Nick Viall is no longer a thorn in Shawn Booth's side. More than a decade after the feud between the pair took over season 11 of The Bachelorette amid their budding romances with Kaitlyn Bristowe, Shawn—who ultimately won the season—shared whether he would still consider Nick an "enemy." "No, not anymore," the season's winner said on the April 2 episode of the Tomi Lahren Is Fearless podcast. "We were. That was real. It was also very exaggerated, but it was real on the show."
The 38-year-old, who was engaged to Kaitlyn for three years from 2015 to 2018, admitted that his perception of his fellow contestant slightly changed after the season ended. "When you get off the show," he said, "you can't tell what is real and what's not real from what the producers are telling you, from what these people are telling you, from what this person's telling you."
"It's like everywhere you turn and you don't know what's up and what's down," he admitted. "I thought that I was being the hero who stole the girl from this evil guy." Looking back, the personal trainer—who debuted his romance with Audrey "Dre" Joseph in 2023—understood why the feud had been more exaggerated onscreen.
"But it was a real beef on the show," he said. "I was trying to protect 'my girl' at the time. I didn't think he was there for the right reasons."
Shawn didn't shy away from those concerns during his time on the reality show either. In fact, during a confrontation with Nick in one episode, he alleged, "You're manipulating, you're arrogant and you're just a cocky guy." He also accused Nick of trying to "change" his image after being portrayed as a villain in the previous season with Andi Dorfman when she chose Josh Murray over him. As Shawn put it, "I don't think you're here just for Kaitlyn; I think you're trying to change your image from last year."
Although tensions were high during the season, Nick—who tied the knot with Natalie Joy in 2024—has previously expressed regret for how he handled his experience with Shawn. "It was very unfortunate and frustrating," he told People in 2015. "We looked immature and we looked petty. But I have no animosity toward Shawn. I really do wish him and Kaitlyn the best."
