IN the 15 years (and 21 seasons) that The Bachelor has been on the air, only three couples have found lasting romance — that is, making it to the altar beyond the obligatory engagement — after appearing on the reality series. Given that tiny percentage, it’s no wonder the show has garnered a reputation for featuring contestants who are more interested in raising their showbiz profile than actually finding the love of their life.
Season 21 star Nick Viall, 36, and contestant Vanessa Grimaldi, 29, have professed their adoration for each other in multiple interviews since she accepted his proposal on the show in March, but if their icy behavior during a recent flight from Puerta Vallarta, Mexico, to L.A. is any indication, they probably won’t be increasing the number of couples from the series who’ve tied the knot.
CLEARED FOR FAKE-OFF
“They came into first class after most everyone else was seated,” an eyewitness on the June 18 Alaska Air flight tells Star. “Some people recognized them from TV and said hello; Vanessa was very gracious, but Nick seemed a bit aloof. One person said to him, ‘Aren’t you famous?’ And he answered kind of wearily, ‘I wouldn’t say famous; I was on a couple of Bachelors.’ ”
As soon as the plane was ready to leave, says the source, “Nick immediately put in his earplugs, and stared at his phone. Vanessa was looking at a tablet, and staring out the window. Their body language was terrible, angled away from each other. They actually looked miserable, as if they had just had a huge fight.”
The source adds: “They seriously didn’t exchange five words during the entire two and a half-hour flight! After the plane landed, Nick grabbed his carry-on bags and raced ahead of Vanessa, not bothering to wait for her; she fell in step five feet behind him. They didn’t even stand together at the luggage carousel! At that point, I wandered over to a guy who seemed to be in their entourage, and I said, ‘For a couple who starred on a romantic dating show, they don’t really seem to like each other.’ He told me, ‘I can’t really discuss that — but you’re on the right track!’ ”
