Vanessa Grimaldi - Bachelor 21 - *Sleuthing Spoilers* #5

When Nick said 'I would do anything for the woman I love', I thought I saw a smile play on Vanessa's face when she asked 'But why is it something you can't picture yourself doing?'. It's almost like she processed his words while she had already started talking and she just realized what he had said and the hidden meaning behind those words.

JMO

I loved that moment on the WTA when one of the girls asked him if he had found the great love he was looking for and he turned to CH like he was asking permission to tell. He was kind of grinning the whole time so even though he couldn't answer, he kind of did.

The fact that both Nick and Vanessa both posted great pictures from their time on their FD tell me they are both happy and ready to show off themselves as a new couple.

Comparing the three FDs, it is a no brainer. I cannot even believe that people on SM think that he picked anyone but Vanessa. Despite the heavy conversation, their date was the most well rounded. They discussed things that need to be discussed, they had some fun and the passion was through the roof. The morning after in the other two dates couldn't compare...no matter how much Raven ran around skipping and smiling.

bleuberry wrote:Does anyone else feel like Nick isn't as invested as Vanessa? I just don't see it from him.

I agree somewhat. I think part of this is we are so used to Nick being in chase mode with a Bachelorette. It's just a different dynamic when you are in the power position and also juggling other relationships. I think he's totally invested in Vanessa based on his body language and how he looks at her, and also his real world, very serious conversations. These three pieces are so much stronger with V than anything we have from his interactions with Andi and Kaitlyn. However I agree he is holding back on ITMs compared to those other girls. I think the primary reason is he is guarding himself slightly due to being The Bachelor and his position, but part of it is also edit. It's such a dead giveaway she is the one, they needed lots of smoke and mirrors to hide this one.

sosleepy wrote:

bleuberry wrote:Does anyone else feel like Nick isn't as invested as Vanessa? I just don't see it from him.

I agree somewhat. I think part of this is we are so used to Nick being in chase mode with a Bachelorette. It's just a different dynamic when you are in the power position and also juggling other relationships. I think he's totally invested in Vanessa based on his body language and how he looks at her, and also his real world, very serious conversations. These three pieces are so much stronger with V than anything we have from his interactions with Andi and Kaitlyn. However I agree he is holding back on ITMs compared to those other girls. I think the primary reason is he is guarding himself slightly due to being The Bachelor and his position, but part of it is also edit. It's such a dead giveaway she is the one, they needed lots of smoke and mirrors to hide this one.

I think he is invested, but due to the constraints of being the Bachelor he can't just say game over...the rest of you get out. I think all that pent up emotion will all spill out at the final. I'm expecting bucket loads of tears...from Nick!

Not to compare, and I LOVED him in the Bachelor role, but Ben never had the real world/logistics convo with his women - even the top 2 women that he was so OTT "in love" with. I specifically remember JoJo straight up asking him on LCD what their plans would be. Ben totally clammed up, averted eye contact and refused to engage in that conversation. Why? Because he knew it wasn't happening. Even though he was "in love" with her.

It's a stark contrast to Nick, who starting really at HTD's, long before that JoJo/Ben LCD where she attempted some of these harder conversations, is really digging in with Vanessa. Engaging in these hard talks, really getting to the nitty gritty. That's all I need to know about how he feels about her. He may not have told the camera he loves her yet, but he does. He wants to try this thing in the real world.

When I look at N&V's interactions now, it's like I'm skipping ahead and we are watching them already as a couple. I just get the feeling that their is mutual understanding between them that they are end game. The other relationships are irrelevant, and they are already having conversations that most other final couples save for like safe house visits.

Hotmomma wrote:

bleuberry wrote:Does anyone else feel like Nick isn't as invested as Vanessa? I just don't see it from him.

I do! There is just something off!

I see it too - he's very "on", his guard is completely up whereby he's even processing how him and Vanessa might not work as he's in the middle of their conversation. He's very much in his head... worth noting Nick is sooo far removed from when he was 200% in and over the moon in love with Andi -- my sense is that he's emotionally unavailable right now.

If it there wasn't the moving aspect to their relationship what doubt would they throw their way? Seems like the handlers kept feeding them the distance issue as a main topic to always talk about. Not that it isn't important because it is. I just think it's purposefully done with N & V. Who's to say Raven/Rachel would move for Nick and vice versa.

With all due respect, I can see Nick in Montreal, Canada way, waaaaaaaaaay more than I can picture him in Hoxie, Arkansas for goodness sake. It's not an issue being brought up for Raven, cause it's just not even something he needs to consider.

IMO this epi was all about sex and I don't think Nick could have delivered a stronger message nor Vanessa a stronger response. Up to this point the edit has IMO intentionally attempted to avoid the standard "lust" characterization.  Probably because Nick is a minority in that sustained sexual passion is a must for him which doesn't fit with "the process" tradition.   THAT is one of his deal breakers. He's not the standard lead in that sense and IMO this was an experience Nick was anticipating with Vanessa.  The edit has shown their intellectual approach to building a relationship and ability to articulate needs, wants, concerns and in Nick's blog post of their first 1-1 he states an immediate emotional connection so the trifecta is complete if the physical connection matches up.

Up to this point he has exposed some of his appetite to her:
- kiss and physicality when ill (not unlike what would happen during a pregnancy)
- he likes to show dominate by gently covering her throat (0 G date, preview clip on yacht that never aired in the epi, his IG post of their last 1-1 with flame at night - long time Nick fans will have recognized that smirk   ).
- in an interview he said intense conversations can be almost as good as sex so running with that their pool party convo was likely foreplay for him   )
- scuba diving: they remove their masks and use each other's lung capacity to breath.  Takes great stamina and includes a risk factor
- in the sauna he pulls her on to his lap, squeezes her butt cheek then gently slaps

There will be some who judge, and have judged in the past, Nick's sexual innuendos and boldness (lots of comments about his blue swim trunk pic but let's just chalk that up to "foreshadowing").  What can be agreed upon is that Nick is consistent in owning his sexuality on his terms.

The date:
He asks V her thoughts on the key but that was short-lived.  He essentially grabs that key, they both laugh (inside joke?) then off they go.
So how did this night differ from the other 2
He initiates (not so different) however we see more of his hand movement, and includes bare shoulder kisses before the scene cut.
As some pointed out, DO NOT DISTURB.  Was that the faint sound of bedsprings heard shortly after? Maybe.
Morning - still in bed, equally nude upper bodies...lingering
*remember when Nick said earlier that he wanted a relationship where "they" came before their respective families and that he wanted a partner that would put him first just like he would her AND the importance of "compromise". WELL, Vanessa from a self-described traditional family just agreed to a semi-nude filmed scene.  Somewhat compromising, no?
They invited the cameras back in for that little kiss/cuddle sequence (natural light shone on pillow behind Nick), They had control, rare for this show, of how they would appear on film.  Equally partially nude, Nick's hair badly in need of Polished Gent product - Vanessa's hair sweated into limpness against her temple, both somewhat spent after a heavy workout but still goin'.

 this love story has everything I need.  It's almost better than my imagination.  It's a great "after dark" special that I appreciate isn't to everyone's taste but is my kind of delicious.
I love "intense" and choose labyrinths over straightaways whenever the choice presents. Their story has a "catch us if you can" quality that is playful and challenging. For me, all the non-V&N stuff are just over long commercial breaks. So annoying.

@sosleepy IA and said the same thing. Distance is an issue for every single contestant however all we hear is the challenge between Vanessa and Nick when it comes to distance. Did the Canada vs USA conversation come up with Kaitlyn?

I would much rather listen to real conversations as opposed to those who want to get married and move to Iowa.

IMO Nick as we all know has been in the F2 spot twice and knows how he felt about each of them. I would be suspect if he just dove in and didn't care about what's important in a relationship if he was only interested in chemistry, I would think that's all we'd see.  

IMO Nick is very much aware of what he is feeling, and is processing all the pro's and con's to make sure he is making the right choice, probably because he can't believe it, and probably because he wants to analyze the difference between his feelings now and the previous two seasons.

However, when Nick and Vanessa are together, IMO it's obvious what he is feeling. He is always touching her, kissing her, pulling her towards him.

@Maya that is being discussed in Raven's thread. Post deleted.

https://www.bachandbachettefans.net/t4052p12-raven-gates-bachelor-21-sleuthing-spoilers-2

Sharleen summed it up perfectly for me, especially the bolded:

I LOVED the polar-bear-plunge-then-sauna activity on Vanessa’s date and thought it was everything a Bachelor date should entail: the TV-appropriate kitsch of matching swimsuits, an activity that really pushes the comfort zones but is relevant to the current locale and culture, and above all, something that we at home would find entertaining. The conversation, too, was at the level I think it should be at this point in the season, considering an engagement is ostensibly around the corner. One could argue that Vanessa’s ILY on her second 1-on-1 was on the early side, but with this show’s tight timeline and the fact that I really do think Vanessa’s going to “win,” I appreciate that they spent this day focused on red flags and logistics. It made me take what they have more seriously, regarding them both as realists better equipped to face their impending hurdles than most. I personally didn’t see them having similar personalities as a concern, but then again I’ve always been a believer that opposites only attract for the short term. I think they SHOULD be similar, not only in opinionated-ness but also in their “core values,” as Vanessa put it. Compatibility is made up of similarities, and compatibility is a very, very good thing.

“Winning:” Vanessa, 29
What is there to say that I haven’t already? I’ve never seen Nick look at a lady the way he looks at Vanessa—both on television and in real life—and if she isn’t the last lady standing I will be completely floored. And I like it that way. I like that there really isn’t much competition. The less doubt there is, the more legitimacy there is to the two of them being something real and thus having the strength to last in real

http://www.flare.com/celebrity/entertainment/the-bachelor-sharleen-joynt-episode-10/