The Bachelor Reaches Back for its New Star

On January 1, 2018, a new season of The Bachelor begins. There’s a bit of a change this year. Instead of picking a contestant from last season’s Bachelorette (featuring Rachel), the show reached back to Emily Maynard’s season in 2011, plucking rejected suitor and race car driver Arie Luyendyk Jr. The show synopsis says:

Six years ago, Arie Luyendyk Jr. was in love and a day away from proposing to the woman of his dreams. And then, she broke his heart. Emily Maynard (now Emily Maynard Johnson) may not have been Arie’s future wife, but he hasn’t been able to find a love like hers since. Now Arie is back and ready to race into America’s heart yet again when he returns for a second shot at love, starring in the 22nd season of ABC’s hit romance reality series “The Bachelor,” returning to ABC in January 2018.

What has he been up to the past 6 years? According to the show:

After a tearful exit on Emily’s season of ABC’s “The Bachelorette,” Arie has stepped away from the spotlight and focused on his new career in real estate, which has brought him tremendous success. Even though he has been gone from Bachelor Nation, America hasn’t forgotten Arie’s rugged good looks and charm. After mending his broken heart, Arie is finally ready to start his own journey for love.

At 36, he’s definitely older than most Bachelor contestants.

Here are the women who will be competing for him:

Ali, 27, personal stylist, Dallas, Texas
Amber, 29, business owner, Denver, Colorado
Annaliese, 32, event designer, San Francisco, California
Ashley, 25, real estate agent, West Palm Beach, Florida
Rebecca (Becca), 27, publicist, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Rebekah (Bekah), nanny, Los Angeles, California
Bibiana, 30, executive assistant, Miami Beach, Florida
Brianna, 25, sports reporter, Portland, Oregon
Brittane, 27, marketing manager, Los Angeles, California
Brittany, 30, tech recruiter, Austin, Texas
Caroline, 26, realtor, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Chelsea, 29, real estate executive assistant, Portland, Maine
Jacqueline, 26, research coordinator, New York, New York
Jenna, 28, social media manager, Raleigh, North Carolina
Jennifer (Jenny), 25, graphic designer, Chicago, Illinois
Jessica, 26, television host, Santa Monica, California
Kendall, 26, creative director, Los Angeles, California
Krystal, 30, fitness coach, San Diego, California
Lauren B., 25, technology salesperson, Dallas, Texas
Lauren G., 26, executive recruiter, Los Angeles, California
Lauren J., 33, recent master’s graduate, New Roads, Louisiana
Lauren S., 31, social media manager, Dallas, Texas
Maquel, 23, photographer, Orem, Utah
Marikh, 27, restaurant owner, Salt Lake City, Utah
D’Nysha (Nysha), 30, orthopedic nurse, Anderson, South Carolina
Olivia, 23, marketing associate, Chicago, Illinois
Seinne, 27, commercial real estate manager, Newport Beach, California
Tia, 26, physical therapist, Weiner, Arkansas
Valerie, 25, server, Nashville, Tennessee

Things to look forward to this season: The show travels to Peru. I’ll give the last word to Ari:

“I just want to find that spark with somebody,” he says. “I want to someone to share my life with. I feel like it’s my time. I’m going into this with an open heart.”