Bachelor Runner-Up Chris Lambton Looks Back One Decade Later
Falling in love on reality TV isn’t for the faint of heart—just ask Chris Lambton, runner-up on Season 6 of The Bachelorette. Ten years ago, Lambton was left blindsided on the beaches of Tahiti by Bachelorette Ali Fedotowsky, who instead got engaged to Roberto Martinez (the two later split). The season recently reaired on The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons — Ever, stirring up emotions of the past in cast and audience members alike. Lambton—now an HGTV star (Lawn & Order; Yard Crashers; Going Yard) and happily married to Bachelor alum Peyton Wright—discusses his experience on the show and what it was like to watch the episodes back a decade later.
Why did you submit to be on The Bachelor?
I actually didn’t submit to be on it. I was redoing a client’s backyard (with me, it almost always comes back to landscaping!), and she couldn’t believe I was still single. So she took my picture, wrote something up and sent it in to The Bachelor. About a month later, I started getting calls [from the show] but never returned them. I randomly ran into the client at a restaurant, and she asked if the Bachelor people ever contacted me. I said they called again and left a voicemail that day. She told me it was a sign that we ran into each other and that I had to do it. The day after, I called and said, “Sign me up!”
What was your first impression of Ali?
She was so much fun to hang out with. She made me feel at ease and was great to talk to!
Did you get along with the guys in the house? Who were some of your closest friends?
I got along with about half of the guys in the house. I‘m still on a text chain with a dozen of them. I made lifelong friends and try to see and talk to them whenever I can. I‘m close to Ty Brown, Tyler Vermette, Craig Robinson, Roberto Martinez, Jesse Beck, Frank Neauchafer and Kirk Dewitt.
What was your favorite date you went on, and why?
The yacht date in Tahiti. I mean, it was Tahiti. The water was amazing, the weather was perfect, we were on a yacht, and we found pearls.
You spoke a lot about your connection with your mom on the show. What did it mean to you to be able to recall those memories with Ali, as well as the rest of the world?
My mom passed away a little over a year before I went on the show. She had a long battle with Multi-System Atrophy (under the ALS umbrella), and I moved home from NYC, where I was teaching to help out with her and the family. I had a lot of pent-up feelings that I never talked through. Going on the show was a great way to talk through those feelings and explain to Ali and the world what a special person my mom was.
Did the breakup come as a shock to you? How did you cope?
I could tell that Ali had a better connection with Frank and Roberto. At the time, I didn’t know what happened with Frank, but I knew it had affected Ali. Ali and I were great friends who had fun together, but we didn’t create a romantic connection like she did with Frank and Roberto.
The day of the breakup, you saw a rainbow on the set. What did that symbolize to you?
My mom told us to look for her in rainbows. The day of her funeral, there was a gigantic rainbow over our house. When a rainbow popped out just minutes after Ali had broken up with me, I knew it was my mom telling me that it was for the best and I would find my soulmate in the future. It showed that everything was going to work out, and it really helped me get through the whole situation.
How do you think the Bachelor franchise has changed/progressed over the years?
After 30-or-so seasons, it‘s bound to change. The Bachelor has become an iconic TV show, and people want to be part of it. The Bachelor family is ever-expanding, and more romantic connections come from that community than from the [on-camera experiences]. I‘m a perfect example of that!
How did it feel rewatching your season on The Greatest Seasons - Ever?
It was a great trip down memory lane. It was even more fun than when I watched it for the first time because I‘ve grown so much closer to a lot of the guys, so it was fun to see it from that point of view. I also knew how the editing would go, so I wasn’t as nervous this time around.
What is your life like now? Have you found love?
I found love with Peyton Wright (now Peyton Wright Lambton). She was on Andy Baldwin’s season of The Bachelor, and we met through mutual friends Jesse Beck and Chris Harrison. We have two beautiful kids, Lyla James Lambton (age 3) and Hayes Jennings Lambton (age 1).
Follow Chris on Social Media:
Instagram: @chrislambton13
Twitter: @chrislambton13
Facebook: @chrislambton