Spoiler alert! This story contains spoilers for the July 15 episode of Jenn Tran’s episode of The Bachelorette. You can stream Season 21 episodes on Hulu — one of the best streaming services — if you’re not caught up.
Jenn Tran’s season of The Bachelorette wasted no time ramping up the drama, particularly with Devin Strader not seeing eye to eye with his castmates. But while the cold open of the July 15 episode teased the Houston, Texas, native involved in a shouting match with Thomas Nguyen, it was actually his conflict with Aaron Erb that had Bachelor Nation feeling like they’d been transported back to 2020. Aaron pulled a wild stunt against Devin that echoed an exact plotline from Tayshia Adams’ season involving his twin brother Noah Erb.
On Monday’s episode, Aaron Erb got extremely butthurt over Devin Strader pulling Jenn Tran aside during a group date to get some ice cream, which led to back-and-forth griping between the two men for the rest of the episode. During the cocktail party, Aaron asked to speak to Devin outside, and presented him with a gift — a book titled Principles for Self-Growth that he said he’d brought with him and had read a couple of times. Aaron told his adversary:
When I said I feel like you lack the depth to be with a girl like Jenn, I meant that out of a place of love.
Bachelor Nation didn’t miss a beat, instantly recalling Noah Erb’s feud with Harvard grad Bennett Jordan in Season 16, when Bennett gave Noah a condescending lecture about how he lacked three of the four facets of emotional intelligence, presenting him with a book in the exact same way.
Aaron Erb’s words even seemed to be a rewrite of what Bennett Jordan had told his brother, as a look back at that clip from The Bachelorette shows that Bennett told Noah Erb:
I’m not trying to belittle you. I’m literally trying to love you up.
Usually it’s really fun as a longtime fan to notice Easter eggs from previous seasons stuck into current episodes, but I have to say, this one is pretty annoying. The fact that it so obviously mirrors a situation from not that long ago with this dude’s brother just screams producer manipulation, and if you never questioned how fake reality TV is before, The Bachelorette just served up the proof on a silver platter.
Back in Season 16, Noah and Bennett’s rivalry ended in a 2-on-1 date, with Tayshia Adams eliminating Bennett and keeping Noah but refusing to reward his behavior with a rose. Will Jenn Tran’s season continue to follow suit and feature Aaron and Devin going head-to-head? Who will Jenn eliminate and who will she believe in this battle of he said/he said?
The Bachelorette may have left Los Angeles, but it looks like there are still rats on this season. Tune in for new episodes each Monday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, or streaming the next day with a Hulu subscription.
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