SPOILERS ahead for The Bachelor 2020, aka Bachelor Peter Weber's Season 24.
I'll admit, I didn't think Bachelor Peter Weber was an exciting choice. But now I'm ready to watch the season like a full-on mystery with a twist ending. It sounds nuts. And also, it starts with the final rose ceremony as Chris Harrison reveals some key last-minute information? I would love ABC to tell The Bachelor 2020 Memento-style, but the tinfoil hat on my head wonders if we're starting with the end because of Bachelorette Hannah Brown.
We already knew, per Reality Steve, that Bachelor Peter would not have a "normal ending," and now he doesn't even have a normal beginning. Peter said his ending can't be spoiled, which suggested to me that it will be live. It's possible it's still happening now -- that he's dating one, two, or even three ladies still in contention. His two finalists -- who have already been revealed by spoilers -- plus Hannah Brown, maybe/maybe not? Maybe Bachelorette Hannah B. has nothing to do with the ending, but I'm in conspiracy mode now.
I rolled my eyes at Hannah Brown's return to The Bachelor, figuring it was just a gimmick -- since she obviously didn't "compete" on The Bachelor when she was legitimately competing on Dancing With the Stars. However, the new information from Bachelor Peter's premiere makes me wonder if she somehow does contact him in the end and Peter has to decide if he wants to go back to her or pick one of his two finalists.
Reality Steve just warned fans about the January 6 Bachelor 2020 premiere, which is a jam-packed three hours including the first impression rose (to Hannah Ann Sluss) and the first one-on-one date (with Madison) plus lots of Hannah Brown action.
According to Steve, the first scene of The Bachelor Season 24 premiere is a flash forward to the final rose ceremony, showing a clip of Peter at the final rose ceremony that was taped mid-November in Australia. Host Chris Harrison comes up to Bachelor Peter and says:
Before you do what you’re about to do, there is something you should know...something I just found out, all of us just found out...I’m not sure how this all ends, so I just wanted to give you a heads up.
What did Chris find out and tell Peter? We don't know yet. Wouldn't be shocked if it related to Hannah Brown. But I also wouldn't be shocked if it related to one of the finalists, some new information. Don't say we have another Wrong Reasons Jed on our hands! At any rate, Steve said Peter looks flustered at that point and he's shown walking around not knowing what to do. (I wonder if this is why Netflix only added one season of The Bachelor and it was Jason Mesnick's season. Maybe Peter pulls his own Mesnick.)
Bachelor Peter says he feels "like I’m gonna pass out right now,” then we see a clip of him in his final rose ceremony suit, laying down on a bed. Sounds like The Bachelor breaks the fourth-wall with production again, since they are shown around him as he says “it’s just like the last thing I needed to hear.”
Then Bachelor host Chris Harrison says his intro on the season having an "unbelievable journey like you’ve never seen before," and there's a full preview of the season.
As Steve noted, The Bachelor fans will be talking about the end of the preview, showing Peter's mom Barbara. Bachelor editing is notoriously misleading, but we see her crying and her voice is shaking as she says this:
Don’t let her go, don’t let her go...(camera pans to Peter)...bring her home to us.
Did The Bachelor splice scenes, and "don't let her go" is separate from "bring her home to us"? Maybe. Steve narrowed the timing of that clip down to 1) sometime when Bachelor Peter's parents meet the final two in Australia or 2) filmed after the rest of the show. I wouldn't be shocked if Peter's family wanted Hannah B. back in their lives. They seemed to love her on The Bachelorette and were strangely thrilled about those four sexy trips to the infamous windmill.
The Bachelor 2020 season previews tend to start hopeful, include tears and drama, and end on finale cliffhangers. This season preview shown during the premiere ends with Peter at his final rose ceremony, with these words via voiceover:
When I love someone, I don’t care how hard it looks, I will never surrender. Because I do believe love conquers all.
That is from the first five minutes of the show, and it's a first to start a show that way. I hope they continue! I love the idea of starting at the end, especially if the end is so intriguing.
Reality Steve has already revealed Bachelor Peter's final two to be Madison and Hannah Ann. The Bachelor has had eliminated contestants show up at the end for a second chance before, and maybe that happens again. But if it's Hannah Brown ... so much of this makes me wonder if Peter takes a chance on Hannah and they are dating right now. Or maybe his season can't be spoiled because he didn't pick anyone and he's still dating multiple people in the real world?
The idea that the ending can't be spoiled is so interesting to me. In that case, he wouldn't have picked anyone, right? Not even Hannah Brown? The timing of Hannah B. showing up for the rose ceremony would be tricky because she was still competing on Dancing With the Stars until late November and Bachelor Peter's final rose ceremony took place November 17 in Australia, per Steve. I may be reaching on the Hannah B. thing, but there are also previews like this really nailing how deep Hannah's connection to Peter really was:
I really did think this season might be boring, but I should've known better. Hannah Brown misdirection or not, the drama always comes from the ladies, not the Bachelor himself (until he jumps a fence of pulls a Mesnick/Womack). This season, we'll have pageant drama and everything Victoria F. and her revenge boobs get up to, plus that mysterious ending. Juicy! I'm excited to get started.
However, if this does end with Peter and Hannah B. together, this was kind of a wasted season. She spent the whole time on DWTS and he could've just sat in the audience to watch her instead of wasting everyone else's time. For that reason alone, I don't want them together. For every other reason, I'm fine with the messy drama.
The Bachelor trainwreck begins Monday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Don't be late 'cause it sounds like the usual filler will not be happening.
