Colton Underwood thinks Kelly Ripa is too far removed from modern-day dating to understand "The Bachelor" ... and her criticism proves just how out of touch she really is.
We got this year's Bachelor couple, Colton and Cassie Randolph, Thursday at LAX and got their response to Kelly's comments from earlier this week, when she ripped the show as creepy and insisted the idea of dozens of women fighting over one guy is disgusting.
As 2 people with a unique perspective, Colton and Cassie tell us Kelly's critique is way off ... and they feel she just doesn't understand how dating works for younger generations growing up with Tinder and other dating apps.
Colton says the 'Bachelor' is just like Tinder, only it's on national TV ... and he thinks Kelly just doesn't know what it's like to have countless dating options.
Kelly's been married to Mark Consuelos since 1996 ... so she ain't swiping left or right.
Check out our clip ... Colton reminds Kelly it's 2019, so she needs to keep an open mind.