Bachelor: Colton Underwood Admits He Was ‘Afraid’ Of Chargers Locker Room

Colton Underwood, the former lead on The Bachelor season 23, shared that he was “afraid” of showering in the locker room as a Chargers player because of his sexual orientation. While Bachelor Nation has had its fair share of drama over the past few seasons of the series, Colton has garnered some of the biggest scandals, specifically with his recent Netflix series Coming Out Colton. Criticized for lying on-air, stalking Cassie Randolph and for his privilege, Colton’s reputation has quickly deteriorated since his time on The Bachelor.

In hopes of sparking an empathetic conversation on faith and LGBTQ+ issues, Colton has done just the opposite, leading to fans and members of Bachelor Nation vocalizing their disapproval of Colton’s point of view. Even though Colton has taken a number of missteps throughout his fame, Colton has gone through many difficulties as he tries to make sense of his sexual orientation and beliefs. Colton has struggled in his attempts to live authentically with a fresh start after The Bachelor. While Colton believes he is in the right on many issues involving his sexual orientation and his time on the series, many members of Bachelor Nation, including favorites such as Tayshia Adams, have called him out for his misinformation.

As shared by E! News, Colton got vulnerable about some of the difficulties he has faced as a gay football player. When asked about the impact of his sexual orientation on the game, Colton explained, “I wouldn’t shower after practice because I was afraid of getting turned on in the locker room or the shower.” After exploring the challenges of playing for the Chargers and fully accepting his sexual identity, Colton gave insight into his journey, explaining that his interactions with men started years ago. When Colton began The Bachelor season 23, he expressed having “sleepless nights” over a past lover outing him to the world. Struggling both on and off the field, Colton shared about the inner turmoil he faced while trying to reconcile his faith and attraction to men, claiming he “had prayed and hoped” that he was straight, yet he soon discovered he was not.

Colton, who claimed that Bachelor Nation isn’t supporting him, has been met with plenty of backlash as he uncovers his painful past. Attempting to shed light on past shame, Colton has caused waves of tension throughout the world of reality television, some sympathetic for his plight, others angered by his lack of awareness and white privilege. Colton’s journey is certainly a sad one and his experiences are certain to make fans of the series emotional, yet it remains difficult to believe all of what the reality star has to say. With revelations that his title of “the virgin” was really due to his lack of attraction to women and his manipulation of kind female contestants, including Hannah Brown and Tayshia, Colton fails to redeem himself, whether it be in interviews or on Coming Out Colton.

Now dating Jordan C. Brown, Colton has finally accepted himself and allowed himself some happiness, despite his new need to defend himself as his sexual orientation becomes a public spectacle. Starting over at age 29, Colton has moved on from his time on The Bachelor and has taken the time to work on his own personal happiness, despite the criticism he has faced over the past couple of years. Motivated to be authentic at any cost, Colton manages to show the power that comes with self-acceptance, while also letting down his fans from the series as he disregards LGBTQ+ history and the women he hurt along the way.

The Bachelor season 26 premieres Monday, January 3, 2022, at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.

Source: E! News

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