America’s Most Hated Bachelor | EP 1

Summary

Love Trapped, Ep. 1: “America’s Most Hated Bachelor”

Podcast: Love Trapped
Release Date: February 26, 2026
Host: Stephanie Young

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Main Theme & Purpose

The episode dives deep into the real-life paternity scandal surrounding former Bachelor Clayton Echerd, tracing how a one-night encounter escalated into public accusations, police intervention, and an internet-fueled search for the truth. Framed as a story about trust, manipulation, and reputation in the era of viral scandals and citizen sleuths, it explores not only Clayton’s side but also the machinery of reality TV and the personal fallout of instant fame.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Police Raid: The Fallout Begins

• Scene-setting: The episode opens with a tense recounting of an early morning police raid on the home of Laura Owens in Scottsdale, AZ, connected to Clayton’s paternity case. (02:55–06:00)
  • Laura is described as “agitated,” expecting legal trouble “during business hours.” She says, “I have done nothing except get pregnant by the Bachelor.” (06:00)
  • Sets the stage for the ensuing he-said/she-said saga.

2. Who is Clayton Echerd?

• Clayton’s Bachelor Journey:
  • Clayton was the unpopular star of a notoriously messy Bachelor season, leaving single and strongly disliked by both contestants and viewers. (06:00–14:00)
  • Admits to struggling with public perception: “I was the worst bachelor ever. At this point, people were hating me. Everything that they were watching on tv. I thought, how am I ever going to recover from what I've done?” (13:02)
  • Shedding light on the pressure and manipulation behind reality TV editing, he notes: “What sucks is that I didn't get a great edit. And so now people were less likely to want to rally behind me with this whole cause because they didn't like me based off of what they saw on tv.” (17:21)
• Mental Health Impact:
  • Clayton reveals the severe mental toll post-show, including suicidal ideation: “There was a point where I focus in on the clothes drawer in front of me that had my pistol inside the drawer, and I start having the thought just that it's there... I gotta get out of this environment. This is not good.” (34:47)
  • Both Clayton and Susie (his then-girlfriend) describe the Bachelor franchise's minimal support, and the damaging effect of coordinated online bullying. (34:07–36:18)

3. Reframing the Bachelor Persona

• Humanizing Clayton:
  • Stephanie aims to move beyond the reality TV character, describing Clayton as “a pretty normal guy” who now works in real estate and solar sales, and runs an Airbnb. (18:47)
  • Notable moment: Stephanie experiences a faux “rose ceremony,” showing how Clayton tries to leverage his Bachelor persona in new, benign ways—before legal headaches resurface. (19:10)
• Childhood and Motivation:
  • Grew up as “the less cool brother,” driven to prove himself on the football field and beyond. (20:00–21:09)
  • Stumbled into the Bachelor franchise due to a producer spotting his fitness posts on Instagram, after overcoming “a quarter life crisis.” (21:56–22:53)

4. Behind the Scenes: Bachelor Manipulation

• Naivete and Control:
  • Reality TV commentator Reality Steve notes: “My guess was to control him. A guy that they could clearly see, hey, he's going to do what we tell him to do because he's so grateful for this opportunity.” (26:35)
  • Clayton details being pushed to form connections and act dramatically: “I felt like the producers were trying to lead me and potentially produce me into reacting a certain way... I started to question, are we on the same team?” (32:00)
• Fallout with Susie:
  • Both Clayton and Susie directly attribute their disastrous televised breakup and the collapse of their real-life relationship to producer manipulation. (32:44–38:12)

5. Scottsdale: A New Chapter and Bad Luck

• Having survived the Bachelor, Clayton moves to Scottsdale for a "fresh start" and gets his real estate license (42:01).
• Enter Laura Owens:
  • Laura connects with Clayton through LinkedIn looking for real estate, quickly blurring professional and personal boundaries. (42:27–44:25)
  • Early flirtation is downplayed by Clayton, who claims he didn’t believe Laura recognized him from TV. (44:25–44:55)

6. The Alleged Hookup and Its Aftermath

• The Incident as Told by Clayton:
  • After a few days of business texting, flirtations escalate and Laura sends a provocative photo. Clayton invites her over, which leads to what he insists is only oral sex, not intercourse. (45:24–47:34)
  • “There was no penis and vagina penetration.” —Clayton on the nature of their hookup (47:28)
  • Eleven days later, Laura claims pregnancy, sending a photo of a positive test—Clayton adamantly denies paternity, believing impregnation to be impossible under the circumstances. (47:38–48:02)
• Clayton’s Perspective on the Scandal:
  • Lays out the jaw-dropping complexity: “Once you get fully caught up to speed, in over your head just doesn't do it justice. Every time you think it couldn't get crazier, it just does. You have the dating contract. You have forged medical documents. There are so many layers... Restraining orders, a criminal investigation…” (48:20)
  • Hints at a web of lies and manipulation that citizen sleuths will help untangle across the season.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Police Raid:

  • Laura: “I was told that if the police were going to come, they would come during business hours. Can I call my attorney, please?” (04:18)
  • Laura’s exasperation and the mundane absurdity underline the surreal public nature of the drama.

• On The Bachelor Experience:

  • Clayton on reality TV pressures: “You don't just become the guy without having a whole track record of success.” (26:02)
  • Producer to Clayton: “Take this moment in, because this is the last moment of silence that you'll likely have in your life for a long time, if ever.” (27:18)

• On Online Hate:

  • Clayton: “So many of those people that sent me death threats told me that I never deserved love, told me that they would put a bullet in my head if they ever saw me in person... I'm still a human being. This stuff hurts.” (34:07)

• On the Alleged Hookup:

  • Clayton: “That night, I was looking for a hookup. 1000%. I assumed we both were on the same page because she was coming over at 8 o'clock at night on a Friday. We know why you're coming. You just sent me a photo of your ass.” (46:26)
  • “Everything that happens next all comes back to this. One night and two blowjobs.” —Stephanie (48:02)

• Season Teaser:

  • “This is either the craziest story of a bachelor villain or the biggest scam is happening.” —Clayton (49:06)
  • “No human could imagine another person would fake something that is so sensitive. The crazy thing about all of this is if I was not the Bachelor, none of this would have happened to me.” —Clayton (49:51)

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Important Timestamps

• Police raid at Laura Owens’ house: 02:55–06:00
• Introduction to Clayton and his Bachelor journey: 06:00–17:00
• Clayton discusses mental health fallout: 34:07–36:18
• Clayton moves to Scottsdale, real estate beginnings: 38:12–42:27
• Clayton meets Laura Owens: 42:27–45:18
• The hookup and pregnancy claim: 45:24–48:02
• Scandal teaser and season preview: 48:20–50:20

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Overall Tone & Takeaways

• Candid, no-nonsense, and sometimes darkly humorous, the episode aims to humanize Clayton while exposing the lasting harms and complexities reality TV fame can cause, particularly when it collides with viral scandal and public scrutiny.
• The narrative promises a season full of twists, investigative journalism, and the challenges of discerning truth within a tangle of media spectacle, lies, and crowdsourced justice.

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Who should listen:
Anyone interested in reality TV, online scandal culture, the psychology of fame, or true-crime storytelling, and those curious about the real-life impacts of viral suspicion and gossip.

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[End of Summary]

Transcript

[Narrator/Host]

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[Stephanie Young]

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[Clayton Eckerd]

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[Stephanie Young]

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[Clayton Eckerd]

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[Clayton Eckerd]

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[Clayton Eckerd]

Police search warrant.

[Stephanie Young]

Arizona has a reputation for relentless heat. But after years of living there, I know better. Winters in the desert can be chilly and this morning was one of those days. It was 45 degrees and still dark outside.

[Clayton Eckerd]

We have a search warrant. Okay. We're serving it on the behalf of the Maricopa County Attorney's office.

[Stephanie Young]

You need to open up the door. The Scottsdale police are at the home of 34 year old Laura Owens. She and her parents live in one of the most desirable areas of Scottsdale. Think upscale ranch style homes on spacious lots. It's a rare urban neighborhood that still allows horses. But this morning the calm and quiet was interrupted.

[Clayton Eckerd]

We made entry. We're contacting the carriage right now. You're good to move to the casita.

[Stephanie Young]

Laura lives in a casita on her parents property which is kind of like a little studio apartment that's separate from the main house. Through a sliding glass door, officers can see Laura who is already awake and feeding her dogs.

[Narrator/Host]

Laura, Scottsdale police.

[Stephanie Young]

You see my badge?

[Narrator/Host]

We're with the Scottsdale police department.

[Stephanie Young]

Okay?

[Narrator/Host]

Can you come out and talk with us, please?

[Clayton Eckerd]

No.

[Stephanie Young]

The county attorneys have a search warrant for your property, so we need you to come out.

[Clayton Eckerd]

Okay?

[Stephanie Young]

I'm sorry. It's not even 7 in the morning. That's fine. Laura looks incredibly thin, dressed in an oversized Fleetwood Mac T shirt and leggings. Her dark hair is pulled back in a ponytail. She's not exactly shocked to see the police, but she is annoyed by their timing. I was told that if the police were going to come, they would come during business hours. Can I call my attorney, please? Laura reaches for her cell phone and calls her attorney, David Jingres. David, do you know what's going on right now? The Scottsdale police are trying to handle this as calmly as possible, but Laura's getting more agitated by the minute. Our target is very animated at this point, refusing to come out.

[Clayton Eckerd]

She's speaking to us through a sliding glass door. We're giving her an opportunity to talk to her attorney.

[Stephanie Young]

So we don't have to escalate things, but that's just where we're at right now. In the morning, she's on speaker with

[Clayton Eckerd]

her attorney and the attorney's advising her to come out.

[Stephanie Young]

There's. How many people are here?

[Clayton Eckerd]

A lot.

[Stephanie Young]

Open the door. Do they have authority to search before 7 o' clock in the morning?

[Clayton Eckerd]

The police are there, Laura. You need to let them do whatever

[Stephanie Young]

they're going to do with her lawyers, okay? She slowly opens her screen door and the Scottsdale police lead her into the main house where her parents are waiting. Laura's having a meltdown. This is not cool. It's not even 7 o' clock in the morning. They're acting like I murdered somebody.

[Clayton Eckerd]

I agree, honey, I agree.

[Stephanie Young]

This is.

[Clayton Eckerd]

So Laura is a subject of an investigation by the. The courts. It's regarding that. You know what?

[Stephanie Young]

It's not even 7 o'.

[Clayton Eckerd]

Clock.

[Stephanie Young]

I have done nothing except get pregnant by the Bachelor. The Bachelor, as in the hit reality TV show Imagine. One of its stars, a former lead at the center of a major paternity scandal. The man whose story prompted this early morning police raid is none other than Clayton Eckert. He's one of the most notorious and unpopular bachelors of all time. His season fell to pieces, leaving him single and rejected by the woman he'd fallen in love with. After the show, he moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, hoping for a fresh start. On the show, Clayton didn't meet his person, but after moving to Arizona, he would meet the person that would change the course of his life forever. I'm Stephanie Young and this is Love Trapped. Nearly two years before the police raid, Laura Owens hooked up with Clayton Eckerd and allegedly became pregnant. That is only the beginning of the story, a story that is still very much going on. It's about how difficult it can be to verify the truth, especially when facts are constantly shifting. Anytime someone doesn't want to give you

[Clayton Eckerd]

the full information, they lose all credibility. I don't know what she did, but we certainly didn't rule out the spit maneuver.

[Stephanie Young]

The things that she said to Clayton,

[Narrator/Host]

the famous lines about I want you to feel how tight I am and stuff like that.

[Stephanie Young]

Why would she have said that if

[Narrator/Host]

they had already had sex?

[Clayton Eckerd]

She says we were sexually intimate. Okay, well, now he's saying you only had two blowjobs. Blowjobs don't make babies.

[Stephanie Young]

It's like a miracle somehow that she got pregnant.

[Clayton Eckerd]

She could have shot herself in the ass with fertility drugs.

[Stephanie Young]

They hooked up, but they didn't have Sex, turkey basters.

[Clayton Eckerd]

It's just a chaos.

[Stephanie Young]

In the end, the man at the center of this drama would begin to question everything, setting him on an all consuming path to prove the truth.

[Clayton Eckerd]

Hello, this is Clayton speaking.

[Stephanie Young]

Hey, Clayton, it's Stephanie from Glass Podcasts. How are you today?

[Clayton Eckerd]

Hey, Stephanie. I'm doing good. It's honestly just another slow Friday today.

[Stephanie Young]

When I first heard about this case, it sounded simple. But as I began looking into it myself, the twists and turns became increasingly strange. So I gave Clayton a call. We have emailed back and forth a few times about this whole Laura Owens saga, and I want to tell your story. I want to tell it in a podcast and get all the details out there. I know you've shared some, but I don't think that you've shared all of them yet.

[Clayton Eckerd]

I mean, there's so much. I do want it out there. Just full transparency. I just. I hope it's told correctly.

[Stephanie Young]

This would be my first of many phone calls with Clayton. I live in Chicago now, but I used to call Arizona home. It's one of my favorite places. It's where I attended college. It's where I got married and began my career in radio and podcasting. I was actually in Arizona shopping for a wedding dress when I first heard about this on the news. And I'll be heading back there soon to start reporting on this case myself. So how do you feel about letting me share your story?

[Clayton Eckerd]

I mean, Stephanie, I hope that over time that this becomes a budding friendship and like, I can trust you and it can be told in the way that it needs to be told and how I would like for it to be told. But I'm gonna also just again, be completely honest. Cause that's how I live my life. I've been screwed over so many times by producers that have told me this is how I'm gonna be seen. And then it's complete opposite. So, like, is there a little bit of hesitancy? Yeah, I'm gonna definitely want to be in the know as much as possible.

[Stephanie Young]

Clayton's story is an epic battle of he said, she said. It's a story about who you believe and why. Over the past two years, it's ignited the Internet, becoming a kind of viral cautionary tale. Along the way, dozens of citizen sleuths and armchair investigators joined the conversation, scrutinizing every little detail. But here's the thing. When the news broke that Clayton was part of this paternity scandal, no one believed him at first because he was a reality TV star and an unpopular one at that. All of a sudden, his word was at the center of a case that would put him back in the spotlight in a way he never expected. Just so you know, I have family that lives in Phoenix, so next time I'm in Arizona, I'd love to try to get together and maybe have a conversation to see how we can tell this story together in a way that makes sense.

[Clayton Eckerd]

Honestly, I think that'd be great. I mean, I'm a huge believer in just face to face interaction and I would really like that. That way, obviously, we can get to know and understand what seriously we're both getting into, because I. You were going to be in over your head.

[Stephanie Young]

And he was right. I had no idea how big this story really was. To really understand what's going on here, you first have to understand how Clayton was portrayed on TV and why he was so unpopular. You see, his season of the Bachelor ended in flames.

[Narrator/Host]

The rose ceremony from hell. It's one of the most memorable moments in the history of the show that basically blew up his whole season.

[Stephanie Young]

I promise you that when you look back at this, this is gonna haunt you, the fact that you let me go. It didn't help that the three final contestants were some of the most likable in the entire franchise. Clayton came off as almost insensitive, but that's only part of what earned him the title of most hated bachelor ever. He left the show in embarrassment. The Internet turned on him.

[Clayton Eckerd]

This is going down as an all time bad season. He's going down as an all time bad bachelor. I've been saying all season that I think this guy sucks.

[Stephanie Young]

His words and his actions did not line up.

[Clayton Eckerd]

If I see any of these people defending this guy, I mean, shame on you.

[Stephanie Young]

And in the end, Clayton was left alone. He was at an all time low.

[Clayton Eckerd]

I was the worst bachelor ever. At this point, people were hating me. Everything that they were watching on tv. I thought, how am I ever going to recover from what I've done?

[Narrator/Host]

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[Stephanie Young]

I'll admit it, I have always been a fan of the Bachelor franchise, but I missed Clayton's season, and it turns out a lot of people did. Before I began reporting on this story, I went back and watched Clayton's season. I've got to be honest, while I was definitely entertained, it was also a bit of a train wreck. I could see why he got the reputation he did. Even his brother Nate didn't think he did a very good job.

[Clayton Eckerd]

I wouldn't give him the best grade. I think he was authentic. I think he was himself. But it just ended up getting him in more trouble.

[Stephanie Young]

Respectfully, there have been many other Bachelor contestants who have actually committed crimes. Clayton's only crime was not being likable. He's blunt and truthful, and oftentimes that lands him in hot water.

[Clayton Eckerd]

When people watch a show like the Bachelor, they think that they know you based on what they watch on tv. And what sucks is that I didn't get a great edit. And so now people were less likely to want to rally behind me with this whole cause because they didn't like me based off of what they saw on tv.

[Stephanie Young]

I had my own preconceived notions about Clayton before I met him. I kind of thought the same thing a lot of people did. He was your typical playboy. I had to get to know him myself because the story isn't about the Bachelor.

[Clayton Eckerd]

Hey.

[Stephanie Young]

Hey.

[Clayton Eckerd]

How's it going?

[Stephanie Young]

Oh, my gosh. You really are that tall.

[Clayton Eckerd]

I got blessed with some height. It's nice to meet you. Good to see you, too. Absolutely. Welcome to the humble abode.

[Stephanie Young]

I met Clayton for the first time last August when I was visiting my parents in Arizona. He's a big guy. His hands are double the size of mine. He's got a killer smile, hazel eyes, and a square jaw. He has thick, curly hair most men or women would die for. And at 6:5, he towers over me.

[Clayton Eckerd]

I drank cream soda growing up, and my parents said, you know, if you keep drinking that, you're going to stunt your growth. So I switched over to milk. And I think there's hormones in the milk. All those hormones are probably put

[Stephanie Young]

today. Clayton is a pretty normal guy. He's in solar sales, he's a realtor, he takes hip hop dance classes, and he owns and manages an Airbnb in Scottsdale. In fact, the day I met him, he shared his original concept of an optional Airbnb add on, where for an additional fee, he would personally provide guests with a private rose ceremony experience.

[Clayton Eckerd]

I give them the exact same spiel That I would have given to the women on the show. I'm so grateful that you all are here tonight for this incredible moment. What a journey we all have had.

[Stephanie Young]

As a lifelong fan of the franchise, when he recreated this rose ceremony moment for me, it was like Clayton became the bachelor again.

[Clayton Eckerd]

I had a videographer here to film all of that, and I released it. And then ABC hit me with a cease and desist.

[Stephanie Young]

The cease and desist wouldn't be the last of his legal troubles, as you'll soon find out. So how did Clayton even get here in the first place? What was his path to becoming the bachelor? I wanted to start from the beginning. Clayton grew up in Missouri and spent 28 years of his life there. And Clayton is your normal Midwest guy.

[Clayton Eckerd]

I grew up with my two younger brothers and we were just a household of boys and we competed in every single thing from sports to grades. So a lot of who I am today stems from those early childhood challenges amongst me and my brothers.

[Stephanie Young]

Clayton says his younger brother outshined him.

[Clayton Eckerd]

He had a lot of confidence growing up that I never possessed. And so he succeeded at a higher level than me. A lot of the girls loved him. He was smooth cause he didn't overthink things. Meanwhile, I was getting friend zoned by all the girls in my grade. Even girls in my grade liked my brother more than they liked me.

[Stephanie Young]

When Clayton got to high school, he was determined to prove himself.

[Clayton Eckerd]

That's when I decided, hey, the way that I establish worth is by becoming the best on the football field and becoming like the most sought after man that I can be.

[Stephanie Young]

Clayton had a good senior football season. Not good enough to get a scholarship, but good enough to walk on the team at the University of Missouri.

[Clayton Eckerd]

Everyone expected me not to make it. It's a Division 1 program, top program in the state,

[Stephanie Young]

and he made it. He became a tight end on the team and even went on to play in the NFL. He was cut early on, but hey, he made it. That's what mattered to him. And this experience led him to the next chapter in his career. Medical device sales.

[Clayton Eckerd]

They love their athletes, so they're like, hey, we don't care if you don't have any sales experience. We love athletes and so they bring me on so I get this nice, great job.

[Stephanie Young]

Out of college, Clayton paid his dues in the industry. While living in Columbia, Missouri. He was big into fitness and posting his workout videos on Instagram. But on his 28th birthday, he had what he referred to as a quarter life crisis.

[Clayton Eckerd]

I had this epiphany where I realized I had not grown as a person in five years. That's how I felt. I was doing the same job that I'd been doing for the last five years. Romantically. I was just dating casually. I hadn't grown in that regard whatsoever. And I realized I need to get out of this environment. I'm stagnant.

[Stephanie Young]

That's when everything changed for him.

[Clayton Eckerd]

I got a DM from a casting producer on Instagram. A producer from the Bachelor was searching via fitness hashtags, which I had put on one of my pictures, and that's how they found me.

[Stephanie Young]

It wasn't the first time he'd been scouted. He'd been approached to be on Love island and an HBO Christmas dating show. He turned them both down and told his brother that the only show he would consider was the Bachelorette. But then when the opportunity was actually presented to him, I'm like, there's no

[Clayton Eckerd]

way I can do this. So my brother brings it up one day and he's like, you're gonna go on the show? And I said, I don't think so. He goes, oh, so you're not a man of your word. I said, what do you mean? He goes, don't you remember that conversation we had? He said, you said the one show you would go on is the Bachelorette. He goes, and so now you're not going to do it. So you're not a man of your word. And that's all I needed.

[Stephanie Young]

He agreed to go on the Bachelorette. He barely watched the show except when he was glancing over his mom's shoulder.

[Clayton Eckerd]

It was my mom's favorite show growing up. It was always on in our house.

[Stephanie Young]

Clayton was cast on Michelle Young's season of The Bachelorette in 2021. Michelle's a natural beauty with wavy black hair. She's a college basketball player turned elementary school teacher. Clayton thought she was drop dead gorgeous. But when he got on set for the first time, he was overwhelmed by the production of it all.

[Clayton Eckerd]

I will never forget my first night before I walked onto rowdy television.

[Stephanie Young]

He was a nervous wreck when he got out of the limo to meet Michelle.

[Clayton Eckerd]

I step out the limo, lights are blinding me. They said, if you mess up, keep going. There are no redos. When the cameras were thrown on me, it was just a shock. I was in that moment wondering if I was swaying my arms too much while I was walking. That's how hyper fixated I was on the minute things. Because all of a sudden, in that moment, you're like, nothing is hidden. Everything is out there.

[Stephanie Young]

And things didn't get any better once he met the other guys.

[Clayton Eckerd]

First guy I see ends up being the guy that won the whole thing. He's 6 foot 8, light skinned, looks like a model. I'm like, oh, I'm done. There's no way I'm gonna make this last longer than one night if this is my competition.

[Stephanie Young]

Clayton made it past night one, but he didn't get a lot of screen time.

[Clayton Eckerd]

It was hardly any. It was like eight minutes max min, maybe.

[Stephanie Young]

Ultimately, he was sent home before hometown dates. Michelle walked him to the limo and he was driven off the set. But the next morning, Clayton was called for one final exit scene. Michelle was an elementary school teacher, and earlier in the episode, Clayton met two of her students. He was brought in to shoot a final scene where the two kids gave him handwritten goodbye letters. We watched Clayton read each letter and well up with tears.

[Clayton Eckerd]

It was surprising because you are super genuine and I liked you a lot and I know you'd be a really great husband for Ms. Young. You will probably meet someone else and fall in love and have lots of kids and be a great dad.

[Stephanie Young]

Clayton didn't realize it in the moment, but this scene was his screen test to be the Bachelor.

[Clayton Eckerd]

I just want to find love so badly and have a family and I'll do whatever it takes to get that.

[Stephanie Young]

He nailed it. And then his producer made the offer. They wanted him to be the next Bachelor. Even Clayton was surprised.

[Clayton Eckerd]

I got sent home with seven guys ahead of me, so I figured that wasn't even contention. So when he said that, I was like, yeah, I'll do it.

[Stephanie Young]

Clayton said something that stood out to me. He was sent home earlier in the season than most future leads, so picking him was kind of a strange choice. I wanted some insight on this, so I turned to reality. Steve. He's a podcaster, blogger, and de facto authority on the Bachelor franchise. He knows how the show works behind the scenes. Here's why he thinks the show casts Clayton as as the lead.

[Narrator/Host]

My guess was to control him. A guy that they could clearly see, hey, he's going to do what we tell him to do because he's so grateful for this opportunity.

[Stephanie Young]

The thing is, Clayton was grateful for the opportunity.

[Clayton Eckerd]

It was validation that I was special, which the people pleaser in me was always chasing. So to have that moment come to a place where it was like, we want you to be the guy. I was like, I'm the guy and you don't just become the guy without having A whole track record of success.

[Stephanie Young]

He finally found the validation he was looking for. But he didn't realize that once you invite the world in, you can't tell them when to leave.

[Clayton Eckerd]

I'll never forget this. Producer looks at me and she goes, take this moment in, because this is the last moment of silence that you'll likely have in your life for a long time, if ever. That's the moment I remember, because my life has never been the same since that point. The noise has never stopped.

[Stephanie Young]

Clayton began filming his season of the Bachelor in late September of 2021, and he was ready to find love.

[Clayton Eckerd]

At that point, I was so overcome with just excitement. What is my life? This isn't even real. Pinch me.

[Narrator/Host]

I.

[Clayton Eckerd]

But don't actually pinch me, because if this is a dream, I don't want to wake up from it. That's how grateful and excited I was. I was just soaking it all in. And I felt like I'm going to give everyone the love story that they're looking for because I got the genuine heart that's actually looking for something serious. This is going to be a fairy tale ending. I'm going to ride off into the sunset and be the hero that everybody was anticipating I'd be or wants me to be. That's what I believe was going to happen. I really believed it up until, like, the last week. Where the fuck did I go wrong?

[Stephanie Young]

So here's what happened. When Clayton got down to the finalists, he broke an unspoken rule of the Bachelor, which is the show doesn't really work if you tell all the finalists you're in love with them, especially while they're all standing in front of you.

[Clayton Eckerd]

I still to this day, didn't realize I was an uncle. Untold rule. I believe in radical honesty. It's probably gotten me, and actually, it has gotten me in trouble more than a few times in my life.

[Stephanie Young]

Not only did Clayton admit to falling in love with all of the finalists, he also revealed that he'd had sex with two of them. Here's what he said he was thinking.

[Clayton Eckerd]

Every emotion was rushing in. It was a lot. I mean, I was so drained at that point. I had a mix of frustration with myself, sadness to see the looks on the faces of the women. I realized that things were going in the exact opposite direction that I planned for them to go.

[Stephanie Young]

The rose ceremony from hell was filmed in Iceland, and Clayton's parents and two brothers were there, too. While it was being filmed, his family was out to dinner with some of the show's producers who were Getting frantic texts from the production team. Here's Clayton's dad, Brian.

[Clayton Eckerd]

Even the producer told me when I was sitting in a room with her, she goes, you know, Mr. Eckerd, your son gave us some great material. Unfortunately, it's just going to look like shit. She goes, I don't know any way to save him. I was like, well, we'll see what it looks like when it comes out.

[Stephanie Young]

The producers were right. It didn't look good for Clayton in the end. There were three women. The first was Rachel, a radiant blonde who was also a pilot. Next was Gabby Windy, a nurse and former NFL cheerleader with a quick wit. She's since become a pop culture icon who you might have seen on the Traders and Dancing with the Stars. When she was on Clayton's season of the Bachelor, she was not happy with how he handled himself. I'm pissed because I spent the last two days away from my family and my friends who actually give a about me and you don't. That was rough. Then there was Susie. She was a wedding photographer, former Miss Virginia, actually. And she was the one Clayton was leaning towards. But Susie decided to leave the competition early. Right before the finale, she got cold feet about getting engaged. In a very unusual and risky move, Clayton sent the other two finalists home. He wanted to propose to Susie and surprise, surprise, she was still in Iceland. So he made a grand gesture and asked her to come to the final rose ceremony. She agreed to show up, and when he handed her the rose, she said what no other contestant has ever said before. I have made the decision to leave Iceland alone, but it doesn't, like, take away from everything that we've had and the love that I genuinely like, feel in my heart for you. In other words, she said no. I asked Clayton if in that moment he regretted becoming The Bachelor.

[Clayton Eckerd]

Yes, 1000%. I wish I'd have never answered that DM when I. When I. Yeah, absolutely. That's how I felt.

[Stephanie Young]

Clayton told me that he felt like the producers pushed him to develop a strong connection with more than one woman, and they encouraged him to try that last ditch effort with Susie.

[Clayton Eckerd]

I felt like the producers were trying to lead me and potentially produce me into reacting a certain way. And so I started to question, are we on the same team? Like, am I able to really just do what I want, or is there some type of motive here from you? All that I need to fall in line with?

[Stephanie Young]

It's telling that Clayton didn't realize this until the end. Here's reality, Steve.

[Narrator/Host]

They took advantage of a naive Guy

[Stephanie Young]

who didn't know television and didn't know

[Clayton Eckerd]

the process of this show and had

[Narrator/Host]

a field day with him.

[Stephanie Young]

Shortly after Clayton returned from filming the show, he received a DM from Susie on Instagram asking if they could talk about what happened in Iceland. And Clayton agreed.

[Clayton Eckerd]

We had a three hour conversation that night and talked a lot about producer involvement and how it stopped us from being able to pursue the relationship further.

[Stephanie Young]

Susie felt the same way that producers forced them into a decision. At the end, it just felt like producers got really involved and I felt like the whole situation felt manipulated and orchestrated and I didn't know who to trust anymore, whether it was not trusting Clayton or producers. And I was like, I just need to leave here. After that conversation, they decided to reconnect and give the relationship a go on their own terms, without cameras. But America couldn't know yet because the show hadn't premiered. Living through it had been one thing. Then Clayton joined the millions of Americans watching his season play out on tv. It did not go well.

[Clayton Eckerd]

The premiere trailer, it started off all happy go lucky. And then the back half of the trailer, they just showed everything blowing up. They showed that clearly there's no love story here. It's full drama. And they set me up for failure right out the gate.

[Stephanie Young]

And the Internet was ruthless. Clayton knew it had been bad. He didn't know it had been this bad.

[Clayton Eckerd]

So many of those people that sent me death threats told me that I never deserved love, Told me that they would put a bullet in my head if they ever saw me in person, telling me I'm stupid, ugly. My physique was attacked, my actions were attacked, and it's like they all forgot that I was a human. I'm like, guys, I'm still a human being. This stuff hurts.

[Stephanie Young]

The show provided mental health resources for as long as Clayton needed them.

[Clayton Eckerd]

It's just a shame because you would hope that you wouldn't have to ever utilize them in the first place.

[Stephanie Young]

Clayton knew he wasn't perfect, but as the finale approached, the online hate took its toll on him.

[Clayton Eckerd]

My mental health was the worst it's ever been in my life. I thought, wouldn't it be better if I just wasn't here? There was a point where I focus in on the clothes drawer in front of me that had my pistol inside the drawer, and I start having the thought just that it's there. And I felt weak in that moment. And I almost felt guilty for even considering that, because I thought, there's no way I could ever put this type of Pain on my family. And I knew at that point, I was like, I gotta get out of this environment. This is not good.

[Stephanie Young]

Clayton reached out to the Bachelor producers for help.

[Clayton Eckerd]

I said, I am in a terrible place right now. I'm having extremely dark thoughts. I feel worthless. I need support.

[Stephanie Young]

He desperately, desperately wanted to see his girlfriend Susie. But the rules were if they wanted to meet in person, they had to go through producers first. Since the show was still airing, Susie was genuinely worried about him. Here's Susie. At the time, he didn't mention the gun in the drawer, but I remember also calling producers at that same time. And I said, hey, I really think something is very wrong, and I don't think he should be alone right now.

[Clayton Eckerd]

Thankfully, they understood the severity of it. They got me out on a red eye. They got her out on a red eye. And I then had at least Susie there to support me.

[Stephanie Young]

Soon, during the live finale, America would find out the truth about Clayton and Susie's relationship.

[Clayton Eckerd]

Are you guys back together?

[Stephanie Young]

That's my boyfriend. You'd think this news would have started Clayton's redemption arc. He and Susie did end up together after all. But that's not what happened. The online trolls started to come for Susie too. I received some of the most, like, disgusting, graphic, nasty messages I've ever received in my life after the final show. That was a lot to go through. Susie felt like the Bachelor left them out to dry and let them take the fall for producers decisions. There's a lot of criticism on Clayton, on how things happened, and I think some of that is deserved, and some of it is also like, okay, we have to take a step back and recognize that there's a whole production behind it. When the show wrapped, Clayton and Susie had to deal with being a publicly hated couple. Their relationship wasn't celebrated like most Bachelor couples, and their social media accounts were spammed with hate comments. They were both just trying to feel normal again. After nine months of dating under intense online scrutiny, Clayton and Susie decided to call it quits. I think our relationship was just too tumultuous to last. Like, I think that we went through something really, really traumatic together and that could have brough us closer. But we both were two people that went through something really, really hard, and we just didn't have the toolkit to, like, make it work.

[Clayton Eckerd]

When I lost her, I lost a rock. You know, I lost somebody that really, fully understood me.

[Stephanie Young]

He took the breakup hard, so he spent the next year working on himself. At the end of 2022, Clayton wanted a fresh start.

[Clayton Eckerd]

I moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, which is the hot spot. There is so much happening here. It's very close to all the west coast cities.

[Stephanie Young]

Having lived there, I can tell you it's kind of a party town.

[Clayton Eckerd]

Very fast paced, a lot of distractions, a lot of problems as well.

[Stephanie Young]

It's almost fitting that Scottsdale is one of the most popular destinations for bachelorette parties.

[Clayton Eckerd]

When I got to Scottsdale, I didn't have dating on my mind. I had. I had a big old party mindset and I thought I get to be single and I get to be single as the Bachelor, former bachelor, and I'm gonna just milk this moment and I'm gonna have my fun.

[Stephanie Young]

He thought it would be smooth sailing now that the Bachelor was behind him. Damn, was he.

[Narrator/Host]

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[Stephanie Young]

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[Stephanie Young]

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[Narrator/Host]

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[Stephanie Young]

After a nightmarish stint in the public eye, Clayton Eckard began building a new Life in Scottsdale, Arizona. In April of 2023, he announced on Instagram that he got his real estate license. He figured that his notoriety from the show might even help him launch his career. A few short weeks later, he got a message on LinkedIn from a potential real estate client, someone named Laura Owens.

[Clayton Eckerd]

The LinkedIn message said, hi, I'm looking to connect with similar minded young entrepreneurs in Scottsdale. I see that you work for the and I actually contacted them recently. They were going to connect me with someone who could help me find investment properties, but haven't yet. Let me know if you can help.

[Stephanie Young]

Laura's LinkedIn profile didn't have a photo, but Clayton's did.

[Clayton Eckerd]

It was my Bachelor photo, the photo from Night one of the Bachelor.

[Stephanie Young]

You'd think that her not having a photo might be a red flag, right? Well, Clayton saw it differently.

[Clayton Eckerd]

I figured I'm the bachelor and I have a level of fame. To me this is not at all that surprising. I mean, I had people that came up to me once at a coffee shop and said they wanted to work with me in real estate. So I exchanged my contact info with her to get in front of her so that I could hopefully get my first real estate deal done.

[Stephanie Young]

And Laura didn't waste any time.

[Clayton Eckerd]

The text messages started right away, constant texting. And she knew a lot about real estate, more than I even knew because I just got my license. So I felt like I was trying to play keep up with her.

[Stephanie Young]

Laura was asking all the right questions, but Clayton also realized she was testing the waters.

[Clayton Eckerd]

At first she was flirting a bit. I was keeping it very professional. Was $20,000 commission on the line good amount of money? And I was trying to keep the transaction going along.

[Stephanie Young]

I sat down with Clayton and had him walk me through the printouts of their initial messages. You mentioned she was flirting with you a little bit. Can you read one of those messages and kind of give me an example of what you're talking about?

[Clayton Eckerd]

In all honesty, though, I had a great time talking to you and would actually love to get a drink with you next week if you want to.

[Stephanie Young]

And how did you handle that flirtation?

[Clayton Eckerd]

I thought, I'll just continue to be professional, push this along, let her feel however she feels, and if she wants to flirt here and there, whatever, we can let that be.

[Stephanie Young]

So you told me your profile picture was the photo of you from the Bachelor. Do you think she had any idea of who you were?

[Clayton Eckerd]

I don't think she did know who I was. I mean, of course, you know, she could have googled me and found out very quickly, but based on what she had said to me and her tonality, I assumed that she didn't know.

[Stephanie Young]

Okay, so then you thought she was flirting with you not because you were famous or the former Bachelor, but because you're you. A tall, 30 something year old guy, handsome.

[Clayton Eckerd]

I mean, hey, I appreciate all those compliments, but yeah, I mean, truthfully, I just thought like, yeah, she thinks I'm attractive. Okay, no big deal. I'm just really fixated on getting my first real estate deal done and starting a new chapter out here in Scottsdale, and also just having people see me for what I truly am, not what was shown on tv, which was produced and edited.

[Stephanie Young]

Clayton set up some showings for Laura later that week, and the flirtatious messages continued.

[Clayton Eckerd]

And then, obviously, there was a turn of events.

[Stephanie Young]

One night, Clayton had just moved into a new apartment. That evening he went to Ikea, ordered a pizza, and started to put his new furniture together.

[Clayton Eckerd]

So I took this edible and Laura was texting me, so I sent her a text back.

[Stephanie Young]

This was three days after Laura's initial message to Clayton. At that point, Clayton started to feed into the flirting. Then Laura made a bold move. She sent a photo.

[Clayton Eckerd]

The second I got that photo, I was. I was like, okay, whoa. The logical brain kicked off.

[Stephanie Young]

Clayton invited her to come over.

[Clayton Eckerd]

She was a little hesitant at first. I think she was surprised that I was inviting her over. But then she decided that she would come over from there.

[Stephanie Young]

The exact details of what happened that night are only known to two people. Clayton and Laura. As we continue this series, we'll hear a few different versions of what allegedly went down. But we're going to start with Clayton's version.

[Clayton Eckerd]

That night, I was looking for a hookup. 1000% I assumed we both were on the same page because she was coming over at 8 o' clock at night on a Friday. We know why you're coming. You just sent me a photo of your ass.

[Stephanie Young]

Technically, she's wearing leggings in the photo. I've seen a copy of it, and if you can believe it, this picture would later be released as part of an investigation report by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. To call a spade a spade. The photo looks like a thirst trap. That night, Laura arrived at Clayton's apartment. They started talking and getting to know each other a little better.

[Clayton Eckerd]

I'll be honest with you, all of the conversation was forgettable. And then probably after an hour, hour and a half, I told her to, like, come over closer to me. And she did. And then that's when we started hooking up.

[Stephanie Young]

It's awkward to go into these details with Clayton, but they all become critical to this story. So I asked him to define what he means when he says he and Laura started hooking up.

[Clayton Eckerd]

I don't know how descriptive you want me to get, but, like, there was no penis and vagina penetration.

[Stephanie Young]

Laura spent the night and left early the next morning.

[Clayton Eckerd]

Eleven days later, I received a message from Laura stating that she was pregnant. And attached was a photo of a positive pregnancy test.

[Stephanie Young]

Clayton couldn't believe it.

[Clayton Eckerd]

And there's no way that she could have been pregnant because we did not have sex. I mean, not in the way that would get you pregnant.

[Stephanie Young]

Everything that happens next all comes back to this. One night and two blowjobs. On one of our first phone calls, you said that I was going to be in over my head. And I'm kind of understanding a little bit why you said that. But, like, what did you mean?

[Clayton Eckerd]

Once you get fully caught up to speed, in over your head just doesn't do it justice. Every time you think it couldn't get crazier, it just does. You have the dating contract. You have forged medical documents. There are so many layers to this story that you peel back. One couldn't get crazier. Oh, surprise, there's another layer, and it just keeps going. Restraining orders, a criminal investigation. And also just the hope that at the end of it all, someone's going to be held accountable.

[Stephanie Young]

This season on Love Trapped.

[Clayton Eckerd]

Hey, Clayton, this is not your typical

[Stephanie Young]

naked video of a woman trying to impress you.

[Clayton Eckerd]

My life is ruined. Everything that I'm working towards is gone. This is either the craziest story of a bachelor villain or the biggest scam is happening.

[Narrator/Host]

It's one or the other.

[Stephanie Young]

I'm not the devil. I'm genuinely not wanting to cause any trouble in your life.

[Clayton Eckerd]

This is where it was a whirlwind of text messages. She's probably texting me 25, 30 times a day. It's hard to explain to somebody how the hairs on your neck immediately go up when you see you get an

[Narrator/Host]

email from Laura Owens.

[Stephanie Young]

No privacy anymore. No reputation. No name.

[Clayton Eckerd]

I can't even count how many armchair

[Stephanie Young]

investigators who did 10 times better than

[Clayton Eckerd]

any PI I have ever hired.

[Stephanie Young]

We need accountability and more importantly, we need protection.

[Clayton Eckerd]

No human could imagine another person would fake something that is so sensitive. The crazy thing about all of this is if I was not the Bachelor, none of this would have happened to me.

[Stephanie Young]

Try to leave. Thank you so much for listening. Please be sure to follow Love Trapped on Apple Podcasts, the iHeartRadio app, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And please leave us a review. A five star rating helps others find this show. We're grateful for your support. If you would like to reach out to the Love Trapped team, email [e-mail] that's lovetrapped podmail.com Love Trapped is a production of Glass Podcasts, a division of Glass Entertainment Group, in partnership with iheart Podcasts. This show was executive produced by Nancy Glass, Andrea Gunning and Ben Federman. Written, produced and hosted by me, Stephanie Young. Our Story Editor is Monique Laborde. Additional production support from Todd Ganz. Our Production manager is Kristin Melkiri for iHeart podcasts. Ali Perry was our Executive producer. Audio editing and mastering by Anna McClain and Matt DelVecchio. Additional editing support by Zac Proteau. This podcast was developed in collaboration with Danny Passman and Leb Abramoff at Crybaby Media. The Love Trapped theme is composed by Oliver Baines Music Library provided by MyB Music. A special thanks to Carrie Lieberman, Will Pearson, Jessica Kreinscheck, Allie Kanter, and the entire iHeart podcast team. And for more podcasts from iHeart, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is Andrea Gunning from Betrayal. Most wellness routines fail somewhere between day one, motivation and where did I put that powder? That's where Groons comes in. Groons packs over 20 vitamins and minerals, greens and prebiotics into a snack pack of tiny delicious gummies. No powders, no pills. Just a simple way to support your gut health, beauty, energy, immunity, recovery and cognition. Plus, the ingredients in Grunds are backed by over 35,000 research publications. It's a convenient, comprehensive formula designed for real life. Get up to 52% off with the Code Betrayal at Groons Co. That's Code Betrayals co. Find home wherever you roam at Sinesta Es and Simply Suites. Stretch out and enjoy home like amenities for however long you need. And when you're a Sonesta Travel Pass member, staying at Sonesta Es and Simply Suites means earning points towards free nights, upgrades and more. Go to sonesta.com to book your stay and unlock the best rates with Sonesta Travel Pass here today, Rome tomorrow. Join [e-mail] Terms and conditions apply.

[Clayton Eckerd]

This is Matt Rogers from Las Culturistas

[Stephanie Young]

with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang.

[Clayton Eckerd]

This is Bowen Yang from Las Culturistas

[Stephanie Young]

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[Clayton Eckerd]

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[Stephanie Young]

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[Clayton Eckerd]

Xfinity is so reliable. It does that too. What if your wifi had parental instincts? Xfinity WI Fi is part nanny, part ninja, protecting your kids while they're online. And finally, what if your WI fi was like the smartest WI fi? Yeah, it's WI fi that is so smart it makes everything work better together.

[Stephanie Young]

Bottom line, Xfinity is smart and reliable. You deserve the peace of mind of having WI fi.

[Narrator/Host]

That's good.

[Clayton Eckerd]

Got your back Xfinity.

[Stephanie Young]

Imagine that after the holidays, your home deserves a reset, not another routine. Right now, get a free Pura Home Diffuser when you subscribe to 2 cents for 12 months, risk free for 30 days. Create calm on your terms. Visit pura. Com.