ABC Confirms Missouri Man as 'The Bachelor'

Dec 1, 2021 at 1:52 pm

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Photo Courtesy of ABC / Pamela Littky

Missouri native Clayton Echard is hitting the small screen once more.

If you want to turn off your brain one day each week for an hour at a time, ABC’s hit show The Bachelor has found its new star: A Eureka, Missouri native. Confirmed by the network last night, ex-Bachelorette contestant Clayton Echard will grace the small screen repping his Missouri roots.

“I’m just a Midwest guy from Missouri looking to find love,” Echard says in his season preview.

The announcement doesn’t come as a shock to some viewers — Eureka mayor Sean Flower had posted to Facebook in September about the show recording some scenes in town and a crowd had gathered to send Echard off.

The premise of the show is for 30 people to date one person, then each week the lead whittles contestants down, and the show typically ends in an engagement. Echard first appeared on screen for the current season of The Bachelorette, but didn’t earn a rose last week from lead Michelle Young.

Echard placed seventh, not quite making it to dates where the lead visits hometowns, therefore the Bachelor franchise will never know the greatness of the Arch or City Museum. ABC had listed fun facts about Echard prior to airing Young’s season; he has a rapping alter-ego named “Clay-Doh,” had a mohawk in college and wants to own multiple gyms. They also described him as a “Missouri thoroughbred,” so uh, do what you will with that.

The new star has made his way around Missouri; he played football at Eureka High School, then for the University of Missouri Columbia and now resides in Lake St. Louis.

Echard’s season premieres January 3, 2022 on ABC.

Follow Jenna on Twitter at @writesjenna. Email the author at [email protected]

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