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Jenn Tran, a Vietnamese American graduate student studying to be a physician’s assistant, is calling the shots as 25 suitors compete for her attention and the final rose when premieres July 8. Tran will be familiar to viewers of the franchise The 26-year-old New Jersey native was first introduced in Joey Graziadei’s season earlier this year, making it to the final six before getting eliminated. She was officially during ’s “After the Final Rose” special on March 26.

At the time, Tran expressed excitement over her historic casting, saying she felt “so grateful and so honored to be the first Asian Bachelorette in this franchise,” and cited her desire “to see Asian representation on TV.” “Any time Asians were in the media it was to fill a supporting character role, to fulfill some sort of stereotype, and I always felt boxed in by that because I was like, I don’t see myself onscreen. I don’t see myself as a main character,” she said a sentiment she has since reiterated leading up to her season premiere.



But when the vying for Tran’s heart was unveiled on June 3, the lack of Asian men, especially those with similar cultural backgrounds, raised eyebrows among fans. Tran admitted her disappointment over the casting concerns, that it was “unfortunate that there weren’t a lot of Asian men this season,” further fueling allegations of the franchise’s tendency to put . Only one suitor, Thomas Nguyen, is identified as Asian American in his official bio .

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