Who is Clint Arlis? The Bachelor airs tribute card to former contestant
If you are a longtime fan of Bachelor Nation, then you may be familiar with Clint already. He was a contestant on Kaitlyn Bristowe’s season and while he did not make is super-far into the competition, he was memorable for a bromance that he formed with fellow contestant JJ Lane. He was one of the bigger earlier characters on that season, and that is something producers always hope to have. They want romance, and they also want men and women that will be remembered.
Tragically, Clint passed away earlier this month at the age of 34, and in the time since we’ve heard a number of tributes come in from various people within the show’s universe. Kaitlyn in particular had the following to say in an Instagram Story after the news first broke (per Us Weekly):
“This is an Instagram Story I did not think I’d be doing tonight but Clint, who was on my season on The Bachelorette — I’m gonna say tragically — he’s tragically passed. [He was] 34 years old … I’m not sure what happened [or] how it happened, but all I want to say is knowing him from the show, even though things didn’t end on the best terms for us, from his time on the show until today, I have heard nothing but incredible things about that person from his peers, his students, his coaches, his teachers, his friends, his family. Clint was very well-respected in his world.”
One of the things that often gets lost in translation with these shows is how close come of the contestants become over time. You live for weeks in an unusual environment without cell phones, the internet, or many other distractions. You make fast friends with those around you. For some of the people on Kaitlyn’s season, Clint felt like family; he’s a part of that world that is gone way too soon.
While The Bachelor itself can be overly dramatic and rather cheesy, they did a wonderful thing tonight honoring Clint with the aforementioned title card. This is a way that his memory lives on through all future airings, and it is recognition of his contributions to the franchise.
Our thoughts and condolences continue to go out to Clint’s family in this difficult time.
This article was written by Jess Carter. Be sure to follow her on Twitter.