The Bachelor star Zach Shallcross has responded to fans who’ve called him “boring,” and explained why he doesn’t let the criticism get to him.
The 26-year-old, who starred as the season 27 Bachelor spoke candidly about fan opinions of him during a recent interview with People, where he noted that, although fans may think he was a boring frontrunner, he’s not bothered by it.
“Coming into this, it’s no surprise I’m not the crazy loud one or the most dramatic. I try to live my life like that in general,” he explained. “I’m not going to let the show sway that.”
Shallcross then reflected on his season and how, despite the criticism that he received, he ultimately ended up with what he wanted. He proposed to contestant Kaity Biggar in the season finale, before the pair revealed they were still together in The After The Final Rose special.
“As everyone saw, there was still drama, but to the people that were calling me a boring Bachelor, like: ‘Hey, kudos to you. I’ve found the love of my life. I got what I wanted. You don’t have to watch,’” he said.
Shallcross’ fiancée also came to his defence and claimed he was “not boring in the slightest”.
“He’s so goofy, so fun. He’s got - holy moly 0 amazing amount of qualities to him,” the travel nurse told People. “Every day I am like: ‘Wow, I didn’t know I could fall even more in love with you.’ But I do, every single day. But again, this goes back to what Zach said, you don’t have to watch, you don’t have to like him. I love him.”
This isn’t the first time that Shallcross has addressed the criticism, as he shared a photo on Instagram of himself in front of a sign that read: “BBE.” In the caption, he explained what the initials meant, writing: “Boring Bachelor Energy.”
During a recent appearance on the Click Bait podcast, which is hosted by Bachelor in Paradise couple Serena Pitt and Joe Amabille, Shallcross also defended his behaviour on the show and claimed that, while he didn’t enjoy being described as boring, it’s better than being viewed as an “a**hole”.
“I’m not like the dude that’s going to cause unnecessary bull****, but in life you find yourself in unnecessary bull**** and it’s entertaining,” he explained. “To be honest, it was a little weird in the beginning and it kind of sucked.”
He continued: “You never like to be told you’re boring, but then you look on the bright side and realise I could be called the a**hole Bachelor. That would be worse. I don’t want to be an a**hole Bachelor.”
Elsewhere in his interview with People, Shallcross, spoke about his and Biggar’s families’ opinions about their relationship and how supportive they’ve been.
“Obviously you garner opinions from everyone - the internet, fans - but family and friends are always helping us through and have our back on both of our side,” he explained. “Both Kaity’s family and my family, they’re really rooting for us.”
The senior account executive, who first appeared on Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey’s season of The Bachelorette last year, also acknowledged how he and Biggar have overcome various challenges together.
“It’s not like it’s been super easy the whole time, but it’s we have grown stronger and overcome some tough things together, and we’ve come out better and stronger for it at the end,” he said. “And that’s something that I’m so appreciative of. It just makes our relationship so loving and strong.”
