Will Peter W. Be The Bachelor In 2020?

Big spoilers for The Bachelorette ahead, as well as potential spoilers for Bachelor in Paradise and The Bachelor. Speculation has already begun about which of Hannah Brown's contestants may take on the extra-special role of The Bachelor in 2020. One recent addition to the shortlist is "Pilot Peter," a.k.a. Peter Weber, who slowly and steadily won over Hannah—he ended up being the second runner up, so his run on the show was impressive.

He's a nice palate cleanser in an absolutely bonkers Bachelorette season, and fans are genuinely starting to think about him as a contender to headline his own season. Although, spoiler alert, there have been some rumors drawing similarities to fellow contestant Jed Wyatt, and not in a good way.

Let's take a look at his chances.

Yup, he's definitely the Bachelor.

Update, 9/17/2019: It's been double-confirmed by Reality Steve. Plus, the Bachelor In Paradise reunion show—in which Peter is brought out and announced as the next Bachelor—has been filmed and is ready to air. Basically, everything is in place for the September 17 show, in which Peter will be formally, officially, finally announced as the lead for the spring 2020 season of the franchise. You can read more about the race to become the next Bachelor here.

ABC has filmed the intro scenes for the season, and while Peter has been quiet on social media and with the press, that's in line with him lying low until the announcement. (It would be less telling if he had, say, taken to Instagram to say the rumors weren't correct, or spoken to a reporter.) Plus, the 33 women vying for his heart have already been announced, so they'll be getting ready to make pilot (and windmill) puns aplenty.

The season premiere date hasn't been announced, but you can expect it to be sometime in January.

It sounds like he's the Bachelor.

Update, 8/26/19: Wow. So, according to a tweet from Reality Steve, Peter's the new Bachelor. "When the announcement is officially made (guessing next week or the following), it will be Peter Weber. Not too surprising. That’s who I’ve said I thought it would be for the last month. This isn’t isn’t a guess, a prediction, or 'most likely.' It’s him," he said.

I was really hoping we might finally, finally get our first black bachelor in the form of Mike Johnson, but I guess it was not to be. Peter is inoffensive and fairly drama free, pre-Bachelorette girlfriend notwithstanding, and he's not the first pilot Bachelor (Jake Pavelka's season and what followed weren't great, so the bar's been set low). But women will absolutely be excited to apply this season, and a good rule of thumb is that the female drama usually makes up for a less dramatic Bachelor. So it might be a looong season, is what I'm saying.  

Peter's been pretty quiet on social media, beyond saying he's been filled with "gratitude" to be on the show, and posting about the time he's been spending with his family:

Which is smart—he's not ruffling any feathers and continuing to remind his fans why they like him so much.

Original post, 8/23/19:

He got a great exit.

Hannah really struggled sending Peter home, and he began to cry as she was walking him to the limo. He said he wasn't mad at her, that he had truly been in love, and that the situation sucked. In his post-exit interview with Chris Harrison, Peter's entire family was in the audience, and the camera lingered on Peter's mom actively weeping over Peter's broken heart (which, TBH, felt a bit mean on the producers' part). Family members aren't always brought on, so that actually feels like quite a good sign for his Bachelor chances. The fact that his dad is a pilot like Peter, and his mom is a stewardess, and they're incredibly close, means an intuitive setup for a "family guy" Bachelor.   

He said he was falling in love during Latvia while they were watching fireworks (so, early on). He also said he wasn't out of love with Hannah but that he's moving on and time will help. "A little piece of my heart will always love her," he said.

When he chatted with Hannah, she waved at his family in the crowd. "There wasn't anything wrong," she explained, indicating that she was falling for Peter too. Peter brought up the infamous windmill (think about it—the two definitively got together—FOUR TIMES—only for him to be sent home immediately after), and Hannah said she just wish she'd known how he'd felt sooner. That was apparently the only thing holding her back—she thought he was scared to love her and scared to share his feelings. If he becomes The Bachelor, that would be a note he'd probably have to take to heart. 

He had a sweet energy throughout the show.

Throughout this season, Peter doesn't usually show up during the heeeeated discussions with Luke P., either as an instigator or a reactor. He was just quiet, for the most part, building a relationship with Hannah and even being the only contestant to ask her to be his girlfriend. Hannah (and viewers) were impressed, but for a while there it seemed like his only defining characteristic was the fact that he was a sweet, laidback pilot. 

But he really had a chance to shine in episode 7, during a one-on-one with Hannah that showed some heavy petting at a spa, then some intimacy while the two were redfaced in a jacuzzi:

- YouTube

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He also revealed to Hannah (and the viewers) that he speaks Spanish, repeating a saying his grandmother had taught him. Roughly translated, it means: "Son, don’t worry, don’t fret, let the waters run, let the river flow as it may because what’s for you, and what’s meant for you will never be tarnished and it will always be yours." It's no coincidence that this was the episode that got fans thinking of him as a viable Bachelor candidate.

His past may count against him.

This isn't verified, but apparently some people who know Peter really like him:

Which is certainly helping to argue that Peter is "there for the right reasons." That's catnip for producers (and Bachelor selection).

But then spoilers as well as fans on Twitter noted that Peter might, just like Jed, have had a girlfriend riiiiight up until he started the show.

Which is...upsetting, if true. It's not uncommon for bachelors to have girlfriends in advance of the show, although by now I would have thought the producers would be better at spotting it. But it's thoroughly at odds with how he's portraying himself. In fairness to Peter, he broke up with his girlfriend in advance of the show, instead of continuing to date her (as Jed did).

He's not on Bachelor in Paradise.

Insert the usual caveat here that this doesn't necessarily mean anything, and it would be weird to list Peter on BiP considering he's still, you know, a candidate to win The Bachelorette. The producers are not about to spoil their own show. But I also don't know if I see Peter in BiP, which is nutty and drama-filled.

No. You cannot.

He's got a cool job.

Pilot Peter is, in fact, a pilot, and he's actually gotten back into flying since he left the show:

The Bachelor producers look for someone who's able to take months off work so they can be on the show. I'm not an expert in Peter's profession—I know flexibility increases as one becomes more senior as a pilot, so I have no idea if another extended stay would be feasible for somebody so young. But there's actually been discussion about the fact that Peter is quite young to have even ascended to his current position so quickly. His dad is also a pilot:

And it's unclear how it's affected his career trajectory. My point is—he may have more flexibility than others. Plus, his role might be giving positive attention to his profession, so his employers might see it as a good thing. After all, it was no problem that he wore his uniform, night one.

He's getting back to causes he supports.

Obviously bachelors often are connected with causes before the show, as in the case with Peter and his brother committed to blood donation:

But, it's usually a sign if a former bachelor is still trying to keep good post-show energy and a good profile that they post publicly about volunteering. Tyler C. did it as well, so it's not like Peter's being shady or surreptitious here. In any case, the cause is good, and Peter indicates that he's been supportive of this for a while. "It’s been a dream of ours to one day start a foundation in honor of our grandmother Aurora who fought Leukemia," he says about himself and his brother.

He'd be an easy choice—if the "pre-show girlfriend" doesn't sink him.

Neat work? Check. Loves to travel? Check. Easygoing? Check. Sexy, according to Hannah and everyone who watched their recent makeout session? Check. It would seemingly be hard to pick between him and Tyler, who also checks a lot of the boxes and is also an athlete.

But, then again, we haven't heard anything about Tyler having a girlfriend before the show (and I'm hoping against hope it stays that way), which may move the dial in his favor. Again, my pick is Mike, but I can see the producers going towards Peter or Tyler (a type they have gone to many seasons before). But before that, Peter might have some explaining to do.

Although, apparently Peter is very pro-Mike Johnson, too.

Mike got eliminated in episode 8, and made a post about how grateful he was to be on the show. Peter got right in there in the comments to say, "Thankful for your friendship man! One of the most stand up dudes I've ever met!"

I mean, of course, he can be a fan of Mike and still want to be the Bachelor himself, but I thought it was interesting that he would comment so publicly on someone who might be a competitor for the coveted role. Although a lot of the bachelors really bonded this season (having to deal with another stressful bachelor will do that) so it might just be a sign of general camaraderie.

Regardless, I'm pretty sure we haven't seen the last of Peter in Bachelor Nation—in what capacity, I'm not sure yet. TBD.

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