Here's What Happened Between Nick & Kaitlyn

Part of me still can't believe it's happening, but Nick Viall's season of The Bachelor is finally almost here! On January 2, we get to meet the women who will be vying for one of the most notorious contestants in the show's history, and after competing on two seasons of The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise Season 3, these contestants have had more opportunity than ever before to get to know their leading man. But if you missed out on one of Nick's most recent stints on the franchise, you might be a little confused about his backstory — and what all the fuss is about. So what happened to Nick on Kaitlyn Bristowe's Bachelorette season? It's all a part of his complicated history with the show.

When Nick first joined Kaitlyn's season, it was in a pretty nontraditional way. He was in the audience during a group date, and asked Kaitlyn if he could jump in and see if there was anything between them. He missed out on limo arrivals and the first few episodes — and the risk of being eliminated the first few rose ceremonies, too. It was totally understandable that the other guys weren't into the idea of Nick joining the show late, but Kaitlyn ended up following her heart and letting him in anyway. It kind of sucked for Kaitlyn's suitors, but it was awesome for the rest of us... mostly because he made the rest of her season so much fun to watch because of the drama that ensued.

Because not only did Nick manage to skip out on almost the entire first half of the season, but he also had the advantage of having a previous friendship with Kaitlyn before filming, too. He started out with crazy chemistry with her and a little bit of history, and if you are as obsessed with the show with I am, you already know that's a major leg up. And as a result, his relationship with Kaitlyn progressed a lot faster than it did with the other men, making him a front runner practically by default.

In the process, the obvious closeness between Kaitlyn and Nick also created a lot of tension between her and her other front runner (and eventual winner/fiancé), Shawn Booth. And after it came out that Kaitlyn and Nick had spent the night together after a one-on-one date, that tension got worse — and it created a lot of drama between Shawn and Nick, too.

But despite the drama, Nick continued to stick around... all the way through hometown dates and fantasy suite dates. I was 99 percent sure that he had this in the bag, but apparently, Kaitlyn did not agree.

In the end, though, Kaitlyn ended up choosing Shawn, and they're still together now, almost two years later. Unfortunately, that means that Nick was rejected after picking out the perfect engagement ring for the second year in a row on The Bachelorette, which definitely set a new record. I love Nick so much, but who could deny that his ring throwing limo scene is one of the most epic rejection in Bachelor nation history?

The good news? All of that heartbreak led to Nick as our newest Bachelor, and I can't wait to see where it takes him. After everything he's been through, he deserves to finally get that happy ending he's been searching for, and I'm looking forward to rooting for him all season long.

Images: ABC, Giphy (3)