"Bachelorette" Star JoJo Fletcher Weighed In On The Drama Between Mike And Pilot Pete

Fletcher, who held the title role of The Bachelorette's 12th season, and her beau spoke with BuzzFeed News about their new show and their advice for Pilot Pete.

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If you're a fan of The Bachelor and wondering why Mike Johnson wasn't chosen to be the show's next lead after he emerged as a fan favorite in the 24th season, you're not alone. Two of the show's most famous contestants are with you.

JoJo Fletcher, the lead on the 12th season of The Bachelorette, and her fiancé, Jordan Rodgers, told BuzzFeed News' AM to DM on Wednesday they don't know why the producers went with Peter Weber, aka Pilot Pete, over Johnson.

"We love Mike. We were [rooting for him]," Fletcher said. "We thought it was going to happen too. ... We like him a lot."

Fletcher, who appeared on the 20th season of The Bachelor prior to being the lead on The Bachelorette, said audiences can never truly know who the producers will pick as the next bachelor or bachelorette.

"They're very sneaky about it," she said, adding, "I feel like on my season, people thought it was Caila [Quinn]. No one knew! So you never know, but [Johnson] was definitely a fan favorite."

There has never been a black bachelor in the show's 23 seasons, though Rachel Lindsay did take the lead in the Season 13 of The Bachelorette.

Johnson told Entertainment Weekly last month he thought it was time for a black man to be cast, but he was still happy for Pilot Pete.

"I do know that Peter and I are two completely different people — both good people, kindhearted people," he said. "But I do feel that I'm a bit more outspoken than Peter. I'm a bit louder than Peter is. I have tattoos, and the obvious, I'm black, so we are very diverse and different in that regard as well. And we like different women."

Since he wasn't selected, Johnson had been with pop star Demi Lovato, but rumor has it that that has come to an end.

"Maybe it's a lesson," Rodgers told BuzzFeed News. "You dip your toes into the celebrity dating pond and maybe you don't need The Bachelor or Bachelorette."

Fletcher took some time in the interview to share some advice for Pilot Pete, saying he needed to listen to his heart.

"Just really stay in this moment. Enjoy this time because it's going to be the coolest, greatest experience that you ever do," she said. "And just really trust yourself and try not to hear outside noise when it comes to choosing someone."

Weber is currently filming his season, although he recently suffered a head injury from a "freak accident" that required stitches.

Although they got engaged at the end of their 2016 season, Rodgers popped the question again to Fletcher back in August with a new ring and in a more private setting.

"It was something I always thought about doing in the back of my mind," he told BuzzFeed News. "Not to take away from our first engagement at all, because that was real. It was amazing. That first ring means a ton to us, but I really wanted to do something with no producers, no cameras, not on a beach in 120-degree weather when she's got to break up with someone else first."

Fletcher said she's now just waiting for Rodgers to finalize whom he wants to invite to the wedding.

"We have a venue, we have a date, but it really requires knowing how many people are going to attend to book everything else," she said. "So we're just waiting on Jordan."

The pair are now hosting a new show, Battle of the Fittest Couples, on the Paramount Network, where strong and sexy couples compete against one another in a series of challenges.

"I think our favorite part was sitting in production, which was the entire garage of this mansion, and watching behind the scenes," revealed Rodgers. "We didn't get to do that on The Bachelor and Bachelorette. We were getting watched and getting played at times."

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