Nick Viall starred as The Bachelor in 2017 and it was all because of one requirement he demanded to be met before signing on.
Nick recently opened up about why the women were so crucial in making his decision to be the Bachelor.
Nick Viall cared more about the women than the money
Speaking with Jason Tartick on his podcast Trading Secrets, Nick reflected on his time as The Bachelor and what led him to sign on after being a two-time runner-up on The Bachelorette.
While money and clout can be a big appeal to those starring on the show, Nick’s focus was more on the women.
Nick shared, “All I cared about [were the women]” and so his one request before signing on had to do with the type of contestants he’d be building relationships with on the show.
Nick revealed his one demand from the producers was, “Please cast women I’m going to be into.”
Having been on The Bachelorette twice, Nick was likely privy to the fact that many contestants are cast to cause drama and entertain more than to strike up genuine love connections.
According to Nick, it was most important that he was able to choose from women that he could really fall for and have a natural interest in.
Nick Viall would have done The Bachelor for free
The Bachelor does pay its leads, but for Nick, the money wasn’t the biggest aspect that drew him to return as the leading man of the franchise since the women were more important to him.
Nick shared, “I didn’t really care about the money. I mean, I needed the money at the time, but I would’ve done it for free.”
While Nick claimed he didn’t care about the money, the money was still essential since Viall reportedly had been living without a job for a year and The Bachelor was his only source of income.
Nick shared that he simply requested The Bachelor producers, “Give me what I need to survive another year.”
Discussing The Bachelor contract negotiations, Nick recalled, “I basically said, ‘Give me this number’” and the deal was closed in one day since the amount he requested was considered so reasonable and fair.
Nick expressed his outlook on making money from The Bachelor, noting how a lead star can profit so much more after having done the show. Nick stated, “It’s stupid for anyone who’s offered that role [to say no]. Nickel-and diming over [$10,000] or $20,000 is the dumbest thing you can do given what you can do with [what] that opportunity gives you.”
Nick has certainly been able to leverage his several appearances within The Bachelor franchise into a career of his own now and, while he did find a woman he was into on the show enough to get engaged, he and his final rose receiver Vanessa Grimaldo broke up the next year.
However, Nick has since found love again with his current girlfriend Natalie Joy, and, overall, it seems his time on The Bachelor has really paid off.
The Bachelor premieres Monday, January 3 at 8/7c on ABC.