The age of Zach Shallcross may have been an unexpected dealbreaker for The Bachelorette star Rachel Recchia, but this newly-announced lead of The Bachelor season 27 is, in fact, ready to tie the knot at 26. Thanks to a spoiler last week from blogger Reality Steve, Bachelor Nation has known for some time that the California tech executive will soon have dozens of women vying for his heart. It was made official during Tuesday night's live finale, when he got to meet a handful of women who will appear on the show. Despite some nerves setting in — especially with host Jesse Palmer putting him on the spot to remember their names — Zach is assuring fans that he's taking this opportunity seriously.
On The Bachelorette, as some of the men struggled to decide between the two leads, Zach only had eyes for Rachel. They enjoyed an early one-on-one date viewing sweet home movies and, week after week, Zach was given a rose. He even got to introduce Rachel to his family, including his uncle, Seinfeld star Patrick Warburton. However, the relationship suddenly derailed during fantasy suite week. Footage of Zach and Rachel the next morning getting snippy over coffee was uncomfortable, to say the least. Zach later revealed that he saw a different side of Rachel, who expressed concern over whether he was ready for a commitment because of his age, despite Zach only being a few months younger than her.
In a recent interview with People, Zach stressed that Rachel's concern was unfounded. He's ready to find his person. "I don't think that there's anything where there's an age limit on when you decide you want to fall in love and get married. If you are ready and you feel well-equipped with yourself, you love yourself, you trust yourself and you want to share that with someone, it doesn't matter how old you are," he said. Zach intends to ask the hard questions early on so that if he does propose, it's to someone who is also ready for this next step in life. "That's the No. 1 thing that is important to keep in mind because you don't want to wait until it's too late to find some hard truths," he said.
The five women that Zach got to meet on Tuesday were all around his age, give or take a few years. For the first time, America got to award a rose, which went to Brianna, 24, a native of New Jersey who will be safe from the stressful first round of eliminations on The Bachelor. All tried to make the best possible first impression, but Zach understands that things will get ugly with 30 women fighting for a rose. Reiterating his intent to find a life partner, he vowed to not put up with any drama. "... what it tells me is that they're not really serious and why they're there is probably more for finding internet fame."
When it comes to franchise relationships, age truly is just a number. Past Bachelorette Clare Crawley, who was 39 at the time, thought she found the one in 31-year-old Dale Moss. But after an on-again, off-again rollercoaster, they went their separate ways. Then there's Serena Pitt, 24, who appears positively smitten with her fiancé, 36-year-old Joe Amabile, who she fell for on last season of Bachelor In Paradise. Therefore, it's not so hard to believe that Zach is ready to settle down at the age of 26. Hopefully, he's able to find his perfect match... and give The Bachelor viewers a less stressful ending than Clayton Echard.
Source: People