LOS ANGELES — Colton Underwood wears his heart on his sleeve. The former NFL player-turned-reality show star showed up to a party in early August hosted by ABC to promote its fall lineup wearing a shirt with a big red heart on the left sleeve.
After appearing on the 14th season of The Bachelorette (where he got the emotional boot from Becca Kufrin), Underwood joined the cast of the fifth season of Bachelor in Paradise.
He’s one of the fan favourites from The Bachelor franchise back for a second (or third) chance at finding love. That failed to happen for Underwood as he and Tia Booth broke up on Monday’s episode.
Before the season of Bachelor in Paradise started, there was no assurance Underwood would leave Mexico with the lasting relationship that has eluded him. The competitor in him wanted to win, but he also thought of other options should he end up with a broken heart, and that included sticking with the reality world.
His response weeks ago to the possibility of being the next “Bachelor” is should he not find love in “Paradise,” he would be open to most ideas.
Underwood doesn’t need any other ideas as he gets yet another shot at love, starring in the 23rd season of ABC’s romance reality series The Bachelor, when it premières in January.
This will be the third time Underwood attempts to find a love life in front of cameras, handling the kind of rejection usually reserved for private moments that helped blow up the internet and hearing constant talk about his being a virgin at 26.
Even with all the highs and lows, Underwood has never hesitated to be part of the reality world.
“It was a spontaneous decision by me to be on the show because it came at a perfect time in my life to take on an experience like The Bachelorette,” Underwood says.
“I was just getting out of a relationship and moving on from football.”
Before his adventures in reality television, the Indiana native played for Illinois State University.
After graduation, he signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Diego Chargers, followed by stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Oakland Raiders. Handling the end of his professional football career came easy to Underwood, as he had fallen out of love with the sport after his first professional year.
Underwood didn’t find someone to give his heart during his football playing days because he was too picky.
“I wanted to be very selective about who I was going to give my time to,” Underwood says.
“Also, a lot of my time and energy while I was playing football went to dealing with my diet and doing all the training to be the best player I can be.
“I am taking that same mentality and shifting that into my relationships. Being on this show is kind of the opposite of sports because in sports, you are taught to keep your emotions in and your exterior hard. To be in a relationship, you have to do the opposite and let people in.”
One big thing that will help Underwood find a relationship now is the deep competitive nature he fostered while on the gridiron.
Not being picked on The Bachelorette never sat well with Underwood, and the trip to Paradise was a way to potentially get back into the winner’s circle. Now, the third time could be the charm.
