Time for a reckoning? Clayton Echard has tried to contain the drama on The Bachelor, but he will once again find himself questioning controversial contestant Shanae Ankney during the Monday, February 7, episode.
In Us Weekly’s exclusive sneak peek, seven women — Sierra Jackson, Genevieve Parisi, Teddi Wright, Susie Evans, Sarah Hamrick, Marlena Wesh and Mara Agrait — come to Clayton, 28, at the cocktail party before the rose ceremony to warn him about Shanae, 29.
“On our group date afterparty, we told you our honest opinions about Shanae, and then she showed up out of nowhere, and after talking to you for some time, [she] ran outside, told me and Genevieve to keep her name out of our f–king mouths, took the trophy, ran off with it and threw it into a pond,” Sierra, 26, recounts to the Bachelor, referring to Shanae crashing the group date during the Monday, January 31, episode.
Teddi, 24, then chimes in: “It was, like, pretty absurd, and I’m not really sure how you can, like, go back from something like that.”
Clayton tells the women that he will need to address the matter privately with Shanae. “I didn’t know that she tossed the trophy,” he explains. “That certainly makes me have now different thoughts, but I need to ultimately talk to her as well.”
The Bachelorette alum subsequently reveals his true feelings on Shanae’s outburst. “To hear that Shanae was taking the trophy and throwing it in the pond, it’s really hard for me to defend those actions, and it’s not acceptable,” he tells the cameras.
Clayton pulls Shanae aside for a one-on-one conversation about the ordeal, but she seems confident heading into the discussion.
“They don’t like me ‘cause they’re threatened, but if you’re gonna f–k with me, like, watch out because I know it’s coming,” Shanae assures the cameras. “I’m ready for it. These bitches are not sending me home.”
The recruiter survived the January 31 episode despite her feud with Elizabeth Corrigan. Clayton ultimately sent home the real estate advisor at the rose ceremony after Shanae claimed her costar was bullying her, which Elizabeth denied.
Once the episode aired, the Missouri native publicly apologized to Elizabeth.
“I’m sorry, Elizabeth, for what you’re going through,” he tweeted on Tuesday, February 1. “I wish I could have seen what was happening when I wasn’t there. I obviously knew y’all weren’t in a good place, but at the same time I thought it was, solely, petty drama.”
Clayton went on to admit his regrets over not eliminating Shanae. “I would have sent Shanae home immediately for making fun of you for being neurodivergent, had I known,” he wrote, referencing Shanae’s comments about Elizabeth having ADHD. “Overall, the experience for me watching hasn’t been fun, simply because I’m seeing all the damage that I caused. I really meant well, but my actions weren’t always the best as I now can see the repercussions from my decisions.”
The Bachelor airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
