The Untold Truth Of Cassie Randolph
Season 23 of The Bachelor on ABC has had it all: a virgin bachelor, contestant drama, stiff competition, hot romance, gorgeous locations, and devastating heartbreak. But that's just par for the course for the reality sensation, which has become a television staple for millions of viewers. So pretty much every year, you can count on having your heart dragged when the romance you're rooting for fizzles. We know those feels!
Of course, one of the most dramatic and devastating moments in Season 23 was when Cassie Randolph revealed she loved Colton Underwood — but she wasn't in love with him. She definitely fooled everyone, Underwood included, into thinking that the two of them were destined to become the newest #relationshipgoals out there. Now that she's gone, what will she do? And what else is there to know about her, other than she's a heart-breaker? Here's everything we know about Cassie Randolph, the one that got away from one of our favorite bachelors ever.
A California girl from the start
If you had to guess where Randolph was from based on her looks alone, you'd probably say she's a California girl — and you'd be right! Indeed, she grew up in Walnut Creek, CA, according to the East Bay Times, a city located in the East Bay region of Northern California. There she attended Berean Christian High School, a rigorous prep school with a "bible-centered" mission, until she graduated in 2013. And according to her ABC profile, she now resides in Huntington Beach, a true beach city southeast of Los Angeles. You know our girl has to love the sun!
Randolph has mused about her love for California on more than one occasion, too, so she's obviously not confused about her love for her home — unlike, ahem, other loves in her life. "Just touched down at LAX and there really is no place like home," she wrote on Instagram. "I think I might actually kiss the ground." Clearly you can take the girl out of Cali, but you can't take the Cali out of the girl.
Volleyball was her sport in high school
With a build like Randolph, which is slender and lean, you might assume that she's someone who enjoys a good workout — and you'd be right. That started back in high school, where she was a "standout volleyball player," according to the East Bay Times. She's mentioned that she plays the sport on her Instagram page as well, back in 2012, after she came home from a volleyball tournament to a mess of balloons and streamers. She also posted a hilarious action shot of her playing beach volleyball later that year.
It's unclear if volleyball still plays a role in Randolph's life anymore, as it appears she's interested in different kinds of workouts, such as riding her bike. "My legs are dying. Dead. Gone. Bye legs," she captioned on a post on Instagram. She also enjoys hiking and yoga, according to another post. So even though she's not spiking the ball over the net, she's obviously staying in shape. But her favorite workout ever is something else entirely...
Surf's up!
What's the one sport that comes to mind when you think of the sunny beaches of Southern California? Duh, it's surfing, of course! And given that Randolph is 100 percent a California girl, it's not surprising at all that she loves the water sport. Check out her solid technique in this video she posted on her Instagram page. Surf's up, y'all!
Surfing may look easy, but it's actually quite the strenuous sport and can wear anyone out, even Randolph. "Feeling like I'm going to fall over dead after these past couple days," she shared in a post on her Instagram page. "Countless hours spent swimming, wake surfing and boarding, trying to hide from the 108° heat." That's certainly a great way to stay cool, but it would definitely make anyone hella sore, for sure.
Of course Randolph hits the waves along with her sister, according to another post she made, as the two of them are peas and carrots. We wonder: who's the better surfer of the two of them?
Of course she's a beach bum
Given her proclivity for surfing and beach volleyball, it's only natural that Randolph is a lifelong, confirmed beach bum. Just about every other post on her Instagram page is of her on the beach, either sunning, swimming, surfing, or just striking a pose for the camera. Who wouldn't want to move to Cali after seeing all of those gorgeous shots of sun, sand, and the sea? It certainly beats a cold, snowy winter any day — or even just a cold, rainy one.
It doesn't matter what time of year it is, either, or if it's too hot or too cold — your girl can be found by the water, every time, even in during the off-season. "There's something about the beach in the winter," she mused in a post on her Instagram page. "I love how quiet and peaceful it is." So there's no question that the beach keeps Randolph centered, and in her happy place. She must have a serious stash of sunblock to keep her skin so perfect!
College educated since 2016
After Randolph graduated from high school in 2013, she left the Bay Area and headed down to So Cal to continue her educational pursuits, according to the East Bay Times. There she enrolled in college at Biola University, a private Christian school in La Mirada, which has a policy of no premarital sex, drinking, smoking, or drug use, either on or off campus — pretty strict stuff, but it worked for her! There, she studied Communication Sciences and Disorders, according to her LinkedIn profile. She also worked as an Undergrad Speech Therapist at the university toward the end of her tenure there, getting some on the ground work experience.
Randolph graduated from college in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science degree and a 3.75 cumulative GPA, proving that she's a lot more than just a pretty face. She took to Instagram to commemorate the occasion, saying, "CAN'T BELIEVE THIS HAPPENED [graduation hat emoji] So many emotions." Good job, boo! Fun fact: Randolph actually went to college with Heather, a fellow contestant on her season of The Bachelor, according to People magazine. Small world, huh?
A cat or a dog person?
They say you can tell if you'll be a good match for someone if you're both either cat people or dog people. When it comes to Randolph's preferences she's definitely a cat person, and has two furry buddies named Maverick and Goose, according to her ABC profile. Given that Underwood is a confirmed dog person, according to his Instagram page, maybe it's all for the best that they parted ways?
Randolph has had other feline friends in the past as well, according to a post on her Instagram page, wherein she wished her cat Oliver a Happy National Cat Day. "You scratch me for no reason, I find your hair in my food, and you don't always let me hold your paw when I want to, but I still love you," she wrote in the caption. Additionally, her family fostered a mama cat and her babies back in 2016, according to another post, and she was "OBSESSED." More quality cat content, please!
Christian to the core
One thing that's evident about Randolph is her commitment to her faith, something that's clearly central in her family, as she went to Christian high school and Christian college. Additionally, she has "Psalm 46:10" written in her Instagram bio, which says, "He says, 'Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.'" So there's no question she puts her spiritual beliefs first, and that they help to inform her everyday actions.
Randolph has also posted affirming religious verses on her Instagram page on several different occasions. For example, she posted about Jeremiah 29:11 in 2017, then shared verse 4:8 from James in 2016. She then also captioned a post "It's true" about Ephesians 3:20 that same year. Given that Underwood is a Christian as well, who tweets out bible verses from time to time, maybe they could have overcome the cat person/dog person dilemma after all. Sigh.
Did you know she and her sister had a vlog?
Before Randolph stole both America's and Underwood's hearts on The Bachelor, she had a few other projects in the hopper. Namely, she and her sister Michelle had a vlog series on YouTube going for a while (which has since been taken down) by the name of Double Mumble. And while you can't access it anymore, Randolph has left some preview clips up on her social media.
The pair decided to start the vlog back in 2017, as Cassie tells it. "SOO my sister @michellerandolph and I have decided to start a VLOG about health, fitness, and other life happenings sprinkled here and there," she wrote in an Instagram caption. Thus an idea was born! You can get a good idea what the vlog was like in these teaser clips, which show just how much fun they were having — and how silly things would get. Maybe they'll resurrect it someday?
She's working toward a career in speech pathology
Now that Randolph has officially left The Bachelor, she can get back to focusing on her education and career endeavors. She enrolled in graduate school at The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 2018, where she's pursuing a Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology, according to her LinkedIn page.
The inspiration to follow this career path started at home with her family. "When I was little I was obsessed with ASL and would always teach myself signs," she wrote in a tweet. "Then my mom introduced the thought of being an SLP to me since the two interests are kinda closely related. And turns out I love it!" Way to follow your bliss, girl.
Randolph did have to take a leave of absence from school to be on the show, but she went back in 2019. "It's going to take a lot of self discipline to focus on school, when I really want to respond to the literally hundreds of nice, supportive messages and comments," she shared in an Instagram post. So it seems that she's definitely going to be busy with homework and studying for a while!
She's been in love before
Randolph's tryst with Underwood wasn't her first romantic encounter, as she dated her ex-boyfriend Caelan while attending Biola University. Additionally, the pair appeared together in a central role of the docuseries Young Once, which follows the lives of Christian college students living in Southern California. Sounds wholesome!
Randolph found herself fielding a lot of questions about her previous relationship once The Bachelor aired, which she addressed on her Instagram page. "A while after our breakup we put our past behind us and became friends again," she revealed. "We both dated other people and had moved on."
But people wondered why they appeared in Young Once after they broke up, which Randolph also addressed. "One of the storylines highlighted is our drawn out/complex relationship and the challenges of us staying friends post breakup and whether it is possible or not," she continued. "I care very much about Caelan and I want nothing but the best for him and his life." If they've moved on, then everyone else can too.
Feeling the solidarity on The Bachelor
While a lot of people might think that The Bachelor is just 30 women all fighting over a man — and of course, we know there's some drama here and there — Randolph definitely felt some real solidarity with the other contestants on the show. "Last September, I met 29 amazing women who quickly went from being complete strangers to lifelong friends," she gushed in a post on her Instagram page. "Being on The Bachelor was the ultimate bonding experience for me."
Additionally, rather than constantly tearing one another down or doing everything in their power to sabotage other contestants, the women on the show had each other's backs. "Despite the competitive environment during the show, each one of us supports each other as fellow women," she continued. So even though it may be fun to speculate on who secretly hates who, or who said what, these ladies made sure to uphold rule number one of the sisterhood and we are here for it!
Caelynn and Cassie are the "real romance" of the show
Of all the friendships that developed on The Bachelor during Season 23, one in particular stood out: the girlmance between BFFs Cassie Randolph and Caelynn Miller-Keys. And it's legit too, as Miller-Keys dished about their bond in an interview with Access. "I fly out to see [Randolph] once a week," she admitted. And given that she lives in North Carolina, that's kind of a big deal. No wonder interviewer Ashley Iaconetti asked her if they were "the real love story in the series." Awww!
Miller-Keys revealed that the pair bonded out of the gate, when, on the first night Randolph put her nose on Miller-Keys' shoulder in a gesture of affection. From that point on, the two formed a serious bond. "It's like, unlike any friendship I've ever had," she continued. That's just adorable.
As for people who thought perhaps the duo was being too cliquey? "People just didn't understand our friendship," she added. "We were ridiculously close, like sisters." Well if you're lucky enough to have a friendship like that come your way, who cares what the haters have to say about it?
Her homies have her back
One unfortunate thing that's come out of appearing on The Bachelor, for both Miller-Keys and Randolph, is the hatred that they've been getting on social media. "We're signing up to be on TV and we knew that there would be trolls, but I think just the way that the trolls have been this year—it's just been absolutely insane," Miller-Keys shared in an interview with E! News. We definitely don't recommend reading the comments on Instagram.
Fortunately, the folks from Randolph's hometown have her back, and have nothing but nice things to say about her, according to The Mercury News. "In my opinion, Cassie is truly one of the kindest, most genuine, young ladies I know," said Cindy Pearsall, the Dean of Women at Randolph's former high school. "She's the real deal." So she's not fake, like some would have people believe.
Former classmate Logan Lisle also defended Randolph's reputation. "People who know her know that she's not fake. She's kind and sweet and easygoing," he shared. "You could see how Colton would fall for her." Take that, haters!
Breaking a bachelor's heart
After all of the smooching and heart-to-hearts between Randolph and Underwood, fans were admittedly shocked when Randolph decided to depart the show, even after Underwood professed his love to her. "I was shocked," he revealed in an interview with People magazine. "I had no idea it was coming." Ugh, we know those feels all too well.
Underwood was reminded of his previous heartbreak, when Becca Kufrin sent him home on The Bachelorette. "It was right back into the trap of loving somebody who wasn't quite there with me," he continued. "It was very hard for me to hear." You and millions of people, Colton. We were with you when you jumped that fence!
But you honestly can't fault Randolph for following her heart and being honest with Underwood. If she wasn't 100 percent sure about the relationship at that point, how long would it have lasted? Unfortunately this is where the chips fell — but who knows what the future may hold?
An unconventional Bachelor fairytale ending
Cassie and Colton fans were delighted when it was revealed on the second night of The Bachelor's two-part season finale that the two lovebirds ended up together after all.
After the infamous fence jump, fans saw Underwood show up at Randolph's hotel room as she was packing to return from Portugal to Huntington Beach. The two had a heart-to-heart, and Randolph agreed to accompany Underwood to Spain to meet his family. Still, the California girl wasn't so sure of her feelings. After spending more time with the bachelor and finally going through with the ever-anticipated Fantasy Suite date, Randolph seemed ready to take the next step with Underwood, and the two appeared as a couple in love on the After the Final Rose special.
There hasn't been an engagement yet, but both Randolph and Underwood are more than content with taking things slow — which is quite the departure from the usual Bachelor formula. After the finale, the lovebirds appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live where Colton revealed with a huge grin: "I'm confident in all of the decisions I've made. It's led me here, it's led me to [Cassie]. I'm so happy and so in love right now."