How Peter Weber Went From The Bachelor To The Traitors’ Cutthroat Strategist

Four years after he ended his season of The Bachelor with a shocking proposal and breakup, Peter Weber returned to reality TV with The Traitors. While they might seem like very different shows, the 32-year-old pilot entered the storied Scottish castle empowered by lessons from Bachelor Mansion.

“I tried to maybe people-please a little too much [on The Bachelor] and give people everything in me, spreading that out to so many different women, which took its toll, naturally,” Peter tells Bustle of his Bachelor run. “Somewhere it was gonna catch up to me, and it did at the end.” (He ended his engagement with winner Hannah Ann Sluss before pursuing a brief, new relationship with runner-up Madison Prewett.)

That experience inspired Peter to approach The Traitors as a new man. “I was like, OK, I’ve got some experience now. Tears aren’t gonna do anything to me,” he says. “While I’m a very emotionally in-tune person, I’m going to detach from that. I really tried to be robotic, where I’m strategy first and human element [second].”

Well, it worked. Peter helped turn the tide of The Traitors Season 2, setting a strategic trap that eventually ousted Traitor No. 1, Dan Gheesling — and revealed several more in the process.

But it wasn’t all sunshine and roses. Peter’s commitment to his close-knit posse of Faithfuls irked some of his castmates, leading to his banishment just shy of the finale, which airs on March 7.

Still, he tells Bustle, things weren’t always quite so contentious off-camera. After filming would wrap for the day, contestants hung out in a holding room so they weren’t aware of the set’s secret turret visits. “Those moments of just being able to chill, have a glass of wine, and detach from the gameplay for a second and shoot the sh*t — those were super cool moments that I look back very fondly back on,” he says.

Below, Peter breaks down viral moments, what he’d do differently, and his mom-approved connection with fellow Faithful Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu.

What surprised you most watching back?

I was super jealous. I should have accepted that Traitor [recruitment] just to see the turret. I never got to see the underground cellar, that basement.

Since you mention the basement, do you think you would have accepted the join-or-die ultimatum that Kate Chastain got?

Yeah, I’m not going to die in a cellar like that, stuck below the castle forever. If I’d had no choice, I would have accepted it. But I was willing to fight as long as I had a choice.

Your Episode 7 standoff with MJ Javid went viral. Looking back, what do you make of that moment?

After getting that reaction, [that] we shouldn’t have been closing doors and stuff, I’m like... Well, how does it work on other shows? Do you never have private conversations? The way the show is filmed, we’re doing an episode a day. Our time to talk and strategize is so short. Do you want to waste it, just to not hurt someone’s feelings, or do you want to take advantage of your time and talk gameplay? I get feelings being hurt, but it was still worth it to stay organized.

Another viral moment was when you were trying to get on Parvati Shallow’s good side. People were like, Oh my God. The chemistry in that scene!

It’s the epitome of a love-hate relationship. We got along super well right from the beginning, until I made that switch on her, where she started getting pissed off — and rightfully so. There’s nothing like that kind of tension. I noticed it too, but we had so much fun playing the game.

Bachelor Nation has a lot of love for your mom. Did she give you any advice before The Traitors?

My mom knows I have truly good intuition, so she just reminded me, “Don’t get fooled. Don’t get manipulated. These people are going to know what they’re doing, and they’re going to be smart with it. Follow your gut, it’ll be good.”

She recently posted a photo with Ekin-Su and your sister-in-law. How did that outing come about?

Ekin and I became really good friends. We’re very similar, we got along right off the bat. I was bummed to see her leave when she did. I would have loved to play the game with her longer. She was actually in LA. She’d flown out [for The Traitors reunion] a couple of days prior to me, and my mom and her connected on Instagram, so they went out for lunch with Kristine, my sister-in-law. She’s a really good friend, and obviously, my mom thinks the world of her.

Now that you’ve been through this experience, is there anyone else from Bachelor Nation you’d like to see on The Traitors?

I want to see Chris Harrison. Chris has always been the host, never the player, if you will. He’s a very intelligent man with a lot of experience on reality TV. He could make some moves.

I would say Jason Tartick. He’s one of my really good friends. He’s a smart, analytical guy. I think he’d be good at strategy. I think Hannah Brown would kill it. She’s such a fun, incredible personality and very smart at the same time. She’d be a joy to watch.

We saw Kate come back after almost making it to the end in Season 1. As someone in a similar position, would you return in the future?

In a heartbeat, absolutely. I love this game — ups and downs, everything. It’s pure happiness.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.