‘The Bachelor’: Sean Lowe says Arie Luyendyk Jr. was original ‘Bachelor’ choice

Well, how about this when it comes to “Bachelor” controversy? It turns out that Chris Soules may not have been the first choice to be the lead of this season, after all, at least based on some of the new information that is coming out right now from former star Sean Lowe.

During a new interview on Dish Nation, Sean (arguably one of the most-popular leading men in the history of the show) said that his former co-star Arie Luyendyk Jr. (pictured) was actually more of the first choice to be the star of the show, and producers were even arranging for it to happen. However, everything turned around at the last second when a few specific people changed their mind and gave the part to Chris instead:

“I was campaigning for my race car-driving buddy Arie … From what I understand, the show, the producers that make the show, they wanted Arie as well. [But] they’ve got some new execs, and they were getting nervous. Like, Arie hadn’t been on TV in two years.

“… They actually told Arie he was gonna be the Bachelor. They flew down, had a camera crew, filmed him telling his family he was gonna be the next Bachelor — then pulled the rug out from underneath him and made Chris the Bachelor.”

If this is all what happened, of course we feel for Arie a little bit! We know that he would’ve been good TV: He is personable, funny, and he would probably give good interviews. With all of this being said, we understand why Chris was chosen: His personality may be a little duller, but he also has that great narrative as the farmer from a small town. Sure, the show does not really present what he does for a living exactly, but that’s beside the point.

What do you think about Sean’s comments, and do you feel for Arie at all? Share below! Also, click here to get a tease for Monday’s episode, or sign up right now for some further TV updates on all we cover via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: ABC.)