For some reason, Clayton was chosen as the star of the season of The Bachelorette, which began on Monday, Jan. 3, as Michelle Youngs season of The Bachelorette featured several men who earned her attention, including Portland's Brandon Jones, who made it to the final two.
(How to watch: Mondays on 8 p.m., no cable or antenna? Watch The Bachelor, which offers a 7-day free trial.
The Bachelor will be presented as a new season in the video, which shows how young Clayton is. Echard, from St. Louis, Missouri, received a bachelors degree in health science from the University of Missouri, and works in medical retail -- ever be aware of how many of these Bachelor/Bachelorette guys in sales? -- but intends to acquire an MBA and start his own business.
Clayton, according to ABC bio, is a walk-on for the University of Missouri football team, who "quickly became a scholarship player who took on a prominent role in guiding the team to back-to-back SEC championship games and a national top ten ranking." He even had a brief stint with the NFLs Seattle Seahawks before quickly understanding his athletic abilities didnt quite match his business acumen," according to him.
Clayton loves spending time in his family home on Lake St. Louis, specializing in boating out, fishing off the dock, or getting competitive over a cornhole with his friends, his two younger brothers, and his mom and dad, according to the ABC interview.
The image ABC has shown of the new bachelor is that he is eager to settle down and establish a family, according to the season description. Clayton had the perfect example of what marriage and love can be during his years growing up in the idyllic suburbs of St. Louis, and their relationship is exactly the kind Clayton so desperately wants for himself, just like his parents.
The show will be back at the Bachelor Mansion, as the new season begins, and a new host,, is on board, though Palmer isn't a newcomer to the Bachelor verse. He was the fifth star of The Bachelor, back in 2004 and has volunteered on television hosting various shows, including ABCs The Ultimate Surfer and the syndicated DailyMail TV.
Clayton will start on 31 women, though we can expect some of those to get a quick heave-ho, in tonight's season premiere, and the episode promises a surprise.
Season 26, Episode 1, of The Bachelor airs Monday, Jan. 3 at 8 p.m. on ABC.
-- Kristi Turnquist
503-221-8227
