Jenn Tran, the 21st “Bachelorette” star, broke tradition on Monday night by only kissing one out of her 25 suitors during the Season 21 premiere.
The sole kiss of the night—a passionate, nearly minute-long makeout session as the sun came up outside the mansion—was reserved for her first-impression rose winner, Sam M.
“I’ve seen the show; I know how it works. I know people are making out left and right,” Jenn told USA TODAY before the premiere. “I really just wanted to stay true to who I am.”
The kiss concluded a night in which Jenn interacted with more than two dozen men eager to make an impression on the 26-year-old aspiring physician assistant. Various suitors tried to stand out, with one man, Grant, beatboxing; another, Brendan, eating a whole pepper; and a real estate investor named Jeremy showing off a sleek sports car—all in the name of love.
Jenn handled all these antics with ease, asking questions and expressing what she’s looking for in a “ferocious” love.
Jenn never saw herself as a main character, but now she’s the first Asian “Bachelorette.” She vowed, “I feel like I’m going to fall in love. I’m going to get engaged, and I’m going to do it my way.”
Previous “Bachelor” or “Bachelorette” leads typically kissed several contestants on the first night. However, Jenn chose not to follow this pattern. “(Sam M.) was my first kiss of the evening and the only kiss of night one,” Jenn explained. “I was conscious of the fact that when I enter relationships, it takes a lot for me to get to that level with the person. Kissing is such an intimate thing, and I needed that emotional connection before getting there.”
“It’s not that I didn’t want to kiss more people; I just knew it would take more than a simple ‘Hey, how are you? Let’s make out,’” she added with a laugh.
Jenn also noted that many contestants were eager to kiss her, but she chose to navigate those situations carefully. “A lot of the guys were taking my lead. There might have been a couple where I thought, ‘Oh, I don’t know,’ and I maneuvered around the moment.”
“It’s all in good fun,” she said, emphasizing the importance of not feeling pressured to do something you’re not ready for.
“As women, sometimes we feel like if someone leans in, we have to kiss them. But no, you have control over what you want to do, and it’s okay to just say no. It doesn’t mean that you hate them; it just means you’re not ready yet.”
Regarding her connection with Sam M., Jenn described having an “undeniable connection” with the 27-year-old contractor. Although she was also impressed by other contestants, she ultimately felt the strongest connection with Sam, leading her to award him the first-impression rose.
After Sam received the first rose, Jenn pinned roses to the lapels of 17 men, eliminating seven from the cast following an all-night shoot. “I was running on adrenaline the whole night,” she recalled. “I didn’t realize how tired I was until everything quieted down. By the time the sun was fully up after the rose ceremony, I knew I hadn’t slept all night and felt exhausted.”
The seven men eliminated on the first night were Matt, Brett, Kevin, Dakota, Ricky, Brendan, and Moze.