Hiii, did ya see? Clayton Echard is the Bachelor for season 26! But get this: Bach Nation only just met him, like, last fall. Clayton made his Bachelor franchise debut as a contestant on Michelle Young’s season of The Bachelorette, and officially began his job as the lead of the flagship show on January 3.
While dozens of rumors speculated that Greg Grippo would be cast instead and Reality Steve essentially confirmed it, ABC was like, LOL, JK. Even fan favorite Michael Allio seemed a bit soggy about getting snubbed for the role. But all the producers apparently loved Clayton and wanted to give him a second chance at love.
We already have a full guide on this season of The Bachelor, but if you simply must know everything before Clayton’s season continues with the last few episodes, then keep scrolling—some juicy, juicy Bachelor spoilers are right ahead. To be abundantly clear: CLAYTON’S SEASON SPOILERS WILL BE BEYOND THIS POINT. Enter at your own risk.
We have the ~heavy-hitting~ info on Clayton’s contestants
ABC considered 33 women for Clayton’s season of The Bachelor, although only 31 made the final casting. At this point, we’re well acquainted with them, but as a lil refresher—behold, all the ladies vying for Clayton’s heart (plus those who’ve already been sent packing):
But we know you wanna do a biiit more sleuthing than that, and the good news is you barely have to lift a finger because Reality Steve already did it for you! Steve gave fans what they really want: every single contestant’s full name and Instagram handle. Happy lurking!
Some filming took place in Clayton’s hometown
Expect to get acquainted with the cute lil town of Eureka, Missouri, everyone. Clayton and ABC producers were seen gallivanting throughout Clayton’s hometown and local high school to get footage for the teasers and the like, according to Reality Steve. E! News was the first to report seeing Clayton and the crew shooting in Eureka.
You can feel all the genuine excitement locals had for their new hometown hero. Just listen to the screams…is Clayton actually Harry Styles???
Okay, admit it: This banner is so wholesome and pure and lovely.
There will be LOTS of international travel this szn
We’ve already seen the cast head to Toronto, Croatia, and touched down in Austria in last night's episode, but there is *one more* country the cast is going to before the season ends, and it seems to be where Clayton will make his final decision on who to choose. It really seems like we’re getting closer and closer to the usual makeup of the show—maybe nature finally is healing??? All that to say, Reality Steve shared the other filming locations that happened outside of the mansion, and the ladies were definitely in for a treat. Thanks, ABC! Take a look at all the international spots Clayton and the ladies will be hitting this season:
We know Clayton’s final three contestants
Okay, this one is obvi a HUGE spoiler, so flee now if you really, really don’t wanna know.
If you do want this intel though, keep scrolling! Reality Steve dropped this info in a blog post, saying that while he isn’t sure which of the three ladies was ultimately chosen by Clayton as the Bachelor winner, he *does* know that Clayton did indeed find love during his season. So! Who are the top three ladies? Drumroll….
Clayton’s Top Three Ladies:
Gabby Windey
If you want to learn more about Gabby, we gotchu:
Rachel Recchia
Same with Rachel:
Susie Evans
And Susie too!
That’s it for now! Be sure to check this story for more juicy deets on all things Clayton’s Bachelor season.
