Is the next Bachelor season going to be a total bust? From the moment he was announced as the Season 22 star, fans have questioned Arie Luyendyk Jr.’s ability to carry the show, calling him “old news.” But his age and supposed irrelevance might be the least of fans’ worries.

After the reveal earlier this month, a number of the 36-year-old’s exes came forward in protest of ABC’s latest choice. According to former girlfriend Jenna Jones, Arie’s “a dude who claims to be a hopeless romantic but forever cheats on and does despicable wrongs to women.” The former Arizona-based sports reporter later deleted the tweets, but her point was already made.

His most recent ex, 26-year-old Sydney Stempfley, admits she was “blindsided” to learn the racecar driver was the next Bachelor just a month after their split. “I have questions, of course, [like], ‘Is this the reason? [Is this] why you broke up with me?” Sydney shares. She also quipped on Twitter, “The show would be perfect for [Arie], until it comes to choosing just one.”

The Arizona native has also had his fair share of backlash on social media from both fans and former friends. Several Reddit users started boards about the reality star, posting stories of his well-known trysts with very young women. His Bachelorette pal Sean Lowe even seemed to back up those claims when he joked on Twitter, “I’m lobbying Bachelor producers to let me follow Arie around and slap him every time he thinks about giving a rose to someone half his age.”

Meanwhile, Emily Maynard’s ex-fiancé Jef Holm has been an outspoken detractor of his former franchise pal. “Oh, the stories I could tell,” he tweeted ominously, later adding, “I stopped being friends with him years ago because he’s disgusting.”

Deal of the Day Blue Bathing suit 4-7-24

Deal of the Day

This ‘Slimming’ Suit is Just $16 Today! View Deal

An insider notes, “Arie knows how to turn on the charm. But he has two sides to his personality. Arie’s always had a wild side.” Still, there’s at least one person speaking up for the hunk — former Bachelor contestant and ex Selma Alameri Daniels. “I think Arie’s known as a little playboy, but he really is such a sweetheart,” she gushes to Life & Style.

Even the man himself has previously admitted to being “a little riskier” of a choice, having had his brushes with the law in 2008 for two traffic violations, driving with a suspended license, and for not having a valid registration. After he came in second on Emily’s season, his mugshot was plastered all over the press. “I think they were afraid. They didn’t want to have another Juan Pablo,” Arie told Life & Style when he was passed over for the Bachelor role in 2015.

Love The Bachelor? Be sure to join our Bachelor Facebook group to chat about all the latest updates, exclusive interviews, and juicy gossip!