Nick Viall has been both praised and criticized for calling The Bachelorette star Andi Dorfman out on unflattering behavior during Monday night's After the Final Rose special.

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Andi had dumped Nick, the tenth season's runner-up, for fellow suitor Josh Murray, who ended up proposing to the show's star. Andi shockingly revealed she had never loved Nick even though it took her until the morning of her engagement to decide which man was the right person for her. However, Nick called Andi out for having "made love" to him in the fantasy suite, which sincerely seemed to confuse him.

A devastated Nick has expressed he's still not completely over his "true love" in Dorfman yet he's hopefully on the road to mending his broken heart and moving on. Meanwhile, Dorfman has acknowledged she's never been happier in her life.

During a Tuesday conference call with reporters, Nick, a 33-year-old software sales executive from Chicago, IL, talked to Reality TV World about his The Bachelorette experience. To read what he had to say, click here. Below is another portion from his interview.

We saw you try to confront Andi at The Men Tell All. Did you plan that or did ABC ask you to fly out?

Nick Viall: I, you know, as we kind of talked about last night -- [Chris Harrison] and I -- I reached out to Harrison through my contacts. I mean, I don't have his phone number, but I just wanted to talk to him. And I knew the rules in terms of, I was going to have to wait until AFR, and I truly wanted to respect the process, so I didn't make any attempt to reach out to her directly.

But I did, as I mentioned last night, I was really hoping to have an opportunity to speak with her directly and not have to wait for 10 weeks. Because I had these real emotions and feelings about the situation, and I wanted the opportunity to express them to her. So, when I made that request, they then suggested to come out at that point and do it then. It was my idea, but then logistically, that's how it got set up.

Any regrets about going to The Men Tell All?

Nick Viall: No, no. I mean, I really appreciated Harrison being willing to give her that letter. It certainly said things that were important to me, and I wanted to, again, express to her how she made me feel and how important it was to me and that I wasn't upset and I wished her well. But at the same time, it was a very special relationship. And so, I wanted an opportunity to express that to her. So, no regrets about that.

Can you sum up your feelings about the whole The Bachelorette experience at this point?

Nick Viall: (Laughs) You know, overall, I don't have regrets about the experience at all. I came in, you know, a lot was made of my skepticism, and I don't know if I was necessarily as skeptical as that -- I just tried to be very realistic about it. I know it's a very extraordinary situation and, in many ways, the whole process is an unrealistic way of finding love.

But once I was in the process and once I was there and I had met Andi, I developed these incredibly real feelings for her. And everything I did was about trying to make that experience as real as possible whether it was me giving her flowers or, you know, not waiting for one of the other guys to grab her and kiss her and tell her how much they missed her just because I had a rose on my chest.

To me, it was all very real to me, and so, I very much fell in love with her and it was an incredible connection. And I very much meant what I said last night. I wanted to thank her for -- even though it didn't work out -- that the ability to find that type of love. It was great. I was a little taken aback by her response though. It was like she -- I don't know. I was surprised by her response.

The show in general though was a positive experience overall?

Nick Viall: Yeah, no, yeah. Absolutely. It's a life experience that I'll never forget and I hope that, for the most part, I stayed true to myself. And I think falling in love is an incredible experience for anyone, and as tragic as heartbreak can be, you can always learn a lot about yourself -- both good and bad -- and hopefully move forward and learn from it.

How would you feel about being the next The Bachelor star?

Nick Viall: You know, right now, that's not something that I've even honestly thought about. I think anyone would be incredibly lucky to be asked, but right now, I think I'm working through this. And like I said last night, my friends and family have been really supportive, and I have accepted her decision. And, you know, I'm moving on. It certainly brought back that moment.

I think a lot of emotions have to get sort out. But I think right now, I'm just trying to move on with my life and I'm looking forward to finding that person. I haven't given it too much thought, but it would certainly be -- I think anyone would be incredibly flattered to be considered.

Since you're still looking for love, what are you looking for in your potential partner?

Nick Viall: Kind of like I said in my bio, I think something along the lines -- and I said this to Andi, and this is where our connection really started and took off -- is that I've always been attracted to someone who is very confident and sure of themselves and has opinions.

But more than anything, I want to find that person who, we have that connection, and more than anything, we bring out the best in each other. I think every couple, you know, you get to know someone and whether in good times or bad, sometimes you critique each other.

And sometimes that can come from a place of resentment or anger or frustration, but I hoped to find it in someone where any feedback or anything they say to me like, "Hey babe. You can do better."

I want someone to bring out the best in me and I want to be with someone I bring out the best in. I do want that. I see that in my parents and that partnership that they have, and I think it's an incredible connection. I very much, at the time, thought I had that with Andi. So, I hope to find that again and hope to find that with someone who feels the same way about me.

Did you want ABC to release the letter you had written for Andi?

Nick Viall: We didn't talk about it too much. I'll say this. I was in no way ashamed of what was in the letter, and I knew by giving it to her, that was a possibility. And I accepted that.

Could you envision a friendship developing down the road with Andi and Josh?

Nick Viall: I certainly hope so. I mean, again, last night was a little bit unexpected. I certainly wish them all the happiness in the world. Josh, for much of the time -- before things got a little awkward -- was a very close friend of mine, and I think the world of him and I think the world of her.

It's a difficult situation though for all of us, and I don't have resentment or anger towards them. I mean, it's a difficult situation.

It still makes me sad and I'm still hurt and heartbroken about it, but that doesn't mean I don't wish them all the best. It would be -- I feel that way in my friendship with Josh. I don't know if it will ever be the same, but it would be cool if we could all get to that point where it's possible.

Going back to last night, the comment which Andi said was "below the belt," did she say anything else to you about that moment, when the cameras went off? And did Josh say anything to you about it?

Nick Viall: I never saw Josh, and Andi and I didn't say anything. We didn't even say goodbye. I think, I mean, and rightfully so. I think she -- as I was caught off-guard by her demeanor, I think she was very much caught off-guard by the question.

And quite honestly, I was surprised it came out. But I think I was very much in the moment and it was something that was really weighing on my mind. But no, there was no follow-up.

Were you sad you didn't get a chance to say goodbye to Andi or end on a happier note?

Nick Viall: Yes. That's really disappointing. I was really hoping -- I think, you know, going into that, it was important to me to express to her how she made me feel. I wasn't sure if she read the letter, and if she did, I was hoping to show appreciation for her reading it.

I did want to -- again, I didn't really know -- I didn't really have a lot of questions at that point, because I didn't think the answers, you know, it was more like it wasn't about meeting her and having her answer my questions. It was about meeting her to express how I felt, and that's what the letter ended up being.

So, yeah, it really is unfortunate. It does make me sad that I couldn't just say, "Hey, listen, I wish you two all the best and you have a great guy in Josh and I'm sorry things didn't work out. But I'm not angry or anything." But there was still, and is still, some hurt there.

I was, at the time it happened, a little disappointed with how things played out and some of the things that she said and obviously some things that we did. That's still hard to live with, but I also know that was a difficult situation for her.

And that's why I wish I had that opportunity to talk to her in maybe a more private setting, because it's not that I was upset, it's just that I wanted to talk through it with her. I wanted to express to her how I felt, which I think any couple or any former couple would do in a serious relationship.

Are you still in love with Andi now?

Nick Viall: I think last night was a lot of closure for me. I mean, just seeing her demeanor with me, I don't know where that came from -- I mean, even before I asked the questions. I think it left me with a lot of closure. It didn't necessarily eliminate any heartbreak that I have, but I think it was really, in that way, good for me.

So, yeah, I'd say I've accepted her decision and am looking to move forward. And like I said, she'll always have a piece of my heart. She's a special person, and what I had with her at least, was special to me. But I'm more excited for things to come.

Could you elaborate more on why you're unsure whether you'd want to be the next Bachelor?

Nick Viall: I don't think it would be really fair to myself to answer that question having not really put a lot of thought into it. Again, it would certainly be flattering to even be considered. But, with that being said, I actually fell in love while I was there.

So for me to say that I didn't believe in the process would not be true, because my feelings for her were incredibly real. I tried throughout the entire process to be very honest with myself, and I was very aware of the possibility of falling in love with the idea of someone given [how] extraordinary the situation [was] and the elaborate dates and things like that.

I had real feelings, and so to say that I don't think that would happen again, that wouldn't be true. Because I think if you're honest with yourself, and you meet the right person, I think you could find love anywhere.

It seemed like you didn't care much about your relationship with the other guys because you were confident you'd have Andi in the end. Now that the show is over, do you have any regrets about how things worked out with the other bachelors?

Nick Viall: Um, no. I really don't. I think one thing that is kind of disappointing is that a lot of people didn't get to see some of the friendships in the house. I knew, you know, going in there ironically, I didn't know what to expect and I probably didn't think I was going to find love.

I assumed I'd probably meet some pretty cool guys and, if nothing else, form some friendships. But surprisingly enough, I do have a lot of friends from the house. I mean, [Marquel Martin] and [JJ O'Brien] are probably two guys I will, no doubt, keep in touch with for the rest of my life. They are incredible people and I feel very blessed to have formed the friendships I have with those two.

And even surprisingly, like, [Brian Osborne] and [Chris Soules], I was able to talk to them last night. And after getting out of that environment, you know, it's a difficult situation for everybody. I don't regret, in that moment, following my heart and being very focused on a person I was falling in love with.

I was not just focused on trying to build relationships with the guys in the house, who were dating [Andi] at the same time. I thought, "If there are any friendships that are going to blossom into some real genuine friendships, it would happen outside of that." And thankfully, it has. So, no, certainly no regrets about that.

Click here to read what Nick told Reality TV World directly. Also, check back with us soon for another portion of his interview.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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