The Bachelorette’s Marcus Shoberg is speaking out after that controversial finale.
Marcus, 32, was the runner-up in the Tuesday, September 3, nail-biter, where Jenn Tran sent him home before proposing to Devin Strader, who later broke their engagement over the phone.
Prior to Jenn, 26, choosing Devin, 28, she and Marcus were having issues. While Devin told Jenn that he loved her multiple times, the Army Ranger veteran hesitated to say the L-word. He had committed to trying to be more vulnerable with Jenn.
“Vulnerability is not a weakness; it’s a strength,” Marcus stated via Instagram on Wednesday, September 4. “It’s the courage to stand in front of the world and say, ‘This is who I am, scars and all.’”
Former ‘Bachelor’ and ‘Bachelorette’ Winners: Where Are They Now?
He continued, “I’ve been through hell and back, and I’m still here. Not just surviving, but growing. When I was injured overseas and nearly lost my life, I thought it was the worst thing that could ever happen to me. But now, I can say with absolute certainty that it was the best thing that has ever happened to me. It taught me the value of relationships, the preciousness of time, and the power of resilience. It made me a more compassionate person, not less.”
Marcus said he’s “been honest with my emotions” on The Bachelorette and “in life — because I believe that being open is the only way to truly live. I’ve shed tears over the past, over love, and over the trials that have shaped me. But those tears don’t make me weak; they make me human. They are proof that I’m still here, with a heart that refuses to be hardened by the world.”
On The Bachelorette this season, Marcus shared in his intro package that he “did six deployments and I’m super proud to have been an Army Ranger but the last mission I ever went on, I almost didn’t come back from.”
Marcus recalled having a lapse in memory after a grenade went off near him and his team while in combat. He woke up “at a hospital in Washington D.C.”
Former ‘Bachelor’ and ‘Bachelorette’ Leads: Where Are They Now?
In his heartfelt, post-finale Instagram post on Wednesday, Marcus said, “To those who think I need healing, I want you to know I’ve been on that journey for years. Therapy and my faith have been guiding lights for me, helping me navigate the complexities of my past and giving me the wisdom necessary to keep moving forward. Healing is a process, and I’m committed to living a life worth saving — a life that reflects the lessons I’ve learned along the way.”
He added, “I believe I was spared for a reason — to be a light for those who have lost theirs, to offer hope to those who feel hopeless. I’m not perfect; I don’t have all the answers, but I do know this: the hardest moments in life often become the most transformative. God has a plan for each of us, even when we can’t see it.”
The day before, he and Jenn reunited during the live taping of The Bachelorette finale.
After exchanging pleasantries, host Jesse Palmer asked Jenn if things would’ve ended differently if Marcus said “I love you” sooner.
Changed My Mind! Relive Bachelor Nation’s Craziest Endings Ever
“I think my heart was just in a different place and wanted something different. But it is confusing to try to navigate it all,” Jenn replied. “I don’t think that it necessarily would’ve changed anything.”
Earlier in the finale, Jenn had a tense exchange with Marcus after introducing him to her family.
“I don’t know if you see me in your future,” Jenn said, to which Marcus replied, “I think I regret not diving deeper on what the future looks like.”
“I don’t know how I’m supposed to take that. I thought you were excited about the future,” Jenn said before getting emotional. “I’ve been investing so much into you, Marcus. … It hurts me because I don’t know what to do with it now. Where am I supposed to go from here?”
Just as it seemed like the pair were ready to call it quits, Marcus finally told Jenn that he loved her. “I don’t want to give up on us,” he said before she walked away.
After a commercial break, Jenn told Marcus that she was done waiting for someone to be ready for her. “I never thought that Marcus and I would be at this point. My entire life I’ve been pouring into people and wishing they would give me the love that I wanted so badly,” Jenn told the cameras. “I’m finally letting go of a part of me I’ve been holding onto for so long. … I don’t want to feel like I’m being taken for granted anymore.”
