Clint Arlis was a contestant on Kaitlyn Bristowe’s season of ‘The Bachelorette’ in 2015.
The Breakdown
Instagram: @turtleconvertible
Season: The Bachelorette Season 11 (Kaitlyn Bristowe)
Relationship Status: In a relationship
What They Do: Architectural engineer
Follow For: Nature pics and the occasional photo with fellow Bachelor Nation members.
Bachelor Biography
Clint Arlis joined Bachelor Nation as a suitor on Kaitlyn Bristowe’s season of The Bachelorette in 2015. Arlis, an architectural engineer from Illinois, made an initial impression on Bristowe when he gifted her a caricature of host Chris Harrison. He ended up snagging the first one-on-one date of the season.
“When we talked the first night, you were somebody who I thought was obviously an intelligent guy, and you had your stuff together, and you have a great personality,” Bristowe said of Arlis.
Arlis and Bristowe did an underwater photoshoot for their first date. Though they kissed on the date, Arlis seemed to form a stronger connection with someone else as the season went on–fellow contestant JJ Lane.
“I feel like I’ve connected with JJ probably more than Kaitlyn right now because we’re just so similar. It’s actually absolutely insane, I never thought that I would meet someone like that here,” Arlis said. “We’ve grown very close—almost too close I think, at times, in the room and stuff like that, and in the shower.”
The other guys in the house quickly caught onto Arlis and Lane’s bromance.
“Clint and JJ are two peas in a pod. They’re chilling by the pool, cooking together and just eating or whatever, sitting on the couch,” said Justin Reich. “There’s some deep love going on between Clint and JJ.”
Not all of the men in the house were fans of the duo’s relationship, however.
“I honestly think that they’re so into each other that they just honestly are blind, they don’t know what they’re doing,” Joe Bailey said. “I think they’re just all about each other. Not Kaitlyn.”
Arlis and Lane’s controversial relationship came to a head at a pre-rose ceremony cocktail party in week three. Arlis apologized to Bristowe for not paying enough attention to her, but his sit down interview conveyed ulterior motives.
“I’m not really interested in Kaitlyn but I need a rose tonight,” he said. “I love JJ. I feel like I’ve connected with JJ more than Kaitlyn and I want to stay here, so it absolutely made me want to fight for this more.”
Ultimately, other men in the house went to Bristowe with concerns about the duo’s motives, and Arlis was sent home that night. Lane stayed, and ended up getting into a fight with Arlis before he left.
While the show heavily teased the bromance as a potentially romantic relationship, Arlis and Lane were just friends, which resulted in some public scrutiny.
“It was downright offensive for Clint and JJ to act like being gay is some hilarious joke,” one People magazine reporter wrote. “Is heterosexual masculinity really so fragile that close male friendships have to be laughed off as being ‘gay.’”
TMZ also reported that the guys played up the bromance storyline in order to garner more screen time, and The Washington Post criticized the episode as being “contrived” and “fake” due to over-editing.
Despite the drama, Bristowe was able to laugh it off in an interview after the show.
“Honestly, I was watching being like, ‘Why didn’t Clint treat me like that?’” she joked. “He was so good to JJ, so loyal.”
Where is he now?
Despite exiting The Bachelorette on a rocky note, Arlis is still great friends with Lane. Arlis was there to celebrate his bromance buddy on his wedding day in March, where Lane married Kayla Hughes. Arlis also attended his bachelor party in January.
Arlis is now living in Chicago and is in a relationship with his longtime girlfriend, Fiona.
