Bachelor Arie Luyendyk Jr. Said His Season Ending Was a “Forever Decision” That Was “Not Taken Lightly”
This is about to get really interesting. After filming season 22 of The Bachelor, race car driver Arie Luyendyk Jr. happily returned home and followed typical franchise protocol, including interviews with outlets in December leading up to the premiere in January. At the time, Luyendyk—though unable to reveal specific spoilers—distinctly shared with The Knot and other outlets that he did, in fact, find love… with his final two contestants.
“You’ll definitely have to watch,” Luyendyk said at the time. “I will say that the journey obviously was a great experience and I did find love and I actually fell in love with two people. But to see the ending, you’ll definitely have to tune in.” His remaining two contestants have since been revealed ahead of the March 5 finale, and they are publicist Becca Kufrin, 27, and tech salesperson Lauren Burnham, 25.
Here, The Knot takes a look at what Luyendyk said about the process and love after filming wrapped.
On the Toughest Part of Being the Bachelor:
“The toughest part, I would say [is] yes, the toughest part of about being the Bachelor would probably be the end. Making tough decisions towards the end… I mean, it’s the hardest decision of your life, really. It’s a forever decision. So, it’s not taken lightly, and I think that was probably the hardest thing.”
On His Dream Wife:
“Man, for me, I just really wanted someone, first and foremost, who is ready for marriage. [Someone] who had somewhat of a past and they knew what they wanted in a partner as much as I knew what I wanted in a partner. [I wanted] to be a team with someone. That’s a big thing with me and to have someone who has her own independence, who doesn’t just depend on me, but who I can also root for in their career, in their life, just as much as they root for me.”
On Advice From Other Bachelors:
“I really sort of leaned on Sean just because I know Sean from my season. We’ve kept in touch through the years and he has such a success with Catherine. And I actually did meet Nick for the first time a couple of days ago. I happened to be in Los Angeles at a friend’s book signing. So, we met there and we talked about his struggle post show. But I think Sean has been a great example for me and I really lean on him and Catherine and their advice.”
On His Monicker as “Not Peter” [Kraus]:
“Yes, I wasn’t what everyone was expecting. I totally realize that and that’s something that I’m fine with. I’m really grateful for the opportunity to be the Bachelor and I was really nervous and excited that first night. And yes, I did have to sort of get through that and see if the women there were there for me, but that’s just part of it. And I was really thankful that was I put in this position.”
On How He Defines Love—And Whether It’s Changed:
“I think it’s fairly the same. It’s feeling like you can’t see yourself without that person. It’s the feeling of having a best friend and a life partner and the feeling of not wanting to be apart from them and thinking about them before you go to bed and the first thing that you do when you wake up in the morning. And that’s love.”
On Whether His Nerves Have Calmed Since the Season:
“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, and it’d been a long time since I’ve been on this side of things. And so, going into that first night, [I was] very, very nervous, but as soon the limo arrivals started, I started easing up a little bit. And then, once I had some really good conversation that first night, it sort of melted away and then I felt really comfortable. And now, I feel great and it was a great experience for me and I have a lot of really fond memories.”
On His Favorite Part of the Bachelor Journey:
“Man, there’s so many good moments throughout the season. It’s really exciting. There were some really hard moments. I got to say the experience was unlike anything else I’ve ever done in my life, even looking back on Emily [Maynard]’s season. But, yes, it’s really hard to really pick out a specific moment without really revealing too much. But I will say it’s very difficult at times, too. So, there was a lot of drama, but there’s a lot of excitement. And I think throughout the whole journey, I had so much fun and it’s going to be really exciting for everyone to watch back.”
Tune in to the dramatic two-part Bachelor finale on Monday and Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
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