Note: This story contains spoilers from “The Bachelorette” Season 21 Episode 9.
As “The Bachelorette” Season 21 nears its end — and a potential engagement — Jenn Tran narrowed down the suitors vying for her heart down to her final two after fantasy suites, in a decision she says came straight from the heart.
After the leading lady had overnight dates with her three remaining suitors — Devin Strader, Jonathon Johnson and Marcus Shoberg — the season’s “Men Tell All” episode revealed the results of the latest elimination, which saw Tran send Johnson home ahead of the finale.
“At that point, I really was just following my heart and in whatever way it pulled me,” Tran told TheWrap. “I just felt like I reached a different level of feelings with both Devin and Marcus that Jonathon and I just weren’t at yet. And for that reason, I didn’t feel like I could string him along any further.”
While fantasy suites might be known for taking couples to the next level, intimacy-wise, Tran anticipated using the privacy to bring up more logistical “real life” topics, including “Where are we gonna move? What are your finances like? How are we gonna make this work? What’s long distance going to look like?”
With each relationship at a different level, Tran said the conversations and “hard-hitting questions” are what “accelerated one relationship as opposed to another.”
Strader — who now stands as one of Tran’s final two men — had already said “I love you” to Tran and revealed his commitment to her during the fantasy suites, enthusiastically telling her he would be excited to call her his fiancé, which was music to Tran’s ears.
“I was not expecting it. But, he, at that point, was someone who had been so consistent the whole time, so to hear those words from him, I was so excited,” Tran said. “It definitely gave me a lot of confidence in going into the next week with him.”
While Tran felt nothing but confidence in their relationship, Strader was left spiraling following their date after not hearing “I love you” back, and even confided in host Jesse Palmer before going to Tran about his fears of being a second choice. Strader’s feelings came as a shock to Tran, who recalled she had “no idea” he had been struggling that week.
“I remember just being very, very shocked and and wanting to just be able to help him get out of his head as best as I could,” Tran said. And she did just that when she returned Strader’s “I love you,” which she says felt “right in the moment.”
“I had considered saying it earlier, but I think it was just … a tough environment to navigate through different relationships … saying those words, I wanted to be able to be sure that I wouldn’t hurt somebody by saying that,” Tran said. “I knew that he needed to hear it. I knew that that’s how I had felt in the moment and it would be a disservice to not say it just because I was trying to navigate this crazy journey.”
As she headed into her final week courting both Strader and Shoberg, Tran said she took time to think about where her heart was at “figure out exactly what was going to be best for for me, and how [she] was going to be successful in these relationships.”
With Tran’s family also entering the picture during next week’s finale, the leading lady said she “wanted to make sure that they were going to support [her] in [her] decision and see all the same things that [she] saw in the guys.”
Ahead of the finale, Tran teased the conclusion of her season is “very emotional,” with “lot of tears, a lot of emotions, a lot of vulnerability and … love at its finest.”
“I did not see what was coming at all,” Tran said. “When you start the journey, you think of the ending in one way, and when I got to the end, it was not what I was expecting, but it was what was best for me in that time.”
“The Bachelorette” Season 21 finale airs Tuesday, Sept. 3, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
