You wanna know what Peter Weber is actually like, underneath, you know, the facade of his “real job” and that wholesome demeanor? Fine, I’ll tell you. He’s ex-act-ly what you’d expect him to be. Normal, down to earth, zero skeletons in his closet. When I spoke to him in early January, a few months after I met him in the jungle of Costa Rica (I know, right? 😍), he was down to get real about Hannah Brown, Panda Express, and how weird it is to make out all the time in front of people (half of whom are, um, vying for his heart).

About that Costa Rica trip...don’t get it twisted. We weren’t there to woo Pilot Pete. Instead, we were asked to host the challenge to end all challenges: a magazine photo shoot at the bottom of a waterfall. Romantic, right? Armed with absolutely no sneak peeks at who our models would be (eff a spoiler!) and a wardrobe full of ’kinis, we went ahead and got it done. Without further ado, my dear Bach Nation, please soak up the photos from that day and enjoy my conversation with the so-genuine-it’s-almost-off-putting Mr. Weber.



As luck would have it, the women stepped straight out of hair and makeup into a full-on tropical storm. Somehow, everyone’s lewks stayed intact. And then Peter did this, so...we were fine.

Cosmo: Okay, Peter. Why don’t you tell me about finding out you were going to be the Bachelor. How did it feel? Were you nervous? Excited?

Peter Weber: I was definitely feeling all those emotions. I had an amazing experience on The Bachelorette. It didn’t work out the way I had hoped, but it was that much more helpful for when I took on the role of the Bachelor. I’m the luckiest guy in the world.

Cosmo: Do you get any say in who is cast for the season, or is it truly a surprise when the women first arrive at the mansion?

Peter Weber: That’s all a complete surprise. I genuinely had no idea. The only thing was with Kelley. It was just random that I had actually met her like a week or two before, but we still didn’t know if she was actually gonna be there, and she didn’t know if I would be the Bachelor. She told me she was being considered for it but didn’t know for sure. I kind of left it up to fate. I never got her number or anything, you know, to keep tabs, and then I was wondering if she was gonna show up, and she ended up showing up! So that’s pretty cool. Other than that, I had no idea of anyone that would possibly be there.

Cosmo: Were there any women who stepped out of those limos and made you go, “Damn,” like you had an instant attraction to them? A horny magnet?

Peter Weber: Yeah, absolutely. The introductions were awesome. I mean, honestly, I have the best group of women and they’re all just gorgeous. It’s definitely a night I am never going to forget.

Cosmo: Well, chemistry is based on pheromones, so you must have felt a push and pull from some contestants right away. Were there any who got out of the car and you just knew it wasn’t gonna happen?

Peter Weber: I mean...no. I really didn’t shut off anyone from the very beginning. There were definitely a couple of them that stood out, but all the girls had really cool entrances, and some just knocked me off my feet with that initial connection and chemistry.

Cosmo: How did you feel when you realized the woman stepping out of the limo was Hannah Brown?

Peter Weber: That was a complete shock. I was just kinda standing there and wondering what was going on. When she first opened the door, I didn’t realize it was her. I just remember looking in and being like, “Well, I know she’s beautiful,” and I didn’t know it was her until she stepped out. She smiled and she kinda, like, tilted her head, and I was like, “Oh my god.” I was completely floored.

Cosmo: How did you feel when she gave your wings back?

Peter Weber: I thought that was really cool. She didn’t need to do that—I’d given that as a gift. We had a special bond, and it wasn’t necessary, but I appreciated it. Just her coming there and being part of that first night. Some people might think it was weird and whatnot—but it was special and it meant a lot.

Cosmo: Isn’t that first night, like, 12 and a half hours long? It must’ve been a roller coaster.

Peter Weber: Yeah, that first night was insane. I’ll never forget it. It was very surreal. All the entrances were amazing, and then I gave my first toast to all the women—it was crazy! I remember having to pinch myself, like, This is actually happening. That was the first time I felt like the Bachelor. It was just a really cool moment and a ton of energy, and yeah, it was a long night, but it was pretty easy to get through it with all the excitement.



Cosmo: Okay, so, speaking of entrances, which was your favorite?

Peter Weber: I’d probably go with Lexi’s. That was so badass. I just see this gorgeous red Corvette pull around and this gorgeous girl come out, you know, with matching hair. It was sexy. She’s such a great girl.

Cosmo: I also saw one of the girls blindfold and kiss you as soon as you met....What did you think of that one?



Peter Weber: Savannah!

Cosmo: Yeah!

Peter Weber: I thought it was cool. It was bold. It takes some guts to do that!

Cosmo: So Hannah Ann got your first impression rose. What made her stand out from the rest of the women?

Every time Peter made out with a girl on-set—it happened at least twice, with lots of tongue—the other women booed. “Privacy” is not a word in the Bach dictionary. (Also: Tammy made this face approx 5,018 times, esp when we tried to rest a ginormous boa constrictor on her shoulders.)

Peter Weber: I’m really turned on by someone who is persistent and who shows me, especially in that kind of atmosphere, that they’re there for me and how excited they are for me. Her intention just was so obvious from the very beginning and throughout the night. She definitely made a point of seeing me a lot, and while some people would think that’s too much, I loved it. Every time she came back, I got a smile on my face, got the butterflies. The talks we had, hearing about her connection with her family and how we immediately bonded over that was something special. It was a pretty easy choice.



Cosmo: A couple of the women were sent home on night one. One of them was crying and said to the camera, “I thought we were meant to be together—I didn’t see this coming at all.” So, uh, how much time do you really get to spend with everyone on that first night? Is it enough time to build a connection so deep that you could truly believe you’re meant to be?



“I don’t really know if I’m a believer in love at first sight.”

Peter Weber: I mean, I think that’s stretching it a little bit. I don’t really know if I’m a believer in love at first sight. I think I’m a believer in seeing potential of love at first sight. I definitely did, for a second, think, Shoot, did I send someone home that could’ve been my person, and I just didn’t get enough time or our chemistry wasn’t right in that moment? But you make the most of it, you get your 10 or 15 minutes, and it’s usually enough to (hopefully) not make the horrible decision to send someone home who could potentially be my wife. It’s a tough night for everyone—it sucks for me, too, you know, saying goodbye to people. It hurts me just as badly as it hurts them.



Cosmo: A lot of the contestants were pissed that you had met Kelley in advance and that she won the first group-date challenge because she cheated during the race. Did you know she cheated? Did you care that she cheated? Did you feel bad that the other girls felt like they got cheated?



Peter Weber: I’ll be completely honest in regards to that specific thing with the race. I was at the finish line cheering [Kelley] and Tammy on like crazy, and I could see that they were a mess. They had gone through that slime and they were all sticky, and they were just throwing on that uniform as fast as possible. I had actually ridden one of those tricycles earlier in the day for fun and they’re hard to maneuver and steer, so I don’t think that she intentionally cheated. I just think she got caught up and beelined straight for me, and I mean...I wasn’t complaining. It is what it is.

Cosmo: What’s it like giving out a rose to one woman or kissing one contestant in front of the rest of the group?



Peter Weber: Very weird. I wasn’t ready for that. I try my best to show each woman that they’re my only relationship in that moment, but it’s weird and awkward. I know that other women are looking and I try my best not to think about that, but I’m human! I’m like, Shoot, I wonder if they saw this or if I made them feel bad. I don’t know if I ever got a hundred percent comfortable with that. I don’t think anyone would.



Cosmo: Tell us the truth: Was it a coincidence that you guys were all staying at the hotel where you and Kelley met?

Peter Weber: Yeah, that was a completely random coincidence. It’s because it was really close to my house—like a couple of minutes—and I know they’ve done a couple of dates there in the past. But I don’t even think I told anyone from the show that we had met at that Four Seasons. I just told them that we had met. It was crazy.



Fun fact: Natasha found this leaf on the literal ground and put it in her hair herself. It looked cuter than the accessories we brought, so we just let her have it.

Cosmo: So tell me about why you chose to bring Madison on such an intimate and close-to-home—I mean, literally at home—date, to your parents’ vow renewal?

Peter Weber: Madison was perfect for that date. With some girls, that would’ve been weird. First date, coming home, meeting not just my parents but the whole family and extended family...but she was in her element. Hearing her say how close she was with her family and how much it meant to her, I felt like I lucked out a lot that I had picked her.

Cosmo: So, moving on—and I don’t even know if you’re allowed to answer this, but I figured I’d give it a shot—as you are talking to me right now, how do you feel about Hannah Brown?



Peter Weber: Listen, I...I respect the hell out of Hannah. We had a really serious relationship and we both really cared for each other. When I first decided, “Yeah, let’s do this, I’ll be the Bachelor,” I thought I was over her and ready to go find another relationship. But when she came back, I think a lot of those feelings resurfaced, and I maybe questioned if I really was over her as much as I thought I was. Right now, I think we are both in a really good place.



Cosmo: How does it usually hit you, when you realize you’re in love with someone?



Peter Weber: It sounds cheesy as hell, but I’ll just look at them and be like, “Wow, I love this person, and I could being doing absolutely nothing and just be with them and be a hundred percent content.”

Cosmo: Okay, let’s fast-forward a little bit. When we were in Costa Rica for the Cosmo photo-shoot challenge, you had a face full of stitches! What. Happened.



Peter Weber: I wish I had a better story. I was getting into a golf cart with a glass and a water bottle in one hand and my suitcase in the other hand. When I stepped up, I bumped my head on this little overhang and brought my right hand up to my head to feel for it, but that was the one that had the glass in it. So, yeah, I literally smashed the glass into my face. I essentially did a freaking Hulk smash on my forehead.

Cosmo: Wow. That’s...horrible.

Peter Weber: [Laughs] I felt like the biggest idiot. It was horrible.



Cosmo: I can only laugh because I know you’re okay, but that is really...something.

Peter Weber: I was so dazed! I felt blood everywhere and I’m like, What just...what did I just do? And literally that all happened in, like, a quarter of a second. I had one sip of beer! It was insane.

This rock was wet and slimy AF, but Shiann hopped on up before we could even assist her. And, yes, there was almost a nip slip. Almost.

Cosmo: You’re going to be One Sip Peter forever now.



Peter Weber: Oh god, let’s not put that out there.



Cosmo: A lot of the girls on-set while we were in Costa Rica would “boo” if you were kissing another girl. Do you find that there’s more drama when you’re on these trips all together?

Peter Weber: Yeah, I think it gets more and more serious as you start to travel and feelings start to develop more. I think it just gets more real for everyone.

Cosmo: Makes sense. Why don’t we talk a little bit about you? What’s a regular old day for Pilot Pete? Are you a chilling-and-watching-football kind of guy, or is your life full of bucket-list trips, like on the show?

Peter Weber: I definitely have those days where I’ll plant on the couch and watch football literally all day long, maybe have a couple of friends over and just chill. But then I’ll have times where it’s the complete opposite and I’ll get four days off from work and I’ll hit up another pilot buddy of mine or hit up a friend who lives somewhere else and go visit them or go on a trip. I am a very spontaneous person, and that just makes me feel alive.



Cosmo: What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done?



Peter Weber: Like, four or five years ago, my brother and I woke up on December 31 and we were like, “You know what’d be really fun? Let’s go see the ball drop in New York.” This was at, like, 9 or 10 a.m. and we were living in California. So we drove to the airport and flew out to New York for the ball drop. We were scheduled to get there on time, but because we had a mechanical issue, the plane got delayed. So we ended up landing at, like, 12:15 a.m. We just missed the ball drop.



Cosmo: Aw, man. What about embarrassing stories—what’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve done in front of a girl you were into?



Peter Weber: [Laughs] Yeah, so this is really bad. I went out to get food at Panda Express with this girl I had a crush on, and my best friend Chad came along as well. And Chad, well, Chad has this power over me that he can make me laugh hysterically at any moment. So we’re sitting at the table and chatting, and I had, like, half my meal down and I’m taking a sip of Coke. Chad said something funny and I just absolutely lost it, in the middle of swallowing that sip of Coke. So as I started to laugh, everything started coming right back up, and I started to just profusely vomit all over the food, all over my tray...and continuing to laugh at the same time.

Cosmo: Oh, no—



Peter Weber: And I’m completely mortified because this girl is right next to me watching, like, a fountain of vomit come out of my mouth. I don’t understand how I had that much vomit in me, but I did. At this point, the entire restaurant is seeing it, I am red as a tomato, and I’m like, “Guys, we need to get out of here.” I took the tray, walked to the trash can to throw it away, and I remember there was this family of four sitting there. The dad and I made eye contact, and as I make eye contact, I kind of lose balance with the tray and a little bit of the vomit spills off the tray and splatters right next to his foot. So I ended up throwing it all out in the trash and running out. It was the most terrifying experience of my life.



“I respect the hell out of Hannah.”

Cosmo: Oh my god. Have you been to Panda Express since then? I would never go again.

Peter Weber: [Laughs] To be honest, I have. I love it too much to stop. That wasn’t going to keep me away, but...yeah, oh god. That was the most horrible experience ever.

Cosmo: Okay, well, now that you’ve opened up about that, maybe we can get you to open up about something else. Right in the beginning of the first episode, Chris Harrison says that everyone just found something out, right before the final rose ceremony. And you seemed super stressed. So what can you tell us? What happened?

Peter Weber: [Laughs] Um...so what I will say is that that last week, for sure, was the absolute hardest week of my life. There were a ton of amazing things that happened, a ton of crazy things that happened, and it just put me just through the ringer. I’ve never had another week like that in my life. I literally felt every type of emotion at its most extreme. What you guys see there is a moment that just really messed with me and I didn’t know how I was gonna react or take it, and I guess that’s part of the reason why the ending will never get out. But yeah. Crazy moment for sure.

Cosmo: Okay, fine, we’ll just wait to find out with the rest of the world.

Peter Weber: Thank you.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Thanks to Nayara Springs Resort for housing the Cosmo crew.