As Season 17 of The Bachelor quickly approaches, Zach Shallcross is clearing up any fan misconceptions ahead of his leading man debut.
Zach, one of Rachel Recchia’s top contenders on the most recent season of The Bachelorette, is gearing up for his season to air on January 23.
Ahead of the highly-anticipated season, which comes fresh off the heels of arguably the most dramatic season of Bachelor in Paradise in history, Zach has been making his rounds on multiple podcast appearances.
While recently appearing on the Chicks in the Office podcast, Zach addressed that fans have been referring to him as the “Boring Bachelor” since he wasn’t shown to have the most entertaining personality on The Bachelorette.
“I think people are gonna be pleasantly surprised because right now, I’m… the ‘Boring Bachelor,’ no one really knows anything about me,” he explained. “Trust me; I’ve seen it all.”
Zach said he understands why fans think of him solely as this “big, tall, deep-voiced guy” with no personality, mainly because he was “never really on the show last season.”
Zach Shallcross addresses being called ‘boring’ ahead of The Bachelor premiere
However, Zach confirmed that fans would be surprised to see that the upcoming season will get “pretty deep,” inferring there will be some serious love connections formed between him and the women.
Zach also spilled some tea on his upcoming season while appearing on the Almost Famous podcast, hosted by fellow Bachelor alums Ben Higgins and Ashley Iaconetti.
The two delved into fan feedback regarding Zach becoming the Bachelor, which Zach explained as being “brutal.”
After being announced as the next Bachelor on After The Final Rose last year, Zach said that the social media reactions initially felt like a “gut punch.” However, since he felt like he “started at the bottom,” Ashley noted that he could only go up from there.
After Ashley asked what fans were “missing” that casting saw to want to make him the leading man, Zach said that he truly embraced the relationship aspect of the show rather than all the benefits of the fame.
“It’s about finding an actual forever person and not giving a s**t about the fame or the clout or the social media stuff,” Zach explained. “Everything I do with intention and honesty, then it really brings it back to the core of the show.”
Zach noted that his sense of humor was not shown on The Bachelorette, which is something he is looking forward to his fans finally getting to see during his season. Although viewers have not seen his quirky side, Zach also understands that there are worse things than being called “boring.”
“At least I’m not an a**hole or something like that,” he joked.
While it may not be the most dramatic season in Bachelor history, host Jesse Palmer has said that Zach remained authentically himself throughout the experience and that fans will be in for a real treat when they see Zach’s personality unfold throughout the episodes.
To see the complete list of the 30 women Zach will meet during Monday’s premiere, click here.
The Bachelor premieres on Monday, January 23 at 8/7c on ABC.