What could have been...
Peter Kraus gave Bachelor Nation the ultimate flashback on Thursday when he appeared on The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast.
As fans will recall, the personal trainer from Madison, Wis. appeared on Rachel Lindsay's season of The Bachelorette. Kraus didn't want to propose, and he and Lindsay tearfully decided to break up near the end of the season. The attorney ended the season by getting engaged to Bryan Abasolo, and the happy couple tied the knot just two years later.
While many fans were hoping to see Kraus hand out the roses, Arie Luyendyk Jr. got the gig instead. But that doesn't mean Kraus wasn't considered.
During his interview with Ben Higgins and Ashley Iaconetti, the season 13 star claimed he turned down the producers three times before flying out to Los Angeles to have a "formal" discussion about becoming the Bachelor. At that point, Kraus had started to "talk to a girl" and "had feelings for her." Still, Kraus said they weren't in a relationship. When asked if he'd be willing to "leave that or exit that," Kraus said he "wasn't sure."
"Then we really started to talk about the details of the show itself, and how it was really hard for me," the reality TV celeb said. "And I couldn't say I would for sure be able to get in an engagement after the end. It wasn't that I knew for a fact that I didn't want to. It was more that I couldn't promise them that I would, and I didn't want to be forced to do it if I said yes to the show."
Then, there was the topic of compensation. Kraus claimed he told the producers he already made "considerably more" per year than what was being offered.
"Why would I give up, in my thoughts, like the rest of my life being known as 'Peter The Bachelor' and no longer just Peter for the amount of money that isn't life changing?'" he said. "And so, money was discussed, and we all agreed it wouldn't make sense to pay a ton of money because then you're no longer doing it for the right reasons."
Although, he claimed the money didn't play a "major factor" in the decision.
He also said there were other things he wanted implemented. For instance, he said he wanted to "spend more time with people individually," such as by being able to go into The Bachelor mansion unexpectedly so it didn't seem like the women were "putting on a show" for him. In addition, he claimed he wanted relationship counseling for himself and "the top four or five girls during the process" so they could "work things out on a deep level." He then wanted "continued support" for himself and the person he chose after the show.
"I didn't want to be a dick about it," he said in regards to the requests. "I didn't want to be like, 'I'm better than this' or 'This is what I deserve.' I was just saying like, 'I do actually want to fall in love and get married at some point, but I want to make it under my terms kind of thing because it's my life, it's my long term. It's not just a short-term goal for me.' I understand that the show can progress my life and my career in many ways that it probably wouldn't otherwise. But, at the same time, I was confident enough that I could do that on my own under my own hard work. So, I wasn't going to sacrifice some of my beliefs to be that."
In the end, Kraus and the producers went in different directions. While he claimed he had agreed to appear on The Bachelor Winter Games, he also alleged the producers later texted him saying there had been a "change of plans" and that he couldn't participate anymore. But considering he's still single, would he ever want to return to the famous franchise?
"I won't do Bachelor in Paradise personally, especially knowing that, like, the group of girls that were just on the show were all really young," he said. "I'd like to date 30 and above if possible... I don't think Bachelor in Paradise is quite my thing. Nothing against it, I just don't see myself being successful on there."
Kraus isn't the only one who was considered to be The Bachelor but didn't end up taking on the role. To see other examples, check out the gallery below.
Fans can expect to see Clare Crawley hand out the roses on the next season of The Bachelorette.