For a brief moment in last week’s Bachelor episode, when leading man Colton Underwood was in the midst of a shocking breakup initiated by his favorite contestant, Cassie Randolph, the fourth wall was momentarily broken. Underwood — after being told by Randolph that her father was flown to Portugal for an unannounced visit to confront her about the relationship, a move clearly orchestrated by producers — lowered his gaze and glared directly at the side cameras for an uncomfortable amount of time, almost as if to say, What the fuck, guys?!? He was madly in love with this woman and the show seemingly wanted to sabotage it, spurring the fence jump seen around the world as a result. And although Underwood hasn’t discussed this just yet, reigning host Chris Harrison is now admitting that he felt betrayed by the show with how it influenced his journey.
“He was emotional, upset, pissed off, mad at production, mad at me, mad at himself, mad at Cassie,†Harrison told Good Morning America on Tuesday about Underwood’s decision to briefly go off the grid in Portugal. “Everything was just pouring out of him. And he was done.†When asked point-blank if Underwood thought the show had let him down, Harrison admitted that there was “anger and animosity†from how things were handled. “I just think it was a little miscommunication,†he added. “We’re only there to facilitate him finding love, especially at the end of the show.â€
Our last Bachelor lead, Arie Luyendyk Jr., also said he felt “100 percent betrayed†by the show after his season concluded, due to his supposed producer “friends†pressuring him to film the his infamous breakup with Becca Kufrin. “It was super unfair to me,†he said at the time. Next Bachelor, please remember: The producers are not your friends.