The wait is over, people: We finally know who the next Bachelor is. After weeks of speculation and predictions, ABC announced on Tuesday night that Peter Weber, a.k.a Pilot Pete, will be the one handing out roses come January. It’s a surprising choice, to say the least. While Weber definitely was a front-runner for next season, he wasn’t the front-runner. That was Mike Johnson, whose big smile and even bigger heart swooned fans during Hannah Brown’s season of The Bachelorette. Even Derek Peth from Bachelor in Paradise seemed to have a strong shot for a while. (The mature way he handled Demi Burnett leaving him for her now-girlfriend, Kristian Haggerty, really impressed fans.) But no: Pilot Pete is the one. I wonder how many windmill jokes he’ll make next season.
We’ll find out in a few months, but until then a few cast members from Bachelor in Paradise, which just wrapped this week, are weighing in on Weber’s casting. Including Peth. “I wasn’t surprised it was Peter, but I was hopeful it would be Mike that was selected,” he tells Glamour. “I know Mike, so it’s obvious that’s a big reason there. I think he would have done an awesome job and everything. But not surprised, because Peter seems level-headed and he has a job, which is a new one for some of our Bachelors. So I’d say it’s an upgrade from some of the past ones.”
John Paul Jones also mentioned Weber’s job when talking about his Bachelor-ship. “I think Peter is a very eligible Bachelor,” he says. “Professionally speaking, he definitely has his career cut out for him, and personally, I think he’s ready to settle down. I think America will really enjoy watching him fall in love again.”
Burnett, meanwhile, didn’t really have a stake in the race like Peth did. She’s close with all three front-runners (Peth, Johnson, and Weber) and would’ve been cool with any outcome. “I’m friends with Derek, I’m friends with Peter, I’m friends with Mike. I’m friends with all these guys,” she says. “So whoever was going to be picked as the next Bachelor, I have no choice but to stan, because I’m friends with all of them.”
Hannah Godwin, whose Paradise ended with a proposal from Dylan Barbour, is stanning Peter, too. “I think Peter’s gonna crush it,” she tells Glamour. Adds Barbour, “I really like Peter. I think ABC had a great crop of guys to pick from, and I think with Peter they’re going to get someone who is super upfront about their emotions and is going to be open to the experience. I’m excited for him.”
Weber’s season of The Bachelor will begin in January.
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