‘Bachelorette’ fans criticize ABC for ‘cruel,’ ‘unnecessary’ finale after Jenn Tran was forced to watch marriage proposal to ex Devin Strader

Heartbreak is one thing, but having to analyze it on television for entertainment is quite another.

During the live final of September 3rd of The BacheloretteIt was revealed that lead actress Jenn Tran chose Devin Strader and — for the first time — proposed to him. Their happy ending was short-lived. Through tears, Tran informed viewers that Strader ended the engagement a month ago, during a 15-minute phone call, because “he regretted his engagement.”

Tran, the first Asian American Bachelorette, not only had to recap her still-fresh breakup for ABC’s cameras — alongside the man who broke her heart — but she also had to watch the proposal live on TV alongside him. The “historic” proposal was played back with a cut from the livestream of Tran crying, which fans of the show — and a former Bachelor — took to social media to call “cruel” and “unnecessary.”

What happened during the final?

Yes, it really was one of the most dramatic finales ever.

In Hawaii, Tran’s family members and a friend met her last two suitors. Strader showed up with gifts and statements about how much he loved Tran and had no doubts about their relationship and future. She said goodbye to suitor number two, Marcus Shoberg.

In a first for the series, the Bachelorette said she wanted to choose for herself, so she wanted to propose to Strader and pick out a ring for him. Before the proposal aired, host Jesse Palmer interrupted to say that Jenn needed to share what had happened since Hawaii.

In the live segment, Tran let her emotions run wild — there were sobs — as she recapitulated how Strader became emotionally distant after they got engaged. They planned a visit to reconnect, but he backed out at the last minute and called her to end the engagement over the phone. He said he regretted his engagement and wanted to move on.

Strader was brought out and Tran was forced to confront him about the mess, saying she didn’t want to do it publicly. He said that what he felt for her was real, but his feelings changed. (Here’s his whole thing.) Strader said he showed up for the live finale to make sure Tran was okay. She seemed hurt by the whole thing and barely looked at him, just wiping away tears.

While that sounds like a good ending for the production — the heartbreak was captured! — Palmer then told Tran that they would all watch the proposal together. She responded, “Do I have a choice?” and the answer was clearly no, because they were acting it out. But it did seem pretty mean to have a live camera trained on her to capture every tear and sob as the former couple watched it together.

How has the response been from Bachelor Nation and beyond?

Ben Higgins, who starred in The Bachelor from season 20 after appearing on The Bachelorettewrote on X, “Jenn should have stood up in the middle of her proposal and given everyone the peace sign. Walked out of that studio and never went back.”

He called it “absolutely cruel and unnecessary to make her watch that again. Can’t believe it.”

Former Bachelorette Rachel Recchia called for “justice for my girl.”

An account named Bach Rants asked, “WHY is the show making Jenn watch this proposal WHILE SHE IS SITTING NEXT TO DEVIN, this seems really cruel to me. This feels mean. We could have just as easily seen this happen if she wasn’t on stage. Why are the producers treating her like this?”

Fans took to X to complain about how unnecessarily exposed Tran was seemingly left alone for the ratings, especially after Bachelor Producers Claire Freeland and Bennett Graebner gave an interview about their attempt to better protect their leads of color after previous failures.

A spokesperson for the show did not respond to Yahoo Entertainment’s request for comment on the criticism of the finale.

This couldn’t have come at a worse time for the franchise

This season of The Bachelorette was groundbreaking because Tran was the first Asian American lead actor.

During the Television Critics Association winter press tour in February, the show’s executive producers spoke about their efforts to make the show more diverse, given the franchise’s history of racial issues.

However, there was immediate criticism this season for the near absence of Asian-American contestants on Tran’s season, with some contestants saying they applied with the expectation that the Bachelorette would be someone else. Tran herself said she wished there were more Asian men, calling the omission “unfortunate” in a July interview.

To right the wrong, producers announced in August that a new Black Bachelor, Grant Ellis, would be the lead of the next season. They also started casting earlier to recruit a better group of candidates.

In the finale, Tran’s proposal to Strader was supposed to be a moment of empowerment. She asked him, and made history. To then see it twisted so much — to have to watch it just to capture her emotional reaction — seemed like a cruel twist of fate.

There were calls on social media for the entire franchise to be canceled because of the way Tran was treated.

What’s next for Trans?

She appeared on Good morning America September 4 and said she was relieved it aired and the world now knows, giving her a “clean slate” to “move on with my life.” She said last night was the “closure I finally needed.”

Tran spoke about how Strader was a different person off-camera — something she realized almost immediately. She has no regrets about her proposal and hopes to find love again.

Part of the continuation will be Tran participating in the new season of ABC’s Dancing with the stars. That’s an ABC show too, so there was no criticism of it GMA of the way the final went.