Cue all of the dramatics because last Thursday, ABC announced the newest leading man of the long running reality TV show, The Bachelor. In a shocking reveal, Bachelor Nation fans all over found out that Arie Luyendyk Jr. is the show’s 22nd Bachelor.
Courtesy: US Weekly
Arie Luyendyk Jr., who will be celebrating his 36th birthday in a couple of weeks, made his debut on the eighth season of The Bacherlotte in 2012 while vying for the heart of the then single mom, Emily Maynard. His run on the show came to a surprising end when he was sent home with a broken heart the day before he was planning to get down on one knee. Luyendyk’s connection with Maynard was obvious right from the start; no one could deny the chemistry between the two, which in turn gave Arie the nickname of the “Kissing Bandit.”
Courtesy: WSB Radio
Arie has strayed away from the public eye since his time on The Bachelorette, but is most notably known for his accomplishments as a racecar driver and more recently, in the real estate world. He also made headlines for a short time when he was rumored to be dating Courtney Robinson, who was the winner of Ben Flajnik’s heart on season Bachelor season 16.
Luyendyk made his debut with the title as the Bachelor on Good Morning America. During his time on the show he told GMA host, Michael Strahan, that he was trying to keep things so under wraps that his family found out the news at the same time the rest of America did.
Courtesy: ABC News
When asked to name three qualities he’s hoping to find in a potential partner, he had the perfect response, “independent, strong, but then still gentle. A little mix.” His answer is already leaving girls across the country swooning and wishing they had been cast as one of his possible suitors.
Some followers of the show have voiced their concerns about the time gap between now and his last appearance on the show, but rest assured because Luyendyk told People Magazine, “I think sometimes when you’re on The Bachelorette and you jump right into being the Bachelor, for me it would’ve been too soon. This feels more natural.”
Courtesy: Hollywood Life
Reactions from the fan base have been mixed. Some could argue that the following of the franchise has sky rocketed in recent years thanks to social media and spin off shows like Bachelor Pad and Bachelor in Paradise; so for Bachelor Nation newbies, this news could be disappointing as a large portion of fans were hoping for Peter Kraus, runner up on the most recent season of the Bachelorette, to be named the new Bachelor.
Bachelor Nation royals like, Sean Lowe, Ali Fedotowsky, Rachel Lindsay and Wells Adams are just a few of the many who took to Twitter to congratulate Arie. The Bachelor Nation sweetheart and single mom, Amanda Stanton (Twitter: @amandastantonnn), even shared that she thinks, “it was a good choice to choose someone outside the current Bachelor bubble.”
Courtesy: ABC News
Arie also has received well wishes from his former Bacherlotte, Emily Maynard who exclusively told People Magazine that, “I have been wanting Arie to be the Bachelor since my season ended forever ago, and I know he’s going to be great! He’s so much fun to be around and comes from the nicest family, so the girls on his season really lucked out with him! Arie deserves nothing but the best, and I hope everything goes wonderfully for him!”
What do you think? Will Arie finally find his happily ever after?
I guess we will wait to see, but here’s to another season of Bachelor Mondays! Bring on the countless bottles of rosé and the most dramatic season yet.