Red Flag Alert! 'Bachelorette' Contestant Devin Strader Once Had a Restraining Order Against Him

It's safe to say that the Bachelor Nation isn't a huge fan of Bachelorette contestant Devin Strader. He's one of those guys with a big personality that people either really hate or really love. But did you know that he had a restraining order against him, and not terribly long ago?

Whether all of the Devin hate is deserved or not, it's everywhere. After being turned down by Jenn Tran, he probably hoped to recover his reputation. Not so fast.

RealitySteve was tipped off about Devin's past, and a little digging unveiled a restraining order filed against Devin in 2017. In a petition for the Order to be granted, the woman (who has not been named) detailed alleged abuse that included Devin spitting, throwing a drink at her, and grabbing her in a choke-hold while covering her mouth with his hand. It's a grim report that suggests problems run deeper than even Devin haters and critics expected.

But how did a criminal with a potentially bad domestic past slip through the casting process? According to EW, a source close to production for Bachelorette has said, "We take the safety of our contestants very seriously and make every effort to conduct thorough diligence. As exhaustive as our vetting process is, this protective order did not surface in our searches."

Of course, now that this has all come out, it's clear that people who had a bad feeling about Devin may have been on to something. Yet does he deserve the blind hatred he received before it all came out? Or does he just have the kind of personality that rubs people the wrong way, and he was getting unnecessary criticism at the time?

People who dislike Devin claimed that he mistreated Jenn during the show and that he never showed her the proper respect or kindness. Regardless of his criminal past, that's enough to make him easy to hate. Fans of the show even booed Devin on the season finale, and his attempts at defending himself just dug the hole of dislike even deeper.

Clearly, the people who weren't feeling the Devin love could tell that something was up, and they picked up on the bad vibes before the reports came out about his restraining order and alleged behavior that amounts to domestic violence.

The Bachelorette production team may feel as though they've done their due diligence, but it seems rather evident that the process may need to be refined. After all, putting a man on the air who has a potentially dangerous past is not exactly the look they're going for. At least for now, Jenn can breathe a sigh of relief that things didn't click between her and Devin.