We've got a new 'Bachelor'!
On to the next!
After weeks of speculation, Peter Weber has nabbed the coveted role of Bachelor, Chris Harrison announced during Tuesday night's Bachelor in Paradise finale.
The 28-year-old Delta pilot -- a fan favorite from Hannah Brown's season of The Bachelorette -- emerged during Paradise's reunion show when the news was revealed.
"This is life changing. I have truly, my entire life, looked forward to finding my girl, and that person that I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with. I've had the most amazing example of my parents, growing up, and I feel like the luckiest kid ever. I saw so much love in my household, and just 30 some odd years later now, they're that much in love with each other," Weber gushed.
"I have all the faith in the world that this can work for me, and I know it's going to," he declared.
Weber said he planned to take one important note from his time dating Brown. "She was one hundred percent unapologetically herself," he shared. "That's something I definitely want to carry forward."
As for his worries about the process, Weber doesn't seem to have many -- despite things not ending in a happy relationship for Brown.
"This is not normal, dating 30 women at the same time. I've never done this before, so there's going to be ups and downs, I know that's coming, and I'm not going to be perfect... the possibility of making the wrong decision, it's out there, but I'm going to follow my heart," he insisted.
Weber won fans over during Brown's season, though his appearance on the show wasn't without scandal. His ex, Calee Lutes, came forward to ET in July, alleging that he ended their serious relationship to appear on the dating series.
In a statement to People after his elimination from The Bachelorette, Weber tried to set the record straight. "There was a lot of truth to what she said in her story, but there is also a lot of truth that wasn’t mentioned," he said. "The show had absolutely nothing to do with me ending that relationship."
Harrison previously teased that the next franchise lead would not be announced during Brown's live two-night finale -- a seemingly good decision for the series. He told ET that producers planned to wait until after Bachelor in Paradise premiered to see if a frontrunner emerged from the season, like Nick Viall and Colton Underwood in the past, though the time appeared to let fans cool off from Weber's girlfriend drama.
That time also allowed another Bachelor frontrunner, Tyler Cameron, to effectively take himself out of the running for the gig, as he's been dating Gigi Hadid. And while fans rooted for either Mike Johnson or Paradise standout Derek Peth to get the gig, Weber turned out to be producers' top pick.
What do you think of Weber as Bachelor? Tell us in ET's Bachelor Nation Facebook group here.
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