The Bachelor franchise presents itself as a reality show where young hopefuls can meet and marry the love of their lives, but not many couples find their love story ending in a restraining order, as is the case for season 23 alums Colton Underwood and Cassie Randolph. The show is no stranger to controversy, ranging from the lack of diversity among the cast to unrealistic dating expectations during and after the show films. The Bachelor has spanned over 40 seasons with multiple spin-offs, all of which aimed to maintain the normalcy in finding love in a very abnormal setting, including dating/competing against multiple suitors in front of millions of viewers.
Colton’s season started out in the typical Bachelor format with a clip from a future episode, this one featuring Colton jumping over a fence in a heat of passion. It is later revealed at the final three that the 28-year-old stormed off into the dark streets of Portugal with Chris Harrison and crew chasing him down. The reason being, Cassie, the 25-year-old Orange County native, decided to quit the show on her own accord after telling Colton they weren’t on the same page and that she wasn’t ready for the commitment of marriage. Colton relentlessly pursued Cassie after he sent home his final two women, including showing up unannounced at her front door and dropping lines like, “If things go well, Cassie could be in love with me by the end of next week.” After much chasing, Cassie had a change of heart, and the pair became an official couple by the After the Final Rose finale.
The couple lasted almost two years through countless interviews and Instagram posts detailing their relationship, but in May of 2020, they called it quits. A small Instagram feud aside, the pair ultimately ended up saying they were on good terms and wished to remain friends. Then in September, Bachelor Nation was shocked when Cassie filed a restraining order against her ex, claiming that he stalked her and placed a tracking device on her car. Taking into account the way their story played out on The Bachelor, these claims don’t seem that surprising because the show romanticizes toxic behavior as long as it’s in the name of love.
The Bachelor played to Colton’s inability to take no for an answer, which was then turned into a love story of how Colton was so enamored by Cassie that he refused to let her go, even if it’s what she initially wanted. The show often amps up tropes like suitors feeling “unlovable” or being “the scorned woman,” but perhaps its biggest downfall is how it sets up unrealistic expectations of what love is supposed to look like.
It’s possible some of Colton’s behavior on the show was due to heavy editing and producer involvement, but the unfortunate turn that led to Cassie filing a restraining order could be due to the idea that Colton’s “determined” pursuit of a “fairy tale” ending on the show was actually a foreboding warning of toxic obsessive personality traits hidden under rose-colored glasses.
While some may argue that the drama on the show is just the nature of reality TV and what happens after is separate from what takes place within the season, it should also be acknowledged that The Bachelor is known for romanticizing almost everything that happens on the show, including a burst of rage when a girl decides to leave. Sadly, Colton and Cassie’s story has taken a dark turn, and has formed a new category in The Bachelor franchise when it comes to love gone wrong.