Former contestant on The Bachelor Nick Viall is reacting to the franchise's latest decision to appoint Clayton Echard as the next Bachelor. Nick first appeared on The Bachelor season 21 after appearing twice on The Bachelorette. Having been a long time member of Bachelor Nation, Nick often shares his insight on various aspects of the franchise. In regards to Clayton having been chosen for the upcoming season of The Bachelor, Nick shares that he is not particularly behind the idea.
Nick attempted to find love on The Bachlorette season 10 and The Bachlorette season 11 but was ultimately unlucky, finding himself in 2nd place two seasons in a row. Nick later appeared on The Bachelor season 21 where he chose Vanessa Grimaldi, but the two broke up after nine months of being engaged. Clayton appeared on Michelle Young's season of The Bachelorette. While he was eliminated before the end of the season, he was asked to return to the franchise for The Bachelor season 26.
Nick tells People that he doesn't care for The Bachelor's latest decision, saying "I've been kind of critical of the selection." Nick specifies that while he does not agree with the recent decision to have Clayton appear on The Bachelor for season 26, he doesn't have any negative feelings towards the 28-year old former NFL player personally. He that he simply believes Clayton to have been the least impressive compared to other possible candidates, saying "just looking at Michelle's top four, each of the top four has better storylines, more charisma. They have out-shined Clayton in every possible way. So I don't really get the choice."
Nick expresses his concerns about the authenticity of moments on The Bachelor season 26, saying that he feels the season will fall flat when kindness serves as a replacement for genuine interactions with higher stakes. "It'll all sound nice, but none of it will sound real," says Nick. Despite his concern over the stakes of the competition and general lack of interest in Clayton as a Bachelor, Nick claims that he still has hope for the season and admits that he could be wrong about his season prediction, saying "I hope Clayton proves us wrong and I'm very much rooting to watch this season." Still, Nick isn't overly confident that his expectations will differ too much from reality. "As it stands right now, I don't get it."
While Nick seems fairly convinced the upcoming season of The Bachelor may be boring to some viewers, other members of Bachelor Nation have voiced their support of Clayton being chosen for season 26. Even with mixed reviews from franchise alum, some fans remain as baffled by the season 26 pick as Nick seems to be, and have even been outraged over the decision. While it's too early to make any calls, hopefully fans will be pleasantly surprised with the outcome of Clayton's season, which promises to be more upbeat than previous seasons.
Source: People