Rachel Wins 'The Bachelor': Learn if Clayton Chooses Her in the Final Episode
In the latest season of ABC's hit reality show, The Bachelor, 28-year-old medical sales rep Clayton Echard from Columbia, Missouri, failed to find his forever partner. Clayton, who was announced as the season 26 Bachelor in November 2021, started his journey with a group of women, but in the end, he was left without a lasting relationship.
Clayton's journey began in February 2022, and he quickly formed connections with several contestants. One of those connections was with Rachel Recchia, a 25-year-old flight instructor from Clermont, Florida. Rachel, who describes herself as a "hopeless romantic" looking for someone "nurturing, empathetic" and "respectful," made it to the final three.
However, Clayton ended his relationship with Rachel and the other finalist, Gabby Windey, to pursue Susie Evans. Susie, who received the "Pretty Woman" date during week seven of Clayton's season, similar to other Bachelor and Bachelorette winners, was seen in photos allegedly interacting with Clayton on Instagram before her early return to social media.
Despite Clayton's efforts, Susie ended their relationship on the show. Although they reconciled briefly afterward, they split permanently in September 2022. Reality Steve, a well-known Bachelor insider, hinted in a tweet in November 2021 that there's evidence that Susie won Clayton's season. However, Reality Steve confirmed in February 2022 that Clayton does not have a traditional ending to his season.
Clayton's Instagram handle is @claytonechard, and Rachel's is @pilot.rachel. For those interested in learning more about the Bachelor franchise, Amy Kaufman's book, Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America's Favorite Guilty Pleasure, provides an inside scoop on the show's history and controversies.
Before his Bachelor journey, Clayton was a division 1 collegiate athlete for the University of Missouri's football team, the Missouri Tigers. He graduated from the university in 2015 with a bachelor's degree in health professions and related clinical sciences. Currently, Clayton is an orthopaedic sales representative at Stryker, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Photos of Clayton filming The Bachelor leaked in September 2021, a month before Michelle Young's Bachelorette season even premiered. Clayton was a contestant on The Bachelorette season 18 with Michelle Young.
In a unusual twist, Bachelor Nation couples have to stay together for a certain amount of time, otherwise they have to return the free engagement ring to Neil Lane, a celebrity jeweler who has created rings for The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and Bachelor in Paradise since 2008. However, in Clayton's case, he did not win the season with a final partner, so it is unclear if he will have to return the ring.
Overall, Clayton Echard's season of The Bachelor ended without an official "winner" in the traditional sense, as he did not end up engaged or in a steady relationship at the finale. Fans will have to wait and see what the future holds for Clayton and the other contestants from this season.
In the world of entertainment and reality TV, many speculate about Clayton Echard's relationship status post-Bachelor, given the unusual twist that Bachelor Nation couples must stay together or return Neil Lane's famous engagement ring. Despite his efforts with celebrity figures like Susie Evans, Clayton's personal style and approach to relationships seems to have steered him away from a traditional Hollywood ending, leaving the future of his relationships under constant scrutiny among fans and tabloids alike.
