Karamo Brown Has Some Powerful Advice For Bachelor Zach Shallcross

Fresh off of his guest appearance on Season 19 of The Bachelorette, Karamo Brown has a few words of advice for Bachelor Season 27 lead Zach Shallcross. “Wait to have intimate moments, even kisses,” the Queer Eye culture coach advises. “The intimacy intensifies the emotions faster, and you stop seeing red flags as quick as you would.” Karamo, who recently launched an eponymous daytime talk show, tells Bustle that he’d be happy to return to Bachelor Nation. “I’m an uber fan of the franchise,” he says. “If The Bachelor ever wanted me back, I would go back in a heartbeat.”

Karamo made a surprise appearance early in the season, planning co-lead Rachel Recchia’s Week 3 date with Zach, who was one of the frontrunners at the time. The duo dressed up and attended a fake movie premiere, and Karamo was impressed by Zach’s authenticity. “When I first met him, I thought he was a f*cking sweetheart. He was kind, he was genuine,” Karamo recalls.

The Karamo host also reveals that he and Zach had an offscreen conversation about his motivations for being on The Bachelorette to make sure he was there for the right reasons. “I kind of just sat down with him and was like, ‘No, seriously, what’s your intentions here?’” Karamo says. “I did that to see what he would say when we weren’t on camera, and his intentions were just so freaking pure. I was like, ‘Oh, this is a man who really wants love.’”

The producers seemed to have picked up on that, especially after Shallcross removed himself from The Bachelorette based on his lack of connection with Rachel during Fantasy Suites. Shallcross was later named the lead of the next season of The Bachelor. “If he wants me to come back and help him pick some ladies, I will do it any day, any time.”

Karamo is no stranger to doling out thoughtful advice about relationships. His Queer Eye persona is the emotional backbone of the show, often pushing the subjects to deeper self-realizations, and that skill set is now being put to use on his talk show. He admitted that the inspiration to pursue a career in social services came from his identity as a Black, gay, son of immigrants. “It all stemmed from that idea of ‘no one gets me, no one understands how hard it’s just to walk my shoes,’” he says about his motivation to create a space for authentic connection, which led to the creation of his network daytime talk show Karamo.

On Karamo, he’s not trying to sensationalize conflict the way that daytime TV sometimes does. “I really try to make sure that even though someone’s being vulnerable and talking about their problems and sometimes might be heated, that they still walk away knowing I still see you,” he says. “You deserve to be healed and deserve to get advice.”