The Bachelor star Nick Viall cut Rachel Lindsay, the franchise's next The Bachelorette star, during Monday night's one-hour episode on ABC.

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Nick cut Rachel, a 31-year-old attorney from Dallas, TX, during the Rose Ceremony that followed his round of overnight fantasy suite dates in Lapland, Finland.

"It's hard to hear how great you are and [about] how much love somebody has got for you but then they still don't choose you, and that's the story of my life. I know how great it could've been," Rachel said in tears following her ouster.

"Maybe I didn't show all that. Maybe he didn't get that. I wanted someone to have that undeniable, unconditional, unexplainable love for me, and I want to feel the same way for them, so it's back to square one."
 
The Bachelor episode began with Raven Gates and Nick waking up the morning after a wonderful night together. The 25-year-old Arkansas boutique owner shared her first meaningful "I love you" with a man and told the cameras that spending the night with Nick was such a special thing.

"I will say this. Nick is really good at what he does, so I'm pretty satisfied today," Raven, who admitted the night of her fantasy suite date she had never experience an orgasm, said in a confessional.

Later that day, Rachel met up with Nick and the couple went cross country skiing. Rachel joked that she "sucked" at the sport, but at least they shared some good laughs. Afterward, they enjoyed a reindeer sleigh ride.

Rachel shared how she was terrified of rejection and not having her feelings reciprocated, especially because she felt she was probably on an equal playing field with the other women. She tried her best, however, to be vulnerable with Nick, follow her heart and express herself. 

Rachel mustered up the courage that night to tell Nick that she was following in love with him and he's so "rare and refreshing." She couldn't believe she found the strength to say those words.

"Rachel, I am falling for you, like, 100 percent," Nick assured the bachelorette.

Rachel said the moment was perfect and then accepted the fantasy suite date invitation.

"I'm not in my head anymore. I'm all in my heart... I feel loved. Nick has completely erased all my doubt. I am so all in, and I know we're going to go so much deeper than we have before," Rachel said before closing the fantasy suite door. "I know this is the man I'm supposed to be with. I'm looking to seal the deal!"

The next morning, Rachel revealed she always has such a longing for Nick when she's not around him and it was going to be very difficult to say goodbye. 

Later that day, Vanessa met Nick for their date. The couple had to jump back and forth between a hot, steamy sauna and an ice cold bath. Nick loved seeing Vanessa face her fears, get out of her comfort zone and have fun. At first, Vanessa joked that she wanted to chop Nick up into little pieces and feed him to the reindeer, but at the end of the day, she had a blast.

Nick acknowledged a relationship with Vanessa could be "passionate and amazing." Once the pair got to relax inside of a hot tub, they talked about their potential future together and what that might entail.

Nick pointed out to the bachelorette that while her large Italian family is very traditional, he is not, and neither are his parents. Vanessa explained she didn't want to compromise on her core values, which includes attending her family's three-hour Sunday lunch every week in Montreal. Nick confessed he had history with an ex-girlfriend whose family was too involved and present and it complicated things.

Vanessa began to worry whether Nick didn't want to be around her family as much as she planned. Meanwhile, Nick questioned whether he was too similar to Vanessa and they'd therefore bump heads and fight a lot, especially because they are both stubborn and impulsive. However, despite potential challenges, Nick knew their relationship would be great.

Vanessa could definitely picture spending the rest of her life with Nick, but she needed to know whether they were on the same page.

That night, the couple talked by a warm fire indoors, and Nick admitted he was afraid of compromise not being reciprocated in a relationship.

With that said, Nick noted it was hard for himself to picture moving to and living in Montreal with her. Vanessa hoped living in Montreal would not be a "non-negotiable," but he still insisted the love of his life will always come first and he's ready to make sacrifices to make that person happy.

Vanessa said Nick was exactly the man she had always been looking for, and Nick envisioned them having "strong conversations" down the road since they are both passionate people. Vanessa hoped Nick, however, would only propose to her if he was certain that she was the only woman for him.

"I always wished to find someone like you, someone who makes me feel like I'm the only person in the world that exists... I have been waiting to tell you 'I love you' for awhile. And for me, it's something completely new, and that's why I keep fighting for it. As tough as it is on you, and as tough as it is on me, it's totally worth it," Vanessa told the Bachelor.

That night, the couple snuggled up in a log cabin.

"I know in my heart, this is it for me. It's just right when I'm with Nick. Nick is my other half, the person I want to spend the rest of my life with... wishes do come true," Vanessa told the cameras.

The following morning, the couple woke up and Vanessa had more of an appreciation for who Nick is as a person. It solidified that he is everything she wants in a husband and more.

An exciting and romantic week of dates culminated into one Rose Ceremony that was terrifying for the three girls left, who were feeling insecure and questioning whether they were good enough for Nick.

When Nick stood before the girls, he was immediately overcome with emotion. As he wiped tears from his eyes, he told the three ladies that his initial doubts and fears in this process had been overtaken by the love he was feeling at this point in his journey.

He disclosed that the decision he was about to make was extremely difficult, but he needed to follow his heart.

Nick then handed out roses to Raven and then Vanessa.

When Nick walked Rachel out, she couldn't help but cry. She was clearly heartbroken and told the Bachelor that she thought they had "a really, really good thing" together. She put her heart on the line for him, and Nick just gushed about how wonderful she is.

Rachel didn't seem to regret expressing love to Nick and had a very graceful exit from the show. Nick said he hopes to build a friendship with Rachel in the future because he truly cared about her.

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On the subsequent The Women Tell All special, Rachel thanked Nick for helping her open her heart up and get in touch with her feelings. Rachel said Nick made her a believer in The Bachelor process when she was once such a skeptic, and the pair definitely seemed to walk away from the night with closure.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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