Ex-Boyfriend Surprise: The Bachelorette in New Zealand

Jenn Tran got surprised by her ex-boyfriend Matthew in Auckland, New Zealand, on Monday’s episode of The Bachelorette on ABC.

The 26-year-old physician assistant student was out on the harbor filming with producers when host Jesse Palmer, 45, revealed Matthew’s unexpected arrival.

Jenn after a group date and two one-on-one dates was looking ahead to the upcoming rose ceremony with the 11 remaining contestants.

‘I never thought that I could go on this journey and find not one, but a group of guys who make me feel so safe and comfortable to be myself. I cannot be more excited about this group of men. I don’t know how this journey can get any better,’ Jenn said in a voice-over filmed in the harbor.

Jesse spoke directly to the camera in a hotel lobby to provide viewers with an update.

Jenn Tran got surprised by her ex-boyfriend Matthew in Auckland, New Zealand , on Monday’s episode of The Bachelorette on ABC

‘Alright, so basically here’s what’s happening right now. A guy from Jenn’s past has reached out to one of our producers. It’s obviously not normal. It’s very unexpected. I’m told that he has flown himself halfway around the world here to New Zealand on his own dime just to have a conversation with Jenn. So his flight apparently has landed about an hour ago. He’s on his way to the hotel here right now,’ Jesse said.

Jesse said he was sure ‘this guy is absolutely exhausted’ and planned to talk to him at the hotel to find out what he wants to say to Jenn.

‘Now, as for Jenn, she is over at the harbor somewhere not far from here. She’s shooting with her producers. It’s what she’d normally be doing right now. And Jenn, of course, has no idea this guy has shown up. And as for the guys, they’re back at their hotel right now, and they’re getting ready for tonight’s rose ceremony,’ Jesse said.

Jesse met the guy named Matt and admitted that he was impressed that he flew so far in the name of love.

‘So help me understand how you two know each other,’ Jesse said.

‘Yeah, so Jenn and I, uh, dated about three years ago, dated for about three or four months. Since then, have found ourselves back together throughout the past few years, and when she got up and left, I just felt like I couldn’t just let her go. And I’m here to tell Jenn that I still love you and that I’m here to show you that and whatever I have to do to earn that trust back and here to see if there’s a future with us,’ Matt said.

Jesse told Matt that Jenn was close by and filming with producers and told him the conversation had to take place immediately since the rose ceremony was coming up.

Dramatic music played as Matt made the short walk over from the hotel to the harbor and he could be seen in the background approaching as Jenn sat alone.

She turned and gasped upon seeing him.

Matt flew out on his own dime to have a conversation with Jenn before she got engaged to anyone

Show host Jesse Palmer spoke directly to the camera in a hotel lobby to provide viewers with an update by Matt’s unexpected arrival

‘I never thought that I could go on this journey and find not one, but a group of guys who make me feel so safe and comfortable to be myself. I cannot be more excited about this group of men. I don’t know how this journey can get any better,’ Jenn said in a voice-over filmed in the harbor

‘Yeah, so Jenn and I, uh, dated about three years ago, dated for about three or four months. Since then, have found ourselves back together throughout the past few years, and when she got up and left, I just felt like I couldn’t just let her go. And I’m here to tell Jenn that I still love you and that I’m here to show you that and whatever I have to do to earn that trust back and here to see if there’s a future with us,’ Matt said

‘Oh, my. Oh, my… Sorry, I can’t, I can’t, I can’t,’ Jenn said clearly flustered.

‘Weren’t expecting to see me? Were you expecting someone else?,’ Matt said.

‘How are you here right now? What? What is going on?,’ Jenn said.

‘I was really looking forward to this trip to Colombia with you. And I went for a few days, and it wasn’t the same without you there. And I blew off both the weddings and …,’ Matt replied.

‘You left the weddings?,’ Jenn interjected.

‘Yeah, I didn’t go to any of them,” Matthew said. ‘I flew here from Cartagena to be here with you. It’s been a 24-hour journey. I couldn’t …I couldn’t go to the weddings without you.’

‘Matthew!,’ Jenn said while dancing around. ‘What are you doing?’

In a confessional, Matthew said that he and Jenn were in love and he was there to show how much he cared about her.

Jesse told Matt that Jenn was close by and filming with producers and told him the conversation had to take place immediately since the rose ceremony was coming up

Dramatic music played as Matt made the short walk over from the hotel to the harbor

Jenn gasped when she turned and saw Matt

‘You left the weddings?,’ Jenn interjected after Matt said he flew from Colombia to talk to her

Jenn was clearly overwhelmed and confused by his arrival.

‘This is my ex-boyfriend. For him to come here, I think it’s just a big shock. We dated three years ago. Matt is not the toxic ex I’m referring to. He is not the one who messed me up a little bit. That’s a different ex. We recently reconnected in the past few months as friends, or so I thought as friends,’ Jenn said.

Matthew wanted to join the show mid-season and Jenn despite being shocked seriously considered it.

‘Matt coming here just — it confuses me, and it — it breaks me out of my head a little bit. There are people here that I have really strong feelings for, and I am afraid of what it might stir up in some of these guys and how they might feel about it, but I also know Matt a lot better than I know these guys that I’ve just met a couple weeks ago. He’s someone I care about. I have a difficult decision to make, and I don’t know where my heart is pulling me,’ Jenn said.

The season 21 episode also showed Jenn going on one-on-one dates with Sam McKinney and Devin Strader and on a group rugby date.

Jenn was clearly overwhelmed and confused by his arrival

The season 21 episode also showed Jenn going on a one-on-one date with Sam McKinney

Devin Strader also went on a one-on-one date with Jenn

Sam Nejad, 25, of Carlsbad, California, gained confidence during the rugby date and even wore a jersey that read ‘Jenn’s Husband’ on the back.

He later asked Jenn if he could kiss her after interrupting her conversation with Thomas Nguyen, 31, of Tucker, Georgia.

Jenn politely declined and told Sam N. that she was not the right person for him and then walked him out.

‘I feel like the biggest just fool of the century right now. I did a lot of bold things. I wore a denim jacket, so I thought I was, like, you know, G.I. Joe in there and basically just left out just …in the worst way possible,’ Sam said.

The group date rose went to Marcus Shoberg, 31, of Cloquet, Minnesota, who was awarded by Jenn for being vulnerable with her.

Sam Nejad, 25, of Carlsbad, California, asked Jenn if he could kiss her, but she declined and sent him home

A preview for the next episode showed Jenn telling the men: ‘My ex-boyfriend Matt he flew all the way here. He wants to join this journey. So he is here tonight.’

The Bachelorette will return next week on ABC.

Jenn is the first Asian-American in the lead role in the history of The Bachelor franchise.

She previously was a contestant on season 28 of The Bachelor starring Joey Graziadei.