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Bachelor Clayton Echard Slyly Responds to Question About If He ‘Banged Shanae’ Amid Drama
Spill the tea! Bachelor star Clayton Echard responded to someone asking if he had sex with contestant Shanae Ankney amid drama among the cast on season 26.
“Don’t respond to this tweet if you banged Shanae,” Maria Ciuffo, known as Ria on Barstool Sports’ “Chicks in the Office” podcast, wrote while replying to a tweet from Clayton, 28.
The Bachelor Nation star simply responded, “Spoiler alert,” with a kiss emoji. It’s unclear if Clayton was shutting down rumors about getting physical with Shanae, 29, during his season or fueling speculation even more.
Spoiler alert 😘
— Clayton Echard (@ClaytonEchard) February 1, 2022
The contestant has been undoubtedly stirring up drama in the house. During the January 31 episode, viewers watched as Shanae and Elizabeth Corrigan’s dynamic grew even more tense. At first, the former football player tried moderating a conversation between the ladies, but their confusing argument (mostly about shrimp) was never resolved.
Shanae accused Elizabeth, 32, of “bullying,” claiming her housemate ignored her when she offered her shrimp. For her part, Elizabeth said she was not present when the shellfish was offered to the group, which Shanae refuted. The conversation led to Clayton walking away from the duo and canceling the cocktail party.
Naturally, the rose ceremony was extremely tense, and the other contestants were shocked when Clayton opted to keep Shanae for another week and send Elizabeth home.
The Missouri native’s choice not only surprised the other ladies — but viewers, as well. Shanae previously received even more backlash from fans after being accused of “mocking” Elizabeth for having ADHD.
Clayton has heard the negativity loud and clear and addressed the drama with Shanae via Twitter. “I’m looking forward to having an open and honest discussion at the [Women Tell All] with what all happened. It’s important to hold people accountable, including myself,” he wrote after the January 31 episode.
On February 1, the former football player released a written statement apologizing to Elizabeth for “what [she’s] going through.”
“I wish I could have seen what was happening when I wasn’t there. I obviously knew y’all weren’t in a good place with each other, but I thought at the same time that it was solely petty drama,” Clayton wrote. “I would have sent Shanae home immediately for making fun of you for being neurodivergent, had I known.”
He then acknowledged that it “hasn’t been fun” rewatching the season because he’s seeing “all the damage that [he] caused.”
“I really meant well, but my actions weren’t always the best, as I now can see the repercussions from my decisions,” he wrote, adding that he’s “learning” from his “mistakes” and becoming a “better man.”
