Looks like the Ben Higgins love curse stuck around for Arie Luyendyk Jr.
The Ben Higgins love curse has returned!
ET's Lauren Zima sat down with Arie Luyendyk Jr., Bachelor No. 22, in Los Angeles earlier this month, where he confirmed he said "I love you" to two different women, making for a "pretty difficult" (and, of course, "dramatic!") ending to his season.
"I really had strong feelings for more than one person," Luyendyk shared, "I'm very happy but it wasn't without hard times."
While viewers are definitely in for a dramatic ending, the 36-year-old said the first few days of his Bachelor journey weren't exactly smooth sailing either.
"The first couple of days were pretty hard, because I was like, 'Oh my gosh.' I kind of forgot about the pressures of all of it, and it was interesting transitioning back," Luyendyk, who hasn't been on a Bachelor franchise show since season eight of The Bachelorette in 2012, said. "It's hard, because you don't get much sleep, and you're going on all these dates and there were such amazing women. It was hard to narrow it down."
Having to keep secrets hasn't been a walk in the park, either. "I'm a very honest person, and it's hard to hold that back," he shared, noting that during filming, he would accidentally blurt out the cast's next destination. "It was hard for me to keep a secret."
While it's the hardest secret of all to keep, Luyendyk isn't planning on spoiling the entire season for fans. "You'll have to watch and find out," he teased of whether he's engaged. "I'm definitely happy."
As for what he was looking for in a partner, that one was much easier for him to answer.
"You look for a person that can fit into your life and vice versa," he expressed, adding that "compatibility" was a major factor. "It's easy to get wrapped up in the environment to be in love, going on these amazing dates. But you really have to look past the show into your regular life."
"I want to get married, and I want to start a family," Luyendyk added. "That's important to me."
The Bachelor returns Monday, Jan. 1 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
Luyendyk previously told ET that one of the reasons he decided to return for The Bachelor was because he hadn't "felt the same feelings" of love since dating Emily Maynard on The Bachelorette. Watch below.
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