During The Bachelor 2023, Gabi Elnicki receives a rose from Zach Shallcross. She is wearing a black dress.

‘The Bachelor’: Gabi Elinicki Detail Pulling a ‘180’ With Zach Shallcross

Gabi Elnicki's ADHD at first made it harder for her to have meaningful interactions with Zach Shallcross during her time on 'The Bachelor.'

by Erica Scassellati

Published on February 11, 2023

2 min read

Gabi Elnicki gave Zach Shallcross a sip of maple syrup during her entrance on ‘The Bachelor’ night one

During night one, Gabi Elnicki’s limo entrance was memorable, but it didn’t exactly go the way she planned. The Bachelor contestant is from Vermont, so she brought Zach Shallcross a bottle of maple syrup and encouraged him to take a sip.

Zach made a face that Gabi didn’t love while trying the syrup. “It’s so sweet and delicious, I was not expecting him to not like it,” Gabi joked while appearing on an episode of the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast. “I thought he was going to throw up.” Luckily, Gabi still got a rose.

Gabi explains why she seemingly pulled a ‘180’ with Zach

During a group date afterparty in The Bachelor 2023 Week 2, Gabi talked about nicknames with Zach, and she did not feel confident about their conversation. “I want to leave a lasting impression, but I feel like I was trying to get everything out, and now I’m just word vomiting,” Gabi said in an ITM interview.

Gabi was in tears after the party, feeling that she didn’t have a meaningful enough conversation with Zach. On the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast, Gabi also stated that having ADHD didn’t make things easier for her.

“When you’re in an environment that’s so overstimulating, it can be really difficult to find that regulation of your emotions,” the Bachelor contestant shared. Gabi added that her ADHD “gives some context” to the “rollercoaster” of emotions fans saw from her, as well as the “180” she was able to pull off with Zach.

Gabi impressed Zach with a cocktail party surprise

Later in the same episode, Gabi attended a cocktail party before the rose ceremony. Things went much better for her with Zach this time around. She had a meaningful conversation with Zach and expressed her gratitude for being on the journey with him.

Then Gabi pulled out the big guns. She brought Zach peanut butter cups, remembering that they were one of his favorite treats. The pair then shared a kiss. “I’m very happy,” Gabi said afterward.

Gabi explained on the podcast that she took some time to figure out how to regulate her emotions by the time of the cocktail party prior to the rose ceremony. She also shared that she told herself to “relax, take a deep breath, and try to just focus on this one thing” before their conversation, and in the end, it definitely paid off.