Tia Booth's elimination was painful for Arie Luyendyk Jr., mainly because The Bachelor star admits he didn't have a good reason to let her go.
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After meeting Tia's family in Weiner, AR, Arie denied Tia a rose, and instead advanced Kendall Long, Becca Kufrin and Lauren Burnham to the overnight Fantasy Suite dates in Ica, Peru.
"Saying goodbye to Tia was almost impossible," Arie admitted in his People blog.
"For so many weeks, she had been the person I'd go to when I wanted to feel better. I looked to her in crowds for reassurance and loved talking to her and hanging out. Also, I knew our lives meshed together so well. At this point in all of this, though, I could no longer just follow my logical brain."
Tia was absolutely devastated by her ouster. Not only was she blindsided by her rejection at the Los Angeles Rose Ceremony, but she also was madly in love with the 36-year-old pro racing driver.
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"I know Tia wanted a reason for why I said goodbye, but there was no 'good reason,'" Arie said of the 26-year-old physical therapist. "She didn't do anything wrong, it was just my feelings for her weren't as strong as my feelings for the other women."
Although Arie opted to send Tia packing after her hometown date, Arie said that visiting Weiner definitely "did not disappoint." After all, he's used to traveling to small towns because of racing.
Tia also planned an "amazing date" in which she brought Arie racing, and she apparently managed to track down one of the only kinds of cars he's ever raced.
"It was totally awesome racing around the track and even though Tia had some trouble, she was an amazing sport. That's what's so great about Tia, even when things go poorly she's so cool and hilarious. I will always appreciated that she planned something I'd love on her home turf," Arie explained.
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"Tia's family was exactly what I expected. They were so full of life and full of love. Just as Tia said, her brother Jason, and dad Kenny, were really hard on me. Apparently, they read all the rumors on the Internet before the arrival and had so many questions about my character and my intentions."
Arie confessed that as much as this grilling session was "awkward and uncomfortable," he totally understood why it needed to happen.
"Tia is their family and they want to make sure she's in a relationship with a genuine guy, not the 'playboy' they read about on the Internet. I know Tia had been hurt in the past by bad guys, and I assured them I wasn't one of those guys," Arie insisted.
"By the end, we all got along, even though multiple members of her family threatened to find me if I ever hurt their Tia."
When Arie and Tia's night in Arkansas came to an end, they spent some time swinging on her porch, and Tia reiterated that she was crazy about the Bachelor.
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"My heart was full to see such an amazing, sincere, beautiful woman feel so strongly for me. I felt really good about where we were and started to realize just how hard my decision would be at the end of the week," Arie said.
Well, Arie did break Tia's heart in the end, but he can't say enough about how wonderful of a person she is. He wrote in her blog that she's "beautiful, smart, accomplished and fun."
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"But, for whatever reason, my heart just wasn't there. Sometimes this happens in love. It doesn't always make sense. Even though I knew I'd miss Tia so much, I also knew it was time to say goodbye," Arie revealed.
"Watching Tia's ride home broke my heart," he added. "Tia, I just want you to know that you're worth so much and you're going to find an amazing relationship."
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