For the most part, Cassie's been the closest thing we've got to a frontrunner The Bachelor (along with fellow lead contestant Caelynn). She and Colton had a perfectly nice one-on-one, they made out a lot, and she hasn't been involved in any drama that could lead to her getting booted from the show. But the promo at the end of the February 3 episode showed her crying in a car, which begs the very sudden question: does Colton break up with Cassie on The Bachelor? There is just so much to unpack in that promo.
First of all, not to be a broken record, but you can't always trust the direction the previews steer you. Cassie may not be crying because she was eliminated; she could be crying for some other reason entirely. When Demi was shown crying in the preview last week, it turned out that part of that tear-montage came from her being sad she was on a group date instead of a one-on-one. Not nearly as dramatic as promised.
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But there are some clues that Cassie's relationship gets a little rocky soon. In the preview clip, she was seen telling someone, "You scared him so bad and you’re going to ruin potential relationships … he was terrified." Is this an Onyeka/Nicole situation where someone tattled to Colton that Cassie wasn't "ready" for marriage (the apparent theme of this week's goodbyes) and it had him rethinking things with her?
This week, viewers also saw Katie, Sydney, and Demi get emotional when placed on a group date because they so badly wanted to get more time to advance their relationship with Colton. Maybe that crying scene is Cassie experiencing similar emotions at being left off a one-on-one date.
It's also important to note that it's unclear where that crying clip is from. The promo didn't just have clips from next week's episode, it included scenes from all the way up to the proposal. Maybe something emotional happened during Cassie's hometown date, or she was just really sad to leave her family to go back to filming. Just because she's in the backseat of a car doesn't mean she's being escorted off the show.
It's also very rare for the show to tease a limo exit — because it reveals exactly who gets sent home. That's why Cassie's situation likely has to be something else.
But the drama is going to be high in the next few weeks, and the tears are only going to flow more — from everyone. The stakes are getting more real every week, and, with hometowns just ahead, the contestants are getting a lot more emotionally invested in their relationships. The promo showed nearly everyone crying — including Colton, who is worried about who he sees future with and who he's been warned is "not ready."
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"I'm confused, I’m terrified, I'm nervous," Colton said in the preview clip. "I don’t know what the future holds for me. I feel more confused than ever." He tearfully explained that he was heading into hometowns and didn't even know what to do. He's so torn up about things, that it's also possible he makes a mistake and sends Cassie home, but changes his mind later. In previous seasons, contestants have been eliminated only to try to return in later episodes (or even the finale, ahem, Ari).
But the voiceover in the promo hinted that "until now, nobody knew the truth," and that's when it cuts to a sobbing Cassie. So maybe she was holding onto a secret that made Colton want to send her home. Maybe Colton had a secret that made Cassie want to leave of her own accord. So far Sydney and Elyse have left on their own — and both were emotional about it. Cassie could also be sadly choosing to leave the show because it all got to be too much to share Colton's time.
Basically it's anyone's guess why Cassie is crying in a car, but that also means it's not necessarily a cut and dry elimination preview. Viewers have been misled too many times this season by over-dramatized promos, so you have to take the Cassie one with about a thousand grains of salt. If Colton dumped her, we'll find out in good time. But if there's another explanation, remind me to say I told you so.