‘The Bachelor’: The Real Reason Why Peter Weber Eliminated Alayah Benavidez Illustrates the ‘Toxic Culture in the House’

Tension within The Bachelor fandom was at an all-time high when Peter Weber eliminated Alayah Benavidez not once, but twice, in the span of two episodes. The 28-year-old pilot was called out for his inability to make decisions and “rewarding the drama,” enabling a few cast members to display some truly malicious behavior. But now, after watching The Bachelor Season 24 unfold from the outside, Weber revealed why he chose to send Alayah home, confirming the “toxic culture in the house” led to her exit.

What did Alayah Benavidez do in ‘The Bachelor’ Season 24?

All of Alayah’s drama began in the third episode of The Bachelor Season 24. Throughout the episode, Sydney Hightower called Alayah fake and said the 2019 Miss Texas USA acted differently in front of the cameras. Sydney told Weber about her opinion of Alayah. Meanwhile, a few other women thought the same way, including Victoria Paul. 

Now, Victoria P. and Alayah have a history. Victoria P. was the 2019 Miss Louisiana USA and knows Alayah from the pageant world. Alayah was accused of convincing Victoria P. to lie to producers about knowing each other. Victoria P. also claimed she didn’t really know Alayah. As a result, Weber eliminated Alayah.

In the next episode, Alayah returned to clear her name. She interrupted a group date and told Weber she just didn’t want The Bachelor producers to cut both parties because they discussed the show before limo night — as cast members aren’t revealed until then. Alayah also revealed she is friends with Victoria P. and the pair went on a trip to Vegas together, alongside other pageant contestants. Victoria P. confirmed she lied. 

Once he saw the light, Weber asked Alayah to return to the house. She accepted and he gave her the group date rose. Nevertheless, this act stirred up more drama, as Alayah did not attend the group date and her conversation interrupted time with other cast members.

Peter Weber eliminates Alayah Benavidez for the second time

By the next rose ceremony cocktail party, multiple contestants expressed their disappointment in Weber. “I’m sorry Peter, but I’ve never felt so under-recognized by somebody,” Deandra Kanu said. She then noted that bringing Alayah back and giving her the group date rose “was like the biggest slap in the face.”

Then as the night continued, Weber’s Bachelor contestants tore into Alayah right in front of her. Eventually, Weber took Alayah out to talk.

“I don’t care what anyone in there says, I know that you have an amazing heart and that you are a good person,” Weber said. Alayah then broke down in tears. “I felt such a strong connection with you from night one. You opened up to me and showed a side to me that I could tell wasn’t easy for you to do. And that meant to much to me as well.”

However, the bachelor still let her go. “With everything that has happened, this is, like, too much,” Weber said. “I don’t want to have to put you through any more of this. But I think it’s probably time to say goodbye.”

“I’m sorry that I made this so damn hard for you,” Alayah said before leaving.

Peter Weber explains why he eliminated Alayah Benavidez

When speaking with Access on Feb. 5, Weber explained why he eliminated Alayah twice on The Bachelor. 

“Alayah was a tough one for me. I did not feel good sending her home the first time,” he said. “There, for sure, I was influenced. I didn’t feel good about it.”

Then when Alayah came to Cleveland, the 28-year-old thought it was the perfect “chance to do the right thing.” However, Weber quickly reconsidered because of the other contestants.

“Unfortunately, that just became a situation where the toxic culture in the house was just too much,” Weber said. “That house was gonna implode if I kept her there. And it’s like ‘OK, what’s the lesser evil here?’ It was tough but it was a situation where I was forced to make a tough decision.”

Even so, Weber admitted he would have still kept Alayah for longer if he was certain she was The One. 

“No matter how hard it would have been, I wouldn’t have let her go if I legit thought, ‘This is my wife here,’” Weber told People. “But it became too much and I wasn’t that invested in her at that point. So it wasn’t worth it to take that chance and wreak all this havoc.”

Regardless of how you feel about Alayah, Weber chose to follow his heart to move forward on The Bachelor. Now, as the ABC reality series approaches week 7, the Delta pilot has six women remaining. So stay tuned. The ride isn’t over just yet.

Read more: ‘The Bachelor’ Fans Think Madison Prewett and Peter Weber Need More Screen Time Together