‘The Bachelor: Women Tell All’: Fan Favorites and Villains Spill the Tea (RECAP)

It’s time for the women of The Bachelor Season 26 to talk, and boy, did they have a lot to talk about on the March 7 Women Tell All special episode.

Fan favorites and notorious villains reunited to hash out old drama and spill all the behind-the-scenes tea Bachelor Nation fans are dying to know. The infamous Shanae made her “triumphant” return while the recently-eliminated Teddi and Serene were able to find closure for their Bachelor journeys.

To top it all off, leading man Clayton Echard faced the music when the women confronted him about his mistakes throughout the season, holding nothing back in the process. Find out what was revealed during the Women Tell All before Tuesday’s dramatic Fantasy Suite Dates!

Old Villians Kick Off the Night

Not even a minute after a sizzle reel of the season is shown do the girls start popping off at Shanae. Clearly, they had no idea her showstopping group apology in Episode 5 was fake until they watched it back (a bit naive, right?). Host Jesse Palmer quickly moves the conversation to Claire from the season premiere (we have to save some Shanae talk for later!).

Give the chyron writer a raise. #TheBachelor #WomenTellAll pic.twitter.com/qXJxQynhpL

— Kristen Baldwin (@KristenGBaldwin) March 8, 2022

Claire was sent home Night 1 after (drunkenly) expressing to the group that she wasn’t feeling it with Clayton, calling him “too soft” for her tastes. And while she may be a rare contestant that knows what she wants right off the bat, she does apologize for how she went about it and putting a damper on the ladies’ first night at the Bachelor Mansion. Sometimes, an apology is the only thing you need to clear the air… but there are no apologies for Cassidy.

She was sent home after it was revealed she had a guy back home waiting for her. She thought she had it in the bag, but claims she was unaware of how her actions rubbed people the wrong way. As Mara tells her, it was all about respect. Poor Jesse is already struggling to keep the group in line, but we’re living for the chaos.

Jesse Palmer has officially lost control of this show. #WomenTellAll #TheBachelor pic.twitter.com/PsGTvTfDmh

— Denise Belcher (@DeniseMBelcher) March 8, 2022

Cassidy’s Sidepiece Chaos

We all owe Sierra a giant round of applause for calling villains out throughout the season, the first of which being Cassidy, as she told Clayton about Cassidy’s sidepiece revelation. As the rest of the women confirm, her crime isn’t necessarily that there was another guy back home, but that she had plans to fall back on him if things with Clayton didn’t work out. She doesn’t care, saying things were so *good* that she couldn’t give it up. Then why did you come on The Bachelor?

Kate adds in her hot take, defending Cassidy having someone on the side, but rather blaming her for “coaching Shanae” and turning her into “Frankenstein.” She’s not wrong!

Lyndsey even calls being in Shanae’s company a “lose/lose situation.” You were fake if you were nice but mean if you ignored her. “From the bottom of my heart, f*** you Shanae,” she tells the villain. Other things are said, but honestly, the girls talk over each other so much that it’s hard to understand!

Shanae in the Hot Seat

Time for the main event! At the end of the day, all the women want is for the season’s biggest villain to take accountability for her actions. She insulted almost everyone in the house at some point, so there’s a lot of apologizing that needs to be done, if any will be done at all…

Raise your hand if you’ve been personally victimized by Regina George #TheBachelor pic.twitter.com/VwPwP1GVyl

— jo (@jodiwatchesbach) March 8, 2022

Her Bachelor journey was calm at the start, but she claims everything changed after Elizabeth *ghosted* her after having a great interaction Night 1, leaving her feeling betrayed. Elizabeth tells her side of the story, saying she and Shanae only talked once or twice before she became distant, placing a target on her back for the rest of her time on the show. Sierra continues to not hold back, calling the villain a “narcissistic, gaslighting, bi-otch.”

The topic then changes to her Oscar-winning apology after The Bachelor Bowl group date. She doesn’t deny the fact it was all fake, having done it for Clayton and not for the girls. She survived that week but was in it to win on her 2-on-1 in Toronto with Genevieve. “You compared yourself to Meryl Streep after calling me an actress,” Genevieve points out, proceeding to join her and Jesse in the Hot Seat.

 

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Genevieve Stands Up for Herself

Genevieve was instantly worried when she was paired with Shanae for the 2-on-1 date, but they agreed to leave each other out of their conversations with Clayton… or so she thought. Clayton questioning if she was an actress came out of nowhere, but also came as no surprise at all. Shanae was right in knowing Genevieve was feeling insecure about her place on the show but spun the story with him.

Shanae gets defensive, accusing Genevieve of sleeping with Aaron Clancy from Katie Thurston‘s Bachelorette season after she was eliminated. Genevieve says she met Aaron at a bar once and has chatted with him, and even has screenshots to prove that Shanae was the one sliding into his DMs. THE TEA!!! “You are a walking red flag,” Genevieve yells. Yes, girl, speak!

aaron watching this at home be like #TheBachelor pic.twitter.com/t2RMCMPfly

— emma 🤩 (@varaem) March 8, 2022

When given a last chance to say something to Genevieve, Shanae is silent, but Genevieve puts in the final word. “Thank god your ass went home,” she rejoices, and with that, the topic changes to another of this season’s controversial contestants.

Sarah Speaks Out

Sarah was a frontrunner throughout the majority of the season until concerns about her age and true intentions (mostly from Mara) put doubts in Clayton’s head. On top of that, Sarah’s confidence in her relationship with the Bachelor rubbed the group the wrong way, causing her to be sent home after Clayton no longer trusted her.

Watching her journey back, Sarah is sad how it all ended, believing her second 1-on-1 was the beginning of her downfall. She assures the group that she never had intentions to hurt anyone, but others feel she used her confidence as a weapon, leaving them doubting what they built with Clayton. What she said and what actually happened didn’t always match up, but she tells the women that there were times when she and Clayton cried together during emotional moments. We’ll see if he can confirm her side of the story!

 

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Teddi’s Time to Shine

Sent home before Hometown Dates, Teddi was a fan-favorite since earning the First Impression Rose back in Episode 1. She remained a contender as she opened up about being a virgin to the Bachelor, but Clayton’s stronger connections with other women eventually sent her packing.

Teddi gets emotional watching her journey back — as she explains, she finds it hard to open up to and trust men, but Clayton made her feel comfortable, protected, and worthy of love. Teddi admits that she thought about how Clayton could be the one to take her virginity (if she made it to Fantasy Suites), and as she sees it, that shouldn’t be something viewers judge. After all, she explains, everyone should be able to move at their own pace and do what they are comfortable doing. Preach!

Despite her rough ending, Teddi knows that her love journey is only just beginning. Oh, and she reveals that Clayton’s brother slid into her DMs! She adds that she did not reply, stating that one Echard boy was enough for her!

And she DIDNT REPLY??? that’s my GIRL Teddi
#TheBachelor pic.twitter.com/A3tLk58s8d

— bach thoughts 🌹😶‍🌫️ (@scoobydoesnot) March 8, 2022

Serene on Her Surprising Elimination

Another major player this season? Serene. She made it through to Hometowns, and introduced Clayton to her family, but like Teddi, some of his other connections were stronger. Her final conversation with the Bachelor before the fateful rose ceremony made her believe she was safe. But in the end, she simply fell victim to a difficult decision.

After the audience watches clips of Serene’s time on the show, she opens up about how Clayton made her feel comfortable enough to break down the walls she built up, which even gave her the courage to tell him she was in love with him. And while she left heartbroken, she is hopeful that “the one” for her is still out there. We’ll say it again.. Serene for Bachelorette, please!

 

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Clayton Gets Grilled

It’s time for Clayton to face the music! He’s been far from a perfect Bachelor star, and watching it back and realizing his mistakes has been the hardest part so far. As he says, he did what he thought was best in the moment, but had the best intentions at heart (no matter any mistakes he ultimately made).

And then the drama begins. Sierra starts the conversation by asking why Clayton kept believing Shanae after weeks and weeks of being told she was a bad seed. Lyndsey wants him to “sit there and own it like a man,” and he admits he did believe his connection with the villain was stronger at the time. Sierra shares that she took her elimination as a slap in the face after all the time she put into airing out Shanae’s bad behavior. She then tells him she doesn’t believe he was (and still might not be) ready for marriage. He calls trusting Shanea “the worst thing that I could have done.” Period.

Clayton 30 seconds into being in the hot seat after the women started dragging him immediately #TheBachelor pic.twitter.com/6Qthb3JHaD

— Brett S. Vergara (@BrettSVergara) March 8, 2022

On the other hand. Clayton did ultimately listen to concerns about Sarah. Her actions left him questioning everything, and he is still confused about her true intentions. Sarah says that Clayton was the one being disingenuous to her and was stirring the pot in their relationship. He details that he did cry during the season, but not on their dates like she said. Another truth revealed!

Clayton is glad that the women are holding him accountable, and Marlena gives him the benefit of the doubt, stating that he navigated it the best he could at the time. They both have been in some toxic relationships in the past, and she notes how hard it can be to spot the issues in the moment.

marlena our respectful QUEEN #TheBachelor pic.twitter.com/gRKxekPOJc

— MoodieforBach (@MoodieforBach) March 8, 2022

Jesse asks what it’s like for Clayton to see Serene again, spurring him to apologize for making her feel invalidated after she professed her feelings for him. He wishes he had opened up to her as much as she did with him. Serene appreciates his sentiment and knows that the key to future relationships is to keep her walls down and not be afraid to be her true self. Cheers to a not half-bad reunion! Kira even makes a bold move and shoots her shot with Clayton, telling the Bachelor that watching the show back has made her appreciate all his best qualities. Hey, she’s still single… we will just have to wait to find out if he is!

Bloopers and Fantasy Suite Previews

After a brief reprieve with some fun bloopers, Clayton takes a second to thank Jesse before surprising him with some clips from his Bachelor season, which aired way back in 2004! Honestly, the footage was pretty cringy, especially the time the now-host gave a rose to the wrong woman after saying an incorrect name (ouch!).

As always, Jesse promises “the most dramatic Bachelor finale ever” before jumping into the teaser of Tuesday night’s Fantasy Suites. Clayton is falling in love with each of his final 3, but with that comes inevitable heartbreak for some. We’ll find out how it all goes down tomorrow night!

producers: “this is the most dramatic finale ever”

bachelor nation: *rolls eyes*

sierra and teddi: *revealing they know what happens and not giving details*

bachelor nation: #TheBachelor pic.twitter.com/hqq8PbvJA0

— MoodieforBach (@MoodieforBach) March 8, 2022