Corinne Olympios received The Bachelor's first group-date rose of the season, and now Nick Viall is explaining why he made that controversial choice.
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"I didn't want the target that was probably forming on her back to intimidate her to just be herself, and so that is why I wanted to give Corinne the rose," Nick wrote in his People blog.
Season 21's first group date featured 12 women modeling for a wedding-themed photo shoot in which Nick served as the groom. Some of the women were given wacky roles to play, like a pregnant bride for a "shotgun wedding" or a half-naked bride dressed in leaves pretending to be Adam and Eve, while a handful of women got stuck being bridesmaids.
The photographer gave Corinne, a 24-year-old "business owner" from Miami, FL, a white bikini to wear in the pool for a "beach wedding," but she made sure to top all of the other women with her sexuality.
"The biggest surprise of the day came when Corinne decided to take it up a notch --by taking her top off!" Nick wrote. "I was totally shocked."
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So was The Bachelor star shocked in a good way or a bad way?
"If anyone from Janet Jackson's camp is reading this, no disrespect, but I was not ready for that!" Nick admitted. "I love how assertive and bold Corinne is, I just never wanted to intentionally make the other women uncomfortable."
Corinne was selected as the woman who showed the most chemistry with Nick on the date, so she received some extra alone time with him as a prize.
During the night portion of the group date, the women fought for individual time with Nick, whether it be used for kissing or talking.
"After such a fun day, I was really looking forward to spending more one-on-one time with the women going into the afterparty," Nick said. "A handful of women continued to be assertive with their time, and none more than Corinne."
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Corinne interrupted Nick's discussions with other women on numerous occasions. She even lectured her competition about how everyone needed to be more aggressive since the show is about winning Nick's heart. Corinne's dating advice, however, only frustrated her fellow bachelorettes more.
"I appreciated her focusing on our relationship above everything else," Nick noted of Corinne. "Listen, I've been through this enough seasons to know that, at the time, she was probably ruffling feathers."
Nick was portrayed as a villain on both Andi Dorfman and Kaitlyn Bristowe's seasons of The Bachelorette. He clearly wasn't on the show to make friends, nor did he care if his actions were fair to the other guys.
"I know the value of group date roses -- they validate the person you give it to and add pressure to the people you don't," Nick explained.
Because Corinne already felt validated and tension was brewing between the bachelorettes and herself, Nick's decision to give the group-date rose to the blonde beauty proved very unpopular. Some home viewers are even condemning Nick for the decision.
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"I thought about the other women and how they might take it. And to be honest, sometimes you learn a lot more about a person when things aren't going as expected," Nick teased. "I was ready to answer any questions that might arise after my decision."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski