Did the chill in Finland follow Nick Viall and fiancée Vanessa Grimaldi back to the U.S.?
On the Monday, March 13, finale of The Bachelor and its subsequent After the Final Rose special, the newly engaged pair seemed to be lacking some serious warmth and affection, according to multihyphenate Kelly Killoren Bensimon. (Watch the model chat with Us in the video above!)
![Kelly Killoren Bensimon is seen arriving to the Jill Stuart presentation during New York Fashion Week on February 11, 2017 in New York City.](/wp-content/uploads/kelly-killoren-bensimon-zoom-1aa966a5-4fb1-4442-aac8-fa0ea4d56861.jpg?w=1000&quality=70&strip=all)
And now that the reality TV duo are back in, well, reality, it’s time for Viall to step up his game. “For Vanessa, she’s there and seems to not be on the fence,” the Real Housewives of New York City alum tells Us. “So it’s going to be up to him and how he’s going to handle [the relationship].”
But with the Wisconsin native competing on Dancing With the Stars, finding his rhythm with Grimaldi may take a beat. “His fame is going to skyrocket,” the author, 48, says. The ballroom will also lead to more events, more red carpets and, yes, more single ladies. Adds Killoren Bensimon, “Temptation is going to be so much bigger than he realizes.”
![Vanessa and Nick](/wp-content/uploads/vanessa-nick-zoom-4101a50a-f627-45bb-83d8-5ea8c70e7abb.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all)
Her solution: for Viall to remind himself of his good-natured background. “He’s really going to have to hone into those Midwestern roots because it’s going to be crazy for him,” she said.
Still, Viall, 36, and Grimaldi, 29, are aware that their journey ahead has its bumps.
“There have been moments when I wanted him to be a little more empathetic toward my feelings,” the Canada-based special-education teacher revealed to host Chris Harrison on After the Final Rose. “So we’ve had our challenges with that, but at the end of the day, we both love each other. We want to make this work, and as challenging as it can be sometimes, we’re excited about the future.”
Viall also addressed the couple’s occasional friction. “There are days that have been difficult,” he said. “As Vanessa mentioned, there’s been those moments. We’ve had our struggles, but we’re good communicators, and we talk. But we do try to be that team. I think we’re still looking forward to having that first normal moment.”
For more from Killoren Bensimon — on Viall as a reality star, her thoughts on runner-up Raven Gates and why standout Corinne Olympios should get a spinoff — watch the full Facebook Live video above! And pick up Killeen Bensimon’s book, A Dangerous Age, on shelves now!