The Bachelor host Chris Harrison is explaining why ABC chose to air the unedited, uncut version of Arie Luyendyk Jr.'s breakup with his fiancee, Becca Kufrin, in light of some major backlash from Bachelor Nation.

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"I expect to catch some heat from this," Chris said during a Tuesday appearance on Good Morning America in response to critics the network never should have aired such a personal and heart-wrenching scene.

"In my opinion, you don't just get to tell the fairy tales. That's not real life, that's not how this works. That's not how my life worked. It's not all about the fairy tales."

Arie broke up with Becca in January -- only weeks after proposing to her in Peru -- because he was still in love with his runner-up, Lauren Burnham. During what was supposed to be a "happy couple visit" in Los Angeles, Arie confessed to Becca that he couldn't stop thinking about Lauren and wanted her back in his life.

As Arie crushed Becca's heart, cameras stayed on the bachelorette's face as she sobbed into her hands and hyperventilated.

Fans of the franchise definitely made their opinions known on social media, calling Arie a monster for dumping Becca on-camera and shaming ABC for both filming and airing the cringeworthy conversation.

Chris, however, argued that what happened between Arie and Becca on the show was "real life that happens," and so producers felt a responsibility to tell it like it is.

"I think [Becca being rejected] is something we can all relate to and I think that's probably what's going to stir everybody up. It draws something inside of all of us that we can all -- we've all been there," Chris explained.

Chris disclosed that Arie had a sudden change of heart and realized he had made a mistake in proposing to Becca about six to eight weeks into their engagement post-show. (The Bachelor wrapped in November 2017).

Once the 36-year-old pro racing driver and Becca met for the weekend in Los Angeles, things "came to a head," according to the show host.

"[Arie] was about to go into another 'happy couple weekend' in Los Angeles. They were both in town, and that's when he came to me and said, 'I can't fake this for another weekend. I know I really care about Lauren and I want to give this a shot,'" Chris recalled. "That's when he made the choice."

Chris called the first half of The Bachelor's two-night finale event on Monday "wild."

"Sixteen years of this and that was breathtaking," Chris admitted. "It was a lot even for me. It's a lot to take in. It's going to take a little bit of time to process all of that, even for myself."

The Bachelor franchise saw a similar situation play out when Jason Mesnick dumped his winner, Melissa Rycroft, in favor of his runner-up, Molly Malaney, during his season's live After the Final Rose special. Jason at the time was also criticized for his behavior.

While Jason's final decisions -- similar to Arie's -- shocked and in many cases angered Bachelor Nation, he is one of only two former The Bachelor stars in the past 21 seasons to still be in a relationship with or married to his ultimate pick.

Jason and Molly have been married for eight years now, and they are parents of two children. The other man is Season 17 star, Sean Lowe, who is married to his final-rose recipient, Catherine Giudici, and they have one child together.

Viewers will find out what happens between Arie and Lauren on the March 6 broadcast of After the Final Rose from 8-10PM ET/PT. Did Lauren take him back? If so, what's the current status of their relationship now?

Can't wait until tonight to learn the status of Arie and Lauren? Click here to read spoilers!

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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