I have been watching The Bachelor and The Bachelorette since Emily Maynard’s season eight years ago. During this time, I have witnessed some great Bachelors (hello Sean Lowe!) and some pretty terrible Bachelors (Juan Pablo, anyone?). I had high hopes for Peter at the beginning of the season and each week those hopes got lower and lower. This season was pretty entertaining, but for me, that wasn’t because of Peter. It was because of the women. Now that we are down to two women we really get to see the mess that is Peter – and Peter’s family.

The “Most Shocking Finale Ever” Begins

Peter sees his family for the first time since his journey began (or at least since his parents’ vow renewal). He immediately dives into telling them about the two women that are left. He says all good things about Hannah Ann. When it comes to Madison he talks about how easy the relationship has been and then goes into how they have had issues lately. He tells them about Madison’s feelings about the fantasy suite and you can tell his family does not seem pleased by this. For me, this felt like major foreshadowing.

Hannah Ann Meets the Family

Hannah Ann is the first girl to meet Peter’s family and they seem to be immediately smitten. She professes her love for Peter and seemingly says everything his family (mom, dad, and brother) wants to hear. At the end of the date, you could tell that Barb, Peter’s mom, thought Hannah Ann was the one.

Madison Enters the Lion’s Den

Before meeting Peter’s family, Madison and Peter have a heart to heart about where they are in their relationship. Peter is having a hard time because Madison hasn’t expressed her love for him and he definitely wants to hear those words. Madison is still struggling with what transpired the week of the fantasy suite dates. The talk goes pretty well and the two go to meet his parents. This date only goes downhill from here. Peter’s family spends most of their time questioning Madison about her values and how they don’t seem to align with Peter’s. Peter’s mom, in particular, has issues with how she perceives Madison wanting to change her son because of her religious beliefs. This date does not go well and Madison leaves after a pretty tense few hours.

Mama Knows Best?

Once Madison leaves, Peter has a chance to get his family’s thoughts on both women. They express concerns about his differences with Madison. Barb then goes into a monologue about how she prayed for God to bring him the right woman and that woman is Hannah Ann. She says Madison is basically fine while Hannah Ann is an “angel on Earth”, all while sobbing. Peter defends Madison to his family and this solidified Madison as his number one in my mind.

One Last Date

Madison’s final date comes first. Still reeling from the awkward meeting with his family, you can tell Madison is having doubts. Madison confirms this when she tells Peter that she loves him and because of that she will be leaving. She says that if it’s the right person the relationship shouldn’t be this hard. Madison wants him to be happy and basically says she doesn’t think that can be with her. I have so much respect for this decision! The two of them are super different and I love that she could see that. She leaves, and to say Peter is devastated would be a massive understatement. Still, he has Hannah Ann so the show must go on.

Hannah Ann and Peter’s date goes great during the day portion. When it comes to the night portion things start to get shaky. First, I could tell Hannah Ann was way more into this date when she showed up in an awesome dress while Peter showed up in a hoodie and jeans. Hannah Ann must sense this too because she tells him that she feels like she is giving so much without getting much in return. He tells her that his heart is being pulled in two different directions, but fails to mention that Madison is gone. Hannah Ann is left to wonder: how will he propose to anyone the next day when he is still so conflicted?

The Most Awkward Bachelor Proposal Ever?

On Final Rose Ceremony day we get to see Peter picking out a ring with Neil Lane. I was honestly shocked because I did not think Peter should be proposing while so conflicted, but hey, what do I know? We see Hannah Ann getting ready and expressing some uncertainty while Peter is waiting at the proposal site. Chris Harrison tells Peter that Hannah Ann might not be coming, but we had to know that wasn’t going to happen.

Hannah Ann shows up and Peter goes into the most awkward proposal I have witnessed on this show. For one, that is the moment he chose to bring up Madison leaving. He kind of made it seem like he sent her home when we all know that is not the case. He then mumbles some words, tells her he loves her and proposes. Hannah Ann says yes and they ride off into the sunset.

A Not So Happily Ever After?

After the commercial break and a brief convo with Peter at the live finale, we see Hannah Ann and Peter meeting post-show. We don’t really know the timeline but we can definitely see things are not so good between the two. Peter expresses sorrow that he cannot be what Hannah Ann needs and proceeds to break up with her. Hannah Ann then delivers the best breakup rebuttal I have ever witnessed. She tells him that he took away her first proposal, never should have proposed, and obviously needs to figure some things out for himself before he is ready for marriage. She gives him the 3+ karat engagement ring and tells him to leave.

After the Final Rose Live

We are finally to the live portion of the show! The first to come out is Hannah Ann. She reiterates what she said during their breakup and I have never loved her more! In the crowd, Barb can be seen cheering her on. I have an issue with this because even though her son acted like an idiot, she is his mom and I feel she should be supportive.

The next segment shows Chris Harrison in Auburn, AL. He went to visit Madison because Peter is so upset. He fills Madison in on what happened with Hannah Ann and proceeds to ask if Madison still loves Peter. Madison confirms that she is still in love with Peter and agrees that she should go to LA to see him. Madison shows up in LA, much to Peter’s surprise. He seems super happy to see her and the two both share that their feelings for each other are still there. I was honestly kind of annoyed by this situation since they still have the issue of their lifestyles being so different.

We come back to the live show and find out that Madison and Peter haven’t seen each other since that day. Madison comes out and we get to see her and Peter together again. To me, they both seemed kind of uncomfortable, but maybe I’m just reading into things. In the audience, Barb looks a lot more than uncomfortable. Chris Harrison asks Madison and Peter about their plans moving forward. Peter says they are going to take things day by day and see where it takes them.

Too Good to be True…

The show is all fine and wrapped up in a bow until Chris asks Barb for her opinion. Barb then turns into every woman’s worst nightmare when it comes to a mother-in-law. First, she defends her actions from the first night of the finale. She says that we did not get to see all of Madison and that they have their reasons for not liking her. Barb then says that Peter has to “fail to succeed” and that everyone in his life knows that he and Madison will not last. Now I have no problem with Barb having that opinion. However, I have a huge problem with her delivery. She came across as hateful and unsupportive and to be honest, I was horrified. Madison handled the criticism like a champ and refused to take the bait.

Final Thoughts

Madison and Peter’s portion ended on that kind of sour note, but luckily the viewers got to end on a better note. Chris Harrison brought out Clare Crawley, our next Bachelorette! We were shown a brief snippet from her final rose ceremony on Juan Pablo’s season and got to hear about her approach on the journey to find love.

After the emotional exhaustion caused by Peter’s season, I am hopeful that Clare will be a breath of fresh air. I am also excited to have a Bachelorette in her mid-to-late 30s and hope that she will find love on her fifth stint in this series!

How did you like Peter’s season? Are you excited about Clare’s season? Let us know in the comments!