Oh, Colton Underwood, where art thou? Our Bachelor leading man is somewhere in the balmy Portuguese wilderness after finally jumping that damn fence, which occurred on Monday night’s episode because he was brutally dumped by a lady. And not only that — he was brutally dumped by his favorite contestant, Cassie Randolph, after he said he was going to end the show for her, even if they eschewed a proposal and simply continued to date in the real world. It was an uncharacteristically wild move for the franchise, and based on ABC promos, it seems like the remaining two women will be sent home in next week’s finale.
While seeing Colton shake, cry, and jump over a hinged barrier to escape a camera crew was pretty discouraging to watch, some viewers might mutter dumb ass and offer him zero sympathy, given that he received numerous warnings and red flags about Cassie throughout the course of the season. These came from fellow contestants, Cassie’s family, and even Cassie herself — but Colton was not deterred, convinced he’d found the woman of his dreams worth fighting for. To recap, here are all of those red flags.
From other contestants
“I’ve heard some disheartening conversations in the house. Unfortunately some girls aren’t necessarily in this for possibly the right reasons. I don’t want to tattletale, but I do think you should know.†—Tayshia
“You have a great group of girls. Some are ready, and some aren’t. Just be smart about those girls.†—Katie
“With the choices you’ve been making, you’re taking a lot of easier choices with the people you’re pursuing. If that’s what you’re looking for, great, do that, go after that.†—Sydney
“There are some very wonderful people in that group. Find them. Figure out who they are. Don’t be distracted by shiny things, especially now.†—Sydney
“There are certain girls here who seem like a safe choice. But at the end of that, it’s not actually going to be safe, because you’re not going to end up happy in the long run.†—Demi
“I have concerns about Cassie and Caelynn, that they’re just not ready. I want to present you with everything that I know so you can make the best decisions.†—Tayshia
“After you gave your speech in Vietnam after Katie left, Cassie and Caelynn were the only two girls that started to panic and got very defensive. Everyone thought that was very strange. Why would you need to be so defensive if everything is right in your heart?†—Kirpa
“I think Cassie and Caelynn aren’t genuine. They’re already talking about being the next Bachelorette and they also said they’re not ready to be engaged at the end of this. They’re interested in the parties they’re gonna hit after and the people they’re gonna get to know and where they’re going to go. Seeing how they act and what they talk about and where their heads are at, I feel like they still have a lot to figure out.†—Tayshia
“Listen to people about things and their intentions.†—Hannah B.
“Figure out what you want. Really.†—Katie
From Cassie’s family
Cassie’s mother: “This concerns me.â€
Cassie’s mother: “Has she told you how she feels about you?â€
Colton: [Long pause.] “No.â€
Colton: “I’m somebody who needs a father’s permission at the end of this, when I leave and if I get down on one knee. That’s why I want to take this opportunity to ask you if I can have her hand in marriage if it gets to that point.â€
Cassie’s father: “I feel like as far as the hand in marriage, that would be a premature blessing.â€
From Cassie herself
Colton: “You know how I feel. How do you feel?â€
Cassie: “I think, like, um, I don’t know. I know how I feel but I want to be sure.â€
Colton: “Where are you at, now that you have it figured out?â€
Cassie: “I want to be 100 percent confident in anything I say to you, that’s really important to me. I’m really excited to see where everything can go.â€
Colton: [To camera.] “I wanted her to say I’m falling in love with you, so bad. I care for Cassie a ton. I can see so much potential and so much hope in our relationship, but she still hasn’t told me how she feels and I don’t have her father’s blessing. Now I’m more confused than ever. I have no clue what the hell I’m gonna do.â€
Colton: “My greatest fear in all of this is getting to the end and someone just going through the motions and not being ready.â€
Cassie: “I don’t want you to believe that. I don’t know why girls are making stuff up.â€
Cassie: “I don’t want to see you leave here without you leaving what you came here for.â€
Colton: “But if it’s not with the person at the end of this I feel the strongest for and the most potential with, then it’s not worth it.â€
Cassie: “I hate that you say that.â€