Former Bachelor star Nick Viall is throwing his support behind fellow Bachelor Nation member Demi Burnett, whom he thinks would make a great lead for The Bachelorette.
“Demi’s a good friend. So, you know, I’m biased,” the “Viall Files” podcast host, 39, told Us Weekly exclusively while speaking about his Valentine’s Day collaboration with Dunkin’ and Grubhub on Thursday, February 6. “I think she’s funny and interesting and as open to love as anyone else. [I] just personally think she’d be fun to watch.”
He continued, “I’m a big fan of Demi and if they were to cast her, it certainly could be an interesting element knowing that she is attracted to both men and women. That would be an interesting element to potentially incorporate. I would be a fan of that, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”
Viall also addressed the likelihood of The Bachelor franchise expanding to accommodate same-sex romances. Though he had “no idea” about what could be in store, he pointed out that “the show is always open to new things.”
“They introduced Demi’s relationship with Kristian [Haggerty] and so I don’t see why they wouldn’t,” he explained. “I guess part of that might have to do with casting. It is about finding the right matches. I don’t know how that would go, but I don’t think they’d be against it, but that’s not really for me to say.”
Burnett became a fan favorite on Colton Underwood’s season of The Bachelor last year. She returned to the Bachelor world in the summer of 2019 to find love on Bachelor in Paradise. During her time on the summer spinoff, Burnett revealed to the world that she is interested in both men and women. Haggerty, the woman she fell for before heading to Paradise, joined the ABC series to continue pursuing their love, and they left Mexico as an engaged couple.
Burnett and Haggerty, 27, called off their engagement in October 2019. The former Bachelor contestant confirmed the split via Instagram, noting that they “have decided it is best for us to take a step back from our relationship.”
Since the separation, Burnett tweeted in January that she was “talking to a guy with a lot of tattoos.”
Viall, for his part, is working with Dunkin’ and Grubhub on their limited-time Valentine’s Day deal: a free half dozen with free delivery on orders of $10 or more. He said that the offer, which is available from Wednesday, February 12, to Saturday, February 15, is a “fun” way to “mix it up” for the special holiday. “I mean, how can you go wrong? And then you have it delivered via GrubHub. This is like an amazing thing. So I’m all in,” he said.
With reporting by Kayley Stumpe
