Bachelor Fans Should Really Keep Their Eye On Cassie Randolph

Now that the field of players on The Bachelor is dwindling, it’s easier to tell what sort of chemistry our determined young Bachelor has with each of the remaining women. (It’s too hard to single out stars in his galaxy when there are 30 of them!) Now, Colton seems to have his eye on Cassie, the future speech pathologist from Huntington Beach, California, so the question of the hour is obviously, does Cassie win Colton’s season of The Bachelor? He has a lot of decisions left, but there are a few factors that make Cassie one to watch.

For starters, there is the very public fact that Cassie seems pretty happy to playfully talk about her Bachelor season on social media. From love for her fellow contestants, to joking about getting the ring from Colton (and tagging Neil Lane in the caption), to re-gramming a fan account specifically dedicated to shipping Cassie and Colton, the frontrunner certainly seems comfortable with this whole process. Posting fun photos of new-found Bachelor friends isn't necessarily something only winners do, but considering how far she makes it into the season and how strong her relationship with Colton is at this point in the series, it'd be pretty remarkable if she was that chill about a show dedicated to her ex (and quips about engagements and diamond rings) just a few months after she was supposed to have her heart broken (The Bachelor generally wraps filming before Thanksgiving each year).

Then there's the clue from the leading man himself: Of his life post-Bachelor, Colton told Ellen Degeneres, "I can say I'm definitely the happiest I've been in my life. I wouldn't have gone on the show if I didn't think it was going to be good." If Colton is the happiest he’s ever been, a worthwhile fact-finding mission would be to look for the woman that makes him smile the most. One of them, so far at least, has been Cassie.

True, these two haven’t spent a ton of time together yet on The Bachelor (at least according to the footage that makes it to the small screen) and Cassie has kept a low profile in the group of women — she’s not one for drama and pageant problems. Cassie and Colton aren’t exactly joined at the hip on The Bachelor as far as we've seen, but the quality of their time is second-to-none so far. Colton and Cassie just seem so at ease when they’re together, even if it’s just for a few moments between rose ceremonies.

Then there's the clue that's been hiding in plain sight all along: Cassie didn’t bring up Colton’s virginity during the first episode (again, that we know of), which seems to show that she respects him and his decisions enough to not make them into a punchline or a sound bite on national television. That does fit her character, since Cassie makes an effort on her Instagram to rise above the pettiness than can happen on shows like The Bachelor (instances of the women being against each other is part of what makes being a fan of this show so difficult), which means that she definitely has a good head on her shoulders, too.

Lastly, there is the simple fact that Cassie and Colton have a lot in common. She’s an “avid surfer,” according to her ABC.com profile, which means that she and Colton are both sporty. She loves children, and Colton has his own cystic fibrosis charity that’s made for helping kids. Cassie also counts family as something that’s majorly important to her, and Colton has said time and time again on Bachelor nation programs that he loves his parents and counts them among his best friends. The foundation for a great, long-lasting relationship between Cassie and Colton is certainly there. It’s not the lust that’s going to help you grow old and gray together — it’s the shared morals, hopes, fears, and dreams. Oh, and then there's the time the fortune teller told Colton and Cassie that they were brother and sister in a past life — if they could turn that into something worth laughing about (without letting it ruin their shot at romance) they can potentially get through anything.

Of course, there are still a few episodes left, so while there's a good chance Cassie and Colton ride off into the sunset together, that's only a theory for now. Still, they’re evenly matched, have similar interests, and have a ton of fun together, so if anyone is currently worthy of the term "frontrunner" on this season of The Bachelor, it’s definitely Cassie.