The Press Box - Ep. 258: ‘Bachelor Party’ With The Bachelor Nick Viall

Episode Date: February 14, 2017

The Ringer’s Juliet Litman sits down with the Bachelor, Nick Viall, to talk about being on the show four times (1:30), kissing in front of the other contestants (7:14), and his biggest surprise thus far(11:20). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to Bachelor Party. I'm Juliet Litman, and on the special Valentine's Day edition, I'm thrilled to have Nick Fial in studio. Last time he came by in August, it was right before he was announced as The Bachelor. So there's a ton to catch up on. But I couldn't go on without mentioning that I could not be happier that Rachel is the next Bachelorette. That girl totally, totally deserves it. Nick and I sat down shortly before the news was confirmed and he wasn't allowed to discuss it. But safe to say, next week's episode will have a lot of Rachel talk. She's going to be a great Bachelorette. it's huge that they finally cast someone who's black in that role. And I could not be more excited to watch her look for love. I know that a lawyer from Dallas is exactly what this show needs.

So I'm looking forward to it. We'll talk about it next week. And now let's get to The Bachelor himself, Mr. Nick Fiall. You're welcome, Nick. Hello, how are you? Well, thank you. That was very stiff. I don't think that's really what you meant to say.

I'm like, it's just a homecoming for you. Last time you were here, you weren't the Bachelor yet. I was not. So let's set the scene. It was August. It was, I think, two weeks before, you were announced as The Bachelor. Was it? Okay.

Did you know at the time when you came that you were The Bachelor? So are you sure? No, it's funny. I get it. I've always gotten a kick out of the conspiracy theories surrounding Bachelor World. Sure. Bachelor fans, I love them. They're very loyal.

But the conspiracy game is strong within Bachelor World. And while sometimes there might be some accurate ideas, most of the time they're fairly far-fetched. And things sometimes, well, a lot of things in Bachelor world often happen very quickly. Decisions are made in a moment's notice. They can change their mind. And so at that point when we met, I was very much like, you know, Kind of just enjoying Paradise. Sure.

It was very much my swan song, so to speak. Yeah, it seemed like you were, it's like your last hurrah. Yeah, I had no plans on doing Paradise. I reluctantly did it and ended up having a ton of fun. And at the point where we met, I was, to my surprise even, like this huge fan favorite. You know, like. Yeah, you were in the middle of a redemption tour. I mean, I wasn't even expecting that, but like I thought maybe I'd get a little bit of love.

But it was like, so, such a 180 from before. It was just fun. I was like, it was, you know, people watch Paradise, but it's a lot less, they're a lot less critical. For sure. Even the audiences wants to have more fun with it. It's like a joke that everyone's in on. Yeah, I mean, like, you include it. There's a serious aspect to it, but like, it's just more enjoyable.

So for me, I was like, this is fine. This is fun. I was focusing a lot of other things. And there was, even at that point, not only that I not know I was The Bachelor, there were zero discussions. You know, it wasn't like at that point, I didn't think I was going to be The Bachelor, but a couple of producers kind of threw up the idea just in case. Like, we didn't talk about it.

We didn't discuss it. There was no thought behind it. I had no, like everyone else, just assumed it was going to be Luke. Right. And had, I wasn't even thinking. I forgot about Luke. Like, I'm so happy he wasn't The Bachelor because I've already forgotten about him. Luke hasn't forgotten about Luke.

That's true. Luke also probably hasn't forgotten about almost being the Bachelor. Poor Luke. Yeah. Poor one out for Luke. I always get notified, like, when people will like things that I get mentioned in. And I always find some of Jejo's guys, like, that particular top tier. Sure.

Like, Robbie, Luke. Chase. Like, any time I see a tweet around like, oh, I wish it was so-and-so, they always seem to like it. And I'm thinking, like, it's just like. Well, there's hope for them, right? If you could become The Bachelor. Yeah. Although Chase is dating Tommy Laren, so it seems unlikely he'll be The Bachelor.

Is he? Yes. Little known fact that came out. They denied it. but it's probably true. That's what I've heard. What's the biggest thing that's changed in your life since I last saw you? Aside from the fact that you may or not be engaged, you don't need to comment on that. Yeah, spoiler-free zone.

Spoiler-free zone. Well, being the bachelor's kind of an overwhelming thing. Sure. Okay, but so related to that, like, what caught you the most by surprise with the experience? I don't think anyone, I don't think anything has caught me by a surprise, right? Like, having been a part of this world so long, I've not only kind of prepared myself through my own experiences, but I am friends with Chrysler. I am friends with Ben Higgins. I am friends with other people who have been the lead before. And I have talked with them enough to, like, hear their stories and experiences.

And so going into it, going into it, I kind of heard it all. And so while nothing surprised me, there was a lot of, like, they weren't kidding moments. This is tough. Things like that. And so it's just, again, Bachelor world and Bachelor nation is lovely and they're amazing and I'm so glad they're as loyal but they can be tough

and critical and it's just like it's it's a weird it's a very weird feeling being so well known for ultimately just living your life right right for in a very weird bubble in a very controlled environment

like I'm just living my life I'm just going about agreeing to be a part of something and being willing to just kind of be vulnerable with it and have that be documented. Right. And then trusting that other people are going to show that documentation in a way that I appreciate. Have you been happy with the show so far?

Yeah. What's it like watching it back? I mean, are you happy with it? Who cares about me? Yes, I've enjoyed it. It's been pretty good. I mean, it's been a lot of Corinne. Should we just talk about Corinne?

Are you sick of talking about Corinne? I mean, I don't care. This is your show. Oh, thank you. Yeah. Thank you for that reminder. Yeah. I think it's been a good season, but, like, it must be different watching yourself give ITMs as The Bachelor than as a contestant.

Yeah. I mean, again, like, you're always limited by time, right? And I think there's always, like, every cast member always wishes, it's like, oh, I want, why didn't they share that? Or why didn't they talk about that? Or, like, I, you know, like, I explained myself better. And I appreciate it. I get it. But, like, there's just so little time.

It's not a personal thing. The show, like, and I think we talked about this last time. They truly try to do their best in telling the story that happens within the confines of focusing on two different stories, right? The relationship between the Bachelor and the women and then the relationship between the women in the house. Right. Okay. And the most compelling things are going to get aired. And so, like, sure, do I wish sometimes that, like, things I explain probably a little bit better might have been on there, but whatever.

Was there a moment so far where you're like? I wish they had shown this when I said X, Y, or Z? There's always moments. You're so diplomatic now that you're the bachelor. Yeah, I mean, it's... It's just like when Vanessa called me out for the bouncy castle thing. I loved Vanessa's approach to that. In fact, I was that much more attracted to her by her ability to kind of not be intimidated by the environment.

sure and not be worried about going home but doing in a way that was productive in the relationship I want to say when Ben was on the show a few weeks ago he was like I'm sure Nick liked her much more as a result of that he was he's absolutely right and obviously there were conversations there and I certainly had my response to it and I didn't necessarily agree with everything she said but also I appreciate everything she said from her point of view you know the thing about being the Bachelor is, like, yeah, you kiss people. You kissed a lot of people. I mean, I can assure you, I didn't kiss any more people more than Ben.

Are you sure? I'm positive. I don't know, Nick. But you do it in front of the other girls. Not true. What do you mean that true? I've seen it on television. I know what you saw.

Like, other than the first group date, right? Where the first group date where there's 12 women and it's the wedding date, right? And so the women show up. And again, like, I know what it's like to be on group dates. I know how weird they are. And so it's literally the first day of dating. It's the day after night one. Is that what that was?

Yeah. It's like the Saturday after, right? It's like the next day. I mean, the women don't know me. Right. Like, they don't know each other. Everyone's nervous. Everyone's like, oh, it's a group date.

This is super weird. And so I start the date off by saying, look, this is weird. Let's have some fun with it. Yeah. You had a good approach there. It was very nice. And so to my surprise, the women were incredibly asserted. And all they just start making out with me

in front of the other women. Now, this is the most difficult thing about The Bachelor you realize really fast is that every decision you make or not make, right? Like, you're almost always making one person happy while disappointing everyone else. Right.

And so, you know, I didn't know what to do, but even like, say, Corinne taking her top off. Sure. You looked uncomfortable. I was uncomfortable. But at the same time, I didn't want to make Corinne feel like she was doing something wrong. And in fairness to Corinne, right? She was just, she, the photographer was

very encouraging. She was trying to, you know, like, that was her version of just embracing the day. And like, yeah, sure, you can criticize her, but like, as the Bachelor, I wasn't going to be like, what are you doing? You know, like, imagine, like, being, you know, on an island in a world. And then the Bachelor is, like, lecturing you about, like, you know, being assertive when he just told you to, like, have some fun with it. And so, um, that. And so, um, that. And so, um, um, That's the difficult part. But as far as, again, like that bouncy castle thing, I'm aware that there's other women around,

but you can't go through it. Like, well, we can't kiss here, we can't kiss there. You try to make sure that you are alone, but people sometimes find their way into, like, what am I going to do? Right. And then what they decide to show, I have no control over, whether it's they're showing the kissing versus the conversation. Although that all happened,

what they focus on is entirely up to them. It doesn't make it not accurate, but it might be emphasized. Sure. Okay, you just brought up so many great things that we need to talk about. First of all, bouncy castle. Did you know that was there when Corinne brought you over? A lot of speculation on the logistics of the bouncy castle. Listen, I don't think I have to...

I'm not like... Diplomacy, Nick. This is so great. I don't think I'm breaking any, like, Bachelor Secrets by suggesting that Corinne didn't bring an inflatable bouncy castle with her on the trip. They didn't show this part, but when I walked in, she actually was waiting for me when I arrived at the mansion, and she told me she had a surprise for me. Okay. Well, what current, it really could have been anything. Yeah, I was like, oh, great. I'm very excited. Can't wait. This is going to be great. Do you generally like surprises? I actually hate surprises.

Really? That seems very tough to be on reality TV and hate surprises. It thrives on chaos. When people say I have a surprise or when people are like, hey, listen, can I tell you something? I immediately get nervous. And the Bachelor world is only made that worse. Right. I have this whole thing about like I hate surprise birthday parties. Have you ever had one? Yeah. It's funny. My mom is a huge fan of them. Okay. I gave her hard time. The whole premise of a surprise birthday party is you first have to disappoint that person by pretending that you don't care about their birthday. That's true. You have to like downplay it. Like you have to first make them feel bad before you can surprise them. I don't understand that. It's true. It's true. It's a real

close to your emotions. For my mom's 50th birthday parties, someone who loves surprise birthday parties. She is one of the most sensitive people in the world. She's wonderful. And for her feelings. And for her 50 birthday party, we're like, we'll surprise her. And she cried all day because, like, her brothers came in town. And she felt like her brothers came in town and forgot about her birthday. Oh, my God. Only to have a surprise. So she... Poor and it misses by all. So most of her day, she's crying. End up, like, yeah, she had a great time, but, like, that's... That's tough. I don't get it. I don't get it. I don't get it. But then the highs are so high to over shadows low. It's probably much like the bachelor.

Yeah, I guess. But, like, surprises? I don't know. I get, like, nervous. What was, like, the worst surprise that happened to you on the show? Other than getting broken up with twice in your entire time on The Bachelor. Oh, the whole thing. Yeah. Worst surprise you've encountered. The worst surprise. Can we just say biggest surprise?

Okay. It's a little less fun. Other than getting broken up with, because that's like the obvious. Yeah. Like whatever. And actually, great at this point. Sure. Yeah.

Hopefully you're engaged in happy. Probably like Liz showing up was the biggest surprise. Great. Should we dive into that? Yeah. Actually, what were your thoughts? You actually said something about how, How did you think I handled it? Let's just start there.

I can't wait for you or contract me over with ABC, and then we could, like, do this regularly. We can be fairly honest here. Okay, great. So save space, one might say. My thoughts about Liz. My thoughts about Liz were, first of all, she is smoking hot. She is really pretty. That was my first impression of her on night one. Love her dress. She's beautiful. Very nice smile. I think that she didn't handle herself very well. Okay. And that her explanations didn't make sense. And there's a lot of information she could have given you that I then learned, from Jade that might have helped explain why she never called you. I don't necessarily agree with everything Jade said, but.

Okay, well, Jade's wrapping for her. To totally get it. Totally, totally understand. And then subsequently, how did you feel like how I handled the situation? I thought you handled it pretty well. Pretty well? I think that the thing that I've learned about you the most on this show so far is that you wear all of your emotions on your face.

I know how you're feeling all the time based on the close-up shots of your face. Do you like that? I do like it because like you, surprise as him as making nervous. So I'm like, oh, I know how Nick feels. It's cool. So when you're not into someone, it's so obvious. Like when you're uncomfortable, it's so obvious. So like with Jasmine, when she was strangling

you, you obviously were just like, nah, get me out of here, and then you send her home. She was choking me. Yeah, she was choking you. I understand. It's awkward. Also, like, you didn't know her that well. It's, even if you did know her really well, it's like an uncomfortable situation. So, I think with Liz situation, I think you handled it pretty well and got rid of her pretty

quickly, but I also think that she could have just done a better job representing herself. Like, I think it's crucial information that she was dating someone in between the time that you met her and going on the show. Do you? Yeah. Why? Because that explains why she didn't seek you out. She wasn't available to, and then when she broke up with this dude, you were on TV.

And so she wanted to get in front of you again. She had to be part of the show. Fair enough, if that was actually, like, totally accurate. I mean, short... Well, I'm not here to sell her good name. literally the first time I heard it, but assuming she started dating this guy immediately after we met and then broke up shortly

before I was The Bachelor, then it still doesn't quite totally make sense. Sure. Yeah, it's tough, but I will say, it's just come up today that Vanessa has like a whole IMDB page where she's been on like three different shows. It's like, you know, like a lot of these

and I like Vanessa a lot. Totally pro-Vinessa. You know, they all have like weird quirks in their background. Not all of them. Totally. them where you're like, well, I don't know why she's here. I've been on the show four times, right? Like, so...

The only thing that we've heard more on this season than Jane Tanner's wedding is that Nick's been on this show four times. It's not my favorite thing. They have a way of wanting them to remind people of certain things. I don't get it. But it is what it is. But yeah, like I've never, and I've said this before, I even said this to Liz. I'm not a big right reasons kind of guy.

I think it's often a very convenient thing people use against each other. that world, right? I think it is insane to show up on this show for the first time saying, I am absolutely here only to find love. That's a lie, right? Right. Like, you have to be there to like open to it. You have to be open to the possibility. It is a weird thing. And when I showed up on my season for Andy, I got asked to be on it. I was very nervous. I thought it was a very weird thing. I knew nothing about. And I saw a picture of Andy and watched her in Juan Pablo season and thought, this looks like a really good looking girl. She's dope. She's seen. She seems cool.

I think I would be attracted to her. Sure. And then saying, okay, if I agree to do this, because I'll probably get to travel if I stay on and there'll be, I don't know anything about TV, this is probably going to be cool, right? But, like, you have to be open to it. Yeah, you have to be open to it. So you have to say, like, I, I, you can't show up and be like, I'm just here for TV and I'm like going to fake it. You have to, like, be open to it. And I was.

And so when I met Andy, like, then I met her and I'm like, oh, crap. and I really liked her, right? And so I think for the people, like, for all the women who showed up, I don't really care. Like, it's normal for them to be curious about it, as long as they were open to getting to know me. Liz was very different because we had the preexisting relationship. It had nothing to do with thinking, oh, like, it's kind of cool because, like, look what happened to my friend Jade. And all the things she's been able to do as a result of her in Tanner falling in love, Janer. Janer.

Yeah, everyone says that. But, like, the situation was different because we had that pre-existing relationship. And so, and I could relate because while the situation was very different with Caitlin in terms of why I showed up, like, I at least knew that if I were going to show up, I was going to open myself up to different types of questions that the other guys would get. That I was going to have to prepare myself to answer those questions, that Caitlin might have questions, that the guys might have questions. And so I just like people to own things. And, like, I don't really care about, like, whether Liz was dating someone or not. For me, it was just if she had just showed up and said, listen, I know we met, and I know you haven't heard from me. I know that you asked my number.

I know I didn't give it. And quite honestly, I wish I did give it to you. Yeah. That was the weirdest thing that, the weirdest thing is that she didn't give you her number and then didn't, like, try to text you. Actually, it's not even that word that she didn't give me her number. I think it's a little weird. I actually think, I mean, if she was interested in you, maybe in that moment, it's not that weird. that she didn't give it to you.

But if she was interested in you, she could have gotten it and texted you or called to you or whatever. She felt like, you know, like, it was a crazy night. And we were both kind of like... It sounds like it was a really fun wedding. It was fine. But like, true that she did live in a different city. It's not like I asked for a number because I thought we were going to like start dating.

Sure. It's like the courteous thing to do after you hook episode one. I didn't know. I had just, like, she seemed like a nice girl. So it was like, hey, and she's like... And I was like, okay, great, fine. And if she just owned it and said, like, I'm taking a chance here.

That was the biggest problem, right? Like, right when she got out of the limo, you guys should have addressed being to each other. That was the biggest thing. But that's on both of you, because you could have said, oh, we met. Sure, I could have, but at the same time, fair criticism,

but I had met 14 women before that. And I recognized right away. And on the off chance that I was wrong, that maybe it's just someone who looks just like Liz. And I was like, hey, it's good to see you. And she's like, huh? That could have been really bad. That would have been great TV, though.

I would have loved it. All right. Well, that was, Liz is so long ago. Let's, let me talk about Fran. Hey, we're going to take a quick break to talk about my sponsor today, SimplySafe. As important as home security is, it shouldn't come at the expense of signing our life away via a confusing long-term contract. Thankfully, there's a smarter way to protect your home. Simply Safe home security. These are the guys I trust. Built by a Harvard-educated engineer to make you safer, SimplySafe provides professional monitoring with police dispatch. so your home is safe around the clock. Plus, it's wireless and portable.

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It's unbeatable protection, great value and there are no contracts. So protect your home the smart way. Visit simplysafe.com slash ringer to get 10% off your system today. Go now that's simply safe.com slash ringer. Well, that's night's episode. Corinne pulled a nick and she goes back to your hotel room. I mean, thank you for giving me the credit of that it's a Nick.

Sure. The show's been around for a really long time and other people have snuck over. That's true. However, yours with Caitlin was very much. like... Oh, actually, no, I snuck over on Andy's season. I did not sneak over on Caitlin's season. You're right.

The date ended back in Kalin's. Kailen invited me back to her room. I had, there was no sneaking around. You're right, my bad. Okay. Let's just get things straight. You're right. Thank you.

That's important fact check. But what I was referring to was that on Katelyn's season, you guys were not in Ireland. That was the interminable Ireland visit that I'll never get over. And you end up back in her room. Get over or forget? It's just so crazy that the whole season was in Ireland. It was so random.

It was weird. Anyway. I'll never go back. Not because it's not lovely. Yeah, it's lovely there. It's just too much for me. I'll never forget the shot of like you and what's the name, Sean, like just like hating each other at that lovely hotel.

Anyway, what happened last night is you're in your hotel room, apparently having a nightcap on your own. Corinne comes over and she pulls you into the bedroom. I guess you have a suite and classic reality TV. The door is closed. Tight shot on the door. and all we hear is your mics. Correct.

Number one, why don't you take your mics off? Well, my mic... We've talked about that before. My mics were off on Kailin' season. Right. No, let's talk about the Korean. Caitlin's old news. A lot in Bimini, which looked amazing, by the way.

Well, again, like, going back to as The Bachelor, you're constantly juggling, being in the moment with each of the women and trying to focus on that relationship and not forgetting that you have other relationships, right? And like, as The Bachelor, I was always encouraging the women to try to find more time, to be assertive.

And again, like, that is because, like, I'm one guy and I can only do so much. But it's really, unfortunately, up to the women to try to move these relationships forward a lot. And so, you know, when Corinne shows up, I'm thinking, okay, I'm surprised, but, okay, good for you. Like, take a chance.

Like, there's nothing. wrong with that late in the game to take a chance. And so you're kind of just always seeing where things go. At no time that evening was I planning on anything physical happening. So for me, there was no reason to take my mic off. Okay. Right. It just wasn't going to happen.

And so that's why we did it. Sure. Okay. And then per the episode, maybe it's wrong, the way it's portrayed is you guys didn't really go very far. Perhaps could have even gone further in the bouncy castle for all we know. I think it's safe to say that we'd went further on the bouncy castle. Like literally nothing happened.

Like certainly we kissed a little bit. And, you know, I don't know what she had in mind. Obviously, like, I'm not privy to, like, the ITMs and things she's talking about. You've certainly seen the clip now. Yeah, like we kissed. And before things really got started, I just said, hey, let's just slow down. But at the same time, I didn't want her to feel. feel like she didn't think wrong. She didn't do anything wrong. I don't know what fans are saying,

but like there's nothing wrong with her trying to find more time and focusing on our relationship. It's not her. That was like of the least wrong things that she did. Like it's not her concern to worry about the other relationship. That's my concern. Like that is the bachelor. That's my job, not her job. So she did nothing wrong. It just, it was up to me to say, hey, listen, not only do it, are there other relationships? I made the mistake of moving. moving things too fat. Things get very complicated. Like, had something gone down, and I'm not even talking all the way.

Like, maybe we went to second base. It could be very confusing for her to process, like, what happened, thinking maybe I'm going to be very confident, but, like, who knows? And so it just, it wasn't the time or the place. Very considerate, Nick. How did I do? I think you did well. Certainly seemed like you had learned from your own experiences.

But I think you also, Karen is just so loaded. as a viewer, right? So I'm very curious. At this point, you've had Taylor, you've had Raven, you've had other people tell you that, like, Corinne isn't here for the right reasons or whatever. Yeah, I don't really. Did that, like, penetrate for you? Like, did that... Not even a little. Okay.

I mean, like, again, like, I... Nothing against the other women, but it's a total conflict of interest. It's... Um, and for any time, like, throughout the history of the show, every cast member at some, point, especially if they had a promise someone else has asked, well, I mean, did it come from a place of jealousy? Right.

And no one's ever said yes, and everyone is lying. Right. Like, if you're not jealous of someone dating the same person that you claim that you really, really like, then you're a liar. Sure. You know, like, and so it all comes from a place of insecurity. It all comes from a place of jealousy. The whole show is based on that.

It's an environment that is beautifully designed to, like, elicit those emotions. And, like, it's up for me to decide. like whether I want to date someone like Corinne or not, right? And it's up for me to decide whether I want to date someone like Taylor or not, or Vanessa, or Rachel or not. And, like, relationships move at a different pace. And so I was fully aware of what Corinne was doing. And granted, like, you get to see something.

What does that mean of what she was doing? Like, to you, like, what does that mean? Well, truly, I don't really think she was doing much, right? Sure. You get to see, like, even the bouncy castle thing. Like, again, I was also slightly uncomfortable there. It wasn't like, oh, a balancing. Castle, you thought the weight of my heart. It was like, okay, whatever, you know. But this is, like,

this is someone who, like, constantly asserted herself and went out of her way. And just the simple fact that she did that, it was like, okay, like, she took her chance, either whether she brought a bouncy castle or not, or she had a conversation with a producer saying, like, can we do something? Like, when I got Annie Flowers, I had the idea to get Annie Flowers. And then it was up to me to be like, can we get her flowers? You know, and they're like, great. So Karen had to be like, can I get some ready with? I don't know. Like, again, I'm sure she probably said, and I have, you know, like, I don't know, like, the behind the scenes. You can't bring aerosols in your luggage, so you know she had to ask for it, you know? Yeah, but I'm guessing, like, she continued to try to find ways to.

Sure, she did. And so, like, I appreciate that. And so, like, whether you agree with, whether that's something you would do in a relationship or not, like, I think we can all agree that Corinne hasn't done anything wrong. She just, I think when she's not around you, I mean, as far as I can tell on TV, most of your time together spent, like, making out. And so. Yeah, we also have a lot of great conversations. Okay, cool. Well, she has not had a lot of great conversations with the women, but I actually think that's somewhat a result of editing because last night's episode, Rachel's actually very, like, kind to her. And it actually seems like the women who were left kind of like her.

I don't think, I don't think they hate her in the same way. I have a very accurate statement that Corinne had a lot of friends in the house, especially towards the ad. Yeah, you can tell. I think you're seeing that. Yeah. The show is never really makes a big deal to talk about the friendships. Yeah, I could tell. It's just not something they focus on.

That doesn't mean they don't exist. Right. And so, yeah, I mean, so when the women come up to me and say, hey, I want to tell you something, you always have to take it with a great assault. Sure. Right. And again, it's up, it's up for me to decide. This whole show is based off of me finding someone and finding someone to potentially get engaged to.

So as a 36-year-old, I have to make my own decisions, you know? And I can't be like, so do you, I mean, I know we really like each other, but do you think I should date so-and-so? Like, what do you think? You know? And so I take it with a great assault. And so whatever I decided to do, ultimately it's up for me to decide if this ends with me in a relationship. You're the decider, that's what you're saying. If this ends with me in a relationship, it has to be because all my decisions came from me.

Yeah, because, like, you know, Taylor took a class. It doesn't think that, you know, I'm emotional. shots it, Taylor. I love Taylor. But like, you know. All right. We all have a few minutes left. Let me get you some quick hitting questions.

Okay. Well, this one is not quick hitting, but just, you know, we'll move along. How did you find out who won the presidential election? Because you were recording the show when it went down. I was not in the country. Okay. I won't say where, but I mean, it's whatever. I'm sure it's out there, but I'm just not going to say.

I haven't researched it, but I will find out. It was interesting. How did you find out? The local news. Really? Just like in a hotel turned on the TV. Yeah. I was surprised.

Okay. And it was interesting getting the perspective. It was very fascinating, being outside of the United States and getting the perspective of that nation's response to it. Did you discuss it with the women? No. You weren't like, are you, would you have been allowed to like, hey, guys, Donald Trump is the new president? Again, there's a lot of conversations that happen that aren't relevant to. TV, right? All the time. And I'm not just talking about politics. Sometimes there's clearly talk

about religion and things like that. There's also like talk about like favorite colors, which aren't interesting TV. You know, like, there's a lot of mundane things, blue. Okay. We're kind of matching, both wearing black jeans and denim shirts. Yeah, there's a lot of mundane conversations that happen. Okay. Um, personally, I'm not a big political guy. I have my own beliefs, right? Um, I like to see arguments on both sides of stuff. I'm, I'm more than okay with being in a relationship with someone who has opposing viewpoints that I have in life.

Got it. Interesting. That's just fascinating to me. Glad to know that you found out from the news. How interesting. It was a very fascinating thing. Okay. Cool.

All right. These are a couple of fast ones. Best place you've been to and you're four times on The Bachelor. Minus this season or what we've seen this season? What we've seen so far. So through Bimini, so. Probably Venice, Italy.

I mean, that's a really unique place. Italy's great, romantic. Hard to beat that. That was with Andy, right? It was. Okay. What's been your best celebrity encounter with a fellow celebrity outside of Bachelor Nation? I met Howard Stern last week.

Oh, nice. And he found out I was in the building, and I wasn't scheduled to do an interview with him, and then he asked to have me on. Wow. So it was very surreal. I was very flattered, and he's probably... He's the great, one of the great interviews of all time. I mean, he's just, whether you like him or dislike him, he's fairly legendary. Oh, yeah, for sure.

I think that one pops off the top of my head. What's the biggest perk of being The Bachelor? The chance at finding love? Oh, my gosh. Other than that. Did you just throw up in your mouth a little bit? A little bit, yeah, a little bit. I will, it's hard to sometimes appreciate all the great things that come with being the Bachelor

while you're the Bachelor because there's so much pressure around, well, first of all, like, You know you're not supposed, like, you know, like, it's just not good to live on the internet and read comments. And I've gotten pretty good at not, but it's, like, you, and I got a lot of great support. But there's everyone's very, like, as the Bachelor, and I think even Ben would speak to this. Like, every decision you make, everyone has an opinion on it. Sure. And so, like, every time he's keeping Olivia around, Ben Higgins heard about it, you know? You know, when he told Jojo and Lauren that he was in love with him, he heard about it.

and people are very vocal. Sure. Look at me. I've been mean to you for years. I mean, I know. Like, even things like just being in the public eye, public eye, going out with friends. You know, I get, most of the time people come up to be like,

are you having any fun? And quite honestly, I'm just always very nervous about perception and, you know, everyone's the paparazzi with her camera phone. And not that I'm doing anything wrong or having bad intentions, is that people are tend to looking to see what you do. and kind of glorify every move. So not being used to it, you get a little paranoid, you get a lot of anxiety.

And so sometimes it's hard to enjoy truly being The Bachelor while you're The Bachelor. The summary of that response is it's not fun to be The Bachelor. That's a bad question to end on. So I'm going to... I'm very thankful, though. Everything's great. You seem pretty happy.

Yeah, I mean, it's fine, but it's like little moments, right? Like there's little moments I have, like Howard Stern, where you have to remind yourself be like, okay, of all the things that I've stressed me out today, that was cool and that was amazing. Like being on TV, like, it's cool, but like it's kind of lost on me because I've been on a few times. But like, when there was a massive billboard in Times Square of me, I was like, that is the coolest thing I've ever seen. Like, that will never happen to me again. And like, it's moments like that where I go, wow, that's, that was really cool.

Like, that was a moment, like for the rest of my life, I think Times Square, they put a picture of me up. Like, that's insane. So it's stuff like that where I appreciate. Okay, final question, one word answer. Of all of the women on your season, minus the final six who are still on, who do you most want to see in paradise this summer? Can you repeat the question? Of all the women from your season, minus the final six, who do you most want to see in

paradise this summer? Well, there's only four now. Last night we got down to four, you're right. Minus the top four. Who do you want to see in paradise? Well, Alexis is an obvious. Obvious, Alexis. Right, so I feel like that's...

She's a shark. All right, Alexis, that's a great answer. I agree with you. But that's like an obvious. Okay. One more. Jasmine? I mean, I think she should be fine.

She's not your pick. Come on. You've got a good one. Christina? I think Christina would, you know, would be fantastic. But like fun. Someone on par with Alexis.

I mean, Josephine would certainly be interesting. Oh, Josephine. All right, I take it. We didn't get enough out of her. Okay, cool. She didn't have a second life in paradise now. Nick, thanks for joining me on Valentine's Day. It's very special.

Happy Valentine's Day. I hope that you found love. Thank you. Do you have a Valentine's? I don't, you know? Maybe we can hang out because you can't hang out with your girl if you have one. Yeah, maybe. Those are the rules.

Anything's possible. Okay. Thanks again. I'm Julietette Lipman. This has been Bachelor Party. This is Nick by all, and happy Valentine's Day, everyone. I'll be back next week.