Viall also weighs in on why so many women are leaving Underwood's season.
Nick Viall can certainly sympathize with Colton Underwood quitting The Bachelor during his season -- but for him, it wasn't an option.
ET's Lauren Zima sat down with the former Bachelor on Tuesday's episode of Roses and Rose Live, where he weighed in on Underwood's shocking confession that he actually did quit the show.
"It's possible Colton could have quit," Viall said when asking how it affects a Bachelor's contract. "[But] in my mind, you did sign up for this. You gotta see it through."
"There were certainly moments where I wanted to [quit]. It's a stressful situation," he continued. "The producers can select 30 amazing women or 30 amazing men, and they might not be your person. ...That's the stresses of being the lead, the pressures of the expectation. ... What if my person's not in this group? It's a truly terrifying situation at times."
Viall, who got engaged to Vanessa Grimaldi on his season finale in 2017 but split from her months later, said that producers realize the pressure of being a Bachelor lead, and do everything they can to meet their needs. "They do their best to help you through it," he insisted.
"They are your friends and family. They're trying to work with you... you can't take a day off," Viall shared, adding that sometimes he'd tell producers he just needed "30 minutes" to himself. "That happens sometimes, and sometimes there's not 30 minutes to spare. ...It's just a juggling act."
Monday's episode saw several shocking departures from the show, including Sydney (who left on her own terms, following Elyse's similar exit last week), and Demi (who Colton sent home after she arrived at his hotel room hoping to maybe take his virginity).
"It seems more authentic. When you know, you know. You don't always have to wait for a rose ceremony," Viall said, noting that he was criticized for sending women home outside of rose ceremonies on his season. "I think Colton's doing a great job, but you can see the struggle."
Viall respects the way Underwood sent home Demi in particular. "Obviously the lead can't say, 'I love you' back, but if you really know you're not going to get there, it's the right thing to do to send them home," he expressed. "Those moments of realness in the relationship probably reminded Colton that this is not my person. ...Things are becoming more real."
The former reality star also gets a kick out of Monday's mystery, in which multiple women told Underwood that a couple of women left in the competition weren't there to get married. "This show is making an entertaining show," he remarked, adding that there's nothing wrong with Tayshia and Kirpa's whispered comments about being final two, despite what the dramatic music would have audiences think.
"It's very common for castmembers to forget about being mic'd. it's a subconscious thing that if they whisper and producers can't hear them, [they think] they're not being heard," he explained. "They're all emotionally invested. ... It sounds worse than it looks. So what, they think it's them at the end."
As for his own love life, Viall also recently learned a tip or two from Dr. Ruth, as she partnered with Mr. Peanut to bring back her hotline for Valentine’s Day. He also opens up about his dating experiences on his new podcast, The Viall Files.
"We talk a little Bachelor, but my goal is to have it bigger than the Bachelor podcast. I have guest hosts every week, and they're generally women, and sometimes men who have a different perspective than I do," he said, sharing that it covers a variety of "interesting topics. "We have interesting conversations that I think people should be having out there. It's a lot of dating stuff, and hopefully sharing my experiences... we can learn a lot about our failures."
The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC -- join ET's Bachelor Nation Facebook group here.
RELATED CONTENT:
