‘The Bachelor’ Recap: Come to Meet Peter Weber’s Parents, Stay for the Cliffhanger
By Haley Kluge
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – SPOILER ALERT:
Do not read if you have not yet watched the first part of “The Bachelor” Season 24 finale.
Pilot Peter Weber has nearly landed. After months of ups and downs, his season is culminating in a two-night live finale, where he was left to choose between Hannah Ann Sluss and Madison Prewett. After a promise by Chris Harrison that the first night would be “one of the most controversial and shocking endings,” viewers reunited with Weber and his family in Australia.
Weber met up with his parents and his brother, Jack, before introducing them to each woman. First up, was Sluss. “Regardless of what happens, I want to walk away and them know, that girl loves our son,” she told the camera. She took turns with each parent to have one-on-one conversations, where they ultimately expressed their approval.
In contrast to the positive meeting with Sluss, Weber’s reunion with Prewett was not as lighthearted. They two rehashed the previous week, where she left before fantasy suites after he was intimate with other contestants.
“This is your journey, and you are a big boy and you can make decisions for yourself,” Prewett told him in the tense conversation. “Up until that point, I hadn’t asked you for anything. … I defended you, I trusted you, I’d been there for you. I just felt like in that moment, that was me, sharing my heart, and I felt like you really just put your feelings and your needs and your wants way above mine.”
They finally joined his parents inside, where they had heavy conversations about faith, sexuality, lifestyle, compatibility and, ultimately, Prewett’s ultimatum. Prewett fiercely stood by her decisions. After they said goodbye, Weber returned inside to passionate pleas from his mother to move forward with Sluss.
“[Madison]’s not there for you,” his mother said. “Madison is a sweet girl, lovely girl. Hannah Ann is an angel on Earth.”
Weber spent the rest of their conversation defending Prewett. He passionately asked his parents for understanding but was met by a “don’t let her go” cry from his mother.
With those conversations fresh in his head, Weber spent the next day exploring the outback with her. The date turned south quickly, after she wanted to discuss the hesitations she had after seeing his family. They explored what life would look like outside of the show and her realizations of moving forward.
“Being a great warrior and a good fighter is knowing when to surrender,” she told him. “I’m willing to walk away so you can get what you came here to find.”
Fighting back, he questioned her assessment.
“I don’t think we’re the best for each other,” she told him decisively, before the two parted ways in tears.
Weber, obviously shocked and hurt, turned to an interview with Harrison to process his feelings.
He confessed that he was “mourning” the relationship, but also still in love with Sluss. They deliberated continuing forward or giving Weber the space to process the loss. Despite the confusion, Weber chose to pursue his last date with Sluss, where they spent the day at a kangaroo sanctuary. He did not share that Prewett had self-eliminated during their date. Instead, they shared an emotional conversation about their feelings for each other, where Sluss reassured him that — while she was struggling with the lack of reciprocation — she was there for him until the end.
Night one concluded with a cliffhanger, leaving Weber in limbo between two breakups or one proposal.
“” airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.
