Tuesday’s episode of “The Bachelorette” revealed that Rachel Recchia was considering dumping finalist Zach Shallcross about his age during an off-camera portion of their date — despite being only four months younger than her.
“The night in the fantasy suite with Rachel was not the night I expected,” admitted the technical director.
“We have the important talk about religion and politics and all that stuff, and Rachel brought up her fear that I might not be ready for a marriage commitment at this young age.”
Shallcross was 25 at the time of filming, while Recchia was 26.
“I’m like, ‘Don’t worry about that. I’m here for you,'” he continued. “But she got really adamant. I’m like… ‘Are you making me doubt? It was a surprise. It was like we were two strangers.”
The Anaheim Hills, California native went on to say that Recchia’s concerns about his age “came out of nowhere,” elaborating, “I think it’s f–ked, to be honest. She was forming a front.”
Shallcross eventually expressed disappointment with host Jesse Palmer, explaining that he felt taken aback because the age difference between him and Recchia is so small. (She was born on March 8, 1996, while he was born on July 31, 1996.)
“With proposals just around the corner, that was the last thing I could have expected. I thought I saw my future with this woman. I was completely impressed,” he admitted.
Elsewhere, Shallcross — part of Recchia’s last three, which also includes Aven Jones and Tino Franco — said the Season 19 co-leads were not behaving authentically during their some time in Mexico.
“Things were instantly different when we were in the fantasy suite,” he told Palmer.
“The way we were together, that feeling took a 180. She was different, I was different. The strange thing for me was that when the cameras were gone and it was just her and I talking, it felt like she wasn’t showing her true self.”
Of course, Bachelor Nation had thoughts about Recchia’s age-related reservations — and shared them on social media.
“It’s not like Rachel said Zach isn’t ready to get married because of his age, when her birthday is March 8, 1996 and his birthday is July 31, 1996 #thebachelorette #bachelorette,” one person commented via Twitter.
“AGE care?! What am I missing. Rachel is 26, Zach is 25…” wrote another fan. “The real question is details about ‘religion, politics…’ #bachelorette party.”
A viewer suspected that something was missing from the montage.
“A little confused watching the #bachelorette tonight. Why is Rachel worried about Zach’s age when they are literally a few months apart?” They wrote. “I feel like there’s more to the story #armzach.”
Another Shallcross supporter criticized Recchia for voicing her concerns too late in the process.
“Rachel: I want these guys to be honest with me,” they tweeted. Also Rachel: Tells Zach she’s worried about his age a week before the engagement #TheBachelorette.
The rest of Recchia’s date with Shallcross takes place on this Tuesday’s episode of “The Bachelorette” at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.