'Bachelor' Stars Clayton Echard and Rachel Recchia Reunite on 'Perfect Match.' What Happened?

Reality star Rachel Recchia reunited with her former "Bachelor" flame Clayton Echard on the third season of Netflix’s "Perfect Match", only to experience heartbreak again from the same man.

The show, which premiered Aug. 1, marked the pair’s first on-camera reunion since their emotional breakup on Season 26 of "The Bachelor" in 2022. But what begins as a hopeful second chance quickly devolves into a cautionary tale: just because two people have a history doesn’t mean they have a future.

“This is the third time he’s done this to me,” Rachel says through tears in Episode 4. “Exactly the same way.”

Here's what to know about their dating history — caught almost entirely on camera.

What happened between Rachel Recchia and Clayton Echard on 'The Bachelor'?

Clayton was the lead of Season 26 of "The Bachelor," arguably one of the show's messiest.

In the lead-up to the finale, Clayton confessed his love to the three remaining contestants: Susie Evans, Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia.

"I wish I had told you earlier. I was holding onto it. I'll come out and say it — I'm falling in love with you," Clayton told Rachel on the show.

During Fantasy Suites Week, when couples have camera-free time together, Clayton was intimate with both Rachel and Gabby. Susie struggled with the idea that Clayton had "shared his love" with other cast members. They argued and ultimately he sent her home.

After Susie left, Clayton told Gabby and Rachel that he was in love with all three women, and had been intimate with them both. It was one of the show's most memorable rose ceremonies.

Rachel chose to stay after the "rose ceremony from Hell" and even met his family. But, Clayton couldn't stop thinking about Susie. So, he decided to break up with Rachel and Gabby at the same time and pursue Susie instead. "I promise you that when you look back on this, this is going to haunt you — the fact that you let me go," Rachel told her ex during their tearful goodbye.

Rachel was devastated by how Clayton handled the situation and confronted him during the After the Final Rose special. She said she felt “disrespected” and “cast aside.”

During the finale, Clayton and Susie also announced they started dating after filming ended, but they split later that year.

Gabby and Rachel then led their own season of "The Bachelorette" for Season 19. Rachel got engaged to Tino Franco on the show, but the two split before the finale aired due to his infidelity, which he admitted to during the "After the Final Rose" special.

What happens between Clayton Echard and Rachel Recchia on 'Perfect Match'?

Rachel entered the villa with a clean slate and was quickly set up on a date with fellow contestant Freddie Powell ("Love Is Blind: UK"), a new addition to "Perfect Match." The two shared a playful and easy connection, painting each other and bonding over past relationships.

But the atmosphere shifted when Rachel returned to the house and ran into Clayton, who was visibly stunned to see her. Clayton, who was initially matched with another contestant, Juliette Porter ("Siesta Key"), admitted in a confessional that he once loved Rachel and still might.

“I genuinely was in love with you,” Clayton told Rachel in Episode 3. “To this day.”

He also said he was "frustrated" by how he handled himself on "The Bachelor."

"I didn't have the emotional intelligence that I have now," he said. "Me today on 'The Bachelor' would have handled that differently," he said.

Despite her initial hesitation, Rachel agreed to rekindle things with Clayton. She appeared visibly emotional during their conversation and confessed she had always wondered what might have happened had Clayton chosen her.

“I want to, but I’m so scared to get hurt,” she told him. “Like, I’m terrified.”

Clayton, in turn, insisted that he had grown emotionally since their last relationship, citing newfound self-awareness and a desire to “do it right this time.”

They left the conversation walking hand-in-hand. "My mom is literally going to kill me," Rachel said.

But concerns arose almost immediately. Contestants in the villa, including Ollie Sutherland ("Love Is Blind UK") and AD Smith ("Love Is Blind" Season 6), questioned whether Rachel was making the right decision, with Ollie saying he believed Rachel was a better match for Freddie.

In Episode 4, their rekindled relationship began to unravel. Clayton, after winning a blindfold kissing challenge, went on a date with Sandy Gallagher ("The Ultimatum").

A day after reassuring her, Clayton ended things with Rachel. “Out of respect for you, I have to not drag something out,” he said. “My intuition is telling me this isn’t going to work.”

Rachel broke down: "I can't do it again," she said. "Why would you put me in this position? This is literally so mean."

She told fellow castmates that Clayton has now ended things with her three times, all using nearly identical language. “He does not give a (expletive) about me,” she said through tears.

In Episode 5, Clayton expressed regret. “I don’t have the best reputation,” he said in a confessional. “And I’m avoiding being the bad guy, but I don’t think that’s doable after everything I’ve put her through.”

He pulled Rachel aside for a final conversation, apologizing for reopening old wounds and saying he wished he had handled their reunion differently.

“You are an incredible person,” Clayton told her. “And the last thing I want is for you to say your experience was soured by someone from your past … I’ve hurt you enough.”

The conversation offered Rachel a moment of clarity. “Breaking up for the third time is the closure I needed to finally move on — for life,” she said in a confessional.

Clayton exited the show shortly afterward. "I feel my journey was meant to be exactly as what it ultimately led to," he said, saying he also has "closure."

Freddie, who had shown interest in Rachel early on, picked up on a shift after she reconnected with Clayton.

Though respectful and understanding, he eventually turned his attention to another contestant, Madison Errichiello ("Love Is Blind" Season 8), after Rachel grew emotionally distant.

“I came here to do something different,” Rachel said to Freddie earlier in the season. “But of course, Clayton and I — we have a lot of history.”