Hannah Brown said goodbye to Bachelorette fan favorite Peter Weber during the first part of her season finale on July 29, sharing a tearful embrace with him before he hopped into his exit limo. Blindsided by the elimination, Peter's emotions re-emerged at the finale's live segment, where he and his parents opened up about how difficult the past few months had been for him. His reunion with Hannah allowed for some humor to break through the evening's heaviness, but if you're still trying to cope with his departure, let's break down the hints that Peter will be the next Bachelor.
From the moment Peter arrived at the Bachelor mansion in his full pilot uniform, fans were hooked on the sweet-faced aviation enthusiast. Early in the season, he spoke about his father working as a pilot and meeting his mother when she was a flight attendant, painting a picture of pure parental love long before viewers fell head-over-heels for the welcoming Webers during Peter's hometown visit. Throughout the season, as he traveled with Hannah and the other men to exotic locales, Peter impressed the Bachelorette with his suave kissing skills and kind personality.
His path through Bachelor Nation hasn't been spotless, as his ex-girlfriend came forward to allege that Peter had broken up with her in December while Bachelorette casting was in full swing. Peter didn't address these accusations during Part 1 of the live finale, but his time in the hot seat didn't quite shake fans' love of him. I mean, did you all catch Hannah's confession that they actually had windmill sex four times? No wonder viewers are still willing to board the Pilot Pete plane tentatively bound for the Bachelor mansion.
There are still a few weeks to go until the next Bachelor is revealed, but here are the hints playing in Peter's favor.
Most of the time, people really sympathize with a Bachelorette runner-up, but any campaigns for these heartbroken men to become the next lead often don't work. In most cases, these contestants still seem so emotionally fragile or reluctant by the time ABC makes a Bachelor decision that they're passed over for the role. In late 2018, fourth-place Bachelorette finisher Colton Underwood became the Bachelor instead of the emotionally shattered runner-up Blake Horstmann, and the year before that, Peter Kraus implied uncertainty and fear prevented him from accepting the role, which instead went to Arie Luyendyk Jr.
So when it comes to Pilot Pete, not being one of the last men standing could benefit him. He still seems sad about the breakup, but as he hasn't gone through the trauma of a rejected proposal, he could still be optimistic about finding love on the show again.
When a Bachelor has a more novel job than a salesman or retired athlete, ABC seems to love constantly reminding viewers of it. Race car driver Arie's Bachelor season was packed with vehicular puns and fast-paced dates, and when pilot Jake Pavelka stepped into the leading role in 2010, his season was even subtitled The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love. Peter as the Bachelor would definitely result in women using flying puns in their introductions and perhaps even a contestant who is a flight attendant or pilot herself. That's one pre-boarding queue I'd be ready to jump on ASAP.
The lead's parents typically don't pop up on The Bachelor until only two women remain, but the Webers secured such a warm place in viewers' hearts during Peter's hometown date that fans probably wouldn't mind seeing more of them. On the date, Peter's dad wept about just wanting his son to be happy, while his mom lovingly dug for the juicy details from Hannah. Best of all, Peter's parents and brother Jack supported him from the audience during the finale and unabashedly cheered him on when Hannah revealed the truth about their windmill romp. With Peter as Bachelor, could weekly check-ins with Mom and Dad become a new segment of the show?
While he isn't the least controversial among Hannah's final four (that honor goes to Bachelor Nation bae Tyler Cameron), Peter still has a decent shot at becoming the franchise's newest lead. The 27-year-old remains very popular, and in post-elimination interviews, he definitely sounds up for his very own Bachelor journey.
"I know this whole situation didn’t work out the way I was hoping, but Hannah truly showed me a different love than I had ever felt,” he told PEOPLE. “So it’s given me hope that I have more love to find. I wouldn’t say no to trying it again because I know the experience works. And I’m hopeful that my person is right around the corner."
Bachelor Nation has to wait and see if the season finale affects fans' Bachelor predictions, but the plea for Peter as Bachelor is still flying strong. Season 15 of The Bachelorette concludes with Part 2 of the season finale at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, July 30, on ABC.
