Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Bachelorette: Season 21’ on ABC, Where Jenn Tran Takes Center Stage To Hand Out Roses

It’s not new news that the Bachelor franchise is not exactly the most diverse one around. There have only been a handful of Black leads and Season 21 is the first time an Asian woman will head the franchise. Jenn Tran hails from Joey Graziadei’s Bachelor season where her bubbly attitude and penchant for shots won her a large fanbase. How will her own season fare?

THE BACHELORETTE – SEASON 21: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: After teasing the drama from the upcoming season, we’re introduced to Jenn Tran and her hometown of Boston. She struts through town, plays basketball, lacrosse, and tennis, and reminds us that she’s not “a traditional girl.”

The Gist: One of the OG dating shows, The Bachelorette follows one woman’s quest for love. Jenn Tran, this season’s titular Bachelorette, will meet, flirt, and date over 20 men who are all vying for a shot at her heart. Every week through various games and inter-personal challenges, the men will compete for one-on-one dates and a rose at the end of each episode. Those who don’t receive one will go home until there is only one challenger left standing—Jenn’s future husband.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? The Bachelor franchise is a unique proposition as one of the first dating shows of its kind. Now, the reality TV landscape is littered with copycats so you can try your hand at anything from its own spin-offs like Bachelor in Paradise to other series like the short-lived FBoy Island. If you’re looking for a scripted comp, try UnReal, which was created by former Bachelor producers and gives a peek behind the curtain of the reality show.

Our Take: Any season in the Bachelor franchise hinges on two things: the strength of the lead (in terms of likability, point of view, and drama), and the variety of characters there to find love. While most stars of the show had made an appearance as a contestant previously, their job is to make new audiences fall in love with their charm, wit, and attitude.

I didn’t watch the Bachelor season that Jenn competed on, so my only education about her during the premiere was via the snippets of her life that were shared on screen. She’s an athlete, a party girl, and close with her family—all respectable and endearing aspects from a lead.

There’s also the fact that she’s the first Asian woman to lead the franchise, a moment that the producers make sure to mention a few times. But thankfully, Jenn is mostly allowed to be herself without the burden of representation hanging over her head. She’s culturally in touch with her Vietnamese heritage, but it’s not the entirety of who she is—as it should be.

It’s only after this is established that we’re able to get into the real Jenn, including all of her insecurities. Jenn is a familiar character: a girl who seems to have it all, but has been plagued by horrible dating experiences that have caused her to put a wall up. I get it; I’ve been there. I admire her openness but it also makes me wonder whether she’s truly ready for this next step (the franchise should require past scorned contestants going to therapy to make sure they’ve worked through their trauma, but I digress).

A season of The Bachelorette is also only as good as the people who come to play, and this year has some fun standouts already. I’m partial to Jonathan’s truly weird entrance on a stretcher and his commitment to the bit; I liked Thomas who seemed like a down-to-earth competitor; Grant and Jahaan are hot and Devin is loud, but in a fun way. I admired that this was one of the most diverse casts I’ve seen on this show, and there were even a few non-traditional bodies on the show, though they didn’t make it past the rose ceremony (let’s try it again on the next season of The Bachelor, ABC).

For now, the producers are having fun: there’s a funny edit of multiple men hoping that referencing Jenn’s line “shot o’clock” is unique and memorable, and a very brief peek at a truth-or-dare game that was reportedly more controversial than depicted. But the season also teases tons of drama, some of it traumatic in the form of Jenn’s past lover reappearing and asking to compete. I hope they take care of Jenn through what is inarguably a tumultuous process, as that’s the true test of whether or not this show is successful. After all, Rachel Lindsay taught us all that there is more than meets the eye on this franchise, especially for leads of color.

Sex and Skin: It’s a dating show, so there’s obvious flirtations and suggestive moments, but the first episode doesn’t get too racy.

Parting Shot: After Jenn and the men fortunate enough to receive roses clink glasses and cheers to their next destination, Australia, the show teases an upcoming season full of what else? Drama. The guys in the house gossip behind each others’ backs, Jenn worries about her history of toxic relationships, and a man from her past comes back and decides to join the house for a shot at her heart.

Sleeper Star: In a show like this, standing out is the only secret to success and in my opinion, no one did it better than Jonathan. After showing up on a stretcher with a “lovesick” diagnosis, he committed to the bit and kept his hospital gown and head bandages on until getting one-on-one time with Jenn. It was risky, but paid off with his charm (and his cheeks).

Most Pilot-y Line: “This is the beginning of me finding my husband…this is the beginning of the rest of my life,” Tran says optimistically in a voiceover. Only eight couples out of 40 seasons of both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette have stayed together, so we’re praying for you, girl.

Our Call: STREAM IT. If you’re into dating shows, throw your support behind the franchise’s first Asian bachelorette.

Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed writer based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared on Vulture, Teen Vogue, ELLE.com, and more. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.