“Do I have a choice?” spoken by the most recent Bachelorette lead, Jenn Tran. Jesse Palmer, host of The Bachelorette, just asked if she wanted to view her traumatic engagement in front of a live studio audience. This simple but heartbreaking response encapsulates the turbulent outcome for the first Asian American Bachelorette following what must have actually been “the most dramatic finale ever.” Is the nature of The Bachelorette ethical? Fans debate this controversy as the multimillion-dollar franchise risks losing a fan base.
What Happened This Season?
For those who have not watched the show, the basic summary of the franchise is as follows: 25 men compete for the love of one bachelorette. Throughout challenges and eliminations spanning the course of six to nine weeks, the bachelorette gets to know each contestant, eliminating them week by week, ending with an engagement with her fairytale suitor.
Tran was left with two suitors at the end. Army Veteran Marcus Edward did not feel ready for an engagement. She was in love and he could not reciprocate, so he broke up with her before the finale. The last contender was a consistent and relatively loved character throughout the season. New York Native Devin Strader was the main character from the start: usually involved in drama, but somehow coming out on the right side. His connection with Tran developed rapidly as they bonded over similar childhoods and emotional trauma. Strader consistently expressed respect and compliments to her, overly clear about how he saw a future with the lead. His consistent support brought him to the finale. After confessing their love, fans were as confident as the couple that they had a strong future ahead of them.
Fairytale Turned Nightmare
Then, something went awry. Leading up to the finale, fans noticed a weird energy coming from Tran and the franchise. All this tension erupted at the live “After the Final Rose” season finale episode. Tran walked up on stage with so much emotion that people recognized immediately that something had gone wrong. She could barely speak through her sobs. The audience and those watching could not help but become emotional too. Tran revealed that after their engagement, not streamed to the world, her fairytale became a nightmare. Immediately following the engagement, Strader became distant. His compliments and love confessions stopped. Essentially, the Strader she knew disappeared. Strader followed girls, went clubbing, and notably followed Jenn’s former competition for The Bachelorette lead, Maria Georgas, on Instagram. She continued to fight for him and “fall more in love with him” while he abused their relationship and promises to each other.
Throughout this secret turmoil, Strader allegedly ended the engagement over the phone and refused to talk in person. Meaning, that their first interaction was on the screen during the live “After the Final Rose” finale– for millions of people to view and dissect. As soon as their interaction began, viewers were immediately uncomfortable. The undeniable hurt and death glares came from Tran, while Strader sat next to her rather coldly and blankly. She even brought up his clubbing excursions:
“Because you said ‘Oh, I’m having such a hard time with this breakup,’ and next thing you know, you’re in New York clubbing with Jeremy,” Tran said, referring to Jeremy Simon, fellow Bachelorette contestant.
“I think this is a little different than the conversation I was hoping to have with you,” Strader laughed. “I went there for a work trip, I met with a client.”
“In the club?” Tran replied. “I hope you had fun at the club.”
“I did see Jeremy. Am I not allowed to live a life?” Strader said.
Palmer at one point interrupted the formerly engaged couple during their heated confrontation to apologize to Tran that her season did not end up as planned. He added, “But I can also confidently say that even though you may not have found the love and that great love that you were looking for yet, you also showed all of us what a strong and powerful woman is.”
He went on to compliment her as the first Asian American bachelorette. The timing of this compliment felt ironic and almost demeaning, especially since it served as a transition to watch the romantic and refreshingly feminist engagement in Hawaii that Bachelorette fans initially expected. Meanwhile, Tran was filmed sobbing in the corner of the screen, clearly struggling to relive the trauma. For a reality show, it all felt a little too real. The episode seemed to break the barrier of separation and remind viewers that these are real people with emotions and struggles. Watching and finding entertainment in her tears felt wrong.
Another main element to the intrigue of this season was Tran being the first Asian American bachelorette. Throughout the season, she continually talked about her family and heritage and the foundation of Buddhism. She sought to be a role model and Asian representation in a platform where it has historically been missing.
Back in June, sociologist Nancy Wang Yuen was optimistic about seeing an Asian American Woman on screen and told USA Today, “It’s really refreshing to see an Asian woman be the lead of her own love story. She’s the subject, rather than the object — which is how Asian women have long been represented in popular culture in the West.”
In the end, however, Tran was treated as a pawn rather than a star. For the producers and franchise to put her in this state of vulnerability with no protection felt cruel.
What is the Future of The Bachelorette Franchise?
The franchise has seen its fair share of controversy. The first Black Bachelor Matt James’season was overshadowed by the fact that the winner Rachel Kirkconnell once attended a plantation party. The previous host Chris Harrison came to Kirkconnell’s defense and was promptly asked to leave the show. Clayton Ecchard told the three finalists he was in love with them. One of these victims, Rachel Recchia, went on to be the Bachelorette and was cheated on by the winner.
These were moments of media backlash, but with Jenn Tran’s ending, fans might have reached their breaking point:
“It’s not entertainment to watch someone in the midst of such insurmountable pain that they’re nearly gasping for air,” a fan’s post read. “And it’s not cute or funny that at the very height of that pain you make them rewatch what they just described as the worst day of their life, in front of a live studio audience and next to the person responsible for that pain.”
“I’m not rocking with the fact that ABC hyped up the first Asian American bachelorette, sharing she’s making history and breaking barrier, just to straight up humiliate her like this in the end”, one user wrote.
“These producers are actually evil,” another wrote.
“#TheBachelorette producers wrong for this. I can’t believe they’re doing this,” one parroted.
Other members within the franchise also spoke out in support, including third runner-up Jonathan Johnson. Part of his post read: “She experienced a situation on a national scale that I would never want to see someone go through. But this WOMAN walked on stage, with her head held high, and handled herself with so much class and beauty that my jaw is on the floor.”
Jenn Tran has not publicly condemned the franchise, though anyone could perceive the turmoil she was put through. She is cast in the next season of Dancing with the Stars, so clearly her life isn’t over, but her situation brings up the broader question: at what lengths do we go for entertainment?
For The Bachelor franchise to sustain itself, it must address this ethical dilemma. Perhaps it is time for the reality world to reflect on its real impact.
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