The Bachelorette alum Rachel Recchia has revealed that one of Jenn Tran's polarizing frontrunners, Devin Strader, reminds her of her ex-fiance Tino Franco.
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While recapping The Bachelorette's third episode that aired on July 22, Rachel admitted, "My first little note, I just wrote, '[Thomas Nguyen] and Devin are giving me the ick.'"
"I, last episode, was not a fan of either of them," Rachel continued.
"But I think there's something about Devin that really throws up red flags for me because he reminds me a lot of Tino and this, like, winner mindset and this, 'That's my wife.' Like, this is Week 2! It's giving the same sort of vibe for me."
Rachel -- who was filling in for Ben's co-host Ashley Iaconetti -- had given her First Impression Rose as well as her final rose to Tino on The Bachelorette's nineteenth season, which aired in Summer 2022.
It was apparent Rachel and Tino had a strong connection from the start, and Tino sailed through the competition with the utmost confidence in himself and his relationship with The Bachelorette star.
Tino proposed marriage to Rachel during her season finale and they got engaged, but he cheated on the flight instructor before After the Final Rose aired, resulting in a tense and emotional breakup.
For Devin's part, he has been dubbed selfish and arrogant on Jenn's The Bachelorette season, but he won't apologize for his aggressive tactics.
Devin hasn't been afraid to speak his mind or steal alone time with Jenn during group dates, and he also scored a group-date rose in Episode 3.
Rachel said she believes Devin's self-confidence is "what's really getting under the guys' skin," and she added, "I think, at this point, I'm over both Thomas and Devin."
Thomas memorably scolded and lashed out at Devin for stealing Jenn first at a cocktail party in Melbourne when more than a handful of men had a group date cut short and were hoping to make up some time with The Bachelorette star.
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Thomas and Sam McKinney, in particular, have teamed up against Devin on the show. The pals were shown trashing Devin behind his back on the latest The Bachelorette episode, with Thomas venting "f-ck Devin" and Sam M. calling the controversial bachelor "an ankle-biting dog."
Rachel pointed out that, from a viewer's perspective, it's clear the majority of Jenn's bachelors don't like Devin.
"So, that's where it gives me pause... I feel like Thomas is definitely the issue and he was the issue in that argument, but I look around to the guys and [question], 'Why do they all kind of not like Devin?'" Rachel said.
"That says something to me. I want the guy I end up with to get along with people."
While Rachel and Ben aren't big fans of Devin, they admitted that they'd be "Team Devin" before ever siding with "Team Thomas."
Rachel and Ben also agreed that Devin slightly redeemed himself in Episode 3 by standing up for his self-declared "little brother," Sam Nejad, whom Sam M. and Thomas had mocked and criticized for telling Jenn so early in the process that he was starting to fall in love with her.
"Devin did step up a little bit in this episode when he was standing up for [Sam N.]. I was like, 'He really stood up for him.' And he was like, 'You're allowed to have those feelings.' So, that was really nice for me," Rachel stated.
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"Devin has twisted Jenn into his little web of lies," Thomas says in one clip, as Devin is shown romancing Jenn and later arguing with the men.
Rachel and Ben therefore predicted that Devin and Thomas will be eliminated "mid-season," before the Final 4 men's hometown dates.
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Rachel said, by that point, Devin and Thomas will probably "secure their place on the beach" for Bachelor in Paradise's upcoming tenth season. (ABC renewed Bachelor in Paradise earlier this month, and the show's tenth season will air in 2025.)
"I can't wait!" Rachel gushed.
Rachel just appeared on last summer's edition of Bachelor in Paradise.
Rachel briefly dated Sean McLaughlin, Tanner Courtad, Jordan Vandergriff, and Brayden Bowers, but she left Paradise alone and single.
Considering he and Rachel had a difficult and highly-publicized split, Tino had given Rachel props for putting her heart on the line again with a Paradise appearance.
"One thing, I think -- whether you like her or dislike her -- you've got to give her credit for is there's no quit in her," Tino said during an August 2023 episode of The Bachelor alum Courtney Robertson's "After Reality" podcast.
Tino then threw shade at Rachel by saying, "I'll be watching, but, you know, I'll be focusing on and rooting for the boys [from my season]."
Rachel subsequently fired back at Tino's comments on "The Viall Files" podcast.
"I just don't understand, why am I not allowed to move on?" Rachel said during a September 2023 episode of former The Bachelor star Nick Viall's podcast.
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RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
Click here to read episode-by-episode spoilers about how 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
