The Bachelor held its first-ever virtual cocktail party and rose ceremony in its latest episode after lead Zach Shallcross tested positive for Covid-19.
Warning: Spoilers for The Bachelor season 27 below.
Monday’s episode of the ABC show began with Shallcross and his group of potential love interests in London. He brought one contestant, Gabi, on a one-on-one date through the city, which included taking her on a shopping spree.
Plans changed for the group date with Shallcross when contestants received a note from him saying that while he “had a great date planned”, he was feeling “under the weather” and could not join them in London.
This message prompted stress and confusion from this season’s contestants who questioned if there would still be a cocktail party that night with Shallcross. As the episode continued, the leading man shared that he had Covid and wouldn’t be meeting in-person with the women.
Host Jesse Palmer then revealed to the contestants that Shallcross had opted to do something that they’ve “never been done in Bachelor history:” a virtual cocktail party and rose ceremony. The episode then showed Shallcross in his hotel room as he was setting a camera up to video chat with the contestants.
The video calls began with a conversation between contestant Charity and Shallcross, who had their one-on-one date cancelled. She received a surprise in her room during the virtual date: Shallcross sent her a silver figurine of Big Ben and promised that they would eventually get their in-person solo time together.
Following multiple FaceTime dates at, Shallcross expressed how much he enjoyed getting to know these women and said: “It surpassed all my expectations. It was full of laughs, joking around…With this virtual time together, it was telling for how a lot of relationships did progress.”
Shallcross seemed to have one rocky conversation with contestant Greer, who recalled her experience with Covid while working at her job in sales.
”Last time I had Covid was at the end of the quarter, end of the year, and so I kind of know what it’s like to have a goal you’re trying to reach and you’re stuck,” she explained. In response, Shallcross expressed how “being frustrated about finding [his] future wife” was “completely different” that the “close of [a] quarter” in sales.
In a confessional interview, Greer tearfully acknowledged that “she didn’t feel good” about their conversation and that it was clear to her that she had “upset him”.
Leading up to the rose ceremony, where he revealed which women he wanted to stay, Shallcross spoke to Palmer over FaceTime. In the call, he shared his disappointment over not being able to say goodbye to some of the women in-person.
“It feels really difficult having to send anyone home during this time,” he said, as he wore a suit and tie and started tearing up. “And I wish I could be there to do that, to be in that moment, because they deserve that and that’s the annoying thing.”
With all the women in one room, Shallcross addressed them from a television screen: “Now, obviously, we are at a rose ceremony tonight, and it’s virtual, and I would literally do anything to get out of this room and be there with you…But I really hope you can see my heart as I do navigate through this difficult decision.”
Shallcross then called up the women one by one to accept their roses from him, which were placed on a table.
The episode ended with Greer accepting the final rose of the night and contestants Kylee and Mercedes being sent home. Both contestants went up to the television screen to say their goodbyes to Shallcross. The remaining women then did a virtual toast with The Bachelor lead in honour of the rest of their in-person journey.
