The Bachelorette bachelor Sam Nejad has applauded Devin Strader for supporting him and having his back during the "Thunder Down Under" group date in Australia.
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On The Bachelorette's latest episode that aired on July 22, Sam N. didn't feel comfortable stripping off his clothes and dancing for Jenn and a live audience during a group date in Melbourne, and so instead of "baring it all," Sam N. decided to "bare his soul."
Sam N. told Jenn that he was "already falling in love with" her, which prompted giggles and eye-rolls from Sam McKinney and Thomas Nguyen, who both thought the love profession was "premature" and "disrespectful" to the other guys on the date.
"I got laughed at," Sam N. told Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt on their podcast, adding, "I felt weak and spineless."
Sam N. admitted that growing up, he was "always the butt of the joke" or "the scapegoat," and so this awkward situation served as a bit of a flashback to those difficult days.
Sam N. noted, "I got in my head. They were judging me immediately... I knew they were making fun of me."
"I don't want to pinpoint or call anybody out because everyone is entitled to how they feel," he elaborated, "but I wanted to address it, like, 'If you have something to say, let's say it right here and right now.'"
Sam N. said he "didn't know how" to address the situation, but he realized he couldn't go on feeling so "pathetic" and silly.
"I felt so weak, but I was ready to take the punches at that moment," Sam N. shared. "I don't want to say I felt bullied, but I felt really uncomfortable."
Sam N. therefore announced to Jenn's cast of bachelors that he felt "embarrassed" and like a "fool" for what he had said. Sam N. was prepared to explain himself.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOWBut Devin interrupted Sam N. and insisted that the 25-year-old entrepreneur from Carlsbad, CA, shouldn't have to "backtrack" or apologize for anything he had said.
Devin made it known that Sam N. had every right to speak what was on his mind and heart at any time.
"Devin and I had a bromance, right? Devin and I kicked it off pretty well just because it's like The Hunger Games in there. There were different districts -- one district with a lot of people and many districts. And Devin and I were, like, our own little district," Sam N. explained.
"We were both here for the same reason, but we both were handling it in our own ways. And I respected Devin. It's just him."
Sam N. said Devin ultimately "stood up for" him and "there's nothing more to it than that."
When looking back at his speech onstage during the striptease date, Sam N. recalled blacking out in front of about 200 people.
"I didn't want to back out from the [stripping] date, because on the previous one, I just couldn't do it because of dairy... So I wanted to make it known, 'I'm here for her and I'm feeling the connection.' And I did it in a way that would best represent me," Sam N. explained.
"I really felt that spark with Jenn, and at the same time, Jenn validated me... She liked that, which meant the world to me because it shows her character and who she is as a person."
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Sam N. admitted he was "in the wrong headspace after that" and felt "terrible" about himself.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
"It was really awkward," he noted. "In this realm, every emotion is heightened... and the feelings I felt for Jenn were new feelings to me."
Sam N. previously shared on The Bachelorette how he's never been in love or in a serious relationship before, hence being called "the love virgin."
Sam N. said he was just trying to progress his relationship with Jenn and let her know that he was really starting to care for her.
Sam N. shared how he just wanted "peace" between cast members and for everything to "be okay."
"I wanted to focus on our main goal here, which was Jenn, but [Devin's announcement] just made it worse," Sam N. teased.
"It just made [the house] more divided. It's straight up Game of Thrones in there."
Once Devin stood up for Sam N., he preached about how Thomas and Sam M. were not showing others respect.
"You guys whisper too much. You guys are chatters. You say 'mutual respect,' but you don't believe that," Devin snapped.
"Do you think you've got respect for us? Yes or no? I can't talk to a clown like this," Sam M. griped.
"I've definitely tried to take the high approach with you, Sam," Devin replied.
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When Devin ended the conversation with murmuring "mutual respect," Thomas flipped out and called him "a child." Thomas complained about how Devin always needed to have the last word.
Sam M. proceeded to call Devin "a bully," and ABC poked fun at the suitor by writing in an onscreen graphic that Sam M. needed "to look up the definition of bully in a dictionary."
All of the drama, however, didn't really impact Jenn's elimination decisions in Melbourne, Australia. She gave Devin, Sam N., Sam M., and Thomas N. all roses at the third Rose Ceremony of The Bachelorette season.
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
