What You Didn't See On TV During Colton Underwood's Bachelor Season
Starring former NFL player Colton Underwood, the 23rd season of The Bachelor premiered on January 7, 2019 — and boy, was it ever a wild ride. We don't like to use the phrase "the most dramatic season yet" lightly (looking at you, Chris Harrison), but Underwood's season of ABC's hit reality dating program delivered some serious drama. From heated feuds between multiple groups of contestants, to Underwood getting dumped four times on his own season, to that infamous fence jump — it's hard to recall a season of The Bachelor with so many memorable, hilarious, and heartbreaking moments.
However, while there was tons of juicy drama that unfolded before our eyes onscreen, there were plenty of moments left unaired by the show. Fortunately, the contestants, Chris Harrison, and even Underwood himself have been more than willing to dish about what went down behind-the-scenes — and we used our top-notch investigative skills to unearth some surprising information on your Bachelor favorites. Here's everything you didn't see on TV during Colton Underwood's Bachelor season.
Hannah B returned after being eliminated
Fans of Hannah Brown were shocked when the former beauty pageant queen was sent home in tears after Colton Underwood took her on a coveted one-on-one date while in Denver to meet his family. Granted, Underwood did seem a bit distant throughout the date, even admitting to the cameras (and his family) that he was having doubts about Brown. However, the bachelor could never quite articulate what exactly it was about Brown or his relationship with her that caused him to doubt their connection, even when sending her home.
Brown was sent away teary-eyed and with little closure — but during the Women Tell All special, she seemed 100% over Underwood and happier than ever. So, how did Hannah Beast find closure with Underwood? According to blogger Reality Steve, Brown visited Underwood while he was with contestant Hannah Godwin in Birmingham, Alabama for a hometown date — which just so happens to be Brown's hometown, as well. While Brown and Underwood's meeting was captured on camera, Bachelor producers ultimately decided not to air the footage. But it's safe to assume that Hannah B got whatever closure she needed in Birmingham.
Cassie has some Hollywood connections
Cassie Randolph will forever be known in Bachelor Nation history as the woman who stole Colton Underwood's heart, broke it into a million tiny pieces, and inspired the most impressive fence jump (or only fence jump) ABC's reality dating program has ever seen. Now that she's become a household name amongst Bachelor fans, Randolph will almost certainly go on to enjoy the spotlight for a number of years, sell some hair gummies on Instagram, and make plenty of guest appearances on future Bachelor franchise shows.
While Bachelor fans may not have known Randolph before Underwood's season kicked off at the beginning of 2019, the 23-year-old graduate student has been close to the spotlight for quite some time. Her sister, Michelle Randolph, is an up-and-coming actress known for movies like A Snow White Christmas (2018) and House of the Witch (2017). Michelle's boyfriend, Gregg Sulkin, is even more famous – best known for his roles in Pretty Little Liars and Runaways.
The Randolph family's Hollywood connections weren't addressed on The Bachelor, but considering Underwood was spotted working out with Sulkin in March 2019, the former NFL player is definitely aware of them now.
This wasn't Cassie's first reality TV rodeo
Just as fame wasn't an entirely foreign concept to Cassie Randolph before she was catapulted to silver screen stardom while competing for Colton Underwood's heart on The Bachelor, the reality TV format was also easy for the California native to navigate. After all, The Bachelor wasn't the first reality dating show on which Randolph has appeared.
While far less popular than ABC's wildly popular dating show, Young Once was thrust into the spotlight once it was announced that Randolph, one of the reality show's leads, would be appearing on Underwood's Bachelor season. Currently available to stream on Castle TV and starring both Cassie and Michelle Randolph, Young Once is described as "a docuseries following a diverse group of recent graduates from Christian college who are now navigating dating, marriage, debts, and career decisions against the backdrop of life in Southern California."
Young Once first premiered in 2016, and its second season kicked off in February 2019 — right in the middle of The Bachelor's 23rd season.
The infamous bus conversation
There's one incredibly important piece of Colton Underwood's Bachelor season's puzzle that viewers were never shown — though it was talked about time and time again. And that is the infamous bus conversation that allegedly went down between Cassie Randolph and Caelynn Miller-Keyes while the show was filming in Singapore. Viewers only learned about it when contestant Katie Morton warned Underwood that some of the women in the group were — gulp — not there for the right reasons.
Morton delivered her warning only when Underwood sent her home, so the bachelor later asked Tayshia Adams her opinion on the remaining women and their intentions. Adams revealed that Morton had confided in her that she'd overheard a conversation between Randolph and Miller-Keyes in which the two contestants were discussing the possibility of becoming the next bachelorette — something that obviously didn't sit well with the women who were laser-focused on winning Underwood's heart. Both Randolph and Miller-Keyes have denied the accusations, though multiple contestants have backed up Adams' account. Unfortunately, we'll likely never know for sure what was said on that bus in Singapore.
The girls actually had fun
Every year, host Chris Harrison promises fans of The Bachelor that the current season is sure to be "the most dramatic season ever." Unfortunately, after 17 years on air, it's getting harder and harder for the show to live up to the hype — but Colton Underwood's season of The Bachelor certainly did not disappoint in the drama department.
Fence jump aside, the majority of the drama played out for fans of the show between contestants competing to be the future Mrs. Underwood. From Demi versus Courtney, to Tayshia versus Caelynn — there was no lack of feuds to be found. However, as seen on the blooper reel aired during the Women Tell All special, tears weren't a constant within the group. Underwood's group of gals clearly know how to have a good time and laugh at themselves. While drama obviously makes for great TV, we can't help but wish we were able to see more of the contestants' fun and goofy personalities throughout the season.
Courtney tried to make up with Demi
One of the most memorable feuds born from The Bachelor's 23rd season was the yelling match between contestants Demi Burnett and Courtney Curtis. While it's hard to say exactly where or why the feud began, it seems as if these two are simply polar opposite personalties with no real hope of ever getting along. This couldn't have been more apparent than when Burnett and Curtis were once again brought face-to-face on the Women Tell All special.
During WTA, Burnett and Curtis, seated on opposite sides of the stage, yelled back and forth about their time in the house and who was really in the wrong. However, Curtis shocked us all when she stood up, stomped right over to Demi, and shoved a pacifier in her mouth while calling her a "child." It's hard to bounce back from shoving a pacifier in someone's mouth, but according to Burnett, Curtis did attempt to apologize after the taping.
"I was waiting on an Uber, and she pulled me aside and apologized to me," Burnett told ET. "I think it's safe to say we're never going to be friends... [but] I appreciated [her apology]."
Colton fought with the crew
If you watched all the drama unfold on Colton Underwood's season of The Bachelor, you know that there was no shortage of tears from both the bachelor and the women competing for his affection. However, as Bachelor host Chris Harrison revealed to Entertainment Tonight's Lauren Zima, the cast of the show weren't the only ones left feeling more than a little emotional after being privy to the shocking revelations toward the end of the season's filming. The production crew was affected by the heartbreaking unpredictability of Underwood's Bachelor season, as well.
"It's really emotional on all of our parts," Harrison revealed to Zima. "A lot of tears were shed and a lot of things were said that may not be suitable for ABC, but we all kind of aired our grievances and let it all out." When Zima pried further to try and get Harrison to reveal if he shed any tears, the host was reluctant to say. "I won't say if I cried or not, you'll have to see," Harrison said. "The night was emotional."
Colton left out a very special friend
If you're anything like us, you squealed with excitement when contestant Catherine Argo stepped out of the limo at the famous Bachelor mansion with her adorable 10-year-old Pomeranian, Lucy. And, if you're anything like us, you felt robbed when the little fluffball never made another appearance. If there's one thing Bachelor Nation can agree on, it's that the franchise could use far more furry, four-legged friends.
Fortunately, Colton Underwood heard fans' cries for more doggy guest stars, and he brought along his black lab, Sniper, to meet the remaining women while The Bachelor filmed in Underwood's hometown of Denver, Colorado. However, if you follow The Bachelor star on Instagram, you know that Sniper isn't the only dog in Underwood's life — he also has a two-year-old German shepherd named Thor. And after episode 7 aired with no Thor in sight, viewers demanded justice for the adorable pup.
Rodger Sherman of The Ringer wrote, "Until somebody can provide me evidence that Thor also received many scritches, a cone of ice cream, and one or more tennis balls, I will crusade in his defense." Don't worry, Thor — you're a star in our eyes.
Hannah B's "fierce" exit
As sad as it was to see perhaps the most fun-loving and relatable contestant leave the show in tears, fans were impressed by Hannah Brown's super classy exit interview. Instead of breaking down in sobs in like many a heartbroken contestant has done before, Brown maintained her composure and said, "The desire of my heart is to be loved so fearlessly by somebody. I will not allow myself to not feel chosen every single day. And I'll wait till whenever that is."
Obviously, Brown's words are inspiring to anyone who's ever had a broken heart before. However, when her exit was replayed on the Women Tell All special, fans noticed that the word "fearlessly" had been spliced and diced in editing to sound like the word "fiercely." It's very well documented that Brown never used the word "fiercely" during her interview — so why would producers feel the need to switch it up? Well, according to fans on Reddit, the powers that be at The Bachelor likely thought "fiercely" would fit nicely with a Hannah Beast Bachelorette storyline. We're definitely down to hear that roar again!