After joining Season 18 of “The Bachelorette” with Michelle Young, Clayton Echard started his own journey as the Bachelor on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, premiering at 8 p.m. on ABC. 

Echard was a fan favorite in Young’s season and ultimately stole America’s heart. 

The Bachelor attended the University of Missouri, where he was a Division I collegiate football athlete. He was then drafted into the NFL, where he played for the Seattle Seahawks but did not make the final roster. In his Instagram bio, Echard refers to himself as a “washed-up athlete.” 

The show started off with 30 amazing women and is now down to just 22. The Bachelor has his hands full this season with candidates who have impressive careers, including a real estate agent working at the same agency as the “Selling Sunset” cast, an Olympian, an NFL cheerleader and a Disney World character performer. 

Drama has already started to unfold among the ladies as secrets start to pile up, including one woman who potentially has a friend with benefits back home. 

As for the Bachelor himself, Echard has struggled with body dysmorphia since he was a kid. In an interview with “People”, he said “you can never shake that body dysmorphia — it’s always there. You can kind of get it under control in some realms, and I’ve done that through diet… That’s kind of the power of body dysmorphia and the fear of it is like, you never truly get rid of it.” He has shared this with a select few throughout the season and truly embodies his ideals, inside and out.