Chris Harrison sincerely thought The Bachelor was over because of Hannah Brown's return and emotional conversation with her ex Peter Weber. If the fans didn't know any better, we'd be concerned too.
The narrative of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette at the start of the premiere is the same almost every season. Harrison sits down with the lead and asks them if he or she is over the heartbreak from the past and ready to move on. Weber said he was prepared to open his heart to the women entering the Bachelor Mansion, but he might not have been completely over Brown. When the former Bachelorette walked out of the limo to give Pilot Pete a souvenir he'd gifted to Brown on their season, it appeared as if that might be the last we'd see of Brown this season. But as anyone who had their eye on the previews for the season knew, Brown would come back later in the episode. She stood on stage during a group date and recounted the time she and Weber had sex four times (!!) in a windmill, as the women on either side of Weber reacted uncomfortably. Turns out, it wasn't easy for Brown either, who had lingering feelings for the man she sent home in third place on her season. Weber wasn't over her either.
Harrison told Us that the moment between Brown and Weber at the end of the premiere, "was not supposed to happen. That was not ever produced or intended. It’s just something that organically happened and then it scared the hell out of all of us because the show might end." The producers were nervous watching the action unfold, as Weber comforted Brown and the two discussed how to proceed. It forced Harrison to remind himself of the unsettling reality of reality television.
The host of The Bachelor and all its subsidiaries said, “The show could end at any moment for us. It’s unpredictable. It’s out of our control. And that’s a terrible way to do television. It’s really dumb! But sometimes it lends itself to great TV.” In recent seasons, the show has strayed away from the expected endings. From Brown ending her engagement with Jed Wyatt and asking out Tyler Cameron to Colton Underwood's fence jump to Arie Luyendyk Jr.'s unedited break-up with Becca Kufrin, the expected proposal at the finale has never meant less.
While this season of The Bachelor isn't over after one episode, it begs the question of what the show would have done if Weber decided in that moment to leave with Brown. They would have likely had to send the women home, recast a new Bachelor (come on down, Mike Johnson!) and push the date that the show normally airs back at least a few weeks. Fortunately, The Bachelor is far from over. It's quite possible, however, that this isn't the last we see of Brown.
Source: Us
The Bachelor airs Monday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.