Alright. If you’re one of the millions of people who religiously watch any of the shows that come from Bachelor Nation, then you’ve been keeping up with the most recent season of the OG, The Bachelor. This season, which followed fan-favorite Peter Weber, from the last Bachelorette, Hannah Brown’s season, came to a painstaking end. While all season long it’s been teased as the “most dramatic finale in Bachelor history” (but seriously, when don’t they promote the current season as such?), the fact that they had to split the final episode over two nights was a strong indicator that something big was going down.
Before I go on to RANT about how the episode turned out, I want to go out and say that I love “Pilot Pete.” He was one of my favorite two from Hannah B.’s season, and when he was announced as the new Bachelor, I was so excited to watch his journey. He seemed like the most normal and sane guy, on top of being adorable, sweet, and charming. Now with all that being said, I know a lot of people do not share the same opinion of him – especially after the “finasco” of a conclusion to what seemed like the longest season of the show.
SPOILERS AHEAD:
Okay, let’s start with Hannah Ann. To be completely honest, while I thought she was a sweetheart and drop-dead gorgeous, I never really liked her as a contestant, let alone a match for Peter throughout the whole season. At first, I thought she was just going to be a major source of drama and therefore contribute to the generally expected cattiness of Bachelor Mansion. However, after seeing the final three or four episodes I just felt for her on another level. Like yeah, she wasn’t the one I pictured with Peter at the end of this, but to see her unconditionally declare her love for Peter and not have him return that was really difficult to watch as a hopeless romantic myself. THEN, my man Pete had the AUDACITY to essentially use Hannah Ann as his backup plan when Madi left. He started to tell not only himself but Hannah Ann as well, that she was “the one” for him, when just moments prior he was devastatingly heartbroken over who he truly believed was “the one”. The worst thing about this all is that instead of just maybe choosing Hannah Ann at the end and pulling a Colton – where instead of engagement, the “winner” and the bachelor just unite and date – he flat out proposed to Hannah Ann. My issue with this is that he did this fully knowing he didn’t want to, because even if he did love Hannah Ann, he wasn’t really in love with her and therefore, should never have taken something as monumental as her first proposal away from her. I was 100% here for Hannah Ann coming out on the live stage to completely call Peter out and own herself like the confident queen she is. Even Pete’s mom, Barb, cheered her on during this moment.
Which brings me to my next point: Barb Weber. WOW. This woman is an icon, and I don’t know whether or not in a good or bad way just yet, although I fear the internet might have already made its choice. I completely understand where she’s coming from as a mom who is super close with her son, knows him well enough, and simply just wants the best for her child. HOWEVER, you do not go on live television and essentially BULLY and BELITTLE the woman who your son has finally chosen and proclaimed his love for, just to prove a point. On the live after show, it was revealed that Pete and Madi (one of the final two women who decided on her own that she’d leave the show) reunited and wanted to give dating another chance. When host, Chris Harrison, asked Barb to comment, she very condescendingly shared her opinions on how the two “will never work” and that Pete would figure it out on his own because he has to “fail to succeed”. Again – totally get that she believes Madi is not the right choice for her son, but that in no way justifies Barb for whipping out her claws on live, national television. Not only did it make her look bad, but it simultaneously embarrassed her son, and Madi, who I believe was pulled into something so nasty that she didn’t deserve. What I think should have happened, is that Barb could have simply said she hopes it works out, and then when they returned to the privacy of their own home, let Pete know how she really felt. Well, I guess the way she went about it definitely got her attention. In real-time as the finale aired, social media exploded with memes of Barb and her attitude. Whether or not her actions were morally right, she sure did land herself instant-internet fame, which came with both a flock of supporters and a flock of haters.
All in all, I will completely admit that Madi was my personal fave from early on. As things didn’t necessarily go the typical “bachelor” way, I’m glad that the two of them reunited – however brief as it may be, given that just two days after their reunion aired they both announced on their social media that they decided to part ways for good. Hopefully, Madi moves on to bigger and better things as she keeps on owning herself and staying true to her beliefs, and Peter takes some time to reflect, take a break from dating, and learns to foster a healthier relationship with his mom.