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If you’ve watched the trailer for Fantasy Suites, you may be wondering: Who does Zach sleep with in The Bachelor 2023 finale and which contestant does he have sex with?
The Bachelor season 27 lead is Zach Shallcross, a 26-year-old tech executive from Anaheim Hills, California, who now lives in Austin, Texas. Zach was a contestant on The Bachelorette season 19 with Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia, where he was Rachel’s contestant and self-eliminated in the final three. Zach was announced as the season 27 Bachelor at the The Bachelorette season 19 “After the Final Rose” special in September 2022. “There’s no words, I’m just taking this in right now. I’m obviously really nervous right now but this is once in a lifetime,” Zach said at the time. “I want to find my best friend, fall in love with my best friend and really walk away with someone for the rest of my life.”
In an interview with People in January 2023, Zach called The Bachelor season 27 the “most emotional” season Bachelor Nation has ever seen. “It might not be the most dramatic season, but it’s the most emotional season that they’ve ever had,” he said. “But that’s not to say that this season will not have some drama. There’s no shortage of drama.” He continued, “Fans are going to see my full personality because I wear it on my sleeve. With last season, that necessarily wasn’t the case. I think I’m going to surprise some people with who I am.”
Zach also responded to criticism over ABC’s choice of him as the season 27 Bachelor in an interview with Us Weekly in January 2023. “I would tell the critics and the fans, if you wanna watch something or this show and actually see love and no bullshit and not a scene or not an act, then I think you’re really gonna love this [season],” he said. “If you are someone that wants the unnecessary dumb drama — alright, [but] I might not be your guy. Plain and simple.” He continued, “I know what I want out of this, and I know what it takes to have that healthy relationship.”
But back to The Bachelor season 27 finale. So…who does Zach sleep with in The Bachelor 2023 finale and who does he have sex with? Read on for what we know about who Zach sleeps with on The Bachelor season 27 and which contestant he broke his “no-sex” rule for.
SPOILER: Who did Zach sleep with in The Bachelor 2023 finale?
Image: Courtesy of ABC.
Warning: Spoilers for The Bachelor season 27 winner ahead: Who did Zach sleep with in The Bachelor 2023 finale? Zach Shallcross confirmed in the trailer for The Bachelor season 27 finale that he didn’t plan to have sex during Fantasy Suites with any of his three finalists: Kaity Biggar, a 27-year-old travel nurse from Kingston, Ontario; Gabi Elnicki, a 25-year-old senior account executive from Pittsfort, Vermont; and Ariel Frenkel, a 28-year-old marketing executive from New York City, New York. “I think to a lot of people, this week is viewed as sex week. I know it’s not conventional, but no sex,” Zach tells host Jesse Palmer in the trailer. He also tells Gabi on their Fantasy Suite date, “What feels right to me is not having sex.”
So who does Zach sleep with on The Bachelor 2023? The answer is Gabi. After their Fantasy Suite date, Zach revealed that he and Gabi—who was his second Fantasy Suite date—had sex, despite his rule to not sleep with any of his three finalists. Zach also confirmed that he didn’t have sex with Ariel, who was his first Fantasy Suite date. Zach tells Gabi that, while their night was special, he wanted to be honest with his third and last Fantasy Suite date, Kaity, that he had sex with Gabi despite his intention of not sleeping with anyone.
Though Gabi accepted Zach’s decision, she hoped that he would keep that detail between them. When Zach told Kaity about him having sex with Gabi, she became upset and told him that she wished he hadn’t told him that. Though she considered cancelling the overnight part of their Fantasy Suite date, Kaity chose to continue their date and her relationship with Zach.
Before Zach’s Fantasy Suite date episode aired, Reality Steve assumed that Zach slept with Kaity, who is the winner of The Bachelor season 27 and who Zach is engaged to after he proposed to her in the Final Rose Ceremony. “We already know he breaks his own promise about ‘no sex in the fantasy suites’ next week, which I assume is for Kaity, but nothing this show does in the editing is going to change the finale spoiler,” Reality Steve wrote in a blog post in March 2023.
Image: ABC/Ricky Middlesworth.
In an interview with Us Weekly in March 2023, Zach explained why he didn’t want to have sex with any of his finalists in The Bachelor season 27 finale. “From what I can say is — a lot of things do change and going into that week, I thought I could basically set up, like, a guideline for myself and a guideline for others to try to make it less messy and it bit us in the ass,” he said.
Jesse also told Us Weekly why he did’t think Zach’s no-sex rule was realistic. “Zach puts some parameters around fantasy suites that he thinks is going to help him make his decision at the end of the day,” he said. “So Zach decides that he is not going to sleep with any of the three women, that he’s going focus on other means and ways of progressing his relationships, but things don’t exactly go that way.” He continued, “Sometimes you can’t put boundaries” on relationships because Bachelors like Zach “have to let these relationships progress however they unfold.”
Jesse also revealed his reaction when Zach told him that he didn’t want to sleep with any of his finalists in The Bachelor 2023 finale. “When Zach told me he wasn’t going have sex with any of the women, I was sort of like, ‘You’re going be able to do this? You’re gonna be tempted, you know, the fantasy suites are there for a reason.’ And sexual compatibility is a really big thing, especially if you’re gonna be getting down on a knee and asking someone to marry you,” Jesse said. “Also, what if the women want to have sex with you? You’re kind of taking it off the table. That was probably the most shocking [moment] because in all honesty, part of me kind of knew how it was going to end.”
He continued: “Zach, we know is extremely thoughtful. He has a very heavy conscience. So he’s going to have to navigate a lot in these final few weeks, and he hopefully won’t ruin it for himself.”
Despite Zach breaking his own no-sex rule, Jesse told Us Weekly that Zach is “extremely happy” with how season 27 ended. “He tells me that he’s extremely happy,” Jesse said. “I think Bachelor Nation is going to be absolutely thrilled at the outcome. I don’t want to speak on behalf of Zach. It was a very difficult journey to get to this point. Everybody up to this point has seen that, but the hardest part is yet to come in Thailand. And it’s all going to end up the way it’s supposed to. Zach tells me that he wouldn’t change anything about it, and he’s thrilled. So if he’s happy, I’m happy.”
Image: Courtesy of ABC.
Who is the Bachelor 2023? The Bachelor season 27 is Zach Shallcross, a contestant on The Bachelorette season 19 with Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia. Zach was Rachel’s contestant and self-eliminated in the final three. He was announced as the season 27 Bachelor at The Bachelorette season 19 “After the Final Rose” special in September 2022.
“As we know plans can always change last minute, and it won’t be “official” until next Tuesday on the ATFR, but I feel confident in reporting that the next Bachelor is going to be Zach Shallcross,” Reality Steve tweeted in September 2022 before Zach’s announcement. Reality Steve also wrote in a blog post before his confirmation about how Zach was the only contestant from The Bachelorette season 19 that he could see being the season 27 Bachelor after another frontrunner turned the role down. “It means we’re moving on to somebody else. I don’t know who from this season outside of maybe Zach,” Reality Steve wrote in a blog post in September 2022. Variety also reported in September 2022 that Zach was ABC’s top choice to become the next Bachelor, with two sources confirming the news. Zach will be announced as the season 27 Bachelor at The Bachelorette season 19 finale on September 20, 2022. Reality Steve also tweeted a video at the time of Zach filming his introduction for The Bachelor. “But from what I’ve been told, it’s going to be Zach. And here is footage I was sent today from this past Saturday of Zach filming his intro video in Austin,” he tweeted. Page Six also reported in September 2022 that Zach was a frontrunner to become the next Bachelor. “He’s been a frontrunner for a while,” the insider said at the time. “There’s no denying that the audience loves him.”
Zach is a 25-year-old tech executive from Anaheim Hills, California, but lives in Austin, Texas. His Instagram handle is @zachshall. According to his Bachelorette 2022 bio, Zach describes himself as an “old-fashioned romantic” who loves three things in his life: his mom, his dogs and football. Read Zach’s Bachelorette 2022 biography and fun facts ahead:
“Zach is an old-fashioned romantic. He loves his mama, his dogs and football but promises he has more love to go around! He’s charismatic, personable and has a huge heart that he is so ready to share forever with the right woman. Zach’s perfect woman is compassionate, kind and ready for romance because Zach is excited to lay it on thick. He loves to plan thoughtful surprises, and nothing makes him happier than seeing the look of excitement on his partner’s face when his meaningful gifts are appreciated. Zach is serious about finding a love that will lead to marriage, so whatever grand romantic gesture it takes for him to get there, he’s ready to go!
Fun Facts:
– Zach would love to be Spiderman for a day.
– Zach doesn’t like breakfast. Eggs don’t agree with him.
– Zach loves beach volleyball and is a master of the ‘Top Gun’ high-five.”
Zach listed his job on The Bachelorette as “Tech Executive.” According to his Linkedin, Zach worked as a Senior Cloud Technology Account Executive at Oracle, where he’d worked for three years, at the time he was on The Bachelorette. He was promoted to his current position in September 2021 and had also held roles like Cloud Technology Account Executive and Cloud Technology Consultant. He also worked as a Supervisor at the California Mid-State Fair in Paso Robles, California, and a Sales Operation Assistant at Gavel Group in Lake Forest, California. He graduated from California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo in 2019 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. Zach played Collegiate Division 1 football for Cal Poly for five years. “My role consists of strategically helping business in Houston enhance, extend, and leverage their current software, platform, and infrastructure while educating them on what Oracle’s portfolio has to offer,” Zach’s Linkedin bio read.
Before Zach was confirmed as the season 27 Bachelor, Reality Steve reported on his podcast in September 2022 that Nate Mitchell, a contestant on The Bachelorette season 19 with Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia, was offered the role but declined. “In regards to the Bachelor, obviously we’re about three weeks away from any announcement being made, I’m assuming it’s going to be made on the After the Final Rose, if not, within a day or two of that on GMA like they usually do. But after poking around a little bit, asking around, what I can tell you is: I don’t know who the Bachelor’s going to be, but you can cross Nate off the list. I have heard it is not him,” Reality Steve said. “I usually can’t get any details to stuff like that. I have heard, I have no idea if it’s true or not, but I have heard he rejected it, he doesn’t want to do it.” A source also told E! News in August 2022 that Nate was the frontrunner to become the next Bachelor.
The reports also came after Nate was photographed holding hands with a woman at a grocery store in Chicago, Illinois, in August 2022, weeks after he cried over his breakup with Gabby on The Bachelorette season 19 “Men Tell All” special. “Spotted Nate and another girl in Chicago today,” an anonymous source sent to the Instagram account @bachelorettewindmill along with a photo. “They were both holding hands so could be dating?”
While Nate wasn’t the Bachelor 2023, Gabby told Entertainment Tonight in August 2022 that he was her number-one choice as the next lead. “Nate. 100 percent Nate, Nate, Nate!” she said. “He knows how to treat women. He’s so smart, he’s old, he has a great job, he spends his time reading—not reading social media, reading actual books. He has a daughter, so he knows what it’s like to have responsibility. He’s a real, true definition of a man.” Host Jesse Palmer also voted for Nate. “Nate is a standup guy. He’s an amazing person. He’s mature, he has an incredible emotional maturity, he’s vulnerable, he respects women, and he’s a great dad,” Jesse said. “I there’s there’s very few negative things I can say about Nate.” Jesse also had another choice for the next lead. “Are we still saying Pete Davidson? Is that still a choice?” Jesse said. “… I wanna ride that train. Wanna talk about a wild Bachelor season? That would probably be it. We might have to change some of our parameters.”
Gabby and Rachel also voiced their support for two Bachelors like how there were two Bachelorettes on season 19. “We loved each other for it, and loved having one another by one another’s side,” Gabby said of her relationship with Rachel. “I don’t know if men would feel the same, it depends on their relationship, but I think there’s a lot of good to come out of our season.” Rachel added, “I think ultimately if the Bachelors supported each other and loved each other to the extent that Gabby and I do, it could be incredible as well, but they would definitely have to be on the same level as us. Lots to live up to, of course!”
Image: Courtesy of ABC.
Who’s in The Bachelor 2023 cast? See below for a full list of contestants on The Bachelor season 27.
- Viktoria Eichner, 29, Vienna Austria – Nanny
- Victoria Jameson, 30, Keller, Texas – Professional Makeup Artist
- Vanessa Dinh, 23, Farmington Hills, Michigan – Restaurant Marketer
- Sonia Sharma, 29, Jericho, New York – Project Manager
- Olivia Miller, 25, Delphos, Ohio – Stylist
- Olivia Lewis, 24, Churchville, New York – Patient Care Technician
- Mercedes Northup, 24, Bloomfield, Iowa – Nonprofit Case Manager
- Madison Johnson, 26, Fargo, North Dakota – Business Owner
- Lekha Ravi, 29, Miami, Florida – Financial Advisor
- Kylee Russell, 25, Charlotte, North Carolina – Postpartum Nurse
- Katherine Izzo, 26, Tampa, Florida – Registered Nurse
- Kaitlyn “Kaity” Biggar, 27, Kingston, Ontario – ER Travel Nurse
- Jessica “Jess” Girod, 23, Winter Springs, Florida – E-Commerce Coordinator
- Holland Parsons, 24, Boca Raton, Florida – Insurance Marketer
- Greer Blitzer, 24, Bellaire, Texas – Medical Sales Representative
- Genevie Mayo, 26, Baltimore, Maryland – Neonatal Nurse
- Gabrielle “Gabi” Elnicki, 25, Pittsford, Vermont – Senior Account Executive
- Davia Bunch, 25, Roebuck, South Carolina – Marketing Manager
- Christina Mandrell, 26, Hendersonville, Tennessee – Content Creator
- Charity Lawson, 26, Columbus, Georgia – Child and Family Therapist
- Catherine “Cat” Wong, 26, Chevy Chase, Maryland – Professional Dancer
- Cara Ammon, 27, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – Corporate Recruiter
- Brooklyn Willie, 25, Mineola, Texas – Rodeo Racer
- Brianna Thorbourne, 24, Jersey City, New Jersey – Entrepreneur
- Becca Serrano, 25, Burbank, California – Nursing Student
- Bailey Brown, 27, Brentwood, Tennessee – Executive Recruiter
- Ariel Frenkel, 28, New York City, New York – Marketing Executive
- Anastasia Keramidas, 30, Baltimore, Maryland – Content Marketing Manager
- Alyssa “Aly” Jacobs, 26, Smyrna, Georgia – Healthcare Strategist
Image: ABC/John Fleenor.
Who is The Bachelor 2023 host? The Bachelor season 27 host is Jesse Palmer, who was the season 5 Bachelor in 2004 and was the youngest Bachelor in Bachelor Nation history at 24 years old. Jesse hosted his first Bachelor franchise show in 2022 with The Bachelor season 26 with Clayton Echard. During The Bachelor season 5 finale, Jesse gave his Final Rose to Jessica Bowlin, but didn’t propose to her. Jesse and Jessica continued to date, but ended their relationship a few weeks after the finale of their Bachelor season aired. In June 2020, Jesse and his girlfriend, Emely Fardo, married in an intimate wedding in New York City. Jesse told Us Weekly in November 2021 that he and Emely planned to marry in Provence, France, before the current health crisis cancelled their wedding date. “We had originally planned a wedding in Provence, France, for summer 2020, which was postponed until summer of 2021 due to the pandemic, but we didn’t want to wait any longer,” he said at the time. “So, we had a small, private and intimate ceremony with close friends who lived in New York City.”
Jesse graduated from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played football for the Florida Gators, in 2001 with a bachelor’s of arts degree in political science and a bachelor’s of science degree in marketing. After graduation, Jesse was drafted by the National Football League to play for the New York Giants. He played with the team for four seasons from 2001 to 2005 as a quarterback. After the New York Giants, Jesse was drafted by the Canadian Football League to play for the Montreal Alouettes. He played with the team until 2005 when he was signed by the San Francisco 49ers. He then resigned with the Montreal Alouettes in 2006 before he retired from football in 2007 to pursue a broadcasting career. Since his broadcasting career started, Jesse has worked with networks like Fox, NFL Network, ESPN, ABC and SEC Network. He’s also guest starred on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and made guest appearances on shows like Recipe to Riches and Good Morning America, and hosted the Food Network’s Spring Baking Championship and Holiday Baking Championship.
Jesse was announced as The Bachelor season 26 host in September 2021. “For more than 20 years, The Bachelor has brought the world dozens of unforgettable love stories, including at one time, my own,” he said at the time. “Falling in love is one of life’s greatest gifts, and I am humbled by the opportunity to return to the show as host this season to offer the newest Bachelor advice gained from firsthand experience and I am grateful to play a small part in his journey.” The announcement came after Chris Harrison, the former host of Bachelor Nation, confirmed in June 2021 that he had retired as the franchise’s host after 19 years. “I’ve had a truly incredible run as host of The Bachelor franchise and now I’m excited to start a new chapter,” he wrote in an Instagram post at the time. “I’m so grateful to Bachelor Nation for all of the memories we’ve made together. While my two-decade journey is wrapping up, the friendships I’ve made will last a lifetime.”
Deadline reported at the time that Chris received a mid-range, eight-figure settlement as part of exit plan with ABC, the network that airs the Bachelor franchise, and Warner Bros. Television, the company that produces the Bachelor shows. The magazine also reported that Harrison’s settlement included a nondisclosure agreement. Chris’ decision to retire as Bachelor Nation’s host came after he was slammed for his response to season 25 Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell’s racism scandal in February 2021. Rachael, the winner of Matt James’ season, faced backlash at the time when photos resurfaced of her at an Old South Antebellum-themed party at Georgia College in 2018. Before the pictures went viral, Rachael was already under controversy after her former high school classmate accused her on TikTok of bullying her and other students for dating Black men. Other TikTok users then exposed Rachael for liking social media photos of her friends in culturally insensitive costumes and with Confederate flags.
Chris came under controversy after he was interviewed about the scandal by season 13 Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay on Extra. During the interview, Chris asked fans to give Rachael “grace” and explained that he didn’t find the Antebellum party photos offensive because they just looked like pictures a college student takes at a party. Harrison also questioned whether the photos would be considered racially insensitive in 2018 when they were taken. After the interview, many fans slammed Harrison and accused him of excusing Rachael’s behavior.
ABC confirmed in March 2021 that Chris wouldn’t host season 17 of The Bachelorette and would be replaced by Tayshia and Kaitlyn. “Chris Harrison will not be hosting the next season of The Bachelorette,” ABC said in a statement at the time. “We support Chris in the work that he is committed to doing. In his absence, former Bachelorettes Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe will support the new Bachelorette through next season. As we continue the dialogue around achieving greater equity and inclusion within The Bachelor franchise, we are dedicated to improving the BIPOC representation of our crew, including among the executive producer ranks. These are important steps in effecting fundamental change so that our franchise is a celebration of love that is reflective of our world.” He officially retired as the Bachelor Nation’s host in June 2021.
The Bachelor airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC and is available to stream on Hulu. Here’s how to watch it for free.
Image: Courtesy of Penguin Books.
To get more of an inside scoop, check out Los Angeles Times writer Amy Kaufman’s book, Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America’s Favorite Guilty Pleasure, for a deep dive into the Bachelor franchise. The book uncovers the secrets of Bachelor Nation, from how much the Bachelor and the Bachelorette are paid to the rules contestants have to follow, that producers don’t want fans to know. It’s a must-read for any Bachelor Nation member.
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