Source: Arie Luyendyk’s Instagram
The newest season of The Bachelor doesn’t begin until Monday, January 1, 2018, but the season’s leading man Arie Luyendyk, Jr. is already spilling some secrets!
The race car driver revealed that the process did work and he did find love…twice. “The journey obviously was a great experience and I did fall in love,” the 36-year-old told Us Weekly. “I actually fell in love with two people … The toughest part about being the Bachelor would probably be the end, making tough decisions toward the end. I mean, that’s the hardest decision of your life, really. It’s a forever decision, so it’s not taken lightly. I think that was probably the hardest thing.”
Arie, who finished as the runner-up on Emily Maynard’s season of The Bachelorette, did admit he was concerned he wouldn’t be to find someone. “I was so nervous that first night. I was scared there wouldn’t be somebody there for me. I was worried about if the women were expecting me or expecting somebody else and how I was going to deal with that.”
Meanwhile, he was also dealing with the backlash of his casting as he has been dubbed the “Kissing Bandit” and “Not Peter.” “I wasn’t what everyone was expecting. I totally realize that and that’s something that I’m fine with,” he shared. “I’m really grateful for the opportunity to be the Bachelor and I was really nervous and excited that first night. Yeah, I did sort of have to get through that and se if the women there were there for me, but that’s just part of it and I was really thankful that I was in this position.”
Arie’s season of the The Bachelor premieres on Monday, January 1, 2018 at 8 p.m. on ABC.