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The Bachelorette wastes our time with Jenn Tran's ex-boyfriend Matt

If you were waiting for Matt to make a splash on Jenn Tran's season of The Bachelorette, be prepared for him to be the equivalent of a footnote.

By Sabrina Reed

THE BACHELORETTE - 2105 - After an unexpected visit from her past, Jenn has a big decision to make. As connections deepen, Jenn and her men take to the countryside for a week exploring New Zealand's fruits and fauna before more shocking news leaves her questioning everything. MONDAY, AUG. 5 (8:00-10:01 p.m. EDT) on ABC. (DISNEY/John Fleenor) JENN TRAN
THE BACHELORETTE - 2105 - After an unexpected visit from her past, Jenn has a big decision to make. As connections deepen, Jenn and her men take to the countryside for a week exploring New Zealand's fruits and fauna before more shocking news leaves her questioning everything. MONDAY, AUG. 5 (8:00-10:01 p.m. EDT) on ABC. (DISNEY/John Fleenor) JENN TRAN /
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Spoilers ahead for The Bachelorette season 21 episode 5

Episode 4 of Jenn Tran's season of The Bachelorette left us on a cliffhanger. Her ex-boyfriend, Matt, flew all the way to Auckland to see if they could strike up a second chance romance.

Jenn was sure to inform us that he wasn't an ex who left her with a lot of relationship baggage. They'd parted ways and then later became friends. The shift in the dynamic had been so firmly cemented in her mind that she was shocked to see him and hear that he wanted to rekindle what they had. Realizing she needed to do some reflection and soul searching, Jenn took time to determine whether she wanted Matt to join the show as a suitor.

She, of course, informed the men vying for her heart that she was weighing this decision seriously. They, for the most part, weren't happy about the situation with Devin even considering walking away if she did let Matt have an opportunity to win her back. It's important to note that the guys weren't aware that her ex wasn't one of the toxic men from her past. If they had known that perhaps the reaction wouldn't have been as strong as it was.

But, while Jenn did deliberate over what she was going to do, the episode didn't really spend too much time on Matt. He arrived in his suit and had a talk with her, but he was gone as quickly as he came. It basically felt like a stunt which, admittedly is par for the course with reality dating shows, but this one still felt like a waste of time.

If Matt ultimately wasn't going to be joining the season for more than what added up to 15 minutes, there really doesn't seem like there was a point to his inclusion. Sure, for the suitors it showed how ready Jenn is to move forward in her life without looking back, but we already knew that. It's not like we were aware of a connection she had to sever before coming onto the show and Matt didn't come off like a great love of hers.

The whole scenario was anti-climatic which is unfortunate since this could have injected some drama into this season beyond the back and forth we've been seeing between Devin and most of the other suitors. Plus, it would have been interesting to see how Jenn's run of The Bachelorette would change if she opened the door to an ex. But, alas, that didn't happen. Which, to be clear, is fine. It's just the appearance of Matt in all of the promo seemed to promise real conflict and the lack of it felt like air being let out of a balloon.

New episodes of The Bachelorette air Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Stay tuned to Hidden Remote for coverage and follow us on X!

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