Every Excuse The Bachelor’s Arie Luyendyk Jr. Made on the Post-Finale Talk-Show Circuit

Ah, nothing like the morning after! After a tumultuous, hot mess of a Bachelor “After the Final Rose� ceremony last night that simultaneously affirmed Arie Luyendyk Jr.’s passionate love for Lauren B. and crowned Becca K. as the newest Bachelorette heroine, the newly engaged lovebirds quickly embarked on a bicoastal ABC publicity tour. Thanks to the trifecta of appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Good Morning America, and Live With Kelly and Ryan, Luyendyk Jr. was given the chance to expound on his thought process a little more for dumping Becca and proposing to Lauren, although he did find himself regurgitating some buzzwords for the sake of coherence. Here’s what he had to say about all of the hot topics currently putting #BachelorNation in a tizzy.

“I feel like at the end of the day, this is such a crazy experience to go from this heartbreak, this big breakup, and to do a proposal on the same day, that wasn’t very natural.�

“As the Bachelor, there’s a timeline. And for me, there was a lot of pressure on that day. Being the Bachelor and to propose is what’s expected in a way.�

“You don’t have to propose, but I think I put that pressure on myself, because I felt I was on the end of this road and I tried to think logically.�

“Towards the end as the Bachelor, you say, This is the day I have to make a decision.�

“There were obviously times where we saw our dates on TV and were like, They didn’t show this, we didn’t show that.�

“We watched our dates back, and there were a lot of things that were left on the editing-room floor.�

“We didn’t get the best edit.�

“Lauren had trouble opening up on the show a little bit, and our relationship really developed late.�

“I was always vying for her affection, and I always felt my feelings were always ahead of her feelings.�

“We’ve spent the last few months talking for hours and spending every week together.�

“For me, I wanted everyone to know that this was on me, and this was my fault. I felt like filming it would let people know that. If there were any questions on the breakup, those would be squashed if they saw the breakup.�

“I wanted her that opportunity, honestly, I wanted her that opportunity to be the potential Bachelorette.�

“Through every breakup, there’s always questions of what went wrong. And I knew if we did it on camera then I could take ownership of it, and it was completely my fault and my doing.�

“The whole thing started on camera, and I wanted the story to be told all the way to the end.�

“I asked Becca’s permission for that.�

“From the beginning of our engagement, I said, I’m having a tough time, that breakup was very difficult for me.�

“She could tell I had one foot in the relationship and I was never fully in that relationship.�

“I was always thinking about Lauren.�

“I knew that there would be some backlash, but it’s worth it.�

“This ending obviously wasn’t perfect, and I know it’s difficult for a lot of people to swallow. But I’m happy.�

“What really matters is our relationship, our family, our friends, and they’re all onboard.�