The Bachelor alum Nick Viall has criticized Joey Graziadei for being a "people pleaser" and not making truly "authentic" decisions when narrowing down his cast of bachelorettes.
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According to Nick, who starred on The Bachelor's 21st season after two failed attempts to find love on The Bachelorette and one stint on Bachelor in Paradise, Joey is taking "the easy way out" by waiting to eliminate women at formal Rose Ceremonies.
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"I was really bummed -- and I'm going to critique Joey here -- I wanted him to send [Rachel Nance] home. It's nothing against Rachel. It's just, like, up until her one-on-one, I didn't remember her," Nick, 43, said on the Thursday, February 15 episode of his "The Viall Files" podcast.
"It seemed like they had a really strong connection after the date, but no one has been sent home outside of a Rose Ceremony. There has been no traumatic exit."
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Nick said Sydney Gordon's exit in Malta doesn't count because Joey let her go during a two-on-one date, when only one rose was available to give out. (Joey opted to give the two-on-one date rose to Maria Georgas instead).
"Joey hasn't sent anyone home outside of the format of the show... On a two-on-one, you have to send someone home. I mean, you don't have to, because technically there are no rules, but that's the format of the show," Nick complained.
"Everyone else has gone home on a Rose Ceremony," he continued.
"There's been no interaction where Joey is sitting down with someone, they're having some sort of conversation, and in that moment, Joey's like, 'You know what? You're not my person. No offense. You seem lovely, but I just don't think there's a fit here.'"
Nick apparently wants to see Joey send a woman home in the spirit of "just being honest," and "not because anything traumatic... or dramatic" is happening.
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Nick said he desperately wants to watch Joey spontaneously decide -- and acknowledge to the bachelorette's face -- that she's simply not his person.
"But it's hard to do," Nick admitted, thinking back on his own The Bachelor season.
"I did that a lot, and I just thought it would be more authentic. But to me, that's just Joey, the people pleaser, wanting to be kind of nice."
Nick praised Joey saying, "It comes across as super nice. It very much does."
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But then Nick added, "It's less authentic. It's also the easy way out. It's much easier to not give someone a rose than to actually say, 'Hey listen, I just don't think this is it. Can I walk you out?'"
Nick reasoned, "There's just no way he's having all of these one-on-ones and realizing with all of these women that there's a strong connection. And to me, when a Bachelor or Bachelorette doesn't send anyone home outside of the format of the show, it makes their actual connections seem a little less authentic."
Nick confessed it's just "a personal gripe" he's been dealing with.
"It's time for an awkward, messy breakup. It's time for, 'I need to cry while walking you out' -- a sad [scene]. Right now, it's just like [Autumn Waggoner] walks away and, 'Oh, bye!'"
All of Joey's one-on-one dates on The Bachelor so far have ended with the women receiving roses.
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On The Bachelor's two-night event earlier this week, Joey denied Sydney a rose during her two-on-one date, and then Joey ousted Allison Hollinger and Edwina Dorbor at the Rose Ceremony in Malta.
After Joey and his bachelorettes traveled from Malta to Spain, Joey eliminated Autumn and Madina Alam at the Rose Ceremony.
The Bachelor star and his remaining ladies will be shown traveling to Montreal, Canada for the next round of dates when Episode 6 airs Monday, February 19 at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.
For Nick's part, he is currently engaged to a surgical technician outside of Bachelor Nation, Natalie Joy, and the pair just welcomed a baby girl together.
When Nick starred on The Bachelor in 2017, his season ended in March 2017 with Nick getting engaged to Vanessa Grimaldi. They announced their split months later in August 2017.
Prior to The Bachelor, Nick had competed for Andi Dorfman's heart on The Bachelorette's tenth season followed by Kaitlyn Bristowe's The Bachelorette season in 2015.
Nick also appeared on Bachelor in Paradise's third season and Season 2 of Special Forces: World's Toughest Test.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
Click here to learn more about Joey's The Bachelor bachelorettes or click here to read spoilers that reveal how Joey's season ends and who he picked as his winner.
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