‘Bachelorette’ Alum Rachel Recchia Says Clayton Echard Wanted ‘A Redemption Arc’ on ‘Perfect Match’
The Bachelor’s Clayton Echard had an agenda going into Perfect Match Season 3, fellow cast member Rachel Recchia says.
Rachel opened up about her brief, second-chance romance with Clayton in the August 13 episode of Amber Desiree “AD” Smith’s What’s the Reality? podcast. She said that Clayton was hoping to rehabilitate his image by going on the Netflix reality show after his controversial Bachelor season. On that show, he selected Rachel and Gabby Windey as his final two, then rejected them both and tried to get together with the previously eliminated Susie Evans.
Rachel Recchia talks surprise Clayton Echard reunion on ‘Perfect Match’ Season 3
When Rachel signed on for Perfect Match – which she called “The Avengers of dating” – she had no inkling that Clayton would also be part of the cast.
“I had no idea going in,” she revealed, adding that she did get a heads’ up about Clayton’s presence during her date with Freddie Powell from Love Is Blind: UK.
Even once she realized producers had engineered a Bachelor reunion, Rachel wasn’t harboring fantasies of rekindling her romance with the former NFL player.
“No,” she told AD. “We had had a really tumultuous history. I don’t think he’s ever been very happy with me. We kind of got to a place where we were friends about a year before. But there was no way in my mind [that I thought we were getting back together].”
Despite her reservations, Clayton soon convinced The Bachelorette alum to give him another chance. But Rachel should have listened to her gut and avoided her ex. After just one day together, he un-matched with her, leaving Rachel in tears. But she got the last laugh. When Clayton ended up single, he went home. Meanwhile, she remains in the house and is currently matched with Ray Gantt.
The fresh drama with Rachel didn’t exactly reflect well on Clayton. That was likely frustrating for him, since both AD and Rachel believe he went on Perfect Match in an effort to repair his image.
“He was just so committed to redemption. I think that’s the word of what he wanted the most,” AD said of her conversations with Clayton.
“I agree,” Rachel said. “I think he definitely came on to prove to the world that … he’s a different person. But really what happened on Perfect Match was exactly what happened on The Bachelor. It just happened sooner.”
“I feel like maybe what he wanted was this redemption arc with me,” she added. “But I also just don’t think he was thinking.”
Clayton wasn’t happy with his edit on ‘Perfect Match’
While Rachel seemed to think that Perfect Match accurately captured her interactions with Clayton, he didn’t feel the same way.
“Unfortunately, I’m not too happy with the edit,” he said during an appearance on The Viall Files on August 7. “I’m not going to sit here and dodge responsibility, but I just thought it went differently. I thought it could have been portrayed differently.”
Rachel also confirmed that Clayton told her he wasn’t happy with his edit on Perfect Match, which she said shows him “stumbling around” as he attempts to connect with different women.
“Coming from being a lead [on The Bachelor], it’s probably really jarring to see that as the way they’re portraying you,” she said.
Perfect Match Season 3 is streaming on Netflix.
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