Two of the most popular stars of the The Bachelor, Ben Higgins and Nick Viall, will face off with each other on the new E! cooking competition series Celebrity Beef. Ben first stole hearts on Kaitlyn Bristowe’s season of The Bachelorette in 2015. Although he placed third, he did not find lasting love with her. Ben was then chosen to star in The Bachelor season 20 in 2016. During his season, he fell in love with Lauren Bushnell, and they got engaged during the finale. Unfortunately, they broke up the following year. He then tried his luck on The Bachelor Winter Games, but quit the show because he was not ready to find love again. Ben began dating Jessica Clarke (a licensed esthetician) in 2018, after she caught his eye on Instagram. They got married on November 13, 2021. Ben is currently the host of The Ben & Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast alongside Ashley Iaconetti.
Nick has been a major figure in Bachelor Nation for many years. He was the runner-up on Andi Dorfman's season of The Bachelorette in 2014 and on Kaitlyn's season in 2015. Nick joined the cast in the fourth week, when he asked Kaitlyn if he could join the show, and she accepted. This disrupted the status quo in the house and rubbed many of the other men the wrong way. Nick then tried his luck in 2016 on Bachelor in Paradise season 3, and had a connection with Jen Saviano. However, he left Mexico without proposing to her. In 2016, Nick was announced as the star of The Bachelor season 21. He found love with Vanessa Grimaldi, and they got engaged. However, they broke up the following year. Nick is currently in a relationship with his girlfriend Natalie Joy, to whom he has been linked since 2019. They went public as a couple in February 2021. He is the host of The Viall Files podcast.
Now E! has announced that Ben and Nick will battle it out on the new cooking competition series Celebrity Beef, which premieres on the network on August 2 at 10 p.m. ET. Hosted by Joel McHale, the show promises to "pit two superstar contestants against one another as they attempt to settle the score in the kitchen while also revealing the inside scoop on their rivalry." Ben and Nick seem to be friends in real life, and Nick was even a guest at Ben's wedding, so this rivalry seems to be all in good fun. On Celebrity Beef, the stars will compete in a series of challenges, and the winner of each one will gain an advantage, while the loser receives a punishment. An advantage could be having access to exclusive ingredients, while a punishment could be being forced to swap out their knives for gardening tools.
At the end of each Celebrity Beef episode, the contestants will present their final meals to Joel for the "ultimate taste test." He will then choose the winner, who will receive a trophy and $10,000 for the charity of their choice. In addition to the stars of The Bachelor, the show will feature other pairs of celebrity rivals participating in the cook-offs. They include actresses Cheryl Hines and Rachael Harris; Celebrity Big Brother stars Cynthia Bailey and Todd Bridges; Real Housewives of New Jersey stars Dolores Catania and Caroline Manzo; singer Andy Grammer and actor and filmmaker Justin Baldoni; actress Missi Pyle and Flipping Out star Jeff Lewis; WWE stars and twin sisters Nikki Bella and Brie Bella; and television hosts Justin Sylvester and Loni Love.
Fans of The Bachelor always enjoy seeing the stars in other environments and getting the chance to know them outside of the franchise. This has happened in the past when Ben starred with Lauren on the reality show Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After? in 2016, and when Nick placed 6th on Dancing With The Stars season 24 in 2017 alongside professional dancer Peta Murgatroyd. Their personalities also shine through during their podcasts. It will be fun to watch Ben and Nick settle their Celebrity Beef.
Source: E!, E! Entertainment/YouTube