EXCLUSIVE: 'Bachelorette' Rachel Lindsay Calls Peter 'Manipulative,' Reveals Who Should Be Bachelor Instead

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Rachel Lindsay still has feelings for Peter Kraus... but not all of them are warm and fuzzy.

ET's Lauren Zima caught up with the Bachelorette and her final pick, Bryan Abasolo, in New York City on Tuesday, where the 32-year-old attorney had some choice words for her last interaction with Peter.


WATCH: 'The Bachelorette' Finale: Find Out Who Rachel Lindsay Picked!

"I felt a little bit of manipulation there," Rachel said of her relationship with Peter, adding that his diehard fans "have no idea" what went on behind the scenes of their relationship. "The lack of commitment, you telling me that you want this future with me, but you didn't want to take the actions to have it... like, that's what triggered those emotions in me."

"I felt like there was a lot of push and pull. I feel like he was giving me just enough to keep me and string me along, rather than being forthcoming with everything," she continued. "And the thing is, when I walked in [the night of the breakup], I knew what I was going to do, and I still kept getting that push and that pull. So it was hard."

"I think you saw the essence of Peter in that breakup. I think people saw a different side to him they still aren't ready to accept," Rachel added. "I mean, the man told me I was going to have a mediocre life if I wasn't with him, and then apologized about it. And I'm not. I'm having an amazing life. These last few months have been absolutely amazing."

Watching that interaction was also hard for Bryan, who admitted there was a "stark contrast" between his relationship with Rachel and the one she had with Peter. 


WATCH: 'Bachelorette' Rachel Lindsay Comes Face to Face With Peter Kraus After Their Devastating Breakup

"I never needed her to cry for me to validate her feelings for me. It was smooth sailing from night one, as you saw. And just to watch that over with Peter, it was just frustrating to see her go through that, exactly what she was talking about, that push and pull. You have someone that, in me, was totally forthright from day one, totally invested, totally committed, and then on the other hand, you have this person who goes back and forth, wishy washy, doesn't really know what he wants," he said. "It was tough to watch as a man."

It was also tough to watch Rachel's interaction with Peter on After the Final Rose, where he said he felt "attacked" -- and she told him that "this show isn't for you."

"I questioned him on why he felt attacked, and I don't know where that was coming from, and he couldn't really explain that either, so I don't know if he just threw that word out there, but he couldn't back it up," she said. "It was frustrating to me, and then it's frustrating to hear so many people back that behavior up. Like, they don't see the essence of Bryan, and the love story that we have, and they're still fixated on the lack on commitment that Peter was showing. I don't get it."

"I [wasn't just] talking about [being the] Bachelor, just, you know, you have to take a leap of faith, and I struggled with that, and I thought Peter and I had that similarity. I struggled with that on Nick [Viall's] season [of The Bachelor], but I eventually let myself go, because I knew what I wanted for myself, and I knew that coming into my season, I had to take that same leap of faith, and being in this process and this journey," she recalled. "That's what it's about."


WATCH: 9 Reasons Peter Kraus is Most Likely Our Next 'Bachelor' (And We're Pretty Stoked About It)

"You take that leap of faith. He wasn't willing to do that. So it's not that Peter's not a great guy, he's not sincere and genuine. It's just that he takes his own pace, and that pace doesn't fit in this experience," she shared.

As for who Rachel thinks should be the next Bachelor, she said that Alex Bordyukov would make a great choice.

"Alex, we agree," Bryan chimed in.

"Yeah, [I told you that I didn't want any of my final four being the Bachelor]," Rachel added. "I definitely think Alex."

Rachel opened up more about Peter's Bachelor dreams while speaking with ET last month. Hear what she had to say in the video below. 

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