All the drama of The Bachelor will be here very soon and Arie Luyendyk Jr. is ready to find love. After the announcement was made that he’d be the next bachelor, fans of the show are poking fun at the 36-year old’s age, but Luyendyk Jr. doesn’t care.Â
The gray-haired retired race car driver knows he looks a little different in comparison to the previous Bachelor candidates, but he isn’t the oldest one to hand out roses. “I think it’s my premature gray because Nick was older,” he told PEOPLE. Arie is not letting his hair color hold him back- he is actually using it as an advantage. “I’m in a different place in my life than when I was 30: a little bit older and wiser — and grayer, but it’s good.”Â
After discussing his age with the magazine, Arie mentioned the reaction fans had to the announcement that he was the new bachelor. For all the Peter fans out there, Arie knows you were waiting for him to be the choice this season, but he isn’t letting that get in the way of his chances for love. “People expected it to be Peter, so there was a negative reaction, but you’re always going to have that,” he said. “Not everybody is going to be a fan. What was important was that the women were on board.” That’s a positive outlook.
So what does the gray-haired, now real estate agent want out of this season? He’s counting on marriage. “I came to get engaged. I want to be married. I want to have kids. I want to go back to the life I had six months ago but share that life with someone. I’m not going to go on Dancing With the Stars.” I wish him the best in finding his forever.
We can all watch his pursuit for love starting Jan. 1. I can’t wait to see how this season unfolds.Â