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Bachelors stick together. Clayton Echard<\/strong><\/a> came to season 27 lead Zach Shallcross<\/strong><\/a>\u2019 defense following criticism of his approach to fantasy suites.<\/p>\n The 26-year-old Texas resident raised eyebrows during the Monday, March 20, episode when he vowed not to have sex<\/a> with his remaining three contestants \u2014 Ariel Frenkel<\/strong>, Gabi Elnicki<\/strong><\/a> and Kaity Biggar<\/strong><\/a> \u2014 only to break his promise to himself. After spending an intimate night with Gabi, 25, Zach informed her that he planned to tell the other two women what went down.<\/p>\n The Vermont native, for her part, admitted in a confessional that she would have rather kept the moment private. Kaity, 28, meanwhile, discovered the truth<\/a> on her fantasy suite \u2014 and was visibly frustrated with Zach for airing the details on camera.<\/p>\n Following the bombshell episode, Clayton, 29 took to his Instagram Story<\/a> with several videos defending Zach\u2019s actions. \u201cThere is no privacy,\u201d he claimed on Tuesday, March 21, of what it\u2019s like to speak to contestants on the ABC dating series. \u201cThe only privacy is fantasy suites<\/a>. Before that [and] after that, there\u2019s zero privacy. You don\u2019t get off-camera time, so that can\u2019t happen.\u201d<\/p>\n The former football player \u2014 who had his own rocky fantasy suite journey<\/a> on season 26 \u2014 noted that another \u201cvery real concern\u201d for leads is whether to disclose information about their romantic connections with other contestants during filming or after the finale, something he said is never a \u201cwin-win\u201d situation.<\/p>\n \u201cThat can really put someone in emotional turmoil<\/a> when they realize, \u2018Wait, you didn\u2019t tell me the full story until now? I would have liked to have known beforehand,\u2019\u201d he shared.<\/p>\n Speaking from experience<\/a>, Clayton added: \u201cYou think, \u2018OK, well, either I continue to withhold to try to protect everybody, but I may lose someone or two people or three people.\u2019 I found out after the show that almost seven women left \u2014 almost seven \u2014 because they didn\u2019t know where I was standing. Others almost left for other reasons, but some of them were wondering where I was at [emotionally].\u201d<\/p>\n Clayton pointed out to fans that things are made more difficult when a lead falls for more than one person. Before his season came to an end in March 2022, the 180 Degrees<\/em> author told his final three contestants \u2014 Susie Evans<\/strong><\/a>, Rachel Recchia<\/strong><\/a> and Gabby Windey<\/strong><\/a> \u2014 that he was in love with them<\/a>. He also revealed that he was \u201cintimate with<\/a>\u201d two of the women.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re dating multiple people. It\u2019s a foreign environment for all of us. We\u2019ve never been in it before, so we have no experience to pull from, so how do you do it correctly?\u201d the Missouri native argued. \u201cEveryone\u2019s trying it a little bit different ways, only a few have found success. But with so many variables and different people and personalities, you never know how to approach it, and all you can do is your best<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Clayton encouraged those being critical of Zach to \u201cgive him some grace\u201d but clarified that he didn\u2019t believe what happened on Monday\u2019s episode<\/a> was completely fair. \u201cWhen emotions are attached, we act irrational. That is just how it is, and we all can relate to that,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s so easy to be rational when there\u2019s no emotional tie. The second you get an emotional tie, things are not cut and dry, and that\u2019s what we see.\u201d<\/p>\n Bachelor Nation<\/a> fans were divided after the drama played out, but Gabi explained that she wouldn\u2019t tolerate any hateful messages<\/a>. Responding to a fan who noticed her deleting Instagram comments, she wrote on Monday, \u201cI am, because I don\u2019t need negativity and hate on my page. It\u2019s so unnecessary and unkind. There is NO reason to put others down, get off my page if you don\u2019t like me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n Clayton Echard and Zach Shallcross<\/span> Andrew H. Walker\/AWNewYork\/Shutterstock; ABC\/Nino Mu\u00f1oz<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n