Q & A with 'The Bachelor' Nick Viall

NEW YORK -- "The Bachelor" Nick Viall took some time out to answer reporters questions in a conference call. Here are some of the most revealing things he said.

Q: There are more celebrities each season who have said that they love the show and Jennifer Aniston actually just went on "Kimmel" and said she is rooting for you and picked her final four. I was wondering if you watched that episode and what you thought about it, and also just how big the show is?

Nick Viall: Yes, no I think that's fascinating. I actually didn't watch the show that evening but was certainly made aware of it the next morning. I had a pretty good Friday. So you know, it's pretty cool when Jennifer Aniston says you're awesome and is rooting for you. So I mean, I have no complaints. But yes, it was, you know, as far as surreal thing that was -- it was pretty cool. I have no complaints.

And I think it is kind of funny how I've talked a lot, you know, with some of my you know friends of the show over the years and it's kind of funny where, you know, just Bachelor Nation has gone over years. You know, I think over the past it was being a bachelor fan was like a guilty pleasure and now it's like cool almost. You know, you have celebrities being fans and I think that's -- it's kind of a fascinating thing and I think it's pretty neat.

Q: So I'm assuming you can't reveal whether you got engaged, but can you tell me if you're happy with how your journey as The Bachelor ended? Was it everything you hoped for, did you find love again?

Nick Viall: I mean you know, I think I can say I definitely found love. I don't -- really won't be able to get into much more detail about that other than, you know, you'll have to watch and see how that all played out and what that all meant.

Q: So you've done The Bachelor twice and you did Bachelor in Paradise, and you know, had some luck but obviously didn't leave engaged, so overall not a lot of luck, but what made you think a fourth time would be different?

Nick Viall: I guess you just never know. I mean, I suppose I didn't know it was going to be different, you know? But you know whether it's as The Bachelor or in life, you know I don't think I'll ever, you know, give up on the possibility of finding love so to speak, right. And I think being The Bachelor is certainly an incredibly different opportunity than going on the Bachelorette or going on Paradise and it was something that I was optimistic would work out, you know, certainly was no guarantee.

You know again, I think I said this before, but I think a lot of people go into The Bachelor season assuming it's going to work out for the bachelor or bachelorette and, you know, it often does. But I think I went into it, you know, with the -- kind of the realization that there's no guarantees but with the optimistic hope that it would.

Q: So just a few people that stood out to you on arrivals and what you think the most, what's the secret is to a good first impression?

Nick Viall: Yes, I mean, again I can't, unfortunately, sorry, I can't talk too specifically about the actual arrivals. But in terms of first impression, you know, I'm a big believer in -- I like confidence and confidence in people and confidence in women but I think sometimes that can be misleading with what that means. And I think it takes a lot of confidence for people to show their vulnerabilities and kind of just, you know, be expressive and open up. I think that shows a lot about someone.

And to me a great first impression is someone who's, you know, again it sounds cliché, willing to be themselves but, you know, they're not trying to be perfect, they're not trying to be someone they're not and they're willing to show their vulnerabilities. And to me I think that's an amazing first impression.

Q: And you know, you have fallen in love a couple of times on The Bachelorette but you did fail to find love on Paradise. So going into The Bachelor, what exactly were you looking for in a woman? Like were you hoping to kind of meet someone like Andi and Kaitlyn perhaps? You know, did you realize you had any deal breakers from learning from your past relationships?

Nick Viall: You know, as far as Andi and Kaitlyn, I mean, both great women and they certainly have a lot of great qualities. And as much as I did care for those women in the past I was also very thankful that it didn't work out, you know, having removed myself from the situation. But there's no denying, like I said before, I've always been attracted to women with strong personalities and a lot of confidence and women who are intelligent and, you know, willing to, you know, be my partner.

I have a big personality and, you know, I -- I push back a lot with people that I respect and trust and I want someone to be comfortable enough with me to do that. You know, I want to be with a woman who feels empowered and feels like they're my partner and part of a relationship and, you know, that has never changed, you know. That was the same when I went Andi's season, Kaitlyn's season, when I went on Paradise, and in terms of those core qualities that I'm looking for in women, that has never changed and never will.

Q: Just wondering if you kind of played by your own rules and did things differently than kind of the typical format we've seen in the past with the bachelors and the bachelorettes?

Nick Viall: Yes, I don't want to give too much away, you'll have to watch. But you know, I think overall I think me being asked to be The Bachelor was viewed as an unconventional choice and I think relative to me and my peers in the past I'm probably a bit more unconventional and that might be a theme that you will continue to see as me -- with me as The Bachelor.

You know, I've always not only in Bachelor but in life, you know, I'm not afraid to not necessarily play by own rules but, you know, follow my heart and do what I think is best regardless of the majority opinion. And so I think you will continue to see that as you watch the season.

Q: ABC has teased that a girl from your past shows up on night one and you're forced to question her intentions. What can you tell us about that meeting? Did her arrival shock you or make you uncomfortable? Did you really see potential to fall in love with a woman that you already met before?

Nick Viall: I can't give too much detail away other than the fact that I didn't know that someone from my past would show up and certainly when that happens I think anyone would be shocked. As far as how it all plays out or what I thought about it, you know, I think that will be a very compelling part of the first episode and I look forward to you all checking it out.

Don't forget to watch the big premiere of season 21 of "The Bachelor" on Monday, January 2nd at 8 p.m. EST on ABC!