Zach Shallcross may have known better than to kick off Fantasy Suites by announcing, “It’s Sex Week, baby!” but don’t let that single display of sound judgment fool you into thinking his overnight experiences on The Bachelor went any smoother than his relationship-ending overnight date on The Bachelorette.
Before Week 9 spirals into complete disarray, Shallcross and host Jesse Palmer have an unexpected heart-to-heart in Krabi, Thailand, where Shallcross reveals his grand plan to tell the women there will be “no sex of any kind for Fantasy Suites.” The decision, he explains, was inspired by his own disastrous sex-free overnight with ex Rachel Recchia (I’m still dying to know what really happened there), plus a conversation with bestie Sean Lowe, who took a similar approach to the week when he was on the show. After literally raising his eyebrows, Palmer stresses that Shallcross will definitely be tempted to take that next step with the ladies. Shallcross agrees, but says he doesn’t think sleeping with three women a week before getting engaged to one is a healthy way to start a life together. And you know what? It makes sense!
At its core, Shallcross’ unconventional approach to Fantasy Suite Week is a thoughtful, respectful, almost noble way of navigating three simultaneous relationships. If only he’d been able to stick to it…
Based on the preview for The Bachelor Season 27, Episode 9, you may think you know how Fantasy Suites play out. I sure did! But thanks to the magic of deceptive editing and Shallcross’ remarkable ability to dig himself progressively deeper into a hole, you have no idea what’s in store. Wondering how Fantasy Suite Week unfolded? Who Zach slept with during overnight dates? And who went home Week 9? We’ve got you covered. But be warned, major spoilers lie ahead.
Date 1 Recap: Ariel Frenkel And Zach Shallcross Fight Their “Animalistic Desire”
After a spicy night roaming a market in Thailand, expanding their culinary palates, and locking lips, Shallcross and Frenkel headed to a place called — I kid you not — The White Lotus for a romantic dinner. In a voiceover set to kissing shots, Shallcross explained, “When I kiss Ariel, my body just gets hot. Oh my god. Turn on the AC, please!” But despite the seeds of doubt producers planted, he follows through and tells Frenkel that sex is off the table for the night ahead. Frenkel says she understood and appreciated Shallcross’ decision, but admitted to cameras she was “a little disappointed” and feels being physical is a huge part of falling in love.
After choosing to forgo their individual rooms, Shallcross and Frenkel headed to their gorgeous suite, slipped on their bathing suits, took a swim and moved things to the bed for a steamy make-out sesh. “Who knows what’s going to happen,” Frenkel said in a voiceover. “I’m thinking, ‘What did I set myself up for?'” a horny Shallcross added. The next morning, the two woke up fully clothed in bed and Shallcross set the record straight: “[It was] more difficult than I ever imagined and we both agreed on it…I think it was the right decision and in the end it will be all worth it.”
Date 2 Recap: Gabi Elnicki And Zach Shallcross Do The Deed
You’ve heard that saying, “First is the worst, second is the best?” That applies to Shallcross’ Fantasy Suite Week, assuming Bachelor Nation considers “the worst” a date in which everything goes smoothly and “the best” a date that unleashes unparalleled levels of drama.
Shallcross’ second date went from boat ride to a private island to sobbing on a beach in no time. Elnicki told Shallcross she’s been very in her head, and the fact that he chose her second for overnight dates didn’t help. “I feel very stupid and foolish and I hate this. I feel disgusting. I feel ugly. I feel all sorts of things. Why can’t I be happy? I don’t even feel like I can go back there,” Elnicki cried to a producer before Shallcross came to find her. She explained she was cheated on in a past relationship so feeling second again was emotionally triggering, and Shallcross assured her what they have is special. Later at dinner, he dropped the “no sex” bomb, which made her a bit uneasy, but ultimately she agreed. At the time…
“Did I think I was gonna get engaged to someone I wasn’t gonna have sex with? No. But we’ll work on that later,” Elnicki told Shallcross. “I won’t try to seduce you.” The next morning, Elnicki told cameras that she and Shallcross had “a good cuddle sesh,” but Shallcross left the suite, ran to Palmer, and selfishly spilled the intimate details of their date in hopes of clearing his guilty conscience. “In our overnight we both agreed and wanted to have sex together. And it was very special. It was important. And it was what we both wanted and needed for the relationship. And I feel terrible because I’ve essentially gone against my word,” Shallcross said. “And my fear is how would Kaity feel? How would Ariel feel?”
After deciding that everyone needed to know what happened, Shallcross went back to tell Elnicki where his head was at and say he’s falling in love with her. After he left, Elnicki told cameras she felt blindsided and hurt that he’d aired what she believed was a private moment. And just like that, Shallcross went from being one of the franchise’s most boring Bachelors to one of its messiest.
Date 3 Recap: Kaity Biggar And Zach Shallcross Get Messy
Biggar was thrilled to see Shallcross, but from the moment their date started Shallcross was visibly distracted by his impending confession. The two explored Thailand’s Mangrove forest by kayak, but when the were out on the water a storm rolled in and sent them seeking refugee under the trees back on land. There, Shallcross channeled his inner Hilary Duff and came clean. He told Biggar of his early “no sex” precedent, he admitted that he’d been intimate with one of the women, and he said, and she responded as well as someone who just learned her boyfriend had sex with one of his two other girlfriends could. She cried, she shared her unfiltered emotions, and she asked why the hell he had to tell her something he knew would upset her!
“I only wanted to share with you because if it is us at the end of this, I wouldn’t want you to have any doubts,” he said. “I will reiterate a million times over. I understand what you were doing and trying to tell me. But I know the gist of this week. I know what this is. I know that you’re gonna follow your heart. I know that you’re trying to fall in love. I get that. I don’t need to know,” she replied.
Shallcross left the date kicking himself for running his mouth and wondering if he “fucked up,” while Biggar cried to producers. “I feel so distant from him, like I’m so fucking confused. I don’t know. What am I doing? How am I supposed to spend the rest of the night with him when I’m not happy and all I can think about is that? I’m not happy,” she sobbed.
Ahead of dinner, Shallcross described his emotions as anxious, worried, and “nervous to death.” But Biggar eventually showed up and said she felt they could move past the setback. Unlike the first two overnight dates, we didn’t check in with Biggar and Shallcross in the morning, so we have no idea if they were physically intimate during their alone time. If only Elnicki was awarded that same level of respect.
The Bachelor Season 27, Episode 9 Rose Ceremony Recap: Who Went Home After Fantasy Suites? Who’s Meeting The Shallcross Fam?
Ahead of Week 9’s rose ceremony, Frenkel said she was feeling confident but didn’t know what Shallcross’ connections with the other women were like, so did he…not tell her — of all people — that he was intimate?! Dude! Meanwhile, Elnicki felt as if Shallcross “cleared his conscience at the expense of my heart.” And though Biggar seemed back on track ahead of the overnight date, she admittedly still had stuff to work out before engagement week.
Shallcross arrived at his podium and told the women that setting parameters for himself was “the biggest mistake I could have done.” He gave roses to Biggar and Elnicki (making sure to choose her second YET AGAIN), which means Frenkel went home. (Again, it remains unclear if the two ever chatted about the other overnight dates. I won’t lie, Shallcross’ two remaining women looked less than thrilled at the end of this episode. And for good reason! If this dude can’t even keep a promise he went out of his way to make on television, what kind of fiancé will he be like when cameras stop rolling? Even still, Shallcross’ biggest fear should be what happens after Frenkel’s brother Bobby sees this episode.
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