The Bachelorette viewers were forced to double take after spotting what appeared to be two rats upstaging Jenn Tran as she made history as the first Asian American lead on the hit dating show.
The shocking blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment took place as Jenn, 26, was introduced to bachelor Sam Nejad, who described himself as a 'love virgin,' during Monday night's season premiere.
'There's something about me that I would like for you to know. I'm a virgin,' the 25-year-old entrepreneur proclaimed, before adding: 'A love virgin. So, I've never been in love.'
But it wasn't just his words that needed clarifying after viewers were left questioning whether they witnessed two rats shooting across the set during the intimate exchange.
Baffled fans sort confirmation online, with one asking on X: 'Sorry but do two rats run across the background?'
The Bachelorette's Jenn Tran was upstaged by what appeared to be two rats in the season 21 premiere on Monday night
The 26-year-old singleton was meeting bachelor Sam Nejad, 25, for the first time when the vermin seemed to dart across the set
Replying to the post, one screamed: 'I SAW THIS I THOUGHT I WAS GOING CRAZY CUZ NO ONE ELSE WAS TALKING ABOUT IT ONLINE OMFG.'
Another wrote: 'Lived in LA long enough to say those were absolutely rats.'
One person also pointed out: 'Insane how they could have so easily chosen a different shot to avoid the audience seeing that like surely a choice was made to leave it in.'
Others were quick to make light of the vermin intruders, and joked: 'Did they sign waivers to be on TV?'
'No, those are called reality TV contestants,' another quipped.
DailyMail.com has contacted ABC for comment.
The new season of The Bachelorette was filmed at Hummingbird Nest Ranch in Santa Susana, California.
The villa is a sprawling 17,000 square foot Spanish colonial mansion with interior halls, dining room, bedrooms and exterior patios, hot tub, and circular driveway.
Viewers were completely distracted by the rats which appeared as the two greeted each other
Baffled fans sort confirmation online, with one asking on X: 'Sorry but do two rats run across the background?
Over the years, many celebrities have used the stunning location as their wedding venue, including High School Musical's Corbin Bleu and Sasha Clements in 2016.
Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and designer Melody Ehsani also tied the knot at the venue in 2019, while it served as the venue for Friends actress Bonnie Somerville and Dave McClain when they said 'I do' last year.
The Bachelorette's new season kicked off on July 8 with Jenn making her her hotly anticipated debut.
'I can't even believe that this is real,' she enthused in her confessional.
By the end of the episode, Jenn singled out contractor Sam McKinney, 27, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for the coveted First Impression rose.
Sam asked how she was feeling, and Jenn admitted that she was nervous.
'I don't know,' she said. 'I feel like there has been something there, and I can't stop thinking about you all night.
'And I don't always, you know, like, pick the right men, but there is something in my gut that's just telling me that, you know, there's something here, and I'm really excited about it.
'And I'm really excited to get to know you a lot more. And I can't stop thinking about you, so I'm excited about it. Um, so, Sam will you accept this rose?'
'Absolutely,' Sam said as he accepted the bellwether flower that typically signals an extended stay during the season.
The shocking blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment took place as Sam revealed to Jen that he was a 'love virgin'
In her confessional, Jenn said that Sam had an 'energy' that she was digging.
'This is it,' she said. 'This is the moment that I've kind of been waiting for all night, and I just feel like I want to kiss him. And so I'm gonna do it.'
'I acknowledge that going on The Bachelorette to find love is not the traditional way to find love, but I'm not really a traditional girl in the first place.'
The episode wasn't without its glitches, as swathes of viewers in Colorado complained of audio issues on several major streaming platforms, including YouTube TV, the ABC App, Fubo, and Hulu.
It was later confirmed that the audio outage was an isolated technical issue in one market.
