Season 8 of Bachelor in Paradise has been chock-full of twists and turns, including more than one self-elimination, but perhaps the most shocking twist thus far has been the arrival of season 18’s The Bachelorette contestant Peter Izzo, otherwise known as the Pizza King, the self-proclaimed “pizzapreneur,” the one and only Pizza Pete.
Peter made a name for himself on Michelle Young’s season of The Bachelorette in 2021 for taking every opportunity to plug his pizzeria business and boast of his many achievements; a habit that rubbed more than a few contestants the wrong way. Unfortunately, not much appears to have changed in the time between The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise, as Pizza Pete once again went on a relentless recounting of his vast achievements on the Oct. 11 fifth episode. As always, he plugged his pizzeria business to no end, along with his numerous proud achievements. This time, Brittany Galvin was caught in the crossfire. What’s more, when all was said and done, fans of the show were once again displeased with how Pizza Pete handled himself.
What did Pizza Pete do to upset Bachelor in Paradise fans?
After asking Brittany on a date, she and Peter embarked on a full-day yacht trip replete with blue skies, sunscreen, and chilled bottles of champagne. But of course, it’s not a date without a monologue from Pizza Pete.
“You know, I’ve never been on a date before where it seems to me like they’re more interested in themselves,” said Brittany to the camera in a private confessional. “It makes you realize no matter what you’re doing, no matter how nice it is, it just kind of depends who you’re with.”
Indeed, Peter bragged about his new solo business venture with his pizzeria and how he and his buddies rent yachts on the weekend. “I have a jet ski. I just bought it. It’s, like, brand new,” he said. Assuming the jet ski is on the higher end, it could’ve costed him upwards of $20,000, but romance is about more than just flashing money in front of someone’s face.
“He just kept bragging a lot, which is a turn off for me. There was some conversations that just kind of made me a little confused,” said Brittany, likely alluding to the part where Peter called her a “bright mermaid” and leaned in for a kiss, to which Brittany naturally skirted, uncomfortably hugging him instead.
The kicker is not so much Peter’s behavior on his date with Brittany, as it’s par for the course with what he’s exhibited in the past. No, the kicker is how he spoke about Brittany after the fact.
Following the date’s conclusion, Peter grabbed fellow contestants Casey and Romeo and accused Brittany of having “an ulterior motive” for not reciprocating his feelings. “If I was at home and I took a girl out and we spent all day on a yacht together, okay, I promise you we would be hooking up,” he said. “My gut feeling has to tell me, ‘Was it all an act?'”
This did not sit well with the fans, who rightfully called Peter out for endlessly promoting his pizza business, yet accusing Brittany of being in it for the followers.
Alas, one silver lining here is the increase in screen time for Brittany, whom the fans adore.
The second silver lining is Brittany’s realization of what she doesn’t want in a man. Following her dive-bomb of a date with Peter she returned to the island to happily kiss Andrew, calling him a “security blanket,” which is sweet.
What’s not sweet is Peter’s accusations that just because Brittany didn’t like him then there must have been ulterior motives involved, and that that gave him grounds to be upset about it. Not sure what advice he was given as a teenager in the early stages of dating, but just because somebody doesn’t like you doesn’t mean you have the right to be upset about it. Period. That kind of mentality is what causes toxic and harmful circumstances. One can only hope watching himself back on TV helps Peter see the unpleasant side of his personality and fix it, but then again that didn’t happen after The Bachelorette.
The aftermath of Peter’s comments toward Brittany will see the light of day when all new episodes of Bachelor in Paradise air next Monday and Tuesday on ABC at 8:00 p.m. ET. They will also be available to stream the following day on Hulu.