What would The Bachelor be without people we all love to hate? You don’t need The Bachelor spoilers to tell you every season has one.
Nick Viall, the one doling out the roses this year, knows what that’s like to be on the other side – and in the crosshairs of Bachelor Nation.
For that reason, he’s defending Corinne Olympios, the blonde Florida native already anointed as the “villain” this season on the show.
It only took one episode, or maybe even one montage.
Corinne, in her Bachelor premiere intro, revealed that she runs her family’s business – a multi-million dollar one, FYI – but she also still has a nanny.
She’s single, mind you, and lives with her parents.
Later, she made it clear that she didn’t come here to make friends when she stole the first kiss from Nick, and was quite proud of herself.
Then there was the preview that aired after the rose ceremony in which she proclaimed, “My heart is gold, but my vagine is platinum.”
Yes, for real. In the context of bragging that her sexual skills are elite level and that she was going to bang Nick at her earliest convenience.
It was quite something.
If you ask Nick Viall about it, however, he has a much kinder – or at least more measured, and nuanced – view of the Corinne situation.
“I don’t see things in black and white. I’m more of a grey kind of guy,” Nick tells E! News, reflecting on his very own franchise experience.
“Everyone knows that in the traditional sense, I was a villain on Andi’s season at least, and by some people’s standards, Kaitlyn’s season.”
“I don’t necessarily agree with that, but I am someone who is assertive, who goes for what they want, and Corinne is someone who does that.”
“You can take it either way,” he continues.
“I don’t think Corinne was in any way disrespectful [this season]. She took a risk and she went for it, and I think she is also funny.”
Nick does acknowledge this, though:
“At the same time, everyone makes mistakes, and I think you’ll see Corinne’s journey as she kind of navigates through that.”
As for Corinne’s determination to sleep with Nick, again, he knows that’s a complicated part of relationships, Bachelor-style.
“Having been in Bachelor world and kind of having been associated with sex and the timing of it,” he says, was enlightening.
“That’s something going into the season I wanted to make sure I learned from,” Nick explains, but well, things just happen.
“At the same time, I had to be able to explore these relationships and find out if this was someone who was right for me.”
He’s certainly explored a few relationships in his time.
Viall’s sexual exploits are second to none on the show, but it’s nice to know he’s self-aware enough not to criticize others for the same.
In fact, he defended Kaitlyn after she was slut-shamed on her season of The Bachelorette for admitting to having pre-Fantasy Suite sex.
Nick is nothing if not an equal opportunity hornball.
From Nick’s past with Liz Sandoz to his future with Corinne Olympios, Rachel Lindsay and others, this is going to be one great season.
One very awkward season.