Bachelorette Tayshia Adams and Zac Clark’s Relationship Timeline: From Their 1-on-1 Date to an Engagement and More

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

Bachelorette Tayshia Adams and Zac Clark’s Relationship Timeline: From Their 1-on-1 Date to an Engagement and More

Coming up roses! Tayshia Adams’ journey on season 16 of The Bachelorette was unconventional from the start, but after meeting Zac Clark her love story seemed complete. The California native stepped in as the lead on the ABC dating series after Clare Crawley found her person in suitor Dale Moss two weeks into filming. As her adventure began in November 2020, Adams stepped into the limelight meeting some of the men who previously competed for Crawley's heart and a few new men. Clark, who hails from New Jersey, was one of the contestants who stuck around after the hairstylist left the show, and as luck would have it, his instant connection with Adams proved to be the winning formula. The pair hit it off during the former phlebotomist’s first group date, although he did not earn the first impression rose. By the time they made it to their first one-on-one date — which featured the pair pretending to be married while taking photos — the two’s connection was obvious to viewers. Both the addiction specialist and Adams have been married before — her to Josh Bourelle and him to Jennifer Stanley- George — and bonded over their past relationships. When Clark revealed he is nine years drug-free after struggling with addiction and recovery after taking pain medication following a surgery to remove a brain tumor, the duo grew even closer. [jwplayer BM2jOFKW-zhNYySv2] After a few ups and downs on Adams' end during the rest of the season, she ultimately chose Clark as her last man standing. “There was one point in my life when I thought I would never get married, because of all the pain and the heartbreak I had been through, and I hit absolute rock bottom. And I know that I told you that I love you, but  … it’s more than that,” she told him during the show’s finale on December 22, 2020. “It’s this wild, wild love that I have tried to come up with so many reasons to not believe, and you have truly just made me believe there doesn’t need to be flaws, and that I deserve a love with a man that won’t run away. You’ve truly woken up my heart, and yes, it is real. I feel it too.” Clark was quick to return the sentiment and asked Adams to marry him. “I can’t picture another day, another moment without you in my life,” he said. “And if you’ll let me, I’m going to choose you right now. I’m going to choose you tomorrow morning. I’m going to choose you next week and next year. I’m going to choose you forever, because I love you.” Adams said yes, replying, “You’re mine!” In November 2021, however, the duo called it quits, nearly one year after their engagement aired on ABC. “Tayshia Adams and Zac Clark are no longer a couple,” a representative told Us Weekly at the time. Scroll down to relive Adams and Clark's epic love story from the beginning till the end. [podcast_block]

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

Bachelorette Tayshia Adams and Zac Clark’s Relationship Timeline: From Their 1-on-1 Date to an Engagement and More

Coming up roses! Tayshia Adams’ journey on season 16 of The Bachelorette was unconventional from the start, but after meeting Zac Clark her love story seemed complete. The California native stepped in as the lead on the ABC dating series after Clare Crawley found her person in suitor Dale Moss two weeks into filming. As her adventure began in November 2020, Adams stepped into the limelight meeting some of the men who previously competed for Crawley's heart and a few new men. Clark, who hails from New Jersey, was one of the contestants who stuck around after the hairstylist left the show, and as luck would have it, his instant connection with Adams proved to be the winning formula. The pair hit it off during the former phlebotomist’s first group date, although he did not earn the first impression rose. By the time they made it to their first one-on-one date — which featured the pair pretending to be married while taking photos — the two’s connection was obvious to viewers. Both the addiction specialist and Adams have been married before — her to Josh Bourelle and him to Jennifer Stanley- George — and bonded over their past relationships. When Clark revealed he is nine years drug-free after struggling with addiction and recovery after taking pain medication following a surgery to remove a brain tumor, the duo grew even closer. [jwplayer BM2jOFKW-zhNYySv2] After a few ups and downs on Adams' end during the rest of the season, she ultimately chose Clark as her last man standing. “There was one point in my life when I thought I would never get married, because of all the pain and the heartbreak I had been through, and I hit absolute rock bottom. And I know that I told you that I love you, but  … it’s more than that,” she told him during the show’s finale on December 22, 2020. “It’s this wild, wild love that I have tried to come up with so many reasons to not believe, and you have truly just made me believe there doesn’t need to be flaws, and that I deserve a love with a man that won’t run away. You’ve truly woken up my heart, and yes, it is real. I feel it too.” Clark was quick to return the sentiment and asked Adams to marry him. “I can’t picture another day, another moment without you in my life,” he said. “And if you’ll let me, I’m going to choose you right now. I’m going to choose you tomorrow morning. I’m going to choose you next week and next year. I’m going to choose you forever, because I love you.” Adams said yes, replying, “You’re mine!” In November 2021, however, the duo called it quits, nearly one year after their engagement aired on ABC. “Tayshia Adams and Zac Clark are no longer a couple,” a representative told Us Weekly at the time. Scroll down to relive Adams and Clark's epic love story from the beginning till the end. [podcast_block]

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

First Meeting

The pair met on the November 10, 2020, episode of The Bachelorette. While on her first group date, Adams hit it off with two men, one of whom was Clark. She learned more about during the afterparty portion of the date.

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

One-on-One Magic

The couple’s first one-on-one date (which aired on December 1, 2020) seemingly foreshadowed their eventual engagement. The pair took wedding photos on their intimate afternoon, with Clark wearing numerous suits and Adams dressing up in ballgowns fit for a bride. The addiction specialist also opened up about his past with drugs during the date, and his openness earned him a rose.

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

Hometown Hero

Clark swept Adams off her feet with his hometown date, which aired on December 15, 2020. He showed her what a day in New York City would be like for the two of them after she told him she had considered moving there. The pair even drove around in a cardboard taxi at the La Quinta Resort in Palm Springs, California.

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

Swoon-Worthy Proposal

Although the couple had a rocky final date, as Adams' fears about getting married again set in, she ultimately gave Clark the final rose of the season and said yes to his proposal during the December 22, 2020, episode. “The other night when we were talking, you spoke about this idea of someone choosing you, and I can’t picture another day, another moment without you in my life,” he said after getting down on one knee. “And if you’ll let me, I’m going to choose you right now. I’m going to choose you tomorrow morning. I’m going to choose you next week and next year. I’m going to choose you forever, because I love you.”

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

Family’s Stamp of Approval

During the show’s finale, Adams' dad expressed concerns for her getting engaged again after such a whirlwind romance, but she told Us exclusively that her dad’s tough love was the clarity she needed to say yes to Clark. “My dad, he always means, obviously, the best and he wants me just to be happy,” she told Us in December 2020. “And I feel like I just figured out what I wanted to do after that conversation. … I knew what I had to do after talking to him just because I want my family and the person I choose [to have] beside me to get along and I want it all just to work out.”

Clark, for his part, is also a fan of his future in-laws, telling Us, “They’re the best of all time. We had an opportunity to hang a little bit with them last night during the finale. And I’m just so grateful that they’re a part of my life. And it’s no mistake that Tayshia is a byproduct of that family because they’re just really good people.”

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

Living Bicoastal

“I’m going to be bicoastal,” the former phlebotomist told Us in December 2020. “I’ll have my place [in California] and I’m looking forward to spending time in New York with him and just getting used to being bicoastal.”

Credit: Courtesy Tayshia Adams/Instagram

New York Christmas

Adams told Us in December 2020 that the couple were going to be spending the holidays in New York, saying it is “going to be amazing.” The pair teased their trip via their Instagram Stories on December 23, before she tweeted on Christmas Eve, “NYC here we come!”

Credit: Courtesy Tayshia Adams/Instagram

Moving In

Adams gushed about how “surreal” it was to be able to “just be out in the open” with Clark in NYC in December 2020. She added, however, that his place needs a woman’s touch.

"We have to kind of get some furniture,” she said via Instagram Stories. "We have to spruce up the place. It's definitely a bachelor pad here.”

Credit: Courtesy of Tayshia Adams/Instagram

Sweetest Surprise

Clark dropped by for an unexpected visit while his fiancée prepared to kick off her role as host for season 17 of The Bachelorette in March 2021. "Wanderlust and desert dust ✨🤍," Adams captioned a series of sweet Instagram pics at the time.

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

Wedding Bells

Clark told Us in April 2021 that he and Adams had begun preparing for their nuptials. “Obviously, there’s wedding plans. There are plans to get married, but it’s been a wild start to the year,” he teased, adding that they did not have a date set at the moment but would eventually.

Elsewhere in the interview, he admitted the pair struggled to maintain their relationship after the show ended. “We’re both passionate, driven, busy human beings. And with that, we need to remind ourselves to work each other into it and we’ve done [that],” he explained. “So yeah, a couple months after, there was some ups and downs, of course, and, like, well-documented, but at the end of the day, it’s all good right now.”

Credit: Andrew H. Walker/Shutterstock

No Hard Feelings

Fans speculated that Adams and Clark had called off their engagement after his mom unfollowed his fiancée on Instagram. He revealed during an April 2021 appearance on the “Chicks in the Office” podcast that his mother “probably did it accidentally” while trying to decrease ads for Adams’ podcast. “It’s always great to be loved, but at the end of the day we are in a relationship with each other, so all that noise and all that drama doesn’t really matter,” he said.

Credit: Courtesy of Tayshia Adams/Instagram

Privacy Please

After the duo began posting together less on their social platforms, Adams addressed the issue. “It’s so funny because people do have lives outside of social media,” she exclusively told Us in June 2021. “And it’s so amazing to have the love and support of Bachelor Nation. Because to be honest with you, we go through it kind of together when we’re all watching the show. However, you have to realize that it’s a real relationship behind the scenes.”

Credit: Courtesy of Zac Clark/Instagram

Date Night

Clark shared an Instagram photo of himself and Adams at a basketball game with friends in June 2021. “NOTHING LEFT TO DO BUT TRUST THE PROCESS,” he wrote. “Thank you @sixers for having us out. Parade hunting SZN is still open.”

Credit: Courtesy Zac Clark/Instagram

Sweet Memories

“Shooters shoot, glad I shot,” Clark wrote via Twitter in July 2021, reflecting on how he began his Bachelorette journey one year prior. “Met some incredible humans and learned a lot about life/myself. Grateful.”

Credit: NYRR

Back Together

After filming season 18 of The Bachelorette, the “Click Bait” podcast host reunited with her man in New York City to run the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile race in September 2021. That same month, Clark opened up to Us about maintaining their romance while Adams is away.

“In terms of long-distance, FaceTime is a valuable tool and phone calls and just trying to be thoughtful, like, little notes and little gifts,” he told Us. “Little things go a long way when you’re spending this much time away from someone, but we’re going to get to spend a New York City fall together, which I am really excited about. I have a feeling she’s going to like it.”

He added that the pair have “no date yet” for their nuptials. “It has been a busy year for both of us. That time we’re going to get here very, very shortly — I can’t wait. I mean, [she’s] coming here this week. We’re going to get to spend some time together and reunite. I’m sure that conversation will start to gain some traction here in the near future,” he said on September 8.

Credit: Paul A Hebert/Shutterstock

Red Carpet Debut

Nine months after the reality show personalities got engaged on the ABC franchise, the pair stepped out for their first joint red carpet appearance during the 2021 iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas.

“I’m so excited Zac and I are on our way to Vegas this weekend because I’m presenting at the iHeart festival,” the Bachelorette cohost said via Instagram Story on September 17.

Credit: Courtesy of Tayshia Adams/Instagram

Paris Getaway

Adams took to her Instagram Stories in October 2021 to share snaps from their romantic trip to France. “Guys, I woke up in Paris,” she wrote. “I’m so happy.” Throughout the vacay, she and Zac enjoyed the sights, ate some crepes and saw the art at the Louvre.

Credit: Courtesy of Zac Clark/Instagram

Race Day

“Nervous about tomorrow but ready to do it with you,” the former Bachelorette shared a sweet note for her beau via Instagram Story in November 2021, one day before they both ran the New York City Marathon. “Grateful to have you by my side and get me to that finish line. Never let go Jack, xo Rose.”

Credit: ABC/Craig Sjodin

The End

Us confirmed in November 2021 that the pair had called it quits nearly one year after their engagement aired during the season 16 finale of The Bachelorette. “Tayshia Adams and Zac Clark are no longer a couple,” a representative told Us at the time. The news came three days after Life & Style reported that the duo were taking a break.

Credit: ABC/John Fleenor

Still Processing

During the Men Tell All episode of The Bachelorette in December 2021, Adams admitted that she was "heartbroken" when Kaitlyn Bristowe noted she wasn't wearing her engagement ring. "We tried really hard and I still love him very much and I’m not sure what the future holds,” she said. “You know how it is, it’s really tough.” She later walked off stage for a moment to herself but rejoined the taping shortly thereafter.

One day later, Adams told Becca Kufrin that she didn't have much to add after the Men Tell All special. "I really said all I had to say on that stage," she said during an episode of the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast. "I don't really have anything to add to it just because I'm still going through it all. And yeah, I spoke my piece. And one day, when I feel like I have more to say, I'm sure we can talk about it all."

Credit: Andrew H. Walker/Shutterstock; Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock

Still Working Through Things

A source exclusively told Us in February 2022 that the exes are “still in communication” with each other after calling it quits three months prior. “There are some lingering matters between them that haven’t been resolved yet. They were working on projects together, planning things, and it seems like there isn’t closure yet,” the insider said. “It’s more him still having to figure things out post-split between what they had and also move on from the bond she had with his family and friends.”

The source added that Clark has not started going on dates post-split, due in part, to how the public breakup affected him. “He gets excited about the idea of dating again but has trust issues from being in the spotlight,” the insider told Us. “His biggest fear is getting close to someone, breaking up and then that girl sharing with the world about their relationship.”

Credit: Courtesy Tayshia Adams/Instagram

He Still Has Her Back

Clark defended his ex in June 2022 when a social media troll told Adams to “get over yourself” and stop “constantly post[ing] selfies [that show off her] boobs and bikinis.” The hater had an issue with Adams’ recent beach snaps, adding, “Nobody cares at how fancy you think you are. You’re still a girl from a reality show with a guy who cheated on you ….” 

The addiction specialist replied with his first clapback, writing, “Enough is enough. One of the problems with social media is it gives people like you a voice and unwarranted power. The truth is, we see this s—t, I see this s—t. It is hard to avoid and it is just not nice, especially when you have no idea what you are talking about/you just make s—t up. I struggle to see why you would be mean for no reason, being kind is so much easier, I promise.” 

The New Jersey native then gave his former flame a shout-out, adding, “So @tayshia f—k the noise and keep doing your thing. Wear the clothes you want to wear, take the videos you want to take and keep shining. I know you and I know you to be a really good person.”