Entertainment

Nick Viall Has A Lot To Say About Josh Murray

by Nicole Pomarico

If you've been keeping up with Bachelor in Paradise this season, you already know that tensions have been high between Josh Murray and Nick Viall. Going into this, it was safe to assume they weren't BFFs since they were Andi Dorfman's final two on The Bachelorette, but now, their rivalry has definitely been kicked up a notch. After they both fell for Amanda Stanton on BIP, they're at odds over their feelings for the same woman yet again, and now, Viall is talking about it. In a recent interview with Us Weekly, Viall talked about his feud with Murray, and it sounds like it's not ending anytime soon.

After BIP introduced Murray as a cast member this week, he didn't waste any time moving in on Stanton, despite the fact that she and Viall had already forged a connection. And somehow, that made him a villain — something he really didn't like. So Murray took to Twitter to claim that he's been a victim of bad editing, but is that really all it is? According to Viall, that's not an excuse, and he's saying that as someone who's been around the Bachelorette block a time or two.

Here's what Viall told Us Weekly:

“[Josh] seems to be taking the approach with saying things about editing and stuff like that, which is funny because I’ve been in the position in the past where I haven’t been painted as favorable as some of my other peers. I’ve been called a villain and things like that, but I never put the blame on editing. I’ve made my mistakes on my time on the show, and I think we should be held accountable for the things we say and do in life and on the show … I try not to get too involved with how he’s responding."

Honestly, Viall's response to Murray's tweet says way more about Viall than it does about Murray. In a situation that can be so fragile when romantic feelings are involved, it'd be hard not to resent someone for going after a person you were clearly interested in. But Viall's not playing dirty here, and I admire that about him. He's got a point — he never did blame the way he came across on The Bachelorette (either season) on editing, and always owned up to when he was wrong. Plus, I've always been a fan, so I'm really glad BIP is giving people the opportunity to see a new side of Viall that's totally positive.

And for the record, it's very important to remember that people don't steal people from each other. Murray and Viall are just as free to like the same woman as Stanton is to choose between these two men, and in the end, it was really her decision when it came to who she wanted to spend her time with in paradise. Stanton isn't a prize, and I think that's something the producers could have done a better job at reinforcing if we're going to talk about editing here.

I'm rooting for Viall and hoping that he does manage to find love this season. After everything he's been through on the Bachelor franchise, he deserves it!