Mayim Bialik is puzzled by The Bachelor. The 49-year-old actress and neuroscientist recently appeared on an episode of The Viall Files podcast, where she revealed her unfamiliarity with the mechanics of the popular ABC dating show.
During the conversation, host Nick Viall asked for her thoughts on the women participating in the upcoming season, and Bialik’s response took him by surprise.
“What’s the premise?” she asked, leaving Viall, a Bachelorette alum, momentarily stunned.
Viall, 44, then broke it down for her. “Twenty-five to 30 women show up, and on the first night, they make their grand entrances,” he explained.
“Sometimes people—like myself—get really nervous. I blacked out. Others might make an impression by hang gliding down or doing something elaborate.”
Recalling his own experience, Viall shared, “The producer asked, ‘What do you want to do?’ and I said, ‘I’ll just introduce myself.’ But they suggested, ‘Well, you never know—maybe parachuting in?’ Some contestants really go for a stunt.”
Viall continued to describe how the lead narrows down the contestants. “On night one, contestants get anywhere from zero seconds to two minutes to connect.
Mayim Bialik
One person receives the coveted ‘first impression rose,’ which keeps them safe. At the end of the night, the Bachelor hands out roses, and if you don’t get one, you’re sent home.”
Adding to the explanation, Viall’s wife, Natalie Joy, chimed in, “By the end of it, he proposes to one person and gets engaged.”
As the discussion progressed, Bialik became curious about certain details of the process. Viall explained that toward the end of the show, there’s “hometown week” and “fantasy suite week,” which particularly intrigued Bialik.
“What if someone gets pregnant?” asked the Big Bang Theory alum.
Viall laughed, “We’ve been hoping!” while Joy added, “That would be so funny.”
Viall then shared an anecdote from his time on the show. “On my season, there were magazine covers claiming I might have gotten one of the contestants pregnant,” he said. “It was just a rumor.”
The podcast episode also reflected on Viall’s long history with the Bachelor franchise. He first joined Bachelor Nation in 2014 as a contestant on Andi Dorfman’s season of The Bachelorette, where he finished as the runner-up after Dorfman chose Josh Murray.
In 2015, Viall appeared on Kaitlyn Bristowe’s season of The Bachelorette, showing up unannounced during a group date in the fourth episode to ask to join as a contestant. Bristowe agreed, and once again, Viall ended up as the runner-up.
Viall eventually became the lead of the third season of Bachelor in Paradise, which aired in 2017. That season concluded with his proposal to Vanessa Grimaldi, though the two later split.
Now, Viall has found his happy ending. In April 2024, he and Joy tied the knot after welcoming their first child together.
