Bachelor: Clayton Echard Regrets Heated Conversation With Susie Evans
Clayton Echard has a lot of regrets over how he treated Susie Evans after the latest episode of The Bachelor showed him eliminating her following an explosive argument. The star of season 26 has been in hot water since he was officially announced as the next bachelor by ABC last November. The 28-year-old previously starred on The Bachelorette season 18 with Michelle Young. Eliminated during week 6, Bachelor Nation alum, along with viewers, were surprised that Clayton was chosen to lead the next season of The Bachelor — especially since rumors began swirling in September while Michelle was still in the process of choosing a winner.
Clayton's search for love has been anything but easy. Before the limo arrived during the January 3 premiere, one woman, Salley Carson, had already dropped out after being given the first rose. Between Shanae Ankney's controversial comments towards Elizabeth Corrigan's ADHD and criticisms from every angle, Clayton has had a rough time leading The Bachelor season 26. After eliminating Serene Russell after the hometown visits, many thought that Susie would be Clayton's final pick against Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia. Clayton had expressed worry over the incoming fantasy suites episode a few weeks ago, and now fans know why: while Clayton and Susie seemed to have a strong connection, March 8's episode showed the former football player eliminating the Miss Virginia Teen USA 2011 winner after she was upset that he had slept with Gabby and Rachel beforehand. Viewers were immediately outraged by Clayton's emotional outburst and took to social media in droves.
Addressing the scandal on The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous podcast on March 9, Clayton immediately began expressing remorse, saying, "I did not handle it well. I didn't. I mean, it was not handled maturely. I raised my voice to her. I was grasping at straws," before admitting, "I made assumptions and I wish I wouldn't have." Telling Ben and Ashley that he let his emotions cloud his judgment, Clayton explains that he became paranoid after experiencing "dangerous thoughts" during the argument. "In the moment, I really believed at that point that [Susie] was just feeding me whatever she needed...so she could be the next Bachelorette," Clayton details, although he immediately rectifies, "I don't believe that now. I didn't believe it the next day."
Acknowledging that their fantasy suite date started off on a good note, Clayton says that the turning point occurred, as viewers saw, when Susie told Clayton that she didn't know if she could get past his admission. Trying to justify his side of the story, the Missouri native explains, "I thought, 'Why does it seem like she's not fighting for this? Why does it seem like she can't even give me a chance?'" Clayton is busy dealing with the fallback from this situation, but it's about to get worse; according to People, Clayton's father even thinks that his son handled looking for love poorly after telling Gabby and Rachel that he was intimate with both of them in a sneak peek of next week's episode.
With Clayton's final rose right around the corner, viewers are on the edge of their seats in anticipation. While there have been some past Bachelor seasons that ended expectantly, Clayton's blatant indecisiveness means that he could easily choose Gabby, Rachel, or neither. "Woman Tell All" spoilers are already circulating, and if the rumors are correct, this finale will easily go down in Bachelor Nation history.
The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.
Sources: The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast/Apple Podcasts, People