The Bachelor alum Gabi Elnicki has slammed Zach Shallcross and admitted she's thankful that she wasn't his winning bachelorette on Season 27.

ADVERTISEMENT

Gabi had competed for Zach's heart on The Bachelor's 27th season. She finished as the runner-up bachelorette behind her friend, Kaity Biggar, who is currently engaged to Zach.

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)

When looking back on her short-lived romance with Zach, Gabi said she realized they weren't supposed to be together while filming The Bachelor's 27th season, which aired in early 2023 on ABC.

"I think I realized when I was there that he was not my person, but you know, I digressed. I realized there, but when I got back, I thought, 'Thank God,'" Gabi admitted during a recent episode of "The Ben & Ashley I: Almost Famous Podcast" co-hosted by Ben Higgins and Ashley Iaconetti.

"No offense to him, like, he and Kaity are perfect together and I totally understand them as a couple. And being so close with Kaity, I get it much more now."

Gabi apparently believes she's "not nice enough" to be Zach's partner and make him happy.

"I don't think he could've handled me because I'm sassy, and Kaity is very sweet and she's just a nurse. And I know myself. I'm, like, a little feisty," Gabi shared.

"And I don't think that we would've been compatible in the long run."

Gabi clarified that while she's "really kind and really sweet," she likes to "pick at people as a joke."

Gabi elaborated, "I'm very sarcastic, and I just don't know if that would've landed well... And I'm so close with Kaity and I am so happy for her. We honestly see Zach the Bachelor as a totally different person than her Zach that she has now."

Gabi said she hangs out with Kaity a lot and hearing about their relationship is "totally different" and "for the best."

"I think they're really happy, and I think Zach has changed as a person since the show," Gabi said, adding how starring on The Bachelor comes with so much pressure.

Given Gabi is currently in a happy relationship and living with her boyfriend in Houston, TX, she added, "So I think everything has worked out the way it was supposed to."

Gabi said what helped her realize Zach wasn't her person is that "he didn't protect me at all" during and after The Bachelor Fantasy Suites.

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)

Not only did Zach choose to break Gabi's heart as part of a grand spectacle for TV during the Final Rose Ceremony in Thailand, but he also publicly spilled their oh-so-personal secret that they had sex in the Fantasy Suite, which made Gabi feel betrayed and "violated."

"This isn't just a TV show, so what you say actually impacts people in their real lives. And unfortunately, I got really attacked for that one," Gabi complained.

"But it's okay. I've grown up and I'm stronger for having gone through that. But I knew in that moment someone who will be a real partner to me would choose to protect me in that moment."

Gabi pointed out how Zach could've told Kaity about their sexual encounter in private and off-camera.

Since Zach had announced before Fantasy Suites that he wasn't going to be intimate with anyone in order to not cloud his judgement, Gabi received a lot of backlash from fans once Zach let the world know that he did, in fact, have sex with Gabi during their overnight date.

"My privacy was not a concern to him knowing that people can take this and use it however they want on the Internet," Gabi vented.

"People are going to come for me, and I think that was really telling, 'This person isn't my partner,' because I didn't feel like I was protected by him in any capacity."

Gabi acknowledged that Zach was "trying to be protective" of Kaity, which makes sense now and she understands, but he "could've been a little more mindful of me."

After The Bachelor aired, Gabi claimed Zach had lied to her about the moment in which he selected Kaity as his winner and that he should've dumped her sooner and in a less dramatic fashion.

(Zach told Gabi that he had made his final decision the night before the Final Rose Ceremony, but Zach later told The Bachelor host Jesse Palmer that he knew earlier in the process Kaity was his match).

But the Vermont native explained on the "Off the Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe" podcast in April 2023 that she doesn't regret her stint on The Bachelor, even though it ended up being a painful journey for her.

"I don't regret it because I learned so much about myself and there's so much time for self-reflection. That's actually the only thing you can do besides think about Zach all day long, is reflect on yourself," Gabi said at the time.

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)  

Gabi said she also realized while dating Zach and opening herself up on television that she still had some traumas to work through from past relationships, when she felt "second" to other women and got cheated on.

"I learned so many areas where I still need to heal things about me," Gabi explained.

"This is a deep insecurity and it shows. So there was so much that was worth it. Even though I'm still hurting a little bit still, I learned a lot and it was definitely therapy."

When asked whether she was "over" Zach following their split, Gabi replied, "I think I thought I was over him. But when you leave the bubble, you are saying goodbye for good, right?"

She continued, "You can't call them, you can't text them. I'm not hitting him up on Instagram. He's with, you know, one of my best friends and I knew they were together. And I wouldn't have wanted to reach out to him anyways."

Gabi said once she had returned home from filming, she attempted to get back into her normal routine of working in sales. Gabi also leaned on family, friends and one pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream to get her through each day.

"Watching it back was definitely... difficult. But for me, I don't think I'm over how violated I felt by the end of the show and how hurt I felt. But I'm over Zach, if that makes sense," Gabi told Kaitlyn at the time.

"I don't know. Maybe I'm not over him and I'm just saying that."

But Gabi confirmed that if Zach came running back to her asking for a second chance, she'd say, "No."

As for whether she was ready to begin dating at the time, Gabi admitted she needed more time.

"I need to focus on me for a while and not jump to put a Band-Aid on what I'm feeling right now. It's okay to be alone, and I think I need to learn that a little bit," Gabi concluded.

"But if Tyler Cameron reached out to me, I would respond. But I'm totally not going to shoot my shot right now!"

Gabi also previously said she hoped to score an invitation to Zach and Kaity's wedding since she and Kaity are very close friends.

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)

Interested in more The Bachelor news? Follow our Bachelor Nation News Page on Facebook or join our The Bachelor Facebook Group!




About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON GOOGLE NEWS