7 things you need to know about the next 'Bachelor' star, one of the most hated men in the franchise
Bachelor Nation was shocked on Tuesday when it was revealed after "Bachelor in Paradise" that Nick Viall, a recurring character in the franchise, was the next "Bachelor."
The 35-year-old Spencer Pratt-lookalike was chosen over frontrunners Luke Pell and Chase McNary, two men from the most recent "Bachelorette" season.
But you know what? They were boring, and Viall is decidedly not.
The two-time runner up on the "The Bachelorette" has been wiling away his time on the spinoff "Bachelor in Paradise" and is now finally ready to be the main stud of the "Bachelor."
Meet your next bachelor, America.
1. He's been on multiple "Bachelor" spinoffs - four times, to be exact
Viall has not only appeared on both Andi Doorman's season of "The Bachelorette" in 2014, but also joined Kaitlyn Bristowe's season halfway through as a "surprise" in 2015.
After coming in runner-up in both seasons, Viall turned his attentions to the ladies of "Bachelor in Paradise," the show where former "Bachelor" and "Bachelorette" cast members come to a beach in Mexico to "find love" with each other.
Now, it appears Viall has finally made a big enough name for himself to head up his own version of the show on "The Bachelor."
2. He slut-shamed a "Bachelorette" star on live TV
During Viall's first go-around on "The Bachelorette," he was left heartbroken when Dorfman chose a bag full of muscles with eyebrows named Josh Murray over him.
But instead of sticking with the tried-and-true script on "After the Final Rose" and saying he was disappointed, but still loved Dorfman, Viall went in a … different direction:
"If you weren't in love with me, I'm just not sure why, like, why you made love with me," Nick told Dorfman, revealing that the pair had slept together during the show's infamous "fantasy suite" date where contestants spend the night alone together without a camera crew.
The audience, and Dorfman, were shocked and upset. Bachelor Nation was up in arms, angry at Viall for literally airing his dirty laundry on live TV.
So you can imagine everyone's surprise when Viall not only came back to "The Bachelorette" to see if he had a shot with Bristowe, but also to "Bachelor in Paradise." Twice.
To his credit, he's managed to rehab his image so that fans are actually rooting for him again. The test will be if he can keep that up on "The Bachelor."
3. The announcement that he was the next "Bachelor" was polarizing
The announcement on "After Paradise" was met with some intense fan reactions on Twitter.
Others were excited after seeing Viall on "Bachelor in Paradise."
"I've made my mistakes," Nick admitted to Michelle Collins, the host on the wrap-up show "After Paradise." "I've had an interesting process through this journey, and it hasn't worked so far. Hopefully, things will end up on a more positive note."
Chris Harrison, the show's delightfully detached host, argues that Viall was the right choice.
"He has just become that perennial, second place guy who wants to find love and is as sincere, if not more sincere, than anybody about finding it," Harrison told People of ABC's decision. "It's about giving him his chance to find love. Who deserves it more than him?"
4. He's a model and former software salesman from the Midwest
Niall was a Midwesterner before being picked for Dorfman's season and has lived in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and worked as an account executive for Salesforce.com in Chicago.
Other fun facts about him? He has a German Shepherd named Leica, lives in LA now, and he's the oldest of 11 siblings.
5. He's old, by the franchise's standards
For a show that usually places 20-something singles together, Nick is a dinosaur. He's 35 years old, and he'll be 36 by the time the show starts filming.
Viall's not the oldest "Bachelor" in history, though. That title belongs to season 6's Byron Velvick, who was 40 during filming. The second oldest bachelor was Brad Womack who was 35 during his first season and 38 during his second season. (Yes, Womack had two seasons to find love after he didn't pick anyone the first go around.)
So, old? By Bachelor Nation standards, yes. But oldest? No.
6. He spoiled his own storyline on "Bachelor in Paradise"
Viall is currently still wooing former "Bachelor" contestant Jen Saviano on "Bachelor in Paradise," but it's pretty obvious now that their relationship won't work out.
"You'll have to watch to see how it ends," Viall smirked on "After Paradise." Mkay.
7. He knows how to play the game
Ultimately what really matters is that Viall will be good on TV because he's done it countless times before.
Whether it's antagonizing his buffed up romantic rival Murray or pretending to fall in love with at least three different women, Viall has never had a problem getting fans to react to his on-screen presence.
But, his biggest challenge will be staying likable. "Bachelor" has had villainous stars in the past, from the misogynistic Juan Pablo to the fame-hungry Jake Pavelka, who started out as fan favorites and ended as duds.
"I'm definitely ready for it - I'm really excited," Nick said on "After Paradise" about his upcoming season. "I couldn't be more excited about the possibility of it working out."
As for what's he's looking for? "Someone who is confident and knows their own self-worth. And somebody who makes me a better person and challenges me and isn't afraid to give as much as I like to," he said.
Nick will appear on "After Paradise" on Sept 6 again and his season of "The Bachelor will premiere in January 2017 on ABC.