I’d say today is going to be one hell of a day. I say that because ever since the first promo of the season, it has long just been accepted that certain things happened this season and there was apparently no room for debate. It was just blindly accepted that what they showed us in that first preview is what happened and that was that. I mean, on the surface it seems to make sense. This show gives you something in a preview, you’re gonna dissect it til your eyes bleed and draw your conclusions. However, this show isn’t stupid enough to give away their ending in the first episode. While season previews can give away locations, dates, people, where people are on dates, confrontations, etc, it can’t necessarily give away storylines. And in terms of this seasons trailer, it seemingly gave away a major plot point that was universally accepted all season long, including by myself until 2 weeks ago. I even referenced it during my open in my podcast with Rob Cesternino. And we all know what that assumption was: Susie eliminates herself at the final 3 because we have the footage from that Iceland rose ceremony of Clayton seemingly talking to just Gabby and Rachel uttering the line, “I was in love with her, and I’m in love with each of you, and I was also intimate with both of you.” Well, that doesn’t happen.
The details surrounding what happens with Susie, I’m guessing, we’re not gonna see the ramifications of until next Monday’s episode because I’m pretty sure we’re not even gonna get to that infamous final 3 rose ceremony tonight. We’ll get the overnight dates (Rachel first, then Gabby, then Susie) and on Susie’s overnight, this conversation gets things going:
So we’ve clearly seen from the promos that Susie is distraught by this conversation, we’ve seen clips of her getting up to leave, we seen Clayton having a meltdown with producers over it, yada yada yada. You’ve seen it 100 times by now. That is over this conversation with Susie. Last week I told you I had found out what happened in Iceland but wanted to wait until today in hopes to get a little more clarity on the things that happened before it. Well I didn’t get those things so I’m just gonna have to give you what I know and we’ll then discuss the things that happen before it, because you’re going to have questions. I certainly do. The reason I know why Susie didn’t eliminate herself at final 3 is because of this:
Susie is convinced to stay, and at the final rose ceremony, she rejects Clayton’s proposal, and Clayton left Iceland single.
That’s why I tweeted yesterday the narrative is about to change. For a couple reasons: 1) All anyone has talked about all season is Rachel and somehow this season revolves around her, and her being with Clayton, etc. Ultra reliable IG accounts who’ve never spoiled a thing in their life were officially reporting Clayton was with Rachel. I have no idea why they reported that, I have no idea where this Rachel ending came from, and I’ve never been told all season that Rachel had anything to do with ending (except in the first month or so when I was hearing every name with zero evidence), so yeah, it is kinda funny to laugh at. She didn’t then and she doesn’t now. Sorry. 2) Not only did Susie not end up self-eliminating at final 3, she does something we’ve never seen in 45 previous seasons of the show: reject the leads proposal. So yeah, I’d say the narrative around this season will now change going forward since this will be the new major talking point everyone will be discussing.
Now, lets get to some of your questions I know you’ll have regarding this ending and how does it fit into the bigger picture. Most I don’t have an answer to but will try my best to lay out for you. First off, saw this interview Clayton did at the WTA taping and this answer to “are you happy with how things are now,” was, well, quite revealing in light of what we know now:
“I don’t think anyone expected it to end the way that it did, including myself, nor did I want it to be that way. There was a lot of things that I just never would’ve thought would’ve happened the way they did. So everyone will be kind of surprised. I wish it could have went any other direction, but it went the direction that it did. Ultimately, I had to react accordingly.”
I’d say that answer is pretty telling that things did not go his away in Iceland and he ended up leaving the country happily ever after.
Two weeks ago I reported 4 things I felt confident in reporting:
-It wasn’t a traditional ending – check
-He’s not with Rachel – check
-There was no finality in Iceland – we’ll get to that in a second
-He has not had any Happy Couple weekends since filming ended – lets discuss
I was told numerous times yesterday that Reddit found the AirBNB’s Clayton was taking pics in over the last couple months. Here’s all I know: I’ve been told since two weeks ago that Susie rejected Clayton’s proposal and that he left Iceland single. And was also told over the course of the last 3 months since filming ended that he was single. I just didn’t know what happened at the end until 2 weekends ago. So if he’s been seeing anyone post show, that is news to me. I’ll stick by my sources on this one. I do not believe he’s had any Happy Couple weekends since the show ended because he’s been single.
The Susie rejection of his proposal at the end was not a “Fuck you” from what I’ve heard. Obviously I wasn’t there so I have no idea what was said and the details of how exactly it went down. Did she wait until he literally got down on one knee to reject him? That’s what I’ve heard. But moreso in a “I can’t do this” manner than anything harsh or contentious. But we’ll have to wait and see how that all plays out.
Which then begs the question, “Where are Clayton and Susie at now?” So while I said 2 weeks ago there was no finality in Iceland, it’s possible that part could be wrong. Susie rejecting his proposal seems like there was finality in Iceland but maybe there’s not finality overall. But nothing I’ve been told recently makes me believe Clayton is anything other than single. I’d find it hard to believe she rejected his proposal but then changed her mind and they’ve been seeing each other ever since on Happy Couple weekends. That would be news to me. And as for Gabby and Rachel, again, I’ve been told they have no part of the ending, nor is he trying to date either one of them post show. If there’s anything happening post show with any of the women, it’d be with Susie, but I don’t see it, nor has it ever been mentioned to me.
More questions to ponder on Page 2…
justsaying
March 8, 2022 at 9:46 AM
I’m HAPPY to hear it’s not Rachel. I always felt she was the one initiating all her face-grabbing kisses or splaying her legs over Clayton. Her baby voice and her tears are all very annoying to me. I am VERY sure Clayton didn’t appreciate the alligator canoeing date.
I always thought Susie is frontrunner when she got the first date and the poshest date with the expensive shopping.
ctrealitygirl
March 8, 2022 at 10:39 AM
I, too, am not a big Rachel fan. I liked her in the beginning, but as time wore on she started to grate on my nerves. And it seemed that Clayton’s interest had waned some from earlier in the season. And, I too thought that Susie was the frontrunner. I think she’d make a good Bachelorette. I don’t see her running back to Clayton after he professed love for all three finalists and admitted sleeping with both Rachel and Gabby. I’m not surprised that Clayton ends up with no one. I don’t think he’s a bad guy, just think the whole Bachelor experience was overwhelming to him and he got too flustered with so many attractive women professing their love for him. I hope ABC learned a lesson about jumping to quickly to name someone as the next Bachelor. It’s going to be sad watching Susie refuse his proposal. That cannot be good for his ago, especially since it’s the first time anyone’s ever turned a bachelor down in the history of the show. I kind of felt a little bad for him watching the WTA last night. The women were brutal. And in my opinion, he didn’t do anything different than previous Bachelors as far as keeping villains around, even though they were warned. Have we all forgotten how long Sean Lowe kept Sierra around? They don’t see what the viewers see. And watching Clayton with Shanae, it was clear he was very attracted to her, and talk about acting – she played him but good!
rrozsa
March 8, 2022 at 10:44 AM
You know, I could swear I heard someone utter the phrase “see you next Tuesday” on the show last night, but I didn’t make the connection with the acronym Steve mentioned in the column. I may have to go back and watch it again.
rob22
March 8, 2022 at 11:14 AM
I’m pretty much in agreement with the above comments. Rachel got very annoying and Gabby… I’m sorry, she’s just weird. Although anything can happen, I always thought it would be Susie. I don’t know whether to feel sorry for Clayton, or not. Was Clayton to blame for everything that happened? There was a LOT going on in that house. It wasn’t just Shanae either. And even minor “violations” (OMG, did Clayton really cry?) were immediately jumped on by a lot of the women. Was Clayton really going to be able to clean that up? Look, the producers put that group of women in that house together. They knew the personalities. Then they stirred them up & prodded them to do and say things to the other women and in the ITMs. I really don’t think there was a clean way to get out of it for Clayton. He was doomed. Even with what happened at the end with the F3, most women these days, and for a long time, have accepted the fact that the lead will sleep with multiple women on the overnights. I’m not saying they should. But almost every woman in past seasons have accepted it. So, if the show suddenly ended up with three women at the end that didn’t accept it, how did that happen? Where did that come from? Clayton is a bit of a doof, but he was really setup by production as a patsy for the story line. He was doomed from the start. I’m not sure that this is a winning story line, where the Bachelor is the dumb f***, the show falls apart and they have to contrive a rejected proposal by Susie to have anything at all for the last show. What a s*** show! When the producers amp up the drama to 11, I guess this is what happens.
ctrealitygirl
March 8, 2022 at 11:51 AM
Your comments are spot-on, rob22! I’ve been waiting for someone else to describe Clayton as a bit of a doof! He had an exceptional group of women, and to be honest, I’m shocked at how many expressed being so attracted to him and falling for him. The women were all way more savvy then him. I’m especially surprised that Serene fell for him. She’s really got a lot going on and could do SO much better than Clayton. Her hometown date seemed the most awkward to me. Clayton SO did not fit in. I think you explained the producers choice in him as the lead – they wanted someone raw and naive that they could use as a patsy to set up more drama. Most of the leads have been around the franchise longer and know how to play the game. Clayton didn’t go that far in his season and, as such, no real experience with falling for someone on the show. I truly believe he was totally overwhelmed by it all. I was glad when Teddi told him at the end of the QTA that she hoped he was ok. I don’t think he ever meant to hurt anyone.
jlal
March 8, 2022 at 12:04 PM
Agreed Gabby is a tad strange. Her baby voice just drives me crazy. Just can’t believe she is an ICU nurse where I would think you would need to be pretty authoritative. Susie is painful to listen to because of all of the “likes”, it is over the top excessive. Rachel in my opinion was the least annoying of the three. However, I agree that Susie fits the bachelorette profile perfectly. Though I don’t think I can take listening to her “like” her way through an entire season.
Clayton is not the brightest bulb in the pack, sorry. Nice guy but either very, very naïve and unexperienced with women or just not that bright. I think he is emotionally immature and not ready for a committed relationship.
Production needs to get back to focusing more on the relationships and less on the manufactured drama. They have always kept the “villain” around longer than necessary but now it becomes the entire show.
justsaying
March 8, 2022 at 6:50 PM
Ok Team Sarah here. Why was it ok for Teddy or the top girls talk about how they are confident with their relationships with Clayton but not Sarah? Why didn’t anyone call out Mara for her attitude? Also why believe Clayton over Sarah that he supposedly didn’t cry?
kingenzo27
March 8, 2022 at 7:27 PM
Who said “I’ll see you next Tuesday” and what do you think it means?
memaflo
March 8, 2022 at 7:40 PM
Tonight’s performance of Clayton showed a disrespectful, blame shaming baby!! What a pouter! What man that is in “love” tries to make the women of his dreams feel “guilty” for her feelings. He instantly switched it up to be all of Susie’s fault!!! Then, then like a kid who got his toy taken away-go go then you should go if you can’t see things my way! Susie, you saved yourself attorney bills! He is such a manipulative person … Susie run don’t walk! You deserve so much better! Yikes
jlal
March 9, 2022 at 3:51 AM
memaflo, I’m on here first thing this morning to say the same thing. Wow, what a manipulator Clayton turned out to be. He is the one who had sex with two other people, told them he loved them, yet got mad when Susie is upset???? Granted she could have told him that would be a deal breaker for her. But, in her mind and frankly mine if he really loved her he wouldn’t want to have sex with those other two. Other leads have not had sex with others because they were already in love with someone else, so… I know when I have been in the first blush of love and crazy about another person, the last thing I want to do is be with someone else.
I think he doesn’t really “love” any of them or he wouldn’t have fallen for all. He literally said the exact same thing to all of them before professing his love. I swear it was like he was emotionlessly reading from a script. The only real emotion was when he reacted to Susie and that wasn’t a good look and very telling.
Run girls run.
jlal
March 9, 2022 at 3:55 AM
Also, forgot to say it saddened me to see Susie fall for his manipulation and start apologizing. But, she nailed it in the car when she said something to the effect of (paraphrasing here) if their emotions were real, then she was surprised it got so nasty.
Also, what is with this “See you Tuesday” thing? I haven’t heard anyone say that….
jlyoung
March 9, 2022 at 5:31 AM
Clayton may have done a few things wrong but I think the biggest mistake he made at the end was his honesty. I don’t actually think it should have been such a shock. Granted, his “love” confession was probably more of a strong like/lust feeling but what’s SO surprising about a normal guy, spending time in romantic, sometimes exotic locations with 3 absolutely gorgeous, adoring women when everyone’s on their best behavior….falling in love? Wouldn’t that be pretty easy and normal for any of us? They are young, good looking people placed in ideal settings so that people… fall in love. This is bachelor material in its purest form. Welcome to the franchise! Geesh.
jlal
March 9, 2022 at 6:08 AM
jlyoung, respectfully disagree. Sorry but being honest is expected and not something he should get points for. Clayton’s biggest mistake is villainizing Susie for having valid feelings. He may not have agreed with her position, but his angry reaction and trying to turn it around that she did something wrong and he was the victim was so out of line. As for it being the franchise, yes they are in a bubble, but like I mentioned others that have truly fallen in love didn’t have sex with others. I stand by my stance that he doesn’t really “love” any of them. And, if that is the case then he should have been honest about that fact and not attacked Susie for her honesty. If as you point out his love is more like and lust, then own it and be a grown assed man and call it what it is fboy behavior.
justsaying
March 9, 2022 at 6:26 AM
Rachel Lindsay slept with Peter before accepting a proposal from Bryan. They are happily married now.
I’m positive Arie slept with Becca when he’s in love with Lauren. Now, Arie and Lauren are happily married with kids.
Then Nick Viall claimed he only slept with his final pick, but they broke up.
So there’s no formula to this.
kingenzo27
March 9, 2022 at 7:17 AM
Because Sarah backtracked immediately after he stated he had not cried with her
jlal
March 9, 2022 at 7:47 AM
justsaying, I’m not saying other leads haven’t slept with multiples people, just that some haven’t when they knew they loved someone already. I did say she should have told him before that was her expectation. However, he was still wrong for making her the bad person in that whole thing. She was just stating her feelings which were hers and valid.
justsaying
March 9, 2022 at 8:08 AM
Clayton was hurt and heartbroken so he threw a hissy fit, alright. We have all been there. Give him a break.
I thought he only said he’s falling in love to Rachel and Gabby but with Susie, he said he’s fallen in love. Right?
shenanigans
March 9, 2022 at 8:16 AM
I totally understand Susie’s position. For her to move forward, she needed to be the only one he loved and slept with. However, she wasn’t going to tell him that upfront, which would come off as controlling and manipulative. Instead, she sat back and let him make his own decisions.
Once she knew that Clayton did in fact sleep with both other girls and tell them he loved them, she knew that they were NOT on the same page re/ what they had. She wasn’t as special to him as she had hoped to be. That’s a perfectly reasonable way to feel and I respect her for it.
ctrealitygirl
March 9, 2022 at 8:44 AM
Justsaying – Clayton told Rachel he was IN love with her when he was out in the street leaving their overnight. She called down that she loved him, and he yelled back, “I Love you too, Rachel.” With Gabby he only said “falling in love” and to me he didn’t seem as convincing as when he declared love for Rachel. I agree with what someone said on this thread – that Clayton was more in “lust” than in love with both of them. I think he did fall in love with Susie, and he must have realized that before fantasy suite dates. In my mind, he should not have slept with the other two. I know other leads have slept with more than one person, but in the past it was always kept secret. We viewers never knew whether they had sex in fantasy suites or not, until Nick Viall blurted his and Andi Dorfman’s secret at the AFTR show.
jlyoung
March 9, 2022 at 8:46 AM
jlal, I never suggested Clayton gets points for being honest. I was simply pointing out that he was being upfront in that particular moment. He had to know it would NOT go over well. I don’t bother to try and project what I would have done, or what he should have done. I’ve never been in that highly unusual, not normal position. Good, bad or otherwise it seemed like he put it all out there! Btw….I’ve made no comments on Susie and/or a reaction.
justsaying
March 9, 2022 at 9:06 AM
Thank you ctrealitygirl. Somehow I feel the way he yelled out “I love you too!!” doesn’t sound as intimate as the way he said to Susie I have fallen in love with you. Just my take.
strick3871
March 11, 2022 at 12:35 PM
For those of you who don’t know what see you next Tuesday means – it’s usually written as C U next Tuesday. If you take the first letter of each word you will come up a name that someone may call someone. You’re welcome.
ciamendoza05
March 14, 2022 at 6:31 AM
I honestly believe that Clayton is a straight up narcissist.. I loved him at first but the more I watched him the stronger the signs hit me.. Susie was always my front runner and I’m glad she don’t end up with him (hopefully). The way he tried to turn the tables on her and make her feel like she was ay fault in the end. Hearing her plead after that hurt my heart. It was typical mind manipulation and reverse psychology on his part. It disgusted me. I hope she is the next bachelorette! I think she is my favorite person to ever be on either bachelorette or the bachelor. I’m glad she stayed true to herself her beliefs and her morals. Who would want to be with him after watching the show seeing how his emotions were the exact same for all of them it was really weird. Normally you can see a different connection a guy has woth the girls verbal, emotional, sexual, but with Clayton he literally acted the same with all of them.