[This story contains spoilers for the season 03 of ABC of of Ending bachelor . ]
Zach Shallcross may have been worried that would be “boring The Bachelor,” but “boring” is unlikely to be the first word viewers think of to describe the emotional end of his run on the ABC dating show.
Shallcross, who was heartbroken after courting Rachel Recchia last year The Bachelorette, finally found his perfect match in Katie With Biggar, the pair got engaged on Monday’s The Bachelor season finale. The journey wasn’t without its thorns, however, as Shallcross faced criticism for announcing before the fantasy suite that sex would be ruled out, only to reveal later that he had actually become intimate with runner-up Gabi Elnicki.
In a joint interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Shallcross and Biggar discuss the regrettable rollercoaster ending afterward, Elnicki Fans urged her to get her chance on The Bachelorette, whether the plot was different with Recchia in hindsight, ongoing concerns about the franchise’s vetting process, and why they believe they’ll be one of the rare acting couples in The Knot.
How did you make sure your bond stayed strong after the season ended?
Zach Shallcross: First and foremost What matters, and we all all know — and know it all too well — is how good our communicators are. Obviously, the first thing you want to do after getting engaged is tell everyone and share it with the world. But the hardest part is, you can’t. So we communicate every day – phone calls, FaceTimes. We have little secret home visits every few weeks based on our schedule. We’ve had a very strong relationship and actually made our relationship stronger.
Kaity Biggar:
Every day.
The ending was very emotional, especially Your conversation with Gabby. Are you surprised by her comments about feeling violated? What were you thinking at that moment?
Shallcross:
Very emotional seeing Gabi It’s hard to be numb and painful. My all-nighter that week caused a lot of pain to all the women involved and it was the last thing I wanted to do. Seeing how upset she was with everything, re-watching, I totally understand. When you re-watch what happened six months ago, you feel, I did something wrong. Seeing that pain, I just want her to know that I’m sorry for my actions and that’s the last thing I want to do. I have a lot of respect for her and I know I’m doing something wrong but I hope it doesn’t totally affect my opinion of you as she is one of Kaity’s best friends and will be in our lives. I wish her all the best, but this is really, really painful.
Some on social media suggested that perhaps Gabi was more focused on seducing you in your fantasy suite. What do you think about this?
Shallcross:
No, no. That time in the fantasy suite or sleepover—whatever you want to call it—is between two adults, and you make decisions together. It’s not that crazy narrative.
Biggar:
And, as Gabi said, it’s consensual.
Shallcross:
Absolutely.
Biggar:
Not that I need to chime in. She is also my friend.
Zach, you had two seasons, and the fantasy suite was a tough time, including the experience with Rachel. Do you think there is pressure to make it a really big deal? Or why fantasy suites have always been challenging?
Shallcross:
Absolutely. Because I try to imagine – and I can’t – in normal life, would you see this the week before your engagement? As someone who isn’t familiar with it but knows the idea, I’m terrified. I don’t know how to deal with it. I seek advice, I just want to do my best. Stressful because it’s not normal life at all – that doesn’t happen – so I don’t know how to deal with it.
During Rachel’s season, you seemed to think she might be cheating on you. Overall, did seeing Gabi’s reaction to your rejection speech and how she felt about the whole process give you a different impression of Rachel’s season?
Shallcross:
just going through it and being in This position, this is unlike anything you could have prepared yourself for. So that’s my trust in Rachel and all the previous Bachelors and Bachelorettes. A lot of mistakes were made in previous seasons – mine included. But it allows me to look at it gracefully because your mind is all over the place. You have all these challenges, you’re exhausted, you’re just this and that, you just feel it. Give me a perfect bachelor and I’ll show you a liar. I look back with everyone, including Rachel, and I’m so impressed with everyone’s journey as they all grow.
Rachel 
tweeted Te supported Gabi during the finals. Were you surprised to see her weigh herself?
Shallcross:
No. I’m glad she supported Gabi.
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Do you think there is Sean Lowe influence? He has—perhaps you have an impression of sex?
Shallcross:
Apparently this worked little effect. He’s someone I look up to, has a great marriage and a great family, and he’s the success story of this unique show experience. While I was panicking and trying to figure out how I was going to spend a week like this, I wanted to do what he did because it obviously worked out well for him. There’s definitely some impact going into this week, obviously, we’re seeing results.
During Women Tell All, Greer talked about her black脸争议，在你与埃里希的赛季中，他1235352834 处理了他自己The . What do you think of Greer’s explanation and the fact that the show seems to have difficulty censoring such things?
Shallcross:
This is awesome frustrated. Every time you see this after the fact, you always want it to have been reviewed before ideally. I know Erich has apologized and is trying to get better. I didn’t read Greer’s apology. I’m familiar with the situation, but I’ve heard she handles it pretty well. However, what happened is still a frustrating thing.
Kaity, despite all you’ve been through, you managed to stay positive in the episodes that aired for the past two weeks. How did you get through it all?
Biggar:
I think as you are As it says there: I’m a very positive person and I try to step back and see the big picture. I’m also a very empathetic person, it’s not easy. It’s really hard looking back, but Zach was there for me and that’s all I could ask for.
Exciting 1235307942 Charity is about to start her season as The Bachelorette . Her announcement drew a lot of praise, and, like the show, she had to deal with trolls as a person of color. Do you think the show is taking the right steps towards inclusivity, both contestants and leads?
Shallcross:
Absolutely. It’s always been an ongoing thing, I believe, and when you browse the internet, you’ll find that people are always on both sides of the fence. You can’t win everyone. I don’t think internet trolls will ever go away. But I think it’s great, the steps the show is taking, they’ve been trying to make it more diverse, and that’s all you can ask for. So impressive.
Biggar:
Zach and I are super excited to watch her season.
Shallcross:
She’ll kill it.
Some fans thought Gabi would be an interesting choice as the Bachelorette. Should she get a shot?
Biggar:
Honestly, I think There are so many great women who could be on The Bachelorette, and each one is so different. Their personalities are different. They offer different things. Single point to Gabi – there are a lot of great options, but I do think Gabi would be a great bachelorette.
Zach, with respect to potential regret, would you do differently when it comes to mentioning sex?
Shallcross:
I think you know the answer up.
Biggar:
(laughing.)
Shallcross: But yeah, that week was what I was hoping for I do it differently. It’s that simple. I set these parameters for everyone, it’s not fair to me. I absolutely take that back and I am deeply sorry for all the hurt I have caused. This is always the last intention.
Biggar:
You’re not perfect. Zach has an amazing heart, really. The wedding is in a while. Why do you think you will end the streak?
Shallcross: It’s that simple because She is the love of my life. There is no question in my opinion. We met on a TV show, but it was so much more than that. We all really wanted it to work and knew it would work, which is a feeling I’ve never had. We are in no rush to get to the altar. We want to enjoy life together because we have time left to work things out. I just didn’t feel that much love.
Biggar:
Awesome. We have incredible chemistry.
Interview edited for length and clarity.
