This New 'Bachelor' Contestant Is Basically A Jenner Sister
Contestants on The Bachelor's 22nd season starring Arie Luyendyk, Jr. have been revealed, and one happens to have a lot in common with a certain supermodel. Her name is Kendall, her sister's name is Kylie, and she's from Los Angeles — but she's not a Jenner. Kendall Long from The Bachelor 2018 isn't quite as famous... yet.
People announced the 29 women competing for Arie's heart on Friday, Dec. 8, including 27-year-old Jenny Delaney, a graphic design artist from Chicago, and 22-year-old Bekah Martinez, a nanny living in LA. (Pssst, here's where you can find their full list of Instagram handles. Let the stalking begin.)
But one contestant instantly caught a lot of people's eyes, thanks to how easily she could be mistaken for a member of the Jenner family.
Long, 26, is a creative director hailing from Los Angeles, People reports. According to her LinkedIn, she's currently working in the entertainment industry as a set dresser. She's had experience on the shows Not Safe with Nikki Glaser (Comedy Central) and Ridiculousness (MTV)... and what just so happens to be the 10th-anniversary special of Keeping Up With the Kardashians (E!). What a coincidence, right? For that famed episode, she purchased and picked up props, arranged décor and furniture, and served as an on-set art representative.
Long graduated from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco in 2014 with a degree in broadcast journalism. According to blogger Stephen Carbone, the Bachelor guru who posts inside scoops and predictions on RealitySteve.com, she used to run track.
On YouTube, Long uploads videos of her singing and playing the ukulele, so maybe we'll see some of her talent on the show.
Long's sister Kylie isn't only her sister — they're actually twins! (For the record, the Jenner sisters are two years apart.) According to Reality Steve, Kylie Long once appeared as a princess character at Disneyland.
This season happens to have another Kardashian-Jenner connection. As one user points out on Twitter, one contestant is a dead ringer for Kendall Jenner's older half-sister Kim Kardashian.
Up until this past September, Long was on Twitter and Instagram with the handle @keykendall88. Although her Twitter is no longer active, her Instagram is very much alive and well — she regularly posts pics with her lookalike sister, large groups of friends, and adorable animals (including a dog, an elephant, and a baby chick).
Contestants are not given access to their phones while on set. While there are plenty of photos on Long's Instagram from before mid-September and after late November, there's a significant gap during the fall, when the season was filmed. In a photo posted on Sept. 16, the caption includes the line "an epic journey begins!" Long has not made any additional comments on Instagram about her role on The Bachelor.
Luyendyk, 36, previously appeared on Season 8 of The Bachelorette, when he almost proposed to Emily Maynard (now Emily Maynard Johnson) and was rejected. In the six years since then, he's focused on his real estate career outside of the spotlight.
Luyendyk was not the most obvious choice for the role of The Bachelor. A vocal majority of fans backed former The Bachelorette contestant Peter Kraus, who chose not to propose to Rachel Lindsay in Season 13. Lindsay later accepted a proposal from Bryan Abasolo.
The Bachelor premieres Monday, Jan. 1 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.
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