Fourth time wasn’t the charm for Nick Viall … but he makes for an entertaining Bachelor.
Bachelor Nation first met the Wisconsin native during Andi Dorfman’s season 10 of The Bachelorette, which aired in 2014. After finishing as the runner-up, Nick returned for Kaitlyn Bristowe’s season 11 of The Bachelorette. He subsequently made history when he came in second place for the second time. While Nick and Kaitlyn had a rocky relationship after she accepted a proposal from Shawn Booth, he proved they were back on good terms when he joked about his proposal airing on the Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons — Ever! in June 2020.
“It was like waving at someone who’s waving at the person behind … but million times worse. TBH I look back on this time of my life and have nothing but positive memories,” he wrote via Instagram. “I just didn’t think ABC would make us relive the entire failed proposal tomorrow night … It really was a season for the ages. You never know how you view things as time passes. Glad to be able to call KB a good friend!”
While Kaitlyn and Shawn called it quits in November 2018, Nick went on to appear on Bachelor in Paradise season 3. After forming a connection with Jen Saviano, Nick opted to leave the beach solo and fans were shocked when ABC named him the season 21 Bachelor. And while he found love with Vanessa Grimaldi, they called off their engagement several months after the 2017 finale.
Three years later, Nick reunited with several of his contestants to record Patreon episodes of his podcast.
“Seemingly those childish antics I cringe watching back, [but] it was great TV,” Nick said during an episode with runner-up Raven Gates, opening up about the “sex narrative” from the show. “I was fine with the edit, but it’s hard for me to watch back.”
He continued: “Even with Vanessa, we didn’t work out, but I was going to pick her. That’s who I fell for. I was nuts about her and I have no regrets about stuff like that. I had a hard time letting go and enjoying. I felt so responsible for everyone.”
Scroll through for an update on the biggest names from Nick’s season: (Spoiler alert: LOTS of influencers and stints on Bachelor in Paradise ahead.)