Kaity Biggar and Zach Shallcross
ABC/Craig Sjodin
[This story contains spoilers for the season 27 finale of ABC’s The Bachelor.]
Zach Shallcross might have been apprehensive about being the “boring Bachelor,” but it’s unlikely that “boring” would have been the first word on viewers’ minds to describe the emotional conclusion to his run on the ABC dating show .
Shallcross, who ended up heartbroken after pursuing Rachel Recchia on The Bachelorette last year, eventually found his perfect match in Kaity Biggar, with the couple getting engaged during The Bachelor’s season finale, which aired Monday. The journey was not without thorns, however, as Shallcross was criticized for declaring sex was off the table ahead of the fantasy suites, only to later reveal he had actually become intimate with runner-up Gabi Elnicki.
During a joint interview with , Shallcross and Biggar discuss their regrets after the roller coaster ended. Elnicki’s fans are urging her to get a shot at being the Bachelorette over whether the drama with Recchia feels different in hindsight, and continued to worry about the franchise’s review process and why they believe they’ll become one of the rare show couples to tie the knot close for life.
After the season ended, how did you ensure your connection stayed strong?
Zach Shallcross: First and foremost, we both have – and it was very clear – how good we are as communicators. Obviously, the first thing you want to do after getting engaged is tell everyone and share it with the world. But the hardest part is that you can’t. So we continued our communication on a daily basis – calls, FaceTimes. We had our little secret house calls that we made every couple of weeks based on our schedules. We made it really strong and made our relationship even stronger.
Kaity Biggar: Daily.
Kaity Biggar and Zach Shallcross ABC/Craig Sjodin
The finale was very emotional, especially your conversation with Gabi. Were you surprised by her comments about feeling hurt and what was going through your mind at that moment?
Shallcross: It’s very hard to see Gabi so emotional and in pain. My actions that sleepover caused a lot of pain to all the women involved and that was the last thing I ever intended and wanted. And when I see her upset about how it all played out when I watch it again, I totally understand. Even if you look at something that happened six months ago, you will feel something and what I did was wrong. Seeing that pain, I just wanted to let her know that I’m sorry for my actions and that this was the last thing I ever intended. I have so much respect for her and I know I didn’t do things right but I hope this doesn’t affect the way I feel about you because she is one of Kaity’s best friends and someone who will become in our lives. I wish her the best but it was really, really painful.
Some people on social media have hinted that Gabi may have made an extra effort to seduce you during your fantasy suite. Did you accept that?
Shallcross: No no. This time in the fantasy suites or the sleepovers – whatever you want to call it – is between two adults and you make a decision together. There is nothing of a wild narrative like this.
bigger: And as Gabi said, it was consensual.
Shallcross: Absolutely.
bigger: Not that I have to put up with it. She is my friend too.
There were two seasons for you Zach where the fantasy suite was a tough moment, including the Rachel experience. Do you think there’s a pressure that makes it a really meaningful thing? Or why was the fantasy suite a challenge?
Shallcross: Absolutely. Because I’m trying to imagine—and I can’t—when in real life do you get that just a week before an engagement? As someone unfamiliar with it but who knew the idea, I was scared. I didn’t know how to deal with it. I was looking for advice and I just wanted to do the best I could. There’s pressure because this isn’t normal life at all – that scenario doesn’t happen – so I didn’t know how to deal with that.
You seemed to have sensed during Rachel’s season that she might be driving you nuts. In general, is there a different impression of Rachel’s season when you see how Gabi reacts to your rejection speech and her sense of this whole process?
Shallcross: Just going through it and being in this position is unlike anything you can ever prepare for. That’s something I wouldn’t put my credit to Rachel and all previous bachelor’s and bachelorettes. A lot of mistakes have been made in recent seasons – my season included. But it allows me to look at it with grace because your thoughts are all over the place. You are faced with all these challenges, you are exhausted, you are this and that, and you just feel with them. Show me a perfect bachelor and I’ll show you a liar. I look back with everyone, including Rachel, and I’m just amazed at how everyone’s journey went because they were all formative.
Rachel tweeted Support for Gabi at the final. Are you surprised to see them weigh in?
Shallcross: No. I am happy that she supports Gabi.
Gabi Elnicki and Zach Shallcross ABC/Christopher Willard
Do you think Sean Lowe’s influence – in terms of wanting to have the kind of season he had – might have crossed your mind in terms of sex?
Shallcross: Apparently that played a small part. He’s someone I look up to, someone who has that beautiful marriage and family, and he’s a success story from that unique show experience. At a time when I was panicking and trying to figure out how I was going to handle a week like this, I wanted to do what he was doing because it was obviously working so well for him. There was definitely some impact going into the week and of course we saw how that played out.
During Women Tell All, Greer addressed her blackface controversy, and Her Season with Erich addressed his own. What do you think of Greer’s explanation and also the fact that the show seems to have trouble verifying things like this?
Shallcross: It’s a bit frustrating. Every time you see this in hindsight, you always wish it had been checked beforehand, ideally. I know Erich apologized and is trying to do better. I didn’t see Greer’s apology. I’m familiar with the situation, but I’ve heard she’s handling it well. But still, it’s just frustrating that all of this happened.
Kaity, with everything you’ve been through, you’re managing to stay positive in the episodes that have aired over the past two weeks. How did you get through all this?
bigger: I think exactly what you said there: I’m a very positive person and I try to step back and think outside the box. I’m also a very understanding person and it wasn’t easy. It was really hard to look back, but Zach was there for me and I couldn’t ask for more.
It is exciting that Charity will soon start her season as a bachelorette. Her announcement drew a lot of praise, and also, like this show, there were trolls to contend with as a person of color. Do you think the show is taking the right steps towards inclusivity, both among the contestants and the main cast?
Shallcross: Absolutely. It’s always an ongoing thing I think and if you look at the internet you’ll always have people on both sides of the fence. You can’t win everyone over. I don’t think the internet troll will ever go away. But I think it’s great, the moves that the show is taking and they’re always trying to diversify them and that’s all you could ask for. So it’s impressive.
bigger: Zach and I are so excited to see her season.
Shallcross: She will kill it.
Some fans have hinted that Gabi would be a fun choice for the Bachelorette. Should she get an injection?
bigger: I honestly think there are so many great women who could have been The Bachelorette and they are all so different. Their personalities are different. They offer different things. Just pointing out Gabi – there are so many great options, but I think Gabi would have made an amazing bachelorette.
Zach, in regards to possible regret, would you do things differently when it comes to bringing up sex?
Shallcross: I think you know the answer to that.
bigger: (Laughs.)
Shallcross: But yes, this week is something I would have liked to have handled differently. It’s that simple. I set up these parameters for everyone, that was unfair of me. I absolutely take that back and I sincerely apologize for all the pain I’ve caused. That was always the last intention.
bigger: you are not perfect Zach really has an amazing heart.
It’s been a long time since we’ve had a bachelorette wedding. Why do you think you’ll end the streak?
Shallcross: It’s that simple, she’s the love of my life. No doubt in my mind. We met on a TV show but it’s so much more than that. We both really want it to work and we know it will work and I’ve never had that feeling. We’re in no hurry to get to the altar. We want to enjoy life together because we have the rest of the time to figure it out. I just never felt love so strong.
bigger: It is wonderful. We have incredible chemistry.
The interview has been edited for length and clarity.