The Bachelor, Clayton Echard is talking about the mental health struggles he’s experiencing as a result of his time on the show. Echard has added his name to the long list of reality stars reporting the negative psychological tole that can occur after participating in this type of entertainment. Since the advent of reality television, scores of contestants have dealt with mental health issues and some have even taken their own lives. Though difficult to prove a direct correlation, many who participate have expressed difficulty dealing with negative backlash on social media after their time on the show has ended.
One of the more tragic cases in the franchise’s history centers on Gia Allemand, who at 25, vied for Jake Pavelka’s love in season 14. She didn’t receive the final rose but, according to Refinery 29, her mom said that she returned home feeling confident and happy. Subsequently, Gia was cast on The Bachelor Pad, a spin-off that offered not only a cash prize to the winner, but also another chance at love. Gia, already in a relationship, went on the show hoping to use the winnings to open an animal shelter, but the gambit backfired when she was portrayed as a cheater. Despite her suicide attempt, she was asked back for season 2, but left voluntarily, telling host Chris Harrison, “I can’t do this anymore. It’s killing me.” Unfortunately, not long after Gia took her own life.
Now watching his own season, along with the rest of the audience, Clayton tells People that criticism on social media is getting to him. Initially touched by fan support, things began to change after the first episode aired “…and all of a sudden, it just opened the floodgates and at that point, I started to get overwhelmed. I’d be lying if I said it was all sunshine and roses. I have definitely fallen victim to reading everything..” Echard is also vocal about how it’s affecting his mom, “My mom is so very supportive, so excited, she’s always texting me but the sad part about it is she’s taking a lot of this criticism worse than I am.“
The former Seattle Seahawk expressed surprise at how fans are reacting to his responses to events that occurred on the show. Clayton is bewildered at those who question his judgement or wonder why he didn’t address specific incidents differently at the time they occurred. He wants people to understand that if he wasn’t present during the scene in question, he probably didn’t know what was happening. He asked people to think twice before posting hurtful comments because it’s affecting not only him, but also his loved ones. He summed up the experience as being a phenomenal opportunity but, “I’m now seeing that the hardest part is actually not so much the show, it’s the aftermath.“
Most of the contestants who appear on The Bachelor and its spin-offs are young adults who genuinely seem interested in finding their happily-ever-afters. Unfortunately, the likelihood of this happening is slim due to the sheer number of competitors. Ultimately, countless limos chauffeur away the people who have been eliminated, many of whom are in tears at having the prospect of love disappear so quickly. Their hopes of love dashed, along with what many perceive as public humiliation, results in unprepared-for mental states. Hopefully, with the media devoting more attention to addressing mental health issues these days, Clayton’s openness about his experience will affect positive change.
Next: The Bachelor: Why Clayton Echard Was A Poor Choice As The Lead
