Growing up, I always watched the Bachelor and considered it a guilty pleasure. The show revolves around one man meeting around 25 women and visiting places around the world with them in order to eventually find his future wife. Week after week, groups of girls are eliminated from the show and are left to find love elsewhere until the "Bachelor" finds his one true love during the finale. It may seem ridiculous to those who have never seen it or think it's completely fake, but it's a fact that there have been couples who have found love due to this franchise. While viewers know that it doesn't always work out because it is real life, after all, fans of the show were particularly shocked and even horrified at this season's ending.
If you are unaware of how the ending went, be aware of the major spoiler this is about to be revealed. Arie Luyendyk Jr., Season 22's Bachelor, chose to pick Becca Kufrin and propose to her while in Peru. While that was the moment Bachelor Nation had been waiting for throughout the whole season, he had to send home Lauren Burnham beforehand in order to get there and it was anything but easy.
Luyendyk Jr. was conflicted between both women throughout the final episode and was unsure who he wanted to become his future fiancee. His family had attempted to help him weigh his options, but it seemed as though nothing could help him figure out how to make this crucial decision. There was evidently pressure coming from various sources, but in his mind, he believed he needed to propose regardless because it's what the conclusion of the show was all about.
After thinking about the two women and lying awake the night before still wondering what he should do, Luyendyk Jr. decided Becca Kufrin was the one for him and proposed to her in Peru after saying goodbye to Lauren Burnham moments before. However, he was incredibly upset when telling Burnham he could not choose her and that something was off in their relationship. He even told her that he loved her during the final moments before their goodbye. This was a shock to many fans of the show because telling both women that you love them is clearly never the best idea. Burnham was obviously very confused and had left heartbroken.
She admitted afterward that she thought it was over for good, but had always hoped that Luyendyk would realize he had made a mistake.
Usually, the show ends there in terms of filming until the live premiere of "After the Final Rose" displays the couple a few months after the engagement. However, this season was much different than the average one.
America had mixed feelings about what was revealed during the show's finale. Arie Luyendyk Jr. decided that after a little over a month of dating Becca Kufrin, he was still in love with Lauren Burnham! He had spoken to Burnham via Instagram and then over the phone during his engagement with Kufrin before deciding that she was the one he genuinely wanted to be with. If this wasn't shocking enough, he decided to break up his fiancee, Becca Kufrin, while it was filmed by the show's camera crew.
Luyendyk Jr. broke Kufrin's heart, went back to the woman he denied his love to and then had this all aired on national television. If this wasn't enough to shock America, he then told Lauren Burnham that he was no longer in love with Kufrin just days after the breakup.
You may think there was nothing wrong with how Luyendyk Jr. chose to handle this situation, but others are furious and have expressed this using some choice words. Social media was sent into a frenzy after this all played out on television and the hate being sent to all parties involved is beginning to get out of hand. The show's host, Chris Harrison, claims he was even sent death threats for choosing to air this footage.
Should the breakup with Becca Kufrin have been aired? Should Lauren Burnham have taken him back? Why did Arie propose if he wasn't certain at the time? These are the questions fans of the show cannot help but ask after watching.
Arie Luyendyk Jr. shocked America and everyone involved with his decision, but is it all acceptable if he found love at the end?