As The Bachelor spoilers predicted, the lovely Lauren Burnham has become one of Arie Luyendyk Jr.’s favorite’s this season.
What the spoilers hadn’t told us before now is that she has a romantic history much more complicated than she’s letting on …
The blonde beauty is obviously striking, but what strikes a lot of fans is how little she’s opened up on her last two dates with Arie.
Her apparent reluctance to let her guard down was even more notable after Arie surprisingly said he’s falling in love with her.
Keep in mind that hometown dates haven’t taken place yet and this is one of four women we may see Arie Luyendyk engaged to.
So what is it about Lauren that captivates him so? And why does she seem hesitant to reveal much of anything about herself?
Well, there’s the matter of her engagements. Plural.
Despite all the attention paid to Bekah Martinez‘s age (22), Lauren Burnham is just 25. Yet she already has a pair of ex-fiances.
She confessed that she’s been engaged before, but The Bachelor producer Rob Mills says there’s more to the story than that.
“We will find out on her hometown… she’s actually been engaged twice,” he said, teasing Arie’s trip to Virginia Beach next week.
According to Bachelor spoiler god Reality Steve, she was engaged to her high school sweetheart, then to hockey player Chris Crane.
The couple split in 2016 and not on good terms.
According to Mills, Arie senses that there’s something under the surface with her, which is why he revealed his ex-girlfriend’s miscarriage:
“That’s what was so interesting. He chose Lauren to tell that story to, not Chelsea [Roy]. That would be the person to tell it to, the single mom.”
“No, he tells Lauren. It was like, let me tell you the darkest, most personal story that’s ever happened to me just to pull something out of you.”
“It was mildly successful.”
Some fans theorize that Burnham’s physical resemblance to former Bachelorette star Emily Maynard might be a factor here as well.
“Someone said Arie is so hung up on Lauren B because she looks like Emily and I’m so shook right now,” one fan tweeted.
“Honestly the torch Arie is holding for Emily is embarrassing at this point,” another said, wholly convinced this is the case.
“Especially since there were so many other blondes with great jaw structures he could’ve kept around instead of Lauren B.”
“This is nonsense.”
It is nonsense … that anyone believes that. He may have a type (gorgeous blondes), but we doubt he’s still hung up on Ems.
All we know for sure at this point is that he’s completely smitten with her, and that everyone else is on the outside looking in.
Becca Kufrin, Kendall Long and Tia Booth are still in the running, but have their work cut out to make the overnight dates.
Lauren looks like a lock.
Whether or not she should be – and whether Arie should be concerned about her two failed engagements – is another story.
What will he learn in Virginia and how will that change his mindset going forward? Will she finally open up to him for real?
