Clayton Echards' time as the lead of The Bachelor season 26 has been anything but easy, and the 28-year-old admits he was unprepared for the amount of backlash received by viewers and former alumni online. Clayton was announced by ABC as the next leading man in November 2021 after rumors began swirling — and were all but confirmed — as early as September. The controversial decision quickly turned heads within Bachelor Nation; not only was Clayton a contestant on Michelle Young's The Bachelorette season 18, but Michelle was still in the process of choosing the man of her dreams when the news broke. Clayton was eliminated in week 6 alongside Martin Gelbspan, Olumide "Olu" Onajide, and Rick Leach; despite almost reaching the end of the series, many were confused as to why Clayton was selected over others who were considered more entertaining or valuable.
Despite the backlash, Clayton's season of The Bachelor began airing last month; fans tuning in have been unhappy with the former football player and his search for love for several reasons. Many believe that Clayton is too indecisive about what he is looking for and think that he is almost too open. While viewers are into the drama that Bachelor Nation provides, social media users across the board rolled their eyes at Clayton's first attempt at giving a rose. Visiting Clayton before the limo even arrived, Salley Carson was offered a rose after admitting that she recently broke off an engagement. Salley not only rejected the gesture but dropped out of the show entirely. From group dates to individual contestants, fans of The Bachelor are less than impressed by what Clayton and the ladies have brought to the table.
Addressing fans' generally-negative reactions towards his season, Clayton joined former Bachelorette star Nick Viall on Monday's episode of The Viall Files. Although Clayton has been aware of the mixed reactions to his new role since ABC confirmed their choice, he was still unprepared for flack thrown his way. "I thought, 'This is going to be great. Everyone's going to come around, start seeing my personality,' and people weren't," Clayton told Nick during his appearance on the podcast. Admitting that he "just wasn't ready for the magnitude of criticism [he] was going to face," Clayton now says that he is able to take the comments in stride. "It doesn't matter at this point to me," the Missouri native commented.
That being said, Clayton still has had a hard time adjusting to his risen fame. When asked whether he had regrets about signing on for the titular role, Clayton admitted that he had serious doubts about The Bachelor once fans' reactions began pouring in. "I think the first three weeks of the show airing, I definitely thought that, because you just don't know what to expect going into it," he explained going into week six. Interestingly, Nick, who finished as the runner-up on back-t0-back seasons of The Bachelorette before heading The Bachelor season 21, was one of the previous Bachelor Nation stars who questioned Clayton's promotion. Telling People last December that he wasn't sure about Clayton as the next Bachelor since Michelle Young's final four "has better storylines" and "more charisma," it seems as though Nick has become more accepting of the decision by inviting Clayton on his show.
With the recent elimination of Shanae Ankney, the now-dubbed villain of The Bachelor season 26, Clayton is one step closer to finding the perfect woman for him. With Shanae openly mocking Elizabeth Corrigan after the latter revealed that she had ADHD, Bachelor Nation is not pleased that the 29-year-old outlasted Elizabeth by two weeks. While Clayton has since revealed that he was unaware of the situation during filming, the drama is just one more strike for fans who were already against Clayton from the start. Episode 7 airs on February 21; with 9 women left in the race for Clayton's final rose, the battle for good ratings has a long way to go.
The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.
Sources: The Viall Files, People