Arie Luyendyk Jr. talks 'The Bachelor,' finding love with two women, and his "playboy" past

Arie Luyendyk Jr. is teasing what fans can anticipate seeing on The Bachelor this season.


Arie's quest for love on The Bachelor's 22nd edition begins Monday, January 1 at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.

Shortly after ABC revealed Arie's 29 bachelorettes, the handsome 36-year-old pro racing driver turned real estate agent from Scottsdale, AZ, participated in a media call through which he opened up about his time handing out roses as the Bachelor after getting his heart broken by Emily Maynard on The Bachelorette's eighth season in 2012.

In the Thursday interview, Arie shared his desires, expectations and challenges on the show. He even addressed some juicy rumors out there.

Below is what Arie had to tell Reality TV World specifically about his journey on The Bachelor and whether the emotional yet exciting process ended happily for him.


Reality TV World: Could you reveal whether you found true love on the show? Are you engaged and did this journey end happily for you?

Arie Luyendyk Jr.: You'll definitely have to watch. I will say that the journey was obviously a great experience, and I did find love. I actually found love with two people! But to see the ending, you'll definitely have to tune in.

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Reality TV World: It's been said that you haven't been in love since Emily, but there's been rumors and reports that you became a bit of a partier or "playboy" after The Bachelorette, and some of your recent ex-girlfriends have also been critical of you doing the show. So I'd like to give you a chance to address all that. And was your inability to find true love again because you weren't exactly looking to settle down and get married -- until recently?

Arie Luyendyk Jr.: I think everyone has a past, especially someone who's 36. And yeah, after The Bachelorette, I think it took a lot more time than I really realized to heal from that relationship.


And so I traveled a lot and I dated around, but that's sort of what any normal person would do.

And I think it's taken some time for me to recover from that relationship, and I haven't really been in love and have been ready for marriage, you know, as much as I was right before going on The Bachelorette and meeting Emily.

And so, this was the perfect time for me, and yeah, ex-girlfriends, you know, they come out of the woodwork and they talk, but you know, everyone has a past.

Reality TV World: There are very few Bachelor stars who are currently engaged or married to the women they picked at the end of their seasons. Bachelorette stars have had much more success. So going into The Bachelor, did you set any rules for yourself in order to make smart decisions? And what was your gameplay for making your relationship or engagement work after the show?

Arie Luyendyk Jr.: Yeah, I think my gameplan was to not lead with chemistry. I think in the past, I've done that before. And I think as a man, it's easy to do that. Also, for me, I just really tried to envision how that person would fit in my regular life and if I could fit into her life.


And so, it's really easy to get wrapped up in the romance and the experience, and you know, the beautiful women sitting across from you. But really, you have to look at it outside of this and look at what your future would look like together.

And that's sometimes hard to do, because chemistry can take a hold of a relationship pretty quickly, and so I just tried not to lead with chemistry.

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Reality TV World: How important was it to you that the girl you chose got along with the rest of the house? If you were getting wind of a woman emerging as the "villain" in the cast, would that turn you off or how would you react?

Arie Luyendyk Jr.: I really tried to concentrate on my time with that individual. I think that, as the Bachelor, you really don't see what's happening in the house. You really only kind of hear through the women telling you sort of what drama is unfolding.


So for me, I tried to cast that aside and really give the person in front of me the benefit of the doubt, because it is a difficult experience. It's not an experience everyone handles the same. And just because they're popular in the house doesn't really make them a good life partner.

Be sure to check back with Reality TV World soon for more from Arie's media call with reporters ahead of The Bachelor premiere.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski