Chris Harrison Says Bachelorette Becca 'Sympathizes' With Arie After Dramatic Split (Exclusive)
As the old saying goes, you can’t judge someone unless you've walked a mile in their shoes (even if they savagely broke your heart on national television).
After winning Arie Luyendyk Jr.'s heart in season 22 of The Bachelor -- only to be brutally dumped in favor of runner-up Lauren Burnham -- Becca Kufrin was named the newest Bachelorette, and she's been holding court among a slate of handsome suitors.
According to host Chris Harrison, being in Kufrin's position may have given her a bit of a different perspective.
"I think she definitely sympathizes with Arie now," Harrison told ET's Denny Directo on the red carpet outside the 2018 Daytime Emmy Awards at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on Sunday. " I don't know if she's going to go down the same road as Arie, but I think she understands now how that can happen."
During Luyendyk Jr.'s season, the 36-year-old Bachelor narrowed the field of women vying for his attention down to Kufrin and Burnham, and told both women that he loved them.
During the shocking season finale, he sent Burnham home in tears with an unexpected breakup and ended up popping the question to Kufrin, which she excitedly accepted.
Weeks later, however, Luyendyk Jr. had a change of heart and called off his engagement, telling Kufrin that he felt he'd made the wrong choice and wanted to pursue Burnham's heart, leaving his former fiancée shocked and heartbroken.
During "After the Final Rose," Luyendyk Jr. revealed that he managed to reconnect with Burnham after filming wrapped, and ended up proposing to her live during the show, which she accepted.
During the same special, Kufrin was named as the new Bachelorette, where she was introduced to a few of the men who would be competing for her affections.
With Kufrin's season of The Bachelorette premiering next month, Harrison says he's exciting for viewers to get to know her better and come to understand and appreciate her as a person.
"I can't wait for people to actually see her and get to know her as well as we do," he said. "Everything you think of her, add about 10 times to that about how awesome she is. We love her… she's an awesome Bachelorette."
Harrison also said that the slate of suitors vying for her roses are "a good group of guys."
"I am harsh, I'm a harsh critic of the guys just because I can be, and I'm very protective of my Bachelorette," he said. "[But] this is a good group. They are definitely worthy and I think, fingers crossed -- I mean, we're still shooting so I can honestly say this because I don't know how it ends -- hopefully she's gonna find love."
As for Luyendyk Jr. and his fiancé, Harrison said the pair are "doing great" living together in a house they recently bought in Arizona.
"After they got off the show, they kinda got off the grid as well. Went around the world, travelled together, and now they're really just starting a life together," Harrison explained. "I love them and wish them all the best."
"Look I get why people might be mad and angry how it all turned out but at the end of the day, I gotta be happy with two people that are in love," he added. "They're giving it a shot, so I'm happy for them and wish them well."
Kufrin's season of The Bachelorette premieres May 28 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
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