If you watched Monday night’s Bachelor season premiere, you know that producers were only half-lying when they promised the 3-hour event would be "full of surprises."
For the most part, it was the stuff we’ve grown accustomed to over the past 24 seasons, as 32 ladies resorted to occasionally cringe-worthy tactics in order to set themselves apart from the pack and capture Peter Weber’s attention.
But in fairness, the marathon episode was bookended by a pair of surprises.
It began with a flash-forward to Peter’s final rose ceremony, which promised a dramatic conclusion to the season.
And it ended with a cliffhanger that left us with the possibility of a Bachelor first, as well as one very big lingering question:
Will Hannah Brown actually join the race for Peter’s heart?
Thanks to ABC’s endless teasers we’ve known for a while that Hannah would be involved in Peter’s season.
But initial reports claimed she would introduce a group date (which she did last night), give Peter her blessing to move on (which she sort of did last night), and be on her way.
Obviously, that last part didn’t happen.
Instead, Peter found Hannah backstage at the Sex Story Theater with eyeliner streaming down her face and a heart full of regrets.
Of course, it’s not just Hannah who wishes things had played out differently.
In her first appearance during the limo intros, Brown returned a pilot’s wing pin that Peter had given her when they first met on The Bachelorette.
When she reappeared in hour 3, he confessed that he had hoped she would be joining the competition.
"A little bit of me was hoping that you weren’t drop something off, but that you were coming in," Weber said.
"No matter what, you’re always going to mean something to me."
This led to an invitation to join the house, followed by a cliffhanger ending.
The other ladies have made it clear that they’re less than thrilled with Hannah’s continued involvement, and they’re right to complain.
They’re right in their belief that Hannah had her chance, and they’re right that she’s taking away from their time with Peter.
But in the end, this is a television show, and producers care far more about putting out a compelling product than they care about fairness or the romantic prospects of anyone appearing on camera.
And so, in this case, the opinions of the show’s viewers are far more important than those of its contestants.
And based on social media remarks, fans are deeply divided on the all-important Hannah Brown question.
"ok hannah B you had coltons season, your own season, crashed bachelor in paradise, went on dancing with the stars, and now you make peters season about you pls go away," wrote Twitter user Gianna Quillen, echoing an opinion that seems to be shared by literally millions.
Others pointed out that the best time for Hannah to express her feelings for Peter might have been before the cameras started rolling on a new season (especially since they live in the same city now).
Model Sara Sampaio had a suggestion for how Hannah might mend her broken heart:
"Hannah just go to bachelor in paradise like everyone else!!!!" she tweeted.
Thousands more argued that Hannah’s return is inappropriate and unfair both to Peter and to the women who are only asking for a fair shot at competing for his heart.
Bad enough he already hooked up with one of the contestants before taping began (He totally hooked up with Kelley, right?).
Now Hannah gets to swoop in with the unfair advantage of several months spent in Peter’s company?
Team Hannah might be in the minority on this one, but they very strongly believe in their girl’s love for Peter — and they really don’t want her to leave their TV screens. Ever.
In fact, the love for Hannah was so fervently expressed on Twitter last night that it cast her decision to return to the show in a new light.
We’re not doubting the sincerity of her feelings for Peter, but we are saying Hannah is good for ratings, and producers were probably very firm in their suggestion that she show up and express her feelings.
But in the end, if we had to guess, we’d say this is a case of the show’s execs stringing us along.
Our prediction is that Hannah will not be moving into the Bachelor mansion, as what’s good for premiere numbers might not be good for an entire season.
Yes, the whole stunt serves as a reminder of what these shows are really all about.
Sure, hearts are on the line, but so is something much more important — ratings.
