After reportedly going into a panic while trying to find a Bachelor to for its 22nd season, The Bachelor producers finally have their new man: race car driver Arie Luyendyk Jr., the son of two-time Indy 500 winner Arie Luyendyk.
Bachelor Nation, start your engines! We are proud to announce the next Bachelor will be….@ariejr! ??? pic.twitter.com/PTCKToIIrM
— The Bachelor (@BachelorABC) September 7, 2017
Luyendyk drove in the Indy Lights Series for eight years, notching a win in 2008 at Chicagoland Speedway. He competed in the 2006 Indy 500 and finished 28th.
Luyendyk is a familiar face in the “Bachelor” franchise. In 2012, he was the runner-up on Emily Maynard’s Bachelorette. He left the show heart-broken.
On Thursday’s episode of Good Morning America, Luyendyk told Michael Strahan he’d been in talks about becoming the Bachelor for a few years. This time, the talks proceeded so quickly he didn’t have a chance to tell his family the news before he joined Strahan on the show.
WATCH: Arie Luyendyk Jr. discusses becoming the new Bachelor with @michaelstrahan.@ariejr @BachelorABC #TheBachelor pic.twitter.com/9d6KYLZz6y
— Good Morning America (@GMA) September 7, 2017
According to former Bachelor star Sean Lowe, Luyendyk was supposed to be chosen for Season 19 three years ago. But Lowe claims ABC pulled out at the last minute and chose Chris Soules instead. From People:
“They actually told Arie he was gonna be the Bachelor,” said Lowe. “They flew down, had a camera crew, filmed him telling his family he was gonna be the next Bachelor – then pulled the rug out from underneath him and made Chris the Bachelor.”
Congrats to Luyendyk, who’s 36 years old, on finally getting another chance.
[ABC]