The Bachelor has brought us some pretty lame dudes and even lamer endings over the years.

But perhaps no one has disappointed viewers quite as thoroughly as Peter Weber.

Some have called Peter the worst Bachelor in the show's history.

We're not sure if that's fair -- the horrors of Juan Pablo's season are too fresh in our minds for any such definitive declarations -- but there's no denying that Pilot Pete broke a lot of hearts and wasted a lot of people's time.

First he got engaged to Hannah Ann Sluss, and then he ghosted her as soon as he got bored.

After that, Weber dated Madison Prewett for about two days, and the "relationship" fizzled for exactly the reasons his mother predicted it would.

(Say what you will about Pete's mom, she was 100 percent right about the fact that Peter and Madison were a terrible match.)

These days, of course, Weber is dating Kelley Flanagan, the Chicago-based attorney whom he sent packing just prior to the hometown round.

Fans were skeptical about the possibility of a lasting relationship between a guy with romantic ADHD and his fifth-place finisher.

But against all odds, Peter and Kelley are making it work. 

The question is -- how?

What is it about Kelley that's so captivated Peter, a jet-setting partier who seemed like he had no intention of settling down any time in the near future?

Well, as Kelley rather smugly pointed out just before she was sent home, she's advanced further in her career than the other ladies.

(Although we take exception to the claim that she's "more successful." Salary is just one metric, and Madi does some pretty important work facilitating adoptions.)

But Peter doesn't strike us as the type to be overly concerned with the contents of a woman's bank account -- or her brain, for that matter.

So perhaps the answer can be found in this photo of Peter and Kelley enjoying a poolside Fourth of July celebration.

On Instagram, fans were delighted to see that Peter and Kelley are still going strong.

“What a patriotic little couple. Happy 4th of July!” one follower commented. 

Another suggested that these two might be headed for the altar.

“Any thoughts on making this a permanent thing? You guys just look so good together? Plus Pete’s mom loves Kelly, so it’s a win win?” she wrote.

(Not such a wild suggestion, considering marriage is the stated goal of the show on which they met.)

“You were the only woman of substance from Peter’s season," wrote one unnecessarily cruel commenter."

"So happy you all ended up together.”

Yes, a lot of people seem to be convinced that Peter went after Kelley because she offered more in the way of "substance" than the other women.

There's obviously something to that theory -- clearly, Peter clicked with Kelley in a way that he didn't with Hannah Ann or Madison.

But we think there's more to the story,

Let us be blunt -- Peter and Kelley almost certainly boned before she was cast on The Bachelor.

And by all indications, a good time was had by all.

One widespread theory holds that Peter encouraged Kelley to try out for the show and then strongly encouraged producers to cast her.

What we're saying is -- Pilot Pete is a big fan of the, um ... fuselage that Kelley put on display in that bikini pic.

Look, in all likelihood, these two will end up together.

Peter may have even known that from the start.

But sending her home before the Fantasy Suite round allowed him to ... see what else was out there.

Peter slept with both Hannah Ann and Victoria Fuller during his time on the show, and then returned to Kelley.

(Incidentally, a lot of people wondered why Victoria stuck around so long, and it might be worth noting that she and Kelley share a similar physique.)

We're not saying it was the ethical thing to do, but a lot of twenty-something single guys in Peter's shoes might have made the same decision.

In the end, it all worked out in Kelley's favor, and perhaps she always knew it would because of the chemistry the two of them shared when they by chance in a hotel lobby that one night.

Still, she must have been a little nervous when dude kicked her to the curb and then got freakin' engaged to someone else.

But hey, the course of true love never did run smooth.

Especially when Chris Harrison is involved.