His season, which was advertised with marketing that touted Colton’s virgin status, is perhaps best remembered for him jumping a fence in his pursuit of Cassie Randolph‘s affection. Colton later cut his season short to pursue a relationship with Cassie after she voluntarily left the show.
The pair never got engaged and ended their two-year relationship in May 2020. In September, she filed a restraining order against him, and in court documents obtained by E! News, she accused Colton of “stalking” and “harassing” her between June and August 2020.
Cassie dropped the restraining order in November, and Colton told E! News in a statement at that time, “The two of us were able to reach a private agreement to address any of Cassie’s concerns. I do not believe Cassie did anything wrong in filing for the restraining orders and also believe she acted in good faith.”
In his book The First Time, originally published in March 2020, Colton described internal struggles he had faced while growing up, including questioning his sexuality.
“I didn’t know who I was,” he wrote. “And I come from an athletic family, so it was always, ‘Move on, you’re good.’ So that threw me off. In high school, when I was struggling with my sexuality, I’m not going to talk to my parents about it. So I internalized it.”
He went on to write that he “battled the gay” rumors as an adult, adding, “They’d say, ‘He’s gay, he’s hiding it.’ No. But I’ve been there, done that now.”
Good Morning America airs at 7 a.m. on ABC.
