The Bachelor: Let's Agree Gabby's Grandpa And Rachel's Dad Were The Best Parts Of Clayton's Hometown Dates

Spoiler alert! The following story discusses the Hometown Dates episode of Clayton Echard’s season of The Bachelor. 

Viewers never really know what to expect when the Hometown Dates come around on The Bachelor. Without the other contestants fighting for attention, we have to rely on the families for our drama, and that could mean anything! Will they be supportive? Belligerent? Chugging champagne? Will the couple even make it into the house? Usually, though, there’s one or two relatives who stand out, and that certainly was the case for Clayton Echard, as Rachel Recchia’s dad and Gabby Windey’s grandfather totally stole the show.

The Bachelor promos did Gabby Windey’s grandpa dirty by making it look like he grilled Clayton Echard and called him a piece of shit. That couldn’t have been further from the truth. Well, I guess he did call the Bachelor a piece of shit, but it was immediately clear when watching the moment in context that he was just trolling his granddaughter when he followed it up by telling Windey: 

I can see where Gabby Windey got her sense of humor! Bachelor Nation couldn’t get enough of Grandpa calling Windey a “dingbat,” and his reaction when she recalled her limo entrance (in which she joked that she wanted to sit on Clayton Echard’s face) was priceless. Fans absolutely loved it. 

Bachelor Nation couldn’t decide if they wanted Gabby Windey’s grandpa to be the first Senior Bachelor, the new host of The Bachelor, or their own grandfather. The message from the Twitter-verse was clear: protect his man at all costs. 

Rachel Recchia’s dad Tony struck a chord with Bachelor Nation for a whole different reason. As Clayton Echard socialized with the rest of the family, Tony was giving off a mob boss vibe. He was sweating pretty hard and had his eyes trained on the Bachelor. It was kind of unsettling but uncomfortably amusing. I think Twitter got it just about right with this one:

In the end, Tony Recchia, of course, just cared about his daughter. He asked Clayton Echard if he knew what Rachel’s dreams were (cue the awwwws), and if Echard would be willing to move for her job that she’s so passionate about, which Rachel has said was a problem in a past relationship. We are certainly not going to fault a father for doing what he’s supposed to do — look out for his daughter.

Tony told the Bachelor that he couldn’t give his blessing until he’d spoken to Rachel Recchia, and if she told him their relationship was legit, he’d pat him on the arm when he shook his hand later that night. Bachelor Nation held their collective breaths as the couple headed for the door, and you know The Bachelor made the most of that moment, as noted by this fan: 

Too bad the cameraman had a bad angle of the actual moment, but we know it happened! It’s so lovely to get a small look at the amazing families behind the contestants we’ve getting to know. Regardless of whether Clayton Echard joins any of these families or ends up alone, it was nice to spend a few moments with Tony, Grandpa and the rest of the finalists’ families. 

The Bachelor returns next week for a two-nighter. The much-anticipated “Women Tell All” will air at 8 p.m. ET Monday, March 7, with the Fantasy Suite episode coming at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday, March 8, on ABC. As this season draws to a close, be sure to check out our 2022 TV schedule to see what new and returning shows will be premiering soon.