SHADES OF GRAY
Arie Luyendyk Jr. is looking a little old to be the Bachelor. But we’ve got ideas about how the show can adapt.
After weeks of speculation about who the next Bachelor would be, ABC finally decided to go with a blast from the past…and we mean the past. Arie Luyendyk Jr., who came in second in the competition for Bachelorette Emily Maynard’s heart waaaay back in 2012, was named the star of The Bachelor Season 22 on Sept. 7. “I’ll be 36…so it’s time,” says the former race car driver — who, we couldn’t help but notice, is looking a little long in the tooth compared to the throwback photo ABC used in the announcement (above). “I feel like I’m the last one of my friends to really take that step. And now my little brother got married, he’s 24.” Oh, it’s about time, all right. Arie won’t be the oldest man to hand out roses — that record goes to Season 6’s 40-year-old Byron Velvick (Remember him? Yeah, neither do we) — but he’s getting up there. Here are some adjustments the hit reality show may have to make for Arie!