Here's What Pete's Mom Barb Whispered During The Bachelor Finale
There is a long list of villains in #BachelorNation, all the way from former Bachelor Juan Pablo Galavis to Season 24 contestant Tammy Ly. But just when fans think they've seen all the bad behavior there is to see, a new villain emerged — Peter Weber's mom, Barbara Weber. Spoiler alert: The drama surrounding Barbara first began when, after meeting both Madison Prewett and Hannah Ann Sluss in Australia, she made a very emotional plea for Peter to pick the model from Knoxville. With tears streaming down her face, Pilot Pete's mama begged in a quavering voice, "Bring her home to us." Although Barbara put on an impressive show with her waterworks, Peter ultimately chose Madison in the end after proposing to and then breaking his engagement off with Hannah Ann. Sorry, Barb.
The "After the Final Rose" segment, which aired on March 10, 2020, gave Barbara another chance to shade Madison. The Westlake Village resident jumped on the opportunity, listing all the reasons why she thinks Peter's relationship is doomed to "fail." Making matters even worse? Mama Weber whispered something not-so-nice in her husband's ear midway through the conversation. We reveal what the frustrated mom said after the jump.
Barbara Weber shaded Madison Prewett in Spanish
As some fans might already know, Peter Weber's mom is fluent in Spanish because she hails from Cuba. Barbara Weber showed off her bilingual skills during a heated moment at "After the Final Rose," when she whispered something in the language to Peter's dad, Peter Weber Sr. The awkward moment occurred after Barbara uttered this painful jab about the couple, per Refinery29, "All his friends, all his family...everyone that knows him knows it's not going to work. So we've been trying to help him." When host Chris Harrison asked Peter's dad for his thoughts on the situation, Barbara leaned in and whispered, "Di algo mal también, ayúdame," before he had the chance to speak. As for the translation? Peter's mom essentially said, "Say something bad, too. Help me," according to People. Yikes with a capital Y.
If there is any humor to be found in this situation, it's that Barb apparently thought she was sly enough for people to miss her snub. But a word to the wise, Pete's mom — a 2011 research paper by U.S. Census Bureau Demographers predicted that by 2020, the number of Spanish speakers in the United States is anywhere between 39 million and 43 million. "If my mom did this to me we would argue about it at every family gathering for the rest of time," one fan tweeted about Barbara's not-so-subtle dig.
Chris Harrison reacts to the drama
If you thought Barbara Weber's shade was awkward, imagine how host Chris Harrison felt in his role as the evening's moderator. "I tried to fix it. I was trying to, like, extend an olive branch and I was hopefully trying to leave on a good note and just couldn't get there," he said during Good Morning America about attempting to play peacemaker between Madison Prewett and Barbara (via E! News). "There was animosity built up." He added, "People have to understand, when I left Australia, I thought we had this amazing show that would've been half of tonight. In that moment, I really think he was all in, but he just couldn't get Madison out of his head."
ABC executive Rob Mills seconded Harrison's sentiments in an interview with Variety, stating, "We knew that she was not necessarily thrilled that Peter had reconciled with Madison, but this was truly a little bit scary because it was live and nobody knows what she's going to say." He continued, "At the same time, that's what makes for great TV. But, I don't think anyone knew she would go that far."
So, did how did Barbara receive the criticism? Let's just say Peter's mom had a lot to say about the backlash.
The real reason why Madison was late to meet Peter's mom
It was quite clear during The Bachelor finale that Barbara Weber was not happy about Madison Prewett supposedly showing up three hours late to meet her in Australia, a faux pas she didn't apologize for. Barbara brought up this point repeatedly to reinforce her dislike for Madison, although her anger might be misguided if you ask host Chris Harrison. "Them being late was just as much on Peter as it was Madison," he said during an appearance on On Air With Ryan Seacrest. "The reason they were late [was that] they were having a discussion out front." He added, "They were having a discussion of, 'Are they going to do this? Are we even at the stage where we should meet your parents?' That discussion was between the two of them so it wasn't Madison throwing a fit. It wasn't Madison doing her makeup and being late. It was Peter as well."
Madison's dad, Chad Prewett, also showed support for her after Barbara's takedown. "Proud is an understatement," he tweeted. "I believe in you and support you always Madi Rose!"
Although it probably was tough for Madison to find out what Barb whispered about her, at least she has a long list of defenders in her corner.