Peter Weber battled doubts over whether Alayah had the right intentions during the Monday, January 20, episode of The Bachelor.
His concerns came as Hannah Ann and Kelsey failed to reach a friendly outcome to ChampagneGate. They agreed to disagree that Kelsey bullied Hannah Ann, though Kelsey did apologize. Hannah Ann sobbed as she insisted yet again that she did not steal her champagne.
Meanwhile, a new feud erupted in the house. Sydney thought Alayah was being dishonest, but tensions escalated during a group date planned by Bachelor alum Demi Burnett. The women engaged in a pillow fight and things got a little aggressive between Alayah and Sydney. Alayah, whose positive energy Peter enjoyed, won the final match.
During the afterparty, Sydney confronted Alayah about her behavior but she claimed her pageant background made her “rehearsed” tendencies seem like second nature. Sydney then confided in Peter that someone was putting on a show for the cameras. Peter confessed that he was afraid of ending up with someone fake since he watched Hannah Brown go through that with Jed Wyatt.
Peter addressed the situation by asking Sydney to name the woman she thought was there for the wrong reasons. She called out Alayah in front of everyone, and Alayah asked if anyone else felt the same, leading to silence. Peter told all the ladies to be real with him, and he struggled to determine the truth after Alayah feigned surprise over the accusations. However, earlier in the episode she did not deny that she embellished for the cameras. Peter appreciated Sydney’s honesty so much that he gave her a rose.
Peter used the cocktail party turned pool party to question the other women about Alayah. Many of them sided with Sydney, but Alayah persuaded Peter that she was just happy and couldn’t fake her feelings for him. Victoria P. then confessed that Alayah asked her to lie to producers about knowing her from Miss USA. Alayah claimed that she didn’t want them to be disqualified because they knew each other outside the show.
Peter delivered a last-minute surprise at the rose ceremony. He walked away amid confusion about whether he should send Alayah home. Ultimately, Chris Harrison removed one rose from the equation and Peter eliminated Jasmine, Sarah, Alexa and Alayah. Alayah blamed Victoria P. for her dismissal, while Peter admitted that he let the women influence his decision and expressed regret.
Earlier in the episode, Peter took Victoria P. on a line-dancing one-on-one, during which she cried about her tough childhood. Her experience made her feel as if she was not deserving of love, but Peter reassured her by saying she inspired him and gave her a rose.
The Bachelor airs on ABC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET.
