Arie Luyendyk Jr.’s Life in the Fast Lane: Every Girl ‘The Bachelor’ Has Dated Since ‘The Bachelorette’

Arie Luyendyk Jr. may be looking for love on this season of The Bachelor, but the 36-year-old racecar driver has had his fair share of romance in life.

Since being denied by Emily Maynard on season eight of The Bachelorette to a seemingly serious relationship that ended suspiciously close to him being cast as the new Bachelor, the “Kissing Bandit” has been involved in a number of romances since he did his first on-air “wall kiss” in 2012.

Keep scrolling for a rundown on the newest Bachelor’s love life since The Bachelorette.

Season 8’s Emily Maynard

Emily Maynard was the one who got away for Luyendyk.

When the former ABC star dumped Luyendyk for Jef Holm on the 2012 season of The Bachelorette, he admits he had a hard time getting over the rejection.

“It was really hard for me to get over that relationship,” he told PEOPLE this week. “But I learned a lot about myself and how deeply I could love somebody. It made me want to do it again.”

However, his past experience hasn’t deterred him from reality TV dating.

“The last time I was really in love was with Emily,” he says. “So I think it’s natural to find a wife on the show, because that’s the last time I was ready for an engagement.”

Maynard would soon split from Holm, but married Tyler Johnson in 2014. 

Season 16’s Courtney Robertson

Luyendyk and season 16 Bachelor winner Courtney Robertson got together soon after her engagement to former Bachelor Ben Flajnik ended 11 months after it started in 2012.

Robertson told PEOPLE that she and Luyensyk had dated “on and off … for years” and that they had a “fun, flirty relationship” while together.

While some fans were turned off by the idea of Luyendyk as the new Bachelor, Robertson said he’s the perfect choice.

“He has a heart of gold and good things happen to good people,” she said. “This is the best year ever for him. It’s like winning the lottery! This is truly the love story people have been waiting for.”

As for his (in)famous kissing skills?

“He’s very passionate and he’s a great kisser,” she said. “The girls better get their Chapsticks ready!”

 

Season 17’s Selma Alameri

Selma Alameri from season 17 of The Bachelor also had a brief relationship with Luyendyk.

The two hooked up soon after he broke up with Robertson, and while they kept their romance fairly quiet, Luyendyk told Us Weekly in 2013 that nothing too serious developed.

“Obviously we shared a common interest, when two people go through this [the show], it’s easy to relate to them,” he said at the time.

“That’s what kind of drew me to her in the first place. She’s obviously a beautiful girl but we decided it was probably best for us not to date,” he continued. “I just want to keep my relationships private in the future. That’s the reason Courtney and I split up and I probably should have learned from that, but hindsight is 20/20 and I’m happy to move forward and have a private relationship.”

 

Sports reporter Jenna Jones

Luyendyk eventually ventured outside Bachelor Nation for a girlfriend, dating sports reporter Jenna Jones in 2015 after meeting after one of his racing events. 

“We actually met at the racetrack, just because that’s basically where I live,” he told PopSugar.com at the time. “She was in PR for another driver. We met and kept in touch. She actually works in sports radio and lives in Phoenix. So, yeah, we just hit it off, and now we live together, so there’s that!”

While the two moved in together quickly, things didn’t end up working out, and they split soon after. 

Giustina Lee

Luyendyk’s relationship with model Giustina Lee is one that didn’t make headlines like his others did.

The two kept their romance quiet, but Lee did post a collage on Twitter for his birthday in 2016, writing, “Happy birthday to one of my favorite humans. It’s been a long journey.”

There’s been no news of what happened between the two, but Lee recently tweeted in part “#thisisgonnabegood” about the upcoming season of the ABC dating show.

Sydney Stempfley

Luyendyk most recently dated Sydney Stempfley, beginning dating in July 2016 when she moved to Scottsdale, Arizona after graduating from college.

“We hit it off right away and started dating as soon as I moved here,” she told ET. “To my knowledge, the relationship was monogamous.”

The two got pretty serious, dating for over a year and spending the holidays with each other’s families. But that’s when things got complicated, when he broke up with her over the phone suddenly.

Becoming the Bachelor

Luyendyk’s relationship with Stempfley drew suspicion when it was announced just weeks after their breakup that he would be the next Bachelor.

The 26-year-old told ET she saw his name “being tossed around on Twitter” about the upcoming season of The Bachelor, so she asked him whether he had been cast. He told her that no, he hadn’t, but he told her if he was. Then, less than a month after their breakup, he was announced as the new Bachelor.

“… I’m sure you can imagine that I was completely blindsided,” she told the publication.

As for Luyendyk’s stint on The Bachelor, Stempfley said, “If this is what he wants, and if he’s determined for it to work, then I hope that it does for him.”

Two mystery women

While no one knows who Luyendyk will choose at the end of the upcoming season, he opened up about falling in love with not one, but two women on a conference call with reporters this month.

“The journey obviously was a great experience and I did fall in love,” the race car driver said on the 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.”

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 premieres Jan. 1 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.