Jade Roper Has A Bone To Pick With New Bachelor Nick Viall

Jade Roper is sticking by her woman. The former Bachelor contestant is defending her maid of honor, Liz Sandoz, against new bachelor Nick Viall after he questioned Sandoz's motive for joining the show during Monday night's season premiere. The audience learns during the episode that the two slept together on the night of Roper's wedding to Tanner Tolbert in January 2016. On the show, Viall, 36, says he asked for her number — but she declined give it to him. The Bachelor contestant then tells him that at the time, she just wanted to leave things how they were. But still, Viall questions why Sandoz, a 29-year-old doula, would wait until he was cast on The Bachelor to try to rekindle the flame. If she wanted to date him at any point since their one-night stand, why didn't she reach out to their mutual friend, Roper, to get his number? But Roper insists that Sandoz's intentions are pure. During a Bachelor premiere party on Monday night, she spoke to ET about her BFF's situation with Viall. "She had talked to me about it before she went on [the show], and I kind of tried to prep her for it and I'm proud of her for doing it. I feel like it's really brave," Roper told ET. "She really did have an interest in Nick and she went there to see if there was anything and I totally support her." Roper, 30, added that she actually thinks Viall is at fault, here. "I've heard a little bit and I know the whole situation is awkward, but I'll say I'm a little disappointed," Roper confessed. She then questioned why he hadn't reached out to her for Sandoz's number in the months following their hookup. She added that the Bachelor Nation alum had apparently "rejected" Sandoz's invitations to charity events. While we respect Roper's loyalty to her friend, we have to side with the Bachelor here. He asked for Sandoz's number and she refused; to pursue her further and sneakily get her number from Roper would've been an aggressive and creepy move.