The Bachelor’s Zach & Kaity Share The Funny Moment They Wish Was Aired

In the days after their Bachelor engagement, secluded at a house in Thailand, Zach Shallcross and Kaity Biggar had time to unpack the whirlwind three months of filming. “We were like, ‘What the heck did we just live through? Isn't it funny that we could have just met each other at a bar in Austin?’" Biggar recalls. Shallcross laughs, “How much easier this would have been.”

He’s not wrong — Shallcross and Biggar are from the same city, a rarity in Bachelor world. Still, they’ve seen the internet rumors and want to clarify that they never saw each other on dating apps beforehand. “The week he was leaving Austin to get ready to film the show, I moved there,” Biggar tells Elite Daily. “Two days later, I got flown out to California for in-person casting, so we would have never had a chance to meet.” Could they have run into each other at a bar eventually? Hypothetically, sure, but that’s not how things played out.

Instead, Shallcross and Biggar met and fell in love on The Bachelor — an origin story rife with challenges, especially in those first few months after filming ended, when they had to keep their engagement a secret. “We really got put through the ringer,” Shallcross says of how hard it was to watch the show back. “So it's like, ‘Bring on a challenge. We got it.’” They’re ready to face more normal (and hopefully less public) relationship hurdles moving forward.

On the heels of the finale, the couple talked with Elite Daily about their thoughts on the whole experience, plus the funny Fantasy Suites moment they wish viewers could have seen.

Elite Daily: Congratulations! Fill me in on the last four months. What has your relationship been like since you wrapped filming?

Kaity Biggar: It's been interesting. We both came back home after filming, and since then, we’ve spent a lot of weekends together in Airbnbs. It was a very intimate time because we weren't able to leave. However, we were going a little stir-crazy — so we would bend the rules a little bit and venture out. We took some car rides and some walks, and did everything we could do without getting caught.

ED: What did you do to hide? Was there ever a moment where you thought you might get photographed?

Zach Shallcross: I was a little nervous early on. I'm a big rule follower. We would wear hats, sunglasses, and hoodies, and it almost made us look more suspicious, to be honest.

KB: But you know what? There were no pictures taken, as far as we know. So it seems like we did a pretty damn good job.

ED: Zach, what was it like navigating the public-facing nature of your role? You've been promoting the show while you guys are in this secret relationship, and I imagine that felt a little strange.

ZS: I recognize what I had signed up for, and that involves being mysterious and not saying what's going on week to week. But what was important, and what Kaity and I talked a lot about, was the communication between us. What matters in life to me is our relationship — making sure that’s all good and we always have that open line of communication.

ED: Did you guys talk through the episodes together?

ZS: We always talked after every episode. Even though we knew generally what was going to come up based on what we lived through, it's still an edited show. We were not naive to that, but it’s still not easy. If there ever was any worry or concern about something one of us said, we always got to the root of it ASAP.

ED: It must be tough watching the episodes not knowing exactly how you’re going to be portrayed.

KB: Absolutely. And after every episode aired, you got anxious for the next one, and it was a cycle. That’s why it’s so relieving that it’s done airing, and we can move on and start our lives together.

ED: Are there any moments between the two of you that you wish were shown?

KB: We had a lot of special moments that weren't aired, but there’s one in particular I want to share. My birthday was during Fantasy Suite week, so Zach brought out a chocolate cake and grabbed the icing and smeared it all over my face. We were just goofing around, and it didn't even feel like cameras were around.

ED: Zach, you said during “After The Final Rose” that it's “always been” Kaity for you. Kaity, did you have an inkling that you were going to be Zach’s final pick?

KB: I was confident in our relationship, and I was confident of who I am as a woman and what I have to offer. I was myself throughout the whole thing, and I knew our personalities meshed well together.

ZS: It came down to that thing I said on night one: I’m looking for my best friend. Kaity and I have so much fun together, and now we get to do a lifetime of it.

ED: Kaity, I want to know more about your relationships with some of the other women on the show. I think it's amazing how close you guys appear to be, but I also imagine that’s complicated given the nature of everything.

KB: Yeah. I think people look at it and think, "There's no way they're actually close.” I understand the skepticism, but it's not as complicated as people think. During our experience, we really confided in each other. Gabi, Ariel, and others have helped me through it all, and vice versa. Gabi and I text pretty much every day, and same with Ariel. We're FaceTiming constantly and always checking in on one another. Yeah, it's a little weird at times, but Gabi and I chat through everything and if one of us thinks the other needs space, we’ll always speak up. They're truly amazing women, beautiful inside and out, and I'm so grateful they’re my friends.

ED: Speaking of opinions, Zach, I know you’ve navigated a lot of criticism this season. Has it felt similarly or differently addressing the discourse post-finale?

ZS: It hasn't really changed much, because what it all comes down to is Kaity and I. Her opinion is what matters. Everyone has their own perspective on how they wish things could have gone, and I get it. I made a lot of mistakes. I know where I fell flat and made the wrong decision, but what matters most is our relationship, not reading the comments and threads. I'm not a big social media guy anyway, so I stay off.

KB: I'll send him some funny tweets, though. Honestly, comedic relief is how I get through it.

ZS: The tweets are hysterical. It's the character attacks that feel out of pocket, but as for the memes, bring them on.

ED: Looking back, is there anything you would do differently about the experience?

ZS: Yeah. A thousand percent. The craziness of the overnights week is one very clear thing I wish I could take back. Obviously I made the wrong decision making an executive choice for everyone. I wanted to make the week easier, and I absolutely made it 10 times worse. The pain that I caused all the women was never my intention, and I want them to know how sorry I am because that's the last thing I wanted. But if I could go back in time, I would say, "No more making rules for everyone." That was the dumbest thing I could have done.

KB: I don't have any regrets because it all led me to this moment.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.