Clayton Echard becoming the next Bachelor has been one of the worst kept secrets in the franchise considering spoiler sources broke the news months ago.
Around September of this year, rumors had already circulated that Clayton was chosen to be The Bachelor’s next leading man, however, an official announcement wasn’t made until just recently by ABC.
In a preview that aired on ABC after the hometown episode of The Bachelorette, viewers finally got a glimpse into what Clayton’s season of The Bachelor has in store.
The Bachelor viewers initially weren’t thrilled about Clayton Echard being the Bachelor
Bachelor Nation has been vocal about how underwhelming they found Clayton to be on Michelle Young’s season of The Bachelorette.
While Clayton seemed nice enough, he also appeared to lack a compelling presence and wasn’t given much screen time. This caused fans to be unimpressed and disappointed that he had been selected as The Bachelor, especially when there were other men from Katie and Michelle’s seasons that fans were more interested in.
It wasn’t until the episode when Clayton was sent home that he got to let just a bit of his personality shine through. On a group date with children, Clayton impressed the kids with his fort-building ability and that led them to choose Clayton for the one-on-one date later.
Clayton and Michelle were playful with each other but there wasn’t much chemistry and during their dinner, Michelle decided that she couldn’t give Clayton a rose.
Clayton was sent home but the producers further leaned into giving him The Bachelor edit when they had him return to the show for an emotional scene where he read encouraging letters from the kids he met. During the tag for his elimination episode, the producers even had a kid suggest that Clayton would be the next Bachelor.
For The Bachelor fans who were aware of spoilers, these hints and edits on the show were just further proof of what they already knew, as there’s already been plenty of discussion and discourse regarding Clayton becoming The Bachelor.
Clayton Echard gets a second chance at love on The Bachelor
In the preview for Clayton’s season of The Bachelor, viewers were given some insight into the women he’ll meet and the dates they’ll go on.
One date appears to be inspired by Bay Watch, with Clayton and the ladies all wearing the signature red swimwear on the beach.
As expected, there also seems to be loads of tears, kisses, and drama in store for Clayton and his women. Time will tell if Clayton becomes more interesting when The Bachelor returns in January 2022.
The Bachelor premieres Monday, January 3rd at 8/7c on ABC.