The Bachelor premiere tried but failed to convincingly turn Clayton Echard into an "underdog"

Vanity Fair

"Only a reality franchise as far removed from real life as The Bachelor would brand Clayton Echard its unsung hero," says Savannah Walsh. "After two years and four seasons spent filming in various hotels under COVID protocol, The Bachelor has returned to its famed mansion and the formula it’s used for 26 seasons. Echard, a former athlete and contestant on Michelle Young’s recently-wrapped Bachelorette season, is joined by new host Jesse Palmer, a former Bachelor and athlete himself. If you squint, you’d swear they were ousted emcee Chris Harrison and former football player lead Colton Underwood. Or Sean Lowe. As Monday night’s premiere unfolded, the show seemed designed to feel that way." Walsh adds that The Bachelor really attempted to give Echard the "underdog edit" after touting him as an "underdog" in its marketing. "Really, Echard doesn’t subvert any expectations as the Bachelor," says Walsh. "But that doesn’t mean the show won’t spend two hours trying to convince us otherwise. Echard is shown emphasizing how 'humbled' and 'in over my head' he is as he meets a parade of conventionally-attractive women between the ages of 24 and 33...The Bachelor has retreated back to its villa-esque mansion, and reverted back to a lead that matches its overly familiar exterior. But one gets the feeling the show will spend the entire season pretending that it hasn’t." ALSO: Echard believes he was picked because he's a "genuine guy who wanted to find his forever person more than anything else.”