How Arie Luyendyk Jr. and Lauren Burnham Defied the Odds to Become a Bachelor Nation Success Story

Arie Luyendyk Jr. and Lauren Burnham Luyendyk woke up feeling nervous on Mar. 1.

No, not because it was coming up on the five-year anniversary of Arie's infamous switcheroo—the Bachelor breaking up with final rose winner Becca Kufrin in favor of runner-up Lauren—but because but because their app, DUO: Dates Unlike Others, was launching and they had to find a space to do interviews away from their three kids.

"We woke up with a ton of anxiety," Arie admitted to E! News speaking from a car parked outside their Scottsdale, Ariz. home. "It's been a long time coming."

It's also likely a day many members of Bachelor Nation never envisioned coming to fruition, given the controversial ending to his season and the franchise's less-than-stellar success rating. (Only one male lead, Sean Lowe, is married to his final rose recipient.)

And yet here they are celebrating four years of marriage with their three children—Alessi, 3, and 19-month-old twins Lux and Senna—have defied the odds and proven their skeptics wrong, though the franchise is wont to forget that the Luyendyks are one of their sole remaining pairings.

While Arie—who first appeared on Emily Maynard's season of The Bachelorette in 2012—admitted that they "have a little PTSD" from their experience, the couple doesn't mind their love story being overlooked by the ABC reality hit in favor of more traditional endings.

"We don't really care," Lauren said. "We're still are grateful and we love the producers that we worked with." Harboring no ill will towards the show, Lauren added that if they were asked to make an appearance to offer advice, they "would say yes."

 

Following their engagement on live TV, Arie and Lauren got married in an intimate non-televised ceremony in Hawaii in January 2019. They celebrated  their fourth wedding anniversary with another visit to the Aloha state, this time doing a wellness retreat, which Arie jokingly described as "very hungry."

Their commitment to spending quality time together is what the couple points to as one of the secrets of their marriage.

"We always make time for each other and we go on dates," Lauren shared. "We prioritize each other, over work, and even over spending time with the babies, because it's important to have a strong bond and communication. It's the biggest thing for us. We're going to talk about everything."

Not that discussing his feelings came naturally to Arie at first, who admitted he's "gotten better at that," thanks to his wife.

"Lauren was a psych major," Arie explained. "So she's very good at communicating, and getting me to do things. I'm very agreeable, because I love her very much!"

And after offering glimpses into their on social media, Arie and Lauren came up with the idea for DUO. The date-planning app is tailored for couples looking for some experiential inspiration, ranging from hundreds of free ideas to the premium option of receiving a fully planned surprise date put together by expert planners based on the user's budget.

For Arie, he is partial to the "off the wall" excursions Lauren has sprung on him in the past, including a goat yoga date in their backyard. Lauren, meanwhile, pointed to Arie taking her paddleboarding at sunrise in the Salt River as a "magical" memory for the couple. Not that they need every outing to be as extravagant as the ones they experienced during their time on The Bachelor. 

"It's funny," Lauren said, "but because the dates were so over the top, we were just looking forward to going to the grocery store together! But we still try to do things to surprise each other and keep it new and exciting."

Given their propensity for creative and explorative dates—including a recent luxury picnic and helicopter ride during their kids' nap time, staged by some of their DUO experts—it's hard to imagine what could possibly be left on the couple's bucket list. 

"We just want to travel more with our kids," Lauren shared. "They're getting to an easy age for travel now."

That will include one very special stamp the little one's passports with plans to visit Arie's native Holland. Said Arie of taking them back to where his family is from: "It will be fun to experience that with them." 

If there's any couple that knows about creating memories, it's the Luyendyks. 

DUO is available for download on the app store.

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