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The Bachelor is over, leaving a lot of viewers confused, angry, and yet somewhat united. Twitter users watching across the nation joined together under the #thebachelor on twitter to air their grievances about the season 22 bachelor, Arie Luyendyk, Jr.
Before we get into the aftermath, here’s a rundown of the shenanigans that led to this backlash:
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During “The Women Tell All” episode, Caroline Lunny, who eliminated in week 4, calls out “I know what you did. I don’t know how you could do that” and fans are left wondering what exactly Arie could have done to elicit that reaction.
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“Week 9” airs the next day and Kendall is eliminated, claiming 3rd place.
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All promotional material for the final two episodes claim that the ending is something never seen before. Fans can only speculate, many citing a prediction from bachelor blogger Reality Steve.
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“Week 10: Season Finale” shows Arie breaking up with runner-up Lauren and then proposing to Becca, only to break up with her minutes later (2 months in real life) in what might have been the most awkward moment in TV history. Becca and Arie’s breakup was shown unedited and dual screened, a choice most viewers seemed to disagree with.
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The next day “After the Final Rose” premieres and Arie proposes to Lauren, who, yes, took him back after he broke up with her and proposed to someone else. Becca is announced as the new Bachelorette and hangs out with her girl squad of eliminated women.
So there’s a lot to unpack from the last two episodes, and people were ready to share their feelings.
Twitter user @StateOf_ALaska tweeted, “If they wanted ratings this badly, they should have just done what normal TV shows do and kill off the main character.” Ouch. Meanwhile, @jennazantow tweeted, “i’ll eat tide pods before i ever have respect for arie again.” Both users reflecting the sentiment of a large portion of the live tweets flooding in.
Some people were happy that the happy couple ended up together in their own way. “Arie & Lauren both have the personality of a brick wall… they deserve each other” was tweeted by @devynpritchard.
A previous Bachelorette, JoJo Fletcher spoke out about the filming of the break up. She tweeted, “STOP.FILMING.HER.”, echoing what many viewers seemed to also be thinking.
Minnesota State Representative Drew Christensen even drafted a bill to ban Arie from Minnesota. An actual quote from the bill being “every person has a right to live free from the presence of Arie Luyendyk, Jr”, which is a strong stance.
Even weeks after, many of the eliminated women from the recent season are still speaking out against Arie. The women are doing this by sharing their relief that not only they, but Becca as well, dodged a bullet.
Overall, there was an outpouring of support and love for Becca, who will make her comeback starting May 28th. As for Arie, he certainly knows how to make an exit, but who knows if his reputation will ever bounce back.