Nick Viall has dished on the extent of his feelings for Jennifer Saviano while filming Bachelor in Paradise and how he came to feel about Amanda Stanton and Josh Murray's romance.
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Viall seemed to be floating through Paradise without much hope until Jennifer Saviano from Ben Higgins' season of The Bachelor arrived. Viall "barely" remembered her from the show but admittedly recalled her striking beauty.
"Obviously when you decide to come to [Paradise], you look at the potential roster. I don't know if you've met Jen, but she's gorgeous, stunning, one of the more naturally beautiful girls I've ever met. So, from a physical standpoint, I was very curious about her," Viall told the magazine.
"I didn't know too much, so fortunately for me, she showed up at a point where honestly I was getting a little tired of being here... I had made some amazing friends, everyone was great... But at that point I was like, 'What the hell am I doing here?' And then Jen shows up, and we instantly hit it off."
Viall really liked Saviano, but it's been clear to viewers as the season unfolds on television he had walls up while getting to know her.
"I'm really lucky to have met her and have this connection with her, but it is different for me. I'm kind of known as the guy that says screw it and goes for it, and I think during my time here, I've had a little more pause," Viall confessed.
"I've kind of run out of runway here to take huge leaps of faith -- and plus, I think this world has a different effect on everyone."
Viall explained that for cast members who only appeared on one The Bachelor or The Bachelorette season before Paradise, a single day can basically feel like a week, so love develops naturally and quickly.
But for a veteran like Viall -- who has appeared on three different seasons of the franchise -- time seemed to elapse normally, which meant he only had a few weeks to get to know Saviano.
"I try to take things very slow with Jen. I don't want to be a Trivial Pursuit question. Right now, people know me as the guy that professed his love for two women on national television. I've asked two sets of parents for permission to propose, and it didn't work out," Viall recalled.
Viall finished as the runner-up on both Andi Dorfman and Kaitlyn Bristowe's seasons of The Bachelorette behind winners Josh Murray and Shawn Booth, respectively.
"I don't deny that I had very strong feelings for Andi and Kaitlyn, but looking back, I'm very lucky that they made the decisions that they did. Nothing against them, but things definitely worked out for the best. My ability to trust my emotions in this world is something that I've been struggling with," Viall said.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOWViall then revealed how Saviano is "incredibly different" from Dorfman and Bristowe.
"I am kind of holding off my answers in terms of [forever] because I have some soul-searching to do and decision-making. I definitely see a lot of potential with Jen, and honestly, I'm not quite sure how I'm going to approach the finale," Viall told Glamour.
"I respect Jen so much that I want to make sure we're on the same page and respectful of each other's emotions. I know more than anyone -- and a lot of fans [in the real world] don't realize just how personal and real this is to us, and I want to be respectful of that."
As for Murray's relationship with Viall's initial love interest in Paradise, Amanda Stanton, Viall said he'd be "very happy for them" if they got engaged at the end of it all.
But in true Viall fashion, he couched his answer with "if [the relationship] ends up being something that is real and works out." (Viall had some serious beef with Murray on Paradise this season in which he questioned the suitor's intentions and honesty).
"As far as Amanda, I'm glad we got to meet, but Amanda and I were very open at the time that we weren't in any kind of exclusive relationship. Quite honestly, I wasn't shocked that [Josh and Amanda] hit it off," Viall elaborated.
"The way that things played out and how it was handled was a little disappointing, mainly because it ended up being a bigger deal than it needed to be. I was actually really happy for their connection."
Viall, who thought Murray flaunted his physical connection with Stanton in Paradise, continued, "I think they're a better match than Amanda and I would ever be. But having people build up this Nick and Josh rivalry was, for me, super annoying."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
