Peter Endorsed Kelley For Bachelorette After Her Shocking 'Bachelor' Elimination

Kelley may have been a frontrunner for Peter's heart at the start of his season, but the Chicago lawyer was never fully into the "process" of The Bachelor. Despite her apparent disdain for The Bachelor format, Peter endorsed Kelley for Bachelorette after sending her home. While Peter claimed that they "weren't meant to be" in an interview with Entertainment Tonight's Lauren Zima, he admitted that Kelley's "strong presence" would make her a great candidate for Bachelorette.

On her last episode, Kelley wasn't overly thrilled going on a three-on-one date in Peru. She started criticizing the other women on the date, Victoria F. and Hannah Ann, to the cameras, noting their lack of maturity. But it was Kelley's disinterest in the "process" that turned out to be her downfall. Peter didn't think she was taking their relationship seriously enough and kicked her off the show before hometown dates. Yet, when asked by Zima if he thinks Kelley would be a good Bachelorette, Peter replied, "Kelley would kill it. Kelley is so ready, Kelley is one of the smartest people I've met."

"I definitely had questions at first if she was really ready and wanted this. I was wrong, she truly was," Peter added. "I think she can absolutely make an amazing [Bachelorette]."

Peter didn't feel his connection with Kelley was as strong as his with Madison, Kelsey, Victoria F., and Hannah Ann, but his comments show he still wants her to have the chance to find love on the franchise. Many viewers on Twitter agree that Kelley would be a great Bachelorette — especially as they see her as the only viable option out of Peter's contestants to be the next lead.

If she were cast, she'd be the third lawyer Bachelorette after Andi Dorfman and Rachel Lindsay. But her confidence in her professional career in the last episode caused a divide in Bachelor Nation. She called Victoria F. and Hannah Ann "children" and said she was on a "different emotional level" than them, claiming, "I'm a lawyer, what are the other girls?"

Hannah Brown's runner-up Tyler Cameron called out Kelley for talking down about the other women's careers. But Zima and former Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe shadily hinted that they believed that Kelley's less complimentary comments were the result of producer edits. Kelley retweeted Zima and Bristowe's exchange, along with liking other tweets and comments on Instagram that claimed The Bachelor intentionally tried to make her look like a villain before her exit.

Whether or not that's the case, Bachelor fans have been known to forgive worse transgressions from their future leads. Peter himself was a controversial choice for lead since Mike Johnson was readily available. But maybe, the Bachelor powers that be will hear the cries of the people this time for The Bachelorette and consider casting Kelley Flanagan — attorney at law who presides over Bachelor Nation's hearts.