The Bachelor: How Zach Shallcross And Kaity Biggar ‘Bent The Rules’ When Keeping Their Engagement A Secret Ahead Of The Finale

Fans who had been watching Zach Shallcross’ journey to find love on The Bachelor witnessed the not horribly dramatic conclusion to Season 27 last week during the three-hour finale. The Bachelor got down on one knee and asked Kaity Biggar to marry him, bringing an end to a season of dad jokes, cringey dancing and COVID interruptions. But while the episode just aired last week, Shallcross’ proposal actually occurred back in November. Keeping their engagement a secret for four months proved challenging for the couple, but Biggar explained in an interview with CinemaBlend how they “bent the rules” a little during that time.

It’s obvious why The Bachelor franchise requires its final couples to keep a low profile in the span of time between the end of filming and the finale air date. If the results of the season got out, lots of viewers would see no reason to tune in. To help navigate that situation, the show helps to arrange “Happy Couple Weekends,” where the betrothed are set up on a weekend getaway. Even then, though, they can’t be seen in public together, and Kaity Biggar spoke to CinemaBlend’s Nick Venable about what that was like for her and her fiancé, saying: 

I would say it was tough. You're isolated in an Airbnb for like three, four days at a time. And, I don't know, like, I am a very adventurous person. I love experiences. I love leaving the house and being outdoors, and unfortunately, in our unique situation, we weren't able to do that. However, we did kind of bend the rules a little bit, and we would sneak out, we'd go for some walks, put on some disguises, best we could.

Kaity Biggar and Zach Shallcross on The Bachelor.

(Image credit: ABC)

It’s a shame we couldn’t have gotten video footage of Zach Shallcross and Kaity Biggar going incognito in their disguises! I can imagine after the adventures they had on The Bachelor — globetrotting to places like London, Estonia and Thailand, experiencing lavish dates together — it might be tough to be holed up in a house for a few days, not allowed to leave. 

However, Kaity Biggar said she feels lucky to have had that time with Zach Shallcross, and they definitely used it to strengthen their relationship. She continued: 

I think we really took advantage of the time that we did have together — that intimate time — just kind of grew as a couple more and more. So, yeah, I'm very fortunate of those moments. But we were very eager to also announce our engagement and just be able to do, like, normal things together.

It’s not unusual for couples coming off of The Bachelor/Bachelorette to share similar sentiments, and it seems like Zach Shallcross and Kaity Biggar are going to enjoy the smaller things in life, like taking walks together, going to the grocery store and having dinner out. And hey, now they always have the option to break out their old costumes in the future for nostalgia’s sake!

The Bachelor may have come to an end, but Charity Lawson is already filming for The Bachelorette Season 20, which is set to premiere at 9 p.m. ET Monday, June 26. In the meantime, check out our 2023 TV schedule to see what else is coming soon. 

Heidi Venable
Content Producer

Heidi Venable is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend, a mom of two and a hard-core '90s kid. She started freelancing for CinemaBlend in 2020 and officially came on board in 2021. Her job entails writing news stories and TV reactions from some of her favorite prime-time shows like Grey's Anatomy and The Bachelor. She graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a degree in Journalism and worked in the newspaper industry for almost two decades in multiple roles including Sports Editor, Page Designer and Online Editor. Unprovoked, will quote Friends in any situation. Thrives on New Orleans Saints football, The West Wing and taco trucks.