Well, a new season of The Bachelor is upon us, and with it, the hope that the couple who stands alone in the finale can beat the odds and forge a successful, lasting marriage together.
It’s happened in the past, of course.
But sadly, more often, Bachelor Nation couples wind up breaking up under tumultuous circumstances.
Take Colton Underwood and Cassie Randolph, for example.
As you may recall, Cassie received Colton’s final rose at the conclusion of his season, and though they never made any plans to marry, they seemed perfectly content as a couple.
When Underwood and Randolph broke up, at first, it seemed that they parted ways on amicable terms.
Shortly thereafter, however, we learned that was far from the case.
Cassie was granted a restraining order against Colton after alleging that he stalked and harassed her in the wake of their split.
The details of her court filing stunned fans who were introduced to Colton as a genial and somewhat shy virgin during his time on the air.
Cassie alleged that Colton showed up at her house unannounced several times.
She told the court that he was so mad with jealousy and so obsessed with her whereabouts that he planted a tracking device on the underside of her car.
Colton has denied the allegations, and the drama has mostly subsided, as he’s adhered to the terms of the restraining order.
But now, the controversy is being dragged back into the daylight by Cassie’s new boyfriend, a singer-songwriter named Brighton Reinhardt.
Earlier this week, Reinhardt released a new song entitled "Creep."
Bachelor fans who have listened to the track have concluded that it was inspired by Colton, and based on the lyrics, it’s easy to see how they might have gotten that impression.
“God, I hope you get your thinking right / GPS on the underside / Told her everything will be just fine," Reinhardt sings.
While some of Cassie’s fans praised Brighton for his no-nonsense lyrics, the song was generally not well-received.
Many accused the singer of exploiting Cassie’s drama in order to call attention to his fledgling music career.
“Even if you are her new boyfriend, you should not write that song about her ex,” one person commented.
“Nice way to draw some attention to your unsuccessful music career," another added."
”Alexa, play ‘I like to shade my girlfriend’s ex!’” a third chimed in.
Brighton is likely under the impression that he’s doing something noble by lashing out at his new girlfriend’s ex.
And given Colton’s shady behavior, that might be the case in different circumstances.
As it is, however, Reinhardt is an aspriring celebrity who’s dating someone much more famous than himself.
So his attempt at starting a feud with Colton comes off not only as petty but opportunistic.
There’s a good chance that Cassie — who has not yet commented on the situation — views this publicity stunt would serve as a major red flag.
In fact, she might take it as evidence that Brighton is with her … for the wrong reasons.