‘Bachelor’ alum Nick Viall says show is ‘controlled environment’: ‘Feeling in love’ doesn’t always mean you are

Adriana Diaz
·2 min read
Nick Viall throughout his time as part of
Nick Viall, 43, has revealed what the reality shows taught him about finding love and how he's using that knowledge.
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Nick Viall has accepted his final rose.

The 43-year-old, who appeared on “The Bachelorette,” “Bachelor in Paradise” and “The Bachelor,” revealed what the reality shows taught him about finding love and how he’s using that knowledge.

Viall appeared on “The Bachelorette,” “Bachelor in Paradise” and “The Bachelor.” ABC
Viall appeared on “The Bachelorette,” “Bachelor in Paradise” and “The Bachelor.” ABC

“‘The Bachelor’ taught me that, sometimes feeling in love doesn’t always necessarily mean you are in love,” Viall told The Post.

“That is a show that obviously is a very controlled environment. It’s designed to elicit very strong emotions.”

But Viall noted that “strong emotions” are different from an “emotional connection.”

“It really takes time to build an emotional connection,” he said — something that the reality shows don’t offer.

Viall was runner-up on Andi Dorfman’s Season 10 of “The Bachelorette” in 2014, and returned for Season 11 for Kaitlyn Bristowe’s season.

In August 2016, he officially became the Bachelor and fell in love with Vanessa Grimaldi. They split the following year after a nine-month engagement.

“‘The Bachelor’ taught me that, sometimes feeling in love doesn’t always necessarily mean you are in love,” Viall told The Post. ©ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection
“‘The Bachelor’ taught me that, sometimes feeling in love doesn’t always necessarily mean you are in love,” Viall told The Post. ©ABC/Courtesy Everett Collection

After four stints on “Bachelor” series and many roses, Viall finally found love off-screen. He’s engaged to Natalie Joy, a surgical technologist who slid into his DMs, and they have a 2-month-old daughter.

Nearly a decade after he first entered Bachelor Nation, the reality TV star joined “The Millionaire Matchmaker” Patti Stanger on “The Matchmaker,” which premiered on the CW this week.

After four stints on “Bachelor” series and many roses, Viall finally found love off-screen. He’s engaged to Natalie Joy, a surgical technologist who slid into his DMs, and they have a 2-month-old daughter.
After four stints on “Bachelor” series and many roses, Viall finally found love off-screen. He’s engaged to Natalie Joy, a surgical technologist who slid into his DMs, and they have a 2-month-old daughter.

Despite his many years publicly searching for love, Viall credits most of his dating expertise to his time before joining the realm of reality TV.

“I think there’s always a perception that it usually came from my time on ‘The Bachelor,’ but I think a lot of it came from my personal relationships prior to ever going on TV,” Viall said of his romance IQ.

“I did a good job of making my dating life more difficult than it needed to be, and I’ve learned a lot of those tough lessons the hard way.”

Now happily in love with his soon-to-be wife and infant child, he’s happy to share what he learned.

“It’s been very rewarding to help people work through some problems on the show,” Viall said.