The next Bachelor has been revealed. While so many of us scramble to understand why Arie Luyendyk Jr. was chosen, others express their frustration that producers overlooked the man they saw as the perfect candidate.
Weeks ago, they were hinting that Peter Kraus might not be the next Bachelor, and we told you about it but we still didn’t want to listen. Nobody did.
Without directly addressing the choice of Luyendyk, Peter Kraus penned a moving essay about his experience on The Bachelorette and his biggest takeaway. But, come on — it’s his response to not being the Bachelor.
You know, when the folks behind The Bachelor said that their next pick for leading man would “shock” fans, we weren’t sure what to think.
But they were kind of right.
Like, if a restaurant asked you what you wanted and you just said “surprise me” (never do this, even at a restaurant that allows it; don’t be a tool), and the waiter came back with a tray full of slices of lemon and nothing else, you’d be surprised.
Maybe even shocked.
But not because it’s outlandish or delightful. Just because it’s totally unexpected.
Maybe Arie Luyendyk Jr. will prove to be an amazing leading man. He was on the eighth season of The Bachelorette. and he’s handsome and all that.
But a large portion of the Bachelor Nation is mourning what they’d hoped to see — Peter Kraus getting his own season.
Peter took to Instagram to share a lengthy post … at right about the time that the news broke.
instead of sharing those amazing abs of his, Peter instead wanted fans and followers to concentrate on his words:
“#tbt to the most incredible journey of this life time that has now officially come to an end today.”
Maybe … maybe he could still star on The Bachelor, some day. There’s always next year, right?
“As I sit here writing this, I struggle to hold back the tears as I am overcome with emotion one last time.”
We’ve all seen him cry, so that sounds real.
“First and foremost.. Rachel, there are so very many things that I’ve wished I could say to you since the day we parted ways in Spain, but for everyone’s sake, I’ll keep it short…”
This should be good. …
“You gave me a chance and all that I can say is thank you. I have a heart filled with love for you now and always and wish you nothing but the best in your life and love ahead.”
Awwww!
Peter also addresses ABC (and, by extension, producers, etc).
“ABC, you saw something in me, but something held me back. You treated me with such love and kindness and showed me glimpses of a life I never once dreamed that I could have.”
That’s very gracious.
“I will be forever humbled and grateful and will always look back at these last 6 months with an ear to ear smile, knowing that this has truly been a very special life indeed.”
“Upon leaving the @bacheloretteabc I was asked, ‘what did you learn about yourself during this process?’ And at the time I naively said ‘nothing that I can think of.’ Now… looking back… I realize I learned one of the single greatest teachings of my life.”
That’s a hard thing to try to answer on the fly.
But here’s his big takeaway:
“When you let uncertainty or fear guide your decisions, you risk missing out on what could potentially be the greatest opportunity of a life time.”
He’s talking about his reluctance to propose to Rachel Lindsay right away, because he takes engagements and love very seriously.
That got him penalized by Rachel and clearly by the showrunners.
His parting words are moving and many would say that they’re good advice in general:
“So live dangerously, live without the fear of the unknown, and continue to live and love with a heart that is truly open to anything. #thankyou #lovealways”
At this point, we hope that this shared wisdom will set Peter up to be the next next Bachelor.
Really, we could have avoided this heartbreak if Rachel Lindsay had seen what fans saw in the first place.
