Not many first dates involve a snowboarding lesson from an Olympian—but then again, not many first dates take place on national TV, either. During the May 26 episode of The Bachelorette, Andi Dorfman took contestant Eric Hill on an epic adventure from the beaches of L.A. to the slopes of Big Bear Mountain, all within one 24-hour period of filming in late March, about a month before Hill died in a tragic paragliding accident in Utah.
As part of the date, Dorfman and Hill were given a snowboarding lesson by Olympic snowboarder and Red Bull athlete Louie Vito, who spoke with Us Weekly about his brush with reality TV fame. "It was awesome that Red Bull set this up for me to be a part of this date at Big Bear, but it was a little awkward being the third wheel!" Vito, 26, told Us of crashing the couple's first one-on-one outing.
"Andi was awesome," he raved of the reigning Bachelorette, 27. "I had a great time hanging out and talking with her. She is definitely a rad girl and it was fun to get to know her. She has beauty, brains, and a great personality."
Vito—who competed in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver—also had several kind words for Hill, who, prior to his death, was on a quest to visit every U.N.-recognized country in the world. "It is unfortunate about Eric's passing, but it was great to be able to have the chance to meet him," the Winter X Games athlete said of the late explorer, who was 32 at the time of his passing. "He really was all about the adventure and truly lived every one of them."
Dorfman herself expressed similar fondness for Hill in a conference call earlier this month. "This is a guy who really lived life to the fullest and inspired all of us," she told Us. "I think we're holding onto the legacy here."
