The Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss has announced the chances of Peter Kraus becoming the show's Season 22 star are slim despite fan support and social-media hype surrounding him.
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"Unfortunately, Peter probably will not be #TheBachelor," Mike tweeted Wednesday afternoon.
Whether it's a negotiation tactic on Mike's part, or a reflection of Peter not being interested in the role is unknown.
Last night, Mike confirmed that fan-favorite Bachelor in Paradise bartender Wells Adams will not be the Bachelor either, but he noted Bachelor Nation is "getting warmer" when it comes to guessing the 2018 selection.
If fans are "getting warmer," it may mean the franchise's next leading man has something in common with Wells. Mike previously revealed the next Bachelor will not be someone from JoJo Fletcher's season of The Bachelorette -- on which Wells competed -- so maybe producers chose a man who appeared on this summer's edition of Bachelor in Paradise.
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Mike added on Twitter that executives are "working out final details for the shocking announcement regarding #TheBachelor," and it might be made on Good Morning America soon.
Reality Steve spoiler blogger Steve Carbone wrote on Thursday of last week that Peter was definitely selected to be the next The Bachelor star and the announcement would be coming soon.
Carbone believes Mike took to Twitter after his declaration only to "jerk people" around and stir up some buzz and attention about the show. Mike, for example, tweeted Bachelor polls and included names such as Chase McNary, Ben Zorn, Ben Higgins, and Eric Bigger.
Peter also didn't deny his The Bachelor participation when approached by a TMZ paparazzo recently on-camera.
When asked whether he'll star as the next Bachelor, Peter replied, "I cannot say yes or no. I'm here [in Los Angeles] for something different right now."
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TMZ pointed out there's a lot of chatter on social media about Peter serving as the Bachelor, and the Wisconsin native commented, "It makes nervous! People have a lot of opinions, and they're not always positive... I can't speak to [how people would perceive me] right now. I don't know."
Peter suggested Alex Bordyukov and Dean Unglert would make excellent choices for The Bachelor star because they are great and good looking guys.
But when sharing his thoughts on fans who are rooting for him to become the star of the franchise, Peter replied, "There's definitely kind people out there who have positive things to say and everyone will just have to wait and see."
"He may make a great Bachelor," the franchise's longtime host Chris Harrison told People late last month.
"It's not like it's completely off the table. But after seeing him be with [Rachel Lindsay], it didn't give you that glowing feeling of, 'Hey, this guy is ready for another chance at love.' It would be really hard to spin that."
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Chris suggested Peter, a 31-year-old personal trainer and business owner, was still a Bachelor contender despite Mike tweeting one week prior, "Do we really want a Bachelor who isn't ready to settle down with a woman he loves? Hmm. Not what #thebachelor is all about."
Mike was seemingly referring to the fact Peter wasn't ready to get engaged to Rachel before The Bachelorette's final Rose Ceremony of Season 13 when only one other guy, Bryan Abasolo from Miami, remained.
Peter and Rachel had an excruciating breakup on The Bachelorette because -- even though they were in love with each other -- Peter needed more time before popping the question, but the Dallas attorney wasn't going to leave the show with just a boyfriend. Rachel therefore chose Bryan at the end of her journey to find love.
"It's about choosing someone who will make a good Bachelor, good television and who we think is sincerely ready for this moment -- ready to be the Bachelor, ready to settle down. There's the added factor: who will America really fall in love with and want to go on this journey? That's ultimately what we need, is everyone to watch," Chris had told People.
"With all that said, it's not an indictment on Peter, he's a really good guy. I think what Mike was saying was at the end of the show, is Peter really ready to settle down? The show exposes a lot. I think Peter learned that he's not quite ready to really settle down and really commit."
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Chris added at the time Peter seemed to have some real issues to deal with from his past.
"It seems like he's still working through some things. I think his time with Rachel exposed some things in his life that he probably has to deal with and needs to handle before he's ready to settle down. In no way does that make him a bad guy or not worthy," Chris explained last month.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski