Suite Suite Fantasies: Season 21, Episode 7 & 8
Jenn’s in love (with the wrong man 🥴) plus the Men Tell All
Hello Bachelor Nation! The last two episodes were a hot mess and I fear Jenn was set up to fail. Let’s just get into it.
The episode starts on a dramatic note with cold open where Devin is seen crying to Jesse about how badly he wants to feel love and be the final choice while also seeming to talk himself into leaving out of fear of being let down and not chosen. Despite Devin’s self-centered ways, I can’t say I pictured him eliminating himself. It doesn’t track with his personality type. Unfortunately, we had to wait until last night to find out if he went home. I hate a cliffhanger in unscripted television 🙄.
Jenn is in Hawai’i which is (ideally) where she’ll be getting engaged. And she’s not alone, Molly Mesnick is with her to talk her through the importance of fantasy suites. I did not watch Jason Mesnick’s season, but I did watch portions of the final episode and know he chose one woman and then changed his mind and circled back to Molly. Seeing her twice in one season when we haven’t heard from her in years could be some foreshadowing of the choice Jenn might make.
Jenn shares who is left in her journey and Molly asks if she is ready for an engagement. Jenn responds, “I’m as ready as I’m gonna be” which lets me know that she has no business getting engaged and certainly not married.
When are we going to get a lead that says ‘fuck the rules’ and goes for the partner who they could see themselves building with? Because more than any recent season, Jenn and her men seem like they are not ready to commit to one person—which is not inherently a bad thing. The fact that none of them are admitting it (besides Marcus) is the issue. I know we like to say that people know what they signed up for when they come on the show, and I mostly agree with that. But when it comes to how you might feel if you make it to the final few contestants, how are you to know before you begin the process if you want to go all in should you be one of the last ones standing?
Flying High
When I realized Devin’s date was first, I immediately knew the waiting period after fantasy suites were going to fuck with him.
Apparently, Jenn is no longer afraid of heights because once again they are putting this woman on a helicopter to enjoy the scenes of Hawaii. Throughout the date, Jenn keeps saying that she wants to be in love with Devin and I just wanted to hug her and tell her that it’s ok to let that man go.
After their helicopter ride, they settle on a space on the beach and Devin doubles down on how he feels about her. He reminds her that this journey is easy because the travel is beautiful and the experiences are curated, but he’s most excited to integrate her into his life, building together, starting a family, and enjoying one another. He also says he knows he loves her because of how secure he feels with her. Which makes sense. I imagine someone with such a boisterous personality understands that he isn’t for everyone, so to have a woman like Jenn validate his personality is affirming and makes it easy for him to go all in with her.
It would be nice to hear at least one of these men say what they like about her though. Surely Devin doesn’t just love Jenn because of how she makes him feel. Right? 🙃
There is also a part of me that thinks Devin is saying I love you because he knows how this show works and wants to be the first to ‘mark his territory.’ I found Devin insisting that she say I love you back a bit possessive. Wouldn’t you rather your future wife say it when she’s ready and because she’s sure instead of throwing it back at you just because you said it?
Devin wastes no time getting to the point at dinner. He asks her what she means when she says she’s “looking for something to be wrong,” with their connection. Jenn explains that she’s so used to toxic relationships, that her past experiences feel standard and so she’s waiting for the shoe to drop, or for the bad thing to happen.
She asks him if he’s ready for an engagement. He says yes because of (again) how comfortable he feels around her. I do respect Jenn for being honest with producers (and therefore us) that she isn’t ready to say it to anyone yet, but when she knows, she won’t hold back.
The next morning, Jenn has on a face full of makeup pretending like she and Devin just woke up. Honestly, it looks like last night’s beat. If so, I see you girl 😏. Jenn makes a Pete Davidson joke that I can only assume referred to Devin’s penis size, so at least something went right.
Devin is still upset that even behind closed doors he didn’t hear I love you.
Best Friend Vibes (In A Good Way)
Jonathan is up next and is honest that he isn’t as close as he’d want to be to Jenn to be ready for an engagement, but he’s committed to letting his guard down a bit more to try and get there.
They explore the city, eating lots of sweet treats and eventually make their way to the end of a beautiful waterfall for a picnic and a swim. Every time we’ve seen Jenn and Jonathan in a one-on-one scenario, it has given boyfriend and girlfriend. Of all of the men this season they seem the most equally yolked. They also look damn good together.
The goal for the night is to be vulnerable. Jenn shares how growing up in a predominately white area made her ashamed of her Vietnamese culture. She wants to make sure that the man she ends up with understands that it’s important to raise her children to embrace all parts of them, including the fact that they’ll be part Vietnamese.
I love that she brought this up and that Jonathan was very receptive to what she was saying. But we always get this conversation when leads of color are talking to other contestants of color. I would love to see a lead of color talk to a white person about it. And less surface level than what we got with Charity and Joey last season.
Jonathan was understanding and related it to how his white mom raised him to be proud of his Blackness and the other parts of him. He expects to raise his future children similarly. They end the night choosing to go to the fantasy suites together.
The next morning is nothing to write home about, mostly because we’re dropped into a Devin spiral where he cannot get over the fact that he doesn’t seem to be Jenn’s number one. The gag is that none of these men are clear front runners, which to me is not a sign of good editing but rather points to the fact that none of these guys are probably end game for Jenn.
Unrequited Love 🫠
Marcus and Jesse are hitting a few gold balls chatting about the journey so far. Marcus acknowledges that Jenn is further along in her feelings for him than he is, but he knows it’s a big week and hopes to get there by the end of it. He also says he knows it wouldn’t be right to get down on one knee if he can’t get there. I agree, it seems most who come on this show do not understand that concept.
In preparing for her date with Marcus, she admits that she is in love with him. Absolutely did not see that coming.
They’re spending the day on a boat at sunset. The boat seems very rickety, but I’m sure the views are beautiful. As the sun is setting Jenn reveals what they’re really doing and that is going swimming with stingrays that glow underwater. It looked really cool! This was one of the few adventurous dates on this show that I could see myself doing.
Jenn has one thing on her mind for their dinner date, to tell Marcus she’s in love with him. It’s typical for us not to see all the little moments that lead a contestant or a lead to say they’re in love with a person, but this season we really haven’t seen it. I went into this week unsure who Jenn was feeling the most and who would be her final choice. I’m not sure I would’ve guessed Marcus. Sure they had a great first date, and he got a second one-on-one, but I felt like we saw her connect with other men deeper than she did with Marcus. Even she and Jonathan seem to have more chemistry.
Marcus reiterates how his upbringing in the foster system has made him want to be certain about the woman he gets down on one knee for. He is not certain about Jenn. He takes a long time to get to the point, but the takeaway is that he does not have those feelings for her (yet). He tells Jenn he is unsure about her and that she deserves someone sure about her. At this point, I was waiting for him to announce he was going home.
Jenn takes it well. She tells him not to apologize for being honest and saying what’s in his heart and she chooses to do the same. She tells him she’s in love with him, but when she does it, she seems so small and sad, likely because she knows she’s not going to hear it back. Guess now she knows how Devin feels.
Marcus continues to maintain that he isn’t in love with her yet, but feels like he can get there (now Marcus 😒). Y’all, what does this mean? Seriously. I understand when leads send someone home early on in the season and say “I don’t think we can get there,” but I don’t quite understand what it means this close to an engagement. What exactly changes (besides physical intimacy) in the final seven-ish days of this experience to help someone who isn’t there get there at the end?
Despite not reciprocating the feelings of love, Marcus still decides to go to the fantasy suite with Jenn. I was so upset for her. Don’t sit and try to convince this man to love you. Take what he’s saying at face value. This decision gave big “I can change his mind,” energy. I was yelling “Stand UP!” at my TV.
The next morning before parting ways, she encourages him not to get in his head too much. I’m sure he will anyway.
Jenn basically said that Marcus is her man and she gon’ stick beside him. Lol girl, I guess.
Devin Calls It Quits?
Before the rose ceremony, Devin meets with Jesse to talk through his feelings. He’s struggling because he’s “giving and giving and giving” and Jenn isn’t giving anything back.
Devin, please be serious. If Jenn’s 48 hours of not saying I love you too is making you feel like this, then you definitely do not need to be getting married. Cuz your wife—whether it’s Jenn or not—is not going to treat you like you make the sunrise every single day. And if you’re freaking out after a week of not getting the type of attention you want, then you won’t make it down the aisle anyway, so see yourself out.
I’m sure this experience is a pressure cooker and gets to many of the contestants, but I felt like Devin was not being fair to Jenn. It is completely valid that he wants to be chosen back, but is he feeling this way becuase he doesn’t think it’s him at the end, or is he actually upset she didn’t say I love you back? As if she isn’t in a process where she needs to be at least somewhat careful with other people’s hearts.
Night two and we’re back where we left off with Devin second-guessing his choice to share his feelings of love with Jenn. He says he feels like an option; because he is—there are still three men left, keep up dude.
He heads to Jenn’s room and she seems very excited and not at all thrown off to see him. Seems like she didn’t think it was going to be bad news at first. Devin says he’s doubting where Jenn’s head is at and he knows he should’ve brought it up in their Fantasy Suite, but he didn’t want to crowd her. He also says he’s “risked everything” for her and I would’ve loved for Jenn to respond “Like what?” because taking six weeks off from a company your family seemingly owns isn’t that big of a risk. You’re talking to a woman who was literally in school to save lives and put it on hold to find love.
Jenn starts speaking in a baby voice and tearing up. And for some reason, she tells Devin she loves him! WHY?! HOW!? Jonathan’s fine ass is right there!!! I know she doesn’t have access to the same information and allegations that we as viewers have about Marcus and Devin, but my goodness at the very least don’t choose the man who literally said he doesn’t and can’t love you back right now. How embarrassing.
I hope Devin is happy. He coerced an ‘I love you’ out of her.
And Then There Were Two
Before the ceremony begins, Jenn thanks the men for showing up for her and says that she has to make a nearly impossible decision. Devin gets the first rose and Marcus I-don’t-love-you-yet-and probably-won’t-be-ready-for-an-engagement gets the second, which means Jonathan is going home.
As Jonathan and Jenn prepare to say their goodbyes, he apologizes for being a slow burn with her. He describes an epiphany he had last night during his alone time and regrets it took that long for him to realize he’d like to spend more time with Jenn, potentially a lifetime. I believed him. Jonathan is one of those contestants who would fare much better in a longer process or a dating show where couples get more time together (Paradise 2025 perhaps 👀).
Men Tell All
After we watch Jonathan get sent home, I assumed he’d be first up in the hot seat with Jesse, but he gets about three words in, and then some night one man interrupts and Jesse begins peppering all the men with questions about the season.
The men are throwing some shade at Sam and Devin, and big boy Brett gets some love. More big boys (and girls, gays, theys) on our screens in 2025, please.
Sam—not Jonathan—is actually the first one to get a hot seat. We get a supercut of his time on the show and he did start strong, stronger than I remember. Unfortunately, he couldn’t ‘keep the main the main thing’ (Jenn) and crashed and burned quickly.
He maintains that he did feel very strongly for Jenn and loved her. The men held him accountable in a way that was respectful and honest. This segment felt much more constructive than the ones like it normally are. I still don’t believe a damn thing Sam said, but at least he owned *some* of his mess.
Next, is Jonathan’s hot seat. Nothing crazy was revealed, no real tears shed, just gratitude for the experience and an invite to Paradise! Jonathan agreed to at least another three-year contract with this raggedy ass franchise. More power to him. But also excited to see him clean up next summer on the beach.
Meet The Next Bachelor
After opening with a self-shot video of Grant telling his mom that he is the next Bachelor, we finally get a proper introduction to him. Jesse shares that since he’s been announced, 10,000 additional women have applied to be considered for his season. I believe it. He’s good-looking, has a good job, and appeared to have a sensitive side on Jenn’s season.
Grant says he’s looking for a kind soul, someone who is going to treat people well. So ABC, maybe do a better job of vetting the contestants this time around. We don’t need another contestant who enjoys going to antebellum parties in their free time.
Jesse asks him how he’s preparing for the Bachelor and while he admits that he is doing 100 push-ups a day, he also says that he’s working on his mental health, and his emotional intelligence so he can be the best he can for his lineup of women.
Jenn Gets Her Lick Back
Jenn is in the hot seat. We get the expected pleasantries and recap of the season and then she gets to address Sam. She calls him delusional, she says he lacked accountability and had his friends and family do his dirty work online throughout the season. She even backs up production on the edit saying everything she saw while watching the season back is exactly how she experienced it in the moment. Sam took it in stride, because what else was he going to do? If he chooses to trust production again, I’m sure they’ll welcome him to the beaches next summer with the promise of a redemption arc.
Then, we get a segment to address Jenn making history as the first Asian American Bachelorette. She talks about how Vietnamese culture is rooted in patriarchy, and how Asian women are often portrayed as sidekicks, nerds, or punchlines. She’s proud of the sense of belonging and pride that has been created amongst the Asian fans of the franchise.
Before the night ends, Hakeem gets the second invite to Paradise next season and we get a sneak peek of the finale. Jenn is in love with both of her final men, but her family is not convinced.
I think she decides Marcus is her final choice, but doesn’t let him propose because of his uncertainties. I also think instead of making Devin walk down a long path only to get rejected, that she meets with him before to tell him it’s not him. What do y’all think?
We’ll find out in less than a week! Thanks for rocking with me this season.
Great recap. I haven’t watched these episodes yet because I have to drag myself to do it (they’ve been so boring) ooh wee. Thanks for your service.🫡