Instagram via Julie LaPlaca
As The Bachelor approached its season 24 finale, the popular fan theory that Peter Weber actually ends up with Bachelor producer Julie LaPlaca continues to circulate.
We won’t know who Peter chooses (and if there’s any truth to a romance between Peter and Julie) until the show comes to its dramatic conclusion. In the meantime, here’s what you need to know about Peter Weber and Julie LaPlaca:
1. They Were Photographed Together in New York City With Their Families for New Year’s Eve
The theory that Julie and Peter ended up together at the end of Bachelor filming was first sparked by a photo of Julie, Peter, Peter’s family and Julie’s mom eating lunch together in New York City on New Year’s Eve. The photo was posted by Weber’s dad, with the caption “New Years Eve lunch with the gang at Carmine’s.”
It’s important to note that, at the time, Peter was in New York City for a New Year’s Eve appearance, so it’s likely that Julie being there for the holiday, too, was simply her doing her job. On the other hand, since it would make sense for the two to be together as he completes his Bachelor responsibilities, it would be unusually easy for them to keep their romance a secret.
2. Julie Has Been a Bachelor Producer Since 2014
According to her Linked In profile, LaPlaca started working as a Bachelor producer in 2014 and currently lives in Los Angeles where the show is based. Before that, she worked as a producer at CBS.
Her role requires her to spend a lot of time with all of the Bachelor franchise stars, so the time spent with Weber is not necessarily unique to their relationship. During Hannah Brown’s season of The Bachelorette, LaPlaca posted photos with Brown almost weekly to promote the show, and Bachelor Nation alums are regularly featured on her social media.
According to her Instagram profile, LaPlaca was there for all of Peter and his contestants’ trips around the world throughout filming; however, she refrained from posting any photos taken with him on her personal account.
3. ABC Would Not ‘Confirm or Deny’ That Peter & Julie Ended Up Together
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, ABC executive Rob Mills responded to Lauren Zima’s comment that one of the Bachelor finale theories circulating is that Weber chose Julie LaPlaca. He said “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! I don’t know how we’d ever top that though! But, it is crazy. What we’ve seen about the finale over the years is that the ‘finale’ is really on that night when the show goes live. There’s a lot of craziness, it’s a roller coaster, but I would say even now the roller coaster hasn’t ended, and it won’t end until after After the Final Rose.”
While it’s interesting that Mills acknowledged the theory at all, the comment only appears to confirm that ABC will welcome any buzz that keeps people talking and gets viewers watching the season. The prospect of a twist as big as Peter and Julie getting together would be will certainly bump viewership for the season 24 finale (whether or not the rumor turns out to be true)
4. Peter & Julie Were Recently Spotted at a Winery With Peter’s Mom
Julie’s seemingly close relationship with Peter’s mom Barbara has raised more than a few eyebrows, especially since Barbara’s dramatic plea to “bring her home to us” has been heavily featured in promotional materials for Peter’s Bachelor finale.
In late February, Page Six reported that they had received exclusive video that showed Peter and Julie at a winery dancing and drinking with Barbara, only fueling the popular fan theory.
Amidst rumors of a romance between Peter and Julie, fans also noticed that Barbara was active on Julie’s Instagram profile. Below one photo taken during filming in Peru (LaPlaca captioned it “Climb every mountain” accompanied by a green heart), Soap Dirt points out that Barbara commented “Beautiful Girl! Beautiful Peru!”
5. Chris Harrison Said That Julie & Peter Have an ‘Intimate’ Relationship
Never one to miss an opportunity to perpetuate the Bachelor rumor mill, during an interview with Access, Chris Harrison addressed the stir his photo of Peter and Julie caused on social media. He said “Actually, I didn’t mean to do anything other than [show] the fact that we spend a lot time together, we travel the world together… Julie, an amazing, talented, smart producer that works for us—works on the show, so she’s with Peter. And she’s with all of us.” He later added that “It’s an intimate relationship,” teasing “You spend that much time together we all get close. Sometimes, those lines get blurred.”
If you’re thinking that’s confirmation that the two end up together, don’t be so sure. He commented on the theory a second time, telling Entertainment Weekly “Far be it for me to ruin anything toward the end of the season. But…seems much ado about nothing to me. Unless I just don’t know, which is possible.”
READ NEXT: ‘The Bachelor’ 2020 Fantasy Suite Dates Supply Condoms