Let's Unpack WTF Went Down With Clayton And Susie On The Bachelor

Clayton Echard’s finale of The Bachelor may go down in history as the *actual* most dramatic Bachelor finale ever. Bachelor Nation is now collectively suffering from whiplash after watching Clayton send Susie Evans home, then chase after her to ask her to return, only to have her reject him during the final rose ceremony. And that’s not even taking into account how Clayton begged Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey to stay, only to immediately send them both home. Anyway, Clayton wound up finishing out his Bachelor season all alone in Iceland. But that doesn’t mean he’s alone now! Clayton and Susie gave an update on their post-Bachelor relationship... and it’s quite an interesting one.

All the drama between Clayton and Susie began during their Fantasy Suite date, when Susie told Clayton she’d have trouble moving forward if he’d been intimate with any of the other contestants. Clayton had to be honest and admit he had been intimate with both of the other women, and when Susie got upset, he sent her home. But soon after, Clayton realized he made a mistake, so he asked Susie to return to the show. She agreed, but things did not go smoothly from there.

Their first conversation post-elimination was tense. Though Susie didn’t reject Clayton outright, she let him know how much he hurt her. According to Susie, she felt like he treated her “like a stray dog” during their last convo. Clayton apologized, explaining that he felt that he “lost everything” when she left, but it still wasn’t clear if that would be enough.

So, Clayton sent Gabby and Rachel home and then he reached out to Susie again. “I believe that Susie is the one,” he explained. And he followed it up with a note: “Without you I am nothing, but with you I have everything.” Surprising pretty much everyone, Susie agreed to meet him — and Clayton was waiting with a Neil Lane ring in hand.

“I will never stop fighting for you,” he told her. “If you allow me to love you for one more day if you allow me to take one more step with you to show you, like, I can be that man that you thought I was, and, like, I can prove it if you just give me the chance.” But that wasn’t enough for Susie.

“The love I have for you in my heart is so real, and I know you have it, too. But, like, I don’t feel like the kind of love I have for you right now is the kind of love you have for me right now,” she explained. “You have an unconditional love of somebody that you want to spend a lifetime with, and like that’s not where I’m at.”

She was resolved to leave Iceland alone. “I don’t think I’m your person, and I don’t think you’re mine.” When pressed, she told him once and for all, “I feel like it’s over.” But apparently, Susie wasn’t 100% sure about that.

During the “After The Finale Rose” segment of the finale, Susie joined Clayton onstage and revealed they reconnected after Iceland — and Susie was actually the one to reach out. “We relaid foundation, and we’re happy together,” she explained. When Jesse pointed out their body language (ahem, that leg squeeze!), Susie revealed a little bit more info. “That’s my boyfriend,” she said with a smile.

“We were able to re-establish a relationship because, I think, we took that time apart,” Susie added. “We both have so much love for each other,” she continued. And despite all the turmoil this season, Clayton said it was “a thousand percent” worth everything to be with Susie now.

Although there is no engagement on the horizon just yet, Clayton did sell his condo and quit his job to move to Virginia with Susie. Plus, she got his final rose. Looks like Clayton and Susie got their happy ending, after all.