There is always something unforeseen that occurs during Fantasy Suites Week, and The Bachelor didn't disappoint in Season 27, as Zach Shallcross has fumbled his way into the finale. With two episodes to go, Zach took the opportunity given to him in the penultimate episode and completely botched everything he had built up this season. For much of Season 27, Zach has navigated the waters about as well as a lead can, cutting out any drama as soon as it sprouted. He's also been upfront with the women, a trait that bodes well in reality but one that ultimately ended up making things messy.
Where Zach went wrong wasn’t in his thought process. He felt that instituting a self-imposed "No-Sex Rule" during Fantasy Suites Week was the correct move and a way to make everyone happy. This part of every season always sees someone or multiple people get hurt once they realize their private night didn't go as another person's did. Yet Zach’s rule wound up backfiring immensely on him and ultimately undermined Kaity Biggar, Ariel Frenkel, and Gabi Elnicki.
Zach Made Sex, Not the Women, the Star During Fantasy Suites
It’s well known across The Bachelor universe that this week is where, to put it blatantly, sex happens. This isn’t to say it always does. As we’ve seen in the past, some leads reserve that for the one they feel is their choice in the end while others see where the night takes them and if the moment is right. The private night is intended to be where personal conversations can be had uninterrupted. It’s where those off-camera talks happen and the two people can truly see if this is something that could work in the real world. Yes, sex can happen here, but that’s not the point of the evening. This leads to a bit of mental warfare among the group, and we’ve seen in the past it can be a breaking point for some contestants while others prefer to just leave it up to interpretation. This is the route that Kaity clearly would have rather taken. With Zach instilling this No-Sex Rule, what he created was too much dialogue about something that may or may not even happen. The goal of Fantasy Suites is to give its lead the final chance at a romantic day together — with an opportunity to connect on a deeper level if they choose to spend the night together, sex or no sex. That ultimately isn’t the point, more so a byproduct of where that relationship is at, but Zach decided to make it the end-all-be-all.
Zach's intentions were right, but if he'd truly wanted this to work, he needed to do it in private. By not only explaining this upfront with Jesse Palmer but doing it with each of the women at random points during their dates, he made it way bigger than it had to be. Fair or not, it came across as a self-righteous move by Zach where he wanted to paint himself as this white knight. Quite frankly, not having sex with all three women when you’re going to propose to one of them in less than two weeks should be the norm. Again, Zach’s intentions were admirable. His execution was poor as he made this elephant in the room even larger than it had to be by undermining the women, assuming that all three of them would automatically want to have sex during Fantasy Suites Week and taking the power away from them. With three dates designed to give Ariel, Kaity, and Gabi the chance to make one final impression before he makes his decision, it was Zach’s evening with the latter that dismantled everything he had intended.
This Mess Was Far Bigger Than What Zach Did With Gabi
After having a sex-free evening with Ariel on the first date, Zach couldn’t stick to his rule when it came time to spend the night with Gabi. Their decision to become intimate then became an issue, even though it shouldn’t have, as Zach felt guilty for breaking a rule he set on his own as he realized he had basically botched his chance with Ariel because of what he just did, and he was in a sticky situation with his upcoming date with Kaity, the woman who most likely was the front-runner after having the strongest showing during Hometown Week. Everything from this point forward was a disaster for Zach, as he went back to see Gabi ahead of his date with Kaity and explained to her that he had to tell everyone what they did. This obviously hurt Gabi, as her private life became anything but that; it also derailed Zach's day with Kaity, as he felt compelled to tell her what he had done with Gabi the day before.
Gabi wasn’t in the wrong, Ariel wasn’t in the wrong, and neither was Kaity in the wrong. This was all Zach’s doing because he made sex the only thing on his mind this week. Making matters worse with Gabi, he not only took the decision away from her, but he also blurted out in the midst of this all that he was falling in love with her and could see a future with her — this confession came on the heels of the one he made to Kaity’s mother during Hometowns about potentially seeing a future with her daughter. There’s no doubt that Zach's plan made sense in his head. As fans of the show know, many leads tend to stumble at this point of the season because of how they handle these Fantasy Suites. But Zach's self-imposed rule made the episode all about himself and caused avoidable emotional distress for the women involved. His handling of Gabi after the matter was misguided and his explanation to Kaity, where he seemingly sought sympathy from her, was tough to watch.
Up until now, Zach has played this season as flawlessly as any recent lead has, but what he did in the second-to-last episode was a huge misfire. We’ll see if this has any lasting impact as we head into a finale with Kaity and Gabi as the final two (Ariel did not receive a rose). If Zach doesn’t choose Gabi, there are sure to be some ramifications and emotions released. As Monday’s episode showed in its final moments, there’s clearly awkward tension with Zach and the two women left, especially with Kaity knowing what happened and mentioning it to Gabi directly. The finale is set up to be just as messy as what we saw during Fantasy Suites Week. Zach will have his work cut out for him in the final episode, though all of this drama falls on his shoulders alone.
The Bachelor will air its Season 27 finale on Monday night on ABC and will be available to stream on Hulu.