Colton Underwood led one of the most frustrating seasons of The Bachelor for viewers, who were left hanging at the end of the episodes with no clear female winner in sight. Apparently, this is the way Colton wanted the game played after he was left frustrated by what he claims were manipulations by the show’s producers.
The reality star and former athlete revealed during an interview with This American Life that he decided to play the game his way after realizing the show was not taking his wants and needs into consideration.
“They always asked to rank the girls. And very early on, Hannah (Brown) was up there. And she got left off of a date,” Colton said in the interview. “And I sort of recall remember feeling a little burnt when they did that. … So from there on out, I was like, ‘All right, if you’re going to do that to my top girls, I’m not really going to tell you who my top girls are.’”
Basically, Colton’s true list of his top contenders was the one in his head, and it didn’t match the verbal list he provided to the show’s producers. In turn, he lied regarding his true feelings for several of the women. He never let on about Cassie until the very end of the season when she quickly departed the series and left Colton to let down the two remaining women, Tayshia and Hannah G., who were believed to be forerunners in the competition. This effectively left the show with no rose ceremony, no proposal, and a Bachelor star with no clear relationship at the end of the series.
Colton justified his decision that he wanted his relationship with Cassie to play out on his own terms, calling their love affair a “slow burn” in direct contrast to other Bachelor relationships in the franchise, which begin quickly and with intensity but burn out just as quickly.
After appearing on The Bachelorette , there should have been more of a clear understanding by Colton as to how the franchise worked. But as with any situation, it appears that one does not know how they are going to truly react until they are living the experience.
Although Cassie did not initially feel she truly loved Colton, at the end of his turn as The Bachelor , the couple agreed to try a relationship outside of the prying eyes of ABC’s cameras. For the most part, their relationship has been allowed to grow on their own time.
Whether or not they stay the course is an entirely different story, Colton and Cassie continue to grow their relationship, and the couple will soon hit the five-month mark in their union.
The Bachelor will likely announce the next star of the franchise at the conclusion of the current season of Bachelor in Paradise .
