https://www.instagram.com/p/BULHbH-F05F/
Race car driver Arie Luyendyk Jr. has been announced of the new star of The Bachelor 2018.
In the past, Luyendyk was up for consideration for the gig, but he told People that the timing was never right. Fortunately for him, now it seems to be the right move. Luyendyk dished:
This is pretty surreal. It doesn’t really feel real yet, but I’m taking it step by step. The timing is just so perfect in my life. I could not be more excited for this journey I’m about to embark on … Now that I’ve had some time and distance away from it, it feels like the feeling I had before I went into it the first time. 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. I’m not concerned what people think. I’m just focused on the outcome. I want to find my person and will do whatever it takes!
Luyendyk was the runner-up on Emily Maynard’s season of The Bachelorette back in 2012.
Former Bachelor star Sean Lowe, who is a friend of Luyendyk’s said that Luyendyk was actually supposed to be The Bachelor but was replaced by Chris Soules. Lowe explained:
They actually told Arie he was gonna be the Bachelor. They flew [him] down, had a camera crew, filmed him telling his family he was gonna be the next Bachelor – then pulled the rug out from underneath him and made Chris the Bachelor.
Something similar happened between Caila Quinn and JoJo Fletcher for The Bachelorette. Quinn had already started filming when the decision switched to Fletcher.
Luyendyk is reported to have previously dated Courtney Robertson from The Bachelor, who ended up engaged to Benjamin Flajnik on the show.