The Bachelor 27 lead Zach Shallcross wears a suit and holds a rose.

‘The Bachelor’ Season 27 Review: How Will Zach Shallcross Go Down in History?

'The Bachelor' Season 27 is over. Will Zach Shallcross be remembered for his mistakes or for finding love with Kaity Biggar?

by Erica Scassellati

Published on March 30, 2023

3 min read

Zach Shallcross promised a drama-free season

Before The Bachelor Season 27 aired, Zach Shallcross promised a season focused on love, not drama. At first, it seemed like he was really making good on that statement. Zach quickly sent home contestants that he didn’t have chemistry with, despite the awkward conversations that ensued.

He also tried not to get involved in the arguments among the women unless absolutely necessary. When Brianna began to discuss drama involving Christina, he stayed out of it until she mentioned that Christina was making other women uncomfortable. Additionally, Zach didn’t let Tahzjuan Hawkins join the show late, knowing it would upset the other women.

Yet his treatment of the women made some fans cringe

About halfway through the season, however, some fans’ opinions of Zach began to shift. Perhaps the first red flag came during an awkward zoom conversation between Zach and Greer Blitzer. Greer tried to relate to Zach getting coronavirus (COVID-19) during the show’s filming by sharing that she contracted the illness during Q4 of her job.

Zach appeared annoyed by the comparison and told her the two instances weren’t the same. Still, some fans gave Zach some grace for the response. The man was sick, after all. According to a TikTok posted to Reddit, Zach even admitted to a reporter that he “should’ve responded better.”

But that wouldn’t be the first time Zach rubbed fans the wrong way. In Estonia, Jess Girod expressed concern over not yet getting a 1-on-1 date with the Bachelor. Zach essentially dismissed her, and Jess went home. Former Bachelor Nick Viall spoke out about the incident on Twitter. “It’s literally all about the one on one. Zach knows that. He made Jess feel like she messed up for expressing a valid concern,” Nick wrote.

‘The Bachelor’ Season 27 took a turn at Fantasy Suites

During Fantasy Suites, Zach made perhaps his biggest mistake. The Bachelor announced his intentions to not have sex during overnight dates. Then he slept with Gabi and told Kaity about it. As one Reddit user put it, “He did so well up until now, then crashed & burned in spectacular fashion. It’s why I watch the show.”

One thing is for sure, the ensuing drama made for intriguing reality TV. After Zach gave Kaity and Gabi his final two roses, his decision moving forward seemed pretty clear. During their final 1-on-1 date, Gabi knew that Zach would pick Kaity, but he refused to admit it. Gabi was then forced to go through a rose ceremony when she knew she wouldn’t be chosen.

Will Zach be remembered for finding love on ‘The Bachelor’?

In some ways, The Bachelor Season 27 really was a bit of a throwback to more straightforward seasons. Zach proposed to his final contestant, she accepted, and as far as we know, they are still happily together.

Despite this, Zach certainly isn’t going to be the most beloved Bachelor of all time. He made mistakes, though that doesn’t mean he deserves to be hated, either.

It’s worth remembering that reality TV is made for entertainment, and plenty of footage is edited out, never to be seen by fans. In an Instagram story, former Bachelor Clayton Echard asked for fans to give Zach grace after Fantasy Suites, pointing out that the lead gets very little alone time to speak to the women.

Zach has been called the “boring Bachelor” and made it clear that he’ll accept that moniker in the interest of finding love. His behavior on the show rubbed quite a few fans the wrong way, but his mistakes weren’t catastrophic enough to be unforgivable, especially since reality TV often doesn’t show the full story. In the end, Zach got what he wanted from the show, even if he burned some bridges to do it.