After one of the “most dramatic seasons of The Bachelorette ever” (IYKYK) this past summer, we finally have a new season of the franchise to get invested in. The stars of last year have been busy: Gabby is speculated to be dating Jersey Shore‘s Vinny Guadagnino, Rachel is reflecting on her years in the Bachelor franchise being grateful for the people in her life, and in a surprising twist, Zach (who was on Team Rachel during that whirlwind season) is the new Bachelor.
Zach Shallcross is a 25-year-old tech executive from Anaheim, California who made it to the final three of Rachel’s men on Gabby and Rachel’s season of The Bachelorette. After his shocking exit, no one thought he would be coming back as the Bachelor, but here he is! And since Zach wasn’t close to the most dramatic man last season (looking at you, Tino), you might need a refresher on what exactly happened with him as a contestant before he became a Bachelor in his own right.
With the new season starting Jan. 23, here is a recap of his journey with Rachel — and let’s just say the pilot definitely dealt with a lot of turbulence on her flight toward true love.
Zach exits from the limo…
Meeting any Bachelorette for the first time is probably nerve-racking, but what about meeting two as the first person out of the limo? Zach was the lucky (or unlucky?) guy in this position, starting off Gabby and Rachel’s season of The Bachelorette. He gave them both a hug and didn’t do anything elaborate to catch their attention, but the two women did mention that he was “very cute” as he walked into the house. (Though, he did almost forget to tell the women his name as the nerves got the better of him.)
Zach and Rachel have their first date…
Rachel asked Zach on a date to a red carpet movie event in Episode 3, or so they thought… The one-on-one date began with Zach and Rachel arriving at a theater in a limo with a swarm of camera people snapping their pictures. The red carpet led into a theater, where they were surprised with photos and videos from their childhoods. Rachel got emotional seeing old photos of herself, as well as from the reaction Zach had to watching a message from his mother. Zach is a mama’s boy, and Rachel was so touched by the relationship that she started to feel comfortable with Zach by her side. The two even shared a similar childhood story about how they would spend time with their fathers at the airport, watching planes take off and land.
Zach tells Rachel he is falling in love with her…
In Episode 6, Rachel expressed how her date with Zach was a once in a lifetime opportunity since the tulips in the field their date took place in were only in bloom for two weeks. The date continued with a bike ride with little kiosks along the way, and ended hot and heavy with a nice dip in the hot tub.
Zach getting this second one-on-one date right before Hometowns really solidified that he was going to make it to the top. Rachel was smitten with Zach, and even said she felt like she was in a fairytale. Later on, Zach shared with Rachel the Bachelor franchise’s magic words — he was “falling in love,” which obviously made Rachel over the moon.
Side note: Keep an eye out for the hilarious post-credits scene in this episode with the two of them laughing about not knowing if they remember how to ride a bike.
Zach takes Rachel home to meet his family…
Since Zach is very close with his family, he wanted to know what his family thought about Rachel and their relationship during Episode 7, the Hometowns episode. The meeting went surprisingly well, as both Zach’s mom and dad seemed to love Rachel. The night ended on a high note, with Zach’s family getting to watch the journey of their relationship, and Zach confessed that he loves Rachel.
Plus the audience got to learn through a post-credits scene that Zach’s uncle is a familiar face — or voice — actor Patrick Warburton, aka the voice of Kronk in The Emperor’s New Groove and Family Guy’s Joe Swanson. Looks like even Bachelor Nation wasn’t immune to 2022’s nepotism babies craze.
Rachel asks Zach to go to the Fantasy Suite…
In Episode 10, the overnight dates were coming to a close in Mexico, and Zach was the final date of Rachel’s three remaining men. Rachel had just had two amazing overnight dates with Aven and Tino, but was excited to see Zach, remembering the special hometown date that they just had. However, Rachel did admit that she was nervous going into the date as she would soon have to make a big decision and hoped that Zach didn’t notice. But I think he might have noticed…
They explored the city with smiles on their faces and ended the day dancing. As the night started, we saw that the two decided to spend the night together in the Fantasy Suite. Hold on tight, because this is when things started to go downhill.
Zach says his relationship with Rachel did a 180…
The morning after the Fantasy Suite, Zach recounted the night he had with Rachel and said that he felt concerned, as Rachel seemed to be putting on a front for the cameras that disappeared once they were alone. He said that they spent the night talking about heavy topics like religion and politics, but he was most shocked when Rachel expressed doubt about him being ready for marriage at his young age. (The “young” age of 25, that is — while Rachel was 26. She is only a few months older than him!) This made Zach question their whole relationship, which led him to make a big decision right before the rose ceremony.
Zach says goodbye…
Zach pulled Rachel aside before the rose ceremony and told her he felt blindsided. They talked for a while before Zach decided that it was time for him to leave. He told Rachel that he loved her, but felt like she wasn’t acting like herself when the cameras were gone.
On the car ride home, Zach expressed how even after deciding to leave, he could tell that Rachel saw their relationship differently than he did. I can definitely agree that something seemed off, but I think there was a misunderstanding between the two — Rachel seemed upset, while Zach looked heartbroken.
Zach is announced as The Bachelor…
After heartbreak, Zach announced that he is still ready for love and marriage as host Jesse Palmer introduced Zach as the new Bachelor in the season finale. The live studio audience was excited, but unfortunately, I can’t totally say the same for the internet. There are a lot of mixed feelings about this upcoming season of The Bachelor, but Zach told everyone that he is looking for his best friend to go through life with.
Zachelor is just around the corner, with a new group of girls all vying to become the first Mrs. Shallcross. Jesse might even say that this will be the most dramatic season yet! Looking at the teaser, this season is definitely going to be a whirlwind, but Zach just might find his new best friend. With the women on this season having been announced ahead of the premiere, I have no clue on who Zach will choose, but it looks like this season’s got some big things in store.