After coming in second to Bryan Abasolo during Rachel Lindsay’s season of The Bachelorette in 2017, fans expected Peter Kraus to become The Bachelor.
But during his appearance on The Ben And Ashley I Almost Famous podcast on Thursday, the 35-year-old personal trainer explained that it never came to fruition because he and producers could not come to a compromise while negotiating his contract.
According to Kraus, he had asked ‘to spend more time with people individually,’ to be given access to relationship counseling, and to receive higher compensation.
No compromise: Peter Kraus explained that his stint on The Bachelor never came to fruition because he and producers could not come to a compromise while negotiating his contract; Peter pictured in 2017
He explained: ‘I wanted to be able to just go into the house and see people in their natural habitat so that way it didn’t feel like they were putting on a show for me. It was more like this is who you actually are when you’re unsuspecting of where I’m at.’
After seeing the ‘extremely unfair’ pressure that Bryan and Rachel experienced following The Bachelorette, Kraus requested ‘relationship counseling for [himself] and the top four or five girls during the process so [they] could work things out on a deep level.’
Then after Kraus had chosen his lucky lady, he asked that he receive ‘continued support for [himself] and the person that [he] chose after the fact.
In regards to The Bachelor paycheck, Peter explained to producers that he made ‘considerably more’ as a personal trainer annually than what they were offering.
‘Why would I give up the rest of my life of being Peter The Bachelor and no longer just Peter for the amount of money that isn’t life changing?’
Runner up: After coming in second to Bryan Abasolo during Rachel Lindsay’s season of The Bachelorette in 2017, fans expected Peter Kraus to become The Bachelor
But, Kraus also understood that a substantial paycheck would mess with the show’s ultimate mission.
‘We all agreed it wouldn’t make sense to pay a lot of money because you’re no longer doing it for the right reasons,’ he said.
In the end, Peter and producers failed to see eye-to-eye and the spot was eventually given to The Bachelor alum Arie Luyendyk Jr.
During his interview with podcast hosts Ben Higgins and Ashley Iaconetti, Peter also admitted that it took three calls from producers to finally get him to come to Los Angeles to discuss his potential on the show.
His requests: According to Kraus, he had asked ‘to spend more time with people individually,’ to be given access to relationship counseling, and to receive higher compensation; Kraus pictured in 2019 via Instagram
‘I told [the producers] I had started to talk to someone and they said, “Are you guys in a relationship?” I said, “No,” and they said, “Would you be willing to leave that or exit that?” [And] I wasn’t sure…’
Being that he was in the midst of a mild romance, Peter was not sure if he was capable of being what the producers wanted.
He continued: ‘It was really hard for me and I couldn’t say I would for sure get in an engagement at the end of the show. It wasn’t that I knew for a fact that I didn’t want to. It was more that I couldn’t promise them that I would and I didn’t want to be forced to do it if I said yes to the show.’
Personal trainer: In regards to The Bachelor paycheck, Peter explained to producers that he made ‘considerably more’ as a personal trainer annually than what they were offering; Kraus pictured in 2019 via Instagram
As of his present love life, Peter revealed to Higgins and Iaconetti that he is currently single and wants to wait and find someone that is [his] best friend first’ that then develops into a relationship.
He wants a relationship that ‘is undeniable in its connection and then from there take the next steps in life.’
‘I’ve grown a lot since being on the show and changed a lot in my life. I think I really know what I want and I’m not wasting my time with things that aren’t there for me,” he said.
But as for looking for love in the Bachelor universe, Kraus insisted that he will ‘not do Bachelor in Paradise personally, especially knowing that the group of girls that were just on the show were really young.’
End result: In the end, Peter and producers failed to see eye-to-eye and the spot was eventually given to The Bachelor alum Arie Luyendyk Jr.
‘I’d like to date 30 and above if possible… I just don’t see myself being successful on there,’ he concluded.
He was, however, supposed to be apart of the most recent season of The Bachelor Winter Games, but was texted by the producers last minute and told that he was ‘no longer part of the cast.’
‘My personal opinion was that Arie was the Bachelor at the time and because I was the guy that could’ve been the Bachelor, maybe they just didn’t want the conversation to be had. They just wanted to nip it in the bud.’
Effort: During his interview with podcast hosts Ben Higgins and Ashley Iaconetti, Peter also admitted that it took three calls from producers to finally get him to come to Los Angeles to discuss his potential on the show