Despite the fact that Clayton Echard, star of The Bachelor season 26, made a mess of his season, his dad, Brian, was the MVP, addressing his son's mistakes. When Clayton reunited with his family, including his dad, his mom, Kelly, and his brothers, Nate and Patrick, he admitted that he made many mistakes with his final 3 women, Susie Evans, Rachel Recchia, and Gabby Windey. Clayton confessed that he told all of them that he loved them, and that he slept with Rachel and Gabby, which resulted in Susie leaving the show after a tumultuous argument with Clayton about it. After a disastrous "Rose Ceremony from Hell," as host Jesse Palmer called it, Clayton somehow convinced Rachel and Gabby to stay and meet his family.

When Clayton arrived, he told his family about the situation that he was in, and his father immediately took the side of the women. Fifty-eight-year-old Brian gave Clayton some tough love when he heard what Clayton had done. Clayton clearly valued his father's opinions, even though they were hard to hear. Clayton has said that his parents have been married for 29 years, and that they are the perfect example of what love can be.

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Clayton's father became the MVP of the season when he called out Clayton for his behavior after Clayton admitted that he was really scared and "in a really, really bad spot" and that he had just experienced "the hardest week of his life by far" because he fell in love with three women. His family was shocked and confused. When Clayton told them why Susie had left, his father sided with Susie saying, "makes sense" and "that's understandable." Brian explained to Clayton, "You have to understand. They don't want to be second or third. They want to be first. And I think you've gotta step back and say they have a right to be upset with you." When Clayton revealed that Gabby had left, but he had convinced her to come back, Brian shook his head and laughed in disbelief. He told him that he loved Clayton no matter what happened, but he "screwed the pooch" in his opinion. Brian was not afraid to let his son know that he had completely messed up the situation.

Clayton Echard on The Bachelor season 26 episode 1

When Brian met the women, he was so supportive and sweet to them that people on Twitter said that he was a "girl dad" who had sons. With Gabby, he helped her to feel comfortable enough to have an open discussion about how she almost left Clayton the night before. He said that he respected Gabby for walking away from Clayton, and that it was "pretty amazing" that she came back. The next day, before Brian met Rachel, he acknowledged that after the initial "shock and awe" of the situation, he and the family were able to sleep on it, and realized that Clayton was looking for help from them and that they were ready to give it to him. Rachel had a similar experience with Brian, who made her feel at ease during their heart-to-heart talk. Even though Rachel said that she trusted Clayton, Brian said that he knew it would be tough, and that he "would've smacked him." Viewers loved seeing him take her side and express how all of Bachelor Nation was feeling as they watched. They laughed and Rachel admitted that she was very emotional, but that she loved Clayton. Brian said it was nice to hear that, and that he was looking forward to seeing where Rachel and Clayton's journey ends.

In Brian and Clayton's conversation, Brian told his son that both women were "marvelous" and he could see him with one of them. However, he said, "But I think you can figure out from there if one really does stand out. But you gotta get it internally. If you don't feel it inside, then it ain't right." He warned Clayton that no matter what happened, he would hurt someone. Brian later told Clayton that he did not understand why Clayton had any problems and why anything should be "conflicting." Clayton then realized, much to the surprise of his family, that he had to go and try to get Susie back. Brian told Clayton that he was "grasping at straws" and was very frank about his doubts about Susie because she walked away from him. He told him that he was "too caught up in 'the one that got away.'" He was the voice of all of the viewers as he expressed his frustration and concerns. Brian was a stand-up guy who told his son the hard truths that he needed to hear. Clayton's dad was the MVP of the season because he supported the women completely, while also helping his son to find the clarity that he needed through tough love.

Next: Bachelor: Everything Clayton Said About Susie In Podcast Interview

The Bachelor finale airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.