For Zach Shallcross, the hard part of being the lead of The Bachelor should be over, right? With filming for Season 27 having taken place from September to November 2022, he’s completed all of the eliminations, survived the drama, and (hopefully) gotten down on one knee to propose to his best friend. However, it’s apparently a little more complicated than that, as Shallcross said that watching his season from the perspective of the women has given him a new side to the story that he wasn’t aware of when they were shooting.
In an interview with CinemaBlend at SCAD TVfest in Atlanta, Zach Shallcross opened up about what it’s like to relive his experience as the season plays out on ABC, and it sounds like it’s been pretty eye-opening for the Bachelor, who said:
I'm actually seeing another perspective, totally. I only see really, in the grand scheme of things, like half of what goes on, so when I rewatch the show, I'm having things pieced together. Like, 'Oh, I didn't know this was discussed,’ or 'Oh, they're friends,' or 'Oh, they hate each other.' Because only what I know is what's kind of brought to my attention or what's told to me. So I do get to see a new dynamic to make the episodes more entertaining, because I thought, 'I know everything that happens.' I rewatch and I'm like, 'I don't know that much.’
It is interesting to remember that sometimes we, watching from home, have more knowledge about what’s going on with the contestants than the man who’s dating them. Viewers get the benefit of watching their interviews and hearing the conversations or tiffs they have with the other women. Zach Shallcross isn’t present for all of that, with most of his interactions — even the ones he finds the most cringe-worthy — coming from the dates.
As strange as it is to think about, it also makes perfect sense that he wouldn’t actually know which of the women were friends, because it’s not like the people he’s dating are going to bring up his other girlfriends during their precious one-on-one time. In that regard, Zach Shallcross really must be learning so much from watching the season back.
It turns out those watch-backs are really Zach Shallcross' biggest source when it comes to getting more context into what went on during the filming of his season. Even though several contestants have taken to their social media accounts with reactions to or explanations for the most dramatic moments of the season, the Bachelor said he tends to stay off the socials. He told CinemaBlend:
I think I do a really good job of staying off just about everything, and I only get specific things sent to me. I've never been a big social media person. I try not to check Instagram or Twitter, this and that. Probably for the best, just in general, because of the wide spectrum of opinions. But to me, it's not my scene, per se, but I get the highlights.
Bachelor Nation fans are never shy about sharing their opinions, whether they think Zach Shallcross is the perfect Bachelor, is showing red flags, or is simply the king of the dad joke. His ability to block out that social media reactions shows that he might have been successful in taking former Bachelor Sean Lowe’s advice in not taking himself too seriously.
The most dramatic portion of the season is still yet to come, and Zach Shallcross is likely about to learn a whole lot more when it comes time for him to rewatch Hometowns and Fantasy Suites. The Bachelor airs at 8 p.m. ET Mondays on ABC, and you can see what series are premiering soon with our 2023 TV schedule.
