Zach Shallcross is ready to start his journey.
A former Bachelorette suitor named Season 27 Bachelor returned in September… and we now know when this season will start.
ABC has confirmed that a new episode of The Bachelor will kick off with a mega premiere on Monday, January 23.
Shallcross first appeared in Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey’s anchored season of The Bachelorette.
After hooking up with Rachel and sticking around for a few weeks, Zach actually chose to leave the show before the Rose Ceremony after the Fantasy Suite date.
We never knew an explicit reason why, but Shallcross later called at least one back and forth conversation between the couple “the most inauthentic conversation I’ve ever had.”
That said, he had VERY strong feelings for Recchia at one point.
“I was more than ready to get down on my knees,” Zach said in confession.
“Rachel who I fell in love with, I trusted her enough at least to show me the real her and I don’t think I understand.
“And I still don’t know why or how. What did Rachel get? That’s the biggest concern for me.”
As he drives away from who he thinks might be his wife, Shallcross tells the camera:
“It just ended. I could only see in her eyes that it really meant something different to her than it did to me. I don’t know what I’m missing…
“It still doesn’t feel real, because she is, to my mind, the future Mrs. Shallcross.”
So where does that leave Zach now? Is he really ready to love again?
“I’ve taken the lessons I’ve learned and want to apply them to myself and find the person I am now,” Shallcross previously told People Magazine, adding at the time:
“Heartbreaks are never fun, but that doesn’t stop me.
“And I’m ready to go again.”
What is this man looking for in a potential mate?
“Actually there are two main things that I look for and the first is how kind and loving they are. I think it’s something that’s very rare nowadays,” Shallcross also told People.
“The other thing is having someone who likes to do fun and adventurous things with me, whether that’s traveling, trying cool food.”
Shallcross also said he hopes to feature more of the “fun” and/or “silly” side in Season 27 of the franchise.
Shallcross was confirmed as the next Bachelor during the After the Final Rose special two months ago.
“I was obviously very nervous but this was definitely a once in a lifetime, incredible opportunity,” he told host Jesse Palmer during a live broadcast. “I’ll be ready, I’ll be ready.”
“I was more prepared, it was almost like fuel to the fire.
“I was ready to find my man, my best friend, and the breakup didn’t stop him.”