Michelle Young’s Bachelorette season has been relatively tame in the drama department, largely because Michelle is an expert at avoiding red flags. Monday’s “The Men Tell All” reunion dredged up all of this season’s most heinous and bizarre drama. A highlight: Michelle confronting this season’s villain, Jamie Skaar, about his manipulative tendencies.
Another Most Dramatic Moment of the night, however, came when former Bachelorette and host Tayshia Adams addressed her recent split from her season’s winner, addiction recovery specialist Zac Clark.
The connection Tayshia and Zac shared on screen last year was the kind that keeps The Bachelorette running. Details like Tayshia’s decision to replace her champagne with apple cider during the show’s traditional toasts once she knew she was serious about Zac, who is sober, spoke to a relationship highlighted above all, it seemed, by sincere care. Last month, however, news broke that the two had broken up.
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“All I have to say is that I’m heartbroken, but we tried really hard,” Tayshia told her co-host Kaitlyn Bristowe on stage during the reunion. (The two have been filling in as Bachelorette hosts in the absence of Chris Harrison; TK will host The Bachelor when it returns next year.)
“I still love him very much,” Tayshia said of Zac, “and I’m not sure what the future holds. I mean, you know how it is. It’s really tough.”
“I sadly do know how it is,” Kaitlyn replied. “It’s really hard, but obviously we’re all here for you, and we want you to be happy. The two shared a hug, but as they transitioned to the next segment, Tayshia needed to take a beat. As she walked off the stage, Kaitlyn told the audience, “We’re gonna let Tayshia have a minute.”
By the time the show returned from its next commercial break, Tayshia was back and as composed as she was when the episode began. Holiday season break-ups are the world’s crappiest gift, but what better place to recover than in a room full of people discussing their own public splits?
