How Bachelor Nation Went From Hating to Adoring Caelynn Miller-Keyes
Bachelor Nation first met Caelynn Miller-Keyes on Colton Underwood’s season of The Bachelor. One of the more dramatic plotlines of Underwood’s season was the feud between Miller-Keyes and future bachelorette Hannah Brown.
Caelynn Miller-Keyes on ‘The Bachelor’
It became clear that Miller-Keyes and Brown had a history that stemmed from their pageant days. Both women told Underwood that the other wasn’t to be trusted. Well, Brown told the bachelor that Miller-Keyes was a liar, and Miller-Keyes told Underwood that Brown was jealous of her. The issue never really got resolved in the show and, today, the women aren’t friends, but they’re cordial.
Any feud in Bachelor Nation has a tendency to stir up strong feelings among fans. Some people were team Beast and some were team Miller-Keyes. Later in the season, Miller-Keyes and Cassie Randolph (the eventual season winner) were accused of going on the show “for the wrong reasons.” That also didn’t sit well with some fans as participating “for the wrong reasons” is one of the gravest cardinal sins amongst Bachelor fans.
Caelynn Miller-Keyes’ dramatic season of ‘Bachelor in Paradise’
Then, Miller-Keyes went on Bachelor in Paradise and things really got messy. She accused Blake Horstmann of treating her like a “dirty secret” because they’d been talking prior to the show and she felt he’d been ignoring her ever since she arrived. In an attempt to defend his reputation, Horstmann released private text messages between him and Miller-Keyes to show that the nature of their relationship had been casual.
Once the Blake drama blew over on the show, Miller-Keyes formed a connection with Dean Unglert. Unglert has himself a strong, loyal fan base. His fans weigh in on any woman he starts to form a connection with, for better or for worse. When Unglert and Miller-Keyes started spending time together in Mexico, Unglert’s fans were worried the former beauty pageant queen wouldn’t take to the “van life.” Those fans were relieved when the travel blogger left.
So Miller-Keyes formed a connection with Connor Saeli. But just as things were heating up between the new couple, Unglert came back for Miller-Keyes. He asked her to leave the show with him so they could be together. Ultimately, Miller-Keyes decided to follow her heart and go with Unglert, leaving Saeli heartbroken. Some fans had a hard time with that, too.
On falling for Dean Unglert
For several months after Bachelor in Paradise aired, fans remained skeptical of Miller-Keyes and Unglert. Were they really a good fit?
But Miller-Keyes and Unglert are still happily together today. Life’s thrown them some curveballs (Unglert’s ski accident, for one) and they’ve only come out stronger. The initial worries some fans had about their compatibility have melted away. Miller-Keyes has proven to be quite the outdoorswoman who’s taken to van life like a champ and Unglert seems to be learning how to be a loving, more selfless partner.
They’ve both done a lot of growing over the past year, and growing together.
“I think we’ve learned a lot from each other. I know I’ve learned a ton. I’ve grown into a new version of myself, a version that I like so much more and I challenge him, too. It’s a very unique relationship that people wouldn’t expect to work but it does,” Miller-Keyes said on former bachelor Nick Viall’s podcast, The Viall Files.
Today, Miller-Keyes and Unglert are no drama. They’re in love and they’re doing their thing. Fans have no choice but to stan.
Bachelor Nation can be way too harsh on the franchise’s stars (there’s no excuse for cyberbullying). But the fan base also loves to watch contestants evolve as people. It’s clear that fans are truly happy to see Miller-Keyes happy.
