Arie Luyendyk calls out The Bachelor format: No wonder it barely works

Arie Luyendyk does not seem to have any love for The Bachelor

Arie Luyendyk might have found love during his time on The Bachelor; however, he doesn’t seem to be a fan of the show’s format for helping singles to find love.

To say Arie had an interesting experience with ABC’s long-running franchise might be an understatement. Arie first joined the Bachelor Nation as a contestant on season 8 of The Bachelorette, coming in as the runner-up on Emily Maynard’s season of the show.

After taking a break from the spotlight, Arie returned to the franchise six years later as the star of season 22 of The Bachelor where he went on to have one of the most unpredictable seasons of the show. As the season came to a close, Arie gave his final rose to Becca Kufrin, only to then change his mind by reuniting with the woman he passed over: Lauren Burnham.

While it took Lauren and Arie some time to work through their issues, the couple eventually made their way down the aisle and are now happily wed. Although they seem to have gotten their happy ending in the end, Arie doesn’t seem to have fond memories from his time on the show.

Arie Luyendyk calls The Bachelor emotionally taxing, questions formatting

During a recent appearance on the Couple Things with Shawn and Andrew podcast hosted by former Olympic Gymnast Shawn Johnson and NFL player Andrew East, Arie Luyendyk had some choice words to say about the series.

"“It’s such a difficult — I hate to call it a process — but it is a difficult show,” Arie reflected. “And that’s probably why you find that a lot of people don’t make it is because it’s just so taxing emotionally.”"

Yikes! While we imagine attempting to find love on a reality series isn’t quite as simple as the cameras make it look and can take a toll on one’s emotions, we have to admit we didn’t quite expect Arie to be quite as blunt in calling out the format of the show… and he didn’t quite stop there.

"“It’s just, like, it’s not natural to have two people that you [have], at the end, and then have to break up with one person and get engaged to another person an hour later. It’s just so weird. It’s, like, no wonder it barely works.”"

As unconventional and rushed as the show’s format might be, there’s no denying that the show has many success stories and has helped many couples find love over the years, Arie and Lauren included.

Are you surprised by Arie Luyendyk’s comments about The Bachelor franchise and his bluntness in calling out the show’s formatting the toll it takes emotionally? Do you agree with his comments?