ABC’s The Bachelor 2018 season will feature Arie Luyendyk Jr. as the lead who is looking for lasting love and viewers may need a bit of a refresher on this Season 22 star. Luyendyk first popped up in Season 8 of The Bachelorette with Emily Maynard and he was quickly dubbed “the kissing bandit.” What has Arie been up to since losing out to Jef Holm and what do Bachelor fans need to know about him?
Arie Luyendyk Jr. has a passion for driving race cars and as IndyStar notes, he is the son of a two-time Indianapolis 500 champion who spent years as a Formula One driver. In fact, Arie Sr., known as “The Flying Dutchman,” was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2014. The new Bachelor star has been around race cars his whole life and Arie has been driving them since the age of 14.
The Luyendyk family is Dutch and is based in Scottsdale, Arizona. AZCentral shares that Arie was born in the Netherlands and the Luyendyks moved to Arizona when the Bachelor star was 9, relocating after some time living in Wisconsin. It seems that Arie was just 3 when his family moved to the States, but he can still woo the ladies with some Dutch from time to time.
Fathers and Sons! Happy Father’s Day @ArieLuyendyk ? pic.twitter.com/aU9LIagPld
— Arie Luyendyk Jr. (@ariejr) June 18, 2017
Life & Style details that Arie has younger twin brothers named Alec and Luca, as well as a sister named Maida. Bachelor and Bachelorette fans may remember meeting these siblings during Maynard’s season, and chances are good they’ll be popping up again in Season 22. Alec recently married his love Haley, and the Bachelor star’s parents Arie Sr. and Mieke are said to be anxious to become grandparents.
Arie has competed in the Indy Lights Series, snagging second, third, and fourth finishes in various races he competed in from 2002 to 2010. In addition, this Bachelor star was connected to the A1 Grand Prix as a test driver and he finished in 28th place in the 2006 Indy 500. After his spin on The Bachelorette , Arie shifted his focus to off-road racing for a bit and he snagged a bronze at the 2015 X Games, notes Today.
While Luyendyk still has a passion for racing, the Bachelor lead also works in the real estate field in Scottsdale as a broker now, dubbing it his “winter career.” Arie notes that he can do real estate anywhere, hinting that he would be open to moving for the right woman.
Does Luyendyk find love this time around? The Bachelor spoilers from gossip king Reality Steve detail that Arie did get down on bended knee at his final rose ceremony. However, fans will have to stay tuned to see if the relationship can go the distance. ABC’s The Bachelor 2018 season starring Arie Luyendyk Jr. begins on Monday, January 1, and people will definitely be buzzing about this one.