Bachelor: Why Fans Were Shocked To See Cassie Randolph At The Finale
During the in-studio segments of The Bachelor finale for Clayton Echard's season, there were several familiar faces from Bachelor Nation, but it was extremely surprising to see Cassie Randolph among them. Cassie was just one of the franchise stars that host Jesse Palmer briefly interviewed, but after everything she’s been through as a result of being on the show, many fans are shocked she would want to have anything more to do with Bachelor Nation.
Cassie was a contestant on Colton Underwood’s season of The Bachelor, and she caught his eye right away. At the time, Colton was sure he wanted to be with Cassie, and when she left the show, it prompted his iconic fence jump. The two ended up reuniting and dated for a while after the show. However, Cassie and Colton eventually broke up—and that’s when the trouble started. Colton began to stalk Cassie by hanging around her apartment, calling her from strange phone numbers, and putting a GPS tracking device on her car. Cassie eventually had to get a restraining order against Colton, which stayed in place for several months. Last year, Colton came out as gay, but that doesn’t excuse the horrible things he did to Cassie before that.
It’s safe to say that Cassie’s experience with The Bachelor franchise was not a good one, so seeing her on Clayton's finale was definitely a surprise. Jesse asked Cassie what she thinks contestant Susie Evans should do when Clayton confronts her in the next episode, and Cassie offered some sage advice. She commented that she hopes Susie “doesn’t feel pressured, whether that’s pressure from him to have a relationship or pressure to give a happy ending to the show.” Though Cassie joked that she got “déjà vu” from watching Clayton talk about his love for Susie, many viewers were worried that Cassie’s déjà vu was more like PTSD.
What Colton did to Cassie was horrible, and in addition to invading her privacy, he made Cassie feel unsafe and vulnerable—and those feelings are hard to live with, even briefly. Cassie could very well have significant psychological fallout from what she went through with Colton, and it’s surprising that she would agree to appear on the franchise that put her in that position. But after being out of Bachelor Nation for a while, it’s possible that Cassie wanted to take advantage of the opportunities the franchise provides, and her appearance on the show last night could have been part of a plan to boost her social media following.
Cassie’s Bachelor Nation experience was truly horrible, and one can only hope that her brief appearance during Clayton’s finale achieved whatever goal Cassie was seeking. If Cassie showed up to The Bachelor finale as a way to increase her fame, there’s nothing wrong with that—it’s the last the franchise could do to make up for casting an unhinged lead who was still in the closet.
The Bachelor finale airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.