After tying for fifth place on Joey Graziadei’s Bachelor journey, Jenn Tran is a surprising choice for the franchise after weeks of speculation that Maria Georgas and Daisy Kent were the front-runners, depending on how his season played out.
The final rose has been given out (well, not technically) and Joey Graziadei’s journey as The Bachelor is over. But as one journey ends, another is always ready to begin, with Jenn Tran announced as the incoming lead for The Bachelorette.
That moment didn’t come right away, though, as it appears Jenn may not have been producers’ first choice. For weeks, fans and the media have been speculating that firecracker contestant Maria Georgas or Daisy Kent were the likely frontrunners — with it all dependent on how Joey’s season played out as Daisy was one of his final two women.
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Well, on Monday night — **SPOILER ALERT** — Daisy figured out that it wasn’t going to be her and rather than be rejected, it was she who walked away from Joey, leaving him to the woman he was going to choose anyway, Kelsey Anderson.
As it turns out, Daisy wasn’t done walking away from things, either. Jesse Palmer brought her out and asked her if she was ready to take the lead of the franchise, and she basically shut it down.
“My life, the last year, has been crazy. I mean, yesterday, it’s weird, it was the one year of me getting my cochlear implant, which completely changed my life,” she said.
“Also, I went through this and as great of an experience it was, it was also really, really hard.” she continued. “I’m healthy and I’m happy. I haven’t had those two things in a really long time.”
“And so right now, I know it’s a time for me to focus on the things I love and the people I love. And so right now, no, I’m not ready,” she concluded. “And that’s okay. And I’m really proud of myself for realizing that.”
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And so, it was Tran who received the metaphorical baton from the previous Bachelorette, Charity Lawson.
“I can say that our next Bachelorette is someone who is intelligent,” Charity told the After the Final Rose crowd. “She’s witty, she’s fun, and she’s super kind. And personally, I want to see a lot more of her and I can only hope that out of this experience that she’s getting ready to embark on that she really does find true love.”
With that, Jenn hit the stage, admitting to being “overwhelmed” by the opportunity. As for what she’s looking for, Jenn said, “I’m looking for someone who has a big personality.” She also wants someone who can “take it as much as they can dish it.”
As for her breaking new ground in representation with her casting, Jenn said, “I feel so so grateful and so honored to be the first Asian Bachelorette in this franchise. Growing up, I always wanted to see Asian representation on TV.”
Saying she never saw herself as a “leading lady,” Jenn, whose mother came to America from Vietnam, now says, “I can’t help but think of how many people I’m inspiring and how many lives I can impact.”
Jenn’s journey to find love will air later this year.
