Peter Weber As ‘The Bachelor’?: Here’s Why The Pilot Could Be In The Running Despite Ex-Girlfriend Drama

Peter Weber had his heart broke on The Bachelorette, which makes him a perfect candidate to lead the upcoming season of The Bachelor, right? Not so fast! Bachelor Nation has mixed opinions on Peter’s future on the ABC reality franchise, especially on the heels of his ex-girlfriend Calee Lutes’ allegations that he suddenly dumped her to go on The Bachelorette.

After Peter was sent packing at Hannah Brown’s Final 3 rose ceremony in Greece, his gut-wrenching exit had fans crying along with him. Peter had been sure Hannah would choose him to be her man—their multiple windmill trysts surely gave him confidence in their relationship—but in the end, Hannah sent him home.

Peter was shown in a sympathetic light during the live sit down with Chris Harrison as well as when Hannah couldn’t really give him an answer as to why she smashed his heart into a million pieces. In addition, despite teasing that Peter’s girlfriend drama would be addressed on The Bachelorette finale, Harrison didn’t bring it up at all.

“Peter is going to have a little explaining to do,” Harrison told Entertainment Tonight last week. “I know more about Peter, just because I did some digging. Because some allegations were made in her claims that had to do with us and casting, so I was just curious so I asked around… I know some truths that either I’ll explain or Peter will explain.”

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Bachelor in Paradise fan favorite Jared Haibon noted that while he doesn’t think Peter has what it takes to be the next Bachelor, he does question why Harrison didn’t grill the commercial airline pilot on his ex-girlfriend drama on the live show as promised.

“My mind would assume if [Peter]is in the running for The Bachelor, they would want any baggage to go away… and it hasn’t been addressed. It makes me feel like he’s more guilty because of it… maybe he did do something wrong, and he got a phone call [to appear on the show] in October.”

Indeed, the fact that Harrison didn’t bring up the Calee Lutes story does seem to hint that Peter is at least in the running for ABC’s top reality TV honor.

Meanwhile, last season’s Bachelor star, Colton Underwood, seems more than happy to pass the torch to Peter. After Peter’s live appearance on The Bachelorette finale, Colton shared a photo of himself pinning a pilot wings pin on his shirt and noting that he heard that pilots make good bachelors. But Bachelor in Paradise alum Tanner Tolbert chimed in to bash the last airline pilot cast by ABC.

“Anyone who watched Jake Pavelka’s season disagrees,” Tolbert joked of the Season 14 bachelor, whose disastrous relationship with former fiancée Vienna Girardi ended with public bashing that required a separate ABC special just to address it.

No matter what happens, fans should not expect to find out the identity of the next leading man any time soon. Chris Harrison has already revealed that The Bachelor announcement will not take place during Hannah’s Bachelorette finale, telling Entertainment Tonight it would be “premature” to make that call now before the summertime spinoff Bachelor in Paradise airs.

The Bachelorette finale airs Tuesday, June 30 at 8 p.m. on ABC.