On The Bachelorette, Hayden Markowitz caught the attention of both Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey with his sweet Southern charm, but things took on turn in episode 3, and he is now responding to his villain edit. Hayden, a 29-year-old leisure executive from Tampa, Florida, impressed Rachel with his thoughtfulness on night one when he brought her a handmade birthday card. Both women felt that he was a great guy and wanted to get to know him better. During The Bachelorette episode 3, Gabby began to feel insecure about whether she was the right choice to be one of the leads of the show. Her worst fears came true when she was rejected by some of the men who told her that they would rather pursue Rachel than her.
One of these men was Hayden, whose words really hurt Gabby. He told her that he now had clarity and that his values lined up more with Rachel's than hers. He then told Gabby that she had a bubbly and goofy aspect to her, and said, "You're a little bit more like...I don't want to say, 'rough around the edges,' but...y'all want people to be very direct with y'all." In her confessional, Gabby said that being called "rough around the edges" hurt because it confirmed her insecurities. But she ended up hugging Hayden, who told her that she was the best, to which Gabby responded, "Oh, you are!" Hayden did not seem to think that he said anything wrong. He later told Rachel that she was more his type, and they kissed. When Gabby told Rachel what Hayden said, Rachel was completely shocked. However, Rachel later gave Hayden one of her roses, so he will have the chance to continue to pursue her.
In an Instagram post, Hayden responded to his villain edit. He included two pictures from the night, one of him hugging Gabby and one of them talking. They are smiling in both. He wrote about how intense the night of the Rose Ceremony was, saying, "What a night, with so many emotions going on. I have to say I have an overwhelming amount of respect for Gabby and Rachel."
Hayden went on to address his words toward Gabby. He wrote, "Looking back I can definitely say I may not be the most eloquent with words at times but I aimed my heart in the direction of my intentions. Extremely glad Rachel saw me for who I am inside and allowed me to continue the journey with her. #idoacceptthisrose #twobachelorettes #findinglove." Although Hayden did not apologize for what he said, he did acknowledge that he could have said it in a better way. He was not the only man to reject either Gabby or Rachel that night, but some of the other guys were much more respectful and polite about it.
Hopefully, as Hayden watches himself back on The Bachelorette, he will understand why Gabby was so hurt by his words. She was already feeling insecure about her role on the show, and Hayden's words only confirmed all of her fears about her worthiness of it. Gabby was obviously a wonderful choice for The Bachelorette, and hopefully she will now connect with men who make her feel that way. As for Hayden, he did the right thing by making his intentions known to Gabby, but hopefully he will become better at expressing himself. Hayden seems to be a nice guy who said the wrong thing at the wrong time and did not mean any harm by what he said. He truly did not seem to realize that saying that Gabby was "rough around the edges" would hurt her feelings. Perhaps he will redeem himself and will rise above his villain edit.
The Bachelorette airs Mondays at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC.
Source: Hayden Markowitz/Instagram