Clayton Echard, who competed on Michelle Young’s current season of The Bachelorette until very recently, has finally, officially been confirmed as the star of The Bachelor Season 26. At the end of the Nov. 30 episode of The Bachelorette Season 18, a promo indeed make good on the rumors that Clayton is the next star of the signature Bachelor Nation series. Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss had been teasing the choice of Clayton for the show’s next lead, tweeting in mid-September that the name of the next Bachelor star begins with “C.” But plenty of people had beaten Fleiss to the punch when it came to spilling the beans. Reality Steve announced Clayton’s casting in a Sept. 15 tweet and has since posted several photos and videos from a hometown celebration that was held in Echard’s honor in Eureka, Missouri. Locals in Clayton’s hometown aren’t exactly being hush-hush about the whole thing, either. But now that Bachelor Nation devotees know who the next Bachelor will be, they’ve been asking another question: Why? It seems Clayton’s casting is a head-scratcher for many fans, who don’t understand why producers picked him among the bevy of hot, wholesome guys who competed on Michelle’s Bachelorette season. So, who is new Bachelor star Clayton Echard—and why is Clayton the new Bachelor? Here’s what you need to know.
Why is Clayton the next Bachelor?
News broke even before Michelle’s Bachelorette season started that Clayton was chosen as the new star of The Bachelor. So naturally, fans kept looking for a reason in every episode as to why, exactly, everyone should root for Clayton to find love. Fleiss even tweeted about Clayton (without naming him), telling fans in September 2021 that “when choosing #TheBachelor, the most important quality we look for is sincerity. This time, we hit the jackpot!!! Stay tuned…” OK, but…Clayton? Just to recap his time on Michelle’s season, while Clayton always seemed to be a nice-enough guy, there was nothing about him in particular that stood out as being Bachelor-worthy. He went on a few group dates, (gently) expressed his distaste at drama, won the Ultimate Viking competition and just kept on keeping on. There was really nothing special about him at all—that viewers got to see, at least. And fans continued to point out on Twitter that they really weren’t impressed. “I’m seriously going to need to see a singular reason for choosing Clayton to be the next bachelor SOON #TheBacheloretteABC #thebachelorette,” one person tweeted in early November. Loads of tweets just like that one continued to surface online as each episode of The Bachelorette has aired this fall. But Clayton’s so-called big moment happened just before Michelle picked her final four, which did not include him. Several of Michelle’s grade-school students met with the remaining men, and Clayton had the idea to build a fort with them. Naturally, that won over the kids, who picked him to go on a one-on-one date with Michelle at a local museum. But during that date, it was clear that there wasn’t much chemistry between Clayton and Michelle, and he was sent home. Fast forward to the next day, and Clayton could be seen meeting with several of the kids. They gave him handwritten letters that essentially told him that they were sad Michelle didn’t pick him and that they knew he would find love one day. Cue Clayton tearing up and talking about how he just wants to be loved. Despite the waterworks, fans weren’t buying it; many of them even accused producers of fabricating the letters, along with the whole scenario, to try to make Clayton seem more likable. Even spoiler guru Reality Steve pointed out that the whole thing seemed contrived, pointing out, “When has someone who’s been eliminated filmed anything afterwards that was basically their intro Bachelor video?” Now that Clayton’s time on Michelle’s season is officially over, plenty of people still have no idea why he was chosen to be the next Bachelor lead. Filming has already started on Clayton’s season, though—so it’s happening, whether fans understand it or not.
Where is Clayton Echard from?
Clayton is from Eureka, Missouri and is a graduate of Eureka High School. And again, his hometown is really, really excited about this. The Eureka community Facebook page is already posting about specialty cocktails created in Clayton’s honor. They also had this hilarious response to Reality Steve poking fun at their excitement: “Hey RealitySteve.com, our entire community once sandbagged downtown Eureka to save O’Dell’s Irish Pub & Ale House from a flood because we like their chicken wings. So yes, we’re easily excitable.”
How tall is Clayton Echard?
Clayton is six feet, five inches tall, according to his old University of Missouri, Columbia, athletic bio. (He weighed 260 pounds in college, in case you’re curious.)
What is Clayton Echard’s job?
Clayton is a sales representative at Stryker Orthopaedics, a company that creates all sorts of medical technologies to help orthopedic specialists, according to his LinkedIn profile. He’s been with the company for more than five years.
Who is Clayton Echard’s ex?
There’s not a lot of information out there about Clayton’s love life, and his Instagram account, which he started posting to in 2019, offers zero clues. But, while he obviously dates Michelle to some extent on The Bachelorette, it’s not clear how far he makes it competing on her season of the show.
Is Clayton Echard a football player?
Clayton hilarious shares on his Instagram bio that he’s a “washed-up athlete.” He played tight end at the University of Missouri-Columbia, and he eventually had a short two-month stint with the Seattle Seahawks. “After outperforming four other tight ends on a tryout basis with the Seattle Seahawks, I signed on as a free agent,” he wrote on LinkedIn. “While there, I practiced daily with the team and played in four preseason games. I made it past the first round of cuts, however, I was not able to make the final roster. Nonetheless, it was a unique experience that I was blessed to be a part of.” While he’s not a huge Instagram poster, Clayton has shared plenty of snippets of himself at the gym, lifting all kinds of heavy-looking stuff: Clayton has also shared several photos of himself sans shirt on Instagram, and he has a serious six-pack situation going on. Evidence:
Who is Clayton Echard’s family?
Clayton has shared a few sweet snapshots on Instagram of himself with his brothers and family, including one post in honor of his dad’s birthday.
When is the next season of The Bachelor?
It’s hard to say when Echard’s season of The Bachelor (a.k.a. Season 26) will debut. For starters, there isn’t even any word on when Clayton’s casting will be officially announced by ABC, although that likely won’t take place until after Michelle’s season of The Bachelorette gets underway with its premiere on Oct. 19. Then Echard’s season of The Bachelor would need to be filmed, and there’s no word yet on when that’s starting, either. However, ever since Season 13 of The Bachelor (a.k.a. Jason Mesnick’s season in 2009), the show has typically premiered new seasons every January, so it’s safe to say that Echard’s quest for love officially hits TV in early 2022. Next, what’s happening on the new season of Bachelor in Paradise? Here’s what we know!
