It is the unwritten law that after a hometown date, the person is supposed to tell the Bachelorette that he loves her (or at least is falling in love with her — ah, semantics). Yet, not everyone adheres to this rule as was proven when Peter didn't tell Rachel he loved her on The Bachelorette during the July 17 episode. Not only was Rachel disappointed by this, but so were some fans of the show — with a few going so far as to send Peter death threats, according to the contestant himself. Peter Kraus opened up in an Instagram comment about the hate that he has been receiving through social media and email but first, he defended his decision to take The Bachelorette at his own pace.
Although the main goal of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette is to have the season end with an engagement, it's refreshing for some viewers to see a contestant like Peter emphasize how important marriage is and how it's not something to be rushed into. However, the number of people who were outraged by Peter saying he could not commit to a proposal and then not saying "I love you" during the July 17 episode was enough to compel him to speak out.
As he wrote in a comment on an Instagram he posted, he didn't think his time on The Bachelorette "would warrant such hate and anger and even now death threats via social media and email." And while he has explained on the show before why he is cautious about rushing into anything with Rachel, his lengthy comment on Instagram gives even more insight into his pragmatic mind.
On the day that the hometown date episode aired, Peter posted a photo of himself with a friend that was unrelated to The Bachelorette.
But after the episode aired, he used the comments section to discuss the anger being thrown his way. He wrote:
All I can say is that I am sorry to those who wanted me to tell Rachel that I was in love with her tonight after what was essentially two dates. As I stated many times on the show before, I do not take those three words lightly, as once they are said they can never be taken back, and to the person that you choose to say them to, they can hold enormous weight. So rather than race to say something that is of such GREAT importance to me, and I wish was of more importance to others, I chose to take my time in getting to know this woman as much as I possibly could before choosing to express those three words to her.
Peter continued:
I did not realize that being honest and forthright with my feelings and emotions and allowing her to make an informed decision based off of me being as open as possible, as hard as it was for me to go through, would warrant such hate and anger and even now death threats via social media and email.
Peter doesn't have a Twitter account, so fans used the comments in his Instagram post to show their outrage. Some commenters noted that Peter has been blocking people who write negative things on his page, but some comments like, "U make me sick i don't know y u still fighting for something u not ready for😡😡" were still on the post.
Yet, despite the hate, Peter was not apologetic about how he handled his time with Rachel on The Bachelorette. He wrote:
"I have always been one to encourage the spread of love, but giving your heart to someone for the rest of your life is not something that I take at all lightly or for granted and I wish that people could see that, rather than take me down so violently and without regard to the fact that I am still human. I hope that people will take a moment to look within themselves and at their own lives to find compassion and understanding rather than forming judgment and spreading hate."
Beyond giving a master class in what's wrong with internet trolls, he also spoke up for the other people on The Bachelorette with him, who have also been criticized on the internet. He continued:
"And that goes for the awful things that are being said to other cast members of mine as well. I am so happy to have been able to share this experience with you all, but know that your words do TRULY hurt and affect me AND them. Thank you for those who have had my back throughout and for all the understanding and kind words that have also been said. Much love to you all."
Even without Peter saying he loved Rachel, she chose him to stay over Dean, so clearly him staying true to himself is working. And as all of these events occurred months ago, Peter does not need anyone's approval on how he handled himself and The Bachelorette process. But his comment does show how abuse on the internet can takes it toll on the actual humans who are on this reality TV show. Because while it may be viewed as just entertainment for millions of Americans out there, that doesn't give anyone the right to disrespect or threaten the people involved.
