The Bachelor Nation is still collectively reeling from the very controversial choice that showrunners have made in casting Arie Luyendyk Jr. as the next Bachelor.
Arie Luyendyk Jr. is controversial on his own — a former friend describes him as "disgusting," and now we"re hearing that Arie broke up with his girlfriend to become the Bachelor just two nights before the big announcement.
But the biggest controversy was that they didn"t cast fan-favorite, Peter Kraus. And Peter"s opening up in an interview. We have video of that below!
Against the vocal advice of fans and clearly against the better judgment of her own family …
(Rachel"s sister in particular did not like the idea of Rachel being with Bryan Abasolo and she was not subtle about it, either)
… Rachel Lindsay ended her season of The Bachelorette by breaking up with Peter Kraus and getting engaged to Bryan Abasolo.
And, you know what? As much as we don"t understand that choice and probably never will … you gotta support that.
Rachel Lindsay picked the man she wanted. In the end, that"s the point of the show.
She didn"t want the man who took marriage so seriously that he wasn"t sure that he was prepared to propose to her at the end of the season without spending more time with her.
To Peter, you see, an engagement is a true commitment to get married, not just the next level of dating.
Bryan Abasolo, however, saw that Rachel Lindsay wanted a fairytale love story and he was willing to give that to her.
Some would say that Bryan said whatever Rachel wanted to hear and that she bought it, hook, line, and sinker.
Others say that they just really connected and are perfect for each other.
But with Rachel choosing Bryan and showrunners choosing Brie, where does that leave Peter Kraus?
With his endearing charm, his gap-toothed smile, and yes, also his abs, Peter Kraus seems to have been left high and dry by his time on The Bachelor.
That doesn"t sit right with a lot of fans.
(This week"s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver even commented on it, sharing the outrage of the Bachelor Nation)
Peter Kraus spoke out after Arie Luyendyk Jr. was named, but his lengthy Instagram essay was mostly talking about appreciating his time on the series and discussing what he"d learned and how he will always be grateful to Rachel.
This time, however, Peter is actually being interviewed.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Peter Kraus shares a lot, even sharing exactly why he wasn"t selected as the Bachelor.
He starts by talking about whether he"d take the gig in the future, if given the chance.
"If the offer were to come up in the future, I could see myself doing it. It seems like an amazing opportunity. At this stage in my life, I"m single, I"m happy, business is good, family is good. I"m ready for the next step again, and if that"s what route it took, I"d be OK with that."
So there"s hope, folks.
Rachel"s season left him in a vulnerable place, though.
"It was such an emotional roller coaster. I didn"t feel like I had enough time to process the season and After the Final Rose, and where I was at in my own life at the time. I needed more time for clarity."
Studies show that men, on average, take longer than women to recover from a breakup.
And Peter is a sensitive guy.
"I"m the type of person who needs maybe too much time to process things when it comes to life and love…when I"m talking about my wife and my future, I want to take time to really think about it."
He got criticism for that. Mostly from Rachel. Most fans considered that an appropriate level of thought to put into something so important.
"I"m going to weigh out everything in my life, and then make the best possible decision based on all the information."
Shouldn"t we all think this way?
And as for why he wasn"t selected as the Bachelor?
"The conversations that [producers, ABC executives and I] had [about being the Bachelor] were never specific to "Yes or no?" It was more, "Are you ready?" and me saying I was not."
As devastating as that was to fans, that makes a lot of sense. Peter was still recovering from a very devastating breakup.
"It was a mutual respect for where each other was at, what I know they need from a Bachelor and what I know I was ready to give at the time of those talks. I would never say it was a clear, defined answer. It was, "This is where we"re at, and we"re OK with going in different directions.""
But since he"d be open to being the leading man in the future … we"ll hold out hope. In the mean time, Arie Luyendyk"s season already has a promo.
Does anyone know where we can go to get placed in a medically induced coma until Peter"s season begins?
Asking for a friend.
