Rachel Lindsay might be one of the ruling members of Bachelor Nation, but that doesn't mean she knew who Arie Luyendyk, Jr. was when he was announced to be the next Bachelor.
Lindsay told Entertainment Tonight's Lauren Zima that when she found out Luyendyk would take the mantle, she hadn't the slightest idea who he was.
"I didn't know who Arie was," she said. Since, though, she's heard "a couple of things about him."
"He seems like he's in the right place, ready to meet someone and I think that that's important. I'm excited to see his season," she said.
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Prior to appearing on the show, Lindsay didn't watch the show. But Bryan Abasolo, her fiancé, did. "I actually watched Arie's season with Emily. And he seemed to be a very funny, charismatic guy, so I thought he was a good choice as well," he said.
Not all Bachelor fans feel this way. Luyendyk last appeared on a Bachelor show in 2008, almost a decade ago. Longtime fans knew him from Emily Maynard's season, but more recent fans didn't know him. This led to confusion: Just who was Arie Luyendyk, Jr.? Why should we care about his relationship status?
Bachelor Nation, the community made up of former and present contestants as well as Bachelor-adjacent personalities (e.g., Sarah Hyland), has been largely supportive of Luyendyk, though.
"Way to go @BachelorABC !!! A bachelor with a career! Congratulation @ariejy, " wrote Bachelor alum Danielle Maltby. Most joked that Luyendyk would be the first Bachelor with a "real" job. (He's a race car driver.)
Lindsay and Abasolo, though, only have advice for Luyendyk.
Explained Lindsay, "When you're in the lead position, you're kind of out there by yourself. You can't talk to family, you can't talk to friends. You really have to know who you are, know what you want, and not let anyone else make the decisions for you. You can't make a decisions for someone else."
The Bachelor debuts on January 1 on ABC.
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