Zac Track, Episode 8: Chemistry, From Day One

Our wishes have been granted by the almighty Chris Harrison—or should I say his stand-in, Miss JoJo Fletcher?

Zac C. was awarded the coveted one-on-one date with our bachelorette, Tayshia. What a way to start the episode!

“Woo!” —Zac Clark

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We’ve all been waiting for this moment, and not just because we’re completely and unapologetically biased toward Zac—Tayshia and Zac have had chemistry from day one. For their first official date, they had their wedding photos taken. You know what they say: first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes date number two. Casual.

Well, it wasn't so casual for Tayshia. Having been married before, putting on a wedding dress again struck her as all too significant for a playful photoshoot. But Zac put her at ease as they entered into their very own rom-com fashion montage, circa Carrie Bradshaw in Sex in the City The Movie—and let me just say, we on Team Clarky are loving that journey for them.

After their moment in front of the camera, the newlyweds enjoyed some champagne and bonded over their shared experience of divorce from their previous marriages, and what they are looking for in their next one.

That evening, Tayshia and Zac sat down to dinner and had the opportunity to slow it down and get to know each other better—something most couples do before they get married, but Bachelor Nation has never been known for taking it slow. Zac shared more of his story and the challenges he’s overcome, including a brain tumor and addiction. He finally had the opportunity to tell Tayshia, and America, how he’s become the man he is today.

In true Tayshia fashion, she was grateful for his candor and honored that with a rose. But no one-on-one date would be complete without an extravagant nightcap. Enter a ferris wheel, where our two favorite lovebirds got to enjoy beautiful views, and yes I do mean of each other. I hope Zac didn’t get too lightheaded from his lack of oxygen while gazing at Tayshia up in the clouds. Needless to say, Zac and Tayshia’s chemistry is only growing.

“I’m starting to have strong feelings for Tayshia. I feel a way that I didn’t actually really truly believe I would ever feel during my time here. And I want to see if this is the beginning of true love,” Zac said. 

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While Zac sat back and relaxed with his rose for the rest of the episode, all the other men, with the exception of Eazy, went on a group date. The objective of the group date was to bare their souls through the vulnerability of their art, but some seemed to take the self-portrait portion too literally, with Blake creating a certain body part out of clay and Ben stripping down and literally baring all of himself to Tayshia. Yet somehow, none of this was enough to distract her from the feud between Bennett and Noah, which was quickly reaching its boiling point. But more to come on that later…

For the second 1:1 date, Tayshia and Eazy went on a ghost-hunting expedition in the middle of a five-star resort. I thought the most awkward part of the date would be them looking for ghosts on a tennis court of all places, but it turns out I was wrong. Eazy poured his heart out to Tayshia, telling her he was “falling in love” with her. Apparently, protecting her from ghosts wasn’t enough to convince Tayshia to keep Eazy around and she sadly sent him home, the 1:1 rose still waiting to be claimed.

So now it's time for a cocktail party, right? Wrong! Come on now; it’s JoJo’s world and we’re just living in it. She pops in to delay the cocktail party and surprises us with a 2:1 date for Tayshia to choose between Bennett and Noah. Unfortunately, we don’t get our answer this week. All we’re left with is Tayshia’s subtle impression of Brad Pitt asking, “what’s in the box?”

Will she see the “gift” for what it truly is? A poorly disguised visual representation of Bennett’s condescension? Or will she decide that Noah is too immature, especially now that he’s without his mustache? Talk about Sophie’s Choice! Until next week…

About the Author
		Brigette Allen is the Associate Director of Alumni Relations and has been at York College since 2018. Prior to that, she served as the Assistant Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs at Lehigh University. She earned her B.S. in Communications from Ohio University and her M.Ed. in Student Affairs and HIgher Education from Wright State University. Brigette has a side hustle making handcrafted earrings for her business Aqua + Aries. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, crafting, CrossFit, and—of course—watching the Bachelor. Brigette and her husband Jon live in Gettysburg, PA with their three pets.

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