This just might be his final top three! Only ET was with Bachelor Nick Viall in October as he took Rachel for a romantic one-on-one date in New Orleans, and he confirmed that Rachel, who received the first impression rose, remained a “frontrunner since day one.” We also got Viall to spill the names of the two other women who stood out.



EXCLUSIVE: Nick Viall Reveals Whether He’ll Hook Up With Women Before Fantasy Suites

“Danielle is someone who I’m very interested in, from the very beginning,” he revealed. “She is very beautiful…Vanessa is also someone that I had an interest in. We have a really good chemistry.” Danielle and Vanessa have both been on one-one-one dates with Viall. He said that he was “saving” New Orleans for Rachel while he learned more about the other women. “Unfortunately for Rachel, because I have so much confidence in her, in my interest in her, she kind of had to wait a little bit,” he admitted.

Still, Viall gushed over Rachel, saying, “I love a woman who knows how to have a great conversation and just have a strong personality and a great smile. She certainly has all of those.”

Rachel was impatient as she waited for Viall to ask her for a one-on-one, but told us she kept sane in the house by staying “completely” out of drama. “I walk out of a room as soon as it happens,” she said. “I’m too old for it!” At age 31, Rachel is the oldest contestant on the show.



EXCLUSIVE: Nick Viall Defends Giving Corinne a Rose

Viall, 36, noted he was feeling the dynamic shift in the mansion. “For the women, they are kind of seeing that turning point when things are getting a little serious,” he said. “I think they are adjusting…Things are kind of picking up...[I] have some tough decisions to make.”

He’s “going with his gut” when it comes to who he sends home from rose ceremonies, but also knows just what he’s looking for. “I like women that are very confident and can kind of hold their own in this situation,” he said. “I want a woman I can have great conversations with. I love the physical aspect of relationships, but if you are talking about a relationship that lasts a lifetime, you definitely need that emotional and cerebral connection.”



The Bachelor airs Monday nights on ABC. Like ET on Facebook, where we recap episodes every Tuesday morning at 11 a.m. PST. For more on Nick and Rachel’s date ahead of tonight’s episode, watch our video below!