Nick Viall and Rachel Bilson admit they faked their relationship

Since Nick Viall joined the Bachelor franchise, he’s made quite a name for himself. First as a contestant, then as the lead, and then as a pseudo-contestant who would drop by random seasons looking for love.

Now, he’s a settled, engaged man, and it would appear he couldn’t be happier. He’s got his gal and his successful podcast, and life is good for Mr. Nick Viall. But before he got engaged to Natalie Joy, there were a couple of non-Bachelor Nation romances.

Well, almost romances or fake romances, I should say. Not sure what I’m talking about? Let me explain.

Nick Viall and his fake relationship with Rachel Bilson

While on The Viall Files, The O.C. star Rachel Bilson finally revealed that the rumored relationship between her and Nick Viall was indeed fake. “No, Nick and I never dated,” said Bilson.

Viall added, “We did troll the internet.”

So while they messed around, they didn’t mess around together. They had a good time messing around with Bachelor Nation on the internet, and it was nothing more than that. And no, there wasn’t a time when joking led to something serious.

In 2019, they became good friends and had the idea to tease a relationship. They thought it would be a great way to launch a spin-off podcast they were thinking about having. But that was then, and this is now, and needless to say, there were never any real, romantic feelings involved.

They’re both in relationships with other people and both madly in love with their respective partners. It’s great, however, that they can look back at the whole thing with laughter and fondness. If I were a part of Bachelor Nation, I would understand that anything and everything I say could be taken seriously–why not have fun with it?

Nick Viall and Rachel Bilson–what a couple that could have been!

What are your thoughts on their fake romance? Let us know in the comments below!