The Bachelorfranchise has seen a fair share of controversy during its runtime.Matt James’tenure as the first Black Bachelor was overshadowed by the revelation that winnerRachael Kirkconnellattended a plantation party. FormerBachelorhostChris Harrison’s attempts to defend Kirkconnell led to himexiting the franchise, and reopened the conversation about how the franchise often fails to handle matters of race. Even recent entries stirred up controversy, withThe Golden Bachelor’sGerry Turnerrevealed to be far from the love-seeking widower he was originally presented as andThe Bachelorette’sJenn Trandealing with the bombshell ofDevin Straderbreaking up with her before the finale.
The biggest — and surely messiest — moment, however, might belong to Season 26 and its Bachelor,Clayton Echard. Echard seemed like a safe pick following James' tenure as the Bachelor; the official poster for the season even plays this up and shows him surrounded by an army of puppies (and the admittedly clever tagline “Everyone Loves An Underdog”). But if Echard was a standard Bachelor contestant,the way he ended his seasonwas anything but standard, especially when it came to the penultimate episode.
The Penultimate Episode of Clayton Echard’s ‘Bachelor’ Run Led to Backlash
The final three contestants ofThe BachelorSeason 26 were wedding videographerSusie Evans, nurseGabby Windey, and flight instructorRachel Recchia. In the penultimate episode, “Fantasy Suites,” Echard and the three contestants embarkon a series of datesin Reykjavík, Iceland; he takes Rachel on a date to the bottom of a dormant volcano, Gabby to a sauna, and Susie to a waterfall.What makes this stand outfrom otherBachelorepisodes is the fact that Echard tells all three womenthat he’s in love with them, and even gets intimate with Gabby and Rachel. Season 11’s BachelorBen Higginshad previously told the two finalists of his season that he loved them, causing tension, but Echard took it one step further with his triple confession. When he told Susie he loved her, her questioning if he’d slept with the other contestants led to a falling out, and Echard realizing that she was the one he wanted to be with.
In the Season 26 finale, Echard told Gabby and Rachel that he was in love with Susie, which, given the fact that he’d been intimate with both of them and professed his love for them, led to another emotional moment. It was especially crushing for Rachel, who had been the main star on Season 19 ofThe Bachelorette. WinnerTino Francoadmitted thathe cheated on her during theAfter the Rosespecialfollowing the season, so Echard’s confession more than likely opened up some old wounds. It also led to backlash online, withfans and formerBachelor/Bacherlorettecontestants, including Season 26 contestantsSierra JacksonandElizabeth Corriganaccusing Echard of gaslighting the contestants. The fact that the “Fantasy Suites” episode took place on International Women’s Day only served to make matters worse.
Clayton Echard Tried To Rekindle His Romance With Susie Evans
The BachelorSeason 26 ended with Echard going for, in new hostJesse Palmer’s words, “the biggest Hail Mary Bachelor Nation has ever seen.” He wrote a heartfelt letter to Susie, convincing her to meet so that he can tell her his feelings. Butshe rejects him, which is a first in Bachelor history. “It’s devastating if I’m being honest. But I’ve thought this through and I don’t think I’m your person. And I don’t think that you’re mine,” she tells him in their last meeting. It would be a devastating, if fitting ending, if not for theAfter the Rosespecial that aired afterward. Susie revealed that she and Echard had started dating shortly after the finale, deciding to live together instead of marrying. Echard even wrotea heartfelt post on Instagramsaying that he learned a lot from his time onThe Bachelor.
Like manyBachelorcouples, the relationship was short-lived, withSusie and Echard breaking up in the tail end of 2022. She eventually entered into another relationship with formerBachelorettecontenderJustin Glazethe following year, which also turned out to be short-lived. But Susie says that both relationships were a learning experience. “I have regrets from how the last one went to be honest, even though I feel like I was mostly private about that too,” she confessed during her appearance on theAlmost Famouspodcast. “Even the little bit that you give to people — like the way people recap it or put their own twists on it, or make assumptions — it can just be perceived just in a way that you don’t want it to be.”
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‘The Bachelor’ Season 26 Reignited Interest in the Franchise
Even with its messy ending, Season 26managed to reignite interest inThe Bachelorfranchise.The finale was a big ratings hit for ABC, leading to some compelling arguments that the messiness is what viewers come toThe Bachelorfor. After all, happily ever after can only go so far and human beings are messy creatures — the drama inherent in the show’s very premise was amplified by Echard’s actions, and carried on into other installments, particularlyThe Golden Bachelorand Jenn Tran’s season ofThe Bachelorette. The Bachelor franchise also continues to expand and even impact other shows, withThe Golden Bachelorettein the works and Tran slated to appear on the upcoming season of ABC’sDancing With The Stars.
This even carried over into Season 26 ofThe Bachelor, particularly with Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia.The two served asco-leads on Season 19ofThe Bachelorette,a first in the show’s history; neither one of them stayed with the winner for very long, but the chance to call the shots after their experience with Echard was satisfying for some viewers. There might have been messier, or unintentionally hilarious moments, in previous installments ofThe Bachelor,but Clayton Echard’s tenure shows that anything can still happen on this series.
The Bachelor
A single bachelor dates multiple women over several weeks, narrowing them down to hopefully find his true love.
The Bacheloris available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.
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