Photo: Instagram
Are this bachelor's single days over?
By Dominique McIntee — Written on Nov 22, 2019
Nick Viall, the single heartthrob from the Bachelor franchise, recently commented on the swirling dating rumors involving Rachel Bilson, the Hollywood starlet from Hart of Dixie, The OC and Jumper — and he didn’t exactly deny that she’s his dream girl.
So, are Nick Viall and Rachel Bilson dating? Luckily for you, we have all the details on everything you need to know, including a recent get-together where the two were spotted with one another.
1. Viall admitted he's always had a crush on Bilson.
In an exclusive interview with US Weekly back in September, Viall seemed to be smitten by the beautiful actress. Regarding their playful social media activity and “relationship” status, he said, “She’s beautiful. Is it flirtation? I just think I was complimenting her Instagrams. It was cheeky. No, maybe I’m just dense, I don’t know.”
He then added, “I always had a crush on Rachel. I told her that on my podcast. She was really cool. She’s a lot of fun, has a great sense of humor and she knows how to give me a hard time, and I really appreciate that. Yeah, she’s become a fun and cool friend.”
2. Bilson appeared on Viall’s podcast, The Viall Files, in July.
It all started when Rachel Bilson was a guest on Viall’s podcast this past July (apparently, she’s a pretty big Bachelor franchise fan). In the episode, Bilson opened up about dating as a single mother, the Pilot Pete scandal, and other fun topics of interest.
3. Dating rumors later surfaced when the duo began exchanging flirty Instagram comments.
The podcast episode clearly served as a foundation for their flirtation-ship. To start off, the promos of the Bilson episode were frisky. Viall initially posted a photo with the caption, "Will we choose to forgo our individual rooms..." that prompted Bilson to chime back, "He slid into her.....dms #sheaccepted."
The two then exchanged playful words that ultimately launched an internet investigation into their relationship, along with a bevy of media stories. Clearly, the saga has been heavily monitored.
4. Both have been single for quite some time.
Neither have been lucky in the game of love and, as a result, both have been going solo.
In 2017, Rachel Bilson made headlines for her shocking split from Hayden Christensen after spending nearly a decade together. Nick Viall was engaged to his season’s winner, Vanessa Grimaldi, but the two ended their engagement in August 2017, five months after the finale aired.
5. Viall confirmed that the two “hung out.”
On a November 20th episode of Brad Goreski’s “Brad Behavior,” he said he saw a photo from October that showed a mystery woman dining out with Viall, though her face was not clear. Goreski asked Viall about a dinner date, noticing the woman was Bilson. Viall responded, “I was, yeah. We hung out, and her friends were there too... a bunch of people.”
Viall then said he considered traveling with Bilson, prompting Goreski to suggest Paris; though, Viall responded, “Probably not.”
For now, there's no confirmation that the two are an official item. But we can still dream, right?
Dominique McIntee is an unapologetic Scorpio (BIG co-star girl), reality TV loving heathen, and twentysomething, NYC-based writer with a moderately interesting life, knack for editing, and passion for content creation. Though no one asked, all opinions and words are her own and authentic— topics ranging from fashion and food, to beauty, lifestyle, music and everything in between.