From two love confessions to two proposals, this season is going to be a good one!
Arie Luyendyk Jr. couldn't believe he was chosen to be the Bachelor, but he couldn't be happier that he was.
"I really just jumped on a plane," the 36-year-old race car driver told ET's Lauren Zima at his first official Bachelor photo shoot in September. "It came as such a pleasant surprise. I mean, the timing of my life is just perfect, so I got the call, and I'm here and it's crazy."
The timing was certainly right for Luyendyk, who revealed in December after filming had wrapped, that being the Bachelor was "an amazing experience." "I'm very happy," he gushed.
Though the Arizona native refused declined to share whether he was engaged, he spilled plenty of other secrets about his season. Check out nine things to expect in season 22 in Luyendyk's own words.
1. Strong Decisions -- and Strong Women!
Luyendyk says the one thing he won't be as Bachelor is indecisive, and he was looking for the same thing in his future wife.
"I just love strong, independent women, but they still have to have a soft side, a nurturing side to them," he told ET at the photo shoot, revealing that his deal breakers are bad hygiene, a potty mouth, and inability to open up. "Keep it classy," he joked.
2. More Than One 'I Love You' From the Bachelor
Bachelor No. 22 pulled a Bachelor No. 20, and just like Ben Higgins, told two different women "I love you." "I felt myself really open, and because of that, I really had strong feelings for more than one person," Luyendyk admitted to ET in December. "It was pretty difficult at the end. It was definitely dramatic."
3. A Lot of Tears From the Women, But Not Arie
In December, Luyendyk told ET that the season was full of a "lot of tears," but that they weren't necessarily coming from him.
"I'm not a big cryer," he revealed months earlier, but did confess to being a "real" person. "I feel like I really know what I want, and so I think that's important."
4. A Surprise Guest, Who Isn't Emily Maynard
"I didn't see it coming, obviously, because it was so unexpected, but there was a surprise visitor at one point," the real estate agent revealed. But don't expect to see his ex, Emily Maynard, knocking on the mansion door. "No, you won't [see her on this season]," he confirmed in December. "[But] after going through this whole thing, I had a lot of respect for her, because I understood how hard it was."
5. A Couple of Broken Rules
"I think I am [a bit of rule breaker]," Luyendyk confessed, without revealing which Bachelor rules he may have broken (though we can think of one). "Ultimately, it's my life, and my decision at the end of this."
"There are some things [on which] I had to bend the rules a little bit to be able to get that clarity," he explained.
6. Lots of Kissing
A tiger doesn't change its stripes, and "the kissing bandit" just can't stop kissing!
Luyendyk gave his kissing tips to ET before heading off for night one at the mansion. "Always have good breath, [a] kiss is all about timing, and you have to know that the other person wants to be kissed," he laughed. "I would say that chemistry is big for me."
7. A Real Emphasis on Marriage
The new Bachelor, who said he's dated both younger and older women, didn't have a specific age range he was looking for, but insisted on one requirement: "They need to be ready for marriage."
"I'm ready," Luyendyk insisted. "I think I've been off of TV so long, I hope some of the girls on the show don't know me, and they can get to know me in a more natural way, instead of sort of seeing my season, and having a preconceived notion."
"I would love [to get married and have children quickly]," he continued. "I love to travel, and in an ideal world, I would scoop my fiancee up [and] we would go off to Holland or go travel and just sort of get out of the limelight for a little bit to get some normalcy." But a quick engagement is possible if it's with the right person, for sure.
8. A Probable Real-Life Proposal
Luyendyk wouldn't reveal whether he was engaged while speaking with ET after his season, but couldn't hide his happiness. Judging by his seriousness about marriage, however, we think it's safe to say the season will end with a little bling.
"I hope so," he told ET at his photo shoot in September, of whether he'd propose in the finale. "I hope so!"
9. And a Fake One
Night one is sure to be full of memorable entrances -- and one that even made Luyendyk get down on one knee!
"One came up in a race car, one came up in an old classic Mustang... one spoke Dutch to me. I got down on one knee and did a little fake proposal with non ring," he shared. "It was really cute.... It was intense, but it was cool."
"There were so many things that stood out that first night, that are really fun," Luyendyk added.
The Bachelor returns Monday, Jan. 1 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
See more on Luyendyk in the video below.
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