Filled with tears, accusations, and revelations,The BacheloretteSeason 21 finalewas as dramatic as ever! But of course, the biggest shock of them all was whenJenn Tranrevealed that she and the winner of the season,Devin Strader,had broken up shortly after filming wrapped. Now, viewers were left shocked because the duo had established a strong connection from the get-go. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that Strader was the right man for Tran. Considering that the other contestants onthe reality showwere seengetting into heated spats with Straderin almost every episode, one begins to retrospect ifthey were right to question his intentions from the onset of the show. What possibly worked in Strader’s favor is that he maintained his good-boy behavior in front of Tran, saying and doing all the right things, which led her to believe that the man was brimming with green flags.
The other contestants were always privy to his obnoxious outbursts, with Strader also garnering the special talent to spin narratives to work in his favor and make others look bad. Another fundamental reason Strader was problematic washis rigid personality of resistance to change. While unapologetically being oneself is commendable, pursuing a relationship requires flexibility to adapt and grow with one’s partner — a quality Strader desperately lacked. He also threatened to leave on multiple occasions. His immaturity also showed when Tran’s ex-boyfriend popped up and when she didn’t say “I Love You” back to him. However, both viewers and some participants did give Strader the benefit of the doubt that he was simply going after what he wanted. Unfortunately, events at the finale further cemented thatStrader was just really good at playing the game.
Devin Strader Was Almost Always at the Center of Drama
No season ofThe Bacheloretteis complete without at least one contestant accusing another of being on the show for “the wrong reasons.” Naturally, considering Devin Strader’s demeanor and rather big personality, it’s no surprise that multiple fellow contestants accused him of the same. While most of the fellow contestants didn’t appreciate Strader’s approach of stealingJenn Tranaway every chance he got, they chose togive him the benefit of the doubt of being a go-getter.
However, three contestants, in particular, had raging beef with Strader —Aaron Erb,Sam McKinney, andThomas Nguyen— which stirred up the most drama throughout the season. Erb was not amused whenStrader stole Tran away for one-on-one time while on a group date in Australia. This resulted in both men playing tug of war for the bachelorette’s attention. Aaron Erb even handed him a book on self-improvement,Principles for Self Growth,because of his lack of morals. Erb also left Tran with words of wisdom before self-eliminating himself, hinting that some guys were not here with the best intentions. In theMen Tell Allepisode, he later revealed that the men in question were Strader,Sam Nejad, andSpencer Conley.
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Nguyen and former season villain McKinney, too, couldn’t contain their disdain toward Strader. Nguyen had a full-fledged verbal showdown with Strader when the latter pulled Tran away during cocktail night despite promising the other guys they could go first. Nguyen felt that he was being extremely disrespectful to all the other contestants. McKinney and Nguyen also had a raging hate session wherethey called Strader a “bully” and an “ankle-biting dog"for his aggressive tactics to woo Tran. Ultimately, after the events of the finale, the three men had the last laugh as Strader turned out to be precisely the kind of guy they’d been insinuating he was all along. Erb and McKinney took to theirTikTokandInstagram, respectively, to comment on Strader’s behavior. Strader was the focal point of all the drama, butdue to his calculated tactic of playing the victim card, he got away scot-free in Tran’s eyes.
Devin Strader Got Cold Feet One Too Many Times
What’s incredibly interesting about Devin Strader’s approach toThe Bachelorettewas how many of his actions couldn’t be categorized as black or white. Especially in the times when he felt threatened by Jenn Tran’s other connections or felt himself lose the upper hand, he threatened to leave the show altogether. The first instance is whenTran’s ex,Matt Rossi, shows up unexpectedly, and Strader starts losing his cool.
The freight company owner swore toGrant Ellisat the cocktail party in Auckland thatif Tran let Rossi contest on the show, he would leave. Strader even proceeded to declare to the other men, “If Jenn walks in here with this guy, this rose on my chest doesn’t mean anything to me.” While this was interpreted as Strader being so smitten by Tran that he couldn’t stomach the thought of her returning to an ex, his post-show breakup justmakes a mockery out of this whole facade.
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The second instance when Strader contemplated leaving was after the Fantasy Suites. He was getting ridiculously insecure about Tran not immediately reciprocating his profession of love. He was also bothered that she was still exploring her connections withJonathon JohnsonandMarcus Shoberg. This portrayed a high level of immaturity andlack of awareness of the nature of the showhe had signed up to be on. This should’ve been the most significant indicator thatStrader was not ready for a big commitment like marriage. He seemed to want to dip the first chance he got without honest communication.
The Season’s Villain Was an Embodiment of Classic F-Boy Behavior
From love-bombing to manipulation,Strader pulled out every trick from the f-boy bibleto manipulate Tran into falling for him. Moreover, what’s infinitely amusing is that his demeanor couldn’t be classified as that of a player at first glance. It is after close inspection and spotting pattern behavior that the red flags start popping out, with fans terming him the worst winner ever, according toMonsters and Critics. While Strader was always a top contender from the get-go,his conversations with Jenn Tran got increasingly insincere. He was saying everything a girl would want to hear, but it became evident that he was just really good with his words becauseofhow aggressive his approach was.He was so forthcoming with his feelings, saying too many things too soon.
On the other hand, someone like runner-up Marcus Shoberg came across as genuine, as he wanted to take his time before making any proclamations. Even fellowThe BachelorettealumRachel Recchiadrew comparisons between Strader and her ex,Tino Franco. During the June 06, 2025, episode ofThe Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcastpodcast, Recchia stated howStrader gave her the “ick” with his overconfidence and winner mindset. Although she didn’t think any of the men stood out in particular, she made her stance on the freight company owner very clear, remarking, “I think there’s something about Devin that really throws up red flags for me because he reminds me a lot of Tino.”
The Revelations During ‘After the Final Rose’ Just Made Things Worse
Of course, Devin Strader broke things off with Jenn Tran in cardboard cut-out playboy fashion —over the phone after ghosting her for long periods. InAfter the Final Rose, Tran revealed that Strader had started to distance himself after the filming wrapped up. After leaving Hawaii happily engaged, Tran was hit with inconsistent communication, a lack of will to work on their relationship, and was left utterly confused. Strader, who was so quick to love-bomb Tran, suddenly proclaimed thathe no longer loved her.What’s more disturbing is that the corpse of their relationship hadn’t even begun to decay when Strader followedMaria Georgason Instagram — which Tran felt was disrespectful of him, as she exclusively toldPEOPLE. Georgas, from the last season ofThe Bachelor,was allegedly in the running to beThe BacheloretteSeason 21before Tran was announced as the lead.
Strader didn’t explain much and just offered a half-hearted apology. He pointed out thathe had doubts about their engagement and was “regretfully late”in sharing that information with her. Tran had also stated that it didn’t seem like the breakup had affected Strader, considering howhe’d been hitting the clubs with fellow contestant Jeremy Simonnot long after. While Strader and Tran were entranced by each other right from episode one, it’sclear as day that he was never the right choice for her. Strader played all his cards right while onThe Bachelorettewith his self-victimized manipulation, immense immaturity, and wolf in sheep’s clothing demeanor as one of the fewvillains to emerge winner of the show.
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The Bachelorette
A single bachelorette dates multiple men over several weeks, narrowing them down to hopefully find her true love.
