Nick Viall is off to a rocky start as ABC's "The Bachelor" with several ladies already questioning the true intentions of the 36-year-old former software salesman. Is he genuine about finding a future wife or is Nick just having a good time and using the gig as a springboard for future opportunities in Hollywood?
Who better to ask than a former contestant who has been through the process? Josh Seiter, who appeared on "Bachelorette" Kaitlyn Bristowe's season in 2015, has plenty to say about Nick and the show that he says is "scripted."
Although Josh was eliminated during the first rose ceremony on the 11th season of "The Bachelorette," he knows first-hand what goes on behind the scenes and it's far from love and roses.
And when asked about "The Bachelor" Nick Viall's authenticity as the show's lead, Josh Seiter doesn't hold back when it comes to Viall's "fourth time is a charm" tagline.
Is Nick really looking for love?
A law school graduate and successful male entertainer, Josh Seiter admits that he didn't go on "The Bachelorette" to find love — he wanted to further his career, something many contestants won't admit to, including Nick Viall.
Josh has had amazing success with his career since his appearance on Kaitlyn's season (he's headlining at Dreamboys Chicago and has an upcoming Las Vegas residency in the works). But that's not all — he has found love (sorry, this hottie is engaged, ladies) and didn't need the help of producers, cameras, and 10-minute dates in a hot tub to find it.
This March 😀😀😀 @DreamboysChi @VIPBachelorette #vip #bachelorette #malerevue #ladiesnight #fitness #gym #workout pic.twitter.com/MrWaFLkAx8
— Josh Seiter (@josh_seiter) January 3, 2017
So, while no one seemed to question why Nick Viall went on TV to find love the first time around (Andi's season), it's not unreasonable to wonder why, after failing to win the final rose a second time on Kaitlyn's season, he left his job in Chicago, moved to Los Angeles, started taking acting lessons (per Reality Steve), and accepted a fourth gig with "The Bachelor" franchise.
Did he really need to do all that just to find a future wife?
Josh gets real about Nick
Josh Seiter's personal opinion of ABC's "The Bachelor" is based on his time on Kaitlyn's season where he saw exactly what goes on behind the scenes of what he calls a "scripted show." He wonders, like many of us, why Nick doesn't go out into the real world to find love — especially after getting rejected twice on "The Bachelorette."
"Any 30-something man interested in finding love wouldn't spend 6 months out of the year letting executive producers dictate who he is going to date," Josh tells Blasting News.
"Someone truly looking for love would go out into the real world and get to know someone — not spend ten minutes in a hot tub next to 20 sound guys and in front of 10 cameras."
Seiter goes on to say that Nick's search for love is a "farce" and the show has "poisoned the American love story and turned it into an American horror story." And while spoilers indicate that Nick gets engaged at the final rose ceremony, Josh Seiter isn't the only one who thinks Nick isn't being authentic.
God of 'The Bachelor'?
TV Lust writer Abby Draper has interacted with Nick in the past and recently told Reality Steve that she thinks Nick thinks he's "the God of the Bachelor" and took the gig to stay in the spotlight, not to find love.
And considering one of his frontrunners this season, Vanessa Grimaldi, questioned during "The Bachelor" Episode 2 if " Nick is looking to just have a good time or if he's actually really serious about finding a wife," there seems to be some concern all around about Nick's true intentions.