Bachelor Arie Luyendyk Jr. Doesn't Really Care If You Disapprove of His First Impression Rose Pick

He wouldn't change a thing, even after watching the premiere of the ABC hit

By Lauren Piester Jan 03, 2018 10:18 PMTags
Watch: Arie Luyendyk Explains Giving Out the First Impression Rose

It's his first impression rose, and he's gonna give it to whoever he wants to give it to!

Fans of The Bachelor were a little baffled during Monday's premiere when Arie Luyendyk Jr. gave his first rose of the season to the one woman who had already rubbed all the other women (and the viewers) the wrong way. 

Chelsea began the night by throwing around insults, stealing Arie away before he even finished his opening speech, complaining for hours about being interrupted, and then interrupting someone else for a second go. We saw that as someone to root against, but Arie saw something different in the single mom from Maine. 

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"That first night was really nerve-wracking, and for me, I didn't really know who was there for me," Luyendyk tells E! News. "So for her to take that initiative and to see me twice and to really make it known that she was interested, really sort of gave me confidence and really showed me that she was there for me." 

And now that he's seen how viewers reacted (and how Chelsea behaved on camera when she wasn't with him), he still wouldn't change a thing.

"In that moment, there's so much more than what's, I think, shown on camera, so you know, it's more about a feeling," he says. "Yeah, looking back on it, I think she was a little bit controversial, but you'll see a different side of her. 

To hear Arie's thoughts on the singing taxidermist and some of his extremely intelligent quotes from the premiere, click play above!

The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.