Bachelor Clayton Echard Ends Drama Between Shanae and Elizabeth — and Makes Shocking Decision

"We're not talking about relationships, we're not talking about growing together. We're talking about shrimp," the former football player said on Monday's episode of The Bachelor

This post contains spoilers from Monday's episode of The Bachelor.

Clayton Echard's journey to find love got a little fishy.

Dealing with more drama between Shanae and Elizabeth caused Clayton, 28, to enter the cocktail party "in kind of a somber mood."

"The drama that's unfolding between Shanae and Elizabeth is starting to affect time that I get to spend with other women," the former NFL player said in an on-camera interview. "And I need to address it."

So Clayton let the women know he couldn't continue until he sorted out the situation. "There were a lot of disturbing things brought to my attention this week and so I really don't feel that I can move forward with the cocktail party until I address it first," he said to the group. "And so Shanae and Elizabeth, can I talk to you two outside please?"

Once Clayton got Shanae, 29, and Elizabeth, 32, alone outside, he told them, "I do feel a connection with both of you. The frustrating part is, I can't build a relationship with either of you when we are having this conflict."

ABC

Elizabeth claimed to Clayton that Shanae told her to "f--- off" and Shanae said she only said that because "I was upset."

Shanae accused Elizabeth of being "fake," "toxic" and a "bully." When Elizabeth asked what made her a bully, Shanae referred to a situation that centered around shrimp.

"Sounds silly, but you made shrimp the other day, right? You asked if I wanted some, I was like, wow, she's being really nice, I'm going to take some shrimp," Shanae explained. "Me and Eliza make some shrimp and I'm like, hey, let me exchange the offer. Let me see if these girls in the hot tub want some shrimp. I do so, I go out, no one even turns to say … no one turns back to say, 'Shanae, no thank you.' "

Shanae blamed Elizabeth for the way the other women in the house treated her, alleging that because Elizabeth had been in the hot tub when she offered the shrimp, everyone ignored her. Elizabeth claimed not to even have been in the hot tub at the time. At a loss for what to do, Clayton got up and walked away.

"We're not talking about relationships, we're not talking about growing together, we're talking about shrimp and the hot tub and whether or not Elizabeth was there," Clayton told the cameras. "We're not resolving conflict, we're talking about shrimp."

Eventually, Elizabeth walked away from the conversation, too. Back inside, Shanae grabbed some shrimp from the cocktail party platter and offered it to the rest of the group.

"This isn't about shrimp! These are people's feelings!" Genevieve yelled.

With that, host Jesse Palmer informed the women that Clayton wanted to cancel the cocktail party and head straight to the rose ceremony.

At the ceremony, Clayton gave roses to Marlena, Teddi, Rachel, Mara, Sierra, Susie, Jill, Serene, Genevieve, Hunter, Lyndsey, and surprisingly, Shanae. That meant Elizabeth, Melina and Kira were sent home.

ONE-ON-ONE DATE

The remaining ladies traveled to Houston for the next leg of their journey with Clayton. Rachel, 25, received a one-on-one date and they started off by going for a horseback ride.

"Is everything you do hot?" Clayton asked Rachel as they rode.

Eventually, the duo came to a clearing where they saw a family barbequing and decided to join in on the fun. "We don't know this family but we're going to get to know them together," Clayton said in an on-camera interview. "Just something a little out of the norm to walk in, crash the party."

ABC/Ricky Middlesworth

The family put Clayton and Rachel to work preparing the food and asked how their relationship progressed so far. "I really feel seen by him," Rachel said.

Then they sat down to eat and have some beers. "Being able to be a part of this family for a day means so much to me," Clayton told the group at the table.

Clayton thought he and Rachel fit right in. "This could be our family and the two of us could be just enjoying a Saturday afternoon with loved ones around," he told the cameras. "I'm happy there's more day left because it has seriously been such a phenomenal day and it's all because of her."

RELATED VIDEO: Jesse Palmer Gives Clayton Echard So Much Credit for Not Wasting Time and Asking for Help

Over drinks later that night, Clayton told Rachel he did have one concern about her.

"The more I talk to you, the more confused I get and the more questions I have and I'm trying to make sense of it, but it just doesn't make sense," he said. "I'm wondering how a woman as beautiful as you, with a badass job, that is just so kind, I'm wondering how you're here."

Rachel explained that in her last relationship, her partner didn't support her career as a flight instructor. "I don't have any concerns about that job," Clayton responded. "I would never ever hold you back from doing something that you love."

His words comforted Rachel. "You like just spoke everything I needed to hear," she said to Clayton.

They ended the night by taking in a private performance by country group Restless Road. "I'll never dim your light," Clayton whispered to Rachel as they danced.

Once the date concluded, Rachel told the cameras, "I absolutely see myself falling in love with him."

GROUP DATE

Sarah, Eliza, Teddi, Marlena, Jill, Susie, Mara, Sierra, Hunter, Lynsey, Genevieve, Gabby and Shanae embarked on this week's group date with Clayton. They stopped by NRG Stadium and held a tailgate, during which they grilled and played cornhole.

ABC/Felicia Graham

A tailgate typically precedes a football game, so Houston Texans players Jonathan Greenard and Kamu Grugier-Hill came over to invite the women for a game of football. Not two-hand touch or flag football, but real tackle football. The winning team received extra time with Clayton at the afterparty.

The Purple Punishers took on the Shrimp Stampede (Shanae's team, of course) in the Bachelor Bowl, and Jesse, 43, commentated with Hannah Storm. Teddi, 24, racked up the tackles and Olympian Marlena, 30, scored multiple touchdowns to give the Purple Punishers the win. But before Jesse declared a winner, Sierra and Shanae went back and forth by tackling one another, even when they didn't have the ball.

(ABC/Felicia Graham)

Clayton called her out on that at the afterparty. "I didn't know you had to have the ball to tackle," Sierra claimed.

She challenged Clayton right back, and called him out on why he decided to keep Shanae.

"When you decided to keep Shanae, a lot of the women in the house were shocked. Okay?" she told the Missouri native. "And it's because, based off the character that we know of you to be, we believe that if you have a full story, you wouldn't want somebody like that to be your wife."

Clayton told Sierra he appreciated her opinion, but to the cameras, he admitted, "I was absolutely shocked to hear her talk about Shanae still. Like, I thought we were done with this."

Genevieve, 26, reiterated similar concerns about Shanae to Clayton.

After hearing some of the women talking about trying to get her sent home even before the group date, Shanae suspected the women were talking about her at the afterparty. So she left the hotel and crashed the party.

"I deserve to be here so I wanted to come see you," she told Clayton after he called her out for being on the losing team.

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Shanae interrupted Sarah's conversation and told Clayton how she overheard Sierra, 26, Genevieve and Gabby, 30, talking about her earlier. "I overheard them literally saying what they were plotting," Shanae said. "They were like, 'We need to get the 14 girls together to gang up on Shanae' to send me home."

When Shanae finished talking to Clayton, she went over to the group of women and shouted, "Genevieve and Sierra, keep my name out of your f---ing mouth!"

Then she threw the winning team's trophy into the bushes, asserting to the cameras: "It's Shanae Show and not The Bachelor."

The Bachelor airs Mondays (8 p.m. ET) on ABC.