Fun Facts You Didn't Know About Clayton Echard, Season 26 Star of The Bachelor
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Pamela Littky/ABC
The Bachelor is back, and this time Clayton Echard will be handing out the roses!
Get to know the 28-year-old former NFL athlete who's been named the season 26 star of The Bachelor, which premieres Monday, Jan. 3 on ABC.
Echard's season of The Bachelor follows his romantic run as a former contestant on Michelle Young's season of The Bachelorette. He formed a genuine connection with the elementary school teacher, but was eliminated in episode 6.
RELATED: Michelle Young Says She's 'Excited' to See Clayton Echard as the New Bachelor: 'Just So Kind'
Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
Young's season ended in an engagement to Nayte Olukoya, and now it's Echard's turn to find love as 31 women vie for his heart.
"I'm just a Midwest boy from Missouri that just wants to find my person," Echard said in the teaser for his season. "I can't wait to get married... and I believe more than anything that my future wife is here."
Echard tells PEOPLE that he "followed his heart" but still found himself in uncharted waters during his Bachelor journey. "I promised myself I wouldn't fall in love in love with multiple women but I fell in love with three," he says. "At that point I accepted it but I realized I was going to have to stop using absolutes. I handled it to the best of my ability. It wasn't perfect! I learned a lot of lessons. And that's life."
Jesse Palmer is set to host this season of The Bachelor, after Chris Harrison stepped down in February. Palmer has a lot in common with Echard, as he's also a former NFL athlete and was named Bachelor in 2004.
RELATED: Wells Adams Was Admittedly 'a Little' Disappointed to Not Land The Bachelor Hosting Gig
John Fleenor/ABC
But there's so much more to know about Echard beyond his football career and Bachelor prospects! Keep scrolling for everything you need to know about the Missouri native – from his career in medical sales, to his rapper alter ego.
Clayton works in medical sales.
Clayton Echard/Instagram
Echard attended the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Health Sciences, and minored in Spanish and business. Currently, he works in orthopedic sales, while simultaneously working on his MBA "with the hopes of starting his own business," according to Variety.
RELATED: Nick Viall Says He Doesn't 'Really Get the Choice' of Clayton Echard as the Next Bachelor
Clayton briefly played for the Seattle Seahawks.
Gerry Melendez/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty
Echard's football career began as a walk-on player at the University of Missouri from 2011 to 2015, where he started as a defensive lineman, but moved to tight end. He helped lead the team to securing back-to-back SEC championship games and a national top 10 ranking.
In 2016, he briefly played for the Seattle Seahawks as a free agent. "I practiced daily with the team and played in 4 preseason games," Echard wrote on his LinkedIn. "I made it past the first round of cuts, however, I was not able to make the final roster. Nonetheless, it was a unique experience that I was blessed to be a part of."
Clayton is a big family guy.
Clayton Echard/Instagram
Echard was born and raised by his parents, Brian and Kelly, in the St. Louis suburbs of Missouri. Married for 29 years, Echard strives for a relationship like theirs. He views his parents' marriage as "the perfect example of what love can be," according to The Bachelor's official website.
He also has two younger brothers, Patrick and Nate. Nate is a former football player and Patrick earned a degree in Health Sciences.
Clayton Echard/Instagram
Clayton enjoys freestyle rapping.
Not only does Echard enjoy freestyle rapping, he's a self proclaimed "freestyle champ," according to his 2019 Instagram post. In fact, he takes it so seriously that he revealed his rapper alter ego, Claydoe, to Us Weekly.
Which contestant is going to get a one-on-one date card for a private concert with Claydoe? We are on the edge of our seats for that one.
Clayton has many hobbies, including collecting quarters.
Clayton Echard/Instagram
We also learned from Echard's Us Weekly interview that not only does he enjoy collecting quarters, but he swallowed one while trying to clean it.
In addition to quarter collecting, he enjoys other hobbies such as snowboarding, hiking, fishing, tubing, and a competitive game of cornhole with family and friends.
RELATED: The Bachelor's Clayton Echard Faces His 'Haters' by Reading Mean Tweets About Himself
Clayton enjoys eating healthy food, but also "believes pizza shouldn't be eaten without Ranch."
Clayton Echard/Instagram
Quarters aren't the only things Echard eats. He shared in an Instagram post everything he eats in a week, which consists of "homemade chipotle bowls for lunch and dinner and egg sandwiches with a protein bar, banana, and protein shake for breakfast."
He also shared in his LinkedIn bio that he's in the "process of learning to cook healthy meals that also surprisingly have flavor!" As a former athlete with a highly active lifestyle, he allows himself to splurge too, telling Us Weekly "I believe pizza should not be eaten without ranch," and "I love Chipotle and could honestly eat it daily."
