‘Bachelor’ Contestant Bekah Martinez Thinks Arie Luyendyk Jr. Isn’t Ready for Marriage

Despite accusations that she herself was too young to commit to marriage, The Bachelor‘s Bekah Martinez believes it’s Arie Luyendyk Jr. who actually isn’t ready to walk down the aisle.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight Tuesday, the now 23-year-old Bekah opened up about her own experience with the 36-year-old race car driver, and hinted at what’s to come in the upcoming season finale.

“No, [I don’t think he’s ready],” she replied when asked about Arie’s readiness for a wife. “I think I’m more ready for marriage than Arie is, quite honestly. I don’t think Arie knows what he wants, and I don’t think he’s serious about being with one person for the rest of his life.”

“You’ll find out [why on] the rest of the season,” Bekah teased of how she came to this conclusion.

Bekah added that she thinks Arie hasn’t been able to change his playboy patterns, despite his insistence that he’s looking for a bride on the ABC dating show.

“I think Arie has a conflict between how he wants to present himself, and what kind of woman he thinks he should be with, and what kind of woman he knows he should be with, and then what he really wants,” Bekah said. “I mean, you don’t just change dating patterns you had for years and years at the drop of a hat because you’re on a TV show — that just doesn’t change overnight.”

She also talked about how she thinks his inability to admit what he’s looking for in a partner have held him back on the show.

“He talked about how he hasn’t been in love with women who are strong and independent… and then all of the sudden, he’s on the show [and] he’s like, ‘I want a strong, independent woman who I’m an equal with,’” she added. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being like, ‘Yeah, I want to be the dominant partner in the relationship.’ Maybe that’s not the popular thing to say, but I wish he would just be honest about that, because I don’t really think that he wanted to be with a woman like me or with a woman like Sienne, women like us… who aren’t going to let him get away with whatever he wants to get away with.”

Despite possibly not being ready for that next big step, Bekah said she doesn’t fault Arie for trying to find love on reality TV.

“Who wouldn’t want to go on the show as the Bachelor?” she mused. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, and I think he wants to be ready for marriage. I think he wants to have a wife and wants to have a family. I believe that. I think he’s saying [he’s ready for marriage] to convince himself and convince everyone who is watching.”

“I just don’t think he’s ready for what comes along with that kind of commitment,” she concluded.

The season finale of The Bachelor airs Monday and Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Photo credit: ABC