Villains come and go. Clayton Echard finally ended his relationship with controversial contestant Shanae during the Monday, February 14, episode of The Bachelor, but there was still no shortage of drama after her exit.
The episode picked up with Clayton’s two-on-one date with Shanae and Genevieve. Genevieve opened up to Clayton about wanting to be more vulnerable, while Shanae used her alone time with Clayton to claim that she overheard Genevieve saying she wanted to leave the night before the date. Shanae accused Genevieve of giving off an “actress vibe,” even though Shanae was the one who later admitted to fake crying.
The Bachelor directly asked Genevieve whether she was an actress who was lying to him, which she denied. He ultimately gave the rose to Genevieve, telling Shanae that he could not find it in his heart to keep her around. Shanae was shocked and angry, saying that she hated Clayton and never wanted to see him again. However, he was relieved that the mood shifted among him and the women after her exit.
At the cocktail party, Mara grew frustrated by her lack of time with Clayton, lamenting that she would never catch up to the connections other women had with him. She perked up when she survived the rose ceremony, though. Marlena and Hunter, meanwhile, were eliminated.
The group subsequently traveled to Croatia, where Teddi landed a one-on-one date. She confessed to Clayton that she was a virgin and was waiting until she fell in love for the first time. Teddi felt safe with Clayton and wanted to allow herself to fall for him as she accepted a rose.
Mara was determined to leave a lasting impression during the group date, but Serene bested her in a knight competition. Mara later confronted Clayton during the afterparty about giving attention to contestants that she felt were not wife material. She insinuated that Sarah — the youngest woman in the house — was not ready to get engaged, so Clayton vowed to do some digging on Sarah’s intentions.
Elsewhere during the afterparty, Rachel told Clayton that she was falling for him, so she received a rose. Susie also invited him to meet her privately later that night so that she could say she was falling in love with him.
Sarah landed her second one-on-one date, which Clayton used to question her about Mara’s allegations. Sarah immediately got emotional but claimed that she could see herself getting engaged to Clayton since their first date. He took some time to contemplate her explanation as Sarah vented to the cameras that whoever made the accusations must not have had a solid relationship with Clayton. The Bachelor ultimately gave Sarah a rose, noting that he did not doubt her sincerity at all. Sarah believed that she and Clayton were in a much stronger place after their date, but she was also on the warpath as she returned to the hotel.
The Bachelor airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
