Entertainment TV 'The Bachelor' 's Chris Harrison Reveals His Top 5 Contenders for Arie Luyendyk Jr.'s Heart The Bachelor premieres Jan. 1, 2018, on ABC By Aili Nahas Aili Nahas Aili Nahas is the West Coast Deputy News Editor at PEOPLE. She is also the TV deputy in Los Angeles as well as the Weddings Editor. Aili has spent nearly two decades in the entertainment industry and 12 years at PEOPLE. People Editorial Guidelines Published on December 13, 2017 10:00 AM Share Tweet Pin Email The roses are ready! Just a few weeks before the Jan. 1 premiere of Arie Luyendyk Jr.’s season of The Bachelor, host Chris Harrison is revealing some of the women who just may steal the professional auto racer’s heart. “The women blew Arie away from night one,” Harrison says of the impressive roster of ladies in this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on stands Friday. “And Arie is a little older and confident. He doesn’t mind not always acting cool or having to say and do the right things. He gets these women and it makes them fall very fast for him!” Kendall Long Craig Sjodin/ABC “She’s quirky and cute,” says Harrison of the L.A.- based creative director, 26. “She has a thing for taxidermy and she plays the ukulele. But she’s highly intellectual, especially when it comes to love. She’s a bit of an underdog.” Chelsea Roy Craig Sjodin/ABC The 29-year-old former model “goes out of her way to make a first impression on Arie,” says Harrison. “He is very taken by her. But he can tell she’s holding back. She has a little bit of a secret. She will reveal it into the show.” Seinne Fleming Craig Sjodin/ABC “This girl is flat out impressive,” says Harrison of the 27-year-old Yale grad. “She’s incredibly intelligent and she definitely has this zest for life that Arie is in awe of. He’s a little bit mesmerized by her.” Bibiana Julian Craig Sjodin/ABC Not here to make friends? “She spices things up with Arie and the women,” says Harrison of the Miami-based executive assistant, 30. “She has a big personality and has her own pithy observations and judgments and she’s not afraid to make those known. She has no fears about standing up for herself or to anybody.” Bekah Martinez Craig Sjodin/ABC “She’s a starlet,” says Harrison of Martinez, a nanny. (Her age won’t be revealed until the show!) “There is something about this girl’s energy that blows Arie away and he is captivated by her. They have this chemistry that gets under his skin.” For more on The Bachelor, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on stands Friday Ultimately, “I’m really excited for Arie,” says Harrison of his friend of five years. “He is a really good man with a great family and great career. He has everything, but he’s missing one thing. And he really wants to meet that someone.” The Bachelor premieres Jan. 1 on ABC.