Clayton Echard's journey for love is hitting some major bumps.
Not even a rose means you're safe on The Bachelor. Monday night's episode saw Clayton Echard rescind a rose from one woman, but that was just the start of the drama, all of which ET is breaking down in the recap below.
Candid confessions made up the first group date, before Clayton and Sarah stripped down on their one-on-one. All appeared well as the women donned Baywatch attire for group date number two, but Shanae made sure the after-party wasn't a day at the beach.
Keep reading for a full recap of episode 3 of The Bachelor.
A Rescinded Rose
The Jan. 10 episode of the series left fans on a cliffhanger, as Clayton asked host Jesse Palmer if any Bachelor had ever taken back a rose before.
This week's episode picked up right there, with Clayton informing Jesse that he learned "very unsettling" news about Cassidy, after Sierra alleged that Cassidy had a man she was trying to make jealous at home, and one that she'd FaceTimed days before filming began.
"I have a f**king rose. He clearly likes me. What’s he gonna do?" Cassidy told the women, after Sierra confessed to telling Clayton.
When Clayton pulled Cassidy aside, though, she denied having "any relationship of any kind since the summer of 2019," and stuck to her story when pressed.
Things changed a bit when Clayton brought up the supposed FaceTime call, with Cassidy stating, "There’s a friend of mine who does not want a relationship. He thinks it’s cool that I’m taking this risk, and he supports me. He was like, 'Look, if it doesn’t work out, I still want to be friends and whatever,' but I had no interest in resuming that relationship because I knew it wasn’t going anywhere."
Clayton walked away at that point, leaving a sobbing Cassidy behind. He eventually went to find her again, at which time she admitted, "I have slept with him a few times over the course of the last few months. He knows I’m here. But, from the minute I met you, all I have done is gush about how I’m already falling into something with you."
While Cassidy told Clayton that she didn't want this to "mess up what we have kind of started here," he said that, despite their "genuine connection," he was "struggling with our trust already being shaken." Cassidy begged not to be sent home, but Clayton walked her out to the car regardless.
"I thought he liked me," Cassidy sobbed in the car. "This keeps happening. Things are going so well, and then it’s over out of nowhere." While Clayton admitted that the situation "hurt," he explained that "being dishonest is a deal breaker for me."
At the rose ceremony, Kate, Ency and Tessa were likewise sent packing.
Candid Confessions
Kaitlyn Bristowe hosted the first group date of the week, and things quickly got intense when she prompted everyone who had parts of themselves they disliked to stand up. Everyone, including Clayton, stood, setting off a series of emotional revelations.
Clayton discussed his past experience with putting up walls in a relationship, something that a crying Genevieve related to. Hunter revealed that her ex pressured her to workout and to change her eye and hair color, only to cheat on her in the end, a story that "infuriated" Clayton.
Serene opened up about struggling with her body image, and Clayton revealed he'd done the same, as he "hated" himself as a kid and worried that he was overweight. The pair's conversation continued into the nighttime portion of the date, when they connected over not sharing their feelings growing up.
When Susie got one-on-one time, she praised Clayton for being open about his body image struggles, and revealed that she related to that too. "He’s definitely someone I could fall in love with," she said in a confessional.
It was Eliza, though, who earned the group date rose, after Clayton called her "one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever laid eyes on" in a confessional.
A Nearly Naked Date
Becca Kufrin made Clayton question their friendship when she organized an extreme scavenger hunt for his one-on-one date with Sarah. The former Bachelorette instructed the pair to strip down to their underwear before heading off on the experience through downtown Los Angeles.
While on their adventure, the underwear-clad couple ran through the streets, showed off their go-to dance moves, and publicly sang their feelings for each other. The whole time, they leaned on each other for comfort and encouragement.
Clayton and Sarah made their way to the immersive Van Gogh exhibit for their nighttime date. While there, Sarah opened up about being "ashamed" of being adopted as a kid, though she learned to accept and feel love from her adoptive parents.
Sarah credited the candid conversation to Clayton's ability to make her feel "good and comfortable," before crying and thanking the Bachelor for being there for her. Clayton, in turn, told Sarah that he's "thankful you're here helping me grow."
As he offered Sarah the rose, Clayton told his date that she "exceeded all of the expectations."
"I think this could be the beginning of me and Clayton falling in love," Sarah said in a confessional.
Shanae Stirs the Pot
The second group date headed to the beach for a day of fun, before being joined by Baywatch actress Nicole Eggert for a series of lifeguard-themed challenges. After donning the iconic red swimsuits, the women put sunscreen on each other, gave a dummy CPR, and ran in slow-mo.
Shanae got the drama going early, rubbing Clayton's nipples with sunscreen when given the chance, and ending her slow-mo run with a passionate kiss in front of the other women.
When the after-party began, Rachel got the validation she'd been looking for and Gabby got praised for her quirks, before Shanae changed the whole mood of the date.
Shanae once again spoke to Clayton about Elizabeth, claiming that Elizabeth was making her feel "bullied" and making her not want to be there. During the chat, Shanae said she wasn't being "dramatic," but rather "open and honest." Clayton responded by telling her not to be "too in your head" and giving her a kiss.
In a confessional, Shanae celebrated her conversation, stating, "He believed me. I have him. Trust me. I know I have him. I was good... I didn’t mean to cry, but I cried... F**k Elizabeth."
Clayton next addressed the situation with Elizabeth, who said that she'd been "super kind" to Shanae and even made her lunch. She quickly broke down in tears, telling Clayton, "I don’t even feel like I can talk to you because I’m just being questioned." Clayton encouraged her to "hash it out" with Shanae, before admitting in a confessional that he finds the whole thing "frustrating."
Elizabeth quickly told the women what happened during her chat with Clayton, and Lyndsey soon revealed that she had a similar experience. In response, all the girls turned against Shanae. When Elizabeth asked Shanae to "define" the bullying she'd faced, Shanae said, "I don’t want to talk about it anymore."
Shanae went on to call Elizabeth "fake" and "two-faced," and found even more reason to be annoyed when Clayton awarded Gabby the group date rose. Before ending the night, Clayton promised the women he'd address the growing drama at the cocktail party the next night.
In the preview for next week, Shanae is causing more of the same drama, this time with Genevieve as her target. It all appears to culminate when Shanae tells Genevieve to "keep my name out of your f**king mouth," before throwing a trophy, presumably awarded on a group date, in the bushes.
Clayton Echard's season of The Bachelor airs Mondays on ABC. ET has got you covered throughout the entirety of his season with all of our Bachelor content.
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