LOS ANGELES — After its first season with a Black lead was rocked by scandal — and criticism of its ongoing diversity missteps — ABC’s “The Bachelor” was poised to retreat to its comfort zone this season: fun-filled dates, exotic locations and an upbeat white lead.
At center stage in Season 26 is Clayton Echard, a former football player adored by kids, puppies and the group of eligible bachelorettes competing for his affections. The Midwestern medical sales rep with the toothy smile marked a dramatic shift from the brooding Matt James, whose 2021 search for love was marred by an uproar over photographs of a contestant taken at an antebellum-South-themed party — a controversy that eventually ensnared the show’s veteran host, Chris Harrison, who exited the franchise last June.
As he narrowed his choices to three women, Echard indicated that he favored Virginia-based wedding videographer Susie Evans.
