If you were watching The Bachelor back in 2017, you probably remember that final rose ceremony in Finland. It was freezing, Nick Viall was in a turtleneck, and Vanessa Grimaldi looked like a literal princess in the snow. When he proposed, it felt like the end of a long, painful marathon for Nick. After being the runner-up twice and a stint on Bachelor in Paradise, he finally had his person.
But then the "After the Final Rose" special happened.
It was awkward. Like, really awkward. Usually, couples are glowing, but Nick and Vanessa looked like two people who had just finished a three-hour argument in the limo ride over. Fans noticed immediately. They weren't just "realistic" about the challenges of a televised engagement; they looked miserable.
The Reality of Nick Viall and Vanessa Grimaldi
Most people think they broke up because Vanessa didn't want to move from Montreal to Los Angeles. That’s the easy narrative, right? The "distance" excuse. But honestly, that wasn't the half of it. Vanessa actually did move to LA for a bit. She tried the lifestyle. She sat in the audience while Nick competed on Dancing with the Stars.
The truth is much messier. Years later, on Nick’s podcast The Viall Files, they finally sat down to hash out what actually went down. They basically admitted they were two puzzle pieces that were never going to fit.
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Vanessa mentioned that she used to lock herself in the bathroom, turn the shower on, and just cry for hours while they lived together in downtown LA. Imagine that. You’ve just won the big show, you’re engaged to the lead, and you’re hiding in a bathroom because the tension in your apartment is so thick you can’t breathe.
Why they clashed so hard
It comes down to personality. Nick is... well, he’s Nick. He’s analytical, he can be cynical, and he’s very set in his ways. Vanessa is incredibly passionate, family-oriented, and, by her own admission, very sensitive.
- Communication Styles: They spoke different "love languages" and apparently used them as weapons rather than tools.
- The "Body Shaming" Incident: One detail that leaked out was a story about Nick making a comment regarding Vanessa’s chest. He apparently realized she had been wearing a padded bra during filming and made a joke about it. To him, it was a joke. To her, it was a deep wound that she brought up in every argument for the rest of their relationship.
- Competing Dreams: Nick was trying to launch an acting career and a podcast. Vanessa wanted her life in Montreal, her special education teaching career, and her family.
They were both stubborn. Neither wanted to be the one to bend. Nick admitted that they were both "going 100 miles per hour" but in completely opposite directions.
Where Are They Now? (The 2026 Update)
Fast forward to today, and both have found exactly what they were looking for—just not with each other. It's actually a pretty good lesson in not forcing something that clearly isn't working.
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Vanessa Grimaldi is living her best life back in Canada. She married Josh Wolfe, a businessman from Montreal, in 2021. They had a baby boy in 2022, and honestly, if you look at her socials, she looks ten times more relaxed than she ever did with Nick. She’s still involved in her foundation, No Better You, which supports special education rooms in schools.
Nick Viall eventually leaned fully into the "Bachelor Nation Elder" role. He married Natalie Joy in early 2024 after a long engagement. They have a daughter, River Rose, who was born just before their wedding.
It hasn't been all smooth sailing for Nick lately, though. In early 2026, he and Natalie faced some pretty heavy backlash for an interview on their podcast with Austen Kroll. Fans were pretty upset over how they handled sensitive topics regarding Austen’s family history. It’s a reminder that even when you "win" at the influencer game, you're always one bad episode away from a PR nightmare.
The Takeaway for Bachelor Fans
If you're still wondering "what if" about Nick and Vanessa, don't. They were never going to make it. They both wanted to be the alpha in the relationship.
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The biggest takeaway here is that the "bubble" of reality TV can make a toxic connection feel like destiny. Once the cameras stop, the turtleneck comes off, and you're sitting in a condo in LA realizing you don't even like the way the other person breathes, the fantasy dies fast.
If you want to apply this to your own life, look at the "bathroom cry" metric. If your relationship requires you to hide in the shower just to get a moment of peace, it doesn't matter how romantic the proposal was.
Next Steps for You:
If you're tracking other Bachelor alumni who actually made it work, you should look into the success rates of couples who move to "neutral" cities versus moving to LA. Statistics show that couples who avoid the Hollywood influencer trap right after the show tend to have a much higher success rate. You might want to check out the current status of Kevin Wendt and Astrid Loch for a "success story" contrast.