Rumors And Spoilers About Zach Shallcross' Bachelor Season
This article contains potential spoilers for "The Bachelor" Season 27.
The 27th season of "The Bachelor" is upon us, and this time around the star of the show will be Zach Shallcross. You'll remember Zach as Rachel Recchia's second runner-up on"The Bachelorette" Season 19. Over the course of the season, Zach stood out for his willingness to work on himself. On his one-on-one date with Rachel in Amsterdam, he cozied up to the blonde pilot over dinner and opened up about his quest for personal development. "I needed to make sure that I myself became whole ... and then once I am whole, I want to share that love with someone," Zach told his date in one episode. He added, "The main thing that really did help me in all of this, and I'm a huge proponent of it: therapy."
Zach surely seems like a totally self-aware king — and at least two women from his "Bachelor" season appear to agree. In the official ABC trailer for the show, contestant Greer Blitzer asserts, "Zach is the most genuine, emotionally intelligent, sweet soul." Shortly after, another contestant, Charity Lawson, chimes in, "He knows what he wants. That sets apart a man from a boy."
While this round's leading guy does have a reputation for being mature, "The Bachelor" continues to be "The Bachelor," meaning that drama is inevitable. From first impressions to so-called "villains" to even a potential winner, there are plenty of rumors and spoilers about Zach Shallcross's season of the show.
How many women are on Zach Shallcross's season of The Bachelor?
In his role on "The Bachelor," Zach Shallcroff will famously date dozens of women at the same time. The exact number of initial contestants is currently rumored to be 30, according to Reality Steve. While this might sound completely overwhelming, there is some good news for Zach. If Reality Steve's anonymous sources are correct, a third of the women will be eliminated on the very first night. This means that, following the first Rose Ceremony, our Bachelor will pursue a slightly more manageable group of 20 gals.
Although Zach could feel relieved to narrow down his choices early on, the women likely won't feel the same way. If show history is anything to go by, the first night of filming will be characterized by a stiff sense of competition. As "The Bachelor" experts Chad Kultgen and Lizzy Page wrote in their book, "How To Win The Bachelor," the first night is particularly tense since it presents "the worst odds [of getting a rose] you'll face all season."
Because of this, the women will probably take advantage of their initial limo exits to vie for Zach's attention. Per Reality Steve, Iowa native Mercedes Northup is rumored to show up on the first night with a pig in tow. Meanwhile, Christina Mandrell will apparently trade out the traditional limo exit for something much more attention-grabbing: a full-blown party bus exit.
Who gets Zach's first impression rose?
While Mercedes Northup and Christina Mandrell are rumored to make a serious splash with their respective limo entrances, Reality Steve says that neither of them will win the coveted First Impression Rose. As most long-time fans of "The Bachelor" understand, the leading man gives his First Impression Rose to the woman with whom he most strongly connects. If Reality Steve's report is anything to go by, the winner of this floral trophy will be Greer Blitzer. Apparently, she will grab Zach's attention through an especially captivating limo exit where she does the TikTok tortilla slap challenge.
Most fans understand that the First Impression Rose is important, but not everyone can quantify exactly how important it is when predicting a contestant's chances of winning the show. In the book "How To Win The Bachelor," co-authors Chad Kultgen and Lizzy Page performed a statistical analysis to determine the outcomes for First Impression Rose winners. Interestingly, they found that the woman who gets this first-night recognition finishes, on average, at 5.21st place. This means that Greer doesn't have the highest chance of getting engaged to the lead. However, it does mean that she will likely stick around for quite some time.
For a better indicator of who will go far, Kultgen and Page suggest paying attention to who receives the first rose of the first rose ceremony. This contestant has historically finished in 3.38th place.
Who gets Zach's first one-on-one date?
While the First Impression Rose may not be the best predictor for a contestant's success on "The Bachelor," the same cannot be said for getting the first one-on-one date of the season. As Chad Kultgen and Lizzy Page noted in their book, "How To Win The Bachelor," the woman who is asked on this unique date has fantastic odds of making it far. Per Kultgen and Page's research, in the first 25 seasons of the show, three of the initial date winners ended the show with a ring on their fingers. Even more impressively, a whopping seven of these women were later asked to be the "Bachelorette." This means that, historically, 40% of the contestants who went on this date either won the season or went on to star in their own season of the show.
When it comes to Zach Shallcross's season of "The Bachelor," rumor has it that one of the contestants with the catchiest limo exits will secure this vital date. Reality Steve's spoilers indicate that Christina Mandrell, who arrived in a party bus, will be asked on Zach's first one-on-one of the season. According to ABC, Christina is a single mom and content creator who is "ready for her perfect, fairytale love story."
If Reality Steve's predictions are correct, Christina and Zach will start their date off at the Anaheim Hills Golf Course. Afterward, the pair is said to enjoy dinner at County Mining Company.
Where does Zach travel during this season of The Bachelor?
One of the most captivating aspects of "The Bachelor" is undoubtedly watching the contestants enjoy fairytale moments in romantic locations across the globe. And as the spoilers from Zach Shallcross's season show us, this round of "The Bachelor" will involve plenty of international travel.
For one thing, the official ABC promo reveals that Zach's contestants will, at one point, drink beer under the Tower Bridge in London. For another, Reality Steve's Twitter feed shows some photos of Zach on a date with Charity Lawson in Tallin, Estonia. Other international destinations this season may include the Bahamas, Hungary, and even Thailand, according to Reality Steve.
Although it can certainly be fun to watch cast members jet set from one lavish resort to another, experts warn that this isn't always the best way to start off a relationship. Apparently, all the glam can get in the way of important decision-making. As clinical psychologist Lindsay Jernigan told Insider, "Contestants are asked to try out a relationship in an environment filled with novelty, mystery, and unprecedented glamour. Although couples testing out relationships on 'The Bachelor' certainly face stressors together, they are not the typical stressors that are pitfalls for most couples, such as financial strain, work stress, division of labor, and humdrum routine."
Which contestant on The Bachelor is rumored to self-eliminate this season?
Most fans of "The Bachelor" know that it's rare for a full season to go by without at least one contestant self-eliminating. The reason for this is that not every single woman feels such a deep connection with the main man that they can commit to months of filming. As one such woman, Jaqueline Trumbull, explained in an interview with Us Weekly, she broke up with Season 22 Bachelor Arie Luyendyk to save her job. "I didn't feel good about leaving. I had to leave — I was afraid of being fired for staying much longer."
It seems that Zach Shallcross's season of "The Bachelor" will involve at least one self-elimination. According to Reality Steve, the woman who will walk away from Zach this season is Brianna Kay. She will allegedly leave the show due to a toxic culture among the women of the house. Reportedly, Brianna, who won the viewer vote for "America's First Impression Rose" prior to filming, will be bullied by the other contestants. Reality Steve alleges that Christina Mendrell will lead the charge against Brianna, reminding her that America elected her to be the unique rose recipient — not Zach.
If Reality Steve's sources are correct, Christina will approach Brianna at a pool party leading up to the third Rose Ceremony. Following this interaction, Brianna will likely leave the show. Christina, meanwhile, is said to become the season's villain.
Will any Bachelor alums make guest appearances?
Bachelor Nation is full of influential alums who occasionally pop in on a new season, and during Zach Shallcross's time on "The Bachelor," viewers will see at least one blast from the past. According to the ABC promo for Zach's season, "Bachelor" and "Bachelor in Paradise" alum Tahzjuan Hawkins will make an appearance on the show. The trailer captures Tahzjuan marching into a swanky venue and pulling Zach aside to chat. At one point, a voiceover narrates the scene with ominous words: "Tahzjuan is here to steal my man."
While it might seem like Tahzjuan will show up on "The Bachelor" to shoot her shot with Zach, some spoilers indicate that this never happens. According to Reality Steve, Tahzjuan will indeed participate in the second episode of the show, but as a judge on a group date. Per his sources, Tahzjuan will be joined by fellow alumnae Victoria Fuller and Courtney Robertson to give one lucky woman an award for having "big energy." The winner of this competition will apparently be Brianna Kay.
Although Reality Steve's spoilers post contradicts what we see in the show promo, it's possible that Tahzjuan's scene with Zach was heavily edited. As explained in a piece by Refinery29, video editors on "The Bachelor" often engage in a technique called Frankenbiting, or editing unrelated sound bites together to create a sentence that nobody ever said. This strategy allows the franchise to make trailers that don't spoil the season.
Who are Zach's final four women?
On each season of "The Bachelor," the final four contestants get to take the lead on a "hometown date," in which they introduce the star of show to their families. Per Reality Steve's spoilers, Zach Shallcross's top four women will be Gabi Elnicki, Ariel Frenkel, Charity Lawson, and Kaity Biggar. This means that the Bachelor will head off to Vermont, New York, Georgia, and Texas, respectively, to meet the contestants' parents.
As of this writing, not all of the details regarding hometown dates have been spoiled. However, Reality Steve's Twitter shows photos of Ariel and Zach enjoying a stroll in Manhattan. These pictures capture the couple waltzing into Sarge's Deli and Diner, a New York City establishment that describes itself as a Jewish-style eatery. Reality Steve says that the pair stepped into the deli after spending the morning in Washington Square Park.
Meanwhile, a separate tweet from Reality Steve's account shares a video of Zach in Austin, Texas with Kaity Biggar. Although it's not immediately clear what the pair was up to when the video was filmed, we do see Zach and Kaity standing by a golf cart full of plants in the South Congress Area. Additionally, we hear the fan behind the camera noticing the physical similarities between Kaity and former "Bachelorette" lead, Rachel Recchia. "Is that Rachel, too?" she asks.
Who does Zach eliminate after hometown dates?
Following his hometown dates, the star of "The Bachelor," Zach Shallcross, will have to eliminate one contestant. Reality Steve claims that said contestant will be Charity Lawson. As of this writing, Reality Steve hasn't offered any explanation as to why Charity didn't get a rose after hometowns. However, the promotional trailer released by ABC does portray Charity as something of a season favorite. At one point, she is featured enjoying a romantic carriage ride with Zach in Estonia. Later, we see her walking alongside Zach under some cozy fall foliage. Despite her elimination, perhaps Charity will get her fair share of screen time this season.
Interestingly, in their book, "How To Win The Bachelor," show specialists Chad Kultgen and Lizzy Page explained that coming in fourth place isn't the end of the world for folks who want to continue building a relationship with "The Bachelor" franchise. Per the co-authors' analyses, fourth-place finishers still have a decent chance of becoming the next star of "The Bachelorette." In fact, according to Kultgen and Page, a total of three "Bachelorette" leads were eliminated from their respective seasons of "The Bachelor" following hometown dates. For Charity, this means that her reality TV career might not be over. At the very least, it's possible that she will be invited to make an appearance on "Bachelor In Paradise."
Which contestants make it to Fantasy Suites?
After Zach Shallcross eliminates Charity Lawson from his season of "The Bachelor," the final three women will be invited to join the lead on the next step of the journey: Fantasy Suites. During this phase, each of the remaining contestants will spend time with Zach off-camera so that they can get to know him more... intimately. Per Reality Steve's blog, Gabi Elnicki, Ariel Frenkel, and Kaity Biggar are the three women who will go to Fantasy Suites. This portion of the show is rumored to have been filmed in Krabi, Thailand.
As of this writing, Reality Steve doesn't provide any clue as to who Zach eliminates following Fantasy Suites; however, the spoiler Instagram account, BachelorWhatever, alleges that Ariel Frenkel will be sent home after her overnight date with Zach, leaving Gabi Elnicki and Kaity Biggar as the final two.
This, however, might not be bad news for Ariel. According to Chad Kultgen and Lizzy Page's book "How To Win The Bachelor," third-place finishers have the best odds of becoming the Bachelorette in the future. As Kultgen and Page note, "A third-place finish is certainly not a loss. It is, in fact, statistically the best possible final position if you're interested in the Crown. The average final placement of all players who went on to be the Bachelorette is 3.18th place."
Who is rumored to win Zach Shallcross's season of The Bachelor?
While it's still too early to know who will win Zach Shallcross's final rose on this season of "The Bachelor," one spoiler account claims to know which contestant will go home with a ring on her finger. In a December 2022 post, Instagrammer @BachelorWhatever alleged that Gabi Elnicki will win Zach's season of the show. The account maintains that unnamed "sources" were able to confirm Gabi's position as Zach's final choice. Of course, you'll want to take that with a grain of salt.
According to Reality Steve, Gabi may or may not be involved in some drama this season. Rumor has it that, during the initial stage of filming at the "Bachelor" mansion in L.A., Gabi will appear on-camera reading a copy of Chad Kultgen and Lizzy Page's "How To Win The Bachelor." In terms of what this means for the show, Reality Steve admits that he is clueless: "Could she be reading the book and still be interested in finding love? Sure. Could she be reading it and this whole thing was a game to her? Absolutely. We just don't know yet."
According to her profile on ABC, Gabi is indeed "ready to find the one." After all, she went on the show with a destination wedding location already in mind: Lake Como in Northern Italy. The Pittsford, Vermont native works as an account executive; however, she says that her dream is to eventually open a Pilates studio.