ABC Clayton Echard may be dropping clues on Instagram.
Fans of “The Bachelor” have spent the past couple of weeks frustrated because Clayton Echard continued giving Shanae Ankney a rose despite the other women telling him that she was causing drama.
Warning: Mild “Bachelor” spoilers ahead.
Clayton took Shanae on a two-on-one date on the February 7, 2022, episode of the show, and the episode ended on a bit of a cliffhanger. On the February 14, 2022, episode, the date will resume and Clayton is expected to send Shanae home, choosing to give the date rose to Genevieve Parisi, according to Reality Steve.
However, many “Bachelor” viewers felt that Shanae should have been sent home the week before — at the very latest — after a squabble with Elizabeth Corrigan. Watching the show back, Clayton seemed to regret his decision. He posted a public apology to Elizabeth on his Instagram Stories after the episode aired.
“I would have sent Shanae home immediately for making fun of you for being neurodivergent, had I known. Overall, the experience for me watching hasn’t been fun, simply because I’m seeing all the damage that I caused. I really meant well, but my actions weren’t always the best as I now can see the repercussions from my decisions,” he wrote, in part, according to Us Weekly.
As many Bachelor stars before him, Clayton has kept the season villain on the show longer than he probably should have — and has pretty much admitted such on social media. However, it may not have been entirely his choice to continue giving Shanae roses — and he dropped a major hint about it on Instagram.
Here’s what you need to know:
A Fan Gave Clayton a Challenge of Sorts on Instagram
On February 8, 2022, Clayton shared a photo from his one-on-one date with Gabby Windey. “It’s anyone’s guess what we’re laughing about, as no topic was off-limits when it came to the two of us conversing,” he captioned the pic, adding, “Thankful for the moments, like this, where we felt safe in a world of ‘unknown.'”
While the comments section filled up with replies from fans weighing in on Gabby, a few fans took the opportunity to comment about Shanae.
“Probably laughing about how producers are forcing you to keep Shanae,” one person commented.
“Laughing at the blinders that you wear for Shanae-nae,” a second comment read.
But it was a third comment from a fan that has people talking.
“Wear blue in your next photo if you were forced to keep Shanae against your will,” someone suggested. Clayton didn’t respond to that comment — but his next photo may have been telling.
Clayton Wore Blue in a Subsequent Instagram Post
The very next day, Clayton shared another photo — this time wearing blue shorts. Well, that’s all it took for several fans to think that he was responding to the fan request from the earlier post.
“YOUR SHORTS ARE BLUE,” the fan who suggested Clayton wear blue to send fans a message wrote. This time, she got a response from the man himself.
“That is a correct observation!” Clayton responded. And some fans think that Clayton really was sending a message.
“hahahaha KNEW IT! Confirmed,” one person wrote.
“THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS IVE NEVER DISLIKED ANYONE ON BACH AS MUCH AS I DISLIKE SHANAE and thank you Clayton for your shorts,” added another.
“I need more confirmation, but I’m intrigued,” a third person commented.
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