Devin Strader has harshly criticized Sam McKinney and explained why he believes Sam M. had such a problem with him while filming Jenn Tran’s season. The Bachelorette.
“Up until now, (Sam) hasn’t even discussed these things with me. I don’t even know why he doesn’t like me,” Devin said on the Aug. 8 episode of the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast.
“I have no idea about it, except maybe that I upset a few of his buddies like (Aaron Erb) and (Thomas Nguyen). I have no explanation for why he thinks that way about me. We don’t like each other.”
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Podcast co-host Joe Amabile pointed out that Sam Devin was The Bachelorette that he did not respect him, without giving any reason.
“I think he thought because of my behavior that I was being somewhat duplicitous, like, ‘That can’t be him, he has to be someone else,'” Devin said.
However, Devin argued that he never behaved any differently around Jenn than he did with other men.
“I embarrassed myself in front of Jenn a few times just like I did in front of the boys,” Devin joked.
As Devin dug deeper into the drama and cause of the conflict, he shared what he believes might be the real reason for Sam’s aggression toward him.
“I think the reason Sam doesn’t like me is because he probably met someone like me in real life that he doesn’t like, and he associates me with that person,” Devin speculated.
“And no matter what I say or do, it will always have that effect on him.”
Devin admitted that while he was “not necessarily the most approachable guy,” he was certainly “not a disrespectful person” or anything like that.
“I make people laugh and I’m very empathetic and comforting when it comes to people, so I didn’t know (why he didn’t like me),” Devin said.
“But in my head I thought, ‘Okay, this isn’t going to change. So if it’s not going to change, I might as well have a little fun with it.'”
Serena Pitt, Joe’s co-host and wife on “Bachelor Happy Hour,” asked Devin if he thought Sam viewed him as the “main competitor” for Jenn’s heart, which naturally caused tension between them.
“Yeah, I think the difference between Sam and me is that we’re so opposite in our lifestyles,” Devin explained.
“Sam is a good-looking guy. I’m not going to say a lot of nice things about him, but I can say one thing: he’s a good-looking guy. And I think he may have had it a little easy when it came to women.”
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Devin clarified that he personally hadn’t had a hard time when it came to women, but Sam probably had it a little easier.
“We do things in life completely differently,” Devin said, explaining why he and Sam clashed.
“I don’t think he understands that I can achieve the same things that he can: get all this attention and have the approval of this woman that you like and have these experiences with her and that she enjoys it.”
Devin admitted that it was “frustrating” for Sam because “he almost thinks of himself as better than me, so why is this guy on the same level in Jenn’s eyes?”
Devin said that while he didn’t know at that point in the process how important he and Sam were in Jenn’s heart and mind, he believes Sam thought he was above Devin.
“I would say that in my head (Sam) thinks he’s better than me, but he doesn’t know why that doesn’t translate to real life,” Devin concluded.
Many The Bachelorette Fans have praised Devin for speaking his mind and putting Jenn first, taking advantage of little moments with her and using his time on the show wisely.
But Devin’s tactic of pursuing Jenn The Bachelorette were very unpopular with Jenn’s other bachelors and he was the center of drama throughout the season.
“When you know yourself so well, none of those little words trigger anything for me. And I think that’s what made everyone so frustrated with me: They tried to blame me and put a mask on me that didn’t even exist – and that didn’t bother me,” Devin explained.
“I was there for Jenn. I knew nothing about the show. I wasn’t interested in the antics, the unwritten rules, or the collective groupthink that I thought was prevalent at the time.”
Devin concluded, “I was just focused on her and I think that’s what rubbed a lot of guys the wrong way.”
Several The Bachelorette Bachelors have called Devin selfish, arrogant and disrespectful. The Bacheloretteand Sam even called Devin a “bully” and called him “a dog that bites ankles.”
But Devin admitted that he had a team of guys behind him, even if he felt like he was alone on an island.
“(My team was) bigger than you would expect. (Jonathon Johnson) was very close to me, and (Grant Ellis) and (Sam Nejad). I love Sam N. and (Brian Autz) and (Marcus Shoberg). Marcus was fantastic to me and even (Austin Ott),” Devin revealed.
“A lot of the boys were really good topics of conversation for me because with so much excitement and chaos I’d like to say I’m so stuck up and don’t need to talk about it, but I liked getting some comfort and encouragement from the boys in the house every now and then.”
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Devin insisted that many of the guys had no problem with his approach and that it was “only the small numbers that made such a loud noise” that gave the impression that the whole house was against him.
When asked if she was bothered by Devin’s controversial attitude towards dating her The BacheloretteJenn recently shared on The Viall Files podcast that she actually liked it and appreciated it.
“No, I didn’t (have a problem with it!),” Jenn admitted to Nick Viall on the August 1 episode of The Viall Files podcast.
“That’s the point of the show, right? It’s about getting as much time as possible and showing that you’re here and you have something to offer and that you care!”
Click here to read episode-by-episode spoilers on how the rest of Jenn’s Bachelorette season unfolds, including who Jenn chooses as her winner and runner-up.
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About the author:
Elisabeth Kwiatkowski
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is deputy editor of Reality TV World and has covered the reality TV genre for more than a decade.
