Zach Shallcross had his toughest week on The Bachelor yet during the Feb. 20 episode, when he was diagnosed with COVID and forced to miss two dates, as well as the cocktail party and rose ceremony. He wound up hosting the first virtual cocktail party and rose ceremony in the show’s history. Obviously, it was not ideal, but he explained to HollywoodLife in an EXCLUSIVE interview that the situation was helpful in solidifying some of his relationships with the remaining women.
“While it was not ideal, it was something we needed,” Zach admitted. “It did reaffirm on those calls that there were certain connections where, just because I’ve been gone for a few days and we’re doing this via FaceTime, nothing’s changed. We got stronger, if anything. It’s not as bad as it was in my head of thinking, ‘I’m going to lose this.’ That also plays into the other side of it, where, with some of the women, there was just something off that. We’re not seeing eye-to-eye. So it was eye-opening for those relationships.”
While Zach was quarantined in his hotel room, one of the women, Kaity Biggar, paid him a visit outside the door with a gift basket. Zach said that her gesture “spoke volumes” to him during such a difficult time. “She was thinking about me while I was thinking about them, too, and I didn’t feel so alone,” he shared. “When you’re pent up in that room for days, you get in your own head. You go in circles. So when you have someone who you are having feelings for come to you and do something like that is so kind and sweet. That made the week so much better. It’s like…I’m not alone in this. People aren’t changing how they’re feeling about me just because I’m gone. That was the most important thing.”
Now, with just nine women left, Zach’s journey is winding down. On The Bachelorette, Zach made it all the way to fantasy suites with Rachel Recchia before they realized that they weren’t on the same page about a lot of things. Of course, that’s something he’s hoping to avoid this time around.
“One thing I was always adamant about is that when we do have this time together, whether it’s on a one-on-one or group date, is to just talk about the things that really do matter,” Zach explained. “Early on it’s about whether or not you have chemistry with a person and if they’re someone you can easily talk with and are attracted to, but the big question things should and will be brought up, too. I want to make the most of all the time we have to avoid that shocking moment in the fantasy site. For a week like that, I want to make sure that I’m as confident as I can be in the person I’m with where nothing’s a shock when we’re there. I want to feel like I already know this person and this is just the next step. I tried to make it not all about the fantasy suite being this one important date to fully get to know someone. I want to get that throughout the experience.”
Going forward, Zach said he’s excited for viewers to see “some really special dates” as the season winds down. “The connections and relationships are growing pretty strong and flourishing,” Zach dished. “There’s really special moments that are shared, especially in the next two episodes. There’s a lot of romance. At a certain point, you can’t help it. Your feelings just happen and the women are so incredible and they really do just open up and be vulnerable with me. It’s incredibly special for me that they feel comfortable enough to do that and that, in turn, makes our relationships stronger.