Zach Shallcross Responds to 'Boring' Bachelor Criticism: 'I Got What I Wanted, You Don't Have to Watch'

"To the people that were calling me a boring Bachelor, like, 'Hey, kudos to you. I've found the love of my life,'" the reality star tells PEOPLE in this week's issue

By Dana Rose Falcone

Published on March 28, 2023 09:00 AM

Zach Shallcross knows that a lot of viewers found him to be a boring Bachelor — but he doesn't care.

"Coming into this, it's no surprise I'm not the crazy loud one or the most dramatic. I try to live my life like that in general," Shallcross, 26, tells PEOPLE in this week's issue. "I'm not going to let the show sway that."

He continues, "As everyone saw, there was still drama, but to the people that were calling me a boring Bachelor, like, 'Hey, kudos to you. I've found the love of my life. I got what I wanted. You don't have to watch.'"

THE BACHELOR - “2704” - This week, Zach and the remaining women set off on their international journey to find love, starting off on the romantic beaches of The Bahamas. First up, Zach sets sail to explore the world’s largest underwater sculpture and see how deep his connection with one lucky girl can grow. The next day, Zach invites the women to a fish-fry party, but drama bubbles up when one woman refuses to let someone steal him away. That night, after learning one person may not be here for the right reasons, Zach addresses his concerns head-on. Later, Zach ventures out on his second one-on-one on a wild ATV ride through the forest on “The Bachelor,” MONDAY, FEB. 13 (8:00-10:01 p.m. EST), on ABC. (ABC/Craig Sjodin) ZACH SHALLCROSS — Craig Sjodin/ABC

Shallcross got engaged to Kaity Biggar in Monday's season 27 Bachelor finale on what he calls "a really big and special day."

Biggar, 28, contests Shallcross's "boring" descriptor. "He's not boring in the slightest," the ER nurse tells PEOPLE. "He's so goofy, so fun. He's got — holy moly — amazing amount of qualities to him. Every day I am like, 'Wow, I didn't know I could fall even more in love with you.' But I do, every single day. But again, this goes back to what Zach said: you don't have to watch, you don't have to like him. I love him."

Shallcross and Biggar have the support of their families, too.

"Obviously you garner opinions from everyone — the internet, fans — but family and friends are always helping us through and have our back on both of our side," the senior account executive says. "Both Kaity's family and my family, they're really rooting for us."

Shallcross says he and Biggar reflected on their time on The Bachelor as it aired. "Watching a relationship unfold on TV and the drama in the show and all of that stuff really can put challenges and pressure on a relationship," he continues. "We're always talking about when we rewatch the episodes and seeing how we're doing, checking in on each other because it is tough. It's a weird experience."

The challenges Shallcross and Biggar faced early on have only strengthened their relationship.

"It's not like it's been super easy the whole time, but it's we have grown stronger and overcome some tough things together, and we've come out better and stronger for it at the end," he says. "And that's something that I'm so appreciative of. It just makes our relationship so loving and strong.

KAITY, ZACH SHALLCROSS — Craig Sjodin/ABC via Getty

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The couple relied on that strength while having to keep their engagement secret since filming ended in the fall. Shallcross refers to that period "brutal."

"We made the best of it though," Biggar says. "Our relationship's grown so much outside of filming, for sure."

Now, Shallcross "just can't wait to get in Austin" so he can see his fiancée "in person daily."

"It's going to be the start of the new chapter in life," he says. "And it's right around the corner."