On paper, Nick Viall, a 33 year old software salesman from Wisconsin, seems like an average, kind of boring, bachelor. However, to Bachelor connoisseurs like myself we know Nick Viall is so much more complex than what he appears to be. Over two seasons of the Bachelorette and one season of Bachelor in paradise, viewers went from disliking Nick, to hating him, and then all of the sudden sympathizing with him…. I’m still confused as to how I actually let myself sympathize with Nick, but that’s a story for a different time! Now, on Nick’s 4^th appearance on the Bachelor series Bachelor fans are actually rooting for Nick.

We first met Nick on Season 10 of the Bachelorette with Andi Dorfman. To quickly recap the season, Andi fell head over heels for Nick, yet all the other men hated him, (isn’t that how it always goes?). Throughout the entire season, almost from day one, Nick was portrayed as the bad guy, the villain. I say portrayed because as viewers we only see what the editors and producers want us to see. Essentially the goal of editors is to construct the media in order to make you feel a certain way. They almost always want you to sympathize with the Bachelor or Bachelorette and stand behind his or her decisions. Moreover, editors know the outcome of the season. So, when they’re editing the season they’ll portray certain men one way and other men a different way. Nick, who was the runner up- was portrayed in a negative light so viewers would dislike Nick and root for the actual winner, Josh Murray. Viewers ended the season on a high note, Nick leaving in a limo alone and Josh and Andi happily ever after (or so we thought at the time).

However, a season later with Kaitlyn Bristowe as the Bachelorette we found ourselves staring at his cheesy grin yet again. Nick had just come off a season where we was obviously not the fan favorite, and yet he had the audacity to show up half way through Kaitlyn’s season! Who did this guy think he was? But hold up- it’s not all Nick’s fault. Remember how I was saying editors portray certain men a certain way? Well, producers do the same thing. Bachelorette producers specifically called Nick up and asked him to come. Nick didn’t just decide to take a plane half way around the world one morning to see Kaitlyn- HELL NO! I don’t know this for sure but I’m pretty confident that before the season even started Nick was informed by producers that he would be joining the other men half way through the season.

Nick, who was already a villain in most viewers’ eyes, coupled with a late appearance and unfair entrance, made it ten times easier for editors to show Nick as the bad guy. Over the course of Kaitlyn’s season hate for Nick grew stronger and stronger each time. In end, Nick was runner up again leaving viewers satisfied that the villain didn’t get what he wanted.

Third times the charm right? Or at least that’s what Nick thought. Yep- I know crazy that he gave Bachelor “love” a third try. This past summer, Nick was a cast member on Bachelor in Paradise. Usually the bad guy, this time Nick was shown as a sweet, innocent man just looking for love. How could Nick’s personality change so drastically in such a short period of time you ask? Well if you haven’t caught on- producers and editors!! Both departments knew that a new season of the Bachelor was coming up, which means a new Bachelor needed to be cast. They took advantage of the Bachelor in Paradise opportunity to “recast” Nick as a harmless man, in hopes that viewers would be excited when he was announced as the new Bachelor. A majority of previous Nick haters ended up sympathizing with him this season on Bachelor in Paradise. However, some stayed loyal Nick haters…. But, whether you hate him or love him, he’s a controversial character which made him the perfect candidate for The Bachelor.

Let hope that 4^th times the charm for Nick! The Bachelor premiers on January 2^nd on ABC.