The Bachelorette host Jesse Palmer has reacted to Devin Strader unexpectedly crushing Jenn Tran's heart on the show.
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RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
Jenn said Devin broke up with her on the phone in August and then she woke up the next day to him "following girls" on Instagram, including fellow The Bachelor alum Maria Georgas, who had been in contention to star on Jenn's The Bachelorette season.
When Jesse, 45, found out Jenn would be announcing her split from Devin on After the Final Rose, the show's host told Entertainment Weekly he "felt a lot of emotions."
Jesse recalled feeling "sad," and he added, "I was heartbroken for Jenn."
Jesse told EW that he was definitely "confused" how Devin could have allegedly fallen out of love with Jenn so quickly when he was clearly completely smitten with her during filming.
"I never anticipated this happening considering everything that I saw happen between the two of them in Hawaii," Jesse admitted of Devin's seemingly sudden decision to end his engagement to Jenn.
Jesse pointed out how "people in the audience" were also shocked, just like viewers at home watching.
Devin explained on After the Final Rose how he had "failed" Jenn and couldn't live up to her expectations in the real world, but according to Jesse, Devin never really explained what went wrong.
"I still don't feel like Devin has ever said why things ended, or what changed," Jesse acknowledged.
Because of Devin's lack of explanation and behavior post-split, Jenn appeared totally distraught on the finale.
"We had never seen Jenn so emotional, and as difficult as that must have been for her to recount, she showed incredible strength and bravery," Jesse shared.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOWAnd to make matters worse, Jenn had to watch her engagement back on TV.
Jesse admitted it was tough watching the footage of Jenn propose marriage to Devin in Hawaii, especially since, by that point, the whole world knew that the couple was no longer together.
"As hard as it was to watch, I think we also saw an empowered woman, doing things on her terms," Jesse concluded.
"I couldn't be more excited for what's next for Jenn, and I know she's going to be great on Dancing with the Stars!"
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
Late last week, Jenn wrote on Instagram how she's in the "heavy grieving stage" of her breakup with Devin but she "will always root for him" in the future.
Jesse commented on Jenn's post, "You showed the world what a STRONG and POWERFUL woman looks like. Never afraid to speak your mind. Never afraid to go for what you want. Good things happen to good people! I can't wait to see what's next for you!!!"
What's next for Jenn is a stint on Dancing with the Stars' upcoming 33rd season. She'll be competing with her pro partner Sasha Farber when the reality competition premieres Tuesday, September 17 at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.
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"I did know that was going to happen. They walked me through the game plan and everything," Jenn revealed.
"I guess I just didn't know how heavy I would be feeling in the moment, just seeing [Devin] again and having that conversation that we had. It was a very hard thing to do to watch it back with him, but I also knew that it needed to be done."
Throughout the show, Devin seemed head over heels in love with Jenn. He had made bold love proclamations to Jenn and nearly quit The Bachelorette out of panic when he worried Jenn wasn't reciprocating his feelings.
Jenn also apparently wasn't surprised by how cold Devin seemed to be as she cried and poured her heart out in front of him because she said he had been acting casually for weeks and never gave her a genuine apology.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
At times, Devin laughed things off, such as when Jenn called him out for following fellow The Bachelor 28 alum Maria Georgas on Instagram after their breakup and going clubbing with Jeremy Simon instead of working on himself and being "so sad."
According to Jenn, after she and Devin got engaged in Hawaii, she was never his main priority.
Jenn questioned how Devin could go from not being able to live without her to treating her like she's "nothing."
Jenn told Jesse on After the Final Rose, "He said something felt off from the second he proposed and that he regretted getting engaged... He denied ever being in love."
When asked what changed, Jenn said on Good Morning America that she had no idea what caused Devin's sudden change of heart about their relationship.
"I was so happy and I was so ready to start our life together," Jenn shared.
"But I noticed his energy had shifted and his priorities shifted. He wasn't the same person he was on the show, off of the show."
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"I said, 'Maybe it's just the show. It's been a lot coming off the show,' so I gave grace with that. And I think over time, I realized his heart just wasn't in it anymore," Jenn recalled.
Devin didn't explain why exactly he had fallen out of love with Jenn and broken up with her, except for saying that he "fell short" of her expectations for him in the real world.
"I found myself not being able to live up to the things that you need and deserve," Devin acknowledged.
Devin said he watched Jenn grow leaps and bounds on the show, only to contribute to her "recession," which really hurt him at the end of the day. Devin suggested that Jenn was willing to compromise her standards to make him happy and he didn't want her to make those sacrifices for him.
"You have done nothing wrong," Devin said.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
