'I'm not here for a 22-year-old girlfriend. I'm here to find a wife.'
Tonight's the night!
After four weeks of excitement for our Bachelor, Monday's episode of the ABC dating series showed a new side to Arie Luyendyk Jr.: panic.
Following an hour of the women discussing Bekah and Arie's 14-year age difference and how she's probably not ready for marriage -- and Arie telling the camera how "mature" and "deep" he thinks the nanny is -- he and Bekah finally had the talk. And it was the most interesting conversation we've seen this season (sorry, Bibi).
"Wait -- do you know how old I am?" Bekah teased after the couple enjoyed a one-on-one date in Tahoe. "I haven't been wanting to say, because I haven't been wanting you to see me through the lens of my age."
"How old are you?" Arie asked, with the terror not exiting his face even after he discovered she's legal. "Oh, my God. 22. You're so young."
"I knew you were young when I met you. My biggest concern is if you're ready for this," he told Bekah -- before heading into full panic mode in his confessional. "I think we might be too far apart. Like, what do I do?"
Bekah tried to reassure her 36-year-old possible beau that she does old people stuff like wake up early and drive to Palm Springs with her friends, she's dated people in their 30s before -- though "not seriously" -- and her family all got married young, so it makes it OK.
"I know it's possible to love deeply at that age. I'm just worried you need to live more life," he replied. "I think maybe you're not ready, just because you're 22 years old. When I was 22, I was wild... My biggest fear is that I go through all this, I emotionally invest in you, and I end up heartbroken."
"I just want to settle down. I want to have a family. I'm not here for a 22-year-old girlfriend," Arie continued. "I'm here to find a wife."
But at the end of day, it seems Bekah's 22-year-old "maturity" was too hard to resist, as Arie decided to give her the rose.
"I really, really feel connected to you, and you are incredible and surprising and so much of what I'm looking for," he said before admitting to the camera that he's "proceeding with caution." "I feel like this could be the beginning of something amazing."
So Bekah survives another week, and so does Krystal after her shenanigans on that awful survival date that had us thinking Arie drank his own pee. On to next week, where the drama (hopefully) intensifies!
The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
Check out ET's hilarious Bachelor YouTube series, Roses and Rose, in the video below.
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