How did Clayton Echard's Bachelor season become a train wreck?

The Daily Beast

"Clayton’s season has been shaky from the start—partly because the Bachelor himself appears to have been no one’s top pick," says Laura Bradley. "He didn’t make it as far in Michelle Young’s Bachelorette season as leads typically have in the past (although the tenure required for contestants to become a lead has become more flexible in recent years), and many fans had hoped the franchise would choose another Bachelor of color. Michelle’s season did, after all, give the franchise an embarrassment of options. It also didn’t help that Clayton barely had any screen time during Michelle’s season, another detail that made his selection puzzling at best." Bradley adds: "But much of the frustration with Clayton at this point is of his own making. He has seemed easily swayed by producer meddling, much like former train-wreck Bachelor Peter Weber. Despite the show’s insistence that he’s an earnest communicator, Clayton has struggled this season to match the depth some of his contestants have brought to their conversations. And worst of all, he’s been so unspeakably terrible at sorting through any of the house drama."

ALSO:

• The Bachelor has spent the last several days in damage-control mode after being slammed by fans with accusations of gaslighting and narcissism
• Host Jesse Palmer says neither he nor Clayton Echard knows how the season ends