Why Did Cassie Randolph Leave ‘The Bachelor’?

ABC

The Bachelor finale is upon us and some viewers have found themselves wondering why Cassie Randolph left before the end of the season. The answer to that question is as easy as it is complex; Cassie didn’t feel as though she was ready to get engaged and feared that she wouldn’t be able to get her feelings where they needed to be to accept a proposal from Colton Underwood on the final night.

Warning: Bachelor spoilers ahead.

Here’s what you need to know:

Cassie Left ‘The Bachelor’ Early Because She Wasn’t Sure if She Could ‘Get There’

On last week’s episode, Colton was overjoyed for his date with Cassie; his second out of three planned overnights. The two had a fun day out and about in Portugal and Colton was hopeful that his feelings for Cassie would grow as they got to know each other better.

“Cassie is the one. Outside of all of this, I can definitely see us working forever. I feel like my whole life has been leading to tonight because I love Cassie. I want to be with Cassie,” Colton said before his one-on-one with Cassie.

Things were going really well for the two — until they weren’t. When it came to spending the night together, Cassie ended up telling Colton that she was worried that she simply couldn’t get to the point that she needed to be by the end of the show.

“Today was perfect, and I l love you so much. But I couldn’t, after today, I’m not, like, in love,” Cassie told Colton.

Colton told her that she was “the one” and that it would be her in the end, but a very emotional Cassie chose to walk away. Colton couldn’t control his emotions. In an effort to ditch the production crew, he jumped a fence and vanished into the night.

Former ‘Bachelor’ Ben Higgins Believes That Cassie Left Because She ‘Wasn’t Into’ Colton

“I think she should have [done] something different with Colton. It’s very clear that she was not into him,” Higgins told Entertainment Tonight after last week’s episode aired.

“And so as much as she maybe felt the pressure to still be there and just still [trying] to make this work — you know, you have a lot of people counting on you and watching — I think all she wanted to tell him was, ‘You’re a great guy, you’ve proven to be a great guy, but I’m just not that into you and as a result, I need to leave.’ But instead, it felt like she was kind of dancing around the subject, going, ‘This is too fast, this isn’t right for me, I just don’t know.’ She knew,” Higgins added.

“If she would have just told Colton, ‘This isn’t going to work, like, we’re not meant for each other,’ then Colton just has to say goodbye. He’s getting broken up with and he can’t beg and he can’t scream for more. So what Colton did is he just fought for her and I think that’s fair. He loves this woman. I don’t think she gave him the right explanation. She should have just left and said, ‘This isn’t going to work,'” Higgins concluded.

Are Cassie & Colton Together Now?

Colton and Cassie are together — but not engaged. Despite Reality Steve reporting that Colton came back to the States to track Cassie down, it seems things are going down differently.

“He’ll talk to Cassie, he’ll take her to meet his parents, they’ll have an overnight, and then no proposal,” Reality Steve said in an updated post.

Cassie and Colton have been happily dating and taking things slow. The current status of Colton and Cassie’s relationship will likely be announced on The Bachelor’s After the Final Rose special, which will air tonight.

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