One Of Arie & Lauren B.’s First Post-'Bachelor' Dates Is Painfully Predictable

Now that the most dramatic finale in Bachelor history has been unleashed on the world, Arie Luyendyk Jr. and runner-up-turned-winner Lauren Burnham are free to hit the town and the tracks. As People reported, Arie and Lauren B. attended an IndyCar race together a few days after confirming their relationship status on national television. Because of course they did. This may be one of the least surprising post-Bachelor dates in Bachelor history.

On Sunday, the pair attended the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. While they were there, they were given a chance to be part of the season opener: According to the IndyCar website, Lauren B. got to ride with Mario Andretti, as well as take a spin around the track with her fiancé. Lauren B. posted a few pictures and a video of the excursion, writing, “One of the top 5 coolest things I’ve ever done. Thanks for the rides @ariejr and @andrettimario.”

If you watched The Bachelor Season 22 or The Bachelorette Season 8, then you’ve probably heard once or twice that Arie likes race cars. You’ve also probably heard a thing or two about Arie’s racing career. We’ve seen him go on a demolition derby group date. We’ve seen him enjoy a one-on-one dinner in a car museum. We’ve seen him attempt to fix a car in the middle of Paris. We’ve watched him race one of the final three contestants during her hometown date. And now, we’ve seen him attend an IndyCar race with his fiancée.

Erm, his new fiancée. Chris Harrison wasn’t being overcautious when he advised viewers to batten down the hatches before the two-part season finale. Some weeks after he proposed to Becca Kufrin, Arie revealed he still had feelings for Lauren B. As Arie ended things with a visibly distraught Becca, the unrelenting Bachelor cameras rolled. And last Monday night, the show presented viewers with a scene that was nothing short of gut-wrenching. Yeah, the unedited split screen format made for captivating television, but witnessing Becca get her heart smashed on camera was absolutely awful. (Who else still feels gross about being excited to watch the finale?)

One day after The Bachelor shared this brutal breakup scene, Arie got down on one knee again and asked Lauren B. if she’d marry him. No offense meant whatsoever to Lauren B., but the wounds created by the Arie and Becca split were still so fresh, thereby making it hard to truly celebrate this new engagement. On the second half of the two-part finale, Arie moved on to another fiancée, Becca moved on to the upcoming season of The Bachelorette, and Bachelor Nation was left in shambles.

On March 6, Arie and Lauren B. appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live to talk about — what else? — the most shocking finale in Bachelor history. When Jimmy Kimmel called Arie out for the split, the star of The Bachelor Season 22 said, “I knew that there would be some backlash, but it’s worth it. I’m so in love with her. It was worth it.”

Even though she had to endure a breakup, too, Lauren B. seems to be more than fine with how everything ultimately played out. In a recent interview with People, she said,

“It makes things easier for me knowing that he was able to be with Becca outside of this experience and he still knew that wasn’t what he wanted. It gives me confidence in our relationship knowing that he truly wants to be with me and he took this huge risk to make it happen.”

Oh? OK then.

The final episodes of The Bachelor Season 22 were genuinely shocking, but the same can’t be said about Arie and Lauren B.’s present day relationship — and that is probably a good thing. As far as Arie is concerned, it does not get more predictable than a car-themed date. For the time being, Bachelor Nation has pumped the drama brakes.