Heavy/ABC Jenn Tran and her suitors on "The Bachelorette."
A suitor from Jenn Tran‘s season of “The Bachelorette” fired back at claims that the ABC dating show, and his storyline in particular, was staged.
In July 2024, contestant Aaron Erb posted proof that his reason for leaving the show in week 3 were legitimate. The short-time reality star posed for a series of photos in his Lieutenant uniform after leaving the show for mandatory military training.
Erb captioned the post with a clapback to critics. “For the ‘wow the show is so scripted’ crowd,” he wrote. “Phase 1 of the plan is in motion. Introducing for the first time 2nd Lt Erb 🫡 Next stop Air Force pilot training ✈️.”
Aaron Erb Left Jenn Tran’s Season to Follow His Dreams
Erb’s update came after some fans questioned why he joined “The Bachelorette” cast when he knew he had other obligations.
In Episode 3 of Tran’s season of “The Bachelorette,” Erb, an aerospace engineer, had a difficult decision to make. After claiming to receive a call from his Air Force supervisor, he revealed in a confessional that his long-awaited fighter pilot training dates were set. Erb had one day to decide if he was going to leave the show.
Erb shared that he had been working toward his fighter pilot training for over a year. When he didn’t receive the group date rose from Tran, he self-eliminated from the show to pursue his dream.
“I had a dream of being a fighter pilot my entire life and I got a call,” he told Tran in the episode. “Pilot training dates are happening, and they pretty much said ‘We’re not holding these. Either you come back right away, or the dream is over.’”
Tran agreed that he should follow his dream. But “The Bachelorette” star became upset after Erb dropped the bomb that some of the other guys were not there for the right reasons. Erb refused to “name any names” of the guys he was talking about, leaving the angry ABC lead to figure it out on her own.
Fans reacted on social media, with many on Reddit speculating that Erb was a “producer’s plant.”
“He’s the first player I’ve ever thought was 100% put in the show literally as an actor in exchange for [Bachelor in Paradise],” one Reddit user wrote. “The fake book … the staged phone call about needing to leave to follow his dreams… I could even see him being paid at this point.”
“Yeah, it seemed far too scripted to me,” another agreed.
“Yes! He stirred the pot, started the drama, then had to ‘leave for personal reasons’… then stirred the pot on his exit. Absolutely scripted!” another chimed in.
Aaron Erb Gave His Rival a Fake Book Before He Quit ‘The Bachelorette’
THE BOOK IS BACK BABY
Erb is the twin brother of fellow Bachelor Nation alum Noah Erb. Noah is engaged to “Bachelor” season 25 alum Abigail Heringer after meeting her on “Bachelor in Paradise.”
But while his time on Tran’s season was very brief, Aaron Erb did pull a page from his brother’s season. In a scene from Episode 2, Aaron Erb argued with his rival Devin Strader. At one point, Erb told Strader that he lacked “the depth to be with a girl like Jenn.” He then gave his rival a self-help book titled “Principles for Self-Growth” by Dr. Brandon O’Connor.
Strader tossed the book aside. Fans on Reddit noticed that a close-up of Aaron Erb’s book’s spine shows that the word “Principles” is misspelled. According to TVLine, a book with that title can’t be found anywhere online, leaving internet sleuths to conclude it’s fake.
Fans also recalled that Noah Erb was involved in a similar exchange during Tayshia Adams’ season in 2020. In a scene in season 16, Noah’s rival Bennett Jordan gave him a book on emotional intelligence, titled “On Emotional Intelligence.” Unlike Aaron’s book, that title does appear to be listed on Amazon.
As for Aaron’s proof that his military-related exit was the real deal, his brother Noah commented, “You don’t need to explain anything 😤 I’ve seen how hard you’ve worked for this the last few years, go make our country proud.”