The Bachelorette Finale Is Set, and It’s Going to Be a Wildly Emotional Ending
“No Bachelorette has ever ended her journey like this,” Jesse Palmer says in the teaser for next week’s The Bachelorette finale. While we’ll have to wait and see whether that declaration lives up to the hype, one thing is certain: Jenn Tran’s season of The Bachelorette is one of the most interesting yet.
The one man who Jenn has said she’s not just falling for—but fully in love with—can’t say it back to her. Yes, it’s devastating to watch Marcus not be able to meet Jenn where she’s at during their overnight date in Hawai’i, but it’s also incredibly real. (Show of hands if you’ve been there before.) On the other hand, there’s Devin, who is going stir-crazy waiting for Jenn to reciprocate his “I love you.” And then there’s Jonathon, who Molly Mesnick seems to think might be the best choice for Jenn, though Jenn isn’t quite as sold. (Nothing against Jonathon of course…the guy is basically amazing; she’s just further ahead with Devin and Marcus, which is confirmed when she sends Jonathon home.)
Now, with Devin and Marcus as the final two, and the finale one week away, we’re in for a wild ride—one that Jesse Palmer says will leave us on the edge of our seats. So, following the filming of the Men Tell All special, Glamour sat down with Jenn to get more insight into what’s about to unfold, and the empowering takedown of Sam M.
Glamour: Jesse Palmer said the end of your season will leave us on the edge of our seat, and even you said it’s an ending we won’t see coming. Explain.
Jenn Tran: Listen, there’s a lot that happens, and all I’m going to say is that it was very emotional. It was a very emotional last few days there with me and the guys. That’s all I’ll say.
So how did you feel going into that finale? What was your mindset?
I felt a sense of peace and calm, knowing the decisions I was making were right for me and they were coming from the heart…things played out the exact way that they were supposed to.
Let’s talk about the Men Tell All. You obliterated Sam M., which was amazing, but at the same time, I was impressed how well he took it and didn’t deny how his actions made you feel.
Me too.
Was that cathartic for you?
Very much so. I think throughout the journey with Sam, I was kind of confused as to what was going on, but I definitely had a gut feeling that it wasn’t right. But then, watching it back, and having a clear perspective of everything that was going on…that was refreshing to finally understand. So I came into tonight knowing what I needed to say, [having seen how] Sam doubled down on social media. It was disheartening to me because I want him to learn from it. I genuinely wish him the best. I want him to learn from this experience and to grow from it, because I don’t want other women to have to date him and then figure out what’s going on here. I want him to grow for his own benefit. I felt like [what I said to him] just needed to be done, especially because I felt like there were instances in our relationship in which I didn’t stand up for myself because I was a little confused. So I saw this as an opportunity to stand up for myself and also set a precedent for other women to stand up for themselves.
How nervous were you, knowing you were going to finally be able to confront Sam M., and also see all the men?
I had a little bit of nerves. It’s also been a long time since I’ve seen them, and I was mainly really excited. I would grab beer with any of them and just catch up.
Let’s talk about Jeremy, and the conversation you both had about raising Jewish/Buddhist kids. What was the feedback you got from that conversation leading into his hometown date?
I’ve heard of so many people who were impacted by that because of obviously everything that’s going on in the world right now. It’s nice to have somebody shed light on it and be so proud of their religion and that conversation. It’s not a conversation you get to see often on TV, but it is a very real conversation when it comes to dating somebody and potentially getting engaged to them. So I thought that was one of the most real moments that was showcased. I was so excited, because religion, for me, is so important, and especially the Jewish religion. I have so many Jewish friends. I go to Shabbat dinner all the time and it’s such a fun religion, so I’m always open to learning more about things that are different than myself. I hope more people can learn from that.
Absolutely. Meanwhile, have your girlfriends been asking you to set them up with certain guys from the show? And if so, who?
Oh yeah. They’re all over it. They ask about Spencer, Grant, Jonathon, [etc]. There’s so many amazing guys, which is why I just genuinely wish them the best. I want to continue this friendship that we’ve all made.
Lastly, you told Devin that you love him, after he was agonizing about how you felt. What was holding you back prior?
At the hometown with Devin, I wasn’t there yet with him. But I definitely had felt it leading up to our overnights. I think with him, a big part of our relationship was that he was too good to be true. He was so consistent, so stable, so loving, and so open and free that it was almost hard for me to accept.
The three-hour finale of The Bachelorette airs Tuesday, September 3 on ABC, and will stream the next day on Hulu.