While Arie Luyendyk Jr.’s name was once parallel with contempt for many fans of The Bachelor, the reality star seems to have made a new name for himself throughout his engagement with fiancée Lauren Burnham — especially after the couple announced two months ahead of their wedding that they are expecting their first child together.
In this comprehensive guide, discover how Luyendyk went from despised Bachelor villain to soon-to-be dad.
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November 2017
Bachelor fans were pretty sure that Luyendyk, who was the runner-up on Emily Maynard’s season of The Bachelorette in 2012, would be cozying up to Becca Kufrin for good after he proposed to her in the season finale, which filmed in November 2017. It had come down to Kufrin and Burnham, with Luyendyk sending Burnham packing.
“I wanted it so bad for us, but there was something that was holding me back and I can’t go through with it … I gave it everything I had to see if it could work. I did fall in love with you,” Arie told Lauren on the episode, which aired in March 2018. “I didn’t know fully until this morning. I was in love with her, I was in love with you.”
January 2018
But less than two months into his engagement to Kufrin, Luyendyk admitted that he chose the wrong girl. Kufrin was left heartbroken in Los Angeles when he showed up to what she thought would be a private weekend together only to break it off.
Later, Kufrin said that Luyendyk had told her that he had called Burnham and still had feelings for her. “I just didn’t know, at all, to what extent,” she said.
March 2018
After Luyendyk and Kufrin’s unedited breakup aired on After the Final Rose in March, he proposed to Burnham, who had easily taken him back as soon as he ended things with Kufrin, on live TV.
“I made some bad decisions but the best decision was running back to you,” he said before he got down on one knee. “I truly believe you are my soulmate. I’m ready to face this life with you and all that comes with it. I love you so much. I wanted to do this in front of everyone because I want to show you that I should have done this a long time ago.”
March 2018 (continued)
After accepting Luyendyk’s proposal, Burnham headed to Europe with her new fiancé, vowing to stay away from social media amid the backlash of the breakup with Kufrin, which had just aired on TV.
Amid the outrage, Kufrin seemed forgiving of Luyendyk’s actions. “Now that I’ve seen all sides of this story and where his heart lies, I wasn’t for him,” she said on After the Final Rose. “I would never want him to feel like he was in a relationship where he was trapped. If I’m not the one, I’m not the one.”
May 2018
While appearing on The View in May 2018, the couple announced that they planned to get married in January 2019.
“We are very excited to tell you guys that we have booked a venue, and we are getting married in Hawaii on January 12, next year,” Burnham revealed at the time. The couple also noted that they would not be televising the nuptials.
“It’s in Maui, it’s at Haiku Mill, which is this beautiful, old world feel, with a lot of vines and greenery,” Luyendyk added. “It’s not your typical, beach wedding. It’s so pretty.”
November 2018
The couple, who had been celebrating their engagement all summer, announced in November that they are expecting their first child together.
“I kind of had a feeling that I might be pregnant. So my friend insisted on bringing a pregnancy test over,” Burnham told Us Weekly, revealing that she made Luyendyk read the results. “Arie came out with the test in his hand and tears in his eyes. He was like, ‘You’re pregnant!’”
Luyendyk added that Burnham took several other home pregnancy tests to make sure she was really pregnant. “Lauren took all of them and they were all positive. We weren’t trying, but we are so excited. It’s going to be a whole new chapter in our lives.”
November 2018 (continued)
I’m going to be a Dad!!!!! https://t.co/9jw4Gwwwia
— Arie Luyendyk Jr. (@ariejr) November 14, 2018
Luyendyk took to Twitter after announcing the pregnancy news, sharing his excitement to become a first-time dad.
“I’m going to be a Dad!!!!!” he wrote, quote retweeting an article about the pregnancy.
“Nothing compares, absolutely nothing compares to the moment you find out you’re going to be a dad!” he wrote on Instagram. “We cried, we laughed and it really was such a special moment for us, we’re so freakin’ happy!”