After Cassie Randolph surprised fans with an appearance on the Bachelor season finale earlier this month, she joined Kaitlyn Bristowe for a candid interview about her reality past — and her off-camera future.
“I don’t think I even meant to not do it,” the Bachelor alum, 26, said during the Tuesday, March 22, episode of the “Off the Vine” podcast, explaining why she hasn’t talked much about her time on the ABC series. “I think it just kind of happened that way. … If they ever wanted me to, like, make an appearance like the other night, it was super fun. So, I was like, ‘Of course,’ but it just never really comes up.”
Before her appearance on the March 15 finale of Clayton Echard‘s season, Randolph had stayed quiet about her time on the show. Colton Underwood chose her as the winner in season 23, which aired in 2019, and the duo dated until May 2020.
The California native later filed a temporary restraining order against the former football player, 30, alleging that he stalked and harassed her. The restraining order was dropped in November 2020, and five months later, Underwood came out as gay.
During her interview with Bristowe, 36, Randolph claimed that her ex didn’t give her a heads up about the Good Morning America appearance where he revealed his sexuality. “I found out the same way that everyone else did,” she explained, adding that she saw a video about the news on social media. “It was horrible.” (Underwood announced his engagement to Jordan C. Brown in February.)
Randolph’s appearance on the Bachelor finale marked the first time she’d spoken about her time on the show. “I feel like people were so shocked that I was on,” she told Bristowe. “I would love to know why people thought it was such a big deal.”
During the episode, the Biola University graduate told host Jesse Palmer that she saw similarities between her time on the show and Susie Evans‘ situation with Echard, 28. The wedding videographer, also 28, decided to leave in the fantasy suites episode after learning that the Missouri native had been intimate with the other two finalists. Randolph similarly left the show before Underwood sent his other two finalists home to win her back.
“I definitely was having déjà vu watching this, for sure,” the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire alum said during the finale. “I think the fact that Susie left in the first place just kind of shows, you know, she really stuck with her intuition and was right — as hard as it was, she had to leave.”
Randolph added that she hoped Evans didn’t feel any “pressure” to reunite with Echard if he tried to win her back — which he did. The duo revealed during the finale that they got back together after filming ended.
“When she initially came on the show, she wanted to find something,” Randolph said. “I just hope that she sticks with her intuition.”
Keep scrolling for more revelations from Randolph’s appearance on “Off the Vine.”
The reality star explained that she hasn't spoken much about her relationship with Underwood because she's not yet comfortable with sharing too many details. "I haven't talked about it, so it's really hard for me to talk about it at all, or even know the right thing to say when addressing it," she told Bristowe. "I feel so much pressure when asked about it that I would love to be able to be open and candid about things, but I'm just not there yet. I'm sure I will one day want to speak on it because there's just a lot there." Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
The speech pathologist said she knew viewers would wonder if she felt pressure to take Underwood back because of her comments about Evans potentially feeling the same way about Echard. "I had a feeling that when I was saying that, people were gonna allude to that," she explained, adding that she doesn't actually remember too much about how she felt at the time. "It was so long ago now. ... There was definitely an aspect of pressure, obviously, because you're on this huge national show, and you're like, 'Any decision I make, people are gonna judge.' It's kinda hard to know why I did what I did." She added that she wished she'd had more time to decide whether she really wanted to reunite with Underwood. "It's overwhelming," she said. "There's so much happening. 'But do I want to? Is this the right decision for me? Is it the right decision for him, for the show?' It would have been nice to have a week to think about things. ... Instead, you're sitting there on the spot like, 'What should I do?' [It's] this huge decision." ABC/Ricky Middlesworth
"I think I've really grown into myself the last few years," Randolph said, reflecting on how she's changed since her time on The Bachelor. "I mean, so much has happened. ... I feel a lot more decisive, I guess, in what I want or my opinions on things. [During the show], I think I was just very young. It was so new that now I've kind of gotten used to this new kind of life change, and I can more clearly see things for what they are." CraSH/imageSPACE/Shutterstock
The Young Once alum has been dating Brighton Reinhardt since May 2021. "He's a great person," Randolph said of her beau. "It's very, like, natural. So easy. Which I never understood until this [relationship]. ... I'm never questioning him or us. It's more just we get annoyed at little things." When Bristowe asked if they'd started talking about next steps, Randolph replied, "We've definitely talked about the future. There's no, like, plans on the horizon that I am aware of." Courtesy of Brighton Reinhardt/Instagram
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