Clayton Echard broke tradition by taking back a rose from Cassidy Timbrooks, after previously giving it to her on the group date, on the Jan. 24 episode of ‘The Bachelor.’
Cassidy Timbrooks was exposed for having a “friends with benefits” back home while dating Clayton Echard on season 26 of The Bachelor. Clayton was made aware of Cassidy’s “man on the side” during the show’s Jan. 10 episode. After hearing about it at the cocktail party, he admitted that he was considering taking Cassidy’s rose back, which he had previously given her on the group date that week. The drama continued during the Jan. 24 episode.
“I was given some very unsettling information by Sierra, pertaining to Cassidy,” Clayton told host Jesse Palmer. “What I’m hearing is that Cassidy essentially has a friends with benefits that she apparently was FaceTiming right before her limo entrance. The frustrating part is I’ve already given her a rose and this is really muddying the waters.” Jesse told Clayton that there were “no rules” and it was up to him to decide what he wanted to do with Cassidy going forward.
Clayton Echard and Cassidy Timbrooks on the Jan. 10 episode of ‘The Bachelor.’ (ABC)Meanwhile, Cassidy was bragging about how much Clayton liked her to the other women. She was extremely confident that her place in the house was safe. Clayton pulled Cassidy aside to discuss the situation, and she insisted that she hasn’t had “any relationship of any kind since the summer of 2019.” Clayton brought up the specific situation that he was told about — i.e. the FaceTime ahead of night one — and Cassidy began backtracking a little.
“There was a friend of mine who does not want a relationship,” Cassidy explained. “He thinks it’s cool that I’m taking this risk and he supports me. He was like, ‘Look, if it doesn’t work out, I still wanna be friends, and whatever.’ But I have no interest in resuming that relationship because I knew it wasn’t going anywhere.”
Cassidy Timbrooks and Clayton Echard chatting on ‘The Bachelor.’ (ABC)Clayton was clearly frustrated that he couldn’t get a straight answer out of Cassidy and he walked away from their conversation. She was in tears and admitted, “I can’t believe this is happening,” while the other girls looked on from inside. “I don’t know what I can do to salvage this. It doesn’t feel like there’s anything I can do at this point,” Cassidy cried.
After taking a moment to himself, Clayton confronted Cassidy once again. “From the minute I met you, all I’ve done is gush how I’ve already fallen into something with you,” Cassidy explained. “I’m sorry this confused you or got in the way of anything. I hope it doesn’t mess up what we kind of started here.”
Clayton was simply pushed too far, though. “I’m struggling with our trust already being shaken,” he admitted. “My biggest fear coming into this was falling for someone who wasn’t here for the right reasons. At this point, I feel like there’s too many concerns.” Cassidy was shocked as she realized that Clayton was actually sending her home.
“I don’t see anyone in the house who glows as soon as they walk away from you,” she told him. “There’s no one here who’s as excited about you as I am. I don’t want to see you send home someone who actually likes you because of the opinion of a few girls who will probably be gone in a few weeks. I haven’t even packed my stuff. I didn’t think I was going home tonight.”
The writing was on the wall, though, and Clayton walked Cassidy out to the limo to send her off. “This is not at all what I expected to do tonight and it hurts,” he revealed. “When I asked her about the situation that Sierra had brought up to me, she denied it. But then when I said, ‘Are you FaceTiming someone?’ she admitted it. This is a deal breaker for me. Love is being able to fully trust someone and share your heart.”
