New Bachelor Zach Shallcross shared that he got busted for drinking beer at a party when he was in high school. As part of his punishment, he was required to attend some Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. Seriously?! Who didn’t have a beer or two in high school? And a couple of drinks at one party does not define someone as an alcoholic.
People reported that Zach made the confession while talking to Bachelor Nation’s Ben Higgins and Ashley Iaconetti on an episode of their podcast, The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast.
Zach swore that he was “actually a pretty easy kid to raise” and he would “mostly rat” himself out to his parents if he ever broke the rules. The Anaheim Hills native did get caught drinking at a party his senior year. Part of his punishment was to attend a handful of AA meetings.
“I was at a party, and one of the kids decided to take a picture of our beer pyramid and send it to our math teacher,” the Season 27 star admitted. “Obviously, a great idea.” Or not.
At the time, Zach was preparing to graduate from his Catholic high school. He had already accepted a football scholarship and was looking forward to playing Division I football at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo.
“I was like, ‘Dude, why the hell did you send it to the teacher?’ And he’s like, ‘Don’t worry, he’s one of the cool ones,'” Zach reminisced. “That next day, I was brought into the president and the principal’s office for a conversation.”
“The punishment ended up being, since I had a few beers at a party, I had to go to a few AA meetings,” he explained. “I had to meet with a priest weekly and I had my own supervisor following me around school to make sure I wouldn’t leave campus to go, I guess, get a drink. And I’m like, ‘Guys, I’m like, 17, take a break,'” Zach added.
“It was ridiculous. So I went to AA a few times as a kid,” he said.
That is ridiculous. I guess they were attempting some “scared straight” tactic, but that’s kind of stupid. As the adult child of recovered alcoholics myself, I went to about a million AA meetings as a kid with my parents. I was always fascinated by the stories people told of their drinking days, and at times wrongly romanticized alcoholism. Sober alcoholics were some of the best people I ever met. And many of them were my parents’ closest friends. Sending a dumb high school kid to an AA meeting as a punishment just shows that the school’s administration had no concept of what alcoholism really is. They were also disrespectful to the other attendees’ privacy.
Zach‘s journey as the new Bachelor follows his brief relationship with Rachel Recchia on Season 19 of the Bachelorette. He went all the way to the Fantasy Suite with the baby-voiced flight instructor. But the next morning told host Jesse Palmer that he felt Rachel was “very inauthentic” behind closed doors and that they had “communication” issues.
Even though he’s previously said that his season will be “drama-free,” the Austin resident promised lots of emotion. Would it even be the Bachelor without the tears?
“It might not be the most dramatic season, but it’s the most emotional season that they’ve ever had,” the tech executive divulged. “But that’s not to say that this season will not have some drama. There’s no shortage of drama.” Well, of course there is. Putting 30 women in a room to fight over one handsome guy guarantees drama.
That drama began during the women’s arrivals on the premiere. Bachelor Nation fans are familiar with the concept of the “cute arrival.” Each contestant tries to stand out from the crowd and be memorable in their first meeting with the Bachelor/Bachelorette. But when Vermont account executive Gabi Elnicki offered Zach a taste of maple syrup from her home state, he seemed uncomfortable. Who drinks syrup — unless you’re a port fan? But after taking the tiniest sip, the only descriptor Zach could come up with was “mapley.”
Another contestant, Madison Johnson from Fargo, ND, wasn’t satisfied with her one on one with Zach. She wanted a kiss and kept pulling him aside. She even interrupted conversations with other women, hoping for some affection. After multiple attempts to get Zach’s attention, and hopefully a kiss, Madison cornered the Bachelor for one more try. Even after he grudingly gave her a little smooch, Madison wasn’t satisfied. She sobbed that it was “just a peck.” The business owner grew more and more desperate for attention. This was most likely proportionate to the amount of alcohol consumed. She finally dissolved into tears and asked, “Why doesn’t he like me?” Zach eventually decided to put her out of her drunken misery and finally sent her packing.
It was the merciful thing to do. Why put the poor girl through a rose ceremony when he wasn’t going to choose her? Madison declared herself “heartbroken” and sobbed all the way down the driveway to the production trailer. He’s just not your guy, sweetheart.
The Bachelorette alum agreed with me. He told the cameras, “She’s not my person. I’m not doing any favors by keeping her around.”
TELL US – HOW ARE YOU LIKING ZACH AS THE BACHELOR SO FAR? DID YOU AGREE WITH HIS DECISION TO SEND MADISON HOME BEFORE THE ROSE CEREMONY? DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE CONTESTANT YET?
[Photo Credit: Craig Sjodin/ABC via Getty Images]
