Arie Luyendyk Sinks to New Low in 'Bachelor' Finale
by EG
You would have been hard pressed to find a fan of The Bachelor who could say nice things about this season's bachelor, Arie Luyendyk Jr. After the first part of the season's finale on Monday, it may have become impossible to find a Luyendyk fan.
[This story contains spoilers from the March 5 episode of the two-night Bachelor finale.]
The Bachelor finale lived up to the hype — and now everyone knows what he did.
The first part of a two-night ending to Arie Luyendyk Jr.'s cycle of the ABC reality dating franchise had been called "phenomenal" and the "most dramatic" ending in show history. The Hollywood Reporter's show experts would prefer to call the switcheroo devastating and cringe-worthy to watch — but agree that the unprecedented event made for must-see Bachelor TV.
After telling both of his finalists, Lauren Burnham and Becca Kufrin, that he loved them, Arie went into the final day of production unsure as to who he would propose to. It wasn't until that morning, after he had already introduced both women to his family and continuously expressed his love and reassurance to each of them, that he made up his mind. He proposed to an ecstatic Becca and completely blindsided Lauren by breaking up with her at the site of his soon-to-be proposal.
That's when The Bachelor broke format. Showing viewers home footage of Arie and Becca during their secret rendezvous after filming wrapped, the winning couple appeared to be as adorable as can be. But Arie confessed during a never-before-seen, post-show one-on-one that he had decided to call off the engagement and breakup with Becca in hopes of a potential reconciliation with Lauren.
He then delivered his second blindside of the night to his now-fiancee, Becca, who must have been told that producers were filming their reunion for a segment for the After the Finale Rose reunion special, which will air on Tuesday. Their breakup played out unedited with split-screen footage to give both Arie and Becca their proper exposure. The moment was raw and nothing was left on the cutting-room floor — a first for the veteran franchise. Just weeks after the proposal, Becca never saw the ambush coming.
When making a brief live appearance at the end of the episode, she was shaking watching it back. "Brutal," she uttered to a room of rousing applause, one firmly in her corner. "When it all happened, I feel like I kind of blacked out and so much was going through my mind that I couldn't take it all in or really even focus on what I wanted to say. To watch that back now, of course I had feelings for him and I loved him, so it's a hard heartbreak."
Get the rest of the story at The Hollywood Reporter.
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