Eureka native Clayton Echard’s lone redeeming quality so far on this season of “The Bachelor” is he is honest. Clayton’s honesty was center stage in the first part of the two-part season finale.
The second-to-last episode aired Monday night, March 14, when Clayton came clean with the two remaining women, Rachel and Gabby. He told both he loved them, admitted to taking a roll in the hay with each of them and confessed that he told Susie he loved her before she left the show.
Rachel and Gabby broke down in tears and walked away after the revelations, and Clayton had to console both in order to get them back to take part in the Rose Ceremony.
Clayton continues to act ignorant of the fact that no one wants to know that the object of their affection is in love with two other people.
Luckily, Clayton’s dad, Brian, gave his son a cold dose of reality during the show, berating his son for his behavior and treatment of the women.
That father-to-son moment came after the Rose Ceremony when Rachel accepted a rose and Clayton had to talk Gabby into sticking around after she initially rejected a rose and him.
Rachel and Gabby then got to meet Clayton’s family, which produced little of note, other than Rachel saying she could see herself marrying Clayton.
Clayton showed how out of touch he is when he talked with his family alone and told them he wanted to get Susie back. Remember, Susie rejected Clayton because he told her about his feelings for the other women and that he slept with both of them.
Clayton still can’t wrap his head around how sleeping with someone else was a dealbreaker for Susie. His family, on the other hand, seems to understand and told Clayton he needs to let Susie go and focus on the other two women he supposedly loves.
Host Jesse Palmer dropped a bombshell as the episode was wrapping up, telling Clayton that Susie is still in Iceland and he could get in touch with her.
It sure seems like the producers are trying to set up the classic rom-com trope of a man chasing after a woman he pushed away with some bonehead move and then confessing his love to her before they fall into each other’s arms and live happily ever after.
I hope the first part of that act plays out with Clayton begging Susie to come back to him only to have her leave instead. For the second act, I hope Rachel and Gabby walk away after learning about Clayton chasing after Susie. That would give Clayton the time he needs to think about what he really wants in a relationship so he can find his true match on his own instead of on a TV show.
We will find out what happens tonight, and I will share my final thoughts on Clayton’s season of “The Bachelor” on Thursday.
