‘Bachelor’ Stars Love Arie As The Lead, Especially Because He Doesn’t Sell Fit Tea

Despite recent rumors that former contestants Peter Kraus, Eric Bigger, and Ben Zorn might be up for the gig, the world was surprised to learn on Thursday that Arie Luyendyk Jr. will be the next Bachelor. The fan reactions to the news about Arie have been mixed, but in general Bachelor and Bachelorette alums approve of the casting of Arie. Most of the stars have offered up congratulations and praise for Arie, while others have poked fun at Arie for being different than most of the other, more recent competitors. It has been a few years since Arie appeared on an episode of a show in The Bachelor franchise, but hey, just because he isn't selling FitTea on Instagram doesn't mean that the new season of The Bachelor won't be great reality television.

While appearing on Good Morning America to make the announcement that he would be the next Bachelor, Arie spoke on why now is the right time for him despite having not been in front of the cameras recently. "I'll be 36 in a few weeks so for me it's time," he told host Michael Strahan. "All my friends around me have kids and are grown up, so for me I feel like I'm the last one of my friends to take that step." Sounds like he's ready to find someone to get serious about, which suggests the Season 22 could be a good one.

Here's how Bachelor alums reacted to the news:

1. Evan Bass‏

"I like Arie," Evan joked. "He represents a purer time before gummies & laxative tea." In case you don't follow any Bachelor stars on Instagram, they share a fair number of sponsored posts.

2. Derek Peth

Derek made a similar observation as Evan. "AND HE DOESN'T EVEN SELL FIT FAB TEA," he tweeted. "What is happening!"

3. Desiree Siegfried

Star of Bachelorette Season 9 and new mom, Desiree posted a pic of her new baby, Asher, to Insta joking about the news "Wait," she captioned the photo with a message from Asher himself. "I thought it was going to be me!"

3. Rachel Lindsay

The most recent Bachelorette also offer up congratulations to Arie. "Wishing you all the best on your new journey," Rachel tweeted.

5. Nick Viall

Nick also offered up "Big congratulations" to Arie.

6. Sean Lowe‏

"It's about time," Sean tweeted. "Couldn't have picked a better guy."

7. Danielle Maltby

"A bachelor with a career," Danielle said in a message to Twitter, likely intended to sass a few former Bachelor stars.

8. Eric Bigger

In a tweet that seems to be about the casting news, Eric said, "Playing it safe is the new risk!" Eric was rumored to be a candidate for the next Bachelor, so it wouldn't be a surprise if he wasn't too excited by Arie being chosen if he was interested in the role himself.

9. Ashley Spivey

Ashley related to Bachelor fans who were disappointed Peter wasn't chosen. "For all those sad about Peter," she tweeted, "if Arie can do it 5 years later then there's still hope for him."

10. Diggy Morelan

Apparently Diggy's mom was disappointed her son wasn't the Bachelor, and I mean, can you blame her?

11. Dominique Alexis‏

"I am here for this!" Dominique tweeted and referenced Arie's past as the "kissing bandit."

12. Wells Adams

Wells posted a GIF joking that Ari Gold (a character from Entourage) was the new Bachelor.

13. Amanda Stanton‏

Amanda agrees with the decision to choose someone who hasn't been on a recent spin-off show like Bachelor in Paradise. "I think it was such a good choice choosing someone who's out of the current Bachelor bubble!" she tweeted.

14. Vinny Ventiera

After first making fun of Arie's photo, Vinny then @replied Peter to see if he needed a wing man.

15. Jubilee Sharpe

"This new Bachelor announcement is dope!" Jubilee said in a message on Twitter.

16. Luke Pell‏

Luke kept it simple with a message to Arie wishing him "All the best!"

17. Dean Michael Unglert

Dean suggested that Arie looks like Scrubs star Zach Braff — and Braff agrees.

If ABC follows their annual pattern, we'll get to watch Arie's season of The Bachelor when it premieres in January 2018. It's still four months away, but there will undoubtedly be plenty of rumors and trailer videos to keep fans interested once production begins.