'The Bachelor': Arie Luyendyk Jr. Tries to Justify Ending Engagement on Camera
"The Bachelor" may have ended with a proposal -- two, in fact -- but Arie Luyendyk Jr. doesn't get to ride off into the sunset without having to answer for his poor decision-making first.
Fans have been criticizing the Season 22 suitor for not only proposing to winner Becca Nufrin, only to change his mind, but also for needlessly breaking up with her on camera. Yes, if you missed it, when Luyendyk decided to end his engagement to Nufrin, he coordinated with the show so that a camera crew could capture every moment of her heartbreak. She was understandably upset and called it "a slap in the face."
Luyendyk, however, is trying to justify his decision. He even attempted to frame it as a choice he made for her own good while speaking to "Good Morning America" on Wednesday.
"For me, I really wanted everyone to know that this was on me. This was my fault," he said. "And I felt like filming that would let people know that. That if there were any questions on the breakup, those would be squashed if they saw the breakup."
Yes, because so many people would have needed clarification over who was at fault, and Nufrin probably wouldn't have preferred to just answer any questions...
Luyendyk continued and told Strahan that another factor was wanting to help set his now-ex-fiancée up to be the Bachelorette.
"Honestly, I wanted her the opportunity to be the potential Bachelorette," he said.
Again, we're going to call Luyendyk out on his logic there. Nufrin would have been an obvious candidate for "The Bachelorette" even if he had given her the courtesy of a private breakup. Basically the only thing we agree with our now-former Bachelor on here is that "this ending obviously wasn't perfect." Let's think about who is to blame for that, shall we?
Watch Strahan ask Luyendyk about the breakup starting at 2:35.
Nufrin is indeed the Bachelorette, so we'll be seeing more of her soon. Hopefully, she'll get a much happier ending than she did on "The Bachelor."