BACHELOR Arie Luyendyk Jr. has called for a change with the show’s lead after 27 seasons.
Married dad Arie, who starred on season 22 of the hit ABC dating competition show, told The U.S. Sun exclusively it would be “amazing” to have a “gay Bachelor.”
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The current season’s star is Zach Shallcross, a 26-year-old tech executive from Anaheim Hills, California.
Contestants of the franchise have long been calling for more diversity.
For season 25, Matt James was cast as the first Black bachelor – 19 years after the show first premiered.
The previous Bachelors included Clayton Echard, Peter Weber, Nick Viall, Ben Higgins and Chris Soules.
Arie told The U.S. Sun: “I would love it to be diverse. It’d be amazing if they had a gay bachelor.
“I just don’t know how that would work.”
Arie’s wife Lauren, who was on the call with The U.S. Sun to promote their new date planning app for couples called DUO, added: “They’ve said that that would work.”
A new version of The Bachelor is already underway.
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Last month, The Bachelor producer Mike Fleiss confirmed via Twitter that “The Golden Bachelor” is coming – a version of the show that’s for older contestants in their “golden years” looking for love.
Arie, 41, shared his thoughts: “I’m actually more excited about the senior show. I will definitely be tuning into the senior Bachelor.
Lauren, 31, added: “I can not wait… I want my grandma to go on it.”
THEIR TAKE ON ZACH
The Luyendyks have made it clear that despite there needing to be change within the franchise, they have nothing against this season’s current bachelor, Zach.
Patrick Warburton‘s nephew has been slammed by fans for being “so boring” and his season has had low ratings.
“We haven’t been watching it, but I’ve heard good things about him from people that know him,” the mom of three shared.
“They just say he is a really genuine guy and he’s very nice.”
Arie explained that he and his wife of four years have been busy planning creative dates for their new app that launched on March 1 and are busy with their little ones, so they haven’t had time to watch on Monday nights.
The Scottsdale, Arizona, couple are parents to daughter Alessi, 3, and one-year-old twins Senna and Lux.
“It’s like so hard to wind down and and dedicate that time every week. And I think for us too, being on the opposite end of it, we can kind of see it coming through the editing,” Arie confessed.
“So for us, you know, we’re like, ‘Oh, they’re gonna do this,’ or, ‘Oh, they’re gonna do that.’
“So it’s not as intriguing because we almost see it coming.”
‘A FAIRYTALE ENDING’
Although they’ve admitted to being good at spotting the real and fakeness of the show, they aren’t sure who Zach will be giving his final rose to.
At the end of the February 27th episode, seven women are left: Ariel Frenkel, Gabi Elnicki, Kaity Biggar, Brooklyn Willie, Kat Izzo, Charity Lawson and Greer Blitzer.
Arie believes at this point in the dating show, Zach is “narrowing it down.”
“It’s really hard to tell. Every bachelor’s journey is I’m sure different. But yeah I’m sure now that he’s halfway through the season, he’s probably narrowing it down.
“But I hope it’s a fairytale ending,” he told The U.S. Sun.
“I hope it comes more back to the romantic, I guess, theme rather than dramatic. So hopefully it’s a smooth ending for Zach.”
The former race car driver explained that, for him, Lauren “was a frontrunner the whole time.”
He dished: “I would say even the first night you kind of have, you know, I would say five ladies in mind who could be frontrunners.
“I think men are pretty quick to understand who they’re interested in.”
Arie, for his part, got down on one knee and proposed to Becca Kufrin.
In one of the most dramatic moments ever, he broke up with her on camera after confessing he had been in love with runner-up – now his wife – Lauren Burnham.
LIFE POST-BACHELOR
The couple recently celebrated their four-year wedding anniversary in January 2019.
They spice things up by continuing planning fun dates – like goat yoga and backyard movie night – which is what they used as inspiration behind their new app.
Lauren explained how it works: “You fill out the questionnaire, and then we don’t give you any details besides what to wear when it starts and what the address is.
“So you show up not knowing anything about what you’re doing. And then once you get through the first portion of the date, you have to unlock a question to see what the second part of the date is.”
She continued: “So the whole concept is keeping it surprising and suspenseful for the couple.”
Arie and Lauren’s new app, DUO: Dates Unlike Others, is available to download for free in the app store.
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