The Bachelor star Clayton Echard has admitted he's absolutely terrified for viewers to watch the ending of his season considering so much drama unfolded during filming.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I am somewhat petrified at how all the things went down," Clayton, 28, told Us Weekly at The Women Tell All taping.
"I went in there hoping that I could make it as seamless as possible. And I think, honestly, it was the closest thing to a trainwreck."
RELATED LINK: BACHELOR SPOILERS: WHAT HAPPENS ON CLAYTON ECHARD'S 'THE BACHELOR' SEASON? WHO DOES CLAYTON PICK AND END UP WITH AS HIS WINNER?
As fans saw on Tuesday night's The Bachelor episode, Clayton had sex and confessed he was in love with both Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia during their overnight Fantasy Suite dates in Iceland, but then he told Susie Evans on his third date of the week that he was "the most in love" with her.
ADVERTISEMENT
Susie, wanting to be Clayton's one and only in order to feel good about possibly getting engaged in one week, expressed how she couldn't see herself moving forward in the process due to Clayton's apparent willingness to jeopardize their strong relationship.
But just as it appeared Susie was going to quit the show, Clayton essentially beat her to the punch and determined he was "done" with her.
Clayton said Susie's lack of desire to forgive him and fight for their love completely "invalidated" everything about their relationship.
"It was a mess and I feel terrible and it hurts me," Clayton said, "but I know I have to talk to these women and we all need our closure."
Twitter exploded after Tuesday night's episode aired on ABC with comments about how Clayton "is a gaslighter" who flipped the script on Susie and made her feel at fault for his own mistakes.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I'm not looking forward to [it] because it's going to be very emotional," the Bachelor added.
While Clayton's decisions during the Fantasy Suites clearly resulted in Susie leaving the show, he apparently stands by his journey and doesn't have any big regrets.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
"I took the actions that I took thinking that they were the right actions to take at that time," Clayton explained.
"I since found out that, looking back at it, I should have asked more questions and made sure that all the women were on the same page."
ADVERTISEMENT
Clayton was clearly referring to the fact he had no idea Susie would dump him if he chose to sleep with one or more of his other Final 3 bachelorettes. Clayton scolded Susie for not expressing her dealbreaker and/or giving him an ultimatum about sex earlier in the process.
It also appears, based on a preview of next week's two-night finale event, that Rachel and Gabby are both furious when they learn about Clayton's actions and his love for three women.
"[I] tried my best all the way through," Clayton told Us.
When asked to tease how Season 26 ends, Clayton admitted there is still a lot up in the air, which is consistent with The Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss' February tweet that the show "ain't over" yet and so the finale details cannot be spoiled.
"I will sit here and kinda shake my head in confirmation that there's a lot going on," Clayton teased. "I think we all have to wait to see how it pans out."
ADVERTISEMENT
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
Clayton also dodged a question about whether he's still in love now given the show wrapped filming late last year.
"I felt a lot of love through the entire journey," Clayton noted.
"It's hard to answer. That's a really hard one to answer because I think, again, it's been alluded to [that] things are ongoing and I don't really know how things are going to end."
Fans have been speculating maybe Susie returns or Clayton tries to win her back. It's also possible Clayton attempted to make a relationship work with Rachel or Gabby following Susie's exit.
Regardless, upcoming The Bachelor footage is expected to be messy and shocking.
"I think I will probably take somewhat of a hiatus in the next few weeks on social media," Clayton revealed during an appearance on the "Click Bait with Bachelor Nation" podcast last week.
"I will probably still be posting a little bit but not nearly as much, nor reading, because yeah, I'm aware of what's coming up."
Clayton added, "It will probably do me best if I just take a step back for a couple weeks."
The Bachelor host Jesse Palmer announced on The Bachelor: The Women Tell All on Monday night that Clayton's season is definitely "the most dramatic season" in franchise history.
"Viewers at home will see things this season that they've never seen in 20 years having watched The Bachelor," Jesse recently told E! News, adding how Clayton's season is "not as formulaic" as seasons past.
ADVERTISEMENT
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
Interested in more The Bachelor news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group!