The Bachelorette’s Season 21 star will officially be Jenn Tran, whom Joey Graziadei eliminated right before hometown dates on his The Bachelor season.
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The Bachelor host Jesse Palmer announced Jenn, a 25-year-old Physician Assistant student who currently resides in Miami, FL, as the star of The Bachelorette’s upcoming season during The Bachelor: After the Final Rose special for Joey’s season that aired live Monday night on ABC.
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However, Jesse initially led viewers to believe that Joey’s The Bachelor runner-up, Daisy Kent, was going to lead The Bachelorette this year.
“Who will be our next Bachelorette? Could it be this familiar face? Please welcome back Daisy!” Jesse said during the special.
Once Daisy joined Jesse live onstage, he asked the glowing bachelorette if she was doing okay following her breakup with Joey, who had proposed marriage to Kelsey Anderson during his Final Rose Ceremony in Tulum, Mexico.
“I’m leaving this whole experience happier than when I came in, and that’s because of every single woman in the house, the producers, [the crew and production], and all the fans who have reached out to me,” Daisy shared.
But when asked if she’s “ready” to date again and find love, Daisy shocked the world by replying, “My life the last year has been crazy. I mean, yesterday, it’s weird, but it was the one year of me getting my cochlear implant, which completely changed my life.”
Daisy continued, “And I also went through this, and as great of an experience as it was, it was also really, really hard. I’m healthy and I’m happy, and I haven’t had those two things in a really long time. And so, right now, I know it’s a time for me to focus on the things I love and the people I love.”
The blonde beauty therefore concluded, “So, right now, no. I’m not ready, and that’s okay. I’m really proud of myself for realizing that.”
Jesse gave Daisy his respect and wished her the best on her healing journey going forward.
The Bachelor host proceeded to welcome the previous The Bachelorette star, Charity Lawson, on the stage to announce the new star for Season 21.
“We all have seen so many incredible women on this season grace our TV screens, and I think they’re all incredibly deserving of finding love to go through an experience like this,” Charity began.
“But I can say the next Bachelorette is someone who is intelligent. She’s witty, she’s fun, and she’s super kind. And personally, I want to see a lot more of her, and I can only hope that out of this experience that she’s getting ready to embark on, that she really does find true love like I did with [Dotun Olubeko].”
Charity continued, “So ladies and gentlemen, your next Bachelorette is Jenn!”
Jenn walked out onstage in a purple low-cut dress, and Charity officially passed the torch.
“Jenn, congratulations, you’re in the driver’s seat! You’re the next Bachelorette!” Jesse announced.
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When asked how she felt, Jenn said being called the Bachelorette was “going to take some getting used to” and she was “overwhelmed” by the opportunity.
“It’s crazy. It feels so surreal to be sitting here,” Jenn shared, “and honestly, I feel like it was just yesterday when I was in the emergency room in my scrubs working — and here I am now in stilettos and this little gown. Honestly, it’s so surreal to be passed on the baton from Charity.”
Jenn acknowledged how she has “some really big shoes to fill” after Charity’s The Bachelorette season.
Jesse asked Jenn what she’s looking for in a man, and Jenn joked about how she wants a man with “a really big — personality!”
Although Jenn’s joke fell flat, she continued on a serious note, “I want someone who has that banter [with me] and is all about having fun and all about having that cheeky banter. I want someone who is going to be able to take it as much as they can dish it.”
Jenn said it would be an “ideal night” if she and her partner just made fun of each other and joked around.
Jenn hopes her The Bachelorette journey will end with a ring on her finger, confirming that an engagement is her “end goal.”
Jenn added, “I hope that I find my person, someone that I truly feel like is 100 percent my perfect match and someone whom I’m compatible with — someone who he and I can have fun and also just feel like we’re each other’s person.”
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Jenn concluded that she thinks she’ll know what her person needs to be and bring to the table when she finds him.
When Jenn previously appeared on The Bachelor: The Women Tell All, she said she’s looking for “a ferocious love” after her relationship with Joey.
“I don’t even know what that means,” Jenn quipped.
Jenn wrapped the segment by sharing how The Bachelor was a “crazy” ride and she hopes her future bachelors will be able to “open up their hearts” to her.
“Because that’s what I did, and I got so much out of it,” Jenn gushed.
“It didn’t end the way I wanted it to, but I grew and I learned so much from it, and that’s all I can hope for… And I really hope that they’re ready to have some freaking fun!”
Jenn is the first Asian-American woman to star on The Bachelorette, and she said it’s an “absolutely insane thing” to hear.
“I feel so, so grateful and so honored to be the first Asian Bachelorette in this franchise,” Jenn said.
“Growing up, I always wanted to see Asian representation on TV, and I feel like it was really sparse. Any time Asians were in the media, it was to fulfill supporting character roles or to fulfill some sort of stereotype, and I always felt boxed in by that.”
Jenn said to become the main character and lead her own love story on TV feels amazing.
“I just think of how many people I’m going to be inspiring and how many lives I’ll be changing,” Jenn gushed.
Jenn teased how America has “tons” to learn about her on The Bachelorette, and then she had the entire audience take a shot in her honor for “Shot-o-clock,” a tradition in her family’s household.
The Bachelor fan-favorite, Maria Georgas — who was probably also considered for The Bachelorette role — then announced how she loved Jenn and got to know her very well. Maria insisted that Jenn is “amazing,” and then the audience broke out into applause.
Jenn’s elimination aired on The Bachelor’s February 26 episode. Joey denied roses to Jenn and Kelsey Toussant when choosing his Final 4 bachelorettes for hometown dates: Daisy, Kelsey, Maria, and Rachel Nance.
“It’s definitely tough to know that I wasn’t enough. That’s not fun,” Jenn cried in her final words.
“I know we would’ve been amazing together. I know that we would’ve been so happy, and I’m totally going to miss him. I know what I have to offer. I know the amazing woman that I am, and I know that someone else will be more than happy to be my person. I just hope that I find someone as special as him one day.”
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About The Author:
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.