After her one-time presumed front-runner declared, "I love you," Bachelorette Jenn Tran showed him the door ... alongside two other suitors, revealing her Final Four and setting the stage for the next Bachelor.

A long and strange journey to find love on The Bachelorette gets a little stranger as seven become the final four who will bring Jenn Tran home to meet their families next week. But first, she needed to know where she stood with them ... and in the case of one, it became clear as mud.

Three guys got the boot, but one didn't even make it to the final Rose Ceremony after chance after chance to prove himself to her. She didn't need declarations of love, she just wanted something genuine. Instead, she got a pull-string toy that spouted platitudes.

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Oh, and someone who seemed more focused on their journey than hers.

It was a very, very (did we mention very) egocentric worldview presented through the mouth of this season's first front-runner, and someone Jenn has felt a very strong connection with since Night One.

Marcus Melts Hearts

Marcus and Jenn have enjoyed a fun and playful relationship, but she was needing it to go deeper than that. And because finding romance is all about corporate synergy (it is?!), the couple enjoyed a Wicked -themed date complete with yellow brick road.

They ran into last season's winner Kelsey, and runner-up Daisy, which was fun for Jenn as she'd grown close with both women during their mutual attempts to find the love with Bachelor Joey that Kelsey ultimately nabbed.

The journey also included former Bachelorettes Charity and Trista , who helped Jenn feel more confident that it was possible to find love on this show.

As it turns out, though, Jenn's concern about Marcus being so emotionally guarded were legitimate, but he had a heartbreaking personal reason for doing so. His reveal also contextualized the close bond he shares with his sister.

The pair were dropped off one day at daycare by their parents and then abandoned there. What followed was emotional turmoil as they went from foster homes to hoping they'd found a family to foster care again. Through it all the only stability they knew was one another, with Marcus taking on a parental role in her life.

It was a staggeringly painful story, but one that perfectly explains why he's so careful with his heart. It's also not an easy thing to open up about, which touched Jenn's heart. That vulnerability (on TV, no less!) was a testament to Marcus' strength of character, as he admitted being rejected by prospective parents left him feeling "like there's something wrong with me."

The final result was a Rose for Marcus and assurance that there's nothing wrong with him.

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'Red Flags' Radio

The reveal of the Group Date was good news for Jeremy, as it meant the only guy who'd not yet had a One-on-One (that was Marcus' second we talked about above) was going to get one. What Jeremy and Marcus missed out on was a real s--tshow!

The date was a radio show, with Jenn coming in first to talk about the guys and the pressure of this being the week she decides which four of them will make it to Hometowns, really taking the relationships to the next level.

She admitted upfront that one of the guys is "smooth" and "hot," but also, "There's red flags, too." That guy, of course, is Sam M. He's definitely been smooth and suave as a casanova, but has struggled to show any emotional depth. He's more reminiscent of stereotypical guys who keep track of the number of women they've bedded than who those women are. We're not saying he is like those guys, but the similarities are there.

Even the radio hosts -- and this is a love show in Seattle -- were seeing his complete inability to really offer any depth about Jenn when questioned. He stood out so much among the five suitors, the hosts gave him additional one-on-one time for Jenn to try and dig deep.

The other guys could only listen in as she asked Sam what it was about her specifically that he was drawn to. His responses were ... to tell her she wasn't his type and to talk a lot about himself and say a lot of meaningless platitudes that weren't specific to Jenn.

Sam M has been cocky this whole season, but has there been any sincerity in his journey? Is he just looking for TV time to try and parlay into financial opportunities as a member of Bachelor Nation ? Is he angling for Bachelor in Paradise ? We only ask because he really hasn't taken the time to learn much about Jenn at all.

The evening portion doesn't go much better, as every guy is able to express their feelings in a way that feels personalized, and then Sam starts talking like a greeting card again. If he's not making it about himself, he's saying very empty statements that you see in bad romance books and movies.

Confident heading into the week that Sam was going to get a Rose, Jenn was so rattled by whatever the hell all of this has been that she didn't give out a rose at all.

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Jewish Buddhist Mashup

Jeremy and Jenn are like good pals, which isn't a great place to be in a show that ends with a proposal. She admitted he's the most behind, but this is also his first One-on-One, and as the only guy without one -- of course he's behind! They haven't had that kind of time to connect.

The couple headed to Pike Place Market where they had a very enjoyable, chill day just hanging out and having fun. It was that evening during dinner at Chihuly Garden and Glass that they finally got the chance to delve a little deeper.

In an unexpected twist, they both opened up about their respective religions, with Jeremy admitting that his Jewish mother has always joked he needs to marry a nice, Jewish woman. That said, he brought home two Catholic girls and she loved them both.

As for himself, Jeremy was adamant that he wouldn't expect or need Jenn to convert to Judaism. That led her to open up about her own Buddhist upbringing, and how her faith was important to her, as well.

The pair spoke about blending two different families and embracing all aspects of each with full respect, leading Jeremy to joke about how they'd have little Jewish Buddhist kids -- at the same time completely serious that each was committed to respecting their differences.

The opportunity to connected and open up apparently worked, as Jeremy jumped the line, scoring the second guaranteed Hometown visit of the night.

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'Red Flag' Rose

With the Rose Ceremony looming, Jenn continued to be conflicted about Sam M, finally decided she needed to talk to him one more time before making this final decision as to who would get her final two roses.

She tracked him down in the hotel -- leaving all the other guys rattled -- and sat him down to finally get out of him what it is about her in particular that he supposedly loves. He declared as much on the radio, so surely he could back it up.

Right?

Well, about that ... Sam M had apparently spent his free time on the Hallmark website as he had more empty lines to drop on her, and only fell silent when she asked him specifically what about her it was.

Was it Jenn he was in love with, or was she interchangeable with any other woman? Empty platitudes can apply to anyone and everyone because they're not personalized. As it turns out, all Sam could do was talk about himself or spin words out of air with as much depth and weight (as air).

In the end, it wasn't enough (because it was nothing) and Sam was sent packing. It said everything that he was as emotionally flat when she told him this as he was otherwise. And then, of course, blamed her for what went wrong, saying she was "dull."

We call that a close call!

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Final Four (& New Bachelor)

In the end, Jenn pulled the plug on the journeys of Spencer and Grant, sending both men home. Grant talked about how ready he was to find love, while Spencer called his mom to share his grief at getting cut.

That meant it was big smiles for Devin and Jonathan, as they took the final two Roses of the week, and secured Hometown visits in what looks to be another wild week on The Bachelorette .

The franchise is also looking ahead, with the surprise announcement of the next Bachelor followed the episode. Grant Ellis picks up the torch, after getting his snuffed (sorry, Survivor fans) to lead the franchise as the second-ever Black Bachelor.

On Tuesday morning, he shared a video message on ABC's Good Morning America , expressing his excitement and teasing that his season will premiere next year.

"I'm looking for a love that's kind and understanding," he said in a poolside video. "Some qualities I'm looking for in a potential partner is somebody who's adventurous, somebody who's affectionate and somebody who's loving."

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Seattle Chatter

(random asides and comments -- not necessarily strategy, but entertaining and sometimes revealing)

• "Now, it's just one of those things about being selfish with time." --Sam M (preparing for week ahead)
• "Does that mean I get a One-on-One for sure?" --Jeremy (after he's not on Group Date card)
• "You saw me get emotional today and I didn't like that." --Jenn (to Marcus)
• "I think Sam's in trouble, in my opinion because it's a funny thing when you get put on the spot and have to say things that you're actually supposed to truly feel. In Sam's case, I'm sure he'll blow it, but we'll see how it goes." --Devin (on radio show group date)
• "Sam, Fantasy Suite." --radio host (during rapid-fire question-and-answer session)
• "Aggressive." --Sam M
• "I got out of the limo and I was like, 'Okay, this girl is not my type … I thought The Bachelorette was going to be Daisy or Maria.'" --Sam (during One-on-One time with Jenn on radio)
• "I don't know what was going on with Sam. Yeah. It was weird." --Grant (after radio show)
• "Obviously you're stunning, but I know that that fades." --Sam M (to Jenn during radio show)
• "Truly you're selflessness. I consider myself a selfless--" --Sam M (to Jenn during radio show)
• "How do you know I'm selfless?" --Jenn
• "You're either selfless or you're full of s--t. At the end of the day, I'm trusting this process." --Sam M
• "Here's how I know you're selfless, actually. After Night One, that connection we had was hot." --Sam M (confusing everyone)
• "Does he know what selfless means?" --Devin (listening in)
• "Do you feel like you know me?" --Jenn (to Sam)
• "Honestly, my love language is physical touch." --Sam M (aggressively kisses her)
• "But why me?" --Jenn (to Sam)
• "Because I love you." --Sam M (after a lot of hemming and hawing)
• "Sam!" --Jenn (not buying it)
• "I'm not looking for a script. Love isn't a script." --Jenn (to Sam M ahead of Rose Ceremony)
• "I didn't think today was going to be my time to go home. It sucks, but you know, the energy that she brought was very dull. It's not my fault, you know." --Sam M

While Grant waits to kick off his season, Jenn's journey is drawing closer to its unpredictable end as the Final Four introduce her to the families with Hometown Visits next Monday on The Bachelorette at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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