Devin Strader has revealed if he really would've quit The Bachelorette had Jenn Tran allowed her ex-boyfriend Matt Rossi to join her cast of bachelors in New Zealand.
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At the cocktail party in Auckland preceding the fifth Rose Ceremony of the season, Devin admitted to Grant Ellis, "If she does [let Matt join] I'm leaving," and he announced to the other guys, "If Jenn walks in here with this guy, this rose [on my chest] doesn't mean anything to me."
When asked if that's really how he felt during the August 8 episode of the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast, Devin replied, "Oh yeah."
Devin explained to Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt, "I think that was one of the moments where -- I like to say I think through a lot of the things that I'm going to say vs. just spewing them out, but that was just pure emotion for me."
Devin said he had "played ex games" before in his life and that's been "a theme" in his life.
"For me, in my mind, to have the strength to turn all that way -- I've turned a new chapter in my life and I'm putting it all out there for this woman that I want to see where it can go," Devin shared.
"We just had an amazing one-on-one date, and so it was personal for me, you know? Those feelings were personal. I had just told her I was falling for her. There were all of these new developing, budding emotions that I'm experiencing -- and then the hammer drops."
Devin vented about how he feared "some guy" from Jenn's past was going to show up and just "take her away."
"[I thought], 'That could be that!' Because I know how easy it can be to fall into that feeling of comfortability with an ex-partner."
However, Jenn rejected Matt and decided to send him home. Jenn explained to her bachelors how hearing an "I love you" from Matt felt like it was coming from the wrong person.
Although Jenn broke Matt's heart, the 28-year-old Boston-based beer salesman and content creator held his head up high and apologized to Jenn's group of men before leaving the show.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW"I did come here on my own volition, but she let me know her future is in this room," Matt explained in a soft voice.
"She feels confident that you guys can offer her something I can't, and I'm just here to apologize. I'm not here to take anything away from your experience. I wish you all the best, and I wish Jenn the best."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
Devin admitted he was "very happy" that Matt wasn't staying.
"I don't want to deal with that," Devin said, before joking about how he and enemy Sam McKinney actually bonded in that one brief moment over wanting Jenn's ex-boyfriend out of the picture.
"I think we had a conversation that was like, 'I know I hate you and you hate me, but we both hate this guy way more!' That was probably the only good moment we had."
Devin said it must have been hard for the collective to hear that a man from Jenn's past still loved her and wanted another chance.
"It was a very refreshing feeling to know that he was leaving, but not just because he was leaving, but because Jenn, it's like, I watched her grow in that moment," Devin recalled.
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Devin said to watch Jenn come to that epiphany on her own in an area he had personally struggled with before, it made him feel "that much more attached" to The Bachelorette star.
"I was like, 'Wow, everything I tried to do in the past and everything I had to do to get to [a better] place in my mind, you just did it right there!'" Devin gushed.
"And that was amazing to see, that she chose the uncomfortable moment vs. just the safe and reliable and 'what I know in the past' moment. It was, 'I know something better is out there, and I want to see where it goes.'"
Matt and Jenn had dated when they both lived in Boston prior to Jenn's move to Miami, FL, for PA school.
"He ended it," Jenn confirmed during a recent appearance on "The Viall Files."
Jenn shared while filming The Bachelorette in April that she and Matt -- who was a self-described "f-ckboy" when he and Jenn first dated -- had reconnected as friends and were hanging out platonically for a while.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
While Jenn had friend-zoned Matt, he told The Bachelorette cameras, "We were in love, and I think a part of us will always be in love, and for me, it's just never been so strong. I think me being here... [is] proving to her how much she means to me and how seriously I'm taking this."
Jenn admitted to Nick Viall on his podcast that she was "confused" by Matt's heartfelt speech because they were never in love, at least in her opinion.
Jenn was also a bit frustrated because Matt had "so many chances" to declare his love or make a move on her before she began her journey on The Bachelor franchise.
When Matt attempted to win Jenn back, he insisted that he was ready to get engaged.
Matt told Jenn that the previous three months felt "different" to him, adding, "I feel like we've been able to connect on a deeper level. You are one of the most important people in my life, and you know me better than anyone else in the world. I'm not ready to let it all go."
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"I did say it," Matt countered. "But I didn't say it as grandly as this, I guess. It's not the first time I've said this, and I really hope it's not the last: but I really do love you."
When Jenn and Matt reunited at the cocktail party, Jenn explained how Matt had touched her heart but she needed more of an explanation.
"It's now or never. You're leaving this thing engaged, and there's no flexibility there... Us coming back together, I saw things in you that made [my feelings] so deep," Matt explained to Jenn.
"When we were starting out, we were such different people and not the adults we are today... I hope you can see how much you mean to me. I'm just not ready to let it go."
Jenn told Matt that she really cared about him and they had fun together, but she clearly had faith in the relationships she was building on The Bachelorette.
Matt admittedly felt "a little defeated" by the rejection, and he said in his final words on the show, "I have to respect [how Jenn has changed]. At least we both get the closure we didn't get. It's just not what I hoped for."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
Click here to read episode-by-episode spoilers about how the rest of Jenn's The Bachelorette season unfolds, including who Jenn picks as her winner and runner-up.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
