Peter Weber officially named The Bachelor

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https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/li...chelor-1240365

The selection of The Bachelorette alum known as "Pilot Pete" isn't a surprise since he was considered the frontrunner since last month and TMZ already captured him filming his season with a camera crew. In picking Peter, ABC bypassed the historic option of having the first black Bachelor in Mike Johnson. Pete's Bachelor season, Season 24, premieres Jan. 6.

Was Peter Weber the safe Bachelor pick?

In picking "Pilot Pete," The Bachelor franchise missed another opportunity to cast the first-ever black Bachelor in Mike Johnson. The Hollywood Reporter staff debated whether Pete was, in fact, a safe pick. "I have nothing against Peter; I like Peter," says Kimberly Nordyke. "However, we already had a Bachelor pilot and I fear we are going to be subjected to another season of aviation puns (who can forget how many times we heard 'On the Wings of Love' during Jake Pavelka's season?). The Bachelor producers never met a cringe-worthy pun that they couldn't drive into the ground (new Bachelor game idea: take a shot every time someone mentions the 'mile high club'). Or maybe we'll just get a season full of windmill references." Adds Lex Perez: "At first glance, Peter is the total package. He is good looking, has a great job and close with his family. But he is definitely the safest choice and, dare I say it, the most boring." Meanwhile, the first black Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay was not happy that Mike Johnson was rejected. "I think Peter seems like a very nice guy. He seems lovely," she tells E.T. "This is absolutely nothing against him, but how many Peters have we seen before? What season are we on? 24. So, we've seen 24 Peters. I'm bored. And it's nothing personal against him."

ABC reality boss expected diversity backlash over Peter Weber as The Bachelor, but insists "he was the strongest option"

ABC is facing criticism again for selecting a white Bachelor, especially when it had the strong contender in Mike Johnson, who is black. “I think there will be backlash and you’re always going to get backlash," says ABC reality chief Rob Mills. "I frankly can’t recall a single Bachelor or Bachelorette choice who was universally agreed upon. The backlash is always hard. We really really care about the audience and you don’t want to disappoint anyone. It’s hard to not take it personally when people say, ‘You don’t listen to us or why did you choose this person over that?’ But you just have to have faith in the choice you made. We think Peter was the strongest option, we felt he was the guy who would give us the best 22 hours of television.”

Mike Johnson: "A black Bachelor should have been cast"

The Bachelorette alum says he always had a feeling Peter Weber would become the next Bachelor. But he does agree with former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay that the franchise should've had a black Bachelor by now. "In regards to what Rachel was saying, I do agree with Rachel, that after 24 Bachelors, a black Bachelor should have been cast," he says. "But at the same time, ABC has been successful. They know what they're doing for their audience. They know what they're looking for. I wasn't the guy they were looking for at the moment." Johnson adds: "I think of diversity more than just black and white. And yes, Peter has a Cuban mom, but let's just be honest -- he's white, right? And that's just being completely transparent. I think that there should be an Asian lead, an Indian lead... diversity is not just black and white. It's not just salt and pepper."