Corinne Olympios Is One of 'The Bachelor's Most Memorable Villains (EXCLUSIVE)
Updated Oct. 12 2023, 4:47 p.m. ET
Long before Shanae Ankney ever uttered the word "shrimp" onscreen and Hannah Brown decided to move the rose podium to avoid Luke Parker, Corinne Olympios was the "villain" on Season 21 of The Bachelor.
During her time vying for Nick Viall's heart, Corinne sparked Napgate — when she slept during a rose ceremony and justified her actions by saying that Abraham Lincoln and Michael Jordan took naps — and rubbed some of her co-stars the wrong way with comments about cheese pasta and her nanny, Raquel.
It's been years since her season of The Bachelor aired, and Corinne has moved on to other ventures. The podcast host and jewelry designer spoke exclusively with Distractify about her iconic reality TV run and what she's up to now.
Corinne Olympios reflects on her life years after she was the "villain" of 'The Bachelor' Season 21.
In the years since Corinne made an unforgettable mark on The Bachelor franchise — both with her time on Nick Viall's season and Season 4 of Bachelor in Paradise — she's shifted her focus to her podcast, her Aura Sugar Co. jewelry line, and another reality TV show: House of Villains.
The reality TV star spoke exclusively with Distractify, telling us she can't believe it's been several years since she made waves on the popular ABC series. (Neither can we, to be honest.)
"I feel like it was just yesterday," Corinne told us. "Everything that happened to me on The Bachelor, or anything I did is still so relevant. There are still so many memes that go around that it doesn't feel like it was five years."
Though Corinne's time in front of the cameras was polarizing, she only looks back on that time in her life fondly.
"I really had a lot of fun on the show. It was such an amazing time in my life, and I got to experience so many amazing things because of it," she continued. "I'm so thankful."
The reality star shared why she's an irreplaceable figure on 'The Bachelor.'
While there's always someone who ruffles feathers with the other contestants on any given season of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette, few have been able to provide the comedic relief that Corinne did during her time on Season 21.
"I do know that after I left this show, they were trying to cast girls to replace me," Corinne shared. "It's never going to be the same because I'm just the G.O.A.T. [Greatest of All Time]. What can I say? I'm flattered."
Corinne thinks others have tried to emulate her trajectory in subsequent seasons, but noted that it's a difficult feat to achieve. She told us, "I was never worried about someone ever being able to actually do what I did because I was so genuinely myself," she said. "I'm just a special kind of human."
Some viewers compared Corinne to Shanae Ankney, who competed for Clayton Echard's heart in Season 26. Though Corinne was viewed as the villain in her season, she points out that she was merely "funny," and not malicious.
"You can still say your points without being mean to the other girls," she said about how some subsequent polarizing figures have missed the mark. "And that's how I handled myself."
Corinne also told us she wanted to return to unscripted TV, and it seems that dream has come true!
While she rose to fame as a result of her time on The Bachelor, Corinne is taking her talents to E! and joining their reality competition series, House of Villains. The series features 10 of the most memorable and notorious reality TV villains competing for a $200,000 cash prize and the title of America's Ultimate Supervillain.
Watch House of Villains on Thursdays at 10 p.m. EST on E!
