The Bachelor featured Shanae Ankney giving her fellow bachelorettes a fake and award-winning apology to stay on Clayton Echard's good graces, Shanae facing Genevieve Parisi on a two-on-one date, and Clayton eliminating Sierra Jackson, Lyndsey Windham and Jill Chin during Monday night's Season 26 episode on ABC.
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The Bachelor broadcast began with Jill; Susie Evans, a 28-year-old wedding videographer from Virginia Beach, VA; and Rachel Recchia, a 25-year-old flight instructor from Clermont, FL; discussing how Shanae, a 29-year-old recruiter from Sycamore, OH, had been causing all the drama in the house and they wished Clayton could see that.
Susie said Shanae had "acted like a child" when she threw the winning football team's golden trophy into the dirt at a group-date afterparty, and Jill noted how Shanae was "literally tormenting" everybody.
But Serene Russell, a 26-year-old elementary school teacher from Oklahoma City, OK, was about to go on a one-on-one date with Clayton, and the girls were hoping The Bachelor star was going to have a fun and stress-free day with the excited bachelorette.
Serene accompanied Clayton to Galveston Pleasure Pier, where the couple played games, went on rides, ate ice cream, and got their adrenaline pumping. Clayton also won her some big teddy-bear prizes.
"I feel like when we kiss, we're connected. I know that sounds cheesy, but it just shows that the feelings are mutual and we have a good connection," Serene shared.
Serene and Clayton took in a beautiful view while on the big swings, and the pair clearly had a great time together.
Serene pointed out how she can be mysterious, and Clayton noticed how she may take some time to warm up. They felt a strong physical connection, but Clayton wondered if they could go deeper -- and he hoped to establish an emotional bond with her over dinner that evening.
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Clayton could tell Serene had a wall up and seemed to be protecting herself against something.
That night, Serene, who struggles to open up to people -- including to family members -- shared her whole story with Clayton that night and revealed how she had experienced a lot of loss in the past couple of years.
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Serene said her grandmother died two-and-a-half years ago followed by her cousin, the sister she never had who battled a drug addiction. Serene said the losses were "fresh" but she finally felt "at peace" and had accepted not having those people in her life anymore.
Serene shared how she and her cousin used to squish fireflies on their faces when they were little so they could glow, and she made Clayton laugh and he seemed to find her endearing.
Serene told Clayton that he has "kind eyes," and he said he'd take anything he can get.
"She is allowing herself to be vulnerable and she is very trusting of me. I am very, very happy that Serene is here," Clayton told the cameras.
Clayton then gave Serene a rose and thanked her for letting him get to know her heart more. Serene called the date "perfect" and felt "seen and heard" by The Bachelor star.
"My feelings for Clayton have grown tremendously. It's getting real to me that he could be my husband, and I'm excited to see where things could go. I definitely feel like I'm falling in love with Clayton," Serene gushed.
The next cocktail party and Rose Ceremony then commenced, and Mara Agreat, a 32-year-old entrepreneur from Collingswood, NJ, said Shanae seemed to wait to cause drama at events such as these when women would be going home.
But Shanae entered the cocktail party feeling "great," although she was annoyed at Genevieve, a 26-year-old bartender from Los Angeles, CA, and Sierra Jackson, whom Shanae had heard talking about her behind her back.
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Before Clayton arrived at the cocktail party, Jill told Shanae how it really bothered her how Shanae felt she deserved to join the football afterparty when no one else on the losing team had been invited or allowed to go.
Jill called it "a slap in the face" and said in a confessional that Shanae had been terrorizing everyone.
Once Clayton approached the group, he asked to speak with the winning football team in order to get to the bottom of the issue.
Sierra explained how Shanae had negatively affected the house, sworn at Genevieve and herself to keep her name out of their "f-cking" mouths, and thrown their trophy onto the ground.
Marlena Wesh, a 30-year-old former Olympian from Virginia Beach, VA, also said a person needs to know when to take an "L" and Clayton, as a former athlete, should understand that. Marlena felt disappointed, sad and angry about Shanae's behavior.
Susie told Clayton how a person needs to know how to apologize to de-escalate a situation, and Teddi Wright, a 24-year-old surgical unit nurse from Highland, CA, called Shanae's trophy throwing "absurd."
"I'm not sure how you can come back from something like that," Teddi told the Bachelor.
Clayton said he didn't know Shanae had thrown the trophy or had been "throwing expletives" at people. He seemed surprised and concerned and was no longer sure he could defend Shanae's actions.
"I don't know if I can continue having a connection with somebody in the house who displays that type of behavior, because it's not acceptable," Clayton said.
And Mara vented in a confessional how Shanae was "not wifey material" for Clayton.
"You can't get along with other girls, you're dramatic, you're angry, you're aggressive. The sun goes down and the crazy comes out, and I think it's only a matter of time before he sees it -- and I can't imagine that he likes it, but who knows," Mara explained.
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Shanae said she was tired of hearing her name and women pointing fingers at her, and Clayton said he didn't want The Bachelor to be "a hostile environment." He said throwing the trophy was not the right thing to do and he wasn't sure how they could move forward from that.
Clayton told Shanae that her actions were hard to defend, and so he asked her if she was sorry.
Meanwhile, Sierra talked to the women about how Clayton would be sending a message that he accepts Shanae's actions if he opted to keep her.
Shanae was then shown apologizing to Clayton, saying she got wrapped up in the heat of the moment and never should have thrown the trophy. She insisted that's not her character and she was really sorry -- both for the trophy and for interrupting that afterparty.
Shanae subsequently addressed the cast as a whole and cried. She said she was really sorry and had never intended to hurt anybody. Shanae explained how the drama had been going on for too long and she had said some things she didn't mean.
"I am really sorry and I hope we can get past this, because I really want to talk to you guys and confide in you and be there for one another. I am truly sorry," Shanae announced.
Marlena accepted Shanae's apology, and so did Susie, who said she respected Shanae's "big" decision to take accountability and do right by her actions.
After Shanae apologized, she kissed Clayton and then went off in a confessional.
"I'm not sorry, hoes, you mean-ass b-tches! I need an Oscar award for that performance. Fake it until you make it!" Shanae bragged. "I never thought I could act before but I'm f-cking good."
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Shanae even boasted about how she had delivered a better performance than Meryl Streep.
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The Rose Ceremony then began, and Clayton handed out roses to Sarah Hamrick, a 23-year-old wealth management advisor from New York, NY; Marlena; Genevieve; Mara; Gabby Windey, a 30-year-old ICU nurse from Denver, CO; Susie; Eliza Isichei, a 25-year-old marketing manager from Berlin, Germany; Hunter Haag, a 28-year-old human resources specialist from Charlotte, NC; and Shanae.
Rachel, who already had a rose from her one-on-one date with Clayton earlier in the week, dropped her jaw in shock as Sierra, Lyndsey, and Jill were eliminated.
Sierra advised Clayton on her way out to choose the girl for the man he is right now and would become, and she added, "Don't be stupid," with a laugh.
"If Shanae is what he wants, then he can keep Shanae. I mean, that's his own bed and he's got to lie in it. But anybody would've been a better decision than her. She's not going to be the one he chooses in the end," Sierra said in her final words. "And if it is, then, yikes!"
Mara said she was "baffled" by Clayton's choices and she hoped the drama would disappear once and for all.
"I just sent another b-tch home! I literally sent home two girls back to back. Who's next on my list?!" Shanae bragged. "I feel like everyone should kind of watch out. Sorry but I'm not sorry, b-tches!"
Clayton then announced to the group they'd be traveling to Toronto, Canada for the next week of dates.
Once the women got settled in their hotel suite, a Date Card arrived for Gabby, who was ecstatic to learn she'd be going on a one-on-one date with Clayton. The card read, "Love is on the horizon."
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For their international date, Gabby and Clayton took a helicopter ride together.
"Gabby was someone who wasn't on my radar at first, but now, I can't get her off my mind. She is absolutely hilarious. The more time I spend with her, the more I'm laughing. She has made the biggest jumps as far as the connection that we have," Clayton shared.
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Gabby said building a romance with Clayton felt "right" and she was "getting all the feels" for the Bachelor, and he apparently loved her goofy side.
Meanwhile, another Date Card arrived for the following women: Rachel, Sarah, Serene, Marlena, Susie, Hunter, Eliza, Teddi, and Mara.
The Date Card read, "Can you take the heat?"
Genevieve then realized she'd be forced to endure a two-on-one date with Shanae, and both of the women were disappointed. Mara hoped Clayton would see Shanae's true colors and Genevieve could "nudge that along."
Back on Clayton's date, Gabby acknowledged she was falling for Clayton and so she wanted him to get to know her on a deeper level and see her serious side.
Gabby shared how she struggled to receive love, not give love, because she felt "undeserving" -- a sense of unworthiness. Gabby said she had done a lot of work on herself and she had an appreciation for those experiences since they made her the woman she is today.
Gabby also told Clayton how her mother had been very physically affectionate with her children when Gabby was growing up only to suddenly withhold her love and attention.
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"I think, 'If my mom can stop loving me, why can't anyone else?' She's my mom. We don't have a relationship now," Gabby said, adding how she missed her mom so much but has a lot of healing to do. "She just did the best with what she was given, and unfortunately, it affected me."
Clayton could tell Gabby uses humor to ignore or deflect the struggles she's faced and the pain that's stemmed from her past, almost like a coping mechanism, and he was so thankful Gabby trusted him and could open up to him.
Clayton gave Gabby a rose at the end of their date, and he didn't want to hold anything back from her.
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"She could be my future wife," Clayton admitted.
The next day, Clayton enjoyed the group date with nine women.
Canadian comedian and actor Russell Peters revealed how the ladies would be roasting Clayton as well as each other, and as far as the content goes, Russell said, "The meaner the better."
Marlena said of Shanae, "She is like a Herpes outbreak. No matter how hard you try to get rid of her, she keeps coming back and lasting longer than expected."
Sarah poked fun at Mara for hydrating with Tequila "like most cougars do." She said Mara has a membership at Baby Gap as well as adult gap between her teeth, and Mara said she's not wife material and had a confidence that was borderline cocky.
Mara told Clayton that if he ended up with Sarah, she could be her babysitter, adding, "Just go home you desperate b-tch."
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Most of the women roasted Shanae, including Serene, who said Shanae had given an Academy Award-winning performance with "fake tears."
At the afterparty, Susie stood in front of a microphone and shared what she liked about Clayton, including his dimples and compassion.
Clayton told Marlena that she has a future in standup comedy, and Marlena said she gives 100 percent of herself to a relationship and would continue giving Clayton everything she's got.
Meanwhile, Shanae and Genevieve received their Date Card that read, "Into the falls your journey goes, only one comes out with a rose. I'd like to make a decision, Clayton."
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Shanae said she wanted to push Genevieve into "The Falls" and Genevieve was going to be the last "trash" she'd be taking out.
Clayton then told Rachel how she was on his mind constantly and their journey together had been "damn near perfect." Sarah was also feeling confident in her connection with Clayton, who admitted he was feeling deeply connected with multiple women.
At the end of the evening, Clayton offered the group-date rose to Rachel, who apparently made him feel safe with every interaction they had. Susie and Marlena both felt deflated by Clayton's decision.
For the two-on-one date, Shanae planned to smile, laugh and "be fake" until Clayton sent Genevieve packing. The girls met Clayton at Niagara Falls, and he hoped they could have fun that day despite obvious tension.
Genevieve admittedly felt strange and awkward on the date as the trio took a boat ride under the famous waterfall, and all of the women back at the hotel hoped Clayton would send Shanae packing.
"She's a puppeteer. Shanae likes to push people to the limit and be cute, calm, and collected when it's all so phony and calculated. She's a roller coaster, she's dramatic, she's erratic, she's unnecessary. She's not wife material, she sucks," Mara claimed in a confessional.
The bachelorettes agreed Clayton's decision would have a ripple effect on everyone left in the house, and even Susie said she may take her relationship with The Bachelor star less seriously at that point.
The episode then ended on a cliffhanger.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
