On the most recent episode of The Bachelor, Peter Weber’s contestants came back together to discuss the biggest drama from the season. However, one face was noticeably absent. Kelley Flanagan, a fan-favorite and front runner for most of the season, didn’t appear on stage alongside her fellow Bachelor stars. Why was she absent from the reunion?
Kelley Flanagan turned heads during her very first appearance on Peter’s season when she admitted that she met the pilot before filming even began. According to both Peter and Kelley, they ran into each other in a hotel lobby. Although they clearly had a connection, nothing further happened between them that night. Although Peter was clearly interested in Kelley, she faded to the background as the season progressed. Rather than breaking down into tears during every conversation like most of this season’s women, Kelley insisted that her relationship with Peter was just plain fun, which annoyed the Bachelor for some unknown reason. Peter’s relationship with Kelley came to an end during the dreaded three-on-one date before hometowns. Although Kelley seemed very confident that she would get the rose, and even trash-talked the behavior of the other women, Peter sent her home. While she may have been the villain on any other season, she was the one voice of reason in Peter’s sea of unruly contestants, and fans were excited to hear from her during the Women Tell All.
Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Kelley didn’t appear at the Women Tell All, which left most fans scratching their heads regarding her absence. According to Cheat Sheet, there’s a very simple reason that Kelley didn’t show up to the reunion special: she wasn’t invited. Resident Bachelor Nation Reality Steve reported that Kelley herself said she wasn’t invited, but she didn’t elaborate on the why of the matter. Kelley’s Instagram did reveal that she was in Los Angeles when the Women Tell All was filmed, and even spent some time with her fellow castmates. Steve stated that she was in a perfect position to appear and that her lack of invitation was simply due to the fact that the producers didn’t like her. You can read the full tweet from Reality Steve below:
Another contestant, Natasha Parker, was also absent from the Women Tell All. Since Natasha went home sixth, her lack of appearance was equally as puzzling. When fans learned that Kelley didn’t receive an invitation, many assumed that Natasha was in the same boat. Natasha, however, cleared up her side of things right away. The contestant stated that she was invited to the reunion, but she couldn’t attend. Her Instagram revealed that she was in New York during the time of the taping.
Whatever happened between Kelley and the producers, it probably wasn’t good. Throughout the entirety of Peter’s season, Kelley made it clear that she wasn’t fully on board with the process. She refused to play into the pointless drama and often criticized both the other women and Peter for wasting time discussing ridiculous things. Although most fans agreed with her realistic viewpoint, the producers still made a last-ditch effort to turn Kelley into the villain. Perhaps she reacted poorly to her edit and irrevocably damaged that relationship. Perhaps the producers didn’t like her no-nonsense point of view. Whatever the reason, choosing not to have her at the Women Tell All is a disservice to fans who were excited to see her once again.
Next: Peter Weber the Worst Bachelor…Or Bad Group of Girls?
Source:Cheat Sheet, Reality Steve
