February 11, 2026 pillow talk
Ariel Frenkel Opens Up About Being Single and the Dating Trend She Secretly Hates
Keeping it real.
Bachelor Nation fans first met Ariel Frenkel when she looked for love on Season 27 of “The Bachelor.”
Since her time on the show, Ariel has continued to keep fans updated on her life through social media.
And over the past few years, she’s been spending time with family, friends, and her fellow Bachelor Nation alums.
Now, the Bachelor Nation star is dishing on being single and revealing the dating trend she secretly hates.
While answering fan questions on her Instagram Story, one follower asked Ariel how she manages being single, to which the Bachelor Nation star answered honestly.
She said, “The problem is the question. It treats being single like something to manage… as if a relationship is the cure. Being single isn’t a flaw. It’s a phase of becoming. Don’t rush through it. Learn from the loneliness, the almost-connections, the freedom of answering only to yourself. One day you’ll realize this was the chapter that shaped you and wish you’d lived it, instead of waiting for someone who didn’t exist yet.”
Ariel continued and opened up about her dislike for emotional extremes within the dating world.
She said, “The way dating has normalized emotional extremes instead of emotional responsibility. We casually use terms like love bombing and situationships as if naming the behavior makes it acceptable. One overwhelms, the other avoids, but both bypass real care.”
Ariel went on, revealing how dating has changed over the past six years and how it can be different.
“Since 2020, dating feels less relational and more strategic,” she said. “People protect leverage instead of building understanding. I’m not exempt. I know how to play the game well, and I use the language. But culture shifts when people decide to move differently. Dating doesn’t have to be about power it can be about connection and empathy again.”
We appreciate Ariel’s vulnerability, and we’re so proud of how open she is with her followers. We know she’s going to find the connection she’s looking for!
