What did Zach Shallcross ever do to Nick Viall? For some reason, Nick doesn’t seem to like him.
“Every time Zach hears any of the woman express an insecurity, instead of showing an ounce of empathy, his face just drowns in disappointment #TheBachelor,” Nick tweeted during the March 6, 2023 episode. He’s not wrong. And the show’s lowest ratings ever reflect viewers’ decreasing interest.
According to Us Weekly, when a viewer responded to Nick’s tweet by calling Zach a “narcissist,” the Season 21 Bachelor clarified his meaning. “No he isn’t [a narcissist],” Nick answered. “He’s well-intentioned, just lacks experience, and probably has had an extremely emotionally comfortable life to date.”
In a follow-up tweet, Nick wrote, “Zach is now fully in ‘I’m the Bachelor, and it’s your job to prove to me you’re worthy.’ Mode #TheBachelor.” Ouch. That one’s gonna leave a mark –because it has the ring of truth.
Zach seems to be looking for the “perfect woman,” which is going to be tough to find, buddy. The minute anyone shows him a bit of insecurity or doubt, he sees it as a red flag and a cue to cut them loose — or at least show his displeasure. He did it with Jess Girod, he did it with Greer Blitzer, and he did it to Kat Izzo. Zach may say he’s averse to drama, but he stirs up enough of it on his own.
The group date on Monday’s episode showed Kat, Charity, Ariel, and Gabi visiting a Budapest mentalist with Zach. All of the women were shaken when the magician called out their insecurities. They worried Zach would misinterpret any of their concerns. As they left the theater, everyone seemed unsettled.
Gabi was having serious doubts about whether Zach really wanted her, and Kat was in tears. At the group date cocktail party that evening, Kat was still feeling emotional and scared of how Zach would react to her feelings. But she wanted to be open with him. During their talk together, Zach said he was confused, especially when Kat said there were times she just wanted to leave. Her uncertainty made him nervous. And Zach does not like to be nervous.
RELATED: Bachelor Zach Shallcross and Rachel Recchia Call A Truce On Their Feud
At the Rose Ceremony later that week, Zach sent Kat home. As he walked her to the car, he explained that although they had had a very strong connection when they were in the Bahamas, things had changed “over the past couple of weeks.” He just didn’t see a “confident future” with her.
“I did [feel blindsided]. But I wasn’t thinking that that was gonna be something that overtook our relationship,” Kat said. “We had one hard week, but we also had five good weeks. So I thought that was going to be something to show my family that like, ‘Yeah, sometimes we’re not perfect. Sometimes we struggle. But he’s wanting to love them through that.’ I was hoping that was going to be him. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. But it’s OK,” she added.
Even though he struggled to let Kat go, Zach felt it was the right thing to do. “The other relationships [were just growing] stronger and stronger, and I couldn’t deny those,” he said. “I had to make a very tough decision.”
This isn’t the first time Nick has expressed disappointment in Zach’s behavior. When Zach let Jess go during a previous episode, she was upset and crying because she was “the last one” to get a one-on-one date. Nick tweeted that Zach was acting like “the guy who gets mad at his girlfriend for not letting him know she wanted validation on her birthday #thebachelor.”
“That’s 2 weeks in [a] row now Zach was a total d—k to one of the [women]. It’s literally all about the one on one. Zach knows that,” Nick tweeted. “He made Jess feel like she messed up for expressing a valid concern. #thebachelor.”
Zach seems to see women who cry as being overly emotional and weak. He’s one of those guys who just can’t handle the tears. But what he doesn’t understand is that The Bachelor is a very stressful environment, and a lot of women release tension and frustration through tears. It doesn’t make them weak.
TELL US – DO YOU SEE ZACH AS SOMEONE LACKING IN EMPATHY? DO YOU SEE A PATTERN OF HIM LETTING WOMEN GO WHO SHOW HIM TOO MUCH EMOTION?
[Photo Credit: ABC/Rick Rowell]
