Let's Attempt To Solve The Bachelor's Biggest Mystery: Why Colton Jumps The Fence

Some say that finding love requires taking a leap of faith, but in the case of this season of The Bachelor, it seems Colton Underwood is taking that concept quite literally. Numerous promos have shown Colton jumping over a fence on The Bachelor, though the context and reason behind this drastic move remains unclear. What could have possibly happened to make him want to flee the cameras and Chris Harrison, who can be heard calling after him in the background? Typically, Bachelor promos have a tendency to be slightly misleading (OK, fine, really misleading),which makes it somewhat difficult to discern if various footage is really as dramatic as it appears to be. But this moment does actually appear to be quite the game-changer this season. Let's look at the facts and see if we can't figure out what they all add up to.

According to Colton, who spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about his American Ninja Warrior-esque escape act, this moment is very real and “the most pivotal moment” of Season 23.

And while he expand on why he did it, he did confirm that the jump happens during the Bachelor Fantasy Suites episode. "Fantasy Suites week was the biggest week in the whole entire journey,” he told THR. “The jump was the most emotional and the most physical that I had to be the entire season. I will also say that fence jump is the most pivotal moment. That was a game-changer. That night changed how everything went."

Harrison always claims that every season of The Bachelor or Bachelorette is the most dramatic season yet, but in this case it may actually be true. However, the question still remains: what prompted Colton to hop the fence in the first place? If this is as serious of a moment as Colton is making it out to be, then what could’ve possibly occurred to make it happen?

In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Colton admitted that "at that moment I was done." Of course he didn't spill the pivotal details about what changed his mind. Damn.

Harrison chased after Colton, according to the same Kimmel interview, but it was the possibility of encountering wildlife that got Colton to at least come back — physically — to the Bachelor set.

Which leads us to the theories...

Colton laid his heart on the line during Becca Kufrin’s season of The Bachelorette, so putting himself out there yet again on national television is sure to be nerve-racking. If one of the contestants he ends up caring a lot about rejects him, that could totally make him want to get out of dodge and quick. Getting your heart broken is terrible. Having it happen for the whole world to see is even worse.

By the same token, it’s just as possible that Colton is running away because he broke some else’s heart. Rejection is a big part of the show and when you’re that far into a season your feelings are a lot stronger, which makes saying goodbye all the more difficult. Perhaps one of the remaining women told Colton they love him and when he realized he couldn’t reciprocate those feelings he decided to let them go. His fence jump could be due to guilt or grief over hurting someone he cares about. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time he opted to leave a Bachelor show after a breakup.

During an interview with Us Weekly, the Bachelor host indicated that he may have played a role in Colton’s leap to freedom. “There’s a lot to be said about the fence-hopping scene,” he told the outlet back in December. “I was approximately ten yards behind him when it happened. I may or may not have been the reason that he hopped the fence.” Perhaps Harrison told Colton something he didn’t want to hear or mentioned his virginity one too many times (my breaking point with the latter has already happened). Harrison seems to be tied to this story in some way, which makes the whole thing even more intriguing.

Even with Colton’s assurance that this dramatic moment isn’t just for show, it’s still possible the moment will actually turn out to be more anti-climatic than expected. His reaction could be due to something as simple as cabin fever — anyone might feel "done" with an experience that keeps them away from the real world and living according to someone else's schedule for three months — and it could have nothing to do with his potential romantic partners. It also seems pretty clear from interviews like this one that the Bachelor continues on with his journey after the fence hop happens.

Fans still have several weeks to go before getting the answer to this question, but I think we can all agree that this is one episode that we'll all be watching for.