Peter Kraus Is Getting Another Chance at Love as Part of The Bachelor Winter Games
Rejoice Bachelor Nation fans — Peter Kraus isn’t going anywhere.
The Wisconsin native has officially signed on to appear on the franchises next spinoff, The Bachelor Winter Games, which was confirmed in a tweet by the franchise creator Mike Fleiss on Wednesday.
The news did not come without some build up, as Fleiss, who tweets about the shows casts frequently, prepped fans for something big, writing, “I will be making a major announcement regarding #TheBachelor in the next couple hours!!!!!”
He followed it up two hours later with another tweet, confirming that Kraus “will be looking for love — and going for the gold — on #TheBachelor Winter Games!!!!”
Many on social media were disappointed when Kraus was not chosen as the next Bachelor — a spot that went to Arie Luyendyk Jr.
Kraus took the news in stride, tweeting, “Never let fear hold you back. Lesson learned.”
A source close to production previously told PEOPLE that fan favorite Kraus was “never” the network’s first choice given that he wasn’t comfortable with the premise that lies at the very core of the ABC reality show: that it’s supposed to end with a proposal.
Kraus’ emotional journey on Rachel Lindsay‘s season of The Bachelorette ended when he refused to propose to her.
In August, Fleiss tweeted out a cryptic message that was seemingly aimed at Kraus and left no room for doubt that a second chance was not in the future.
“Do we really want a Bachelor who isn’t ready to settle down with a woman he loves?” Fleiss tweeted. “Hmmm. Not what #thebachelor is all about.”
At the time, a source told PEOPLE that Fleiss’ tweet was absolutely aimed at Kraus.
“Peter is every Bachelor producer’s worst nightmare: the perfect guy who cannot be coerced into proposing at the end,” the insider said. “The fact that no one could talk Peter into buckling under and just giving her the ring — and that he wouldn’t play along — absolutely enraged the higher-ups at the show. Including Fleiss, definitely. He is totally on their s— list forever.”
The Bachelor Winter Games was announced as a new spin-off in May, and will fuse the game of love with competitive sports.
All-stars from past seasons of the network’s dating shows will compete against each other in “winter-themed athletic challenges” at a luxury winter resort.
The Winter Games, executive-produced by Mike Fleiss and Martin Hilton, will premiere in February 2018 to coincide with television coverage of the Winter Olympic Games.