The new season of ABC’s long-running dating reality show kicked off on July 8, with 25 male contestants eager to impress Jenn.
By the end of the second episode on Monday night, only 15 men remained.
After the episode, The Bachelorette’s official Instagram account recapped some of its most memorable moments, including a confrontation between “season villain” Aaron Erb and freight company owner Devin Strader.
“Oddest cast of Bachelor men,” one comment under the post read.
“Need a fresh batch of limos with new men, so we can start over,” another person wrote.
“This season is almost impossible to watch,” a third comment read.
Some viewers felt that Devin was “selfish” during Jenn’s first group date in Melbourne, Australia, when he whisked her away for some one-on-one time.
Devin’s single-minded pursuit of Jenn left Aaron feeling “disrespected” as he complained the outing at Queen Victoria Market was supposed to be a “group date.”
During one hilarious moment during the afterparty, Devin wheeled an ice cream cart right up to Jenn, bringing Aaron’s alone time with her to a screeching halt.
“Not a fan of you Devin,” another fan comment on Instagram read. “Your [sic] most likely told to act the way ur portraying urself.”
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“After all the Devin drama, he STILL goes on to highjack Jenn’s toast,” one fan wrote, referring to the moment Devin asked to steal Jenn away while she was still raising a glass to the men.
Others noted that “Aaron needs to chill” as the aerospace engineer kept confronting Devin about his lack of respect for the other men in the group.
“Aaron is being sensitive cause he didn’t do what Devin did,” one fan theorized. “If the tables were turned, Aaron would have acted like Devin did…but worse.”
Some audiences also felt that Aaron was “falling into the producers’ trap” by becoming the so-called villain of season 21.
Who’s on Season 21 of The Bachelorette?
The Bachelor contestant, Jenn Tran, was recently announced as the next Bachelorette. Below are the men who are vying for her heart.
– Aaron, 29, from Tulsa, Oklahoma
– Austin, 28, from San Diego, California
– Brendan, 29, from Vancouver, Canada
– Brett, 28, from Manheim, Pennsylvania
– Brian, 32, from Boynton Beach, Florida
– Corbin, 25, from Los Angeles, California
– Dakota, 27, from Paradise Valley, Arizona
– Devin, 27, from Houston, Texas
– Dylan, 24, from Elk Grove, California
– Grant, 30, from Houston, Texas
– Hakeem, 29, from Schaumburg, Illinois
– Hassan, 28, from Denver, Colorado
– Jahaan, 28, from New York, New York
– Jeremy, 29, from Fairfield, Connecticut
– John, 25, from Delray Beach, Florida
– Jonathan H, 24, from Oxford, Massachusetts
– Jonathan J, 27, from Los Angeles, California
– Kevin, 35, from Denver, Colorado
– Marcus, 31, from Raleigh, North Carolina
– Marvin, 28, from Santa Monica, California
– Matt, 27, from Atlanta, Georgia
– Moze, 25, from Albany, New York
– Ricky, 28, from Miami, Florida
– Sam M, 26, from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
– Sam N, 25, from Carlsbad, California
– Spencer, 30, from Dallas, Texas
– Thomas, 31, from Tucker, Georgia
– Tomas, 26, from Toronto, Canada
“These men already hate each other. I love it,” one person wrote.
“Aaron might be the villain,” another suggested.
A few comments also referred to Aaron’s twin Noah Erb, who appeared on the show in 2020.
During one of their many confrontations during Monday night’s episode, Aaron presented Devin with a book about learning emotional intelligence, adding it was from a “place of love.”
This was a call back to Bennett Jordan giving a similar book to Noah during Season 16 of The Bachelorette.
“Aaron continuing his fraternal twin emotional intelligence legacy was not in my bingo card,” another person quipped.
At the end of the episode, Jenn sent another three men home, including start-up founder Jahaan – much to the disappointment of some viewers.
“Justice for Jahaan,” one of them commented under The Bachelorette’s post, featuring 10 of the 15 remaining men.
Jenn, who made history as the first Asian-American woman to lead The Bachelorette, has previously said that she’s “looking for someone who has a really big personality.”
When she was announced as the star of Season 21 in March, she told host Jesse Palmer, “I’m looking for someone who has a really big personality. I want someone who has that kind of banter.”
“I’m all about having fun … and I want someone who’s going to be able to take it as much as they can dish it. And if we just spend the whole night literally making fun of each other that will be the most ideal night ever,” she added.
Ahead of the premiere, she also reflected on the “unfortunate” lack of Asian men on her season in an interview with Glamour.
“I can’t really speak to the casting process and the decisions that were made, but it is unfortunate that there weren’t a lot of Asian men this season,” the 26-year-old said.
“I am hoping that me being here and Thomas N. being there, that the both of us can inspire other Asian men to realize that they can do this too if they want.
“They can be in this position as well. I’m hoping that it inspires them.”