Nicole Still Has A Lot Left To Say About Bachelor Nation & Love – EXCLUSIVE

Bachelor Nation is no stranger to big feelings. In the 17 years the Bachelor franchise as been on the air, fans have seen quite a few tears and angry outbursts. After all, when love is at stake, it makes perfect sense for emotions to bubble up at the surface. On this past season of The Bachelor, Nicole Lopez-Alvar got a lot of attention for shedding a lot of tears during her time on the show. But, the truth behind the crying is way more interesting than the tears themselves. Nicole is simply looking for love, and she's ready to find her person. I had the chance to talk to her about her experience on The Bachelor and got the lowdown on whether or not Nicole will be on Bachelor in Paradise.

As a longtime fan of the show, Nicole first applied for The Bachelor back in 2015 when she was 22 years old, but she was told she was too young. But, she didn't let that stop her. "I applied again in 2017 and I was still single," she tells Elite Daily. "I realized, you know what, I’ve tried every dating app, I’ve been set up on dates. It hasn’t worked out and this could really be my chance at finding love."

The second time around was a charm for Nicole, who was among the 30 women vying for Colton Underwood's heart on Season 23 of The Bachelor. Right away, Nicole caught the attention of Bachelor Nation thanks to her sense of humor and bold attitude. One of her most memorable moments was when she grabbed a live eel while on a group date in Thailand. "That was still one of the craziest experiences I’ve ever had because I just got so fearless," Nicole recounts. "I was really trying to impress Colton. And I don’t know what came over me. I remember everyone staring at me, like, did she just do that? Even Colton was just like – that was a real face of shock."

I would love to find my person.

Even though Nicole impressed Colton with her eel-grabbing skills, she never got to have a one-on-one date with Colton during her time on the show. But, there's the possibility that she might make an appearance on Bachelor in Paradise. If she does, Nicole is hopeful that she'll get to meet the person for her.

She explains, "I would love to find my person. I would love to just date someone. I never got that one-on-one time on The Bachelor, so I would love to have that one-on-one experience where I get to truly be myself and truly just date someone who’s interested in me. That’d be amazing."

Nicole's brave approach to the eel mirrored her brave approach to her feelings while on the show. She didn't let anything stop her from showing how she really felt. While that caused some tension with some of the other women on the show, a lot of fans really appreciated seeing Nicole let her emotions out through crying. During the "Women Tell All" episode of the show, Nicole had the chance to talk directly to Bachelor Nation about her emotions, and about her relationship with her brother who has Autism. Fans had a super-positive reaction to Nicole being so open and honest.

"The support was amazing. Because it is hard to be vulnerable, and to talk about my brother, and then to try to defend myself, and to get my point across," she says. "I knew it was going to be a big deal. But I had no idea I was going to affect so many women, and so many men too, who have been reaching out, saying that they’ve been bullied or like they’ve been silenced and watching me overcome my fears and just be myself really inspired them."

Not only has Nicole gotten a lot of support from fans, but she's also gotten a lot of love from some of this season's other women as well.

"When I applied, I had no idea I’d become so close to some of the women, and some of my really, really good friends are Tayshia, Kirpa, and Sydney," Nicole says. She also says they even check in on each other during really emotional moments that make it to air, and that's made them even closer. "Those are definitely my girls, and they’ve made this experience so incredible."

Even though Nicole didn't end this season of The Bachelor in a relationship, she has been updating Bachelor Nation on one happy couple living under her roof. When Nicole had to participate in a strength challenge group date involving a fake wedding cake, she ended up taking home the wedding cake topper prop. She hilariously updated her fans about the cake topper couple's activities on her Instagram story, and even made sure to repair them after they broke. Nicole's happy to report that the couple is doing well now. She reports, "They’re good! They’re officially retired. No longer part of the franchise. They’re living their best life."