Who Is Cassie From The Bachelor's Ex-Boyfriend Caelan?
The Bachelor Isn't Cassie First Reality Show Romance, and Her Ex Has Released a Statement
Being on The Bachelor pretty much means that every publicly-documented moment of your life is about to be thrust into the public eye. That's definitely the case for Cassie Randolph, one of this season's favourites, whose relationship with her ex-boyfriend was also filmed for the world to see.
As it turns out, The Bachelor isn't Cassie's first time at the reality rodeo. She starred (technically, she still stars) in a docuseries called Young Once, which follows a group of young, devout Christians as they try to live their faith.
Cassie appears on this series along with her now-ex-boyfriend, a basketball player named Caelan Tiongson. The 2016 first season showed the couple navigating an on-and-off relationship while adhering to their Christian values; ultimately, Caelan is shown giving up a chance to play basketball overseas so that he can stay in California and work on his relationship with Cassie.
Obviously, the relationship didn't last, since Cassie is on The Bachelor! On Feb. 6, Caelan posted an Instagram photo with Cassie, along with a caption providing a lengthy comment on their time together. Here's the full text:
"I'm posting this here so no words can be misconstrued. As many know, my ex girlfriend is currently a contestant on the TV show The Bachelor. The both of 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. 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.
Both Cassie and I made mistakes in our relationship, but I think we'd both agree it dragged out much too long anyways. This is because I persistently pursued a reunion and she knowingly kept the door open at times because of indecisiveness, neither of which matters because it has been over for good since before she went on The Bachelor. However, it can be said without a doubt that her and I were not a fit for each other. Also, I'm sure there are millions of breakups that have lasted longer than they should have and nobody should be held at fault for that.
The reality of the situation is that Cassie is a great girl. Her decision to go on The Bachelor was a decisive moment in my life to move forward so why couldn't it serve as that for her as well? If I met my dream girl a month after our final closing this summer that would just be how God had it planned for me. Nobody has the right to tell her whether or not she has good intentions.
So although the full truth may not be out . . . not everybody's business needs to be on reality TV. Cassie will eventually explain her side and I endorse whatever she says because there is no reason for her to hide the truth. I wish her nothing but success and happiness moving forward. I post this because of the outlets who reached out to hear 'my side' and because 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."
So what happened to Caelan? Turns out, he's pursued his basketball dreams after all! His Instagram shows that he now plays for the San Miguel Alab Pilipinas, a Filipino basketball team that plays in the ASEAN Basketball League, a men's professional basketball league in East and Southeast Asia. Caelan even got featured on the league's website in March 2018, with an article highlighting his close relationship with him mom and grandmother, who made the trip to watch him play.
Prior to transferring to the Alab Pilipinas in July 2018, Caelan played for the Chong Son Kung Fu (currently renamed to the Macau Black Bears). While his relationship with Cassie didn't work out, his basketball career definitely has!
