taxidermy that you made with The Bachelor?
Kendall: We made little bride and groom rats.
I actually came in a day early to learn how to
do it. So I actually had made a mount beforehand and so I was like pretending like a big professional like oh, yeah
You just do this.
Yeah, yeah.
Emily: I am learning on the fly. Kendall: Hands like shaking as I'm like stitching it up.
Emily: Yeah, their look is great. Kendall: Maybe I made that one
That might have been the one that I made. Emily: Yeah. Okay.
Kendall: Might not have been. Emily: Sure. Do you think that that experience
helped him to better appreciate taxidermy as an art form? Kendall: I think so.
I think initially he was very weirded out by the whole taxidermy thing as most people
tend to be, and so I think after a while he understood that, okay
she's just really into animals and she's like an appreciation for it. So I think he learned to appreciate my love of taxidermy
Emily: Yeah. Kendall: I see taxidermy as almost life, really
I don't know if I see it as death me of course, they're dead, but it's it's like a
the art of life. Emily: Yeah, it's a representation of, you know, not just this individual
but all the other great horned owls or barn owls or. Kendall: Exactly. Emily: So what was the the
audience's reaction, because I imagine you saw posts or social media
comments that. Kendall: It's hard to ignore the social media element of everything because
it's all kind of happening live as the shows being aired.
I think you have to you put your life publicly out there for everyone to have an opinion about and for
people feel like such a strong connection
It's like a friendship with people that are on social media. And I did not
get the best of reactions. I think a lot of people
saw me as like a hunter killer or someone that
tortured animals. There were actually a lot of people that
were saying thank you for being somebody that is not afraid to express your interest in taxidermy and for celebrating it. But, um
yeah, it's not really a popular for the bachelor demographic just the taxidermy.
Emily: Well, that's why I think it was so interesting that that you use this platform and and used it to educate.
I mean, you know,
You didn't have to have to do that because you are sort of taking a risk, right? You're putting yourself out there
There's not you're not like, cultivating an audience around this topic,
but you're introducing this topic that has a lot of I guess I don't know baggage around it or misconceptions about it
and and you're taking a chance and I thought that was a really brave and
admirable and that's someone who also like tries to
educate people about taxidermy and its importance and appreciation. I felt like yeah, we're in this together.
Kendall: Do you get any hate for
loving taxidermy on your profiles?
Emily: Not not really, but I think it's just because when I started making YouTube videos for The Brain Scoop
which was amazingly six years ago
It was sort of like from the very beginning that this is what I wanted to talk about
because, like you're like I can't change my passion,
and so I also didn't know if there was maybe something wrong with me because I've never
seen that sort of enthusiasm or love demonstrated for death or,
like the decomposition process and I would really into it
and so I sort of realized when I had the opportunity to start making YouTube videos that
maybe I would just do trial by fire
and I would just put it out there and see what people thought and if they hated it and like,
You knowm chased me off the internet. At least I tried, like. Kendall: I absolutely love that.
Emily: Yeah. Kendall: For me it was I, I was also in the same boat where I felt like I didn't know if people
liked the same thing that I liked and watching Brain Scoop was amazing because I was like, oh,
it's actually a platform that shows things that I'm really interested in
and it not only is it like a female that's into this but it's a lot of energy about it and you're excited about it
and I, I loved it. Emily: Oh, thanks. Kendall: I watched like all your episodes.
Emily: Makes me so happy. Kendall: I am a big fan.
Emily: You know, I'm gonna crack yeah
Kendall: But there is a lack of that. Emily: We should be running the taxidermy rebrand.
Kendall: I agree there needs to be a taxidermy rebrand
You're so much more impacted when you see something in life as opposed to on
television like, you don't want to live solely by like through
squashing things, like creatures seen on the screen. Yeah never as intense as the real thing up close
Like can you really see what's inside of this owl pellet? Emily: Yeah
You can't but I can't because it's all over my hands. Kendall: Yeah, I'm touching it.
Emily: Ooh, I found part of a skull. Well, that's exciting. Kendall: Hey now
Emily: See, look at this fun adventure.
Kendall: I strongly encourage everybody to pick apart an owl pellet one time in their life.
Emily: Yeah. Oh, it's so much fun,
you never know you're gonna find, it's like an easter egg.
Kendall: Skeleton is coming together nicely.
Emily: I know I'm finding all all sorts a little bit.
Kendall: Wow, you're really going at it. You are good.
I think I'm just too picky. Emily: Yeah
So now that we have we've each dissected out a little owl pellet,
they need a little bit more cleaning but then they're gonna be
identified and put it in the museum collection. Kendall: So glad I give you a part of that.
Emily: Yeah, isn't that fun? Kendall: Yeah
Emily: Well, thanks for coming on the show. Kendall: Thanks for having me. It was really fun dissecting and
dissecting. Emily: This was awesome.
It still has brains on it