Why 'Bachelorette' Jenn Tran kissed only one man during premiere: 'It's OK to just say no'

Spoiler alert! The following contains details from the Season 21 premiere of “The Bachelorette.”

Jenn Tran, the 21st "Bachelorette" star, bucked tradition Monday night by only kissing one of her 25 suitors.

The sole kiss of the night — a heated, nearly minute-long makeout that took place as the sun was coming up outside the mansion — was saved for her first-impression rose winner, Sam M.

"I've seen the show; I know how it works. I know people are making out left and right," Jenn told USA TODAY in an interview before the premiere. "I really just wanted to stay true to who I am."

The kiss capped off a night in which Jenn flirted with more than two dozen men eager to make an impression on the 26-year-old aspiring physician assistant. One man, Grant, beatboxed; another, Brendan, devoured a pepper whole and a real estate investor named Jeremy showed off a sleek sports car – all in the name of love.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

Jenn handled all of the antics and displays of machismo with ease, asking men questions about themselves and opening up about what she's looking for in a "ferocious" love.

Here's what Jenn was thinking during her first night as the bachelorette.

Making history:Jenn never saw herself as a main character. Now she's the first Asian 'Bachelorette'

Why Jenn Tran only kissed Sam M. during the 'Bachelorette' premiere

In the episode, Jenn vowed, "I feel like I'm going to fall in love. I'm going to get engaged, and I'm going to do it my way."

Past "Bachelor" or "Bachelorette" leads would typically kiss several contestants as they explored their dating pools on the first night. But not doing so was Jenn's way of staying true to herself.

"(Sam M.) was my first kiss of the evening and the only kiss of night one," Jenn said. "I was conscious of the fact that when I enter relationships, it takes a lot for me to get to that level with the person. I think kissing is such an intimate thing, and I needed that emotional connection before getting there, so I knew I wasn't going to kiss that many people."

"I didn't know how many people I was going to kiss, but I knew that it was going to take a little bit more than just a 'Hey, how are you? Let's make out,'" she said with a laugh.

Jenn also acknowledged that only kissing one man was not for lack of trying on the other contestants' part.

"A lot of the guys were definitely taking my lead and kind of feeling it out for sure," she said. "There might have been a couple where I was like, 'Oh, I don't know' and kind of like swindled my way out of a situation at some point."

It was "all in good fun," Jenn said, emphasizing the importance of not feeling pressured to do something you might not be ready for yet.

"As women sometimes we're like, 'Oh, if somebody leans in, I have to kiss them.' And it's like, no, you have a say over what you want to do, and it's OK to just say no. It doesn't mean that you hate them. It just means that you're not ready yet. And it's OK to let somebody know that."

Why did Jenn give Sam M. the first impression rose?

In the episode, Jenn described having an "undeniable connection" with Sam, a 27-year-old contractor.

But she also called Grant, a 30-year-old day trader, "very much my type" ("He's hot, he's hot and he's also hot," she said in a confessional) and had a sweet heart-to-heart with Thomas N. about their shared experience of growing up with immigrant parents from Vietnam.

So why Sam?

"I was just thinking back to who was making me feel the most comfortable, whose conversation was the easiest — and who did I feel like I connected with the most on night one?" Jenn told USA TODAY.

"I just kept thinking back to Sam at that point. I was like, 'If I keep thinking back to this guy, then I'm going to give him the rose because I think there's potential there.'"

After Sam received the first rose, Jenn pinned roses to the lapels of 17 men and ruthlessly cut seven from the cast following an all-night shoot.  

"I was running off of adrenaline the whole night," she said. "I don’t think I really understood how tired I was until the noise died down. It was after the rose ceremony and the sun was like fully out. I was like, 'Oh, I did not sleep last night. Like, I am a wreck.'"

Who was eliminated in the 'Bachelorette' premiere?

Matt, Brett, Kevin, Dakota, Ricky, Brendan and Moze were sent home on night one.

Who received Jenn Tran's rose?

• Dylan
• Thomas N.
• Spencer
• Grant
• Marcus
• Tomas A.
• John
• Jeremy
• Devin
• Brian
• Aaron
• Jahaan
• Hakeem
• Jonathon
• Austin
• Marvin
• Sam N.