Jenn Tran was surprised by her ex-boyfriend Matthew in Auckland, New Zealand, on Monday’s episode of The Bachelorette on ABC.
The 26-year-old physician assistant student was at the port filming with producers when host Jesse Palmer, 45, revealed Matthew’s unexpected arrival.
Jenn, after a group date and two individual dates, was looking ahead to the upcoming rose ceremony with the remaining 11 contestants.
“I never thought I could go on this journey and find not just one, but a group of men who made me feel so safe and comfortable to be myself. I couldn’t be more excited for this group of men. I don’t know how this journey can get any better,” Jenn said in a voiceover filmed at the harbor.
Jesse spoke directly to the camera in a hotel lobby to give viewers an update.
Jenn Tran was surprised by her ex-boyfriend Matthew in Auckland, New Zealand, on Monday’s episode of The Bachelorette on ABC.
“Okay, so basically this is what’s going on right now. A guy from Jenn’s past has been in contact with one of our producers. Obviously this isn’t normal. This is very unexpected. I’m told that he flew halfway across the world to New Zealand on his own just to have a conversation with Jenn. So apparently his flight landed about an hour ago. He’s heading to the hotel right now,” Jesse said.
Jesse said he was sure “this guy is absolutely exhausted” and planned to talk to him at the hotel to find out what he wanted to tell Jenn.
“As for Jenn, she’s at the port, somewhere not too far from here. She’s filming with her producers. That’s what she would normally be doing right now. And Jenn, of course, has no idea that this guy has shown up. And as for the guys, they’re back at their hotel right now and they’re getting ready for the rose ceremony tonight,” Jesse said.
Jesse met a boy named Matt and admitted he was impressed that he would fly so far in the name of love.
—Then help me understand how you two met, —Jesse said.
“Yeah, Jenn and I dated about three years ago, we were together for about three or four months. Since then, we’ve gotten back together over the last few years, and when she left, I felt like I couldn’t let her go. And I’m here to tell Jenn that I still love her and I’m here to prove it to her and do whatever I need to do to get that trust back and to see if there’s a future with us,” Matt said.
Jesse told Matt that Jenn was nearby and filming with the producers and told him that the conversation had to happen immediately since the rose ceremony was approaching.
Dramatic music played as Matt made the short walk from the hotel to the harbor and he could be seen in the background approaching as Jenn sat alone.
She turned around and gasped at the sight of him.
Matt traveled on his own to have a conversation with Jenn before she committed to anyone.
The show’s host, Jesse Palmer, spoke directly to the camera in a hotel lobby to give viewers an update on Matt’s unexpected arrival.
“I never thought I could go on this journey and find not just one, but a group of men who made me feel so safe and comfortable to be myself. I couldn’t be more excited for this group of men. I don’t know how this journey can get any better,” Jenn said in a voiceover filmed at the harbor.
“Yeah, Jenn and I dated about three years ago, we were together for about three or four months. Since then, we’ve gotten back together over the last few years, and when she up and left, I felt like I couldn’t let her go. And I’m here to tell Jenn that I still love her and I’m here to prove it to her and do whatever I need to do to get that trust back and to see if there’s a future with us,” Matt said.
—Oh my God. Oh my God… I’m sorry, I can’t, I can’t, I can’t —Jenn said, clearly nervous.
“You weren’t expecting to see me? You were expecting someone else?” Matt said.
“How are you here right now? What? What’s going on?” Jenn said.
“I was really looking forward to traveling to Colombia with you. I went for a few days and it just wasn’t the same without you. I skipped both weddings and…” Matt replied.
“You ditched weddings?” Jenn chimed in.
“Yeah, I didn’t go to any of them,” Matthew said. “I flew in from Cartagena to be here with you. It’s been a 24-hour trip. I couldn’t… I couldn’t go to the weddings without you.”
“Matthew!” Jenn said as she danced. “What are you doing?”
In a confessional, Matthew said that he and Jenn were in love and that he was there to show her how much he cared about her.
Jesse told Matt that Jenn was nearby and filming with the producers and told him that the conversation had to happen immediately since the rose ceremony was approaching.
Dramatic music played as Matt made the short walk from the hotel to the port.
Jenn gasped as she turned and saw Matt.
“You ditched weddings?” Jenn chimed in after Matt said he flew in from Colombia to talk to her.
Jenn was clearly overwhelmed and confused by her arrival.
“This is my ex-boyfriend. I think it’s a big shock that he came here. We dated three years ago. Matt is not the toxic ex I’m referring to. He’s not the one who kind of screwed me over. He’s a different ex. A few months ago we reconnected as friends, or so I thought we were,” Jenn said.
Matthew wanted to join the show mid-season and Jenn, despite being surprised, seriously considered it.
“Matt coming here is confusing and kind of freaking me out. There are people here that I feel very strongly about and I’m scared of what it might bring out in some of them and how they’ll feel about it, but I also know Matt a lot better than these guys I just met a couple weeks ago. He’s someone I love. I have a tough decision to make and I don’t know where my heart is taking me,” Jenn said.
The season 21 episode also showed Jenn going on one-on-one dates with Sam McKinney and Devin Strader and on a group rugby date.
Jenn was clearly overwhelmed and confused by her arrival.
The season 21 episode also showed Jenn going on a one-on-one date with Sam McKinney.
Devin Strader also had a one-on-one date with Jenn.
Sam Nejad, 25, from Carlsbad, California, gained confidence during the rugby date and even wore a T-shirt that said ‘Jenn’s Husband’ on the back.
He later asked Jenn if he could kiss her after interrupting her conversation with Thomas Nguyen, 31, of Tucker, Georgia.
Jenn politely declined and told Sam N. that she wasn’t the right person for him and then walked him out.
“I feel like the biggest fool of the century right now. I did a lot of risqué stuff. I wore a denim jacket so I thought I was like GI Joe and I basically got left out in the cold… in the worst way possible,” Sam said.
The group date rose went to Marcus Shoberg, 31, of Cloquet, Minnesota, who was awarded by Jenn for being vulnerable with her.
Sam Nejad, 25, of Carlsbad, California, asked Jenn if he could kiss her, but she refused and sent him home.
In a sneak peek of the upcoming episode, Jenn told the men: “My ex-boyfriend Matt flew out here. He wants to come along on this trip. That’s why he’s here tonight.”
The Bachelorette will return next week on ABC.
Jenn is the first Asian-American to play a lead role in The Bachelor franchise history.
She was previously a contestant on season 28 of The Bachelor, starring Joey Graziadei.