The Bachelorette season 21’s producers have treated Jenn Tran so poorly on her season that I’m convinced they weren’t excited about the decision to make her the lead. Jenn, who originally appeared on Joey Graziadei’s season of The Bachelor and made it to the top five before getting eliminated, has had one of the most interesting Bachelorette journeys that Bachelor Nation has seen in ages. Nearly making it to the hometown dates, Jenn’s time on The Bachelor was cut short and Bachelor Nation began speculating about the identity of the next Bachelorette, though Jenn was virtually out of the running.
At the end of The Bachelor season 28, Joey and his fiance Kelsey Anderson were set to live happily ever after, and the rest of Bachelor Nation was impatiently awaiting the announcement about the next season. While some where hoping that The Bachelorette season 21’s lead would be Joey’s runner-up Daisy Kent, there were several options that the community had speculated about surrounding the next lead. Many of the women from Joey’s season had been dynamic, kind, and open to finding love, which are all the makings of a great lead, but only one could be named The Bachelorette next.
Jenn Wasn’t The Original Choice For The Bachelorette
She Was Offered The Role After It Was Turned Down
Ahead of The Bachelor season 28’s finale, Jenn didn’t seem like she was the obvious pick to be the next Bachelorette. While Daisy, who came into the finale having been one of the top contenders on Joey’s season, was the person Bachelor Nation felt the show was priming for the spotlight, many were hopeful they’d see Maria Georgas as the next lead. Maria made it to the final four on Joey’s season, beginning as a villain and turning into more of a hero in the narrative. While Maria wasn’t ready to commit to Joey, she would’ve made a great Bachelorette.
During the live finale episode, Maria seemed the most likely to be named The Bachelorette, espeically after Daisy was brought out to discuss her future and openly shared she wasn’t ready to take on the journey herself. The anticipation was high as Maria, who was in the audience, didn’t seem to be the choice either. When it was revealed that Jenn was the next Bachelorette, most of Bachelor Nation was shellshocked. Jenn’s Bachelorette era was meant to be an exciting time for the franchise, but quickly turned into something that the production team wasn’t prepared to handle with care.
Jenn’s Story Came With Baggage Bachelorette Producers Weren’t Ready For
She Was Excited To Be The First Asian American Lead
When Jenn was introduced as the next Bachelorette, it was noted that she would be the first-ever Asian American to hold the title. Jenn, who is of Vietnamese descent, was happy to be able to share more about her culture with Bachelor Nation and represent women who deserve to see people of their own culture on reality TV. With an understanding of the responsibility she was taking on, Jenn seemed to be happy to deal with the pressure if it meant she got a chance to take the journey of a lifetime. Jenn was genuinely overjoyed to be The Bachelorette.
While Jenn’s cultural and ethnic background were used to gain traction for her season, it quickly became noticable that the production team behind The Bachelorette wasn’t ready to honor her culture. Jenn did press prior to The Bachelorette season 21 that allowed her to share more about her background, opening up about what it meant to be the first Asian-American lead, but nothing about her season thus far has genuinely honored that side of her. Outside of having one suitor of Asian heritage and explaining that this was monumental for her in The Bachelorette premiere, Jenn’s heritage has been ignored.
Jenn’s Casting Stipulations Caused Production To Scramble
She Was Hoping To Meet A Specific Type Of Guy
When it was announced that Jenn was set to be The Bachelorette, I believe that there had already been a cast in the works for Maria, who has confirmed that she was offered the Bachelorette role and turned it down after initially accpeting. That cast, comprised of a diverse group of men, was passed on to Jenn’s season as they were all kind, attractive, interesting guys who had applied for the series. Rather than reassessing the cast for Jenn’s interests or type, The Bachelorette production team chose to move full steam ahead with what they had and stay on schedule.
While Jenn’s cast of guys has been a decent cast for The Bachelorette in general, it was sorely lacking the sort of diversity that Jenn herself was hoping for. With only one man of Asian descent in the cast, Jenn revealed early on that she was disappointed in the cast that was presented to her. While she was happy with the outcome of her season, she’d hoped to see more representation of her culture and find someone she could share that with on The Bachelorette. I believe that if production cared about Jenn at all, they would’ve reassessed the cast.
Jenn’s Season Is Being Overshadowed
The Bachelor Announcement Is Taking Attention From Her
After a group of villains being on Jenn’s season for the wrong reasons, it’s become clear that The Bachelorette is being overshadowed by the rest of the franchise, likely for a reason. Jenn’s season is rapidly coming toward its end, which should be the most exciting moment for Bachelor Nation. With the hometown dates and fantasy suites coming, Bachelor Nation should be gearing up for the most exciting part of Jenn’s journey, but instead, the franchise has been burying Jenn’s narrative with the upcoming Bachelor news and trying to forge ahead. Rather than Jenn getting the spotlight, she’s being ignored.
Although the announcement of The Bachelor season 29’s lead could be to help the production team find the right women for Grant Ellis, the series may be trying to get ahead of the issues its created on The Bachelorette. From Jenn’s heritage not being featured to Sam McKinney sharing that he’d come onto The Bachelorette for Maria or Daisy, not Jenn, the production team has been doing damage control in the wake of Jenn’s season. I feel that though they knew Jenn was a good choice for The Bachelorette, they didn’t want to work through the challenges of the season.
