Reality Steve Just Announced His Pick For The Next ‘Bachelor’
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Bachelor Nation is buzzing with brand new info about who the next Bachelor might be. His season won’t air until 2022—but now, fans finally have a name (and a face!) to root for. According to Reality Steve, hints dropped by Bachelor producer Mike Fleiss, and some serious online super-sleuthing, ABC’s next leading man could be Clayton Echard.
Turns out, the roses will be handed out by a totally fresh face! A source confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that ABC’s next hunky suitor will be a contestant from Michelle Young’s upcoming Bachelorette season. Apparently, his story on Michelle’s season was so touching that the producers felt they had to give him a second chance at love. (Aw!)
Michelle’s list of guys is super impressive, so it’s no surprise that one of them has what it takes to be the star of his own season. And even though ABC hasn’t confirmed the Bachelor’s identity yet, Clayton definitely looks like a strong frontrunner. Here’s everything to know about the mystery stud and all the evidence to support his Bachelor bid:
Warning: major spoilers ahead! Do not keep reading if you don’t want to know what happens on Season 18 of The Bachelorette before it airs on ABC!
His name is Clayton Echard.
Bachelor franchise producer Mike Fleiss was positively gushing about the newbie on Twitter: “Major Announcement!!! Your new #TheBachelor is a great guy from Michelle’s season of #TheBachelorette . Can’t wait for you to meet him!” he wrote.
Mike also shared a surprise hint for fans to go off of: ” Another Major Announcement!!! His first name starts with the letter “C.” #TheBachelor,” he added.
Now, Reality Steve has confirmed that the handsome single in question is Clayton Echard. Here he is:
Steve has all the deets on the potential newcomer: “Looks like Clayton Echard is going to be the next Bachelor,” he Tweeted. Clayton is 28 and hails from Eureka, Missouri, according to Steve. Just look at that megawatt smile!
Steve also confirmed that Clayton “is from Michelle’s season. So he’ll be 3 weeks into filming his season before you ever see him on your screen. They will be filming at Eureka HS tmrw – his old high school – for more intro package footage.”
Sure enough, a source sent E! News photos of Clayton filming what looks like a promo shoot in his hometown. So while nothing is set in stone, it seems pretty likely that Clayton will be handing out roses of his own in no time.
Clayton played football in college and almost went pro.
According to his Instagram bio, Clayton is a “former freestyle rapper and washed-up athlete now trying his luck in orthopaedic sales.”
He played Division I football in college for the University of Missouri-Columbia Tigers while earning his Bachelor’s degree in Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, per his LinkedIn. He also minored in Business and Spanish. After starting his sophomore year as a defensive lineman, Clayton found his calling as a tight end, according to the team’s roster.
After graduating in 2016, Clayton tried out for the Seattle Seahawks and successfully signed on as a free agent. He played in four preseason games and survived the first round of cuts, but he wrote on his LinkedIn that he didn’t end up making the team.
“Definitely miss these days! I think I still have a couple good plays in me…” he captioned an old football pic on Instagram.
Now, he works in orthopedic sales.
Clayton currently works as a sales representative for Stryker, where he sells medical equipment to hospitals. He’s worked his way up at the company for five years (so, yep, he’s at least a little career-oriented).
Clayton even posts pics on the job, in scrubs and everything: “3 competitor reps working together to provide a superior patient outcome!” he captioned an old snap.
He’s also working on earning his MBA in Health Care Administration/Management online from Southeast Missouri State University. A total smarty? We love to see it.
Clayton is pretty outdoorsy, and he’s big into family.
Fitness is super important to Clayton: “I enjoy hiking and biking on the nature trails around the Columbia area,” he wrote on his LinkedIn. “I make it my duty to emphasize living a healthy lifestyle, therefore I exercise daily and am in the process of learning to cook healthy meals that also surprisingly have flavor!” Plus, his IG is filled with pics of him crushing super intense workouts at the gym.
He’s also pretty adventurous, and he enjoys hiking or boating with his friends and fam. (Here’s hoping the ladies of season 26 can keep up with him!) Exhibit A:
Clayton is also one of three brothers. His siblings, Patrick and Nate, star in quite a few of his old posts, usually alongside their dad and mom, Kelly.
Filming for the next season of the Bachelor “begins in LA at the end of next week,” according to an Instagram post from Reality Steve. So watch out for Clayton to pop up on Michelle Young’s journey to find love in October—and get ready for his (potential) premiere on ABC in January 2022.
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