Entertainment

You Need To See Corinne's Post-'Bach' Interview

by Nicole Pomarico
Jeff Daly/ABC

Since Nick Viall's season of The Bachelor began, my feelings on resident villain Corinne Olympios have been very mixed. One episode, I'll feel like I hate her, and I'll decide she is putting shame on the whole sacred Bachelor process, and then another, I'll love her and how she decides to nap whenever she wants, rose ceremonies be damned. But now, I think I'm Team Corinne for good, and my one regret is that it didn't happen until after her time on the show was up. Corinne finally became a Bachelor hero after her elimination, and I am here for it.

On Monday night, following the episode where she didn't get a rose for the first time, Corinne appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! via webcam to share her thoughts post-Bachelor. I've always suspected that the 24-year-old business woman hammed it up for those cameras, and seeing her so down to earth while talking to Kimmel pretty much confirmed that. Not only did she address her breakup with Nick and how blindsided she was, but she also talked about her life and her future like an actual person, instead of this larger than life reality TV character we've all gotten to know over the last several weeks.

It's like now that her time on The Bachelor is over, the way she presents herself has totally changed. She's talking about the same things, but in a completely different way. The subject of her famous nanny, Raquel, came up, and instead of acting like a helpless teenager who needs someone else to cut up her cucumbers and make her cheese pasta, she spoke about her with love and respect.

In fact, she didn't even indulge Kimmel when he tried to poke fun at her for having a nanny, and even when she said she'd punch anyone in the face who tried to give her a red rose in the future, it wasn't in a bratty way — it was just endearing. She was calm and poised during the interview, which was impressive to see. I don't know where this woman has been all season long, but I love her.

The interview was so humanizing for Corinne, and it only came second to the way she exited the show after Nick eliminated her. In the limo, she became honest and real, admitting that after a long history of trying to impress the men in her life at the cost of her own self respect, she was done. Everything she was saying was so relatable to anyone who's ever had her heart broken, so how could you not root for this young woman who, at her core, is just looking for a love based on mutual respect?

After seeing that interview and hearing that exit speech, watching the highlights from Corinne on The Bachelor that played before her Kimmel appearance changed for me. Watching those moments play out on the show, I once saw her as immature and shallow, albeit entertaining. Watching them play back now? To me, it feels like she's very calculated yet funny, like she was playing a caricature of a Bachelor contestant and doing it on purpose.

I don't know where Corinne will end up after this, but I have a feeling we'll see her again soon — most likely on Bachelor in Paradise, if she gets the invitation that I think the producers will extend soon. And if she does make a return back to reality TV, this time, I'll be cheering her on. After all, I have a feeling she's much wiser than she seems.