Checking in with ZACH SHALLCROSS

By the time the Season 27 premiere of ABC’S “The Bachelor” hits the air on Monday, Jan. 23, this round’s bachelor will have already chosen his “person” in real life.

Which means Zach Shallcross, a 26-yearold tech sales executive from Southern California, will have already fended off numerous requests for spoilers from family, friends and acquaintances. And he’s gotten to be a pro at that, having gone through the other side of the process on Season 19 of “The Bachelorette.”

“I mean, I did it almost daily,” Shallcross explains. “And other than my immediate family ... you’ve got to get creative with how you let them know that, ‘Hey, I can’t budge.’ You know, there’s a lot of ‘stay tuned’ and ‘get ready to watch it.’ But you know, most people are actually respectful about that and aren’t trying to dig at any spoilers or anything like that. They just mostly want to see how I’m doing and how I’m feeling with how everything is and that’s been really nice.”

Shallcross will be the focal point in Season 27 as he chooses from a pool of potential mates, going on dates in exotic locales and eliminating them one by one until he comes to the one who will be his “person,” as he calls them. One of the major lessons learned from his time with Rachel Recchia on “The Bachelorette” was to just be himself, be open to the process and honest about his feelings.

“I’m here to find my person,” he says, “and you can’t find that person unless you are willing to open yourself up and be vulnerable and kind of take a chance, take a risk . ... I mean, that’s just how it is in normal life as well. Like you have to put yourself on the line and risk.”

Name: Zach Shallcross

Birth date: July 31, 1996

Birthplace: Fullerton, Calif.; raised in Anaheim Hills, Calif.

Family ties: Is the oldest of three children born to Chapman and Megan Shallcross; he considers his parents role models for having a healthy, loving relationship

Alma mater: Has a degree in business administration California Polytechnic State University, where he also played football

TV credits: Season 19 of “The Bachelorette”

Did you know: Is the nephew of actor Patrick Warburton (“Rules of Engagement,” “Seinfeld”)