Zac Track, Episode 7: In The Feels

With Thanksgiving coming up this week, Spartan Bachelor Nation fans can be thankful for episode 7 of The Bachelorette, which gave us quite a bit of screen time with our favorite YCP-alum-turned-reality-TV-star, Zac Clark ‘06. 

The fun began with an appearance from host Chris Harrison and an announcement that some of the men, including Zac, would compete for a chance at a one-on-one date with Tayshia. With one hour’s notice and a mishmash of available musical instruments, the fellas had to write and perform a love song for Tayshia — and let’s just say, it was no Listen to Your Heart. But they sure did try. 

Zac may not have been a music major, but he managed to drum respectably on a box and his lyrics rhymed, which is more than a lot of the other guys can say. 

In the end, he lost out to Ivan, whose spoken-word style pulled at Tayshia’s heartstrings and won him the coveted date night. And that one-on-one turned out to be one of the most memorable in Bachelor franchise history. After a relatable quarantine-era evening of stay-at-home games and “the floor is lava,” Ivan and Tayshia sat down for a serious talk, bonding over similarities in their backgrounds and experiences as biracial people. The conversation turned to the many challenges of 2020, and extended into a discussion about the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, both killed by police in the past year. Tayshia broke into tears as she shared her reaction to those tragedies, and talked about the newfound hope she felt when she started to hear people around her affirming that “black lives matter.” It was a meaningful moment, and in many ways a historic episode for a franchise that has long been criticized for its handling of issues around race. 

Meanwhile, back at the house, the guys received a new group date card. Again, Zac’s name was called and Spartans everywhere rejoiced. “[Tayshia’s] gonna get to know Zac more,” he said behind the scenes, “and I’m gonna get to know Tayshia more.” 

[Narrator: And ALL of us were about to see a whole new side of Zac C.]

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The men met up with their leading lady, who had invited along some friends — former bachelorette Becca Kufrin and Tayshia’s fellow Bachelor season 23 contestant, Sydney Lotuaco. The women were there to help facilitate a game of “Tayshia truth or dare.” Fair to say, this was not the slumber party truth or dare of our childhoods.

The guys were sent through a series of “dares,” including chugging some truly heinous smoothies (ingredients included chicken feet, cow intestines, and other horrors) and a scandalous takeover of the resort’s P.A. system. And then we all learned a little bit more about Demar and our friend Zac — because their dare was asking Chris Harrison to autograph a part of their body “where the sun don’t shine.” Use your imaginations, Spartans. 

Finally, everyone had to down a whole habanero pepper and propose...marriage(?!)...to Tayshia. Was it weird? Sure. But in a season where the first bachelorette got engaged after two weeks, I guess anything goes. 

After Tayshia receives her habanero-fueled proposals from all six dudes, the evening portion of the date focuses on the truth part of the game. Turns out, this is pretty much just a standard cocktail party with everyone getting their share of face time. 

But nobody got a better one-on-one moment with Tayshia than our guy Zac, who was invited to hop in the hot tub for a chat. (Don’t be so surprised; this is The Bachelorette, after all.) Zac opened up, letting Tayshia know that he gets nervous around her — but no worries! She thinks it’s cute. And if the kiss that followed is any indication, she seems to really mean that. 

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“I’m crushing on Tayshia,” Zac tells the camera later, beaming ear-to-ear. “I’m in the feels!” You love to see it. Seems like Tayshia was in the feels too, because when it came time to hand out the group date rose, guess whose name she called? You guessed it! 

ZAC C. FTW!

And really, for our purposes, this clinched the episode. Sure, other stuff happened: Ben visited Tayshia after hours; Ed got lost trying to find Tayshia and ended up drinking wine with Chris Harrison in his comfy pants; Noah became a supervillain (turns out you don’t need a mustache for that role) and Tayshia cut the cocktail party short. Zac correctly predicted that “this rose ceremony...is going to be a massacre,” and Tayshia sent home a record four men, saying goodbye to Joe, Jordan, Kenny, and Chasen. 

The field is narrowing, and judging from next week’s preview, we’ll continue to see plenty of Spartan pride on our TV screens in episode 8! Stay tuned. 

About the Author
		Danielle Sewell is the Director of Digital Communications and Marketing at York College of Pennsylvania. Her career has included roles in marketing for higher education, academic publishing, private business, and consulting. She believes in empowering individuals, institutions, and organizations to inspire change by sharing their authentic stories. She holds an M.F.A. in creative writing from Wilkes University and a B.A. in English from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. Danielle is a longtime fan of The Bachelor franchise. When she’s not indulging in that guilty pleasure, she enjoys good books, strong coffee, crafting, and spending time with her husband, Scott, and their greyhound, Scout.

Spartans—interested in serving as a guest blogger for a future episode recap? Email Danielle at dsewell2@ycp.edu to volunteer.