Since news broke that she was engaged a month before she was cast on The Bachelor, fans have wanted to know more about Salley from The Bachelor 2022 and how her recent engagement affected her relationship with Clayton.

Salley was one of 30 contestants on The Bachelor season 26 with Clayton Echard. Clayton, a 28-year-old medical sales rep from Columbia, Missouri, was a contestant on The Bachelorette season 18 with Michelle Young, where he was eliminated in eighth place. Clayton was announced as the season 26 Bachelor in November 2021, however, photos of him filming The Bachelor leaked in September 2021, a month before Michelle’s Bachelorette season even premiered.

According to Reality Steve, several contestants from The Bachelorette season 17 with Katie Thurston were on the short list to be the next Bachelor, such as Greg Grippo and Andrew Spencer, but ABC chose Clayton for his story. “Clayton stood out right off the bat,” a source told Us Weekly at the time. “Producers ended up going with him because they believed he was the best fit for the role. They wanted to switch things up and go with someone new and someone who hasn’t been in the spotlight yet.” 

In an interview with Good Morning America in November 2021, Clayton confirmed that he found love on The Bachelor season 26. “I did find love, and I was a little skeptical going into the whole journey but I’m so pleasantly surprised that things worked out much different than what I had thought,” he said. “I’m just so excited to watch it back and have everyone else watch it as well.” Clayton also told Good Morning America that came into The Bachelor with a “checklist of sorts” but but the women surprised him when “they brought all of that and so much more.”

So what happens to Salley on The Bachelor 2022 and who was she engaged to weeks before she met Clayton? Read on for what went down between Clayton and Salley on The Bachelor and the details about her engagement that weren’t shown on TV. (For more Bachelor 2022 spoilers, click here.)

Who is Salley from The Bachelor 2022?

Who is Salley Carson from The Bachelor 2022? Salley is 26 years old. She’s from Greenville, South Carolina, but lives in Charlottesville, Virginia. Her Instagram handle is @salleycarson. In her Bachelor bio, Salley described her dream man as McDreamy. a.k.a. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) from Grey’s Anatomy. “Salley is a real-life Meredith Grey looking for her McDreamy. She is a spine surgery robot operator who keeps a tight circle of friends that she likes to have dinner and drinks with but is a career-focused girl who is usually in bed by 11 p.m.,” her bio read. “She describes herself as religious, family-oriented and adventurous. She says she wants a man who is loyal, fun and willing to give her lots of attention because, why lie? She loves it! She says that when it comes to relationships, she is incredibly supportive and loves to make her man feel appreciated and wanted. What more could Clayton want?!”

For her fun facts, Salley listed the following:

• Salley hates cotton balls and can’t be near them.

• Salley is obsessed with hot tubs.

• Salley wants to own a clothing store one day.

What is Salley’s job?

Source: Instagram

What is Salley’s job? Salley’s job on The Bachelor was listed as “Previously Engaged.” However, her real job is as an Associate Navigation and Robotics Consultant at Medtronic, a medical device company, in Richmond, Virginia, according to her Linkedin. She’s held the position since April 2019. She started at the company in February 2019 as a Clinical Specialist. Before her job at Medtronic, Salley worked as a Clinical Specialist for Mazor Robotics in Charlotte, North Carolina. Salley graduated from the University of South Carolina, Columbia, in 2017 with a bachelor’s of science degree. She also attended Medical Sales College in Tampa, Florida, in 2017.

What happens to Salley on The Bachelor 2022?

What happens to Salley on The Bachelor 2022? Salley was engaged to a man named Avery Buccholz one month before The Bachelor 2022 started filming. Clayton’s Bachelor season started filming on September 29, 2021, and Salley had her Bachelorette party in Mexico as early as August 16, 2021, according to an Instagram photo posted by her friend. Salley and Avery’s wedding date was September 26, 2021 (the day Clayton’s Bachelor season started filming), according to their wedding registry page on Crate & Barrel’s website. Salley and Avery broke up a couple weeks before their wedding date, according to Reality Steve.

According to Reality Steve, production learned of Salley’s engagement to Avery days before Clayton’s Bachelor season started filming and asked if she still wanted to be on the show, to which she said no. Salley meets Clayton at his hotel room five hours before the Night One Limo entrances, where she tells him about her past engagement to Avery and her decision to quit his season of The Bachelor due to how unready she feels to date again so soon after her breakup. Clayton commends Salley’s vulnerability and offers her a rose to stay on her season. Salley leaves the room to talk to someone on the phone over whether to stay or leave before she returns and tells Clayton of her decision to quit The Bachelor, making her first contestant eliminated on Clayton’s Bachelor season.

Who is Salley’s ex-fiance, Avery Buccholz?

Salley’s ex-fiance Avery Buccholz, a neurosurgeon and an assistant professor of neurosurgery at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. Avery also owns his own practice in Virginia and specializes in “adult degenerative scoliosis, complex spine revisions, and minimally invasive spinal procedures.” “Dr. Buchholz grew up in rural Wisconsin prior to attending The Citadel in Charleston SC,” his bio on the University of Virginia’s website reads. “After graduating summa cum laude, he returned to the University of Wisconsin for medical school where he earned both a Doctor of Medicine and a Masters in Public Health. He then completed a neurological surgery residency at the Medical University of South Carolina. He earned the Intern of the Year Award his first year of training and was one of the most outstanding residents in neurosurgery throughout.”

Salley, who also works in the medical field, nods to Avery’s profession as a neurosurgeon in her bio for The Bachelor, in which she references Grey’s Anatomy couple Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd (who was also a neurosurgeon). Salley is a real-life Meredith Grey looking for her McDreamy. She is a spine surgery robot operator who keeps a tight circle of friends that she likes to have dinner and drinks with but is a career-focused girl who is usually in bed by 11 p.m,” her Bachelor bio reads.

SPOILER: Who is The Bachelor 2022 winner?

Who is The Bachelor 2022 winner? The winner for The Bachelor season 26 with Clayton Echard hasn’t been confirmed yet, but Reality Steve reports that the final three are Susie Evans, a 28-year-old wedding videographer from Virginia Beach, Virginia; Rachel Recchia, a 25-year-old flight instructor from Clermont, Florida; and Gabby Windey, a 30-year-old ICU nurse from Denver, Colorado. A Reddit post by @workingbach13 in December 2021 theorized that the winner was either Susie or Rachel.

The post speculated that Susie could’ve won Clayton’s Bachelor season because she was the first of the final three Bachelor contestants to return to social media, which has been consistent with past Bachelor and Bachelorette winners. Susie’s family and friends also follow Clayton on Instagram. A fan account has also posted an alleged screenshot of Susie commenting heart eye emojis on one of Clayton’s recent Instagram photos, which he liked. Susie also received the Pretty Woman date—a.k.a. a date where the lead and the contestant go on a shopping spree—in Vienna, Austria, in week seven, which has been indicative of other Bachelor and Bachelorette winners who have had similar dates, such as Rachel Kirkconnell from The Bachelor season 25 with Matt James; Hannah Ann Sluss from The Bachelor season 24 with Peter Weber; Becca Kufrin from The Bachelor season 22 with Arie Luyendyk Jr.; and Bryan Abasolo from The Bachelorette season 13 with Rachel Lindsay. Reality Steve also hinted in a tweet in November 2021 that there’s evidence that Susie won Clayton’s Bachelor season. “Do I post pics of Susie from Clayton’s season out last night so the subsequent dissection of the pics, freak out, and speculation from the fans can commence?” he tweeted.

The post, however, also speculated that Rachel could’ve won Clayton’s Bachelor season because she returned to social media at the exact time Clayton did. Rachel’s mom also followed Clayton on Instagram but unfollowed him when filming ended. Rachel Clayton also both liked the same Instagram photo of The Bachelor host Jesse Palmer 20 minutes after it was posted, even though Rachel doesn’t follow Jesse on Instagram. Rachel was also the only contestant from Clayton’s final three that liked season 18 Bachelorette Michelle Young’s first photo with her winner, Nayte Olukoya, which Clayton also liked.

It hasn’t been confirmed whether Clayton and his Bachelor winner are engaged, but if he did propose, it’s almost certain that the ring was designed by Neil Lane, a celebrity jeweler, who has created engagement rings for The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise since 2008. In a 2016 interview with Entertainment Weekly, former host Chris Harrison revealed that Bachelor Nation couples have to stay together for a certain amount of time, otherwise they have to return the free engagement ring to Neil Lane. “There’s some rule, after a certain number of years, you get to keep it anyway,” he said. “But after months… it goes back.”

Lane told StyleCaster in 2016 that he doesn’t know where the rings go, but that he designs them with the hope that the couple to stays together. “I make rings hoping that people stay together forever, but after they get the ring, I don’t have a say in it, and what happens after that, I don’t know,” he said. “Where the ring goes, I have to say, I don’t really know. I just say it goes to ring heaven.”

Who is The Bachelor 2022, Clayton Echard? 

In case you didn’t know: Clayton Echard is The Bachelor 2022. Clayton, a 28-year-old medical sales rep from Columbia, Missouri, was a contestant on The Bachelorette season 18 with Michelle Young. He was eliminated in week six in eighth place. He was sent home after a One-on-One date with Michelle, who told him that there’s “something missing” between them. “I just want to find love so badly,” he said in a confessional interview after his elimination. “And have a family. And start that chapter of my life. I want it more than anything else. I’ll do whatever it takes to get there. Whatever it takes.” After his elimination, Clayton received a letter from Michelle’s student, who cheers him on. “This just shows me I want kids one day,” Clayton said as he read the letter. The episode also shows a producer asking the student what should be next for Clayton, to which the student says, “He’ll be the next Bachelor.”

So who is The Bachelor 2022, Clayton Echard? According to his Linkedin, Clayton graduated from the University of Missouri, Columbia, in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in health professions and related clinical sciences. He’s also set to earn a Master of Business Administration in health and healthcare from Southeast Missouri State University in 2023. Clayton has worked a sales representative at Stryker, a medical devices company, since January 2018. He was hired in 2016 as a sales associate.

While at the University of Missouri, Clayton was a division 1 collegiate athlete for the university’s football team, the Missouri Tigers. After graduation, he was a professional NFL player for the Seattle Seahawks from August to September 2016. “After outperforming 4 other tight ends on a tryout basis with the Seattle Seahawks, I signed on as a free agent. While there, I practiced daily with the team and played in 4 preseason games. I made it past the first round of cuts, however, I was not able to make the final roster. Nonetheless, it was a unique experience that I was blessed to be a part of,” Clayton’s Linkedin reads. According to his Instagram, @claytonechard, Clayton is also a former freestyle rapper and refers to himself as a “washed-up athlete.” He confirmed that his current industry is still orthopaedic sales.

In his bio for Michelle’s Bachelorette season, Clayton described his “perfect woman” as someone who is “funny, independent, intelligent and athletic enough to join him at the gym for a workout.” “Clayton is a Missouri thoroughbred who has it all – good looks, a great job and a wonderful family,” his bio read. “The only thing missing is the perfect woman with whom to share his life. His dream woman is funny, independent, intelligent and athletic enough to join him at the gym for a workout. He wants to find something truly special and is willing to put in the hard work to find love that will last forever. Clayton is so excited to meet Michelle and loves that she has a passion for her career. His mom is a teacher just like Michelle, and he finds it impressive that she’s made this journey work without having to take time away from her students. Clayton truly believes that Michelle could be the perfect match for him. Will they hit it off?”

For his fun facts, Clayton listed the following:

– Clayton had a mohawk in college.

– Clayton’s rapping alter ego is named Clay-Doh.

– Clayton would love to own multiple gyms

The Bachelor airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC and is available to stream on Hulu. Here’s how to watch it for free.

Bachelor Nation by Amy Kaufman

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To get more of an inside scoop, check out Los Angeles Times writer Amy Kaufman’s book, Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America’s Favorite Guilty Pleasure, for a deep dive into the Bachelor franchise. The book uncovers the secrets of Bachelor Nation, from how much the Bachelor and the Bachelorette are paid to the rules contestants have to follow, that producers don’t want fans to know. It’s a must-read for any Bachelor Nation member.

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