Heavy/ABC Jenn Tran of "The Bachelorette."
Jenn Tran’s season of “The Bachelorette” is well underway, but some fans think it should have never happened to begin with.
In July 2024, the fourth-place finisher on Joey Graziadei’s season of “The Bachelor” made history as the first Asian American lead on the ABC dating franchise. But some fans are concerned that she is too young and not “emotionally” deep enough to helm the reality show that usually ends with an engagement.
Fans debated Tran’s worthiness on social media, with some questioning if the 26-year-old physician assistant student wouldn’t have been better on another dating show. Others think she’s getting a raw deal and blame producers for not showing her full reactions during talks with her suitors.
Some Fans Think Jenn Tran Isn’t Taking Her Role as ‘The Bachelorette’ Seriously
ABCTHE BACHELORETTE – Jenn Tran, Sam M. (Disney/John Fleenor)
Tran has engaged in some serious conversations with several of her suitors this season on “The Bachelorette.” One of the most gut-wrenching moments was when Marcus Shoberg opened up to her about nearly losing his life when a grenade exploded near him while he was in military combat.
In another serious moment, Spencer Conley broke down while sharing that his former fiancée cheated on him two months before their wedding. And in another conversation, Devin Stader talked about the body image issues he had as a child.
In a lengthy Reddit thread, fans debated Tran’s reaction to her suitors’ vulnerable moments.
“Jenn lacks so so so so much emotional depth and it was shown in every conversation she had with one of the guys in tonight’s episode,” one commenter wrote on the social media platform. The Reddit user added that Tran said “the most basic surface level stuff” to Shoberg and Conley. “She doesn’t go deeper than just the surface.”
Many commenters agreed. “She just doesn’t seem like she’s interested in a relationship. She’s happy to travel and have fun and her 15 mins of fame… she seems very surface level,” another wrote.
“I feel she’s not taking it super seriously and feels a bit emotionally immature,” another wrote.
“Jenn was never a bachelorette girly I’ve been saying this from the beginning Jenn is a Paradise girl through and through!” added another.
But in another thread, a Reddit user pointed out that Tran opened up during her “Bachelor” one-on-one date with Graziadei to share that her upbringing didn’t prepare her for future relationships. The Reddit user noted that Tran may not feel safe sharing her emotions. “I think she’s doing a great job validating the men. I see her being patient with them and giving a lot of non-verbal feedback,” the commenter wrote.
Another felt some critics were being “too harsh.” “It is more weird/not normal to trauma dump all of your life’s struggles on someone you’ve known for like 1-2 weeks. Jenn is just taking her time to be comfortable and open up probably, but I believe she is still validating the men,” the fan wrote.
“I personally thought she responded very appropriately to a LOT of guys sharing some really heavy stuff!” added another.
Others pointed out that producers heavily edit the scenes on the dating show. “Production doesn’t care about emotional depth, they care about they believe is “good TV,’” one commenter wrote.
Jenn Tran Said She Sometimes Puts ‘Walls Up’ In Relationships
Tran previously admitted she sometimes has her guard up. Speaking with Parade ahead of her season, she said she hoped to find a guy who was “willing to be vulnerable” with her and “challenge” her a bit.
“Sometimes I can have my walls up, so it’s nice to have somebody who is vulnerable and willing to push me to be vulnerable,” she said.
In an interview with Decider, “The Bachelorette” star also shared that it takes “a lot” for her to be “affectionate with somebody.”