Now that Nick Viall is officially off the market, we can finally stop talking about him and his fiance (and the winner of The Bachelor), Vanessa Grimaldi. Just kidding! We never will!
It may feel like a century since we all tuned in on Monday night for a "historic" finale of this season's rose extravaganza, but there's still so much to unpack knowing that Viall, 36, and Grimaldi, 29, are on track to spend the rest of their lives together. One of the most talked about aspects of their newly confirmed relationship is the sincerity of it. Are they really in love? Does Viall really want to marry Grimaldi? Does Grimaldi really want to settle down with Viall, who has almost proposed to two other women on national television? Apparently so. But not without a little advice. Enter: Ben Higgins and Lauren Bushnell, the Bachelor couple from last season who successfully spun their reality show relationship into a Freeform spinoff series.
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With that on their resume, they are automatically #BachelorNationGoals. And they have some words of advice for the couple, but mostly for Viall. From the sound of it, they believe the love is real, but that Viall has a lot of room for improvement. ET talked to the pair, and they got right to the chase. "You're no longer the Bachelor and that's a really exciting thing, [but] it sounds like their relationship is off to maybe a difficult start," Higgins said. "He needs to start investing in their relationship more than anything else, that would be my advice. It is a tough season of life."
He continued with the unfiltered advice, saying things like "it's time for him just to humble himself" and that he needs to "be a good partner."
Bushnell also offered her perspective on the conversation aired between Viall and Grimaldi after watching them on After the Final Rose. "I would just say, 'Talk to people. If you are struggling, talk to Nick, talk to friends, talk to your family — don't bottle it all up. Also, show some grace, which I wasn't always the best at,'" Bushnell said, admitting a flaw of her own. "As hard as it is to think Ben never intentionally hurt or did anything, it's just the process, it's not necessarily the person. So forgive [and] move forward, which I'm sure they will do."
As far as whether or not the two are authentically in love? Higgins and Bushnell, who have still not married following their engagement in March of 2016, believe so. "I think one thing the After the Final Rose did show us is their relationship is very real, they weren't trying to hide anything," Higgins said. "So, I think they're authentic."