Bachelor Nation Alum Opens Up About Colton Underwood’s Shady Behavior

Colton Underwood and Jason Tartick were on friendly terms after competing for Becca Kufrin’s heart on the 14^th season of “The Bachelorette.”

“Colton is like a brother to me,” Tartick told E! News in 2018. “We were in the limo night one and we hit it off. He’s just a really good guy and we became really good friends. We supported each other through the journey and it’s not always the easiest journey.”

But in recent years, the friendship has changed. Underwood came out as gay In April 2021, and is now engaged to marry his first serious boyfriend, Jordan C. Brown. Underwood’s happy news was announced a year after he was accused of stalking his ex, Cassie Randolph, and putting a tracker on her car, resulting in a restraining order against him, per TMZ.

While speaking on his “Trading Secrets” podcast on April 4, 2022, Tartick, who is engaged to former Bachelorette star Kaitlyn Bristowe, noted that Underwood took “a lot of ownership for what happened to Cassie.” But he added of Randolph, “I feel so sad and sorry for what she went through.”

Jason Tartick No Longer Speaks to Colton Underwood

Getty ImagesJason Tartick.

On the podcast, Tartick revealed that he is no longer speaking to Underwood and doesn’t follow him on social media.

“I don’t talk to him,” Tartick said of his former friend. “Ironically enough, just found out he recently unfollowed Kaitlyn and I. Not sure why. We returned the favor.”

Tartick revealed that looking back, the timing of Underwood’s falling out with him seemed “very calculated.”

“He had asked me several times to interview to be on one of the Netflix shows for him,” Tartick said, noting that the request came in before Underwood landed a deal with Netflix to film his coming out story for the docuseries “Coming Out Colton.”

“He was gonna have a show with Cassie, then he was gonna have a show by himself with his friends,” Tartick said. “He was working every angle to get a Netflix show. “

Tartick said he promised Underwood that he would help him in any way he could, despite not knowing the “specifics” of the projects in the works.

“I interviewed for two or three things for Colton with Netflix and then he came to Nashville in the summer, hung out with Kaitlyn and I,” Tartick said. “He was a little distant, I think that was when his whole thing was happening. …He was a little aloof with where he said he would be and why. And then all this s*** happened. I remember he FaceTimed Cassie a couple of times, which was interesting, and like, he would [hold] it up with Kaitlyn and I.”

Of his non-existent relationship with the former “Bachelor” star, Tartick said, “There’s just so many open questions. … We were so close.”

Colton Underwood & Jason Tartick Were Both Contenders to be ‘The Bachelor’

ABC – Craig Sjodin

Tartick and Underwood landed in third and fourth place on Becca Kufrin’s season of  “The Bachelorette,” respectively. Both men were contenders to star as the next “Bachelor” after Kyfrin’s season.

Tartick told Hollywood Life that he and Underwood were each offered $100,000 for the leading man role, but the gig ultimately went to Underwood. He admitted to E! News that he “would’ve liked” the leading man opportunity and was “so open” to it before Underwood scored the coveted role.

But on his podcast, Tartick admitted that he would have never been cut out to be “The Bachelor” in the way that Underwood was, which is probably why producers picked the virgin former football player over him. Underwood’s season was full of tears and drama and he ended up jumping a fence out of frustration over Randolph.

“They know I wouldn’t have been manipulated,” Tartick said of “The Bachelor.” “I wouldn’t have done crazy s***.”

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