Who Did New Bachelor Arie Luyendyk Jr. Date On The Bachelorette?
The announcement that the new Bachelor is Arie Luyendyk Jr. is finally here! While a good portion of Twitter reacted to the news in the best possible way, there was a portion of Bachelor Nation scratching their heads and asking, "Wait — who? [When was Arie on The Bachelorette]?"
That reaction is totally understandable when you consider the next Bachelor hasn't searched for love on TV since season eight of The Bachelorette with Emily Maynard. For those keeping track, that was a whopping five years ago!
Who Did Arie Date On The Bachelorette?
For the Bachelor Nation newcomers who don't know, or for those or simply don't remember, Arie was the runner-up during Emily's season of The Bachelorette. Their passion was palpable, even through the TV screen, from their one-on-one date with Dolly Parton, through their constant heated make out sessions and all the way to his heartbreaking exit.
Instead of choosing Arie, Emily ended up getting engaged to Jef Holm during her finale, though the couple split a few months later.
Prior to taking the reins as The Bachelorette, Emily was engaged to two-time Bachelor star Brad Womack. Their engagement ended a few months after the proposal.
She found her happily ever after when Emily married Tyler Johnson, a non-Bachelor alum who she met at church. The couple has welcomed two sons, Jennings and Gibson, who joined Emily's daughter from a previous relationship, Ricki.
There are definitely no hard feelings between Arie and his former love. Reacting to the news that Arie will be the 2018 Bachelor, Emily told Us Weekly, "I can't think of a better person to be The Bachelor than Arie and I've been hoping this day would come since Season 8 ended! He's a gentleman through and through and all the girls on his season are lucky to have him."