Madison Prewett told Peter Weber their relationship was over after a disastrous visit with his family during the first part of the season finale Monday of The Bachelor.
After Peter’s mother hammered the foster parent recruiter about her lack of compatibility with her son, Madison, 23, gracefully bowed out.
‘Madison’s a sweet girl, a lovely girl,’ Barbara Weber said on the first half of the show’s season 24 finale. ‘But Hannah Ann is an angel on earth. And I want him to make the right decision.’
Outback breakup: Madison Prewett told Peter Weber their relationship was over after a disastrous visit with his family during the first part of the season finale Monday of The Bachelor
Hannah Ann Sluss, a 23-year-old model from Knoxville, Tennessee, was Barbara’s obvious pick, remaining steadfast in her feelings for Peter, while Madison had struggled to say ‘I love you.’
‘I want this so bad, but I have to be realistic,’ Madison told Peter, 28, as she broke up with him in the Australian Outback. ‘I have to think about what’s smart, what’s wise, and to think about life outside of this… and like, compatibility. I don’t know if we’re the best for each other.’
‘This is not how I wanted this…’ Peter moaned, hugging Madison goodbye with tears in his eyes.
Madison also cried as she got in a car and left, saying, ‘I’m going to miss him every day. To walk away from someone you love, it’s like the worst feeling in the world.’
Not compatible: The 28-year-old pilot was crushed as Madison broke up citing their lack of compatibility
Saying bye: Peter and Madison parted after she broke up with him in Australia
Getting emotional: Madison cried as she was driven away
But if a preview of the show’s final episode was any indication, it wasn’t the last that viewers would see of the Auburn, Alabama, native, who confessed to regretting her decision.
Peter had been torn from the moment the cast arrived in Alice Springs, Australia, where he met up with his parents and told them how hard it had been to choose between the women.
He had fallen in love with Madison first, he said, adding that she had been distraught when she learned he was ‘intimate’ with other women in the show’s Fantasy Suites.
Family meetings: Peter’s family were in Alice Springs, Australia to meet the two finalists
Barbara wasn’t impressed with Madison’s reaction, and her view of the woman grew dimmer when she met the sweet, uncomplicated Hannah Ann.
Sitting next to Peter on his family’s couch, Hannah Ann smiled warmly as she began to tell his parents why she loved him, capturing his mother’s heart immediately.
‘He just means so much to me, and I can honestly say I’m happy to be part of this experience… but it’s because of him, because I’m proud to be part of him, and be with him,’ Hannah Ann said, growing emotional as she added, ‘This is real for me.’
Family favorite: Hannah Ann Sluss won over Peter’s family as she explained why she loved him
Peter put his arms around Hannah Ann and hugged her reassuringly.
‘I see you and me in them,’ Barbara marveled, turning to look at her husband, Peter Weber, Sr., before addressing her son again. ‘I do. I see your dad and myself, 30 years ago.’
In a private conversation, Hannah Ann told Barbara that she had experienced ‘connections’ with other people in the past, but that she now felt she had ‘a connection with a future.’
The parents: Peter’s parents Barbara and Peter Weber Sr were charmed by Hannah Ann
‘I want you to know how much I do love your son,’ she reiterated, noting that she hadn’t always felt that affection returned, but she would rather be honest and ‘present’ than lie to herself.
Peter Sr. was equally impressed with Hannah Ann’s genuine, loving nature, telling her that she seemed like she was ‘extremely compatible’ with his son.
When it came time for Peter’s family to meet Madison, the mood shifted, as she sat with Peter outside the villa first, and explained that she had been ‘hanging on by a thread’ with him.
Extremely compatible: Peter’s father told Hannah Ann that she was ‘extremely compatible’ with his son
‘Love isn’t the issue here,’ Madison insisted, pointing out that she had fought for Peter.
She revealed that she’d wanted to tell him she loved him the last time they were together, but held back when she learned about his intimacies with other women.
Peter beamed to hear Madison say it for the first time, sure that their love was enough.
Mood shift: When it came time for Peter’s family to meet Madison, the mood shifted, as she sat with Peter outside the villa first, and explained that she had been ‘hanging on by a thread’ with him
The pilot’s family, however, focused on the couple’s problems, asking Madison to defend her reaction to Peter’s Fantasy Suite dates, and wondering if they were ‘completely compatible.’
‘I think that there are a lot of differences,’ Madison admitted, telling Peter Sr. that she had confidence she and Peter could grow together, but she also wanted what was best for him.
Peter’s brother Jack worried whether Peter who enjoyed being ‘very physical in relationships’ could stay celibate until marriage, or forgo his partying for the more religious Madison.
Very physical: Peter’s brother Jack worried whether Peter who enjoyed being ‘very physical in relationships’ could stay celibate until marriage with Madison
Jack asked his brother if he was compromising himself.
‘That’s what relationships are,’ Peter retorted. ‘Of course, I’m going to be compromising part of myself.’
To the cameras, Jack explained that the family was concerned, as Peter seemed to be opting for Madison’s ‘red flags’ over the ‘seemingly perfect’ Hannah Ann.
Compromising position: Peter told his brother that he was willing to compromise part of himself for Madison
Barbara also pressed Madison about their different lifestyles and ‘levels of faith.’
‘I don’t want anyone to change [Peter],’ Barbara said. ‘He is who he is, and we love him the way he is. I respect you for your values… But to tell someone else, when there are other girls that he has very strong feelings for, whether he wants to get physical with them or emotional, that’s up to him.’
‘My expectations and feelings are valid, just as much as his,’ Madison protested. ‘And I totally get that’s his journey, but it’s also mine.’
Valid expectations: Barbara scolded Madison for giving Peter an ultimatum, but she stood her ground
At the end of the day, Madison realized that she and Peter were ‘kind of on different pages in what we want, what we need, what we expect, how we live… literally, in every way.’
When Madison left, Peter observed that he was ‘crazy in love’ with her, and he hoped his family would see that.
Instead, Barbara sobbed as she told Peter she knew that Madison wasn’t ‘there’ for him, adding that she’d prayed the night before for divine intervention to help him make the right decision.
Tears flowing: Barbara sobbed as she told Peter that Madison wasn’t the right woman for him
‘You have a gem waiting for you who is madly head-over-heels in love with you, and God put her there for you,’ she said, referring to Hannah Ann. ‘I think God has answered my prayers and put the right person in your path. But you know, maybe deep in your heart, bud, you knew that, because of all the issues that were already surrounding the situation.’
In a confessional, she said, ‘All I can do is pray that God enlightens him and sends him a sign of who the right girl is. A mother’s intuition is never wrong.’
Barbara told Peter that his situation reminded her of Hannah Brown, 25, who’d starred on season 15 of The Bachelorette and picked the wrong man despite Peter’s love for her.
Divine intervention: Peter listened as his mother told her that she prayed the night before for divine intervention to help him make the right decision
Peter urged his family to trust him, and Barbara began crying again.
‘Hannah Ann loves you with all her heart,’ she wept. ‘Don’t let her go. Bring her home. Bring her home to us.’
‘She’s a dream come true, and God has placed her there for you. That’s what love stories are made out of.’
‘You got to stop doing this,’ Peter begged Barbara. ‘It’s literally destroying me right now.’
Destroying him: The pilot asked his mom to stop asking him to bring Hannah Ann home because it was destroying him
The next day, Peter and Madison took a helicopter ride to Uluru in the Northern Territory of Australia, where she told him it was over.
‘As much as we want this, I don’t know that we can give each other what we need,’ Madison said. ‘Sometimes I think being a great warrior and being a good fighter is knowing when to surrender.’
‘I do think love still conquers all,’ she added, ‘because I’m willing to walk away so that you can get what you came here to find.’
Last date: Madison and Peter took a helicopter ride to Uluru in the Northern Territory of Australia
Rock formation: Peter told Madison about the Uluru rock formation being sacred to Aboriginal people in the area
It’s over: Madison later told Peter their relationship was over
Stepping aside: ‘I do think love still conquers all, because I’m willing to walk away so that you can get what you came here to find,’ Madison told Peter
Madison conceded that she had seen herself marrying Peter, but his Fantasy Suite indulgences and her recent realization of how different they were had altered things.
Back in Alice Springs, show host Chris Harrison, 51, asked Peter if he wanted to continue.
Peter said that all he knew was that he had wanted it all to work out, ‘more than anything.’
Good question: Back in Alice Springs, show host Chris Harrison, 51, asked Peter if he wanted to continue
On his last date with Hannah Ann, the two of them visited a kangaroo sanctuary in the Northern Territories, which seemed to lift Peter’s spirits and make him realize how great she was.
In a quiet moment, Peter told her how much he appreciated her having been there for him, and allowing him to do what he needed to do without pressure.
‘You know why I’m here, right?’ she asked. ‘It’s because I love you. I do. And you were worth me putting my guard down for.’
Kangaroo sanctuary: On his last date with Hannah Ann, the two of them visited a kangaroo sanctuary in the Northern Territories, which seemed to lift Peter’s spirits and make him realize how great she was
That evening, Hannah Ann lit candles in her hotel suite, but she worried things felt ‘off.’
She told Peter that her love for him was ‘truly different,’ but urged him to follow his heart.
‘It’s just tough because my heart is being pulled in two different directions,’ Peter related.
Truly different: Hannah Ann told Peter that her love for him was ‘truly different,’ but urged him to follow his heart
‘That’s not what I want to hear,’ Hannah Ann said. ‘I’ve given and I’ve given and I’ve given, and I just want something in return. It’s hard being so certain and so sure of someone and not getting that in return.’
She emphasized, however, that his ‘confusion’ wouldn’t change the way she felt about him.
‘Thank you for that,’ Peter replied stoically. ‘And for being that rock for me.’
In a preview of Tuesday’s episode on ABC, Madison said she regretted her actions with Peter, while Hannah Ann called something he did ‘a knife in my heart,’ and Barbara was shown sobbing.
Tough decision: Peter thanked Hannah Ann for always being his ‘rock’ after admitting his heart was being pulled in two different directions