The Bachelor star Clayton Echard has revealed he's planning to take a social-media hiatus to avoid backlash in response to the final episodes of Season 26.
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"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."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
Clayton added, "It will probably do me best if I just take a step back for a couple weeks."
A source told E! News late last month that Clayton was concerned the backlash he had been receiving from some viewers will only worsen as the remainder of his The Bachelor season airs and they see the decisions he made as his search for love wrapped up.
The Bachelor's 26th season is heading into Clayton's overnight Fantasy Suite dates with his Final 3 bachelorettes -- Gabby Windey, Rachel Recchia, and Susie Evans -- and it's only a matter of time until the drama heats up even more than what viewers have already seen so far.
The source close to production told the website Clayton has really been "struggling with the criticism" and he "knows things could get worse for him over the next few weeks as Fantasy Suites come into play."
In a trailer ABC previously released, Clayton admits he found love with three women, before telling two ladies -- Rachel and Gabby, apparently -- that he had been "intimate" with them both, allowing fans to believe he had slept with two or more bachelorettes in the Fantasy Suites.
The Bachelor host Jesse Palmer told Us Weekly in late January that there are going to be "very, very eye-opening" events for viewers watching at home.
"I know we always say, 'It's the most dramatic season,' [but] Clayton's season [is] the most dramatic season ever because there's so many things that have never happened before," Jesse said.
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And around that same time, Jesse told E! News that producers were caught off guard by the direction Clayton's season had ultimately taken, adding how fans are in for some big shockers.
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"There's so much that they had to add into an episode or two extra," Clayton noted on the podcast. "As far as if it's dramatic enough or the most dramatic, that's going to be up to everyone else to decide."
"Viewers at home will see things this season that they've never seen in 20 years having watched The Bachelor," Jesse explained at the time.
"Sometimes those decisions to a lot of people at home may feel like they're sort of straying off the beaten path. It's not as formulaic as what we've seen in recent seasons, but I think that's a little bit refreshing about him."
The Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss recently tweeted about Clayton's The Bachelor season, "Major Historic Announcement! This season's finale of #TheBachelorABC is totally spoiler-proof. No one knows how it will end, cuz it ain't over til it's over! And it ain't over..."
The tweet suggests that not only did Clayton not get engaged at the end of his season, but that the small-town medical sales representative and former college football player didn't even pick one of his remaining bachelorettes as his winner when The Bachelor season was filmed last year.
It remains unclear if there was even a Final Rose Ceremony of Season 26, and maybe Clayton's journey to find love continued in the real world once filming concluded.
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Reality Steve spoiler blogger Steve Carbone, who reports his spoiler findings every The Bachelor and The Bachelorette season, claims he is unaware of how Clayton's season ended.
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Season 24 The Bachelor star Peter Weber predicted that Clayton probably left his season alone and single, based on clues dropped by Clayton as well as the show's editing team.
However, Clayton has said in the press how he's happy and in a good place after filming The Bachelor, even though many moments were tough to watch back, especially his interactions with villain Shanae Ankney and when he broke a woman's heart, such as Serene Russell.
Clayton also expressed on "Click Bait" how he has no regrets about his final decisions on the show. He also no longer regrets his initial decision to become The Bachelor star for 2022.
The Bachelor is heading into its The Women Tell All broadcast on Monday, March 7, and then Clayton's Fantasy-Suite episode is set to air Tuesday, March 8, with both broadcasts airing at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.
Clayton revealed on "Click Bait" that producers added an episode or two to the schedule since his ending was so dramatic, and so it appears Season 26 will have a two-night finale event next week on ABC.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
