Clayton Echard Says He Sometimes Regrets Joining 'The Bachelor' : 'What More Do You Want to See'

Clayton Echardis getting candid about being immersed in the world ofBachelorNation.

Echard, 28, appeared on formerBachelorstarNick Viall’s podcast,The Viall Files, on Monday, opening about his decision to sign on to become the franchise’s 26th bachelor right after appearing on Michelle Young’s season ofThe Bachelorette, which aired in the fall last year.

“I think the first three weeks of the show airing, I definitely thought that, because you just don’t know what to expect going into it,” Echard said when Viall, 41, had asked him if he regretted signing on to the show.

Echard also noted that since he filmedThe BacheloretteandThe Bachelorback-to-back, he didn’t have time to reach out to former contestants to get a feel for how everything could play out.

The former football player also said that he was surprised about all thenegativity he’s received from social media userssince his season has been on the air, telling Viall, “I thought, ‘This is going to be great. Everyone’s going to come around, start seeing my personality,’ and people weren’t.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“It seemed like no matter what they showed, even when they showed my personality, showed me being goofy, people would still say, ‘He has no personality.’ It’s like, what more do you want to see?” he continued.

Pamela Littky/ABC via Getty Images

RELATED VIDEO: Bachelor Clayton Echard Ends Drama Between Shanae and Elizabeth — and Makes Shocking Decision

In December,Viall told PEOPLEthat he was “kind of critical about the selection” when it came to Echard being chosen to star in the current season.

“It’s nothing against Clayton, he seemed like a nice enough fellow, but just looking at Michelle’s top four, each of the top four has better storylines, more charisma,” Viall said at the time. “They have out-shined Clayton in every possible way. So I don’t really get the choice.”

Added theBacheloralum: “I hope Clayton proves us wrong and I’m very much rooting to watch this season and say to myself, which I have in the past, ‘You know what, I didn’t agree with this selection, but they got it right.’ I’m rooting for that to happen, but as it stands right now, I don’t get it.”

Whilespeaking with PEOPLEin January, Echard opened up about his journey to finding his special somebody, admitting that he was “cautiously optimistic” about the process.

“I just promised myself I would be transparent and not hold back. And I followed my heart,” he said. “I promised myself I wouldn’t fall in love with multiple women but I fell in love with three.”

Added Echard: “At that point I accepted it but I realized I was going to have to stop using absolutes. I handled it to the best of my ability. It wasn’t perfect! I learned a lot of lessons. And that’s life.”

source: people.com