The Bachelor

2022 - 3 - 15

bachelor finale - clayton and susie - clayton bachelor

Post cover — Image courtesy of "The Washington Post"

'The Bachelor' star was rejected by the winner for the first time in ... (The Washington Post)

The Bachelor” finales tend to be train wrecks, but even the audience wasn't prepared for what happened between Clayton and the final three: Susie, ...

Although good news for Gabby and Rachel, despite being humiliated and emotionally manipulated on national television: Palmer announced that they will both star on the upcoming season of “The Bachelorette,” which kicks off on ABC in July. However, Susie is a realist: “I think we’re both expecting a little backlash,” she said. “And I don’t think that you’re mine.” “I see forever with you,” Clayton insisted. This was the exasperating cliffhanger that led into Tuesday’s finale, when Clayton found out that Susie was still in Iceland and begged her to give him another chance — and while she was mulling it over, decided to save time and employ a rare strategy known as a “group breakup.” He sat down with Rachel and Gabby together: “I absolutely saw a future with you both and told you that I loved you, and I meant all of that,” he told them gravely. “I don’t think I’m your person,” she said. After that mess, it was time to go back to Iceland and revisit Clayton trying to persuade Susie to get back together, even after his meltdown when she left the first time. For some reason, this inspired him to be “transparent” with Rachel and Gabby, who were waiting for him at the rose ceremony, since he was supposed to be narrowing the final three down to the final two. Clayton chased her down, and then probably regretted it as Gabby proceeded to drag him for completely botching the situation, pointing out he asked her to stay mere days earlier when he clearly had stronger feelings for Susie. “Your pride was hurt because Susie left,” she said. As with every finale, between those scenes, the contestants had to take part in the live “After the Final Rose” special, where they rehashed all these issues. When Clayton admitted that he had, in fact, slept with Rachel and Gabby and had “feelings of love” for both, Susie was devastated and said she couldn’t see moving forward with him. Clayton protested that he loved Susie “the most,” but that didn’t help; he became furious at her ultimatum, given that exploring relationships with multiple women is the premise of the show.

What Women Don’t Want (unknown)

Clayton has such intense Main Character Syndrome that he's convinced his intentions are more important than his impact. A recap of The Bachelor on ABC, ...

After Clayton sends Rachel and Gabby back to their Icelandic hotels, he sits down with his family again and is pissed that none of them are aware of the concept of something he calls “A Susie” and how he should throw everything away to go find one of these Susies. Clayton, you just put Rachel in the car. Gabby says it best when she says that the intention, volition, and excitement has been taken out of her week and Clayton’s “I love you” because he said it to two other women. You literally put one girlfriend in the car, came back inside, and said, “There’s another third girlfriend who doesn’t want me and has possibly left the country and that’s what … er … who I want.” Clayton’s family is so tired of his bullshit. Clayton explains his situation to his family, and his dad is so pissed. Clayton goes to find Rachel, and … did anyone else get the sense that Clayton was working a lot harder to get Rachel to stay than he was to get Gabby to stay? Hearing the guy you’re competing for admit that he’s going to sit back and watch the drama unfold and just decide to give it to whoever has the most points in the end is demoralizing. He tells her he loves her, he tells her what they have is worth fighting for, and he asks her to trust him. Gabby says that Clayton hadn’t considered what it might be like for her to walk out of here without him and where is her love supposed to go? Clayton tells the women that he promised to be completely transparent and he’s ready to answer whatever questions they have, like he’s a CEO announcing a recall. Rachel walks down the stairs and apparently this big glass hall is one of those museum exhibits where you can whisper in a corner and through the magic of acoustics, it can be heard at full volume across the room. I realize now there is a level below nothing, and that level is Jesse Palmer. We gotta get somebody in there with some personality. Before we go any further, though: I thought that a petri dish of moss connected to a set of electrodes that conducts enough energy to mimic an EEG could host this show, because the previous “host” did nothing.

'The Bachelor': How Clayton, Susie ended a haywire season (Los Angeles Times)

Controversial star Clayton Echard ends his controversial search for true love and 'The Bachelor' finds two new Bachelorettes.

Although there was no proposal, Evans called Echard “my boyfriend,” and he presented her with the final rose. And when they met for what should have been the proposal ceremony, Evans said she could not move forward: “I don’t think you’re my person.” She departed, leaving Echard alone and shattered. He went to a hotel room where the two women were, and told them his heart “is no longer here, but with Susie.” Windey angrily walked out of the room, telling Echard she felt betrayed. You disrespected me, as someone you love and as a human.” Relatives of both women were also in the audience, glaring at Echard. In Monday’s Part I finale episode, Echard had persuaded the other two finalists — Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia — to stay in Iceland, insisting he was still in love with them. But Echard realized afterward that he was still in love with Evans, and that he could no longer continue with her rivals.

Gabby Windey's Response to Bachelor Clayton Echard's Decision ... (E! Online)

On the March 15 episode of The Bachelor, Clayton Echard broke up with Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia, inspiring an epic clapback from Gabby.

"Honestly, like a couple of days doesn't seem to make that big of a difference, Clayton. Except that one time it was going to be my decision, which you didn't want it to be, and now it's your decision so, it's easier." "So what is the difference?" When Clayton attempted to apologize, Gabby snapped that she didn't know him at all, adding, "I can't believe anything you say, not one thing. As Rachel was left teary eyed and speechless, Clayton decided to chase after Gabby, which may've been a bad call on his part. Thank you, I know it was hard to come here and tell us, but I think you were too late. "I really don't have anything to say.

<em>The Bachelor</em> season finale recap: 'I don't think you're ... (EW.com)

There were no winners on this season of The Bachelor, but Clayton was the biggest loser of all.

"With the information I had, and the person that was being given to me in the moment, that is the person that I loved," she explains. He said "I love you" to three women, and then went home with zero — zero! "I just want you to know, if you ever question how serious that I am, like … " He pulls out the ring box and holds it in front of Susie's face. "So, did you tell me that you were in love with me because you wanted to sleep with me?" "You left out the part that you already knew who the one was who you love the most … I don't believe that you were in love with me at all." "You told me that you were going to leave Iceland with the woman you love the most and you saw my visceral reaction — and then the previous week you were telling Susie that you loved her the most!" "I feel terrible, because I watch it back myself and I feel the emotion and pain that I caused," he says. "I have to live with my actions," notes the Bachelor, "and I do accept full responsibility for them." "Am I able to walk you out?" "I didn't want you to leave!" I love you and I don't want to lose you." When a shouty person tells you "I did not mean the things that I said" and that all that shouting was "way out of character," it's time to run.

Bachelor Nation Divided Over Clayton Echard's Finale Choice After ... (PEOPLE.com)

On Tuesday night's episode of The Bachelor, Clayton Echard didn't have a successful proposal. He entered the week with two women left — Gabby Windey and Rachel ...

"Rachel and Gabby deserve the world and both deserve partners who are just as emotionally mature and considerate as them. Other moments in the two-part finale showed Clayton sending Gabby and Rachel home. Clayton admitted to being intimate with Gabby and Rachel during Fantasy Suite dates. Twitter conversations sparked both support and distaste for the season's end, with many different opinions on what Clayton should have done. During the episode, Clayton revealed that Susie is his girlfriend, after all the drama seen between them this season. On Tuesday night's episode of The Bachelor, Clayton Echard didn't have a successful proposal.

A Bachelor Oral History: The Evolution of Reality TV's Most Dramatic ... (E! Online)

They were there for the right reasons and to make friends. Now The Bachelor's most famous faces are celebrating the 20th anniversary by telling E! News all ...

There are a lot of viewers that would really enjoy that piece of the show because there are people who have watched it from season one and they are avid fans. Aaron: I'd never heard of the show, so I thought it was going to be just another flop and nobody was even going to watch. Ben: I think they could go back to telling human stories in a way that doesn't cause the drama, but causes us to lean in and shed a tear. And for a stretch after filming in 2007, "I had these high expectations that Brad was going to come to his senses and choose to be with me." "I'm like, 'Guys, at the end of the day, Trista is going to choose who she wants to choose and nothing we say or do is going to impact that,'" Bob recalled of his strategy. "And they were calling me at the bank all the time and walking in the lobby." And I was like, "Nobody else has asked you about the two birds you have on the back of your arms?" It's easy to think, "Oh, this is your life and I love this person." I was so afraid I was going to walk off that show and people were going to go, "This is not at all what they told me he was." I walked out of the limo, I talked to the Bachelorettes and I lost my voice. You know, I was in a place in life where I was ready to quit my job and move on. I was the first car and it had former professional athletes in it.

'Bachelor' finale recap, Pt. 2: Mizzou football alum Clayton Echard's ... (Columbia Daily Tribune)

Clayton has worked himself into a pretty difficult situation going into his season finale. On one hand, there's Rachel and Gabby, both teetering on the edge ...

Jesse Palmer brings Susie a letter from Clayton apologizing again to Susie saying he's nothing without her, and he wants her to meet him in the countryside. BUT ... she doesn't think the love she has for him is what he has. When Clayton is brought out, Gabby sits as far from him as she can, and tells him that he misled her when she wanted to leave. Choking on her tears, she tells him he told her he would fight for her, and she's fought for him, but he never fought for her. He walks her out, and she tells him he gave up on them. She's angry at the disrespect shown to her and Gabby both. She tells him that he made it more of a competition than it needed to be, and that he had picked Susie long before. Back at the hotel, Gabby and Rachel are both at a loss as Clayton arrives and apologizes to them. And he can't love them the way they deserve, because he loves Susie, so he has to send them home. Clayton leaves Rachel and follows Gabby to her own room. Clayton, back with his parents, tells them what he loves about her before she actually shows up, sharing an awkward hug with Clayton before bring Clayton outside to talk. Turns out, she's still in Iceland, and Clayton is determined to win her back.

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