Vanessa From 'The Bachelor' Is An Actress Too

Do you hear that? It's Bachelor nation waking up after a long drought. It's the sound of millions of people tuning into ABC on Monday nights to watch Nick Viall look for love. The Jan. 2 season premiere had everything fans could've hoped for — there were awkward limo exits, drunken toasts, and 30 new contestants. One woman that stood out from the moment that she was introduced on The Bachelor was Vanessa Grimaldi, a Canadian special education teacher. Between her impressive job, ability to speak multiple languages, stunning dress, and effortless conversation with Nick, she is definitely a contestant to watch. And though she's passionate about the work she does as a teacher, Vanessa is also an actress, with an IMDb page and everything.

It is not surprising to me that someone as well spoken and beautiful as Vanessa has stepped in front of the camera before. And though Hollywood aspirations could sometimes seem like a red flag on reality shows, nothing about Vanessa makes me think she's on The Bachelor for "the wrong reasons." If her acting career takes off after the show, I think it would just be a bonus, not the goal.

So far, Vanessa has had small roles on television. She appeared in one episode each of Blue Mountain State, Being Human, and the miniseries Ascension. She also co-hosted two episodes of the Canadian series Can Your School Rock, as well as a video podcast for Gameloft, which you can see an episode of below.

In the podcast, Vanessa talks about video games, conventions, and played some games in front of the camera, which seems like a fun job. However, it's important to note that this was five years ago — and her most recent IMDb credit is from 2014, so she doesn't seem to be very active as an actor lately.

Acting might've been something Vanessa did while she was studying to be a teacher, or could be something she just does on the side. Like many women this season, Vanessa's resume is impressive and varied, but if she does want to explore more of a career in front of the camera, she will definitely have the exposure after being on the Bachelor. That combined with past experience should set her up for some great opportunities.

Vanessa's diverse range of careers may actually be another way for her to connect with Nick. When he first began his journey to find love on The Bachelorette, he worked as an account executive at Sales Force, but since then, he's started modeling and, of course, making more TV appearances. Maybe Nick and Vanessa can bond on what it's like to juggle Hollywood and other careers as they get to know each other more on The Bachelor.