TV & Movies
Plus, what he really thought about Claire.
Clayton Echard knows fans arent exactly thrilled thathes the Bachelor and frankly, he understands it.
People are saying, We didnt see a lot of him.
Who is this guy and why was he chosen over anybody else?
Heading intohisBachelorseason, whichpremiered on Jan. 3, Claytonhopes audiences will give him time to prove himself.
On night one, he was nervous.
[But] I didnt wanna say anything stupid to these women.
Still, he had to navigate some tricky situations.
He offered her a rose, but she turned it down, feeding into his fear of rejection.
Later, Claytonchose to send Claire Heilig homeafter she told other women that she hated him.
Below, Clayton breaks down the ups and downs of his premiere.
What didnt we get to see?
People say that she had all these red flags.
Its gonna come back up, and it did.
I thought she was sweet.
I thought she was genuine.
But she felt that it was best for her to leave and I respect that.
Did you know the full extent of it?
Serene had come and told me that Claire was talking very poorly about me.
So I had her word and I had to go to Claire and see what her word was.
She did say she hated me even though [she told me] she didnt say that.
In Claires defense, she said, I dont hate you.
Maybe she [meant], I used that word but I didnt mean it.
I certainly would like to think someone wouldnt hate me after five minutes of having a conversation.
But it just told me that it was negative energy that I didnt wanna have around.
You gave the first impression rose toTeddi.
What was it about her that you connected with?
Shes incredibly beautiful, but I also loved the way that she carried herself.
I enjoyed our first interaction.
She was so sweet.
I loved that, it was playful.
And when she walked away there was that spark.
The conversation was so fluid.
Shes a very phenomenal human being.
Is there anything you learned from watching how Michelle handled her season that you carried into your own?
I was so impressed by her.
I dont think people realize how hard it is to come into this experience.
Youre constantly being watched.
I still bump into her and we talk and we have a great relationship as friends.
