Arie Luyendyk Jr. was rejected by The Bachelorette star Emily Maynard in favor of Jef Holm during Sunday night's eighth-season finale of the ABC reality dating show.

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Arie, a 30-year-old race car driver from Scottsdale, AZ, was admittedly broken hearted after his ouster and desperately sought closure to the point where he almost immediately took a plane to Charlotte, NC, and upon discovering Emily wasn't home, left his personal The Bachelorette journal on her doorstep to read. Emily told Arie she never read the journal for multiple reasons, and now, the race car driver is simply trying to pick up the pieces of his love life and move forward.

During a Tuesday conference call with reporters, Arie talked to Reality TV World about his The Bachelorette experience and emotional elimination -- including why he seemed clueless during Emily's speech in which she was trying to send him home and what message he wanted Emily to receive by reading his journal.

Below is the first portion of Arie's call. Check back with Reality TV World soon for the concluding portion. To read what Emily and Jef, the newly-engaged happy couple had to say, click here.

Reality TV World:  When Emily sat you down during your final one-on-one date together and she kind of burst into tears on the bench, you didn't really seem to have a clue about why she was so upset. (Laughs)  It almost seemed like you thought she could've been sad about anything but feeling the need to send you home.  Would you say that's accurate to say?  Could you tell where that conversation was going, or were you totally caught off guard when she finally made her point?

Arie Luyendyk Jr:  I was very, very caught off guard, and you kind of hit it on the head.  I didn't know why she was so upset at first, because I really felt so confident in us, and that's why I was so shocked.  And I didn't know if it was just the weight of the decision itself or the fact that she had decided to be with Jef. 

So, it was shocking and it was very hard for me and hurtful, and I think that's why I ended up flying to Charlotte, because I really felt like there was a lot of questions that I had that were unanswered, and I think that's why it took a little longer for me to move forward. But I have no regrets and I had such an amazing time on the show and it really did open me up to love, and I'm really happy that I did it.

Reality TV World: Emily obviously decided not to enjoy your final one-on-one date together -- and to use your own words -- she apparently saved you from the embarrassment of the final rose ceremony. So, looking back, are you glad things played out the way they did because she spared your feelings the best she could, or do you kind of wish you could've enjoyed that last date with her, maybe because then you'd still have time to change her mind or both fall deeper in love?

Arie Luyendyk Jr:  I think, absolutely, I really feel like she made the right decision and she was -- through the whole experience, she was very good at making decisions and she knew when she needed to make them, and I really feel like that was the best time. 

I was happy that she had done it at that point in time, because it's a very -- a proposal would've been very difficult emotionally to get rejected, so I was happy that she did that when she did.

Reality TV World: And Emily clearly didn't read the journal you left for her on her doorstep after your elimination.  Was there a specific message you were hoping Emily would receive after reading it, what exactly did you want her to get out of it?  And then since she didn't read it at all, how did that change your perspective on everything, including your relationship with her and her relationship with Jef?

Arie Luyendyk Jr:  Well, my intention with the journal is just to show her how genuine I was and just for her to read my thoughts.  I mean, I wrote down so many things throughout the whole experience, not just about her, just about everything in general and my life and where I was at that moment. 

So, I really felt like it would give her a little good insight.  So, that was my intention, just to show her where I was coming from. And the fact that she didn't read it really shows me that her and Jef are good and that she's in a good place and she really wants to move forward with him. 

So, I was not offended at all that she didn't read it, and now, looking back, it probably wasn't the best thing to fly to Charlotte, but I didn't know they were engaged.  So, at the time it felt right to go there, and the least I could've done was leave that journal to prove to her that I did take the chance on us.

Also in the call, Arie told reporters whether he would've still gone through with leaving his journal on Emily's doorstep in Charlotte, NC, had he known she was engaged to Jef.

Would you have left the journal for Emily if you'd known that she and Jef were engaged at the time, and when did you actually find out that she had decided not to read the journal. When you found that out, was any part of you offended or hurt by that?

Arie Luyendyk Jr: Let me think about this.  That's a big question.  Your first part, when I decided to go to Charlotte, I had no idea the outcome, and after talking to Emily's mom, I really felt that Emily's mom wanted her to wait, so I felt like she wasn't engaged to Jef. 

I really felt like it was still -- her mind wasn't made up yet, so I flew to Charlotte with that on my mind.  And so, if I knew Jef and Emily were engaged, I would never have flown to Charlotte.  I have too much respect for their relationship and for Jef. I found out that she hadn't read it when we talked on the phone. 

She called me about, I would say, a month after the show wrapped, and we talked for quite a while and she said it wasn't right for her to read the journal and I totally respected that, because at that point I knew that they were engaged. 

So, I wasn't really offended, because that was obviously a very tough decision for her and she had to follow her heart, and I really believe that reading the journal probably wouldn't have been best.  And like she said, it's something that's close to my heart and it's my experience on the show and out of respect for their relationship that was probably the best decision.

Do you think the show portrayed you as you really are?

Arie Luyendyk Jr: Yeah.  I really felt like I opened myself up, and I'm just really glad that everyone got to see my personality.

Were you happy with the way you were portrayed on the show and after watching yours and Emily's break-up back, were you happy with how you had handled yourself there or do you wish you could've changed something?

Arie Luyendyk Jr:  I don't think I would change anything.  I feel like the show portrayed our relationship pretty well.  Obviously there was a lot more conversation and they did show our physical side.  And although the live show was very nerve-wracking for me, I feel like it went well and I got to explain what happened post-show and I was happy with it.

Above is the first portion of Arie's call. Check back with Reality TV World soon for the concluding portion. To read what Emily and Jef, the newly-engaged happy couple had to say, click here.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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