“The Bachelor” had a surprise up its sleeve Thursday when the venerable ABC dating franchise announced that its Season 22 star will be Arie Luyendyk Jr. This was a definite curveball for viewers who expected that the show’s lead would likely be plucked from Rachel Lindsay’s recent stint on “The Bachelorette.”
Indeed, most fans found themselves scratching their heads that the network was dusting off Luyendyk Jr., the runner-up on “Bachelorette” Season 8 back in 2012, who has not been a visible part of the series in recent years.
His selection follows the just-concluded “Bachelorette” run for Lindsay, the franchise’s first African-American lead.