During the “After The Final Rose” segment of The Bachelor season 28 finale on March 25, Jenn Tran was announced as the next Bachelorette, shocking those advocating for either Daisy Kent or Maria Georgas to be the leading lady.
“I think what I’ve been trying to tell myself, you know, first Asian Bachelorette, first PA student, we’re really breaking the mold this season,” Jenn told Denny Directo at Entertainment Tonight, before delving into the details of how her season of The Bachelorette is already different from past seasons of the beloved competition series before it has even begun.
1. Jenn is the first Asian American to be the Bachelorette
With 20 seasons of The Bachelorette and 28 seasons of The Bachelor having come and gone, Jenn Tran will serve as the first Asian American lead in the entirety of the franchise, despite efforts to make John Buresh the Bachelor last season, a piece of history that she is extremely proud to be a part of.
Taking to Instagram the day after the oh-so-exciting announcement, the New Jersey native shared just how special this stint is to her, as well as any girl out there looking for a piece of themselves in their favorite television shows:
“FIRST ASIAN BACHELORETTE?! You have no idea how much this moment means to me. Growing up I never got to see anyone who looked like me lead their own love story on TV. To be able to inspire a generation of people to be proud of their culture is something I’m so grateful for. This opportunity to find love as the Bachelorette is so much bigger than myself and I am embracing that whole heartedly.”
Will Jenn’s presence pave the way for future Bachelor and Bachelorette leads from diverse backgrounds? We’ll just have to wait and see…
2. Jenn is the first PA student to be the Bachelorette
Aside from serving as the first Asian American Bachelorette, Jenn is also the first PA student to put her schooling on pause to serve as the Bachelorette, a career path that she is extremely passionate about and has been extremely vocal about via social media.
For those who are unfamiliar, PA school is short for physician assistant school, a two to three-year program that consists of “a mix of coursework in the medical sciences, including class time in a lab and rotations in a range of clinical settings.”
In a TikTok video, Jenn explained how she went on The Bachelor as a PA student, something that is seemingly continuing during her stint as the Bachelorette as well:
“You guys have been asking about it, so let’s talk about how I went on The Bachelor as a PA student. First and foremost, no, I did not drop out of school. I’ve been seeing those comments saying, ‘I can’t believe she’s dropped out of school to go on the show,’ and I can confirm that I did not do that.”
She continued passionately:
“The starting factor for me putting my career on hold was ultimately Joey, honestly. I was terrified when I found out it was Joey because I realized that it was all becoming real and that I needed to ask for permission from my school to do the show. I didn’t know how my PA school was going to look at me… The concept of putting your life on hold to go and find love is absolutely crazy, but that’s just the kind of person I am. I want to be able to say yes to everything and not have any regrets.”
After chatting with her academic advisor, the pair decided to put two rotations on hold and have Jenn repeat them after her advanced didactic year, something that would allow her to walk at graduation alongside the rest of her classmates. Now, taking off even more time to serve as the Bachelorette, who knows what her future has in store!
3. Jenn will not start her season at the typical Bachelor Mansion
Ever since season 1 of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, the hit competition show has started at the legendary Bachelor Mansion (except for the seasons that took place during the COVID-19 pandemic).
This season, for reasons that are yet to be revealed, Jenn will meet her men at Hummingbird Nest Ranch in Santa Susana, California instead, promising Entertainment Tonight that she will “bless it with some really good vibes” regardless of it being a brand new Bachelorette pad.
4. The first two stops of Jenn’s season of The Bachelorette are in New Zealand and Australia
While the limo entrances will occur at this brand new Bachelor Mansion, it looks like Jenn and her men will hit the road almost instantaneously, with Reality Steve revealing that they will be heading to New Zealand and then Australia (or vice versa) on day two of the beloved competition series:
“They are only filming at the mansion for limo entrances, then instead of moving into the mansion the next day, the immediately begin travel overseas… Their first two stops are in New Zealand and Australia. Not sure which city is first, but those are the first two stops.”
5. Filming for Jenn’s season of The Bachelorette began one day after Joey’s season of The Bachelor came to a close
Also according to Reality Steve, filming began on March 26, just one day after Jenn was announced as the leading lady during the “After The Final Rose” segment of The Bachelor season 28 finale:
“The latest I’m hearing on The Bachelorette is that filming starts tonight (March 26). Seems quick, so maybe it’s off by a day or maybe two, but filming definitely begins this week, which is the norm. It always starts filming the week The Bachelor ends airing, so be ready for that. The turnaround time of the next day would be a first, but that’s the latest I’ve heard.”
For even more updates regarding Jenn’s season of The Bachelorette, it is safe to say that we will be checking Reality Steve’s social media profiles every day for all of the details in real time. The season is already gearing up to be nothing short of spectacular!
