Here's Whether Or Not Arie & Lauren B. Are Built To Last, According To A Matchmaker
Remember how January felt like it lasted 87 years? So did this season of The Bachelor. Seriously, I feel like I've aged 30 years and am worrying about how to put my nonexistent kids through college. But at least I don't have to worry about the backlash Arie is probably experiencing for his post-Bachelor decision. ICYMI, after proposing to Becca K on the finale, Arie broke off the engagement because he wanted to be with Lauren B. While this is not the choice any of us saw coming throughout this season, it happened. But will Arie and Lauren B. last as long as this season felt like it did? Welp. That's debatable.
OK, I'm gonna back up for a second really quick because this sh*t is pretty wild. If you were lucky enough to not be sucked into this season of The Bachelor, here's a quick recap: Arie Luyendyk, Jr. met 29 women. Some girl was scared of bumper cars (Lol). Another girl got "glam shamed" (LOL). Krystal annoyed literally everyone. Bekah M. deserved better. Other than that? A whole lotta nothing happened. That is, until the end of the three-hour Bachelor finale when Arie finally dropped some ~drama~ on all of us.
That's right. Two months after Arie proposed to Becca K. and we all breathed a sigh of relief (read: we were all like "OK, cool, I guess"), he called off the engagement to be with Lauren B. instead, and we were all mind-blown (read: we were all like "Lol, what"). All in all, it's a lot, but we've gotta work with what we've got I guess. To determine whether or not Arie and Lauren B. have a fighting chance at forever (or, like, longer than two months), Elite Daily spoke to Alessandra Conti, Celebrity Matchmaker at Matchmakers in the City, who had a pretty spot-on analysis, if I, a total layperson, do say so myself.
"As a life-long member of Bachelor Nation and professional Matchmaker, I have almost always predicted the outcomes of the winner's relationships," Conti tells Elite Daily. "Considering that Arie and Lauren B. have exchanged a grand total of 20 words together, I do not have high hopes for the longevity of this relationship."
Conti brings up a valid point that many viewers this season have also noticed: Arie and Lauren B. don't seem to have an endless amount of things to talk about, if we're being honest. "Unless The Bachelor producers did an incredible editing job, it is unfortunately evident that there is very little depth to their relationship," she says. "They say very little to each other (94 lines of dialogue from Lauren B., to be exact, according to Vulture). They are either discussing how Lauren B. is scared because she is in love with Arie, mirroring each other's interjections of 'wow,' or commenting on their surroundings."
Even though there may not be much depth to Arie and Lauren B.'s relationship, we all really should've seen this flip-flop coming, TBH. I mean, come on. The girl's blonde. Doesn't she remind you of anyone? "Lauren B. is definitely physically Arie's type: She is a dead ringer for Emily Maynard (Arie's first Bachelorette love) — blonde, slim, and has a great sense of fashion." DING DING DING.
OK, OK, OK. So deep down, maybe Lauren B. reminds Arie of the one that got away, and maybe that's why he was all "JK" about his initial proposal to Becca K. But is that it? Is that really all it takes for Arie to break Becca K.'s heart? Well, according to Conti, "it is clear that Arie has fallen head-over-heels in love with Lauren," so perhaps the "chemistry" he feels with Lauren B. is just too damn strong.
"Arie has continuously reminded viewers that he relies heavily on chemistry to determine who he is selecting, but the problem is, when a relationship is based on such a shaky foundation of 'chemistry,' [and] lacks depth, (and then add the fact that millions of people will be giving their opinions and judgments of Arie's unsavory behavior of changing his mind), the odds are not ever in their favor," says Conti.
Damn. Dude can't catch a break. (It's OK. I couldn't catch a break from yawning this season... until now. Give it time, Arie.) Conti also says the fact that The Bachelor involves so much comparison between several enticing options could be a major factor in Arie's change of heart. "It has been said that comparison is the thief of joy," she says. "When Arie picked Becca K. [and] experienced the relationship for two solid months, he was undoubtedly fantasizing about what his relationship would be like with Lauren B., put their relationship on a pedestal, and set unrealistic expectations for the relationship."
Unfortunately for Arie and Lauren B., Conti doesn't believe their chemistry is enough to stand the test of time (or ruthless Bachelor fans). "Lauren B. and Arie are in the infatuation stage of their relationship. The infatuation phase of love is intoxicating in the moment, but infatuation is not love, and infatuation explodes like a firework instead of a slow-burning, long-lasting fireplace," she says. "Again, the fact that invested, emotional, vocal, and judgmental loyal Bachelor Nation fans [will weigh] in with their comments on social media and at large will most likely prove to be too much for the new couple."
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