"WORST first impression" — The Bachelorette season 21 fans react to Brendan eating hot peppers in episode 1

The Bachelorette season 21 premiered on Monday, July 8, 2024, and featured 25 suitors vying to win over the heart of the Bachelorette, 26-year-old Jenn Tran. Jenn revealed that she was looking for her "future husband," and to have a love story that was "crazy, chaotic, and fun." She was excited to meet the 25 eligible bachelors, one of whom she would choose as her partner in the end.

Jenn's suitors arrived at the villa in a limousine, and all of them had a chance to make a grand entry to leave a lasting impression on the Bachelorette. Some walked in with puppies and balloons, while one suitor, named Brendan, walked in, eating two hot peppers during his entry, hoping to catch Jenn's attention.

The 30-year-old contestant's decision to eat peppers while walking up to Jenn, shocked her as well as the fans of The Bachelorette. They weren't fond of his unusual way of trying to make an impression on someone. They took to X to express disapproval of Brendan's atypical entry.

"ewwww brendan making the WORST first impression by chewing with his mouth open and LITTERING #TheBachelorette," wrote one fan.

"Jenn having to talk to Brendan with his hot pepper breath #thebachelorette," wrote a netizen.

The Bachelorette fans were surprised that Brendan chose to eat something so out-of-the-box in his first meeting with Jenn. While some wondered why Brendan would do that to himself, others called him weird, and some even speculated that he would be eliminated.

"Brendan why would you do that to yourself #TheBachelorette," another fan wrote.

"the hot pepper...was a choice...#TheBachelorette," a person tweeted.

"Brendan, WTF are you doing? Whoever told you this would be a cool intro was pranking you, dude. #TheBachelorette #BachelorNation," tweeted another fan.

"Brendan...the pepper thing was weird #TheBachelorette," one fan commented.

"Brendan has night 1 exit written all over him. #TheBachelorette," another person wrote.

"Ewwwww...Brendan......talking with food in your mouth...gross #TheBachelorette #BachelorNation," one netizen commented.

"Brendan! How are you going to make out with Jenn if you're dying? This is giving America the ick!!! #TheBachelorette," another fan tweeted.

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Brendan struggles to talk to Jenn after eating hot peppers in episode 1 of The Bachelorette

The Bachelorette season 21 premiered on July 8, 2024, and saw 25 men present their best skills and hidden talents to grab Jenn Tran's attention. One suitor, 30-year-old Grant, beatboxed during his entry and followed it with a song for his introduction. Meanwhile, 31-year-old Thomas N. gifted Jenn a friendship bracelet that spelled his name, "Nguyen."

Some suitors also got puppies and balloons to impress Jenn with their heart-touching gestures. However, the only Canadian suitor, Brendan, decided to shake things up by displaying his heat tolerance. He was introduced as a real estate broker from Vancouver, and when he stepped out of the limo, he ate two whole peppers.

The Bachelorette, Jenn, was shocked and confused when she saw Brendan eat the peppers.

"A hot pepper? Okay, we like to torture ourselves. This is the vibe that I'm getting," said Jenn.

However, Brendan struggled to swallow the peppers and couldn't complete his sentences while gasping for air as the heat hit him. He justified his decision by stating that he wanted to flaunt his heat tolerance to showcase how well he could tackle the competition from his fellow suitors.

Brendan said that he loved to get his "heart racing" and adrenaline pumping, noting that this was what the show's experience would be about.

"Something about me is that I love getting my heart racing, adrenaline, adrenaline activities, which I know this experience is what it's going to be about, and then as the night moves on, it's gonna heat up and I can handle the heat," said Brendan.

The cameras zoomed in to show Brendan's forehead covered in sweat. In her confessional, Jenn mentioned that he was "coughing and puffing" from the spice and looked like he regretted his decision. However, she confessed that it impressed her since she loved someone who "can be a little bit spicy."

Another co-star, Sam M., mocked Brendan's action and said that eating a habanero pepper as an intro made "zero sense" to him.

Despite the shocking introduction, fans' speculations seemingly came true as Brendan was eliminated from The Bachelorette at the end of the first night.

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The Bachelorette airs every Monday at 8 pm ET on ABC.