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The Bachelorette Season 21 cast
The Bachelorette Season 21 cast
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Culture > Entertainment

[SPOILER] Got ‘Bachelorette’ Jenn Tran’s First Impression Rose & The Internet Has… Thoughts

Amanda Brown

On July 8, Bachelorette Jenn Trann began her journey to find love, meeting 25 men who all want to steal her heart. Tran was originally on Joey Graziadei’s season of The Bachelor, but was eliminated right before hometowns. In spite of her elimination, she didn’t let that experience to stop her from finding love. As suitors made their first impressions on Night 1 of Jenn’s season, many were unique, to say the least. But only one earned the most sought-after prize of the night: the first impression rose. Spoiler Warning: Spoilers for Season 21 of The Bachelorette follow.

There were many iconic entrances of the night. One contestant, Jonathon, entered on a stretcher with bandages wrapped around his face while rocking a hospital gown. His diagnosis? Lovesickness. Another entered with an armful of puppies and one guy even ate a hot pepper. The most notable entrance, however, was Hakeem, who swore to always “uplift” Tran after entering with a backpack of balloons, inspired by the movie Up. Needless to say, these first impressions were unforgettable. 

So which man was Tran left thinking about even after greeting all of her suiters? That would be Sam M., a 27-year-old contractor from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina who stole Tran’s heart with his Southern charm alone. After Tran and Sam M. had a chat that night, Tran said that they had an “undeniable connection” that ultimately led to their first kiss — on the cheek. Tran reflected on the first kiss, saying, “That first kiss is so important. I want to get to know their hearts before I take that step.” 

Of course, fans immediately took to social media to share their thoughts on Sam M. earning Jenn’s first impression rose. Many had a great feeling about Sam M. right off the bat.

Some are even saying he gives off the same energy as Tyler Cameron from Hannah Brown’s Bachelorette season.

However, some people aren’t really vibing with Sam M. and think it’s only a matter of time before his true colors show.

Despite how fans feel about Sam M., he definitely has a strong connection with Jenn given that he was also her first (and only) kiss of the night.

During the episode, she described kissing as “one of the most intimate things you can do with somebody.” When noticing how she only kissed one man that night and the general expectation of kissing on the show, she said, “I was conscious of it, but I didn’t go into it with a quota… I really just followed my gut the whole night.”

Tran reflected on her connection with Sam M. and how she made that decision. “I really just kept thinking back to someone who was going to make me feel comfortable and someone who I thought conversation was really easy with,” Tran said. “The whole night, I just kept thinking back to Sam and [thinking] there’s definitely potential here.” Love at first (impression) rose!

I know I’ll be tuning in next Monday to see how Tran’s love story will unfold, especially how her connection with Sam M. will blossom. After all, any fan of The Bachelor knows how important first impression roses have proved to be in the franchise! 

Amanda Brown is a current national writer for Her Campus, focusing largely on the Entertainment & Culture vertical. She was formerly the Summer 2024 Entertainment & Culture intern, writing about all things pop culture! Beyond Her Campus, Amanda is a sophomore Writing and Rhetoric major with an Honors Interdisciplinary Studies minor at James Madison University. Amanda is the Founder/President/Editorial Director of JMU's Spoon University chapter and the Junior Social Media Manager of JMU's Her Campus chapter. She is also a member of Gamma Phi Beta. In her free time, Amanda loves binge-watching reality TV (especially while drinking iced lattes) and going on long walks (ideally using it as a yap session or listening to music). Amanda loves reading romance novels while listening to Taylor Swift and Gracie Abrams.