Former Bachelorette contestant Peter Kraus is finally opening up about why he turned down an offer to become the next Bachelor three years ago. During a recent episode of The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous podcast, Kraus revealed that he opted out of this opportunity for personal reasons and due to issues regarding payment, according to E! News.
Kraus was the runner-up on Rachel Lindsay’s season of The Bachelorette and was a fan favorite. There was no question that he had the position of the next Bachelor in the bag, which, to many, would have been a coveted role. However, when he was approached by producers, he was already seeing someone. Although they were not officially dating, Kraus still did not feel right about leaving his whole life behind for the show, he explained to podcast hosts Ben Higgins and Ashley Iaconetti.
“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?’ I wasn’t sure… 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.”
Kraus saw the pressure that Lindsay and her final pick Bryan Abasolo faced from the media, which he deemed to be unfair. He was also not impressed by the paycheck he would be making for taking on this part. As the owner of a fitness company, he claims he was already making more money per year than he would be if he took the position. He also knew that he would be giving up months of his life if he took the role and that there was no guarantee he would even end up with someone in the end.
Ultimately, producers offered Arie Luyendyk Jr. the role, and he accepted it. Kraus is currently still single and is waiting for his special person to come along. He noted that he does not plan to ever return for another Bachelor nation show.
As The Inquisitr previously reported, production for Clare Crawley’s season of The Bachelorette is currently suspended due to the coronavirus.
