Clayton Echard, known for his roles on The Bachelor and Perfect Match, has expressed interest in expanding his reality TV career beyond dating shows. In an exclusive interview with Parade on August 7, 2025, he revealed his desire to join The Traitors, a psychological game show.Acknowledging his reputation as a controversial figure on reality television, he stated:"I’m like, ‘Look, pass me on a villain show at this point, because I’m just a villain in the eyes of reality television, as I can make it work that way.'"Echard explained that he is ready to embrace the villain role and is interested in exploring the strategic aspects of a different reality format.From Perfect Match to The Traitors: Clayton Echard’s next reality goalTransition from dating shows to strategic gameplay View this post on Instagram Instagram PostClayton Echard emphasized his fatigue with dating shows and his openness to new challenges in reality TV. He explained that he would love to do The Traitors because he feels he has "worn himself out" with dating shows at this point. He further elaborated on his motivation by highlighting his interest in the psychological side of competition:“I would love for people to see the psychological thought process of what I go through or just play that game with Traitors.”Echard described The Traitors as a show he has been “really, really wanting to get on” because it involves playing a game different from his past experiences.The villain personaRachel Recchia from Perfect Match season 3 (Image via Netflix)Echard acknowledged that his image on reality TV has shifted toward that of a villain. The Perfect Match star commented:“At the end of the day, the people closest to me know who I am. I know I have work to do. I know I’m not a finished product. I know that I make mistakes.”Despite this, he expressed acceptance of the persona, stating that while he can always improve, he believes The Traitors might say, "we need a villain," and if so, he is ready to take on that role."Alright, well, then so be it. You want me to be the villain? I’ll be the villain for reality television,” he said.Perfect Match breakupEchard was recently featured on Perfect Match season 3 on Netflix, which premiered on August 1, 2025. During the show, he was reunited with Rachel Recchia, a finalist from his season of The Bachelor. Their on-screen reunion was brief and ended quickly, with Echard choosing to end the match within 24 hours.Netflix @netflixLINKGood morning Bachelor Nation 👀 Rachel Recchia and Clayton Echard are joining Perfect Match Season 3! Premiering August 1.He revealed to Parade that after the breakup, Recchia and he had a conversation in which they apologized to each other. Echard explained:“What people saw the night of the breakup was pretty close to what happened.”He added that Recchia explained she was upset because she felt "embarrassed" to go back after her family advised her not to. Echard added that Recchia’s apology was consistent with what was shown on camera. He wanted to confirm she expressed it herself before sharing it publicly. He noted that she felt embarrassed, describing it as an issue of her "ego."Her embarrassment stemmed from concern that her family, friends, and people online would question her decision to return to Echard despite the pain he had caused her, which she found deeply embarrassing.Echard responded by saying:“Yeah, I totally get it. I can understand that, and you don’t have to apologize at all.”Viewers can watch season 3 of Perfect Match on Netflix.