Rumors have been swirling thatBachelorNation alum and currentPerfect MatchstarClayton Echardcould return forThe Bachelor’s monumental 30th season, but those rumors may be fleeting.
“To tell you this, a little insider info, I’m not being talked to [forThe BachelorSeason 30] at all. Nobody has called me,” he toldSwoon. “I don’t think anybody wants to have that again.” But that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be opposed to handing out roses again in the future.“If they pay me well enough and give me some decision-making on who comes into the house," he teased about any potential to return.
Clayton Echard Has a History of Tough Love
With Season 30 still without a lead, he would be willing to pull aBrad Womackand return to the show for a second stint. He laughed and said, “No, I couldn’t imagine.” He did share that the long-running series may be heading in a new direction for the milestone season.“They’re also looking for somebody that hasn’t been on reality television prior,”he revealed, alluding to knowing some individuals potentially in the running. “I’m excited. It’ll be interesting to see what happens. I mean, I’m very shocked with a few of them, [that I’ve been] hearing,” referring to the short list of potential names.The BachelorandThe Bachelorettehave a history of inviting previous contestants to take the mantle in future seasons. If Clayton is right in his assessment, it’ll be a return to how the early seasons were cast.
If the individual chosen is someone he knows, Clayton will surely offer the gentleman advice based on his experience on the show. Viewers first met former college tight end as a contestant onMichelle Young’s season ofThe Bachelorette, where he finished in eighth. He returned for his own season ofThe Bachelorin 2022, where his claim to fame was telling three women he was in love with them. He ultimately choseSusie Evans. Though she rejected him during the final episode, it was revealed duringAfter the Final Rosethat they had gotten back together.They split up for good in September of 2022. Outside the series,Clayton was involved in a pregnancy hoax involving a woman from Arizona.
‘Perfect Match’ Wasn’t a Perfect Match for Clayton
Netflix has a tradition of pulling stars from across its Reality Universe forPerfect Match, but Season 3 expanded beyond the streamer’s own shows. Bachelor Nation alumni Clayton and Rachel Recchia stirred up drama when they arrived in Mexico — though for Clayton, the experience was far from a perfect match. Before Rachel arrived, Clayton was paired withSiesta Key’s Juliette Porter. But when Rachel, one of hisBachelorseason runner-ups, entered the villa, the unexpected reunion sent shockwaves through the match and cast doubt on their future together.
As he joked with Swoon, he’s best known for “ruining the love lives of 30 women onThe Bachelor.“And that storyline continued onPerfect Matchwhen he decided to match with Rachel. Still distraught about her relationship with Clayton, Rachel was reluctant to match with him, but she was willing to take the chance as her feelings were still strong. And, once again, Clayton broke her heart as he told her that even in this situation, they weren’t meant to be.The difficulty of the experiment caused Clayton to voluntarily walk from the villa during episode 5.
On theViall Filespodcast, he stated that his “intuition” and “compatibility” played a significant role in his decision to leave the show and Rachel, but she later claimed that his real reason for ending things was their lifestyle differences. Speaking to costarAD Smithon"What’s the Reality?,“Rachel believed that Clayton dumped her as she was “not a gym girle.” For his part, Clayton has expressed his displeasure with his edit on the Netflix series. He toldNick Viall, “Unfortunately, I’m not too happy with the edit. I’m not going to sit here and dodge responsibility, but I just thought it went differently.I thought it could have been portrayed differently.” Based on these comments alone, it makes sense as to why he would pull his name out of the running to return toThe Bachelor.
Perfect Matchis available to stream on Netflix.
Perfect Match
