In an explosive “Bachelorette” finale 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 virtually the only comedic man on screen in the explosive three-hour finale. James began by questioning the men and politely declined to offer a wedding blessing to contestant Devil Strader.
Strader later broke off his engagement to Jenn over the phone after she proposed to him on camera.
James, however, has been highly praised by fans for his participation in the contestant selection process, for openly expressing his concerns about Tran’s suitors, and for his general brotherly wisdom.
During the finale, Tran had to sit next to Strader and watch the moment she proposed to him in Hawaii after her relationship with runner-up Marcus Stroberg ended.
Tran, who broke down in tears, told the studio audience that Strader had started to drift apart before breaking off the engagement.
To top it all off, Tran said that the next day, Strader followed another “Bachelor” contestant, Maria Gorges, on social media. Many contestants who were cast before the Bachelorette was announced said they initially assumed Gorges would be the main character this season. And fans have since criticized the timing of the announcement.
The show did not respond to NBC News’ request for comment.
“He told me he didn’t love me anymore and he didn’t feel the same way,” Tran said of Strader. “He regretted getting engaged.”
Strader said in the episode that he was “unfortunately late” in expressing his doubts. But Tran said she doesn’t believe him.
“I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you,” Tran said. “You had one foot out the door the whole time.”
Fans pointed out that what they saw was a bright spot from the night: James questioned Stroberg’s emotional availability and got tough with Strader. And in the end, fans pointed out that James’ intuition proved correct.
For viewers, James was a shining light in what was supposed to be a groundbreaking season for the franchise, with Tran serving as the first Asian-American star of “The Bachelorette.” Instead, viewers were vocal about the show’s ending, calling the show “cruel” for making Tran witness her failed engagement live and forcing her to interact more 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 there… These kinds of things have always felt very close to me, but they’ve always existed only in my home. So for it to be on TV and normalized for other people to experience – I’m really excited.”
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