What a small world! Arie Luyendyk Jr.‘s ex-girlfriend Sydney Stempfley applied for The Bachelor before she found out that he was the season 22 lead, a source tells Us Weekly.
“She actually applied to be on this season herself after her breakup with Arie,” the insider tells Us. “She said she did that before she knew Arie would be the Bachelor.”
The reality star, 35, and the receptionist, 26, dated for one year before calling it quits in July, just a few weeks before he was named the next Bachelor. However, “she still wants to be on the show,” the source tells Us.
For his part, Luyendyk Jr. claimed that his Bachelor gig has been in the works for a while. “I was a little skeptical just because we had been in talks for a few years about doing it, so I just kind of went in with an open heart,” he said on Good Morning America on September 7 after his big casting reveal.
“We kept in touch over the last few years but this just fit perfectly,” he continued. “The timing really fit. I kind of kept things under wraps because I didn’t know how this would turn out. It’s been such a quick turn of events.”
The race car driver was the runner-up on Emily Maynard‘s season 8 of The Bachelorette in 2012. The 31-year-old, who is now married and expecting her third child, sent her well wishes to Luyendyk Jr. in an exclusive statement to Us: “I can’t think of a better person to be the Bachelor than Arie and I’ve been hoping this day would come since season 8 ended! He’s a gentleman through and through and all the girls on his season are lucky to have him. I’ll be wishing him nothing but the best because that’s absolutely what he deserves!”
