Clayton Echard continues to find himself on the defensive<\/u>, as The Bachelor<\/em> Season 26 has been dominated by Shanae Ankney\u2019s villainous antics, as well as Echard\u2019s failure to eliminate her. Watching the season play out, Echard can see, with the rest of America, the extent of Ankney\u2019s lies and manipulations, which prompted him to publicly apologize<\/u> to a contestant he eliminated in lieu of Ankney. Now, however, the bachelor appears to have sneakily blamed the producers for making him keep the villain on the show<\/u>.<\/p>\n Shanae Ankney has been the focus of The Bachelor<\/em> for the past few weeks for exhibiting a level of villainy that\u2019s extreme, even for this show. It\u2019s so bad that Bachelor Nation doesn\u2019t even believe Ankney is real. Some fans have insisted she\u2019s a plant hired by producers<\/u><\/a> to create drama, and Echard may have just subtly confirmed that. In the comments section of a recent Instagram<\/u><\/a> post, a fan suggested Clayton Echard give fans a clue if production was, in fact, behind his seemingly senseless decisions to keep giving Ankney roses:\u00a0<\/p>\n