A surprising cameo! After Patrick Warburton appeared on The Bachelorette, fans immediately began to wonder whether the actor is related to someone on the show.
“I’m sorry, is Zach’s dad Patrick Warburton?” one viewer tweeted after the Seinfeld alum popped up in a trailer for the ABC series in August 2022. Another excited social media user asked: “DID I JUST SEE PATRICK WARBURTON?!?!? ON THE BACHELORETTE?!?!?!”
The Family Guy voice actor is related to Zach Shallcross, but he’s not his dad — he’s his uncle. Warburton is the brother of Zach’s mom, Megan, and he’s one of the relatives that the tech executive, 26, introduces to Rachel Recchia in the hometown dates episode.
The California native was one of four finalists still competing for the love of the 26-year-old pilot. Rachel’s other remaining suitors included Aven Jones, Tino Franco and Tyler Norris.
“I think my family will adore Rachel,” he said during a confessional interview. “She’s so compassionate and sweet.”
While Rachel passed the test with Uncle Pat, things fizzled between her and Zach in the fantasy suite. The twosome split during the September 2022 finale and he was named the season 27 lead.
“There was a lot of question marks and a lot of guessing. And when it came down to last season with Rachel, a lot of stuff came to fruition and a lot of big question marks and surprises and that leads to shock,” Zach told Us Weekly in January 2023. “And for me, one thing that I pride myself on is the fact of having communication throughout [my time as the Bachelor]. So I even told all the women on night one, like, good or bad, please tell me how you’re feeling. Because I will. I know what I want out of this and I know what it takes to have that healthy relationship … communication. And that lacked with Rachel and I last season.”
While time will tell if Warburton makes an appearance on season 27 of The Bachelor, Zach said his famous relative gave him tips as he continued his reality TV journey.
“I mean, it’s Kronk. Everybody loves Kronk from Emperor’s New Groove. He had a lot of advice and support for me,” Zach said on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. “He’s like, ‘Dude, this world of reality TV is another beast.’ He was beyond shocked because he was part of it a little bit last season.”
