The Bachelorette finale: Jenn's happily-ever-after falls apart in shock ending
Los Angeles, California - The Bachelorette just may have delivered on its famous promise of an ending like we've never seen before as season 21 lead Jenn Tran was put through the wringer on live TV.
Tuesday's three-hour-conclusion kicked off in Hawaii, where the two remaining suitors – Devin and Marcus – were set to meet Jenn's family.
First up was Devin, who seemed ready to take the leap with Jenn, but her family wasn't feeling it quite yet.
Jenn's mom, Trinh, couldn't seem to wrap her head around the timeline of the relationship, while Jenn's brother, James, refused to give his blessing for a proposal as he hadn't yet met Marcus and wanted to give both a fair shot.
When it came time for Marcus to meet the family, the fact that he still hadn't returned Jenn's "I love you" was evidence enough for the Trans not to get behind it.
Though Marcus again claimed his feelings "could get there" eventually, the red flags were already raised within the family – leading Jenn to rethink their connection. Her doubts were only confirmed when, during a private conversation afterward, Marcus revealed he still wasn't in love with her yet.
Next, Jenn and Devin enjoyed their final date in Hawaii, where the pair opened up about their respective fears. Jenn hoped to shed her fear of abandonment (keep this in mind for later!), while Devin wanted to be able to "accept the good for the good" – whatever that means.
As for Marcus' last date, Jenn opted to cut straight to the chase and met him at his hotel room first.
Who did Jenn Tran get engaged to on The Bachelorette?
Jenn immediately put Marcus on the spot, sharing that she simply didn't feel as though he saw her in his future. He continued to express his doubts before dropping the L-bomb, but the confession was too little too late.
After some time to think, Jenn ultimately called things off with Marcus, realizing that her feelings for him weren't quite right – thus setting the stage for an engagement to Devin.
But first, Marcus was in the studio to take the hot seat, where he admitted to not being what Jenn needed. Jenn then joined him, with the two sharing a sweet moment as they expressed their gratitude for what was while accepting that a future just wasn't there for them.
Going back to Hawaii, Jenn dropped a big hint at that "unprecedented ending" by telling host Jesse Palmer that she would propose to Devin rather than the traditional other way around.
But the severely somber mood plaguing the studio all night reared its ugly head as Jesse interrupted the program to reveal that Bachelor Nation would not be seeing the unconventional proposal – at least not yet – because of "what transpired since" that fateful day.
Why did Devin and Jenn call off their engagement?
Immediately, Jenn was seen sobbing in the live studio, and she soon revealed that she and Devin did indeed leave Hawaii engaged but that the two had since split.
She explained that his behavior shifted once they went home and that she felt him "pulling away," leaving her baffled as to what had changed.
Devin "regretted getting engaged," and while Jenn was willing to just go back to dating, he seemed to already be out, and he ultimately broke up with her in a 15-minute phone call. Stay classy, Devin!
Then, Bachelor Nation's newly-crowned Public Enemy No. 1 joined his ex on stage.
Jenn made it clear she would have preferred to speak privately, but Devin supposedly wasn't willing to.
She wasted no time spilling what went down, revealing that Devin began following Maria Georgas from Joey's season of The Bachelor – who was widely assumed to be the frontrunner for this season's lead – on Instagram after the breakup.
It's worth noting that this is the second indication of the season that the men had been expecting Maria instead, a point which many fans have argued put Jenn in a terrible position from the jump.
Devin then claimed that he had "doubts" all along – he just didn't show them during filming. Jenn was devastated by the apparent betrayal, growing emotional as she shared just how hard it has been to watch the show these past several weeks.
Then, for some reason, Jesse decided it was time to watch the proposal, with a sobbing Jenn conveniently displayed in a small box to the left.
When asked if she was ready to watch her proposal back, Jenn answered, "Do I have a choice?"
Bachelor Nation slams ABC for making Jenn watch her proposal
While Jesse tried to reassure Jenn that the proposal should be seen as a moment of empowerment, the devastation was hard to ignore, and fans didn't hold back in their reactions to the decision.
"im not rocking with the fact that abc hyped up the first asian american bachelorette, sharing she's making history and breaking barrier[s], just to straight up humiliate her like this in the end," one viewer wrote.
"Production really needs to be dealt with for Jenn's treatment. Why would Jesse say all these encouraging things and then they go and re-traumatize her?! FOUL," another said.
On that sour note, ABC reminded us that there's a new Bachelorette coming into town later this month – our golden girl Joan!
The finale included a new preview of the debut season of The Golden Bachelorette, giving a peek at Joan's adorable meeting with Mark A. – the father of Kelsey Anderson, who won Joey's season of The Bachelor.
Fans can catch Joan's journey for love when it kicks off on Wednesday, September 18, at 8 PM on ABC.
Cover photo: Collage: Disney/John Fleenor