By Kayla Roofe, RE/MAX Social Sensei and Bachelor Nation Resident
With 13 girls remaining in season 22 of ABC’s The Bachelor, the drama started early and the dates went big-budget as Arie Luyendyk Jr., self-proclaimed “Racing Realtor” with RE/MAX Excalibur in Scottsdale, AZ, wasted no time on the track to love with private jets, Louboutins, and a trip to wine country.
Arie is just one of five industry pros on the cast and not the only RE/MAX affiliate who made an appearance. Caroline Lunny, Realtor with RE/MAX Consultants Realty in Miami, also tried her hand at closing the deal this season – don’t give up on love, girl!
But what have we seen this season and what can we expect to see as the show makes a pit stop in Fort Lauderdale for the next round of dates?
- More racing & real estate puns: Much like this recap report, the remainder of the show will continue to draw attention to the fact that Arie has dabbled both in race car driving and real estate. Will Arie’s heart be “off-the-market” at the end of “the biggest race of his life” this season?
- Open house tours with the “Kissing Bandit”: Arie wasted no time living up to his former nickname on Emily’s season of The Bachelorette by taking his lips on a test-drive across diverse plains. There’s no doubt that this trend will continue as the destinations get more romantic and relationships develop on a deeper level with upcoming hometown dates.
- Dominating the market with real estate pros: It’s no secret that the top contenders in the race to Arie’s heart are those who speak “real estate”. From the First Impression Rose (a traditional Bachelor sign of a long-lasting cast member) to a number of one-on-one dates resulting in a long-stemmed rose, having a career in real estate is the new “fitness trainer” job title this season.
- Classic Bachelor dates in extravagant places It’s clear that ABC is going back to its roots with not only bringing on Arie as The Bachelor, but also by sending its cast on big-budget dates – something that has been missing in the past few seasons. The women on this season will continue to be showered with gifts and transported to faraway places.
While we sit shotgun watching Arie’s journey to love, a few questions remain. Will a RE/MAX power couple emerge when the black and white checkered flag waves? Will Arie present the key to a dream home instead of a ring this season? Only time will tell.
You can watch as Arie takes the wheel as The Bachelor every Monday night on ABC.
