There’s likely no experience in the world quite like being the lead of The Bachelor/Bachelorette. They leave behind their job, friends and family to date multiple people simultaneously and globe-trot on once-in-a-lifetime adventures. In the midst of it all, they’re (presumably) also falling in love, figuring out who to propose to at the end of a couple of months. And they’re doing it all in front of an ever-present camera crew. CinemaBlend caught up with The Bachelor Season 27 lead Zach Shallcross to find out how he adjusted to living life in front of the camera.
Zach Shallcross shook off the nerves and embarked on his journey to find love, meeting 30 women in The Bachelor’s season premiere in the hopes that one of them will become his wife. Over the next couple of months, viewers will witness the joys of falling in love, as well as the inevitable drama and tears. So how does one make oneself vulnerable enough to go through such a wide variety of emotions in front of the camera and, therefore, the scrutinizing eyes of America? Shallcross told CinemaBlend:
It's funny how you start up this whole thing, and Night 1 is so crazy, and there's all the cameras and it's constant go, go, go, there's dates and group dates. There comes a certain point where it just becomes normal and you actually feel like you don't see any cameras ever. Like, believe it or not, it's just like, it's part of your life, and it doesn't feel like there's a camera crew following you 24/7. So it does kind of blur and you stop thinking about the outside world, the outside stuff, and you're just so present, which is cool.
Zach Shallcross said from the first night, filming The Bachelor is a crazy experience, and after seeing how they pulled an all-nighter for the season premiere, that actually makes sense. The leading man welcomed 30 women to Bachelor Mansion, which means 30 limo exits, and then set about trying to get to know everyone enough to decide who to keep around and who to eliminate at the rose ceremony (or in some cases, before the rose ceremony).
From there, as Zach Shallcross pointed out, it’s not like anything slows down, with the dates and the jet-setting and, before you know it, Hometowns and Fantasy Suites. I can kind of see how that experience would be so collectively overstimulating that the cameras become just second nature to The Bachelor and his cast.
He also pointed out that forgetting about the cameras allowed him to be present in the moment, and it does seem like if he or the women worried too much about the cameras and how they were coming off to the viewing audience, they might not be able to show each other their most authentic selves.
Zach Shallcross and the Season 27 contestants took part in an experience few of us could understand, but I plan on sitting back with my wine and popcorn and enjoying all of the drama that’s yet to come. The Bachelor airs at 8 p.m. ET Mondays on ABC and can be streamed the next day with a Hulu subscription. You can also check out our 2023 TV schedule to see what series are premiering soon.
