Not on her watch. Cassie Randolph has made multiple headlines in recent weeks after her relationship with an ex-boyfriend began playing out on a docuseries called Young Once while she is currently competing to win Bachelor Colton Underwood‘s heart on season 23 of the dating show. Now, the reality star is sounding off on the backlash.
Randolph spoke out in a lengthy Instagram post on Wednesday, February 6, about her current relationship with ex-boyfriend Caelan Tiongson, whom she dated on and off during their time at Biola University and the show they filmed during their time at the religious college.
“While I don’t feel it is necessary that I share all the details, a lot of people are curious and the worst thing is false rumors,“ the speech pathologist, 23, began. “A while after our breakup we put our past behind us and became friends again. We share a lot of mutual friends and he is close to my family. We both dated other people and had moved on.”
Though the first season of Young Once was filmed in 2015, Randolph explained that taping the second part took place prior to her being chosen to be part of Underwood’s group of women.
“Over the summer, unexpectedly and out of the blue, we were contacted by [Young Once] and learned they were considering a S2- a follow up on some of the original cast. This again put Caelan and I directly back in each other’s lives as our social circle overlaps,” Randolph continued. “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. We filmed for several weeks prior to Caelan heading to Asia to play pro basketball and before I found out that I was cast for Bachelor.”
The reality star added: “The timing of everything was completely chance. I care very much about Caelan and I want nothing but the best for him and his life.”
Randolph first shut down rumors that producers of the hit ABC reality dating show made her choose between her former love and Underwood, 27, on Tuesday, February 5.
“My ex and I have been broken up since before I graduated from Biola in 2016. I will say that yes, there was a time that we rekindled our friendship to see if we should get back together, but we never did. There were some unhealthy aspects to our relationship, chichis why we never got back together,” Randolph wrote in response to Instagram commenters who claimed she was still dating Tiongson when she embarked on the journey to find love with Underwood. “We attempted several times to be friends, and it was just too hard — as is typical of many breakups with a lot of history. I think Caelan is a great guy and we respect each other, but it just didn’t work out for us. He remains friends with my family and we have many friends in common, so it wasn’t like most breakups where you can just disappear from each others lives. That said, The Bachelor and my ex have nothing to do with one another.”
Tiongson, for his part, shared the same sentiment as Randolph in a post to his personal Instagram account.
“I’m posting this here so no words can be misconstrued. As many of you know, my ex girlfriend is currently a contestant on the tv show The Bachelor. The both us have also appeared on a documentary series called Young Once. The show catches you up on our lives as the first season was shot at Biola University while we were still going to school there,” Tiongson explained in part. “They happened to catch the closing of mine and Cassie’s on and off relationship during the recording of this show. Make no mistake that Young Once was filmed before The Bachelor, and the fact that they are airing at the same time is a strategy to attract viewers.”
