‘The Bachelor’: This Wild Theory About Kelley Flanagan Will Change the Way You See the Villain Edit Upon Her Elimination
We’re just going to say it — Kelley Flanagan’s elimination from The Bachelor was weird. After solidifying her as the level-headed contestant of Peter Weber’s season, many Bachelor Nation fans began rooting for Kelley as the next bachelorette. Then in her final episode, Kelley was highlighted as the villain for the week. But here’s the thing — viewers didn’t buy it. And now, some Bachelor fans have come up with a conspiracy theory on why Kelley received the villain edit.
What happened to Kelley in ‘The Bachelor’ Season 24 Episode 7?
In The Bachelor Season 24 Episode 7, Kelley goes on a three-on-one date with Hannah Ann Sluss and Victoria Fuller. But from beginning to end, Kelley is depicted as overly confident and mean towards the other women.
“Am I in a great place with Peter? Of course, yeah. I really think that. But a three-on-one, to me, that’s like a waste of time,” Kelley says in a voiceover. “Hannah Ann and Victoria F. are children and who wants to be on a three-on-one date with them?”
Later, Kelley is heard discussing Hannah Ann, noting she isn’t in the “right phase of her life to be in a relationship.” Meanwhile, she says Victoria F. is “a hot mess.” Kelley also believes she will be fine. But spoiler alert — she is certainly not going to be fine.
During their date, Kelley has a good time with Weber. She is glowing after their talk. “Give me a rose and let’s just continue this journey and have fun, Peter. Chop chop, let’s go,” Kelley says and laughs.
Then she adds, “I think it’s obvious we’re the best match. Victoria is, like, crazy. Whenever she’s around him, there’s more drama. Get rid of this drama, Praise the Lord. Just get rid of it.”
Meanwhile, the women wait for Weber to make his choice, as there are only two roses to give out. “I think Peter has kind of an easy decision,” Kelley says. “I mean, look at me. I’m an attorney. The other girls, what are they? I’m ready for a rose, just give it to me.”
First up, Weber grabs Victoria F. In another voiceover, Kelley says, “It makes me happy he’s being a big boy.” At this point, it’s presumed Kelley thinks Victoria F. will be eliminated. However, it’s a fakeout. Weber gives her the rose.
Weber returns and briefly chats with Hannah Ann and Kelley about their good qualities. And then he sends Kelley home. “I have no idea why I’m in this car. But Peter made his decision and that’s that,” Kelley says in the limo. “Does it suck? Yeah. Do I agree with it? No.”
‘The Bachelor’ fans didn’t understand Kelley’s villain edit elimination
Following the episode, The Bachelor fans were left pondering over Kelley’s villain edit before her elimination. But regardless of what actually happened, it seems no one was really convinced by what unraveled onscreen.
“Y’all can give Kelley the villain edit all you want but… I’M NOT GOING FOR IT!” a fan wrote on Twitter. “AND SHE’S NOT WRONG.”
“Nothing makes me laugh more than how abc [tried] to edit Kelley into the villain this episode and bachelor nation refused to have any of that bs,” another fan tweeted. “Kelley was a real one.”
Even Entertainment Tonight’s Lauren Zima commented on Kelley’s strange character development in The Bachelor episode.
“I can’t stop listening to this clip of Kelley that sounds very unKelley like #theBachelor idk,” Zima wrote alongside a clip of saying, “I mean, look at me. I’m an attorney. The other girls, what are they?”
Then other fans weighed in on the edit. “Total Franken-bites. You can hear that there are three different segments edited together,” a fan wrote. “Look at me… I’m an attorney… What are they? (or whatever that last bit says). They clearly come from three totally different contexts.”
‘The Bachelor’ fans predict why Kelley was given the villain edit before she left
In a thread on Reddit, one fan suggested two reasons why Kelley received the villain edit when she left The Bachelor.
“The producers noticed that everyone on social media was rooting for Kelley to become the bachelorette, and they obviously don’t want her to be since they can’t control her like the rest,” the fan wrote.
They then wondered whether The Bachelor producers gave Kelley the “worst edit” to stop audiences from rooting for her as the next bachelorette and “so Peter doesn’t look like the idiot he is for sending her home.”
The fan added: “Producers need to realise that the audience has become more aware while watching this show and they can tell when anyone gets a bad edit.”
Many fans seemed to agree with — or at least enjoy — the conspiracy theory, noting the producers “tried REAL hard last night to give her a bad edit.” Meanwhile, other viewers pointed out multiple contestants have also received a villain edit this season — even Weber himself.
“Every girl has got a bad edit this year,” a fan wrote. “Besides they will pick who they want.”
So will we ever learn why Kelley received that strange villain edit on The Bachelor? Probably not. But quite frankly, the response and awareness from fans are refreshing to see. And even if Kelley was given a bad edit for a reason, it doesn’t look like it affected her chances of becoming the next bachelorette.
When speaking with Entertainment Tonight about his breakup with Kelley, Weber said his ex would “kill it” as the next bachelorette.
“Kelley is so ready, Kelley is one of the smartest people I’ve met. [She has] such a strong presence,” Weber said. “I definitely had questions at first if she was really ready and wanted this. I was wrong. She truly was. I think she can absolutely make an amazing [bachelorette].”
