Ashley Iaconetti on Peter Weber Being the Bachelor: 'I'm Actually a Little Disappointed'

"I'm not doubting. I'm sure it's going to be a fantastic season," Ashley Iaconetti told PEOPLE

Count Bachelor in Paradise alums Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon among those who are surprised that Peter Weber got the leading man nod over fan-favorite Mike Johnson.

“I’ll be honest, I feel like I have not for quite some time felt so detached from a choice for the Bachelor,” Iaconetti, 31, told PEOPLE. “He was very nice on his season, but I don’t know that I know him very well. He’s just been sweet and lovely, but I don’t know him.”

She and Haibon, 30, were in Las Vegas over the weekend attending the iHeartRadio Music Festival with a slew of Bachelor and Bachelorette alums, including Johnson.

“I’m a little shocked that he’s not the Bachelor,” Haibon said about Johnson, but added, “I’m not doubting the choice.”

Iaconetti quickly added, “I’m not doubting either. I’m sure it’s going to be a fantastic season.”

ashley-iaconetti-peter-weber
Paul Archuleta/Getty Images; John Fleenor via Getty Images

The duo admitted that, like Weber, they didn’t really know Johnson either, but they got to know him over the weekend. Needless to say, they’re now fans. “I’m actually a little disappointed, but like, that’s no offense to Peter,” Iaconetti said.

Many in Bachelor Nation were somewhat disappointed (others were outright shocked) when Chris Harrison announced that the Los Angeles-based pilot would helm the upcoming season of the hit ABC show.

“It’s interesting because there was so much talk about Mike potentially being the first black Bachelor, and he seemed like a good choice. And on TV we saw nothing but great things from him,” Haibon said. “I also think that Peter’s gonna be great. That’s the thing. It’s not like I don’t think Peter’s going to be a bad Bachelor. I think he’ll be a great Bachelor.”

mike johnson and peter weber
ABC

While Iaconetti and Haibon still pay close attention to the show and all its spinoffs, they are also still focusing on themselves — after all, they are still technically newlyweds after getting married on Aug. 11.

“For me, as a new husband, I want to try to integrate more quality time into our lives. Not just spending time together, but making sure that we’re spending quality time together,” he said.

And Iaconetti said married life “hasn’t felt much different.”

“We lived together for the entire year. We’ve just been so busy,” she said. “We haven’t been able to settle into married life at home cause we’ve been like, we went on our honeymoon, which was two weeks. We were back for nine days and then we were on the move. So it’s just like we cannot wait to like go home and like have like a nesting period.”

Related Articles