The Bacheloretteseason 21 starringJenn Tran is headed toward its finale, and it was the worst season in the show’s history.The Bachelorettebegan in 2003 with Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter’s fairy tale romance. They’re still married in 2024, and they set the standard for the show. Through the years, the show has had some awkward seasons, including Tayshia Adams taking over for Clare Crawley when she ended her season early to get engaged, and Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey’s dual-Bachelorette season.
However,The Bacheloretteseason 21has been the worst one ever, butit’s not because of Jenn. Jenn, a 26-year-old physician assistant student from Hillsdale, New Jersey, made history as the first-ever Asian AmericanBachelorfranchise lead. She began her season with 25 men competing for her heart, and has now narrowed them down to just two: Marcus Shoberg and Devin Strader. Even if Jenn ends up happily engaged at the end of her season, it’s been the worst one ever for the following reasons.
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1The Bachelorette Season 21 Producers Didn’t “Keep The Main Thing The Main Thing”
Jenn Seemed Like An Afterthought In Her Own Season
One of the worst things aboutThe Bacheloretteseason 21 was thatJenn seemed like an afterthought throughout it. It started with Daisy Kent and Maria Georgas revealing that they’d turned down the role, which made Jenn seem like the producers' third choice. It continued when the franchise announced Joan Vassos asThe Golden Bachelorette, and later her cast of men, as well as Grant Ellis asThe Bachelor,in the middle of Jenn’s season. It seemed as though the producers were waiting to getThe Bacheloretteover with and move onto more important things.
One of the catchphrases ofThe Bacheloretteseason 21 that was constantly uttered by contestant Sam McKinney was"keep the main thing the main thing.“In the case of the show,Jenn was the main thing, butthe producers certainly didn’t keep the focus on her. They made much of her being the first Asian American Bachelorette, but viewers have learned very little about her Vietnamese family and culture, aside from a few conversations she had with the men about being Buddhist. Out all of the 23 Bachelorettes, Jenn is the one that viewers have gotten to know the least because the producers didn’t do a good job of introducing her to them.
2Stunt Casting Ruined The Bachelorette Season 21
Certain Bachelorette Contestants Should Never Have Been Cast
The Bacheloretteseason 21 cast hada few men in it who were obviously part of the producers' stunt casting. One of the most obvious ones was Aaron Erb, who’sBachelor in Paradiseseason 7 star Noah Erb’s twin brother. Aaron appeared to be a producer plant from the start, creating drama with Devin Strader, including giving him a self-improvement book that was very similar to the one that Noah had received from Bennett Jordan when he appeared onThe Bacheloretteseason 16.
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3Producer Manipulation Dominated The Bachelorette Season 21
There Were Too Many Instances Of Producer Interference
There were many obvious examples of producer interference duringThe Bacheloretteseason 21, including Aaron’s book. The book,Principles for Self-Growthby Dr. Brandon O. Conner doesn’t appear to exist outside of the show. The author also doesn’t seem to be real, but does share a name with aBacheloretteproducer. In addition, the book’s spine has an obvious misprint, as it says,“Priciples for Self-Growth,“which is very suspicious.
Another glaring example ofThe Bacheloretteproducers interfering in the season was when Jenn’s ex-boyfriend Matt Rossi showed up in New Zealand to profess his love and try to win her back. Host Jesse Palmer stated that Matt had paid his own way there, but it’s very hard to believe.The producers had to have known that Matt was coming, and they had to have approved it. It all seemed very manipulative.
4Drama Dominated The Bachelorette Season 21 Airtime
The Season Was Stressful To Watch
Unlike pastBacheloretteseasons, which were filled with romance,Jenn’s season was dominated by drama. Even on her one-on-one dates, there was a lot of conflict, like when Sam M. forced her to jump from the Auckland Sky Tower, or when the guys shared their stories about their difficult pasts. Instead of being a fun, light show about love, Jenn’s season was often very stressful to watch.
The drama among theBacheloretteseason 21 men also raised viewers' blood pressure.It was infuriating to watch bullies such as Sam M.and Thomas Nguyen belittle their fellow contestants. Sam M.’s violent language toward Devin in his confessionals, including saying that he’d snap him in half and step on his neck, were especially difficult to hear. Devin wasn’t perfect, but he definitely didn’t deserve that.The Bacheloretteseason 21 should’ve been more focused on the love stories.
The Bachelorette Season 21’s Jenn Tran Shouldn’t Get Engaged (She Needs More Time)
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It Was Hard For Jenn To Make Real Connections
Jenn’sBacheloretteseason had too many adrenaline-filled one-on-one dates, including skydiving with Marcus, jumping from the Auckland Sky Tower with Sam M., and taking helicopter rides with Spencer Conley and Jonathon Johnson. However, there’s a difference between trauma-bonding after going through a stressful experience, and having a real connection with someone. These dates weren’t conducive to Jenn really getting to know these men.
Lowkey dates such as Jenn and Devinlearning about Maori culture and sharing about their own, she and Grant going horseback riding and having a picnic on the beach, or her one-on-one and hometown dates with Jeremy Simon, during which they hung out at Pike Place Market and Stew Leonard’s, respectively, were much better environments in which to get to know someone.There were too many adventurous one-on-one dates during Jenn’s season, which made it hard for her to really connect with the men.
6Many Of The Bachelorette Season 21 Men Were Emotionally Unavailable
Jenn Struggled To Get The Men To Open Up
The Bacheloretteseason 21 cast included too many men who had a hard time opening up to Jenn. Three out of Jenn’s final four men–Marcus, Jonathon, and Jeremy–were emotionally unavailable until the last minute when it was too late. It was hard to believe that Jenn even gave Jeremy a hometown date when she didn’t even know how he felt about her. Devin was the only one of the four who was able to truly open up about how he felt about her and tell her that he loved her.
Marcus has now made it to Jenn’s final two men, but he’s still having doubts about his feelings. Although it’s understandable because of his past, it’s also frustrating to watch. This isn’tThe Bacheloretteseason 1. Everyone who signs up knows that the expectation is that there will be a proposal in the end.Jenn’s season has been the worst because it just doesn’t feel believable that she and Marcus or she and Devin love each other enough to get engaged and stay engaged.
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7There Were Too Many Bachelorette Season 21 Villains & Offbeat Men
It Was Hard To Root For Many Of The Men
The Bacheloretteseason 21 had many villains who were hard to root for, including Sam M., Thomas, Aaron, and even Devin at points. Sam M. was especially hard to watch because Jenn wasn’t really aware of just how terrible he was being to his fellow contestants. It was very hard to root for these men, and it was aggravating to watch them get so much airtime while others were pushed aside. MostBacheloretteseasons only have one villain who leaves fairly early, but Jenn’s bad guys stuck around for far too long.
There were also some offbeat men who behaved in an odd manner on the show. Sam N.’s declaration of love for Jenn so early in the season is just one example. It’s hard to imagineThe Bacheloretteseason 21 men becomingBachelorNation staples like those from other seasons.While they might turn up onBachelor in Paradisein the future, there aren’t as many fan favorites. In fact, many of them will need redemption stories if they do look for love on the beach in the future.
8Many Bachelorette Season 21 Contestants Were Pushed Aside
Quality Men Were Overshadowed By Drama
The Bacheloretteseason 21 did have some really great guys who were completely overshadowed by the drama and the villains. Men such as Hakeem Moulton, John Mitchell, and Dylan Buckor deserved more screentime. In addition, Austin Ott felt so tossed aside and behind the other men in his relationship with Jenn that he ended up self-eliminating from the show.
The Bacheloretteseason 21 producers should realize that people don’t want to watch villains, but rather they’d like to see the focus on the good guys.Jenn’s season was the worst because viewers saw so little of the men that truly deserved the spotlight.This was especially true of Jonathonand Jeremy, who were so overshadowed that, when Jenn chose them for her hometown dates, it came as a shock because they were barely featured on the show before that.
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9Jenn’s Rush To Get Engaged Feels Forced
Jenn Is Making Decisions Based On Who’s Ready To Propose
The Bachelorettehas always been too focused on the engagement at the end, but, on Jenn’s season, it feels especially forced. Jenn had strong connections with Jonathon and Jeremy, but, because she got the sense that they weren’t ready to propose, she let them go. Perhaps she would’ve been better off leaving the show in a relationship with one of them rather than with a ring on her finger from Devin or Marcus.
Now Jenn is left with two men, Devin and Marcus, both of whom have had doubts about proposing. Marcus isn’t sure that he’s there yet, whileDevin needed to hear that Jenn loved him toobefore moving forward and proposing (which was totally justified). Jenn told Devin that she loved him, and she seemed to have believed that she meant it, but there’s just something about this season that makes it hard to believe that Jenn is truly in love with anyone.
10Jenn’s Bachelorette Season Didn’t Have A Lot Of Romance
It’s Hard To Believe That Anyone Is Truly In Love
The Bacheloretteseason 21 didn’t have a lot of romance. Although they might seem outdated or sappy, it’s nice to see romantic moments on the show. DuringThe Bacheloretteseason 1, Ryan wrote poems for Trista, and that little gesture made his love for her so much more believable. Jenn didn’t have anything like that from her contestants.
For some reason,it’s hard to believe that anyone is truly in love onThe Bacheloretteseason 21. Jenn, Devin, and Marcus all seem caught up in the moment, and everything feels forced. Perhaps the show itself has had so much failure that it’s easy to be cynical about the declarations of love. Ormaybe Jenn simply didn’t fall fully in love with Devin or Marcus. Whatever it is, the romance is definitely at an all-time low onThe Bacheloretteseason 21.
The Bacheloretteseason 21 has been the worst in the show’s history. It’s a shame because Jenn has done a good job as the Bachelorette. However, the producers have interfered too much, and her cast had a lot of villains. Perhaps the finale will redeem the season, and the ending will make it all worthwhile. Jenn’s finale is being called unprecedented, so maybe something amazing will happen.Hopefully, Jenn will find what she’s looking for with either Devin or Marcus, and they’ll live happily ever after.
The three-hourThe Bacheloretteseason 21 finale airs Tuesday, September 3 at 8 p.m. EDT.
The Bachelorette
Cast
The Bacheloretteis a spinoff show of 2002’sThe Bachelor. First premiering in 2003,The Bachelorettefollows a woman who dates several men to try to find her one true love, eliminating one man each week. Mike Fleiss’ series has endured the test of time by lasting over 200 episodes and becoming one of ABC’s most popular reality TV shows.
