Former Bachelorette lead Rachel Lindsay is comparing Ben Smith from Tayshia Adams’ season to Rachel’s runner-up, Peter Kraus.
When Rachel was announced as The Bachelorette, fans nation wide were so excited to have their first African-American lead in the franchise. Not only has Rachel made history within the franchise, but she has continuously called for the show the become more diverse ever since she step foot on the show. Since then the show has taken it steps to become a more inclusive.
After the December 15 episode of The Bachelorette aired, Rachel discussed with her co-host, Becca Kufrin, on The Bachelor Happy Hour podcast how much Ben reminded her of Peter Kraus from her season, reported Us Weekly. Ben was sent packing after the hometown dates by Tayshia after she felt he didn’t express enough emotion to her. “He does just enough to stay by,” the 35-year-old said on her December 16 podcast episode. “He reminds me of Peter Kraus. He reminds me of him in the way that, like, he gives you just enough. But if you really break down what he’s saying, it doesn’t match up.” Peter came in second place after Rachel sent him home in an emotional and tearful goodbye that became an iconic scene in Bachelor history. At point the camera zoomed in on Rachel’s fake eyelashes that were left on the floor. In the end, much like Peter, Rachel felt Ben did not show Tayshia the love she needed in order for their relationship to move forward.
Before Rachel and Peter said their emotional goodbyes, the two had spoken about the potential proposal at the end which Peter admitted he was not ready for. This helped Rachel to realized that her other suitor, Bryan Abasolo, who she has now been married to for over a year, was the right man for her. Tayshia even admitted during the episode that she was disappointed when Ben didn’t express his feelings for her and when he did not show any emotion when she sent him home. “He wasn’t angry. He wasn’t mad. He wasn’t sad,” she said. “It kinda felt empty, and I just felt like, ‘Please make me feel like these past few weeks meant anything to you.‘” Ben realized he should of told Tayshia how he truly felt, but he was just too scared to say it to her. Even after his elimination, Ben seemed so shocked he couldn’t show any emotion. “It is what it is. .. I’m heartbroken, but I’ll be all right,” he revealed to the camera. Kind of an odd response, but the whole situation is bizarre so Ben was probably just trying to process the fact that he was leaving and without Tayshia by his side.
Peter and Ben are very similar in the way that they are too afraid to show their true emotions to the person they love. Other then that, Peter seemed to be a bit more mature then Ben during his time on the show. Still, they both could make great potential Bachelor leads.
The Bachelorette airs Monday and Tuesday at 8 pm EST on ABC.
