Emily Maynard and Sean Lowe from The Bachelorette's eighth season are apparently thrilled about Arie Luyendyk Jr.'s new The Bachelor gig.

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Shortly after ABC announced Arie, a professional auto racing driver turned real estate agent from Scottsdale, AZ, has been named The Bachelor star for Season 22 on Good Morning America, Emily and close pal Sean expressed their support.

"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!" Emily, 31, told Us Weekly. "He's a gentleman through and through and all the girls on his season are lucky to have him."

Arie, 35, finished The Bachelorette in 2012 as Emily's runner-up behind the winner, Jef Holm, whom she split from several months after the finale aired.

"I'll be wishing him nothing but the best because that's absolutely what he deserves!" Emily added of Arie.

Meanwhile, Sean -- who is currently married to his final The Bachelor pick, Catherine Giudici, with one child -- became friends with Arie on Season 8 of The Bachelorette and apparently believes the franchise's latest star is the perfect choice.

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

When The Bachelorette aired, Emily was shown constantly gushing about Arie's handsome looks and superb kissing skills. She also thought he had a heart of gold.

Emily, however, is now married to Tyler Johnson, a man she met in church and wed in June 2014. Emily and Tyler are currently expecting their third child together, and the blonde beauty also has a 12-year-old daughter Ricki from a previous relationship.

"It's been a little surreal," Arie said on GMA of producers' decision to cast him on the show's 2018 edition. "I was a little skeptical just because we had been in talks for a few years about doing it... It just kind of hit me right now that I'm here."

Following The Bachelorette edition, producers passed on Arie to be the Season 17 Bachelor in favor of Sean. Arie also revealed last year that he was set to star on Season 19 of the franchise only to have the rug pulled out from beneath him last minute because ABC chose to go with Chris Soules, an Iowa farmer, instead.

Arie said he went as far as signing contracts, booking flights and attending suit fittings prior to The Bachelor's nineteenth season.

Since then, Arie has been romantically linked to The Bachelor's Courtney Robertson and Selma Alameri.

Arie was chosen as The Bachelor's next leading man shortly after show creator and executive producer Mike Fleiss tweeted that Rachel Lindsay's The Bachelorette runner-up, Peter Kraus -- who was rumored to be the fan-favorite and frontrunner for the role -- would probably not be the next Bachelor.

Along with Peter, Mike suggested that Eric Bigger was also being considered for the position, as well as Ben Zorn, Wells Adams, Chase McNary, and Ben Higgins.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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