The announcement of Zach Shallcross as Bachelor has been met with mixed reviews from viewers and Bachelor Nation stars.
The Bachelorette legend Kaitlyn Bristowe recently shared her thoughts on Zach as Bachelor, as she expressed being less than thrilled with the choice.
During the live finale, Kaitlyn was in the audience and saw Zach as The Bachelor in real-time.
On After the Finale Rose, Zach met five of the women that will be at the mansion and even handed out a first impression rose to the woman America voted to advance.
After seeing Zach interact with the women, Kaitlyn wasn’t impressed.
While Kaitlyn didn’t endorse Zach as Bachelor, she said he and his family are lovely people.
Kaitlyn Bristowe reacts to Zach’s debut as Bachelor
Kaitlyn Bristowe took to her Instagram Stories to share a video in bed as she spoke about Zach Shallcross.
In her video, Kaitlyn expressed, “I’m sure Zach is; actually, I know he’s lovely. His family is lovely. I met them last night. Always rooting for people to find love and happiness right, but nobody asked for him to be the Bachelor.”
Kaitlyn continued to voice her uncertainty about Zach being chosen as Bachelor while also declaring that her remarks weren’t meant to be mean.
She shared, “I mean, I just don’t know about this choice. Again I’m not trying to be mean…but judging like from his interactions with these women last night, I’m like, “It’s a no for me, dog.”
Like Zach, Clayton Echard was also met with an underwhelmed response from viewers when he was announced as the lead of The Bachelor Season 26.
Viewers will recall when Kaitlyn was cohost of The Bachelorette, she had a segment on After the Final Rose where she and Clayton sat down and read some mean tweets about Clayton.
While many viewers were hoping to see Ethan Kang, Nate Mitchell, or fan favorites from previous seasons be the Bachelor for Season 27, the network chose Zach, which stirred up more discussion about the show’s disappointing lack of representation.
America voted on Zach’s first impression rose recipient
After years on the air, The Bachelor franchise has been trying to shake things up with new twists and formats.
The Bachelorette Season 19 saw the franchise navigating a season with co-leads for the first time. For this upcoming season of The Bachelor, viewers got to have an interactive experience.
During ATFR, America voted on the woman they wanted to advance on Zach’s season of The Bachelor.
America chose Brianna, who made a positive impression on viewers after snapping a polaroid photo with Zach.
Time will tell if the franchise will start to listen more attentively to viewers and Bachelor Nation stars’ desire for more diverse leads.
The Bachelor is currently on hiatus on ABC.