'The Bachelor': Clayton Reveals the 'Tremendous' Realization He Had After Sending Serene Home (Exclusive)

Susie Evans is not ready to be Mrs. Echard. After Tuesday night's dramatic season finale of , the wedding videographer appeared on podcast to reveal what would make her say no to a proposal from Clayton Echard, whom she reconnected with post-show after initially turning down his ask for a relationship.«We have a lot to learn about each other, and we have a lot to learn about ourselves still. I think we both are still growing and learning from this,» Susie said.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior CorrespondentBachelor Nation got whiplash this week from the season finale of “The Bachelor” Season 26 — which went from breakup to makeup to another breakup and another makeup to a dual breakup, all ultimately for leading man Clayton Echard to end up with contestant Susie Evans, who had actually left the show the week before the finale.If that sounds confusing, it’s because it is.Never, since the two decades its been on-air, has the dating show seen such a change-of-heart from its lead than it did this season: Echard told three women (Evans, Gabby Widney and Rachel Recchia) that he was in love with them, also admitting to sleeping with two of them.After being left alone and single in the final episode, which filmed roughly four months ago, Echard ended up walking away with Evans, despite her turning him down in the shocking finale. And in last night’s “After the Final Rose” episode, instead of a proposal, Evans confirmed she was his girlfriend, accepting Echard’s final rose — but not before he was reamed out by Widney and Recchia on live television with both women calling him selfish, manipulative and thoughtless.

Clayton Echard is delighted by the announcement that both Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia will be the next Bachelorette. The co-Bachelorettes were revealed on Tuesday's season finale of , which saw Clayton have uncomfortable post-split conversations with each of the soon-to-be leading ladies.«I wish the best for them. I was extremely happy when they announced they were dual Bachelorettes,» Clayton told ET's Denny Directo.

Susie Evans had a hard time watching her beau reunite with his exes. The morning after the season finale of , Clayton Echard's final pick told ET's Denny Directo that watching the medical sales rep's conversations with Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia was «heartbreaking.»During the two-part season finale, Clayton reeled from Susie's decision to leave the show, after learning that he'd been intimate with and was in love with multiple women.Clayton came clean to Gabby and Rachel about the same thing, and convinced them to stay and meet his parents, but ended up breaking up with them when he couldn't get Susie off of his mind.Those splits led Clayton to have awkward live conversations with Gabby and Rachel on Tuesday's episode, both of which Susie watched from the wings as she waited to make her couple debut with the Bachelor himself.«It was really tough,» Susie told ET. «We obviously knew those conversations were coming.

Susie Evans didn't wait long to get back in touch with Clayton Echard. On Tuesday's finale of , Susie rejected Clayton's offer to leave Iceland together, but the pair patched things up post-show, and appeared happy and in love during a live, in-studio appearance.The morning after their public debut, Susie told ET's Denny Directo that she «pretty much reached out to Clayton immediately» after her initial rejection.«I got my phone back, called my parents, and then I slid into Clayton's DMs,» she recalled.

Clayton. On Tuesday night's finale of , Rachel reunited with this season's leading man for the first time since he sent her home in Iceland.On part one of the show's season finale, Clayton confessed that he had expressed feelings of love to each of his final three women, and said that he had been intimate with both Gabby and Rachel.Rachel decided to stay and meet Clayton's family, despite feeling some lingering uncertainty.

Clayton Echard's journey came to an end in a way no one could have expected. On Tuesday's episode of the ABC series, the Bachelor said «I love you» to his final woman, Susie Evans, but she did not return the sentiment.Clayton's relationship with Susie turned rocky during Fantasy Suites week, when he admitted to being in love with and having been intimate with both Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey.Susie left the show in tears, unable to accept that Clayton held similar feelings for two other women.

Clayton Echard. On Tuesday night's season finale of , the leading man broke things off with the nurse after realizing his heart was with someone else.On part one of the show's season finale, Clayton confessed that he had expressed feelings of love to each of his final three women, and said that he had been intimate with both Gabby and Rachel Recchia.Gabby decided to stay and meet Clayton's family, despite feeling some lingering uncertainty.

Susie may not be done with Clayton after all. At the conclusion of Monday night's episode of , fans got a sneak peek look at the second part of the season's two-part finale, in which Clayton grapples with his feelings for the one who got away.During part one of the season finale, Clayton convinced Gabby and Rachel not to leave the show when they learned that Susie did just that because he was in love with three women and had been intimate with two.Both Gabby and Rachel met Clayton's parents and brothers to successful results, but despite that, Clayton couldn't stop thinking about Susie, and told host Jesse Palmer that he wants «one more shot» with the wedding videographer.In the preview for Tuesday's finale, Clayton reiterates those feelings, saying, «I have fallen in love with two women, but I can’t stop thinking about Susie.»With that in mind, Jesse has a conversation with Susie, telling her, «I think he really regrets how it ended.

Clayton Echard can't let go of the one that got away. On the first part of 's two-part season finale, Clayton convinced two women to stick it out, but couldn't get Susie off of his mind, all of which ET is breaking down in the recap below.The episode began as Clayton led the Jesse Palmer-coined «rose ceremony from Hell,» in which he told Rachel and Gabby, his two remaining women, that he was in love with them Susie, and had been intimate with both of them.After emotional conversations, Clayton convinced them to stay and meet his family, but two successful meetings with the parents didn't get Clayton's mind off of Susie and their love.The episode ended with the Bachelor stating that he wants one more shot with the one who got away.Keep reading for a full recap of part one of the two-part season finale of .After Susie's dramatic exit, Clayton said in a confessional that «everything blew up» with her departure. «I feel terrible that I was so upset and angry,» he said, alluding to the angry words he lobbed during their split.

. After a contentious appearance on «Women Tell All,» the villain of Clayton Echard's season stopped by the podcast to weigh in on all the drama that played out.«I do regret isolating myself from the women. I wish I got a chance to know them a little bit more.

Clayton Echard is responding to criticism that he was gaslighting Susie prior to her exit from the Fantasy Suite dates in Iceland, insisting that that characterization doesn't add up, though he does feel «embarrassed.»During an interview that aired Wednesday on Ben Higgins and Ashley Iaconetti's , Clayton took issue with the accusation for several reasons, which ultimately boiled down to the fact that he never had any ill-will feelings behind the way it all played out.«It's tough because I've seen what everyone's saying and they're using some pretty descriptive terms, some pretty heavy-hitting terms that I couldn't disagree with more,» he said. «I don't agree that I was gaslighting because I looked that up, and it said gaslighting, the definition is to try and convince someone of a different reality than what is actually the true reality of the situation.»«Gaslighting,» he continued.

Clayton Echard is looking back at the way he treated one of the women during this week’s edition of “The Bachelor” with some regrets.

a preview that aired at the end of Tuesday night's episode, host Jesse Palmer ominously states, «Welcome to the rose ceremony from hell.»Jesse's words may not be far off, as it's during that upcoming rose ceremony that Clayton Echard tells Rachel and Gabby, his final two women, that he's in love with — and was intimate with — both of them.When ET spoke with Clayton ahead of the episode, he assured fans that there was a reason he came clean in that way, noting that it «felt justified based off of what all had occurred.»What occurred, as fans now know, is that Susie left the show after learning the truth of Clayton's feelings and intimacy with the other two women. Still, Clayton knew his decisions likely wouldn't go over well with America.«I will not have 100 percent of people on my side.

Clayton Echard may not get his happy ending. At the conclusion of Tuesday night's episode of , fans got a sneak peek at next week's two-part finale, which promises to bring epic amounts of drama and tears.After Susie left the show in tears upon learning that Clayton was in love with — and had slept with — both Rachel and Gabby, the two remaining women get the same confession from the Bachelor.«I want to be fully transparent,» Clayton tells Rachel and Gabby at the upcoming rose ceremony.