Listen ABC, we all know Clayton is the new Bachelor. Even the new host, Jesse Palmer, posted a picture of the pair together with "#thebachelor" in the caption so I think we can stop pretending and just go ahead and announce him already. Truly what is the hold up?
The only reason I can think of is that they are waiting for Clayton to be eliminated from Michelle's season before they officially announce it to the world. Are we going to be hit with a Grocery Store Joe and say goodbye on Night 1, or will Clayton be going far... only for the reveal of his season to be stretched out thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis much?
Well, ever the detective, I did some research. And unfortunately the answer is not as clear as I would have liked it to be. (Aka, Reality Steve didn't have a definitive answer!) As far as I can tell from the promos and the spoilers out there, I'd guess Clayton makes it on at least three dates during Michelle's season. First, there's the...
Top Gun themed group date...
This group date has 10 men on it, which definitely points to an earlier-in-the-season date. So let's say this one date equals one week on the show. So we're at Clayton makes it past Night 1 and into Week 2. Then we've got this...
Night At The Museum Date
It appears that Clayton gets a one-on-one date at a roller rink (?) featuring some kids (Michelle's students, perhaps?). The poster says "Night at the Museum Scavenger Hunt," so I would guess this date allows Clayton to reconnect with his childish side while showing that he can be a good role model. Consider it one more week in the house.
So Clayton's moving on to at least Week 4, which brings us to the final date we know of...
This One
This could very well be a moment from one of the other dates, or maybe Clayton just ran to Michelle in the evening one night to give her a kiss, but I think it's safe to assume he's not in the final two based on how little screentime he really gets in these promos. Plus, rumors started swirling around that he was The Bachelor right as Michelle was heading into the last days of production.
The biggest question now is what is this shot from? A date gone bad? A self elimination? Being kicked off?
Don't worry Clayton! You won't be sad for long! Soon you'll have 30 women fighting for you!
Images: ABC