Zach Shallcross’s journey on The Bachelor might mark the first time Jesse Palmer won’t be able to call a season the most dramatic in Bachelor history. From the very first limo exit, he has been making levelheaded, rational decisions—and yet the season is still engaging, full of romance, and much less boring than many bachelor fans predicted.
Here are six reasons why The Bachelor Season 27 leading man, Zach Shallcross, just might be the perfect bachelor (or at least the best in a long time).
He’s Comfortable On Camera
Facts are facts: as a finalist, Zach spent a lot of time in front of the camera on Rachel and Gabby’s season. That makes him a much more seasoned reality TV star than, say, Clayton Echard, who was chosen as The Bachelor after being sent home on a one-on-one during Michelle Young’s season.
Regardless, it’s hard to be constantly followed around by a camera crew—and Zach, quite frankly, makes it seem easy (or at least a lot easier than it was for some of his Bachelor predecessors). He doesn’t get flustered, and he seems to think before he speaks.
Of course, not every viewer has the same lofty opinion of the Season 27 Bachelor, and many have been roasting him for everything from his “dad bod” to his “dad jokes.” For example, one twitter user has been comparing Zach to Missing Link from Monsters Vs. Aliens.
Personally, I don’t see it. Then again, I’m into a dad bod.
He’s Down To Earth & Emotionally Intelligent
Zach seems like the most emotionally intelligent Bachelor of recent years—we already know from Gabby and Rachel’s season that he goes to therapy, and all signs point to him having a great relationship with his parents (the first one-on-one date of the year was a barbeque in his family’s backyard).
He also seems incredibly down-to-earth. And if he’s faking it, he’s doing the best impression of a down-to-earth person I’ve ever seen. Observe this tweet from a Bachelor viewer who feels the same way:
When I tell you this man can communicate and voice his thoughts well and clearly! 👏👏👏👏👏👏 #TheBachelor And he listens too! Also shows concern for each relationships.
Basically, the man seems like he’s making an effort to be completely authentic with his contestants. He also seems to have a decent BS detector, which is a plus, as all Bachelor/Bachelorette leads have to deal with conflicting stories among the contestants.
He’s Not F*cking Around With Trouble Makers
Zach seems hell-bent on avoiding becoming a Bachelor cautionary tale when it comes to “villains” (cough cough...Clayton Echard and Shanae Ankey). He’s already eliminated multiple contestants who were stirring up drama, including perceived front-runner Christina Mandrell and Instagram mentioner Anastasia Keramidas:
Can’t they ever learn??? Talking about Instagram followers is code for “Here For The Wrong Reasons.” Don’t we remember the Brendan/Pieper fiasco from Season 7 of Bachelor in Paradise?!
That being said, not all viewers were as impressed by his handling of the Anastasia/Kylee situation. That’s fair, but anyone who sided with Anastasia was wrong. Those were weaponized white lady tears. I said what I said.
He’s Not Afraid To Be Brutally Honest
Zach and Bailey definitely seemed to be hitting it off during the first two episodes—but when Bailey came to him for some confirmation that their relationship was headed in the right direction, he had no choice but to be honest: there were other women in the Bachelor mansion that he had already formed closer connections with.
While it was a difficult conversation to have, I respected Zach for making the tough decision and admitting to her that she simply wasn’t one of his front-runners. It sounds harsh, but at the end of the day, Bailey didn’t want to stick around if that was the case.
The decision felt very mature to both parties, and many Twitter users agreed, with one saying, "He's probably the most focused and levelheaded Bachelor we've had in a long time."
On the flip side, he’s not afraid to be honest in a positive way, either: He turned a one-on-one date into an overnight date in episode three of the season (a super bold move, in my opinion).
He’s A Very Intentional Kisser
Don’t expect a kiss from Zach unless you’re actually forming a connection. He’ll literally say “how 'bout on the cheek” rather than kiss someone insincerely, like he did to Anastasia during the limbo competition.
Of course, it’s The Bachelor, so there’s going to be a lot of kissing, and back-to-back steamy makeouts can be polarizing to audiences. Some members of Bachelor nation feel that he's actually been kissing too much:
Is he actually getting to know them? I keep hearing the same convo with every girl and as every season 'I want a best friend to do life with' - then making out!
Personally, I think his make-out count has been significantly lower than other Bachelors’. Plus, it’s a kiss, people. Let the man kiss.
On the contrary, I think Zach has been using kisses to intentionally let contestants know when he feels their relationship has strengthened. We’ve also seen him keep plenty of kisses short and sweet, or refuse them altogether, which is more self-restraint than many former leads have shown.
He Might Actually Know What He Wants
Zach might actually be ready to be a husband. Don't look now, but it actually seems like he’s fully invested in using this process to kickstart a happy, healthy marriage. Take this similar sentiment from a Twitter user, who has a particular affinity for former Bachelor lead Nick Viall:
Now that I'm back on #TheBachelor train and watching Zach Shallcross attempt to become the 2nd man ever in 27 seasons to actually marry the woman he gives a ring to, it strikes me as being deeply sad that we will probably never, ever see another Bachelor as funny as Nick Viall.
Essentially, when this man says he thinks his future wife might be in the room, I’m inclined to believe him. It’s, of course, still up in the air whether any of the ladies on this season are equally prepared to become espoused. However, he seems like he could be the kind of Bachelor who actually makes it down the aisle.
Will the season take a sharp left turn and prove me wrong, or will Zach go down in history as the most efficient Bachelor of all time? If you’re into spoilers, you can check out our feature on the rumored ending of The Bachelor Season 27. If you’re more like me and like to keep up with eliminations as they happen, be sure to bookmark our list of eliminated contestants from Zach Shallcross’s season, which is updated weekly.
New episodes of The Bachelor air on Mondays on ABC. Previous episodes are available to stream with a Hulu subscription.
