Hometown visits are as tried-and-true of a Bachelor tradition as rose ceremonies or country music concert dates. These hometown dates are a make-or-break moment for Bachelor romances, as it expands the scope of the relationship beyond the two suitors…
Hometown visits are as tried-and-true of a Bachelor tradition as rose ceremonies or country music concert dates. These hometown dates are a make-or-break moment for Bachelor romances, as it expands the scope of the relationship beyond the two suitors, and brings their family into the mix. While Arie may be looking forward to visiting Kendall’s hometown and her parents on The Bachelor, will they be as happy to meet him?
When Arie lands in Los Angeles, he’ll be meeting Kendall’s twin sister Kylie, her younger brother Colton, and their parents Bob and Michele. While Arie and Kendall have gotten along pretty well over the course of their time together on The Bachelor, the true test of their relationship will be meeting the parents. Kendall works as a set dresser in Hollywood, and similarly to how Arie entered race car driving after his father did, it seems that Kendall inherited a knack for the entertainment industry from her own father.
According to Kendall’s school athletic bio, her parents are Bob and Michele Long. A quick search for a Bob Long turns up Kendall’s father’s LinkedIn. According to that, Bob has worked in entertainment for over 30 years and has spent most of that time working for companies related to Disney. In 1984 he started working with Walt Disney Imagineering as a Visual Arts Manager, and today works as a sourcing specialist for the Walt Disney Studios. In a statement to Bustle, Bob Long spoke for his family in saying that they are « very proud of Kendall and the way she has carried herself on the show. » (Side note: How cool must it have been to grow up with a dad who worked at Disney?)
While her father works directly in entertainment, Kendall’s mom followed a different path. Michele Long has her own jewelry company called Beautiful Soul Jewelry, which promises to have « jewelry for the enlightened. » The Beautiful Soul Jewelry website explains that Michele Long takes » inspiration from age-old cultures and the timeless wisdom of creative and spiritual leaders. » Bob Long confirmed to Bustle that Beautiful Soul does not have a brick-and-mortar store, and explains that all of Michele’s jewelry is one-of-a-kind. The contact page for the website lists Bob’s name too, so it seems he works on that company in tandem with Michele as well. Kendall and Kylie are part of the family jewelry business as well, seen modeling their mother’s jewelry on the Beautiful Soul Facebook page.
While seeing Arie meeting his possible future father-in-law and mother-in-law is the marquee event of this hometown visit, he’ll also be spending some time with Kendall’s siblings, and possibly the family’s two rescue dogs, Odin and Bimini. Rounding out the family, Bob Long tells Bustle that Kendall’s brother Colton attends UC Davis and is a Managerial Economics major.
Meeting the potential in-laws could be seen as a final obstacle towards a Bachelor relationship, if Kendall’s family is ready to embrace and welcome Arie, it could help make up for lost time between the race car driver and the amateur taxidermist. Compared to the three other women that are getting hometown visits, Kendall was the last suitor of the final four to get a real date with him (and it was a two-on-one), meaning that she’s arguably had the least amount of time to get to know Arie of the four.
Kendall’s hometown visit is the best chance that Kendall will have to show Arie who she really is. While there are surely going to be some differences between Arie and the family (as there are differences between all sets of people), both parties will be able to bond over their shared interest in Kendall’s well-being, if nothing else.
