The past 12 months have been a complete whirlwind for Anaheim Hills native Zach Shallcross, and the bulk of his chaotic journey has been aired on national television.
The 26-year-old tech sales executive was chosen to be the star of the reality series, “The Bachelor,” which is currently airing its 27th season on ABC on Monday nights.
“I find it very difficult to watch myself, but I do watch everything,” Shallcross said during a recent video interview from his temporary home in Los Angeles. He’s currently splitting his time between a home in Austin, Texas, his family home in Anaheim Hills, and L.A. as he continues to fulfill filming obligations.
“I’ve watched every episode, every interaction and it’s like, ‘Huh? I sound like that?’ or ‘Wow, I say that word a lot,’” he admits. “You pick up on every little thing because everyone is their own biggest critic. It’s painful. I don’t like to watch with anybody, I just watch because I have to see how the show plays out episode to episode, but I do not enjoy it by any means. My family doesn’t even like to watch all of the time, (they say) ‘I don’t want to watch my son or brother be romantic, gross!’”
Shallcross was first introduced to the franchise during season 19 of “The Bachelorette” after being nominated by a friend who had appeared on the show. That season, which aired last summer, found Shallcross vying for the attention of Rachel Recchia, one of the two leading ladies on an unprecedented double-bachelorette season. Though he made it to the final three, he took himself out of the running and left the show during the “fantasy suites” episodes, saying that he felt uneasy about a future with Recchia after she brought up their age difference — he’s four months younger — as a concern.
Shallcross was announced as the newest bachelor during the taping of the “After The Final Rose” episode following the finale of “The Bachelorette.” On Jan. 23, Shallcross’…
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