‘Bachelor’ Exclusive: Colton Underwood Spills the Tea on His Relationship with Cassie Randolph

If you’ve ever watched an episode of The Bachelor, then you know the process includes lots of glamorous vacations, drama and tough decisions. And now that Colton Underwood and his girlfriend Cassie Randolph have put some space between themselves and the franchise, the 27-year-old former Bachelor says they’re better than ever.

We had a chance to chat with Underwood exclusively thanks to his partnership with MorningStar Farms. In addition to learning about his month-long meatless journey (black bean burger patties were apparently life savers), we also received an update on how his and Randolph’s relationship is progressing now that the cameras are off.

Speaking with PureWow while on vacation in Nashville with his 24-year-old girlfriend, Underwood gushed, “It’s been so good. It’s been so refreshing. I think the further along that we get from the ending of the show, the more realistic our lives get back to.” For these two, that’s just what they needed.

Underwood went on to explain that their one-on-one time has allowed them to “keep knowing, learning and growing together, which is so important.”

Referencing their decision to buck Bachelor norms and opt out of getting engaged, he admitted, “We both felt like there was more we wanted to know about each other before we continued on in our relationship and moved forward.”

And it’s paid off. Since leaving the mansion, Underwood and Randolph have been enjoying one another’s company and making moves as a couple: “These last few months have been awesome. We’ve been traveling a ton together. I moved and relocated to Los Angeles and honestly, we couldn’t be happier. For both of us, it was just really nice to get back to simplicity and the little things in life,” he said.

Roses or not, looks like these two are in it for the long haul.