Susie Evans Is Ready To Meet Her Person — Just Not On TV

When Susie Evans first appeared on Clayton Echard’s season of The Bachelor in January, she immediately sparked predictions about her becoming the next Bachelorette. With bouncy curls, a striking resemblance to Hannah Brown, and a charming personality to match, Evans seemed like a perfect candidate for the show’s next lead — until, of course, she revealed that she and Echard rekindled their romance after filming. Although the couple called it quits in September and 29-year-old Evans remains a fan favorite for her popular TikToks and relatable sense of humor, she doesn’t see herself going through another season of reality TV.

“I’m really at a place where I’m ready to be with somebody and commit to that person. And I don’t that I would find my person by going back [to the Bachelor world],” she tells Elite Daily. Evans trusts her own dating instincts, and she’s not convinced a producer-selected “dating pool” is the best way to find the love of her life. “Nobody knows what I want more than I know what I want,” she says.

Here, Evans shares her current feelings about dating, her post-breakup healing process, and her plans for the future — hint: It involves a new blog, featuring everything from dating tips to self-love hacks.

Elite Daily: What was it like watching The Bachelor back, knowing how it all ended?

Susie Evans: It was super weird, but I also actually enjoyed it. I went to watch parties at this old restaurant where I used to work. But doing those watch parties and being surrounded by friends made me realize how not serious the show actually is.

I was like, “Oh, people are having fun with this. People are laughing.” Yes, it’s my life, so it is still serious and heavy. But at the same time, it’s entertaining.

ED: How did you navigate the time between your breakup airing on the show and announcing that you got back together on “After the Final Rose”?

SE: It was very heavy. Leading up to that moment, I knew it was going to be. But I think that I braced for it. At the time, Clayton was going through a lot. He walked into that role with a target on his back. So I was just so wrapped up in protecting our well-being that I wasn’t thinking about anything else.

ED: After your September breakup, you and Clayton did a joint post-breakup interview on Kaitlyn Bristowe’s Off the Vine podcast. Why?

SE: Clayton and I didn’t want to go have separate interviews off the bat. We didn’t want to go air dirty laundry. We even said, “Hey, what are the things that we’re comfortable talking about? What do we want to keep private?”

As much as we were in a public relationship, there’s an element to being human that you have to protect. We could get more clicks if we said certain things, but when you’re a human being and you love somebody, which we both did, we wanted to protect each other.

ED: How has your post-breakup healing process been?

SE: There have been a lot of ups and downs. At first, I was anticipating moving to Los Angeles in October to be closer to Clayton, and then we broke up. And then I went back and forth on whether I still wanted to move and where I wanted to go. I was feeling a little stuck, to be honest.

I went through a range of emotions. I do want to find my person, and I do want to have a family. So I wondered if I wasted time by going on the show. I started to contemplate: Do I regret making these choices?

But ultimately, I've been able to find so many things to pour into, like my videography business and my blog. And honestly, I’ve never done so much work on myself than after this breakup. As much as it’s been a roller coaster, it’s also been very healing, and I’ve been able to grow so much.

ED: Are you interested in dating at all right now?

SE: Yeah, I think so. I haven’t gone out on a date yet, but I’m also in Virginia, and I’m not looking for anyone to tempt me to stay because I plan to move to Los Angeles in January. I’m just easing back into it. But it’s been exciting. I’m having fun being single, and I’m definitely open to dating. I would go on a date tomorrow.

ED: Having a new crush is just the best.

SE: It is! I developed my first crush post-breakup. And I was like, “Oh, my God, this is so fun.” With my last crush, I was on a show competing for love with 30 women. This feels way more normal and natural.

ED: What’s the biggest misconception people have about your dating life?

SE: My type. I always see people say my type must be tall, athletic guys like Clayton. And as much as I adored Clayton and 100% enjoyed everything about him when I was dating him, I would not say that’s my type at all.

ED: What is your type?

SE: People who are really uniquely themselves. I’ve never really dated athletes, ever. I’m interested in quirky people who are a little bit different, especially when they’re different from me.

ED: What’s your favorite thing about being single?

SE: Putting the ball back in my court. Where do I really want to go? What do I want to do? I did decide that I’m going to move to L.A., but I’m doing it on my time and my terms. It’s been fun to feel like I can do anything I want. Go anywhere, have any experience, and just enjoy it.

ED: What’s your best piece of relationship advice?

SE: Compatibility is so huge in relationships. My mom has always said that falling in love is the easiest part. Everything after that is the hard part. If you’re starting to have feelings for someone, it’s good to figure out if you’re actually compatible. I’ve been in relationships where I wasn’t compatible with that person, but I let myself fall in love with them.

ED: Do you think the show changed your perception about what is most important to you in a relationship?

SE: Coming off The Bachelor, my perspective didn’t change. It was just reinforced. I think love is a choice. Yes, we get butterflies, and that’s such a wonderful part of a loving, romantic relationship. But it’s going to wear off eventually, at least a little bit. Yeah, you should always work on the romance, but you make a choice to love somebody. It’s not just a feeling. Your actions and your choices are really what show love.

ED: What’s a fear about relationships you’ve been able to overcome?

SE: One of my insecurities is that as you get older, your body changes, and your face changes. And I’ve always had this fear that as I got older, whoever I chose would no longer love me.

I know it’s not rooted in truth, but it was a fear I had. I was able to open up to Clayton about it during filming. I’d never really shared that with a partner before because it sounds surface-level, but his response was so loving and thoughtful. It assured me that the love he had for me was not based in anything other than who I am as a person. It showed me that the right kind of love is not rooted in anything but who you are.

ED: What does love mean to you?

SE: Making sure that your actions align with your love for that person. So when you have conflict, choosing to work through it kindly, respectfully, and in a very loving way. Even if it’s heated, there should always be love at the root of it.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.