Susie Evans / Instagram

'The Bachelor' alum Susie Evans: Clayton Echard is "way more compatible" with Rachel Recchia, I still wonder why he picked me

By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 03/23/2023

Susie Evans has confessed that she still questions why Clayton Echard picked her at the end of The Bachelor's 26th season last year because he's "way more compatible" with Rachel Recchia.

"I remember struggling for a long time thinking -- and to this day, I still kind of think -- like, 'Why did you pick me? We aren't compatible,'" Susie, 29, admitted during the Tuesday, March 21 episode of "The Viall Files" podcast.

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Susie told the podcast's host, Season 21 The Bachelor star Nick Viall, "You really don't know if you're compatible until you get out" of The Bachelor bubble and into the real world."

Susie therefore recalled of her relationship with Clayton after the show, "I remember looking back and being like, 'You are way more compatible with Rachel.'"

"I remember thinking -- I was like, 'Why did you pick me? You have somebody that you probably would have been really compatible with.' And other girls too, that didn't make it quite as far," the wedding videographer added.

Susie quit The Bachelor during her Fantasy Suite date with Clayton because he revealed he had slept with -- and also professed his love to -- both Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia earlier in the week.

Clayton went on to introduce Rachel and Gabby to his family, but then he determined he was the "most" in love with Susie, a "once-in-a-lifetime woman," and so he dumped his other two bachelorettes simultaneously.

Clayton begged for another shot with Susie, but she returned for the Final Rose Ceremony only to break up with him under the assumption he wasn't her "person."

However, Susie and Clayton reunited after the show wrapped filming, and they were an item who announced their love to the world on The Bachelor: After the Final Rose in March 2022.

"I really do feel like I was able to move past [his romances with Gabby and Rachel] in our relationship," Susie told Nick.

"Knowing myself, I wouldn't have gotten back into a relationship if I didn't genuinely think there was a chance it could work out. And so before we even committed to being with each other, I think I had moved past the physical intimacy side of things."

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Internet trolls slammed Susie for giving Clayton another chance and allegedly having no respect for herself. Both Susie and Clayton faced so much backlash on social media -- including death threats to Clayton -- that it affected their mental health and even turned the pair against each other at times.

Susie finally announced their breakup in September 2022.

Susie suggested that she and Clayton dated, without being compatible, because the show didn't provide them with a solid foundation for an emotional connection.

"I think it's more of a testament to the process of the show. You don't get enough quality time with that person," Susie shared on the podcast.

"I mean, that privacy behind Fantasy Suites, in my mind, I was like, 'I would have to ask every question over the moon.' I would want to really know that person on such a deeper level. I would want to know so much about them as a person because that's the only time you get to truly be real and raw and not have to worry about the world judging you."

But Susie reiterated how "the show doesn't give you enough time to have those kinds of conversations." She said the connections felt "very surfacy," as a result, "for a lot of it."

"And I think that is a harder thing to get through when you're starting a relationship with somebody," she acknowledged.

When asked why she thinks Clayton would be more compatible with Rachel, Susie replied, "I mean, I don't know now. But more compatible than me."

After Clayton's season, Rachel starred on The Bachelorette's nineteenth season alongside Gabby in 2022. Rachel got engaged to Tino Franco during the finale, but they split shortly afterwards because Tino had cheated on her.

Clayton and Rachel sparked reconciliation rumors in February when they reunited and posted a series of playful TikTok videos, which also featured The Bachelorette 18 star Michelle Young, who had dumped Clayton on her 2021 season before he was chosen to star on The Bachelor's 26th edition.

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Clayton told Us Weekly on its "Here for the Right Reasons" podcast in late February that it was "really cool" spending time with Rachel after the pair had gone a whole year without speaking.

"There was so much healing there. That conversation was so powerful," Clayton shared.

Clayton then dropped the bombshell that he and Rachel actually discussed the possibility of them reconciling and getting back together.

"Her and I both talked about it. We said, you know, we have very high thoughts of each other. But, of course, after what all happened, it's like, 'How would you ever go about dating again after all of that occurred?'" Clayton reasoned.

"She doesn't have any interest in doing so, and I got that. I also was on my end, like, 'You know what, after everything we went through, being friends sounds very pleasant.'"

Clayton said he walked away from his experience with Rachel feeling positive and lighter.

"I just remember thinking like, 'Man, this just felt so rewarding.' And I'm just so happy to know that even someone like her -- after everything that happened and everyone that was mad at me, [she could give me grace]," Clayton explained.

For Rachel's part, she addressed speculation she was giving Clayton another shot in a February 3 post on Instagram Stories.

"U guys have me dedd [sic] it's all in good fun. Healing and forgiveness is a lesson I had trouble learning for a long time. I promise I'm not leaving this era quite yet," Rachel said.

A couple of weeks later, Rachel shared on "The Ben and Ashley I: Almost Famous Podcast" how she "had no idea what to expect" going into her hangout session with Clayton, who currently lives in Scottsdale, AZ.

"I think we knew we were going to kind of be civil, but we were able to actually have really good conversation and talk everything through as adults," Rachel noted at the time.

Susie reacted to Rachel, Michelle and Clayton's gathering when she posted a selfie of herself smiling and walking outdoors in February.

"Walking on the side of the street with sun not shade," Susie captioned the image, tagging herself in her new city of Los Angeles, CA.