ABC’s ‘The Bachelor’ Chooses New Leading Man

ABC’s The Bachelor has cast its new leading man: Arie Luyendyk Jr., the former auto racer dumped by Emily Maynard on The Bachelorette. Luyendyk will be The Bachelor when the series returns for its 22nd season in January 2018.

The announcement was made today on ABC’s Good Morning America.

Luyendyk, says ABC, “stepped away from the spotlight and focused on his new career in real estate” following his Bachelorette loss.

Born in the Netherlands, the 35-year-old Luyendyk and his family immigrated to the United States when he was three years old. He is the son of racer Arie Luyendyk Sr., a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner.