Peter Weber Reveals What He Learned From Being The Bachelor - Exclusive

Although Peter Weber didn't find lasting love as "The Bachelor," he's grateful for the lessons he learned in one of the most coveted roles on reality TV. At the end of his season, he bestowed a 3.27-carat Neil Lane sparkler upon Hannah Ann Sluss, and close to 8.5 million viewers tuned in to watch. 

However, the aftermath of that engagement really was "one of the most dramatic" in "Bachelor" history — he broke up with her and started dating contestant Madison Prewett. And although he appeared with Prewett on his "After the Final Rose" episode, they ended things two days later. And after that, he shacked up with Kelley Flanagan, also from his season, from whom he split just eight months later. 

The List sat down with the veteran reality star just before his children's book, "The Adventures of Pilot Pete," hit bookstores. The now-single Weber has moved on from his days in the Bachelor mansion, relocating to a new city and launching a podcast. However, he looks back on his time as a leading man fondly for what it taught him about life and love.

Peter Weber began his journey to find reality show romance on Hannah Brown's season of "The Bachelorette" in 2019. When asked how his debut on the series came about, "Pilot Pete," as he's affectionately referred to in Bachelor Nation, said he applied to the show after watching fellow pilot Jake Pavelka's season. "And then randomly before Hannah's season, got DMed by a producer ...," he explained. 

When Hannah sent the fan-favorite contestant home (via Bachelor Nation), that left room for him to take flight, no pun intended. And by that summer, he was chosen at the next "Bachelor."

After having a trio of relationships with women from his season in less than a year, Peter Weber was fodder for plenty of chatter amongst "Bachelor" Nation. As for what it was like to have such public breakups, he said it took him some time to "tune out the distractions" and realize that it didn't matter what others thought about his personal life. "As long as you're okay with yourself and you're confident in your decisions and you're doing what you know is best for you and for that relationship and the other person, that's really all that matters," he said to The List.

So, what did Peter Weber learn from his experience as "The Bachelor?" The franchise alum, who hasn't ruled out the possibility of entering the sands of "Bachelor in Paradise" for a third shot at love, said that he was given a "crash course" during his time on the show. The now-30-year-old was just 27 when he was "The Bachelor," making him one of the youngest in its history, per PopSugar. And he discovered that to have a healthy union with someone else, he needed to focus on himself first.

"You got to be able to put yourself first in so many aspects in life and be in such a good place and do things for yourself to truly get yourself to a point where you can be that rock and that support for another human being in a relationship," he explained. "And I would say that was one of the biggest lessons I learned and why I'm grateful for the show."

Peter Weber's book "The Adventures of Pilot Pete" is available for pre-order and will be released on November 23. Shoppers will also have the chance to receive a signed copy when they order.