When The Bachelor season 26 premiered in January of this year, viewers saw Clayton Echard (then 28 years of age) lead the series, after previously competing for Michelle Young's heart, and his stint didn't get a positive reaction. Viewers consider Clayton's season to be one of the worst of all the installments. Now, find out why the former lead agrees that his The Bachelor season was a complete train wreck.

Throughout his journey as the lead, Clayton came under fire for many of the decisions he made. One instance was when he chose to save the season's villain, Shanae Ankney, after she mocked fellow competitor Elizabeth Corragan for having ADHD. However, nothing comes close to the bomb that he dropped on his three finalists, Gabby Windey, Rachel Recchia, and Susie Evans. He admitted to Susie that he was intimate with the other two Bachelor females, and then told Gabby and Rachel that he had physical encounters with both of them. Despite finding this news out, Gabby and Rachel were persuaded to stay, before finding out that Clayton still had feelings for Susie, despite her quitting the competition.

Related: How Did Clayton & Susie Respond To The Bachelorette Premiere?

After everything that went down, Clayton now understands why the viewers thought his season was a mess. According to People, the former lead stated, "Watching it back, I was embarrassed and disgusted by my actions and the way I was portrayed or seen on TV...Ultimately, I had to live with the fact that my narrative is what was shown." The former Bachelor star also stated that it was hard on him because that's not who he is as a person. Nonetheless, he owned up to the mistakes that he made, saying that he had made bad decisions.

clayton echard the bachelor

Despite agreeing with the viewers about his season, Clayton stated that the hatred from fans was very tough for him to handle. According to the aforementioned article, he received thousands of horrible messages in a short period of time, which understandably stressed him out. However, he tried not to let that negativity bring him down.

Even though he considers his season terrible, Clayton did end up finding love, as he and Susie struck up a relationship after filming, and are still going strong. Despite finding love, Clayton made it clear that he would never become The Bachelor again. As for his two runner-ups, Gabby and Rachel, viewers can watch their journeys to find love, as the two are the co-leads on the current The Bachelorette season, which is airing now on ABC. Both women, and the viewers, are hoping that they can get a happier ending than they did on The Bachelor.

Next: All The Ways The Bachelorette Roasted Clayton Echard

Source: People