Young Nick Viall Looks Like A Future 'Bachelor'

Nick Viall is a certified Bachelor superstar. He's been a contestant on two seasons of The Bachelorette, a suitor on the spinoff Bachelor In Paradise, and is now the main man on his own season of The Bachelor. If Nick was writing a resume, he could probably get away with writing "professional Bachelor contestant" on it. There was a time however, before his main job was making out on TV. He was once just a salesman from Chicago, trying to make it in this big bad world without cameras watching. Shocking, I know. But I have some Here are some photos of a young Nick Viall that prove he had a life before he was a Bachelor franchise pro.

I enjoy watching Nick as the leading man on The Bachelor. His commentary is witty, he has a lovely beard, and his knowledge of the show pays off as he often breaks the fourth wall. He's a rather fascinating human, someone who is willing to be vulnerable on national TV while also seeming to hate it all. Hopefully, these old photos give some insight into who Nick was before cameras, roses, and cocktail parties became a regular part of his life. He wasn't just born to fall in love on TV again and again.

If Looks Could Kill

Nick often directly looks into the camera on The Bachelor. He has been doing this producer frowned upon move since his first season. Turns out, staring a camera down has always been something Nick is good at. In this old photo, Nick sports blond hair, a snazzy tux, and even a rose.

I would like to also defend Nick's shorter do. Learning to manage a head of curls is a tricky thing that often takes years to master. I wonder what young Nick would think of his current adventures on TV.

Dances And Dates

Something to learn from old photos of Nick is that he clearly has always been a bit of a romantic. There are a series of photos of him taking ladies to dances. While he's awkward (in a charming way), this hasn't stopped him from dating, dancing, and probably falling in and out of love. Nick may not have always been as chiseled as he is today, but he was never against putting on a suit and taking a girl out.

Nick can be quite smooth; he often displays a wittiness and charm on The Bachelor, which may have been learned after years of dating.

Family Was Always Important

Nick talks about family being important to him on The Bachelor and, in this throwback photo, you can see that's true. Nick has 10 siblings: Jessica, Teressa, Sarah, Peter, James, Luke, Bella, Samuel, Olivia, and Maria. That's a really big family. Fans of the show love Nick's family, especially his wise-beyond-her-years sister Bella. This old photo shows that Nick has always cared for those around him, even before America was watching.

An Athlete

On a recent Bachelor group date, Nick took his ladies to a track field where they got to hang out with some Olympic athletes. Turns out, Nick has a long history of loving track and field. He was a champion high school (Waukesha North High School) and then collegiate (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) athlete. Before competing for roses, Nick competed on the track field and did it very well.

While his past athletic feats aren't featured as much as his past heartbreaks on the show, track was clearly an important part of Nick's life. Maybe those tiny shorts helped Nick prepare for his Bachelor shirtless b-roll.

Wasn't Always The Bachelor

Before Nick was being fought over by 30 women on national TV, he was just an awkward teen in a slightly ill fitting suit. It's this that makes Nick an interesting Bachelor.

His "growth journey" is often discussed on the show, but these old photos put it in a new light. They remind me that he lead a full life before all his time was spent falling in love on TV. Nick was always destined to be on The Bachelor. But, before he did, that he danced, loved, and ran athletically like all the other non-TV folk in the world. And that is important to remember.