It’s not a great time to be Arie Luyendyk Jr. After facing major backlash thanks to The Bachelor‘s controversial finale, brand and reputation expert Eric Schiffer believes his image entered a “death” spiral. In case you missed it, the Season 22 star first proposed to finalist Becca Kufrin then revoked his request and decided he wants to spend his life with runner-up Lauren Burnham. Talk about a plot twist!

“I think Arie’s reputation is going to be beat like a rented mule and bask in the heat. For an individual like Arie, where the mass audiences have been watching, he’s now like the plague,” Eric exclusively tells Life & Style. “People are mad and this can brand someone for long period of time, and fans are going to be merciless with their comments and with their interaction on the street. Arie is going into his death spiral at this point.”

Eric also feels that this was a fantastic move for the franchise and that Becca will come out on top. “I think casting Arie was a nightmare for fans,” he continues. “They had to deal with this later, Lucifer in the flesh with Becca — but during the season they couldn’t amputate him out. Fans have been stuck with a leading man who in their mind torched the season, and with the ending being what it is, you’re looking at Becca creating big ratings for next season.”

And as for Lauren — the blonde beauty should probably watch her back. “I think the girl that won really needs to think through if she’s with the right person,” Eric explains, “and her own reputation will likely be somewhat tarred by Arie.”

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