The Bachelor Nick Viall defends Corinne: ‘I like to be surprised’

Does The Bachelor pick the “villain” again?

Fans have been comparing Corinne Olympios — the 24-year-old with a nanny known for snoozing through a rose ceremony and her unapologetic seduction techniques — to Courtney Robertson, who won season 16 after declaring she wasn’t “here to make friends.”

But on The Jenny McCarthy Show, Nick Viall defended the controversial contestant.

“Everyone has their moments. Nobody is impervious to The Bachelor world getting to you and having a meltdown. Everyone. Sometimes you seem more of one person than another, but it affects everyone,” he said Wednesday. “And Corinne … yeah she’s beautiful and has spunk and I like that, but certainly there were moments that yeah, even for me it was like, ‘Ohhh,’ you know? But every time Corinne was kind of challenged or kind of put to it, and every time you underestimated her, that’s when she would surprise you the most. And for me, I like to be surprised. I like to be caught off guard. I like to think I have a pretty good read on people, and so when people sort of surprise me, I’m like okay and I get pretty intrigued. And I think Corinne is someone who does that. She’s well aware of how people perceive her and she’s fine with it. And every once in a while she’ll surprise you, and I think you’re seeing a little bit of that.”

“Well plus, I would imagine being The Bachelor you want someone that’s gonna get a little naughty and sexy,” McCarthy added.

“Yeah,” Viall acknowledged. “I mean also, let’s keep in mind nothing Corinne has done is that crazy. ‘Oh my God, she had a couple of glasses of champagne and got a bouncy castle.’ Now, while I’m not one for bouncy castles, I’ve done some childlike things in my life.”

There was also her whole naked-under-a-trench-coat-with-whipped-cream thing, but he’s got a point. Watch McCarthy’s full interview with Viall below for scoop on his fourth time on the franchise.

The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8 pm ET on ABC. The Jenny McCarthy Show airs live weekdays at 10 am ET on SiriusXM Stars (Ch. 109).

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