Think back to a time before Nick Viall and his sweaters. Think back to the Bachelor era of Ben Higgins. Before the Indiana native was single and hawking FabFitFun on Instagram, he pulled the biggest Bachelor Nation no-no on the books: telling two of his contestants he loves them. Now, in the upcoming Bachelor season 22 which premieres Monday, January 1, it sounds like fans should prepare for a similar romantic rollercoaster because new lead Arie Luyendyk Jr. also fell hard for two women.
“I fell in love with two women, and I didn’t know I was capable of that,” Luyendyk Jr. told People.“I’ve never been in that situation, and it was really hard. And they were two very different women, and that’s what made it even harder.”
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Considering the new Bachelor suitor’s two big romances this season, it should be no surprise Luyendyk Jr. went full-Higgins by verbalizing his love for two of the women vying for his heart, as season 20’s lead did with both future Bachelorette JoJo Fletcher and eventual winner Lauren Bushnell. Racecar driver Luyendyk Jr. confirmed earlier this month he also said those three magic words to more than one lady.
"I told more than one person that I was in love and it made it hard for me. I think that I didn't really expect that," he told ABC News.
This fact is what will apparently make the final rose ceremonies of The Bachelor season 22, when a proposal traditionally becomes more and more imminent, all the more tense. “I didn’t know I was really capable of having strong feelings and being in love with more than one person, but that happened. The end was really difficult for me,” Luyendyk Jr. explained to People. “And I think that it’s because it’s such a huge decision, and it’s my life.”
After seeing how terribly those double “I love you’s” went for Higgins and eventual fiancé Bushnell, who is now his ex-fiancée, let’s hope Luyendyk Jr. has better luck with his final choice.
And, if all else fails, there’s an excellent chance our next Bachelorette is named Lauren.
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