Bachelorette Jenn Tran says she had 'no idea the boys were being so catty'

The star of 'The Bachelorette' shares her thoughts with EW on Sam M., Aaron, and why she's not a fan of the #huju.

Jenn Tran, the 26-year-old star of the current season of ABC's The Bachelorette, saw all the drama between the guys — specifically Aaron vs. Devin, Sam N. vs. Thomas, and Sam M. vs. everybody — the way the rest of us did: On her TV screen.

Sure, she was there, but as Jenn tells Entertainment Weekly, the men made sure to keep her in the dark about all their toxic behavior and bad blood. "I just had no idea there was so much conflict in the house and that the boys were being so catty," she says. "It’s crazy that so much was kept from me."

Anyone who saw tonight's Men Tell All reunion knows that Jenn had more than a few choice words for Sam M. "If you don't take a step back and... take accountability for your actions and grow and learn, then I feel very, very sorry for whoever you end up with," she told him. (Rose lovers, it was glorious.)

In a post-Men Tell All interview with EW, Jenn talks about why she gave Sam M. the benefit of the doubt for so long, reveals which other guy she thinks wasn't there for the Right Reasons™, and explains why she's not a big fan of the Bachelor Nation tradition known as the #huju.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Who were you most excited to see and most nervous to see at the Men Tell All reunion?

JENN TRAN: Oh, gosh. I don't know. I honestly was so excited to see all of them. I wanted to just catch up with everybody. I really felt like I was in a fraternity, but weirdly dating all of them at the same time when I was going through it. [Laughs] So it was nice to kind of catch up with all of them. I went around and gave everybody a hug, checked in on them. I was excited to have this reunion.

Who do you think had the best glow-up?

Grant has this Bachelor glow-up right now, I think. He’s got some new swag to him.

Related: Grant Ellis named the new Bachelor moments after his Bachelorette elimination

The Men Tell All reunion really focuses on the drama of the season, a lot of which you probably weren't privy to until you watched it back. When you watched it back, what surprised you the most?

All of it! I just had no idea there was so much conflict in the house and that the boys were being so catty. I had no idea that Sam M. was actually [the cause of] a lot of conflict as well. I had no idea that Sam M. and Devin hated each other. I literally had no idea until I watched it back. It’s crazy that so much was kept from me, but it was also good that I wasn't a part of any of that and none of it skewed any of my decisions — but it was very cool to watch it back.

I was happy that they kept it from me in a way, because every decision that I made was my own. It wasn't, somebody told me something, or he said, she said. It’s nice that I made my own decisions and watching it back, I was proud of every decision I made.

You have said that you started to see “red flags” with Sam M. pretty early on. After watching it back, why do you think you gave him the benefit of the doubt for as long as you did?

A large part of that was because I didn't see him interact with the guys. I had no idea that the guys didn't like him. I had no idea that he was stirring up so much trouble in the house and the way that he was acting towards everybody. For me, all I had was my own instincts, and our very first conversation was so great, so genuine, so sincere. I didn't know that he [had] this other side to him, but I did figure it out for myself that, you know what? This guy doesn't have that much substance going on in terms of our relationship. I was happy that I got to make that decision for myself. But yeah, there were definitely some red flags popped up along the way, and had I known the way he was acting in the house and just being disrespectful, he would've gotten the boot even earlier.

I mean, I was one of many screaming at my TV on the bungee jump date when he told the waiter you were going to jump even though you JUST SAID you didn’t want to.

Yeah, it’s tough. I always want to assume the best in people and not the worst. I had to figure it out for myself, which I'm happy that I did.

One last question about the drama: What was your reaction to seeing Aaron give Devin the self-help book?

[Rolls eyes] Oh yeah. Where was that coming from? Listen, I have my own opinions about the way in which he left. I didn't love that he stirred up some drama for me, but then watching it back and seeing him give a book to Devin, something that I had learned that also happened to his brother on this show — it was kind of like, why are you doing that? It doesn't seem like you're here for the right reasons. You're maybe here to stir up some trouble as well. It was so disappointing to see.

Have you heard of what Bachelor Nation calls the #huju, which is the “hug jump” that we often see on hometown dates and other one-on-ones?

Yes.

Your #huju count is impressively low for a Bachelorette, which I respect. I assume that was not due to lack of trying from the producers.

Listen, I'm not a girl that likes to be picked up. [Laughs] I’m very well aware that #hujus are a huge part of this whole experience, but I'm not a woman that likes to be carried. But I tried. I tried, okay? And I think at hometowns, I really got it in me to give it a shot — and I don't think I liked it. [Laughs]

What’s the nicest thing you've read about yourself online?

So many nice things. With those vulnerable episodes that I had, just showcasing more of who I am, the relationships I've been through, the way I've grown up, my deepest insecurities — those are things I don't talk about with my friends or family very often, if ever. So to be able to do it in this environment and to have to showcase to the world and then have so many supportive people just messaging me, being like, “You really opened my eyes to this,” and, “I feel this way too,” and, “I admire your bravery” — those kinds of messages are the ones that make me feel really happy and really supported. Everybody goes through all those emotions that they just shy away from showing it. And to be able to make somebody feel less alone in their insecurities, that makes me so happy.

Related: All the Bachelor Nation couples who are still together

During the discussion about you being the first-ever Asian Bachelorette, you talked about having tough conversations with your mom about doing the show, because it’s a non-traditional role. Would you tell us more about those conversations and how you and your mom came to an understanding about why this was right for you?

Absolutely. It was definitely tough to tell her I was going to take on this role as the Bachelorette, because she is very, very traditional Vietnamese. And to date somebody on TV and to have people see your intimate moments, and to date multiple guys at a time, that's just not something that is explored in Vietnamese culture, ever. So we have had many, many hard conversations about the kissing, the PDA, all that stuff. It's not commonly accepted to see all of that. My mom and I have hard conversations every day about this is who I am, and this is how I view dating, and this is a unique experience in which I have to follow my heart — and she loves me and supports me. That doesn't mean that we don't have hard conversations, but at the end of the day, she is still my biggest fan.

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You had a great wardrobe this season. Do you have a favorite look from the season?

Yes. It was when I had canceled a cocktail party, I think going into the hometowns week, and it was my purple dress. It was a little sheer, and very sexy. I loved that dress so, so much. And it was funny because I canceled the cocktail party, so the boys were very upset that they didn't get to talk to me in the dress. They were like, “You're going to cancel the cocktail party and you look like that?” [Laughs]

Such a power move.

It really was. So I loved that dress.

Was there a moment that you were sure was going to make the bloopers but didn't?

So many! There are so many funny, funny moments that happened. There was a date in which I think Devin and I had, on our cultural date in New Zealand where we were sitting down and having food at the end of that cultural date with the Maori people. It was just the two of us after that. And all of a sudden, a dog runs into the scene, and we were like, “Is this a paid actor?” [Laughs] It just felt so like, “Oh wow, what a cute moment.” And another dog comes in and another dog. We were near a dog park, and they were attracted to the food, but it was so funny. We were like, is this planned?

Of the bloopers they did show, which one made you cringe the most?

Jonathon and I stomping in the grapes when I had a blister. What they didn't show actually was that he ate a grape from that barrel after he knew [the bandage came off] my blister. All the blister juices were in the grapes, and he ate one!

Both Jonathon and Hakeem got invites to Paradise — but what did you think of the show torturing poor Hakeem again with that giant spider?

I felt so bad! I just wanted to run over there and hold his hand, poor guy. But you know what? He did so well, and he is so brave and he's so funny, and I'm so happy that he got an invite to Paradise. He's going to do so well and have so many great moments.

Now that Grant is the new Bachelor, he’ll need some advice. What is something that you wish somebody had told you before you signed on as the Bachelorette?

I wish somebody had told me that there are no rules. You can literally do anything you want. I wish somebody told me that, because you could have asked for anything, you could have done anything, you could have said anything. I wanted to push my boundaries more, maybe.

Related: The Gold and the Beautiful: Joan Vassos has her pick of men on The Golden Bachelorette

Finally, when I spoke to Joan about The Golden Bachelorette, she said that she got to speak to you before she started filming. What can you tell us about that conversation?

I loved being able to speak with Joan, and I was also kind of like, “What advice can I give to you?” She’s someone who has been through so much in her life already, and she’s way wiser than I am. But all I said was this experience is very unique, and to keep her options open and to keep her mind open. I felt like I was surprised every week being with these guys. Just when I thought somebody wasn't really piquing my interest, the next week they did. So all I said was to keep an open mind and allow yourself to be surprised.

The Bachelorette finale airs Tuesday, Sept. 3, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.