Bachelorette Jenn Tran unpacks the fallout from her devastating breakup with Devin Strader ahead of that shocking live finale, updating fans on what's happened since and where things stand now.
Even though she hasn't done anything wrong, Jenn Tran continues to do damage control after her wild and controversial Bachelorette finale left Bachelor Nation divided as she revealed winner Devin Strader dumped her in a 15-minute phone call ... and then they had to watch their proposal footage ... live.
For the record, to try and quell some of that outrage, Jenn has said she was fully aware and in on the plan from the beginning with the show's producers. The only thing that did catch her by surprise were her own emotions in the moment.
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View StoryIn fact, she said she wanted to have Devin see their proposals to one another -- a Bachelor Nation first -- and all that he'd promised in that moment to try and help him understand why she felt so hurt by his abrupt change of heart.
Now, as fans continue to try and make sense of how the Devin they saw on their television screen all seasons -- complete with hero edit -- was apparently not the same person Jenn walked off the show engaged with, they're laser-focused on what might come next.
As a result, the moment she and third-place finisher Jonathan Johnson reconnected, fans latched onto it. Her runner-up, Marcus Shoberg, proved emotionally not ready for any sort of commitment, so could Jonathan be the one she missed who was right there all along?
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"The Internet loves Jenn and Jonathan," Jenn laughed on former Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe's Off the Vine podcast.
As for whether she regrets the choices she made, the upcoming Dancing with the Stars contestant told Kaitlyn, "No, honestly, I don't think I would have gone back and chosen differently. Everything worked out the way that it needed to. I have so much love and gratitude for the guys on my season."
But does that love and gratitude mean there could be a there there? With Jonathan or any of them?
"I probably will grab a beer with Jonathan, Jeremy [Simon], whoever it is," Jenn said. "I want so badly to keep those friendships, but nothing more than that."
So ... that's a no?
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View StoryIn the case of Jonathan, in particular, Jenn explained that one of the biggest issues between the two of them remains a factor, the long-distance of it all.
"I hope he won't mind me saying this, but he just wasn't sure about doing long distance, as well," the reality star revealed. "I was like, 'I live in Miami, I'm not going to be moving.' And he's not going to be moving. So we didn't know if long distance wise if his heart wasn't in it and mine wasn't in it."
On the same day, Jonathan was hanging out with former Bachelor Nick Viall on his The Viall Files, as noted by E! News, where he said, "I genuinely think it was just the connection wasn't there."
For now, Jonathan wasn't ready to say yay or nay fully on a possible relationship with Jenn after the two have been sparking fan speculation with shared social media appearances.
Jonathan explained that Jenn is "gonna be in L.A. for a few months," where he lives. But as for the two of them together, "the conversation has not been had yet."
So ... that's a not ... yet?
Nick's advice for Jonathan was to be careful with Bachelor Nation. "If you and Jenn aren't going to actually date, don't keep this up for that much longer," he said of their online antics.
In particular, the two shared a TikTok where Jenn lip-synced the line, "Everybody wants to know what I would do if I didn't win." Then, Jonathan walks into the frame and adds, "I guess we'll never know."
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View StoryDevin & Maria? ... No! No!
After almost-Bachelorette Maria Georgas set the record straight in a five-and-a-half minute posted to her TikTok following her name getting dropped during a jaw-dropping Bachelorette finale moment, Jenn is also setting the record straight.
Bachelor Nation audibly gasped -- and we think it wasn't just the studio audience, but we could hear people at home, too -- when Jenn said live that the morning after Devin dumped her in that 15-minute phone call, he'd followed Maria on Instagram.
It's been mostly affirmed that Maria was intended to be the next Bachelorette before she ultimately backed out and Jenn was chosen instead. The men for her season, it would appear, were already selected even before she was. This is not unprecedented.
What was unprecedented, perhaps, was hearing actual comments (to Jenn's face!) that the guys were expecting the Bachelorette to be Maria and not her. That's something she had to carry with her all season, that she wasn't necessarily anyone's first choice here.
After Maria came out in her scathing video and clarified that she'd never met Devin, never partied with him, and didn't even know that he had given her an IG follow until after he'd already unfollowed her (and certainly never followed back), Jenn added her two cents.
"I personally don't think anything happened with Devin and Maria," she clarified on Off the Vine Tuesday. "I think he was being a bit of a jackass and went and followed her for whatever reason and that's fine. I don't think anything happened and I never insinuated that."
"I didn't want to have her be a part of this narrative because I know that there's not more to it," Jenn said. "That was a hurtful thing for him to do. That was his action and his thing. I don't think she did anything."
For her part, Maria said that she understands why her name was dropped and no part of her believes Jenn was creating a false narrative -- that was the so-called fans.
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View StoryDevin in the DMs? Oh No!
As part of her healing process -- which is a big part of why she says she's not looking to date anyone right now -- Jenn has also been unpacking other women Devin purportedly interacted with on social media. In many cases, it was apparently a lot more than just a follow.
During her chat with Kaitlyn, Jenn admitted that in the weeks leading to their breakup, she found herself "making excuses" for her fiancé, for why he wouldn't call "for 18 hours," giving him space and trying to figure out who Devin Strader is outside of the show.
"There were so many scenarios going on in my head during that time I was like, 'Does he not love me anymore? Is he cheating on me?'" Jenn admitted, but said she was able to forgive each instance and move on.
As for who he is outside the show, It turns out Devin Strader is a guy who's sliding into DMs, according to Jenn. "He was DMing girls, and I saw some of those messages," she told Kaitlyn. "And I think that's the most hurtful part is, like, what was your game plan all along?"
One of the biggest fears of any Bachelor or Bachelorette is all those contestants who aren't there for "the right reasons." With the advent of social media, it seems that more and more of them are looking for insta-fame, or to parlay a Bachelor Nation appearance into other reality franchises ... or maybe get an invite to Bachelor in Paradise, where they can flirt and hook up with lots of BN stars.
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View StoryThat's why an abrupt change in their relationship the moment the cameras stopped rolling, with Jenn claiming in the live finale Devin almost immediately told her he regretted proposing, has left her questioning his motives during and after the show.
She told Kaitlyn how her ex-fiance had assured her he wasn't "gonna just be out here, like, hooking up with girls, whatever. And then I find out he's DMing all these girls, and it's just -- I don't even know who he is anymore."
She also said she was told he'd reconnected with a former girlfriend, while claiming some of his exes had reached out to her. "I've had so many exes reach out to me now being like, 'You dodged a bullet,'" Jenn shared, then referring to pictures she saw of Devin with an ex. "The pictures of him with this girl… Now I have the closure I need."
After their emotional and ultimately frustrating confrontation during the After the Final Rose special, where Devin said very little and did not at all try to explain or defend himself, Jenn said she again reached out to him.
She said she was only looking to "wish him the best." But Bachelor Nation and its fans had other ideas, with Jenn telling Kaitlyn she "started getting DMs from girls" about her ex. In those, she saw purported messages Devin had sent these different women, as well.
"I don't even know who he is anymore. There's no excuse for that behavior," Jenn said. "I'm done." She also said they've not talked since, and it seems like she's just fine with that.
Next up for Jenn Tran is a reunion of sorts with the other Bachelor Nation star who dumped her, as former Bachelor Joey Graziadei and Jenn both join the cast of the new season of Dancing with the Stars, kicking off Tuesday, September 17 on ABC and Disney+.