Nick Viall

Nick Viall was an American reality TV star best known for his multiple appearances on ABC's long-running "Bachelor" franchise. Born in Milwaukee and raised in Waukesha, the Wisconsin native grew up about as far away from Hollywood as one could be. Viall never had his sights on becoming a TV star, so he focused most of his energy on sports and his schoolwork. As a young boy Viall excelled at track and field, and was a star athlete at his Wisconsin high school. When it came time for college, Viall stayed close to home by enrolling in the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He majored in accounting and supply chain management while attending the university, and was also the captain of the school's track and field team. Viall excelled as an athlete during college, and went on to break a number of school records. After college Viall took a corporate job as an account executive for a company called Salesforce. In addition to his well-paying corporate job, Viall was also working as a professional model, where he got his first taste of the limelight. Then one day in 2014, on a whim, he auditioned for the new season of ABC's "The Bachelorette" (ABC, 2003-). Viall was cast as one of the show's bachelor's and made it all the way to the rose ceremony, but was ultimately passed over by bachelorette Andi Dorfman. Viall returned to "The Bachelorette" the following year in 2015, but once again came in second place. Then in the late summer of 2016 it was announced that Viall would be the new bachelor for the 21st season of the show. When the 21st season of "The Bachelor" premiered in January of 2017, over two-dozen women were competing for Viall's affection. When the final episode aired in March of 2017, Viall selected Vanessa Grimaldi from Montreal, Canada. March of 2017 was also the month that Viall began appearing on the 24th season of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" (ABC, 2005-), which further expanded his already growing profile as one of the country's most recognizable reality TV stars.