Colton Underwood returns to reality TV with Are You My First, but after past controversies, are viewers ready to see him back on their screens? This week, Hulu dropped all 10 episodes of its newest dating show, which features a cast exclusively comprised of virgins. So it makes sense in theory that they would call Colton to host, as he is perhaps most well-known for being a virgin during his season of The Bachelor.

Early next year, Colton will also appear as part of the controversial cast of The Traitors’ Season 4. Peacock’s all-star aggregating murder mystery competition draws in millions of viewers, and is often used to rehabilitate the image of contestants who have a history as reality TV (and real-life) villains. Count Colton among reality TV’s most polarizing figures: he may be making a comeback, but his controversial past still casts a long shadow.

Colton Underwood’s Past Misdeeds Should Not Be Swept Under the Rug

In 2019, Colton starred on The Bachelor, and after a dramatic season, he gave his final rose to Cassie Randolph. The couple dated for several months before ultimately splitting the following year. Around that time, it came to light that Colton had been engaging in some incredibly dangerous behavior at the end of and directly following their relationship. Colton, it turned out, had been relentlessly harassing Cassie and the people close to her. He had also been stalking her, showing up at her apartment and her parents’ home, even going as far as to place a tracking device on her car.

Cassie was forced to file a restraining order against her ex-boyfriend, but later withdrew the filing, and the former couple resolved the matter behind closed doors. While it’s wonderful that Cassie and Colton were able to settle their differences, they are public figures whose relationship began on television. Platforming people like Colton without thoroughly addressing past wrongdoings normalizes abuse and harassment—which might make victims believe their suffering doesn’t matter, and could teach potential perpetrators that this behavior is normal. Very shortly after his restraining order saga, Colton came out as gay, which seemed to completely overshadow his misdeeds.

Colton Underwood’s Reality TV Comeback Raises Questions About Accountability

When people engage in abusive behavior, it can’t be ignored, and compassionate consequences must be applied to ensure that perpetrators understand their conduct cannot be repeated. It’s not that Colton’s life should be ruined, or that he should be prevented from working (although there’s nothing wrong with getting a normal job out of the public eye), but before he returns to business as usual, his trespasses should be addressed clearly and comprehensively. Cassie is owed closure, Colton deserves consequences and the opportunity to grow, and everyone watching the shows he’s on should be shown that gendered violence is unequivocally wrong and taken seriously.

Accountability is a struggle—especially in unscripted television and our broader culture. There’s a fine line—reality stars aren’t meant to be role models or relatable characters, but abuse is unacceptable. Both audiences and those behind the scenes respond to serious transgressions in wildly inconsistent ways; things are either taken way too far, or swept under the rug entirely, with very little in between. Take Cierra Ortega from this season of Love Island USA, who, for her use of a racial slur, was sent death threats and faced retaliatory racism. She committed a deeply harmful act, but the audience reaction was beyond disproportionate to her misdeeds, motivated by the desire to punish and feel morally superior, rather than hold her accountable. On the other hand, abusive conduct perpetrated by some men on reality TV is often overlooked and allowed to persist for years before it’s handled—if it’s handled at all.

While Are You My First is a fascinating new take on a beloved genre, and The Traitors is a must-watch TV, it’s worth asking if Colton belongs in these spaces. Perhaps he’s made progress in private, but it’s difficult to see him on screen while the story of his stalking and harassment hasn’t fully come to a close. Platforms like this are a privilege, not a right. So if it feels a little off that Colton is being handed another round of reality TV stardom, that’s probably because it is.

Are You My First? premiere episode will air on ABC following Bachelor in Paradise on Monday, August 18 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. All 10 episodes are available to stream on Monday, Aug. 18, on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.