The Bachelor Season 26, Episode 3: Most cringeworthy moments
![THE BACHELOR - "2602" - Clayton moves forward in his journey to find love with the 22 incredible women who remain. After moving into the Bachelor Mansion for the first time since the pandemic began, these eligible singles are ready to kick off a week of dates! On the season's first group date, celebrity guest Hilary Duff enlists the help of the ladies to throw a dream Beverly Hills birthday party, but when one woman is more interested in spending time with Clayton than the kids, the others have strong feelings to share. Later, one lucky lady flies high with Clayton on the first one-on-one date featuring a surprise musical performance by Amanda Jordan; and Ziwe stops by the second group date to help Clayton spot potential red flags among his bachelorettes. After the dates have all ended, a major storm brews heading into the cocktail party when a shocking secret about a woman who already has a rose is revealed. Will Clayton be forced to do something that no other Bachelor has ever done before? Find out on "The Bachelor," airing MONDAY, JAN. 10 (8:00-10:01 p.m. EST), on ABC. (ABC/John Fleenor)CLAYTON ECHARD THE BACHELOR - "2602" - Clayton moves forward in his journey to find love with the 22 incredible women who remain. After moving into the Bachelor Mansion for the first time since the pandemic began, these eligible singles are ready to kick off a week of dates! On the season's first group date, celebrity guest Hilary Duff enlists the help of the ladies to throw a dream Beverly Hills birthday party, but when one woman is more interested in spending time with Clayton than the kids, the others have strong feelings to share. Later, one lucky lady flies high with Clayton on the first one-on-one date featuring a surprise musical performance by Amanda Jordan; and Ziwe stops by the second group date to help Clayton spot potential red flags among his bachelorettes. After the dates have all ended, a major storm brews heading into the cocktail party when a shocking secret about a woman who already has a rose is revealed. Will Clayton be forced to do something that no other Bachelor has ever done before? Find out on "The Bachelor," airing MONDAY, JAN. 10 (8:00-10:01 p.m. EST), on ABC. (ABC/John Fleenor)CLAYTON ECHARD](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/60d43ea37720904f522f5fbc08514b29c23689d34ff172e5e3d49850c0fdf382.jpg)
After a week of no show, The Bachelor Season 26 brought the drama this week. Remember Shanae-nae? She’s a proper villain now. Clayton Echard has strong connections with apparently every woman residing in The Bachelor mansion, it’s been three episodes and I still don’t know what his type is.
Then the first group date was a therapy session (I swear!), the second saw Clayton and a contestant stripped down to their underwear and running around Los Angeles, and during the last group date of the week, Shanae-nae once again retaliated against Elizabeth, for (surprise!) nothing she did!
Rose lovers, at this point I’m wondering if Clayton is here for the Right Reasons™ because Shanae is playing the entire house, and he’s the only one falling for it.
Here’s a recap of the most cringeworthy moments in The Bachelor Season 26, Episode 3!
The Bachelor Season 26, Episode 3: Moment #1: Sara And Clayton’s Scavenger Hunt
Sarah gets the one-on-one date this week. She’s beautiful inside out, seems to really like Clayton, and is pretty smart. She can hold conversations. I would say that Sarah seems like a frontrunner this season, but with Clayton validating her in the exact same way he does with the others, I wouldn’t count on it.
Anyway, ex-Bachelorette Becca Kufrin turns up to tell them about the ‘Say Yes Scavenger Hunt’ she’s organized, for which, they must strip down to the underwear and sing songs for each other. Later, during the evening segment of the date, Sarah is vulnerable and tells Clayton she’s adopted, and of Vietnamese, French and Irish ancestry. Because her adoptive family is white, she feels like a second choice and when love comes to her, it makes her question it.
While Sarah is literally pouring her heart out, Clayton just listens, and when she’s done, he thanks her for sharing because this piece of information has helped him understand her better. He doesn’t ask her a single question, and his apparent disinterest in the conversation was quite annoying to watch. That being said, I really, really like Sarah and will RIOT if Clayton does anything to hurt her.
My own personal buffet? Don't mind if I do. 🍤 pic.twitter.com/FJLyVPpyC3
— The Bachelor (@BachelorABC) January 26, 2022
The Bachelor Season 26, Episode 3: Moment #1: Send Shanae-nae Home
Listen. I know that The Bachelor producers love drama (so do I!), but Shanae NEEDS to go. She steals everyone’s shrimp at dinner and lies about being victimized in the house, saying that no one talks to her when Elizabeth is around. I don’t know how Clayton is buying this, but he is.
When Clayton pulls Elizabeth aside to ask her side of the story, he tells her she’s the reason why Shanae’s mental health is deteriorating. This is the third conversation he’s had with Elizabeth and the second about an accusation made against her. Elizabeth is clearly done at this point and starts crying.
She’s visibly furious and admits that she’s tired of defending herself when she isn’t at fault and challenges Clayton to ask the entire house what they think. She doesn’t even tell him that Shanae made fun of her ADHD. You know, there are two things I am certain of — Shanae needs to go home, and Elizabeth needs to walk out on Clayton and become The Bachelorette. She’s way too good for him, and I would happily watch her season instead of his.
And then there’s Shanae. Not only is her constant bullying and targeting of Elizabeth and the other women damaging to everyone in the house, but her blatant lies and being proud of said lies needs to be taken care of. Shanae keeps using Elizabeth’s health as a weapon against her in what she believes is a war to win Clayton. She’s aggressive. She’s not good drama. Can we stop encouraging such behavior on reality television, please?
Anyway, until next week!
dark. Next. The Bachelor Season 26, Episode 2: Most cringeworthy moments
What were your favorite moments from last week’s episode of The Bachelor Season 26? Share in the comments!
Tune in next week for another episode of Clayton’s journey on The Bachelor!