Attention, Bachelor Nation! After a three-month break, Chris and Harrison and a new gaggle of contestants will once again grace our screens for ABC’s “The Bachelor” Season 24. This season will center around Peter Weber, the sweet, family-oriented airline pilot whose heart was broken by Hannah Brown on the latest season of “The Bachelorette.” With a winning combination of thoughtfulness, rock-hard abs and a pretty sweet pilot’s cap, Peter and his season is sure to be an audience-pleaser.
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To recap, Peter was a contestant on the most recent season of “The Bachelorette,” where he and 30 other eligible bachelors vied for Hannah Brown’s heart. Hannah became a kind of game-changer herself within the “Bachelor” universe due to her openness toward topics like faith, sexuality and feminism. Hannah’s spunk and quirky personality made her a fan favorite and a refreshing change of pace.
While every other featured bachelor or bachelorette has probably had their fair share of hook-ups on the show, Hannah’s season seemed to try and push those boundaries and incorporate sexuality into the conversation about who her future husband would be. It’s important to also note that this direction did not seem like a conscious decision on her part, but instead something that was kind of forced on her due to the presence of a particularly domineering contestant.
A major plot point of Hannah’s season was her conflict with religiously conservative contestant Luke P. Luke does eventually make it to the final four in Greece, but before he can make it into his Fantasy Suite date with Hannah, he says to her, “If you told me you’re having sex or you had sex with one or multiple of these guys I’d be wanting to go home.” At this point, Hannah tries to send Luke home, but the dude just can’t seem to listen and tries to convince her to let him stay.
Hannah then delivers the most infamous line of the season saying, “I have had sex, and Jesus still loves me.” She goes on, “From how you feel, me [having sex] in a windmill, you probably want to leave.” This was clearly referring to Peter because in the same episode, the two had their Fantasy Suite date in a rustic Greek windmill. Between the general finale of the season, and the “After the Final Rose” special, it was revealed that Hannah and Peter did not just go for it once, but four times. Take that, Luke P.
Ultimately, Hannah dumped Peter as the third runner-up of her season seemingly due to his lack of verbal affirmation. Hannah and Peter’s breakup was gut-wrenching. While his lack of communication and direct expression of his feelings was a constant undercurrent in their relationship, it finally proved to be too much for Hannah. Audiences will definitely have to pay attention to this in the future with Peter.
Expect turbulence when #TheBachelor premieres Jan 6 on ABC! pic.twitter.com/8xhas2ACrP
— The Bachelor (@BachelorABC) November 14, 2019
Looking back on the season, which had its fill of villains till the bitter end with both Luke P. and Jed Wyatt, Peter came out looking pristine. Luke P. came off as a controlling religious fanatic who couldn’t stop repeating the word “clarity” while also making no sense. In contrast, Hannah accepted Jed’s proposal during the finale; however, it was later revealed that he was dating someone right before he came on the show. He also admitted to signing up for the season in order to further his music career. By the time that the “After the Final Rose” special aired, Hannah was left single and disappointed by how her season went. Again, in comparison to some of his peers from Hannah’s season, Peter’s puppy-like disposition, strong family ties, and positive windmill reviews set him up as the perfect candidate for “The Bachelor.”
The teaser trailer for this season features a ton of gratuitous shots of Peter shirtless with airplanes in the background, but we should expect nothing less. The first shot is Peter, leather jacket-clad, aviators perched on his nose “Top Gun”-style flying an old-timey plane at dawn to his bachelorettes. You can be assured that “The Bachelor” producers will milk “Pilot Pete” for every ridiculous camera angle, group date and cheesy pun that he’s worth. Not only will Peter’s adorkable personality be a major draw for viewers, but also the teaser shows a clip of Hannah Brown’s potential return. Hannah coming onto the show as a contestant seems a bit far-fetched because she’s been busy killing it on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars,” but even if her return isn’t permanent, her appearance will likely excite fans and urge them to find out what actually did happen between them.
In addition to the drama between Peter and Hannah, the trailer also features more typical “Bachelor” tropes like make-outs in surreal locations, beef between contestants and misleading soundbites. While it is unclear who will be painted as this season’s archetypical villain, the teaser seems to point out a few faces to pay close attention to. There are also hints at an unconventional end for his season. This has been a trend as Arie’s, Colton’s and Hannah’s seasons have all had major plot twists related to their finales.
The cast itself is stocked with women from across the country whose jobs cover everything from cattle rancher to beauty queen. The casting department even seemed to prioritize aviation-related fields as three out of the 30 women are flight attendants. Other than the women’s names, hometowns and professions, little is known about this latest class of contestants. However, per usual if you’re looking for an in-depth spoiler guide for this upcoming season, Reality Steve has already released several bits of drama and alleged eliminations.
Overall, I think that fans are in for a solid season of the mindless kind of drama, romance and heartbreak for which “The Bachelor” franchise has become so famous. If anything, the producers on the show know what they’re doing, so I am confident that Pilot Pete and friends will deliver.
