This season of The Bachelor, which is number 27 for those keeping count, features former The Bachelorette contestant Zach Shallcross in the lead role, and up until last week, his biggest criticism is that he’s pretty boring.
Zach seems more or less like a good guy but he deserves significant criticism for something he’s been doing that former Bachelor Nick Viall has rightfully called him out for. First, we should explain that Zach basically has a no-drama policy, which at first seemed like a great thing. He’s wasted no time sending contestants home and, in fact, oftentimes doesn’t even wait until the rose ceremony to do so.
Last week, he expressed to one of the contestants, Jess, that she was really into her but, even so, he didn’t choose her for any one-on-one dates. She expressed to him that was something that was important to her. His reaction was disbelief, saying it’s not about a one-on-one date which makes no sense since she literally just said it does. Do her feelings not matter in this case? No, they don’t, as far as Zach is concerned. So he immediately sent her home.
This clearly reveals that he didn’t care about what she thought. Imagine telling someone you really like them and feeling confident about the relationship only to say goodbye to that person for good because that person expressed a sincere interest in seeing you more.
It’s as if she wasn’t worthy. Nick Viall took to Twitter to say that Zach is being “a total d**k,” which he definitely was, and “made Jess feel like she messed up for expressing a valid concern.”
Then came last night’s episode. Greer, who was not allowed to hang out for a week thanks to getting Covid, returned. It’s worth mentioning that Zach was also out with Covid, though one week earlier when he bizarrely got annoyed at her for suggesting that her having Covid previously is comparable to him having Covid.
He has since expressed regret at those comments. With her return, they had a chance to catch up. When the show started, they had an immediate connection so it seemed as if they would be able to continue it. Instead, Zach sat down with her and told her that her time away has led him to progress with others quicker and that it was time for her to leave.
So, she was sent home, which is really strange that he would wait until she was allowed to come back to then send her right off the show again. In the least, his reasoning is understandable but completely unfair to her.
Then Zach and Brooklyn went on a date. First, they went up in a hot-air balloon over Hungary, then came down to have a romantic time in a spa, only to have it end outside in a private dinner where Brooklyn opened up to Zach about her family (since meeting the women’s respective families is the next step) and expressed how important her grandfather is to her because he stepped up to raise her when her dad stepped out.
Zach, who was completely smitten with Brooklyn the entire day, responded by asking to remove himself from the dinner table to take a moment alone. He then walked away in an awkward moment in which Brooklyn must’ve been thinking “What in the world is going on right now?”
Zach told the camera that he realizes how important this is to Brooklyn so he has to wonder if she is really the one since meeting her family is a big deal to her. He said, “She has this incredible grandfather who loves her and wants the world for her and she doesn’t take it lightly when she brings someone into the house. If I’m not feeling sure, who am I to be in that house?”
He then returns and tells her, “You don’t deserve the love I can’t give you.”
Did Zach not think that things were getting serious at this point? Why would her expression about how important her family is be the thing that makes him think “Whoa, this is serious!” especially considering meeting the family is the required next step on this show? Of course, she is serious. Is Zach? If he was not feeling like she would be in the final four before the date, he certainly did a good job of hiding it, but why would that mean she suddenly gets sent home after speaking about her family?
The answer is simple. Zach is selfish. In a way, he has to be. After all, the women are there for him but it has truly gotten to his head because he has mostly failed to be there for the women. The show is called The Bachelor, and he is that bachelor. This is his show. Yet, it cannot be understated that he is not considering that these women are human beings just like him. Sending women home, out of nowhere, after they express they want to see him more or that they look forward to him meeting family, is not a good look.
Regardless, they did nothing to deserve to be discarded in that way. Zach likely still sees is his “No rose for you and I don’t need to wait” philosophy as not letting the women on, which is indeed letting them on but just in a different way. He led Brooklyn on, leading her to believe their date was great, he chose her to be one of the last six women. He made it seem he was all-in, only to throw her away in a moment’s realization of, “Oh God, she’s serious.’
She deserved better and Zach failed her in that regard. Besides, anyone who has watched The Bachelor, or The Bachelorette, knows that one of these final four women is probably going to discard him. It happens almost every season, so for Zack to feel so good about Brooklyn for all of the season up until last night is enough to suggest that at least re-considering his feelings for one night until the rose ceremony is totally fine and would not be letting her on (and, again, we cannot fathom what actually changed based on their convo).
Nick Viall pointed out that “Every time Zach hears any of the women express an insecurity, instead of showing an ounce of empathy, his face just drowns in disappointment.”
We would add that Zach, only 26, is likely not as mature as many originally thought he was. He just can’t deal with many of the genuine and unproblematic emotions presented by the women, most of which are very good emotions. He entirely treats such emotions from the women as if he is a teacher grading a quiz and just fails them, shows them he’s disappointed, and then expels them.
Granted, he does that part in a somewhat mature way (which falsely makes people conclude he is fully mature) but his emotional intelligence is better defined as emotional irrelevance because you are irrelevant to him if you express certain emotions.
It doesn’t make him a villain. He’s still a good guy at his core, but just because someone is a good guy doesn’t mean that they are treating everyone right. Zach is very focused on how he is treated and many of his eliminations, especially in the way they happen, are completely unnecessary.
Brooklyn spoke to US Weekly about her elimination and said, “I did truly feel blindsided.” Ultimately, she expressed respect for Zach but also expressed, “I am looking for someone that is emotionally intelligent.” She added that Zach is “very able to speak on how he felt,” but that she is looking for ”someone who is able to have those hard conversations and is able to receive them but also have them himself.”
Maybe Zach realizes he just can’t be that guy and is doing everyone a favor.
Brooklyn made sure to note that “He’s a great guy but, you know, if anyone has any doubts about me, that’s not someone I truly want to be with.”