The Bachelorette‘s Jenn Tran has left viewers enraged after ‘poorly handling’ a private moment in which Austin Ott expressed his lack of confidence in the competition before suddenly announcing his exit.
In scenes that aired on Monday night, Austin, 28, pulled Jenn, 26, away for a private chat where he admitted he was struggling and confessed to feeling ‘like I’ve been playing catch-up.’
However, his stunned potential partner did nothing to try and console him after he got the weight off his chest – and moments later he decided it was time to leave the ABC show for good.
Pouring his heart out, Californian native Austin said: ‘You know, obviously, coming into this, I told you I was always going to be honest and upfront with you at every moment I can.
‘And I feel like I’ve been playing catch-up this whole time. I really do.
The Bachelorette’s Jenn Tran has come under fire over her handling of Austin Ott’s sudden departure
Austin admitted to Jenn that he was struggling and confessed to feeling ‘like I’ve been playing catch-up’
‘You have some amazing guys here that are ready to give you absolutely everything that you deserve. And with the way that things have gone for me in this journey, I don’t think that I can do that.’
A confused Jenn then asked Austin for some clarity, to which he responded: ‘I’m saying I don’t think it’s fair to you, and I don’t think it’s fair to the other guys that I continue this journey with you.’
Jenn was dumbfounded up by his decision. ‘Okay,’ she eventually managed to say.
‘I mean, it is a bit of a shock. It’s not what I was expecting. It’s not what I wanted to hear. But I can understand if this is what you want to do, and I can accept that, and I will respect that.’
Speaking in her confessional, Jenn admitted she was blindsided by Austin’s move to quit the process.
‘I didn’t know that Austin was going to leave tonight,’ she said. ‘I didn’t know that he was at such a low place that he thought he was going to leave.
‘And for me, it’s like, am I just doing a bad job? I want to be enough for somebody. And it seems like I wasn’t enough for Austin.’
Moments later in her confessional, Jenn questioned whether she was enough for the men trying to win her heart.
Jenn was confused by Austin’s admission and asked for clarity
Eventually, Austin said: ‘I don’t think it’s fair to you, and I don’t think it’s fair to the other guys that I continue this journey with you’
He then asked Jenn for a hug before walking away from the show
She said: ‘Does the whole situation make me scared? Yeah. It’s like, how many of these other guys are feeling this way that I don’t know about?
‘Is the next one just going to walk out the door, too? Maybe I’m not enough for Marcus. Maybe I’m not enough for Sam M. Maybe I’m not enough for Devin.
‘Austin going home leaves me feeling like I failed and that maybe I’m not the right woman for these men.
‘I’m scared and I’m nervous to tell the guys. I definitely think a lot of my relationships in the past haven’t worked out because I haven’t been able to really let my guard down and show the guy how I’m feeling.
‘But I just don’t like being vulnerable. I don’t like showing a part of myself that is weak and insecure.’
The Bachelorette viewers wasted no time in venting their frustrations at the scene at hand, with many claiming that Jenn was self-centered and flipped the situation so it was ‘all about herself.’
Jenn later questioned whether she was enough for the men trying to win her heart
The Bachelorette viewers wasted no time in venting their frustrations at how Jenn handled the vulnerable moment
Taking to Reddit one said: ‘Jenn gave him nothing and then made it all about herself. She’s not a serious person.’
Starting a different thread, another posted: ‘Very annoyed that Jenn made the whole Austin situation about her. If anything – I feel like the situation was about Austin “not being enough.” Not about her.’
Agreeing, another added: ‘I think it was Austin’s way of trying to communicate his anxieties in the show because at the end of the day, it is a bit of a competition and he was falling behind.
‘Love Jenn, but I wish she was able to see where Austin was coming from.’
A third remarked: ‘I was astounded at how she handled Austin’s departure.’
‘The way she instantly turned that on to herself was crazy lol,’ observed a fourth.
‘Like not every guy is gonna be 100 per cent down for you girl, that’s okay…’
Now that Austin has quit The Bachelorette, just seven men remain, including Devin Strader, Grant Ellis, Jeremy Simon, Jonathon Johnson, Marcus Shoberg, Sam McKinney and Spencer Conley.
That leaves just seven contestants remaining – Devin Strader, Grant Ellis, Jeremy Simon, Jonathon Johnson, Marcus Shoberg, Sam McKinney and Spencer Conley – though
A preview for the remainder of the season has teased that Jenn will reject a proposal from one of these men.
