After the brutal Bachelorette finale, fans say James Tran, Jenn Tran’s brother, was the only good guy on screen
In an explosive “Bachelorette” finale on Tuesday night, one guy emerged as a fan favorite – and he wasn’t a contestant.
Bachelorette Jenn Tran’s brother, James Tran, was declared by fans to be basically the only decent guy on screen in the three-hour spectacular finale. James began by questioning the men and politely declined to give his marital blessing to contestant Devil Strader.
Strader then broke off his engagement to Jenn over the phone after she proposed to him on camera.
James, on the other hand, received high praise from fans for his dedication in selecting the contestants, his vocal expression of his concerns about trans admirers, and his overall brotherly wisdom.
During the finale, Tran had to sit next to Strader and watch her propose to him in Hawaii after her relationship with finalist Marcus Stroberg ended.
Tran, who burst into tears, explained to the studio audience that Strader had initially withdrawn before breaking off the engagement.
To make matters worse, Tran said that the next day, Strader followed his “Bachelor” co-star Maria Gorges on social media. Many of the contestants who were cast before The Bachelorette’s announcement said they initially assumed Gorges would be the lead this season. And fans have since criticized the timing of the show’s announcement.
The program did not respond to NBC News’ request for comment.
“He had basically said he didn’t love me anymore and didn’t feel the same way about me anymore,” Tran said of Strader. “He regretted his engagement.”
Strader subsequently said he had expressed his doubts “unfortunately late.” But Tran said she did not buy it.
“I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you,” Tran said. “You’ve had one foot out the door the whole time.”
Fans pointed out that the evening was a silver lining for them: James questioned Stroberg’s emotional availability and was tough on Strader. And in the end, fans said, James’ intuition was right in the end.
For viewers, James was a bright spot in a season that was meant to be a pioneering one for the series, with Tran being the first Asian-American star of The Bachelorette. Instead, however, fans were vocal about the ending, calling the show “cruel” for letting Tran witness the failed engagement live and forcing her to continue interacting with Strader.
For Tran, who spoke to NBC News after the season premiere, the highlight of her “Bachelorette” experience has always been her family.
“What really struck me was seeing my family on TV,” Tran said. “My Vietnamese culture is present… Things like that have always felt so close to me, but they were always just in my home. For it to be seen on TV and normalized for other people to experience – that’s what I’m so happy about.”
For more information from NBC Asian America, visit Sign up for our weekly newsletter.
