‘The Bachelor: Countdown To Arie’ Special Is ABC’s Early Christmas Gift For ‘Bachelor’ Fans

The Bachelor fans are getting an early holiday gift from ABC. Several weeks before Arie Luyendyk’s season premieres, the network will air a one-hour special, appropriately named, Countdown to Arie.

When Arie was introduced as the Season 22 Bachelor in September, many fans had no idea who he was. The 36-year-old race car driver was the runner-up on Emily Maynard’s season of The Bachelorette in 2012, so fans who started watching the reality TV dating show within the past two or three years, Arie Luyendyk wasn’t a familiar name, like Ben Higgins or Nick Viall.

In an effort to get Bachelor Nation excited for Arie’s debut, ABC decided to create a pre-Bachelor special that will air in December. And if that’s not enough to help fans get to know the guy who has been dubbed “The Kissing Bandit,” the network recently made Emily Maynard’s season of The Bachelorette available for viewing on ABC’s online site.

According to WBAY, Chris Harrison will host the one-hour special starting at 8 p.m. ET on December 11. The show will feature a “behind-the-scenes look at Arie Luyendyk Jr.’s life, his family and his love of racing.”

The Bachelor: Countdown to Arie special will also show highlights from Emily’s season, including the moment when Emily and Arie broke up right before the final rose ceremony.

In addition to giving fans a look at Arie’s life before he was named the Bachelor, fans will get a sneak peek at some of the girls from Arie’s season, including a preview of some of the most dramatic moments of the upcoming season. Of course, ABC won’t spoil the outcome of the show, but according to a previous report by the Inquisitr, spoilers reveal that Arie gave out his final rose one week before Thanksgiving and all rumors point to the season ending with an engagement.

The one-hour Countdown to Arie special will also feature updates from recent Bachelor and Bachelorette couples, including Rachel Lindsay and Bryan Abasolo, Evan and Carly Bass, Sean and Catherine Lowe, and Jade and Tanner Tolbert.

Vroom, vroom!!! #thebachelor pic.twitter.com/qDP9JSmqQs

— Mike Fleiss (@fleissmeister) September 23, 2017

Watch the Bachelor Countdown to Arie at 8 p.m. ET on December 11, followed by the premiere of The Bachelor on January 1, 2018, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

[Featured Image by Steven Lawton/Getty Images]