The Bachelor (American TV series) season 26
| The Bachelor | |
|---|---|
| Season 26 | |
Promotional poster | |
| Starring | Clayton Echard |
| Presented by | Jesse Palmer |
| No. of contestants | 30 (31 initially) |
| Winner | Susie Evans |
| Runners-up | Gabby Windey Rachel Recchia |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | January 3 – March 15, 2022 |
| Additional information | |
| Filming dates | September 29 – November 21, 2021 |
| Season chronology | |
The twenty-sixth season of The Bachelor premiered on January 3, 2022, with Jesse Palmer as host. This season featured 28-year-old Clayton Echard, a medical sales representative from Eureka, Missouri.
Echard finished in eighth place on the eighteenth season of The Bachelorette featuring Michelle Young.
The season concluded on March 15, 2022, with Echard's final choice, 28-year-old wedding videographer Susie Evans, rejecting him. Evans was the first person in the show's history to reject the lead's proposal. However, during the live After the Final Rose special, it was revealed that they had since gotten back together, and they moved in together in Virginia Beach, Virginia in April 2022. They announced their breakup on September 23, 2022.