The 29-year-old pilot also revealed if he would want to be the Bachelor a second time.
Peter Weber is ready for love. In an interview with ET's Denny Directo, the 29-year-old former Bachelor said that he's excited to put himself back out there following his split from Kelley Flanagan.
Weber and Flanagan dated on his season of The Bachelor, which aired last year. While Weber broke up with Flanagan during the course of the show, the pair reconnected when things didn't work out with his initial pick, Hannah Ann Sluss, or his runner-up, Madison Prewett. Weber later announced his and Flanagan's split in December 2020.
While Weber told ET that "nothing crazy happened" at the end of his and Flanagan's relationship, she previously said that things ended "really badly." Weber previously called Flanagan's post-split statement "calculated."
"I feel like it's been beaten to death. I don't know why people keep talking about it. I've moved on. I truly, truly wish nothing but the best for Kelley," Weber told ET. "... It's tough when you have a relationship in the public eye and people invest in it and they're going to have opinions. They're going to say things. No one knows the full, full story, except for the two people involved, just like any relationship."
Despite them breaking up, Weber said he "frigging loved" his time with Flanagan.
"I truly say to everyone that [it] was the best relationship I ever had... She had my back in everything. We went through so much together. It was so much criticism... I had never really experienced a relationship where you kind of go through the fire with someone together and the strength that brings you two," Weber said. "Just being able to appreciate how good of a person she is and how much I could truly feel like she wanted the best for me."
Though he admitted that it'd be hard, Weber said that he would watch Bachelor in Paradise if Flanagan went on the show.
"Would it be a little weird? For sure... It'd be very hard to watch. It'd be uncomfortable... In the months following a break up, especially when it's public, I don't want to see what they're doing. I don't want to see who they're dating or whatnot. I think anyone kind of feels a little icky and it stings a little bit. I mean, that's natural," he said. "I don't even know if she's on it... Right now, for sure, that'd be very difficult for me to watch. Next year, a little easier."
Weber's relationship with Flanagan, he said, helped him to see what he wants in a partner. While Weber noted that he's "open to dating anyone," he said that falling for someone who is out of the public eye would "be nice."
"[I want] someone that is challenging. That may sound weird, but to me it's actually very attractive. Kelley had that and she challenged me on a lot of stuff. I really appreciated that," he said. "Someone that has that... sweetness inside of her that can't be denied. It comes out in everything that she does."
"[I want someone who is] also challenging, is a strong woman, is confident and knows what she wants, but also has that adventurous side and that playful side... and that spontaneous side. [That's] my lifestyle. That's how it's kind of always been," Weber continued. "... Someone that really values family and closeness there. I don't know if I'm putting too many crazy things out there. It's not realistic. I'm going to manifest it. She's out there. I know it. I have zero doubt. I know she's out there. I can't wait to meet her."
While some fans speculated that Weber already met that person in Victoria Justice, the co-host of the Bachelors in the City podcast told ET that he and the Nickelodeon star are actually old friends.
"Vic and I, we go way back... We've been childhood friends since I was 12 and she was 11. We've known each other for a while," Weber explained. "We've since kind of reconnected in the last couple of years a little bit more. She's just an amazing person, a great friend. We've had a lot of fun together and our families are really close, so that's been good."
As he continues his search for the one, Weber said that he will not find her by going on The Bachelor again, though he noted that he'd "never say never" to a Bachelor in Paradise appearance.
"I think for me, [it's] just kind of run its course... For me, I don't think [the show] can work. I realized I needed more time than... probably 30, 35 hours of cumulative time with the person that you're going to end up with. For me, that wasn't realistic or legit," Weber said. "I need more time with someone. I need to actually have legit, real conversations and not kind of scripted conversations. But for some people it does work, and it has worked, and it is awesome to watch. Those kinds of stories, it's a great example for love."
While Weber said he has "zero time to date right now," he revealed that he's "looking forward" to doing so.
"I'm stoked on life, man. I'm freaking high on life," he said. "I got my dream job [as a pilot] now and I'm in training for that right now. I can't wait to get back to New York and enjoy the second half of the summer there... I definitely feel like I'm ready to get back out there. I haven't been able to say that in a very long time. I'm excited for that."
In addition to his job as a pilot, part of what's keeping Weber busy is his podcast, Bachelors in the City, which he co-hosts with fellow franchise alum Dustin Kendrick. The podcast, which follows its co-hosts' experiences in New York City, is expanding with the help of Acast+.
While Weber and Kendrick didn't want their podcast to be "centered around" The Bachelor, the new membership service will allow fans to receive bonus episodes of the show each week, in which the guys will break down the latest episodes of the franchise. You can sign up to Acast+ here.
"We're real with everyone. We don't hold back. There's a lot of crazy stuff that happens, but it's fun," Weber said of the podcast. "We were trying to be just as real with people as possible. I think they appreciate that."
With how great Weber is feeling about his job, his podcast, and his future, he said that he has "zero" regrets about joining Bachelor Nation.
"The experience, it was so many great things, so many tough things, to go through. I'll never say I regret it. I'm so grateful for it. The person I am now is so much different than the man I was coming on the show. I'm thankful for that. I've grown immensely," he said. "... Why regret anything? Just move forward."
"I look back and I had the fricking time of my life," Weber added. "Even through all the hard times and everything. That part sucked and that hurt, but I don't focus on that. I focus on just the amazing times that I had on the show. I'll have memories for the rest of my life. I'm very grateful for it. For sure."
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