Chris Harrison Posts A Pic Of Peter Weber That Will Open Eyes

Bachelor fans: prepare yourselves for a potentially jaw-dropping twist! As season 24 star Peter Weber gets closer to choosing which woman he wants to pursue a future with, it looks like there's a chance that he won't end up with any of his three finalists. However, that doesn't mean he's walking away from the reality TV series alone. That's because he may have hooked up with one of the show's producers.

On Feb.17, 2020, host Chris Harrison took to Instagram to post a shot of himself, Pilot Pete and a couple of other people. While Harrison innocently added a caption about how their particular poses would make a perfect album cover, fans were more interested about the woman who was with them. Her name is Julie LaPlaca and she's the Bachelor producer that many think Weber has fallen for.

"Soooo, is that the producer that ... Peter ends up with ??" one Instagram user commented on the post. Another person pointed out that this may be a shot of "Peter and who [he] actual[ly] ends up with.. aka his current gf ...aka one of the PRODUCERS." They may very well be onto something considering the fact that this isn't the first time Weber and LaPlaca have been seen together. 

One picture of Peter Weber and Julie LaPlaca together certainly doesn't confirm that the two are in a relationship. But what if they had been spotted together two or three more times? And what if those times suggest that they were spending significant milestones together? 

For instance, it looks like Weber and LaPlaca spent New Year's Eve together. Two days into 2020, LaPlaca posted a photo of herself in New York on New Year's Eve. While the focus of the photo was surely supposed to be on her joyful expression, many Bachelor fans were more interested in the man right behind her who was (purposefully?) turned away from the camera at that exact moment. You may not be able to see his face, but from the back it really looks like Weber. He's even wearing the coat he was interviewed in the same night at the same location.

If that wasn't enough proof that they spent the big night together, then take a peek at the picture that Weber's dad, who is also named Peter Weber, posted on Jan. 2, 2020. "New Years Eve lunch with the gang at Carmine's," he captioned a photo that showed his family gathered for the special occasion. And who was a part of that gang? The Bachelor himself and, yes, that appears to be LaPlaca. She was right beside her supposed boyfriend, cozied up with his family. 

But wait, there's more!

Spending New Year's Eve together is one thing, but spending a little extra time with Peter Weber's mom, Barbara, seems to hint at the fact that things are getting serious between the reality TV star and producer Julie LaPlaca. Barbara seems to be a very special person in the family-oriented Bachelor's life. And since she seems to get very emotionally involved in his relationships, it would only make sense that it would be important to Weber to get his mom's stamp of approval. 

On Feb. 20, 2020, Page Six shared a video that showed Weber, LaPlaca, and his mother together at the Stonehaus Winery in Westlake Village, Calif. "In the clip ... Weber is seen dancing and sharing a bottle of wine with LaPlaca and his mom, Barbara," at the lovely spot "which is located near where Weber lives." In fact, all three do a little in-seat dancing while sipping their wine, clearly enjoying their time together. With footage like this making its way into the world, it's no wonder that those in charge of The Bachelor have spoken out about the rumor-sparking situation.

The Bachelor's host, Chris Harrison, may be partially responsible for fanning the flames when it comes to rumors about the potential relationship between Peter Weber and producer Julie LaPlaca — and he seems happy to do so. Harrison sat down with Access to chat about the situation, explaining that Weber, LaPlaca and himself "spend a lot of time together." He expanded on that by admitting: "I'll just say this, it's an intimate relationship. You spend that much time together, we all get close. Sometimes those lines get blurred." Oh, really?

Harrison also talked about whether or not the potential couple could get in trouble for the unexpected romance. "The only rules are, Peter needs to have the best opportunity to find love," he said. "If something were to mess that up, then we would try to step in, and we would help." Needless to say, the host didn't clarify what sort of help would be offered. 

Harrison isn't the only one tiptoeing around romance rumors. ABC executive Rob Mills addressed the buzz around Weber and LaPlaca in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. "Well, I hate to get in the way of a good rumor, so I'm not going to confirm or deny about whether he ends up with a producer!" he said. While that might only further pique viewers' interest in the situation, fans are surely wondering what Weber has to say about the rumors.

Entertainment Tonight notes that Peter Weber has promised a "unique" end to his season from the start. Now, fans think that might be because he ends up finding love with producer Julie LaPlaca instead of with any of the contestants who were vying for his heart. When ET's Lauren Zima pointed out that someone — perhaps his "girlfriend" — is seen in a promo fixing his hair backstage just before he goes on camera for the "Women Tell All" episode, Weber confirmed her identity, saying: "Was that... Jules LaPlaca!"

Weber also addressed the buzz around who might disrupt the expected action during the finale. "A lot of people think it's Hannah Brown now coming in," he said, referring to his ex and former Bachelorette, who crashed his season premiere. However, then he circled back to mention the other woman who may have captured his heart. "Possibly Jules LaPlaca, who knows. There's so many choices!" Those choices include the three women who have almost been forgotten in all of the fuss around LaPlaca: Hannah Ann Sluss, Victoria Fuller, and Madison Prewett.

While the clues seem to be hinting at the fact that Peter Weber has found love with Julie LaPlaca, we won't know for sure if that's the case until the season finale airs and gives us all of the necessary info. Until then, the three women who are still competing for Weber's heart — Hannah Ann Sluss, Victoria Fuller, and Madison Prewett — could still walk away with an engagement ring. Although, that's looking less and less likely for one lady in particular.

Madison Prewett made it clear that she would walk away from her relationship with Weber if he was intimate with any of the other women on the show. And since, according to Style Caster, he did spend an action-filled night with at least one of the two other ladies, it looks like Prewett may choose to leave the show before Weber can make his final choice. However, that might not be the worst thing to happen if Weber was going to end up with LaPlaca anyway. Perhaps Prewett ended up saving herself from rejection since Weber may have found love with The Bachelor producer instead of his contestants. We'll just have to wait and see!