'The Bachelor' host Chris Harrison gives an inside look at the new season
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. -- When it comes to courtships, Chris Harrison has certainly seen his share - and then some!
On Monday, "The Bachelor" host will kick off the show's 24th edition. This time out, 30 women will vie for the affections of a pilot from Westlake Village.
As TV's newest bachelor, Peter Weber is on a mission to find love. He thought he'd found it once before with "Bachelorette" Hannah Brown but it turned out she felt differently and eliminated him late in the game.
So, why is Hannah back this season?
"I can tell you that it's not just a, 'Hey, I came here to say good luck and pat you on the back.' It was an emotional conversation that I think needed to be had," said Harrison. He called it "closure."
He also called the long-running franchise at its best when it goes off the rails.
"You can't produce Colton jumping over a fence and running off into the Portuguese countryside," he said.
Harrison also said you can't produce Hannah saying, "We had sex in a windmill and Jesus still loves me." That, he said, was just a raw, gutting moment after she had just had enough.
As for this season, Chris believes Peter is going to be a real fan favorite.
He definitely gets into the romance part pretty quickly, sharing a lengthy kiss in the first episode.
However, according to Harrison, "He has trouble really cutting the chord and making those tough calls and that can lead to trouble. He's really good at compartmentalizing which can also be good but bad if you're falling in love, all day, every day. That can make it difficult."
On night one, Peter has to cut eight of the 30 women. Three of those 30 are, not coincidentally, flight attendants.
"That's how Peter's parents met," said Harrison. "Peter's mom was a flight attendant. Peter's dad was a pilot. They met, fell in love. Maybe history will repeat itself."
The new season of "The Bachelor" premieres Monday, Jan. 6, at 8 p.m. ET/PT | 7 p.m. CT. on ABC.
