The Bachelor: Countdown to Arie pre-show to air December 11 on ABC

While The Bachelor itself is not going to air on ABC until January 1, the network is planning another surprise along the way. The Bachelor: Countdown to Arie is a pre-show that will be airing on Monday, December 11 at 10:00 p.m. Eastern time. What’s the purpose of this? More than anything, it’s a way to either remind viewers of who Arie Luyendyk Jr. is or educate them for the first time. It’s been a while since Arie first appeared on The Bachelorette, and we know that there are many people watching the franchise now who weren’t back when he was a part of the show the first time.

So what is the whole point of this special? That’s something that ABC looks to describe a little bit in the synopsis that CarterMatt has for you below:

Travel back to Arie’s memorable journey to find love with one of America’s favorite Bachelorettes, Emily Maynard (now Emily Maynard Johnson). Five years ago, Arie fell madly in love with Emily and was ready to get down on one knee to propose when his heart was broken. Relive one of the most heart-wrenching breakups in Bachelor history and discover how Arie finally got closure.

Arie’s father, two-time Indianapolis 500 Champion, Arie Luyendyk Sr., will weigh in on his son’s decision to find love again as the Bachelor. Arie admits that Emily was his last true love, and he will share why it has been so difficult for him to fall that completely in love again. His friends and family offer their insight into why they believe the second time around will be totally different.

While Arie was not seemingly production’s first choice to be the star of this season, he’s been on their radar really ever since Emily’s season of the show first aired. Emily’s Bachelorette remains one of the most-popular editions of the show to date, and it therefore makes some sense that producers would want to pick someone else from that season to be the new lead. Remember, Sean Lowe also came from Emily’s season and he is now regarded as one of the best contestants in the entire history of the franchise.

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Head over to the link here to see a preview featuring Arie front and center! Also, you can like CarterMatt on Facebook right now if you want to get some more news regarding this show and some others we cover. (Photo: ABC.)