Will New Bachelor Lead Clayton Attend 'The Bachelorette's' Season 18 "Men Tell All" Session?
Published Dec. 6 2021, 8:02 p.m. ET
Will Clayton Echard be attending the "Men Tell All" special for Season 18 of The Bachelorette? Clayton competed to win the heart of the Bachelorette Season 18 lead Michelle Young. However, dedicated Bachelor Nation fans knew before Clayton was eliminated by Michelle that he was already cast as the next Bachelor, thanks to resident Bachelor spoiler man Reality Steve.
Now that the cat is out of the bag and ABC has officially announced Clayton as the next lead of The Bachelor, does that mean Clayton won't attend the "Men Tell All"? Let's put on our own Sherlock Holmes hats and solve this mystery.
Clayton is nowhere to be see in the "Men Tell All" promos.
If we judge Clayton's "Men Tell All" appearance based on the promos for the special episode, then no, Clayton is not in attendance. Does that mean Clayton won't appear sometime during the special? Stranger things have happened on The Bachelorette.
Typically the "Men Tell All" special is a chance for the eliminated men to air their grievances with the other contestants or even the lead herself. Drama aside, typically the most wholesome "Men Tell All" moments (besides the bloopers) are when the contestants tell their Bachelorette how they did love her in order to seek closure on national television.
Clayton's casting broke 'Bachelor' tradition.
In past seasons, ABC typically didn't announce the next lead of The Bachelor before the "Men Tell All" special. Not only that, but the official synopsis for the "Men Tell All" says that "15 former contestants" will be in attendance for the special and that there will be a "sneak peek of Clayton's season of The Bachelor," per a report from the site Carter Matt.
Given that Clayton has already filmed most of, if not all of his journey as the next lead of The Bachelor as of Dec. 6, 2021, it really doesn't make sense for him to attend Michelle's "Men Tell All" special. In a way, his casting is Clayton's closure, so it's not necessary to rehash his short-lived relationship with Michelle. (And to be honest, we're more interested to hear Tayshia Adams explain the truth of what happened with her and Zac Clark!)
Clayton and Michelle appear to be on great terms as friends.
Clayton and Michelle both attended the KIIS-FM Jingle Ball on Dec. 3 and even took a sweet picture together on the red carpet. The newest Bachelor lead had nothing but sweet words for his Bachelorette.
In conclusion, we believe it simply wouldn't make sense for Clayton to appear on the "Men Tell All" special, even as a surprise guest. Michelle clearly had stronger romantic connections with her top 3 men, and the teasers for the special featured other men like Rodney Mathews getting a chance for closure with Michelle.
Regardless of what happens on the "Men Tell All," we're rooting for Michelle and Clayton to find lasting love. Don't miss out on the "Men Tell All" on Monday, Dec. 6, 2021, at 9 p.m. EST on ABC.