Cassie Randolph certainly seems to be one of the frontrunners to win Colton Underwood's heart on "The Bachelor," but the beauty is being forced to defend herself after fans realized she's also on another reality TV dating show that's currently airing.
The 23-year-old is featured in a show called "Young Once," which documents her past relationship with ex-boyfriend Caelan Tiongson.
"I'm getting a lot of questions about my ex and a docuseries we filmed before 'Bachelor.' 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. I didn't want to address this without his permission, but he posted about it today so I think it's good if I do too," she wrote on Instagram.
"Caelan and I dated all through college and in 2015 we filmed 'Young Once.' A while after our breakup we put our past behind us and became friends again," she continued in her lengthy post. "We share a lot of mutual friends and he is close to my family. We both dated other people and had moved on."
Cassie and Caelan considered getting back together last spring, she noted, but things didn't work out.
"We were on and off for so long that turning it off for good was a difficult decision as I truly didn't want to regret giving up if we were meant to be. But certain things were unhealthy and it became clear we were supposed to move on," she said.
Cassie said she was contacted over the summer by "Young Once" producers about following up with the original cast.
"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," she said. "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."
Caelan, for the record, shared similar sentiments on his Instagram, and he defended his ex's pursuit of love on "The Bachelor."
"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," he said, later adding, "I heard Cassie was receiving a lot of negativity for our past relationship. I thought this would be the best way to preserve the truth and encourage the trolls to check themselves before tearing down a good human being. Life is about moving forward, not dwelling on the past."