‘That was probably the most useful bit of advice’: ‘Bachelorette’ hopeful Thomas N. reveals which Bachelor Nation alum gave him the perfect pre-show pep talk

Based on how he treated Jenn Tran, Devin Strader, and the rest of his fellow suitors yesterday — seemingly starting drama out of thin air — fans of the Bachelor franchise would have never been able to guess that Thomas Nguyen got a pep talk from a Bachelor Nation alum before beginning his journey on season 21 of The Bachelorette.

Speaking to a longtime friend of his — who doubles as a Bachelorette finalist and a two-time Bachelor in Paradise contestant — we thought Thomas would know better than to stir the pot!

Who was said Bachelor Nation alum, and what advice did he give Thomas? Keep scrolling to see for yourself…

Thomas Nguyen is longtime friends with Robby Hayes

Heading into season 21 of The Bachelorette, Thomas explained on the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast — hosted by Bachelor in Paradise lovebirds Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt — that he “felt like [he] had a little bit of a leg up” on his competition due to his relationship with Robby:

“My brother swam with Robby Hayes from JoJo’s season of The Bachelorette. They went to college together, and I swam with Robby’s younger brothers. When this came up, I called Robby and asked what I could expect. He was like, ‘Have no expectations. Don’t go into it thinking you will know what to do because you won’t.’ That was probably the most useful bit of advice.”

For those who are unfamiliar with Robby, he was the runner up on season 12 of The Bachelorette in 2016, where JoJo Fletcher chose her now-husband Jordan Rodgers instead come finale night. He then returned to our television screens for seasons 4 and 5 of Bachelor in Paradise in 2017 and 2018, respectively, where he pursued connections with Bachelor Nation beauties like Amanda Stanton and Shushanna Mkrtychyan. With neither of said relationships working out, Robby appears to still be single in 2024, but he is just as attractive as when he made his television debut almost a decade ago. Hubba hubba!

Nonetheless, will Thomas Nguyen have better luck than Robby Hayes, ultimately stealing the heart of the one and only Jenn Tran in the end? While we definitely don’t think so based on his behavior last night, we will be tuning into ABC each and every Monday for brand new episodes of season 21 of The Bachelorette to see for ourselves.