Bachelor: Signs That Clayton & Susie’s Relationship Won’t Last
In spite of all odds, Clayton Echard and Susie Evans revealed their relationship on The Bachelor season finale, but there are signs that the couple might not make it. Though there’s clearly love between the two, there are also major red flags in Clayton and Susie’s relationship, and the decks are certainly stacked against them. Clayton and Susie have a long road ahead of them if they want to make things work, and it’s unclear if they’re up to the task.
The 28-year-old developed strong connections with multiple women this season, but even after Susie decided to leave the show, Clayton couldn’t keep his mind off her. He broke the hearts of Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia on the way to realizing that Susie was the woman he wanted to be with. Clayton professed his love to Susie in Iceland and even had an engagement ring ready. But Susie wasn’t on the same page, and she turned him down and left alone. However, after the show, Susie reportedly reached out to Clayton to rekindle their romance, and on "After the Final Rose," the couple was all smiles. However, many fans question how long the honeymoon phase will last.
The couple’s relationship was overshadowed by the awful way Clayton treated Rachel and Gabby. The two women were just collateral damage on his journey to finding love. Even though The Bachelor is a unique dating environment, Clayton still was disrespectful to Gabby and Rachel. Many viewers are hoping Clayton and Susie fail, which could become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Clayton and Susie are under a microscope right now, and every aspect of their relationship is being scrutinized by fans. The scrutiny puts enormous pressure on the two of them, especially so early on in their relationship. Starting on a bad note the way Clayton and Susie have, doesn’t bode well for their future.
There’s also no denying Susie broke Clayton’s heart in Iceland, and Clayton might not be over it. Susie straight up told Clayton he wasn’t her person, and those were tough words to hear from the woman he loved. In Iceland, Clayton was ready to propose and had his Neil Lane engagement ring all ready to go, but on ATFR, he seemed more hesitant. If anything, it was Susie who lit up when Jesse Palmer, who will be hosting The Bachelorette as well, mentioned a potential engagement. Clayton could still have some lingering heartbreak and resentment that, over time, will erode his relationship with Susie.
Nonetheless, Clayton and Susie could end up proving the haters wrong by forming a relationship that lasts a lifetime. It wouldn’t be the first time a Bachelor with a controversial ending found his happy ever after. Bachelors Jason Mesnick and Arie Luyendyk both regretted their decisions when handing out their final roses and ended their engagements for another shot with the woman they turned down. Both men are still married to their “runners up,” and Clayton and Susie could follow in their footsteps of messy leads who still made it work.
Clayton and Susie claim to have spent several happy months together, but now that the couple is out in the open—and under intense scrutiny—their cracks may begin to show. Their journey together on The Bachelor was a very rocky road, and that could spell trouble for the longevity of their relationship. Though they love each other, that might not be enough to keep Clayton and Susie together.