Since Clayton Echard was announced as the lead of The Bachelor season 26, excitement for the new season has been at an all-time low. Most fans are simply not looking forward to The Bachelor like they normally are, and there are many reasons why. Between being bombarded with Bachelor Nation content and Clayton being cast as the lead, season 26 could be in trouble before it even begins.
Ever since news leaked about Clayton being the next Bachelor, fans have been baffled as to why he was selected to be the lead. On Michelle Young’s season of The Bachelorette Clayton never really formed a connection with her. The Bachelorette seemed to like Clayton, but their relationship gave viewers friendship vibes. Eventually, Michelle sent Clayton home on his first one-on-one with her and neither one of them seemed particularly heartbroken. ABC executives clearly saw something special in Clayton and cast him as the next lead immediately after his exit from Michelle’s season. Even after Clayton’s “underdog” promos were revealed, fans didn’t warm to the idea of him as a lead.
Most fans agree that Clayton seems like a decent guy but doesn’t appear to be great lead material. He often gets compared to unpopular Bachelorette lead Katie Thurston, and it’s not too hard to see why. Both of them didn’t go too far on their respective seasons when they appeared as contestants. Both of them are also considered to be bland and generic. Clayton gets a lot of comparison to controversial former Bachelor lead Colton Underwood as well, with fans thinking that ABC is going for a do-over of Colton’s season after the disastrous fallout from it.
A lot of viewers think that Clayton is just another big boring football guy and don’t feel like there’s anything particularly special or interesting about him. It’s not going to be as satisfying to watch him find love on his season because his heart was never broken on Michelle’s season to begin with. Clayton didn’t have much of a storyline on Michelle’s season, so there’s nothing to build on for him as a lead. Many fans had also hoped that Bachelor Nation had reached a turning point and was going to put a priority on diverse representation. But naming Clayton the lead seems like ABC and The Bachelor franchise are returning to the show’s homogenous roots.
Fans may not like the network’s decision, but there are several reasons why Clayton was selected to be the next Bachelor. Clayton’s season started filming less than two weeks after Michelle’s season wrapped filming, so it was pretty much impossible to cast one of her final four men as the next lead. For one, it would have been too soon after getting their hearts got broken to think about jumping into another TV relationship. Plus, Clayton’s casting inevitably leaked before the official announcement. If it had been one of Michelle’s final four men, it could have ruined the tension of her season.
However, it could be a good thing that none of Michelle’s final four men were cast as the lead. Many fans have more sympathy for them than they do for Clayton, and all three of her rejected final four contestants will probably have better luck on Bachelor in Paradise anyway. Clayton’s season of The Bachelor will debut soon, and fans are not feeling it so far. Overall, it is possible for season 26 to have lower ratings than ever. Though a lot of fans claim they won’t be tuning in, whether or not they follow through with it remains to be seen.