Arie Luyendyk Jr. Says He Fell in Love With Two People on ‘The Bachelor’

Arie Luyendyk Jr. had a tough time handing out his final rose.

The Bachelor star opened up about his experience finding love on the upcoming season of the ABC reality dating show to Us Weekly Thursday.

“The journey obviously was a great experience and I did fall in love,” the race car driver told reporters during a conference call. “I actually fell in love with two people … The toughest part about being the Bachelor would probably be the end, making tough decisions toward the end. I mean, that’s the hardest decision of your life, really. It’s a forever decision, so it’s not taken lightly. I think that was probably the hardest thing.”

Luyendyk, who was the runner-up on Emily Maynard’s season of The Bachelorette, admitted he was nervous before filming began.

“I was so nervous that first night. I was scared there wouldn’t be somebody there for me,” he said. “I was worried about if the women were expecting me or expecting somebody else and how I was going to deal with that.”

As for a game plan, the ABC star said, “I think my game plan was not to lead with chemistry. I think in the past I’ve done that before and I think as a man it’s easy to do that. Also for me, I just really tried to envision how that person would fit into my regular life and if I could fit into their life.”

“The Kissing Bandit” or “Not Peter,” as fans have dubbed him said he is aware of the nicknames.

“I wasn’t what everyone was expecting. I totally realize that and that’s something that I’m fine with,” he said. “I’m really grateful for the opportunity to be the Bachelor and I was really nervous and excited that first night. Yeah, I did sort of have to get through that and see if the women there were there for me, but that’s just part of it and I was really thankful that I was in this position.”

The 36-year-old said he wasn’t interested in any of the drama that went on in the house during filming: “I really tried to concentrate on my time with said individual,” he said. “I think that as the Bachelor, you really don’t see what’s happening at the house, you really kind of only hear through the women telling you sort of what drama’s unfolding. So for me, I try to cast aside and really give the person in front of me the benefit of the doubt because it is a difficult experience. It’s not an experience everyone handles the same and just because they’re popular in the house, doesn’t really make them a good life partner.”

The Bachelor season 22 premieres on Jan. 1 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Photo credit: ABC