Clayton Echard opened up to Bachelor Nation’s Neil Lane in an unaired clip while the two picked out the perfect ring to win Susie Evans back.
The Bachelor revealed he was ready to risk everything to be with finalist Susie, but didn’t have a lot of hope for his upcoming proposal.
The unseen clip gives fans a deeper look into why Clayton decided to propose, how he chose Susie’s ring, and what advice franchise legend Neil had for The Bachelor.
Clayton Echard held onto hope as he proposed to Susie Evans
Clayton geared up for the shock proposal to Susie in the unaired clip, as he took Neil through his journey and the two looked at rings together.
“Hope is what I’m holding onto at this point,” Clayton told Neil as he finished recounting his rocky journey with Susie to the jewelry designer.
Clayton added that he didn’t even know if Susie would agree to continue seeing him, but that he wanted her to know he would do whatever it took.
He also explained that he views the ring as certainty, a commitment, and a promise to give his all going forward. The Bachelor told the camera he hoped that Susie would be able to see that he had given up everything to be with her.
Neil, in turn, was sympathetic to Clayton’s predicament and guided him through picking out a ring. The choice came down to two different options that Clayton felt Susie would love, but ultimately he picked out a pear-shaped piece.
“There was hope in the journey,” the official Bachelor account captioned the clip.
Clayton Echard and Susie Evans reunited after she rejected his on-screen proposal
Luckily for Clayton, that hope did eventually pan out as he reconnected with Susie after the show and the two are now in a committed relationship.
He revealed in a post-show interview that he anticipated Susie rejecting his ring but proposed anyway as a gesture of his serious intentions toward her.
Despite picking out a ring on the show, the two are taking things slow and planning to move in together first to see how they navigate real life together.
Clayton and Susie dodged a question about getting engaged at the After the Final Rose special even as Clayton came face-to-face with Neil Lane again.
The two may not be getting engaged any time soon, but they have not been shy about sharing their happiness in their relationship since going public.
The Bachelor is currently on hiatus.