Sam M. Has Overplayed His Hand on ‘The Bachelorette’

The Big Picture

• Sam McKinney came on strong with charm on
  The Bachelorette
  Season 21, but quickly spiraled into a villain, lacking emotional depth and focusing on physical affection.
• The drama between McKinney and Devin Strader intensified, with McKinney’s sexual approach contrasting Strader’s emotional connection.
• Despite Jenn Tran’s initial attraction to McKinney, his questionable behavior and lack of connection with her may not bode well for his future on the show.

The Bachelorette never fails to stir up drama, and viewers are here for it week after week! The Bachelorette Season 21 features Jennifer “Jenn” Tran, who previously finished fifth place on The Bachelor Season 28 and is the first Asian-American to lead in the franchise’s history. While the current season served a fine set of men for Tran on her quest to find love, general contractor Sam McKinney left quite the impression, earning him the coveted first impression rose. Unfortunately for this Nicholas Sparks hero-gone-wrong, his moments of grace steadily declined from there on out. From antagonizing fellow contestants to letting his ego drive his actions to a dearth of emotional depth in his interactions with the woman of the hour, the red flags started multiplying rapidly.

Things began dipping for the North Carolina-based contractor during his first one-on-one date with Tran when he lacked mindfulness regarding her preferences. Now, Jenn Tran did say bad boys are her type, but she also mentioned that her aim on the show is to steer clear of her usual type, since it has seemingly never ended well for her. Sam M’s insincere conversation, egotistical behavior, and borderline sleazy physical advances are definitely not painting him in the best light at the moment. He continues to make the mistake of coming off too strong and solely banks on his physical appearance to earn Tran’s affection, emerging as one of the season’s villains. This behavior was unprecedented since his intro video had him posing with cute dogs and remarking on his dreams of being a husband and father.

Sam McKinney Was Off to a Great Start in ‘The Bachelorette’ Season 21 Premiere

Sam McKinney delivered a solid first impression, sweeping the bachelorette right off her feet during the season premiere. The highlight of the season premiere is always the coveted first impression rose, which either makes or breaks your chances in the long run. Sam M. walked in with his Southern charm, dashing smile, and broken heart, which needs healing — a surefire recipe to make women swoon. The 27-year-old contractor delivered the “shot O’clock” line, a direct reference to Tran’s finale speech on The Bachelor Season 28.

Although several of the men did go on to lead the same move, Tran was clearly entranced by McKinney — as were viewers at the time. The bachelorette further stated that she felt something between them that excited her, and the pair shared a passionate make out session on the couch. One may assume that the sparks would continue to fly when a sincere gentleman and intelligent woman hit it off on such a strong note. But things only declined for McKinney from there.

The Sam M. Vs. Devin Strader Drama Got Progressively Uglier

Two of the leading men vying for a spot in Jenn Tran’s heart have wildly different approaches to wooing her — so this obviously led to some heated spats. Sam M.’s approach has been very sexually powered and had little to do with forming a genuine emotional connection with her. Devin Strader, on the other hand, finds every chance he could to steal her away for some time alone, much to the dismay of the other contestants. There were underlying tensions between the duo from the get-go, especially when Sam M. sided with Thomas Nguyen in his beef against Strader in Episode 2, even accusing him of being “here for the wrong reasons.” McKinney and Nguyen kept their bitterness alive in the following episode, even passing remarks about Devin Strader as “an ankle-biting dog.” What really stood out amid their slandering sessions was when Sam M. remarked that he was “going to keep the main thing the main thing,” aka Jenn Tran. Except funnily enough, he doesn’t seem to get a moment’s rest from hating on Strader.

Strader and McKinney started to butt heads in The Bachelorette, Season 21, Episode 3, where the men had to entice Tran with a sizzling strip tease. Devin Strader confessed that he was a larger kid growing up, which rendered him insecure about his body. On the other hand, Sam M. was hormonally charged up and even delivered a “not PG tonight,” which left viewers cringing just the slightest. This episode also saw Sam Nejad, aka the Love Virgin, confess that he was falling in love with Tran — everyone had an extreme reaction to his confession. However, Sam M. and Thomas Nguyen were snickering about it and giving him a hard time. This did not sit well with Strader, who came to his defense and called them out for their incessant bullying.

This led to yet another tug of war between Strader and McKinney, with increasing levels of obnoxious words being flung around mainly by the latter. Sam M also got uncomfortably physical with Jen during their one-on-one time, which has proven to be increasingly difficult to digest. He also went on to throw shady remarks about Devin Strader during an interview in front of the cameras, accusing him of being a bully. But when the producers themselves captioned, “Needs To Look Up The Definition Of Bully In A Dictionary,” you know who’s in the wrong.

Is There Light at the End of the Tunnel for Sam M.?

Jenn Tran is evidently attracted to McKinney physically and sexually, but Sam M. is so clearly terrible for her. His blatant lack of forming a more profound connection could cost him as the season progresses. Although he was soaring at the top initially, one may even say that too much damage has been done, and there’s no turning back for the Southerner. The physician associate who was out to find love on the series stated, “I’m very happy with the ending, and I’m very happy with the way everything panned out.” She also mentioned how she learned much about herself and what she wants from a relationship.

This hints that Sam M. might not have made it all the way through The Bachelorette, since growth should mean she recognized the red flags. There’s also the added hint that McKinney can be seen smiling and laughing in the official trailer, followed by a clip of the duo having a tense discussion on the couch where he professes his love. The scene ends with Tran walking away as she can be heard saying in a voice-over, “How can you love me when you don’t really know me?” — a full-circle moment since viewers have been privy to his intentions way ahead of time. While there’s no telling how far the general contractor makes it on the show, his actions don’t leave much to redeem himself as worthy.

The Bachelorette Season 21 airs every Monday at 8 p.m. EST on ABC in the U.S. The episode is available to stream the next day on Hulu.

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