The Bachelorette season 21 contestant Jeremy Simon got a reality check from his mother, Karen, when he brought Jenn Tran to meet his family during his hometown date, and Karen was right about everything that's wrong with the reality dating series. Jenn, a 26-year-old physician assistant student originally from Hillsdale, New Jersey, but currently living in Boston, Massachusetts, had a sweet connection with Jeremy, a 29-year-old real estate investor originally from Fairfield, Connecticut, who currently lives in New York City.
However, Jeremy didn't have a one-on-one date with Jenn until the week before The Bachelorette season 21 hometown dates, during which they explored Seattle's Pike Place Market. They hadn't yet expressed their feelings for each other when they began their hometown date at Stew Leonard's, a local grocery store that's known for its animatronic characters. When Jenn met Jeremy's family, this made his mom skeptical about the experience. Here's why she was right about the show.
What Did Jeremy Simon's Mom Karen Say To Jeremy About The Bachelorette?
Karen Expressed Her Concerns About The Show
During Jeremy's hometown date, he told Karen that he was happy with everything with Jenn. He was fully comfortable around Jenn, and he wasn't that way with everyone. When Jeremy told his mom that he and Jenn always have so much fun together, she replied, "It's one thing to have fun. Do you feel that you know her well enough that this is the person you want to spend the rest of your life with?"
"It's not a game. It's not a show. It's your life."
Jeremy's mom also expressed what is sure to become an iconic Bachelor Nation quote: "It's not a game. It's not a show. It's your life." Jeremy assured his mother that he and Jenn both only wanted to get engaged and married once, and they understood that it was a big deal. However, Karen pointed out that Jenn is also dating three other guys at the same time that she's dating Jeremy.
While Jeremy joked that Jenn liked him the most, his mother was being more of a realist. She said, "Seriously, I want you to think long and hard what you want going forward because this is such a commitment." She also stated that Jenn seemed like a nice girl, but she just met her. In her confessional, Karen shared, "I’m skeptical just because I don't even know if it's love because I don't know that they really discussed how they feel. So if it's not love, it definitely shouldn't be engagement."
What Did Jeremy Simon's Mom Say To Jenn Tran About The Bachelorette?
Jeremy's Mom Planted Seeds Of Doubt In Jenn's Mind
When Karen sat down with Jenn for their one-on-one conversation, she told Jenn that it had to be "crazy" keeping everything in order while dating four guys. She asked Jenn how Jeremy stood out among the other men, and Jenn replied in a similar way to Jeremy, stating that they always had the best time together. Jenn also said that Jeremy was a "mushball," and she knew that he cared about her, and that he was thoughtful. Jenn told Karen that Jeremy was always there for her.
However, Karen once again was the voice of reason in the fantasy world of The Bachelorette. She said, "But this is like ... not a game, it's your future together. You think that you and Jeremy have a bond that really goes beyond the fun part of it?"
Jenn assured her that she wouldn't be there if she didn't think that Jeremy could be a life partner for her, but she added that she thought that sometimes they could get a little bit too comfortable in the fun, and that scares her a little bit. She then asked Karen if she thought that Jeremy would be ready for an engagement at the end of The Bachelorette.
Karen replied, "I just met you. So it has a lot to do with you as a couple. I think if it was the right person, he could be ready. But like ... I don't know how you two really are together, and it just worries me that this is hopefully a lifetime commitment. You know, if you end up getting engaged, you really only want to do it once if you can. So that worries me." Jenn agreed with Karen, and said in her confessional that Karen's comments weren't encouraging, which scared her. She could tell that Karen didn't seem "super hopeful about the relationship."
Jenn later asked Jeremy if he was ready for an engagement, and he replied that he would be with the right person. He told Jenn that his feelings for her had gotten so strong, and that she made him happy. Jeremy then told Jenn that he was falling for her, and Jenn said that it made her so happy. However, she ended up saying goodbye to him before the Fantasy Suites.
Jeremy's Mom Exposed Everything That's Wrong With The Bachelorette
Jenn & Jeremy Needed More Time
Although it wasn't surprising that Jenn eliminated Jeremy because he was clearly far behind the three remaining guys--Devin Strader, Marcus Shoberg, and Jonathon Johnson--it was disappointing. Jeremy and Jenn had an adorable connection, which was solidified when he pulled over during their racetrack group date race to kiss her, knowing he'd lose the race. This earned him the group date rose.
Jenn and Jeremy also bonded about their hopes for the future on their one-on-one date, when they discussed raising their future children with the traditions of their religions (Jeremy is Jewish and Jenn is Buddhist). It was clear that they had similar values. Jeremy wasn't a frontrunner from the beginning, but the one-on-one date brought him and Jenn much closer together.
Jeremy's mother was right when she said that The Bachelorette isn't a game. However, the way that the show is set up forces it to be played like one, with the "winner" earning the chance to propose to the lead in the end. It's sad that Jeremy and Jenn might've been able to build a strong and long-lasting relationship, but, because of the ridiculously fast timeline of the show and the engagement at the end, they had to break up. Jenn will choose the guy who's ready for an engagement at the end, but will he be the right person for her?
If Jeremy and Jenn had met under normal circumstances in real life, they could've explored their relationship slowly, but, instead, she was so focused on getting engaged that she had to let him go. The Bachelorette has a very dated concept, which is based on the idea that relationships must lead to engagement and marriage. This is what's wrong with the show. Although The Bachelorette pretends to hold engagement as the highest honor in a relationship, it actually makes a mockery of it by forcing people to jump into it before they're actually ready.
Jeremy's mom made an excellent point when she said that The Bachelorette isn't a game or a show, but real life. It makes no sense that Jenn should've even met Jeremy's family if she knew that she was so far behind with him that they hadn't even said, "I love you," but yet they were talking about getting engaged. However, Jenn and Jeremy could've left the show in a sweet relationship with each other if an engagement wasn't the end goal.
It's no wonder that so many of the Bachelorette relationships have failed. In fact, only four out of 23 Bachelorette couples are still together: Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter, Desiree Hartsock and Chris Siegfried, JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers, and Charity Lawson and Dotun Olubeko. Unfortunately, The Bachelorette has become more like a game show to be won than a place to find true love, and Bachelor Nation, including Jeremy's mom, can see right through it.
