"We knew what we signed up for," Hannah Ann says of Madison calling Peter sleeping with her or Victoria "make or break." "It's truly madness. It's just madness."
So we all know what "The Bachelor" is, right? It's a show about a slew of women dating the same guy. And we all know how Peter Weber is, right? He's the guy most famous for doing it with the previous "Bachelorette" in a windmill ... a bunch of times.
And yet, Madison Prewett still doesn't seem to get completely what's going on around her. Now, Madisn is coming from a place where she's chosen to abstain from sex until she gets married, which is certainly her right. But, she's also not told Peter this at any point in all these weeks they've been dating which isn't exactly fair to him.
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View StoryInstead, she's groused and moped around about him seeing all these other women -- the premise of the show -- and fretted about him being intimate with them. But it wasn't until this week that she finally at least told him that much, effectively leaving him with a serious decision to make.
It's as if she's been thinking she was on "Deal or No Deal" all this time and all those other beautiful women were just there to hold briefcases rather than her actual competition vying for the heart of this man ... and dating him at the same time.
That's right, we are now five paragraphs into this week's recap and we've yet to mention the name Victoria Fuller, the woman who has dominated the drama train all season long. She's been the conductor, all the passengers and the woman tied on the tracks screaming for someone to rescue her.
She's also been incredibly subversive when talking to Peter, changing the subject when he asks her direct questions and seemingly using her anger and sadness as weapons against him. Many online have gone so far as to accuse her of gaslighting him. At least this week she finally offered some explanation for her combative behavior.
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View StoryMadison hasn't gone so far as to gaslight, but it was unfair of her to hang onto this abstinence issue for this long -- especially if she was applying that expectation to Peter as well. Again, did she not see his season? She knows he doesn't feel this way about sex before marriage!
The "Bachelor" producers obviously aren't stupid, and they know what a potential trainwreck they have on their hands with this final three, and so they switched things up during fantasy suite week so the ladies would have to live with one another.
That means that while Peter is spending the night with one of the women, the other two are left to stew together over it. And to raise that tension to its boiling point, they had Madison wait to be the third date, so she could freak out in turn with Victoria and then Hannah Ann.
Hannah Ann went first, and Peter again emphasized to her that he loved her before they retired for the night to the suite where producers certainly wanted the audience to be thinking of windmills. Madison certainly was, definitely thinking about what the two could be doing, saying she was reaching her "breaking point."
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View StoryNext up, she confided her growing discomfort with Hannah Ann -- who did not share her experiences with Peter -- while Victoria enjoyed a helicopter ride. She actually was okay with Peter possibly sleeping with the other women, because she felt it might help him be sure of the choice he ultimately made for the woman he'd spend the rest of his life with.
Not so Madison, who took things further while spiraling with Hannah Ann to say that Peter sleeping with the other two women was "kind of a make or break for me."
As for Peter, he had his hands full trying to get to the bottom of all those red flags he's deftly dodged all season about Madison, including the warning from his ex-girlfriend last week to be careful around her. Finally, she broke down a little about why she struggles to communicate -- becoming defensive and combative.
She blamed a past relationship where her feelings weren't considered, making her feel "that there's something wrong" every time Peter asks her how she feels about anything, causing her to become defensive.
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View StoryHe, on the other hand, was wanting to give her a clean slate and move forward, hoping that she'll be more open to communicating with him, even if he doesn't communicate exactly how she might want him to.
His hope is that they can work at it and she can help him be better at it rather than fly off the handle and run away.
But it wasn't Victoria who ran away this week. After talking with Madison back at the house all night, Hannah Ann said in a confessional, "We knew what we signed up for. ... It's truly madness. It's just madness."
At least we'll give Madison credit for finally telling Peter where she stood on things (almost entirely). "If next week you were to sleep with anybody else, it would be really hard for me to really move forward in this," she said. "I just feel like I owe it to you to be upfront and honest with you about that. That is really important to me."
Now, that's a hell of a thing to lay on someone just before the fantasy suites segment of the show -- and again, does she not know the premise of this show? -- and it left Peter a little flummoxed and unsure exactly what she was telling him?
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View StoryWe think it was pretty clear, but he was looking to see if she was telling him that would be a dealbreaker. While she said she wasn't going to give him an "ultimatum," she believes "actions speak louder than words, and I'm just really big on that."
In other words, sleep with those other women at your own peril! It's not an ultimatum, apparently, but it is a worthiness test. Or maybe it's a test to see how serious he is about marrying her. If she matters to him, than it should be possible to not have sex with the other two women, right?
She even essentially acknowledged that she was testing him in a confessional, saying, "It's a little hard to think about what could go down behind closed doors. But Peter is a big boy and I trust him, and at the end of the day, that's what I'm clinging to. Now the ball's in his court, and he's got some big decisions to make."
Back at the house after Madison had left, Victoria said to Hannah Ann, "It's kind of an ultimatum to question somebody, put him on the spot about other relationships that are private. I don't know, that doesn't really sit well with me." It's definitely not fair to do at this point of the game, but it's also Madison's truth.
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View StoryOn their one-on-one date after the other two women's nights with Peter, Madison finally told Peter her intention to remain a virgin until she's married, adding, "I do expect, at this point, for us to be honest about the expectations we do have." This was her setting him up to have either passed or failed her little test.
And she wasn't completely honest with him, because she did give him an ultimatum. Sex with them or life with me. And he tried to choose both.
To be fair, he probably should have been told this weeks ago before she'd made it to his Final Three. Considering he slept with Hannah B. on her season of "The Bachelorette," Madison knows he has no qualms about this, so they certainly don't seem to be on the same page there.
As for Peter, he was somewhat disingenuous (or so it seemed) in expressing the levels of his faith with Madison, for whom it's very important, and his willingness to go deeper into that sphere with her. It seems like both of them were playing a game of denial for as long as they could until they finally reached an impasse or breaking point, and this just might be it.
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View Story"I'm not in any way trying to come across as judgmental or hold something over your head, but at the same time, those are just my expectations that I have in life," she told Peter, who ultimately decided to be honest with her about having been intimate with both women on their fantasy suite nights.
Once again acknowledging that she had been testing him, and that he'd failed, Madison walked away from the table, saying later, "He knew coming into this week, because I had made it clear, that there was a chance that he could lose me if he made certain decisions and he made them anyways. I'm so frustrated with him, I'm so mad at him."
Peter tried to make things right, apologizing for hurting her and telling her he still sees a future for them. But does she? Well, that's what cliffhangers are for! And cliffhangers leave fans dangling in anticipation. And dangling fans take to Twitter to express their frustrations ... and some, like Victoria and Hannah Ann, cannot figure out why Madison did this show!
Many, though, supported Madison's stance, wondering how Peter could get engaged a week after sleeping with other women, and applauded her for standing by her beliefs.
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View StoryTonight's Bachelor recap: #TheBachelor pic.twitter.com/vbaKNnq9WF
@amandakokesh
There is nothing wrong with saving yourself for marriage. There is something fundamentally wrong with going on #TheBachelor if that's the case.
@NotThatHilary
Madison, the first girl in bachelor history to point out the obvious. How do you get engaged to someone a week after having sex with multiple women? 🤔 #TheBachelor
@Tracyy722
So you come on the season with the "sex 4 times in the windmill" bachelor and thought you'd find a chaste man of faith #TheBachelor pic.twitter.com/pi6enIBImF
@JordanShipo
weird how the two girls wearing cross necklaces are judging madison for her standards... #TheBachelor pic.twitter.com/xT1076hL0x
@_meganearle
"I don't want to feel bad for the standards that I have" -Madison #theBachelor pic.twitter.com/E5UtfxDgMj
@aftertwoglasses
How did Madison end up on this show?? Was she confused? Tricked? I do not understand. #TheBachelor pic.twitter.com/DqrGKQmhuo
@tempermentalchi
Honestly, neither Peter nor Madison are in the wrong here. They are just people with different priorities and life choices. They shouldn't be together. That's all. #TheBachelor
@ToryHarrington
Madison standing up for her beliefs, while not putting Peter or the other girls down, is what this show needs more of...again, it's not much to ask a guy to not sleep with someone else 6 days before he might propose to you #TheBachelor
@lormack22
If peter didn't want to lose madi that bad and was so sure about her, then there was no reason for him to sleep with other girls; not if he was planning to be down on one knee for madi in a week. Madi, you deserve better sis. Don't take him back. #thebachelor
@Hai__Lee
I'm sorry but I don't feel sympathy for this right now.... I'm ALL FOR people having their own values. You go girl. But don't sign up for this, come on this show, not tell him your truth until it's too late, and then leave Peter for not having those same values... 🤷🏽♀️ #TheBachelor pic.twitter.com/hOq2ckw2Bi
@itzmillertime
#TheBachelor
@CarollAlvarado_
Madison: If you sleep with one of the other girls, I'll walk away
Peter: *sleeps with one of the girls*
Madison: *walks away*
Peter: pic.twitter.com/wNqpsOhHlM
Peter when he realizes there are consequences to his actions #TheBachelor pic.twitter.com/yCUU9Rrd3l
@sofiannaa_
What Madison is saying makes sense........in the real world. Not in the Bachelor Cinematic Universe however. #TheBachelor
@BarstoolTrent
K I'm over Madison. Go home and next time you think going on a show where the guy ur gonna date happily promoted that he fucked his ex 3 times in a windmill... maybe don't go on the show😁😁😁😁😁😁 and waste all our time 😁😁😁😁 GOODBYE #TheBachelor
@alexandracooper
Also I love how Madison still did not say anything bad about Victoria and Hannah Ann after their dates with Peter. She only spoke about herself and only herself. Can't say the same about the other two women. Cheers to Madison once again #TheBachelor pic.twitter.com/UHzigUpWNR
@tvgoldtweets
Peter -"I can't lose you! " Should have thought of that before you dropped your pants Peter. #TheBachelor
@ngap1234
Super fair that Madison can't imagine being engaged to a man who slept with another woman the week before. However....that is how this show works. Maybe Madi didn't think she would make it this far... #TheBachelor
@BarstoolFran
Just a quick reminder that it's okay for women to stand up for what they believe in. This is our queen. We Stan. #thebachelor pic.twitter.com/Uv0Xmkg8Jm
@alexis_menard
Hot take:
@modernmillicent
There was no ultimatum given. Before fantasy sweets Madi told him how him sleeping w/ the other girls would make her feel. Peter still chose to sleep w/ the other women. He chose to do that and made a decision, he should choose another girl & let Madi go. #TheBachelor pic.twitter.com/nwM6eRAVmB
Realizing you only have a gaslighter and a Sonic waitress left. #TheBachelor pic.twitter.com/P57zKmmsFu
@thekatiedrennen
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