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ABC’s The Bachelorette Season 20 is almost here, and fans can’t wait to see Charity Lawson take over as the next lead. Charity got her start on Zach Shallcross’s season of The Bachelor and was sent home during hometown week. So, what happened between Zach and Charity? Here’s what to know.

Why did Zach Shallcross and Charity Lawson break up on ‘The Bachelor’ Season 27?

Zach Shallcross and Charity Lawson riding in a horse-drawn carriage together in 'The Bachelor' Season 27. Charity leads 'The Bachelorette' Season 20.
Zach Shallcross and Charity Lawson | Craig Sjodin/ABC via Getty Images

Charity Lawson and Zach Shallcross weren’t a match made in heaven — and their breakup allowed Charity to become the lead of The Bachelorette Season 20. With that said, Charity still felt a spark and saw a future with Zach. Unfortunately, Zach sent her home after meeting her family during hometown week on The Bachelor Season 27.

Zach got along with Charity’s family, but there was something missing in their connection. He felt a strong pull toward the remaining women, especially Kaity Biggar, whom he chose in the end. While breaking up with Charity, he shared that he didn’t even make his decision until the rose ceremony.

“I felt sick to my stomach all day,” Zach told Charity after failing to give her a rose. “It wasn’t ’til right before this … and I might be making the wrong decision.” Zach then told Charity that she deserved “all the love” — he just couldn’t give it.

“I didn’t know what I was going to do, what I was going to say, how can I actually do this?” Zach continued. “This is the most messed up thing in the world. It’s the show I’m in, and I made a decision and just hoped I didn’t F up. I just followed what my heart and gut was saying of, ‘Rely on your intuition, rely on this.'”

Zach Shallcross thinks Charity Lawson will ‘kill it’ as ‘The Bachelorette’

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While Zach Shallcross didn’t choose Charity Lawson in The Bachelor, he knows she’ll “kill it” as the lead of The Bachelorette Season 20.

“She knows what she wants,” Zach shared, according to Us Weekly. “She is so confident, she’s so sweet and, you know, she has a great heart. She’s someone from the very beginning that — I don’t know what exactly it was — but [she] was just trustworthy.”

Zach explained more to Us Weekly regarding why he sent Charity home. “I couldn’t tell any producers or anyone what I was going to do, like, who was going to go home,” he noted. “And I like realized, I was like, ‘There has to be a decision. There’s no right decision here. Just hope you don’t F it up, to be honest.’ And, like, you just can’t live with the regret and I just looked at it and did it.”

Charity noted she had no hard feelings toward Zach for his decision. Ultimately, he did what he needed to do to find love, and she understood why he sent her home.

‘The Bachelorette’ Season 20 felt ‘smitten’ by her new group of men

Now that The Bachelor is behind Charity Lawson, she’s ready to take over as the lead of The Bachelorette Season 20.

“It was a good one,” Charity shared to Entertainment Tonight upon meeting all of her men when they had their limo entrances. “I’m a little giddy. Definitely smitten. I have a good batch of boys … I was laughing the whole night.”

While Charity was excited to begin her journey, she also knew this meant she was representing the fourth woman of color as the lead. “I recognize that, although it is my journey, it’s so much bigger than me, because I’m carrying along a whole community of people who are looking up [to me] and [I’m] representing that as well,” Charity said. “[I’m] definitely not taking it for granted. I’m really excited and I’m very fortunate to be the fourth.”

The Bachelorette Season 20 airs at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.

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