Verdict: I like Pete.
I do not usually watch “The Bachelor.” In fact, throughout my college career, I have watched very little TV. I have not been up to date with who is the current bachelor and what he is like. But I do know people have had varying opinions on him.
Some of my friends are into it, so I decided to watch an episode with them on Tuesday, Feb. 25. We watched episode 9 titled “The Final 3 Women Share a Suite.”
At the beginning of the episode, Peter Weber, nicknamed “Pilot Pete,” talks to Madison, one of the three final women. She tells him that if he was intimate with one of the other women, she might not be able to carry on with their relationship. Weber appears to be patient as he listened, letting Madison speak her thoughts before responding.
Weber, referring to the upcoming week, said, “Pray to God I have some type of clarity. I’m in love with three women.” I like this statement by Weber, and I do believe him when he said this.
The show cuts to the Gold Coast in Australia. After a variety of beautiful shots of the location, Pete thinks it’s very romantic and “easy to fall in love in.” Pete seems like a very romantic guy to me. This week, the three women stayed in one apartment while Pete took each woman, on different nights, to a “fantasy suite.” I could clearly see some awkwardness occurring.
Weber, with a smile and excitement on his face, took Hannah to jet ski for the first date of the week. I like Weber’s positive attitude. Pete said he’s all about enthusiasm, passion and living his life to the fullest. I admire Pete’s adventurous spirit, yet I wonder if the woman he chooses can always match that.
In my opinion, Weber is what I would deem as a “frat boy” type of handsome. He’s handsome, but I feel like I could not pick him out from a crowd. But I concede that he has a great smile and nice teeth.
That night, Hannah and Weber got to their “fantasy suite” and had dinner. Weber seemed to say all the right stuff. He said he is grateful for Hannah, and to the camera, he said, “I see the most perfect woman I’ve ever dreamt of.”
So far so good. But things get dicey once he has to leave Hannah for Victoria the next morning. The first thing Weber does is address the elephant in the room, which was the ending of their last bit of time spent together. I heard from my friends that Victoria freaked out when Weber saw his ex when the two were spending time together on the show. I like Weber’s immediate confrontation of the problem rather than letting it grow. I think it shows that he has wisdom and would be a good partner in a marriage.
Weber seems like a guy who does everything right. He says the right things, he listens, and he is very optimistic. However, skipping to the end of the episode, things get problematic. The show reminds the audience that Madison may not be able to carry on in her relationship with Pete if he is intimate with the two other women on the show. During Madison’s night with Pete, the two address the situation where Pete admits that he was intimate with one or both of the remaining women.
I’m mixed in regards to my opinion of Pilot Pete. On the one hand, he did have this conversation about this issue with Madison before the week had started, so he has to face the consequences for his actions. But on the other hand, Madison should know that this type of drama happens on “The Bachelor.” Moreover, sharing a “fantasy suite” with an individual woman each night maximized his temptation to do what Madison did not want him to do. I do not think Weber did the right thing, but I do not think he is a bad person because of it.
By watching this one episode of “The Bachelor,” I think Pilot Pete is a solid man, yet he is still an imperfect one. I would not mind hanging out with him or getting a plane ride from him!
Written By: Derek Bonnema, junior writing major
